Homeschool Freebie of the Day!

http://homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/ is giving away an awesome downloadable freebie everyday. Be sure to check back often; they have some GREAT free resources.

Update on our Math Mammoth experience

So far, I must say I am very pleased with the program. It offers few distractions, just enough color to keep it interesting, and a very easy-to-follow format. The instructions for each problem set are clear, concise and not overly wordy at all. My children have very little trouble following the directions and the format makes it easy to keep them on track. I consider this program money well spent. You can download free worksheets to review at www.mathmammoth.com

It's Unanimous

We're playing hooky today. Yay! (Can't you feel the excitement?????)

Nothing much to say today

Just wanted to stick a blog entry on here. What's the point of having a blog if you don't post something ;P lol.

Finally...A Day WITHOUT A FRIGGIN' STORM!

Wind, hail, tornadoes, and nearly 2 feet of rain and it's only April. It was really nice to see the sun today. (I had almost forgotten what it looked like)

FREE Woodworking Projects

Every other Saturday, most Home Depots and Lowe's stores offer FREE kids' wood projects classes. For the Lowes' calendar, visit https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/ to view the calendar and sign up. I haven't had any luck with my local Home Depot about their classes (I HATE calling that place UGH). You may want to check with your local store to confirm this information.

Ah Spring

How you continue to elude us. I live in the South, it's April 6, and I'm STILL running a space heater to keep my legs warm under my computer desk :( The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, green leaves and grass everywhere and I'm still FREEZING. ::Sigh:: Guess I should appreciate the cooler weather now because before I know it, the heatwave will come and the temperature will be 10 degress hotter than H-E double hockey sticks.

Starting a new math curriculum on Monday

We have been using MEP (Mathematics Enhancement Programme) which covers grades 1-6. Don't get me wrong. It is an exceptional program and (best of all) free and we WILL continue to use it, but I just felt like we needed something more. After lots of research and opinion gathering, I purchased Math Mammoth today. $72 for the Lightblue Series which is a full mathematics curriculum for grades 1-4. It's designed to be self-teaching and seems to be pretty easy to follow. I'll keep you updated on how it works for us.

Rain Rain Go Away....YEESH!

But it is seriously needed. It's been raining so much, the only way the kids can play outside is to get wet. (They're sweet, but they ain't sugary enough to melt lol.)

My older two are out of public school for Spring break

I thought I'd be nice and let my two homeschoolers have a mini break this week. We're still doing math, reading & Sequential Spelling everyday, but not so much the other subjects. I think we all have a lil' bit of Spring fever.

Our usual schedule goes something like this

1st half on Monday-Thursday; math, reading, Sequential Spelling

2nd half
Monday - Math
Tuesday - Science
Wednesday - Language Arts
Thursday - Social Studies

Friday - we review by going over spelling and playing different subject related games especially math. We also squeeze in library time and field trips when we can. I TRY to be flexible :P

We're in the homestretch....YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

It's taking forever and 8 days, but Spring Cleaning is almost complete. I'm so ready to get back to bloggin' & sewin'

How to remove some tough stains

Blood - If it's a fresh stain, rinse with cold water first, then pour plain old Hydrogen Peroxide on the stain, rinse in cold water (repeat until stain is removed), Then wash immediately in cold water. If it's an old stain, pour Hydrogen Peroxide directly on the stain, rinse in cold water and repeat until stain is removed. Wash in cold water right away.

Chewing gum - PEANUT BUTTER. I don't know what it does, but it will remove chewing gum from just about any fibrous material. It will also get it out of hair too. You can apply it with your fingers or small brush (like an old toothbrush).

Ink - Pour either clear rubbing alcohol or Acetone-based fingernail polish remover (DO NOT MIX ANY CHEMICALS TOGETHER AS THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS) directly on the stain, rinse in cold water (repeat as needed until stain is removed) then wash in cold water right away. You can also use a hairspray with a high alcohol content instead, but Be sure not to let the hairspray dry on the garment because it can create a new stain.

Mildew - On clothing, you can soak the garment in a 1:1 solution of hydrogen peroxide & water (1 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1 cup water) rinse in cold water and repeat until the stain is removed. If the stain remains, sponge Hydrogen Peroxide directly onto the stains, then rinse in cold water and repeat. Wash the garment in warmest water that is suitable for it. Dry garment outside in the sun or in the dryer on the highest temperature suitable for the garment.

Permanent Marker - On clothing, use Acetone-based fingernail polish and rinse with cold water. (repeat until stain is removed) wash it in cold water immediately. On unpainted walls, appliances, etc. I use Acetone-based fingernail polish remover to get the most of it off and then a Magic Eraser to remove the rest. If it's on a painted wall, you can use acetone to remove the spot but it will remove the paint and the area will need to be repainted either way.

Above all, please use common sense. Do not mix any chemicals together because it can result in some pretty bad side effects, (chemicals burns, toxic gas, etc.). If you're sensitive to any type of product, be sure to wear protection. I have used all of these methods and they have worked well for me, but I cannot guarantee your results.

You never know how much stuff you actually have until

you decide to move or Spring clean. I haven't had time to post to my blog because I've been too busy cleaning out my personal space (my boudoir/office/sewing room) How is it possible that one person can accumulate SO MUCH STUFF???

Just reminiscing about our first day of homeschool...

December 10, 2007. The first Monday after I withdrew them from public school. I will never forget the first day! I am not prone to panicking, but I was so unnerved and kept thinking, "OMG what have I done?????" Looking back now, just 3 months later, what I 'done' was the best thing for my kids and a big part of me is so sad that I wasn't able to do it with my older children.

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wishlist

This wonderful and humorous wish list was created by Deborah Markum from Secular Homeschool Magazine Issue #1. If you enjoy this list and want to share it, please give Ms. Markum her byline.

My personal favorites from the list are:

"Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts."

"If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind."

"We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions."

"Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school."

One of the BEST homeschool purchases I've made has been

a basic lap desk. I ordered two of these listed at http://www.autobarn.net/orlapdes.html It's a nice size and sturdy but not heavy at all. It can be used just about anywhere and with Spring just around the corner, would be awesome for the kids to use to do their work outside in the sunshine.

I GOT MY NEW SERGER TODAY.....WOOHOO!

It's a Brother 1034D 3-4 thread lay-in tension serger with lower looper threader. It came with some nice goodies too; a gathering foot, a blind hem foot, an instructional CD and a techniques CD. I just retired my old Singer. It was my first serger and I bought it used about 4 years ago because I wasn't sure I would like using a serger (and didn't want to shell out the bucks for a new one just in case). Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but have a ton of projects lined up. Stay tuned...

We had our first homeschool field trip today...

We went to the Mid-America Science Museum. The kids had a great time. We saw the world's most powerful conical Tesla coil along with some other great exhibits. If you're ever in Hot Springs, Arkansas, it's a fun place to visit. You can read more about it on their site at http://www.midamericamuseum.org/

A little bit about us...

I'm the divorced mom of 5 children; 4 boys & a girl (she's the baby)ages 20, 17, 13, 8 and 7. My oldest is a college sophomore. The next two are in 11th and 7th grade and are attending public school (with some homeschooling thrown in). The youngest two are in 1st and 2nd grade and are currently being homeschooled. Our curriculum is definitely hodge podge. It's a little of this, that and some other stuff thrown in. The primary focus is to strengthen reading, writing, mathematics and logic/critical thinking/reasoning skills. The idea of homeschooling became a reality for us after I decided we needed to move to find better schools. I like the community we live in and we're close to family. My only real problem with our locale is the school system. I had the proverbial last straw incident, completed the necessary paperwork to withdraw my children, and we began homeschooling on December 10, 2007. As you can see, we're still VERY new to it all.

Hope you're enjoying the evolution of our site :)

Things are coming along slowly but surely. I've added some great links. Hope you'll get a chance to check them out. If you'd like to add your blog, links, etc. to our list, please email me at hodgepodgehomeschool@beabookworm.com

Still trying to pull it all together...

I've never really blogged before. It's definitely different than maintaining a web page. Stay tuned...

Our very first post YAY!

LOL Ok. Maybe I'm a little TOO excited :P Just want to say welcome to our blog. Since we're just getting started, be sure to bookmark us and check back soon. I have some really great information to share but am still trying to get it all together. Thanks again for stopping by!