Homemade Laundry Soap

Have you ever considered making your own laundry soap? If not, here's your chance to give it a try ...

Secrets of Homemade Laundry Soap by Mary Hunt

Please leave a comment and let us know how it works for you.

Become a Facebook Fan and Win a Free Book

Join the Homeschool Connections Fan Page, leave a comment, and you could win one of three copies of For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects with Literature by Maureen Wittmann. Contest ends Friday at 7 PM Eastern.

$1.00 Try Out Homeschool Connections Catholic Recorded Courses

Homeschool Connections has a new service that you can try out for 7 days at $1. Just make sure to mark your calendar as it's a subscription service. If you absolutely love it, you don't have to do anything and you'll be charged automatically. If it's not right at this moment then simply cancel. Here's the details:

You now have access to a wonderful array of Homeschool Connections past courses. Our live courses have become so popular that we receive many requests to provide the recordings to the Catholic homeschooling community. You speak and we listen.

For only $1 you can try out our new subscription service for 7 days. You'll have unlimited access to past courses, including 100+ hours of online recordings and 50+ supporting documents (tests, answer keys, etc.). If you find the service isn't for you, then simply unsubscribe before the trial period ends. If you find the subscription service is just what you need for your homeschool, then it's only $30 per month. There is no commitment. You can subscribe for as long or as little as you need.

Homeschool Connections is not a home study school but instead provides individual online courses to help Catholic homeschool parents supplement what they are already doing. Our families use a variety of of homeschool methods: Seton, MODG, Kolbe, eclectic, classical, unschooling, etc,

Recorded Courses Currently Available:

* Economics: Principles of Economics and Catholic Perspectives with David Harris, Ph.D.
* Literature: Beowulf and Christ with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Literature: The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer -- Trust God and Tradition with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Literature: The Catholic Shakespeare -- MacBeth with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Literature: King Arthur and Christ -- Heroism and Holiness with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Literature: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- Chivalry, Courtesy and Chastity with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Literature: Tolkien and Fairy Stories with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* Science: Blood: In Sickness and In Health with Kris Correira, PA
* Theology: Catholic Spiritual Writers with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* Theology: Christian Anthropology with Monica Ashour, MTS
* Theology: The Mass Explained with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* Theology: Moral Theology with Monica Ashour, MTS
* Writing: College Preparatory Writing with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* Career Search Skills: Beacon of Light in a Dark Economy (adult course) with Derek Prentice

New courses added every month!

Coming in February:
* Government: American Government, Democracy, and Citizenship with Ed Rivet
* Theology: Social Ethics with Monica Ashour, MTS

Coming in March:
* Literature: Homer’s Odyssey: The Soul of Pre-Socratic Wisdom with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Logic: Introduction to Formal Logic with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* Science: Immunity in Sickness and in Health with Kris Correira, PA

Coming in April:
* Literature: Chesterton; Man of Letters with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* History: Roots of the Revolt (1417-1560) with Phillip Campbell

Coming in May:
* Philosophy: Fallacies and Paradoxes with Jean Rioux, Ph.D.
* Literature: Virgil’s Aeneid: The Founding of Nations in the Will of God with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
* Theology: Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body with Monica Ashour, MTS

Coming in June:
* How to Write a Research Paper (Preparing for College) with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
* History: The Age of the Religious Wars (1560-1648) with Phillip Campbell

To subscribe click here: Online Catholic Classes (Recorded)

Recipe: Winter Root Pudding

My friend Patsy gave this sweet potato recipe to me years ago. It is absolutely delish!!!! My kids love it as it's pumped full of sugar and fat, which is why we save it for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays.

Winter Root Pudding
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
3 eggs beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 Tblsp. vanilla

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 flour
1/2 cup butter, softened

Mix together and pour into a 9 x 9 pan, which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the topping. Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes.

Scoring Your Doctor

There are few websites out there that allow you to rate your doctor's care as well as look and see how other people have rated their doctors. This could a useful tool though I imagine it could be abused (ratings are anonymous and an ex-spouse or jealous co-worker could do some damage) but all in all I think it's a great idea.

If you'd check it out here are a couple of links:
DrScore
RateMDs

There is even a website where you can rate your prescription drugs:
DrugRatingZ

If you are familiar with these or other medical rating services, please leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Saving and Organizing Children's Art Projects

Here is a great blog post (with pictures and step-by-step instructions) from Ariane: Save Every Last Art and Craft Your Kids Make… Forever… in One Small Box!

I know our house tends to get overrun with the multitude of paper mache, ceramics, posterboard, lapbooks, etc. from homeschooling creative children. I thought you might be interested in my latest blog post on how to preserve the projects without needing to rent a storage unit. The post contains step-by-step directions on techniques for saving the various children's art/science projects.

Check out the rest of Ariane's blog while you're there and you'll learn loads about home photography and video. Great stuff: My Photo Video: Helping Capture the Best Memories of Your Life

Sacred Heart Books Discount

I saw in mater et magistra (Catholic homeschooling magazine) that Sacred Heart Books discounts all their books and texts 15% all the time so no coupon needed. Plus they have free shipping for orders over $25. That is a sweet deal.

Paying for College Without Going Broke

ADDENDUM: The live webinar went great! You can watch the recording for free:
How to Pay for College Without Breaking Your Bank

Homeschool Connections is hosting a free webinar on How to Pay for College Without Breaking Your Bank.

I don't know about you, but this is a hot topic at my house. Not just when talking about my 19- and 17-year olds, but the 9- and 7-year olds too! This is one free event I'll not be missing!

Fee-Free Weekend This Weekend

This is short notice, but just in case ...

From my friend Lisa:

Visit this site for a state-by-state list of participating parks.

Discount Code: Ecce Homo Press

Joan Stromberg of Ecce Homo Press has created a discount code just for Thrifty Homeschoolers! To receive 10% off any online order just use the code THRIFTY. It's good until October 31, 2009.

If you are not familiar with Ecce Homo they produce all kinds of wonderful items with Catholic homeschoolers in mind:
For the Love of Literature
Little Flowers Girls Club
Blue Knight Boys Club
Little Women Hospitality
Our Lady's Honor Guard
Glory of America series

Ecce Homo comes from John 19:5, Behold the Man.

Coupon Code: Adoremus Books

In the current issue of mater et magistra (Catholic homeschooling magazine) Adoremus Books has a discount code for 10% off online orders. The expiration date is 10/01/2009. MAG709

Free Stuff from NASA for Homeschoolers!

Last week Domenico Ruggiero gave an awesome webinar on his work at NASA. It was a wonderful learning experience for my family. The great news is that the webinar was recorded and you can watch it yourself at: One Small Step for Parents, One Giant Leap for Homeschool Kids: Insights from a NASA Engineer.

If you have a child with the least bit interest in aerospace, astronomy or engineering, you absolutely should not miss this one.

PLUS, Domenico arranged with NASA to give away all kinds of neat NASA goodies -- posters, decals, rulers, and more. To receive these giveaways drop Domenico an email. He'll email back a form so you can choose what you would like to receive. But don't wait! The deadline is August 19, 2009.

Back to School Sales are Already Here!

Can you believe it's August already? Wasn't it just yesterday when we were putting the books back on the shelf and planning trips to the beach?

This week I've already taken advantage of several back-to-school sales. I got pencils, paper, glue sticks, folders, spiral notebooks for as little as one penny and as much as ten cents. All found at Wal-Mart, Staples, and Meijers.

Start watching those sales fliers if you aren't already and get out there to stock up for the whole year. At 90% off on key supplies you can't afford to stay home.

Coupon for Online Classes

Homeschool Connections has a $10 off coupon that is good until August 1, 2009. The code is c4w5b7.

To use, just go to the website and click on the class you would like to enroll your high school student in. When you register just put in the code at checkout and click on Apply.

Buying Clothes in the Off Season

One way to save money on clothes, is to buy off season. If your favorite store is having a huge end-of-the-season sale, take advantage of it. You'll have to estimate your child's size for the next year though. If you have a big family like me, WRITE IT DOWN! You won't be saving much money if you buy the wrong sizes! (Though with seven children, it will fit someone eventually .)

Same goes with garage and yard sales. Even though you'll most likely be hitting the garage sales in the summer, don't forget to pick up winter coats and snow boots!

Old Schoolhouse Sale

I'm not familiar with this product, but it's 50% off so I figured I should pass it on. If you know about it and it's on your "I need to buy" list then now may be the time to buy it.

This Old Schoolhouse is having a great deal on the When I Grow Up, I Want to Be series. It's an interactive way to help guide the kids to better understand the world around them and learn about the many professiosn that people are involved in and love.

The cool thing about the series is that it covers everything from skills needed, how much money you can expect to make and what really goes on each day. It looks really cool and my daughter is looking forward to starting it.

The special offer (lasts for the month of June) and is half price for the entire series. Anyway, here's the link: http://bit.ly/16IWXw.

Enjoy!

And free shipping too!

2-Dollar Books

Sophia Institute Press is having a $2 sale and some of the titles are pretty darn good. Go check it out.

Other books for Catholic parents.

Botany and Astronomy Notebooking Journal

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. You can see samples on the Apologia website here:

These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.

Each of the notebooking journals include:

• A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
• Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
• Review Questions
• Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
• Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
• An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
• Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
• A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.

See the sample pages here:

Botany: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=128

and

Astronomy: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=127

Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com

The contest ends on in one week on May 29th! That way I'll have the weekend to send them before I go to the Illinois conference.

So blog away!

Organizing My Homeschool

Wednesday's live webinar Homeschool Organization 102 was fantastic. The audience was great -- participating to the fullest, sharing their best tips, advice, and websites.

The event was recorded and you may view it for free: Homeschool Organization 102. Enjoy.

Thank you to the sponsors of this event who make it possible for Homeschool Connections to bring it to you for free:
Ecce Homo Press
Love 2 Learn
Living Math

Survey: Homeschool Connections Courses and Webinars

Walter and I are spending the month of May scheduling courses, seminars, and free webinars through the end of 2009. We'd like your help if you don't mind. In fact, this is a great opportunity for you, as you will have a direct input on what we schedule.

Click Here to take survey

Our goal is to serve the homeschool community and prayerfully this survey will help us do just that. Please feel free to pass this link onto other homeschoolers.