Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Our Homeschool Week in Review

April 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

We’ve had a great week back from having last week off. Our week started on Sunday, with Hannah’s Association Bible Drill Competition. She earned a perfect score and is headed to the State Bible Drill Competition later this month.

Congratulations Hannah!

Zach helped Dad with a project outside by sawing the wood. By hand. I had fun taking pictures and videos. It was his first time using a saw, and his face when he was finished was priceless.

I walked into the living room the other day and found Hannah laying in the middle of the floor. I asked her if she was sleeping or passed out. lol I guess studying Biology does make someone want to take a nap. lol

Abby and Zack did a science experiment last night. At 10 o’clock. With cookies and frosting. Gotta love homeschooling! lol

We did an experiment from The Earth Book. I reviewed this book for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. You can read my review of The Earth Book.

In case your wondering, the frosting is magma, and the cookies are continental plates. Crackers were the oceanic plates. They liked doing a science experiment they could eat. lol

Hannah made Matza bread today. This was her first time making it, as I’ve always made it in the past. I had her make gluten free so I could eat it, too.

I shared the recipe she used in my This Weeks Favorites Easter and Passover post.

Here are a few links I found interesting and helpful:

The War of Independence – A Multiple Choice Quiz – Free
Homeschool Mosaics – A brand new website just opened this week! I love it!
4 tips for Managing a Home Class with Kids of Different Ages and Abilities

High School Graduation Requirements Chart – For Kentucky
Micro Business For Teens – I’ve heard good things about this curriculum
A List of Books used in the Ambleside Curriculum – many free, even if you don’t use Ambleside, this is a great list of books.

For more homeschool posts, visit Weekly Wrap Up.

This Week’s Favorites – Easter and Passover

April 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover, or both, here are a few links that I like:

How Do You Celebrate Spring Holidays?
TPagan Easter
The Passover Appeal

For those that color eggs, here are a few links:

Natural Easter Egg Dyes
Vibrant Eggs Dyed Naturally
How to Decorate Brown Eggs for Easter

Of course, you have to have food!

Gluten Free Easter Recipes
All Natural Homemade Marshmallow Chicks – Sweetened with honey!

Gluten Free Matzo
Matzah Recipes Galore
Passover Weeknight Skillet Chicken and Potatoes

Passover Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

And here are a few of my links:

My Passover post from last year.

Resurrection Rolls – We used to always have these on Easter. Now we usually have them after Passover.

Happy Passover! Happy Easter!

I Went Shopping!

April 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I went shopping on Tuesday. And it was delivered today! I LOVE Amazon Prime! You know what else I love? Shopping for free!

I had earned some Amacom.com giftcards from Swagbucks and Superpoints. Both of these programs are easy to use and easy to redeem your points for giftcards. On Superpoints, you can also redeem your points for Paypal CASH!! How awesome is that?
I also had money on a pre-paid card from doing surveys for Pinecone Research. I have been doing surveys for them for a couple of years now.

Anyway, I went shopping for a few things we needed. Like ink for the printer, a new SD card, a book, and seeds for our garden. Here’s what I bought:

Seeds of Change S10772 Certified Organic Roma Paste Tomato, 50 Seed Count

Kodak Color Ink Cartridge (8946501)

Seeds of Change S11095 Certified Organic Valencia Storage Onion, 350 Seed Count

Ferry-Morse 3023 Organic Carrot Seeds, Danver’s #126 (2.5 Gram Packet)

Sandisk 4GB Secure Digital SD HC Memory Card (SDSDB-4096, BULK, No Reader)

Seeds of Change S17171 Certified Organic Cal Wonder Orange Bell Sweet Pepper, 50 Seed Count

Seeds of Change S10698 Certified Organic Lemon Balm, 200 Seed Count

Ferry-Morse 3140 Organic Tomato Seeds, Beefsteak (600 Milligram Packet)

Eat Your Yard: Edible Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Herbs, and Flowers For Your Landscape

Ferry-Morse 3121 Organic Spinach Seeds, Bloomsdale Long Standing (6 Gram Packet)

Ferry-Morse 3064 Organic Lettuce Seeds, Romaine (1.8 Gram Packet)

I bought 11 items, that normally costs $67.71 on Amazon.com. Thanks to my gift cards and survey money, I only paid $11.69, including tax!

I had to buy the ink anyway, so for LESS than the price of the ink, I got all those items!

I’m a happy shopper! lol

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*DISCLAIMER: This post contains referral and affiliate links. If you click on these links and sign up, or purchase something, I will receive a few cents.

Truth Quest History Guides Review

April 5, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I received a PDF version of TruthQuest History Beginnings to review.

From the TruthQuest website:

TruthQuest History is a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference. You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the lovestory of mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God’s unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply ‘meet the culture’ or ‘get the facts;’ you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!

TruthQuest History Beginnings covers Creation, Old Testament, Ancients and Egypt and is over 300 pages. Beginnings is perfect for students in grades 5-12, but younger siblings can participate. The guide includes book recommendations for all ages. No other books are needed, however. All you need are the Beginnings Guide and your Bible. Companion resources are also available for purchase, a lapbook, notebook and timeline. You can view the Beginnings Table of Contents. The first few pages of the book are addressed to the parents. This section offers guidance on how to use the book. There are no lessons plans in TruthQuest History Guides. You set your own schedule. The lessons are numbered and have suggestions for each grade level.

I’m using TruthQuest History Beginnings with my 5th, 7th and 11th graders. There is a lot of reading, excellent discussions and suggestions for activities and projects. I’m finding TruthQuest History to be a great history curriculum the whole family can use together.

Also included are Think Write exercises interspersed throughout the guide to help the students piece together the most important lessons of history. The Appendix has Think Write responses so you can check your students answers. After each Think Write response in the appendix, there are a couple of paragraphs that can be read and discussed. There are no tests or quizzes included in the guide.

From the TruthQuest History website:

TruthQuest History is…

…Always your servant; never your master . TruthQuest History does not presume to tell you what to do each day, because the days of each family, the children in each family, and the callings on each family are different. You simply work your way through the guides at your own pace, scheduling as you desire, feeling free to omit as you see fit. Do not worry, though. Even with this freedom, TruthQuest History offers full support. It provides the secure and steady current impelling you forward, without making you feel defeated if you daily travel a different distance than others

TruthQuest History has 9 chronological guides for World History – from Creation to the year 2000. These guides can be used for middle and high school students. There is are American History guides for grades 1-5. All guides are available in print or PDF format. Prices for the print guides range from $24.95 to $34.95. Prices for the PDF guides range from $19.95 to $29.95. The Beginnings Guide PDF I received sells for $23.95. Because there are two different levels to chose from, they have a How to Choose page to help you.

Here is a sample of the Beginnings Guide I received. You can also view other samples of Truth Quest History.

There are a great deal of Reference books cited in Truth Quest History. That page has a listing of all the books used in all the guides. Here are theReference Books used in the Beginnings Guide. None of these reference books are required. They are suggestions to help you in your studies.

See what other The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew Members are saying about Truth Quest History Guides.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free PDF version of Amazing Animals by Design in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

By the Light of the Silvery Moon – Book Review

April 4, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Just in time for the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Tricia Goyer has a new book out, By The Light of the Silvery Moon.

About By The Light of The Silvery Moon:

Amelia Gladstone’s hopes are tied up in the Titanic–hopes for a reunion with her sister and an introduction to an admirer. But when she offers a spare ticket to a down-and-out young man, her fate is about to change.

Quentin Walpole is stunned when a sweet lady secures his passage to America–and even more surprised to find his wealthy father and older brother on board the ship. Suddenly Amelia finds herself caught between the attentions of two men, but who should she entrust her heart to? As the fateful night arrives, will Amelia lose everything to the icy waters?

About Tricia Goyer:

Tricia Goyer is an acclaimed and prolific writer, publishing hundreds of articles in national magazines including Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family while authoring more than thirty fiction and nonfiction books combined. Among those are 3:16 Teen Editionwith Max Lucado and the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award winners Night Songand Dawn of a Thousand Nights. She has also written books on marriage and parenting and contributed notes to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Tricia hosts a weekly radio program Living Inspired and lives with her husband and four children in Arkansas. You can find out more about Tricia atwww.triciagoyer.com

My Review:

I loved By the Light of the Silvery Moon! Amelia, the main character in this book, cares more about others than she does herself. She is always looking for ways to help others. That is how she ends up giving a ticket for the Titanic to Quentin. Quentin had reached a low point in his life, and Amelia helped him. She did more than help him, she gave him hope and reunited him with his family.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon isn’t just a love story, although it is a great love story. It’s a story of restoration and second chances. Of giving our lives to God and letting Him determine the outcome. Of putting others before ourselves.

I found By the Light of the Silvery Moon to be true to the history of the Titanic. I liked this book much, much better than the blockbuster movie about the Titanic. The authors excellent descriptions had me walking around the ship in my minds eye. I think you’ll love By the Light of the Silvery Moon as much as I did.

Celebrate the release of By the Light of the Silvery Moon with Tricia by entering her giveaway and RSVPing to her Titanic party.

Win an Flip HD Camcorder during @TriciaGoyer’s Unsinkable Titanic Giveaway and RSVP for 4/10 Titanic Party!

One “unsinkable” winner will receive:

Flip HD video Camera (Make your own dramatic saga!)
Titanic movies from the ages {Titanic (1953) Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Titanic (1997)}
Secrets of the Titanic (Get the facts from National Geographic.)
And the Band Played On (Music Played on the Titanic.)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer (Be swept away in this tale of love and courage.)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 9th. Winner will be announced at “Silvery Moon” Titanic Facebook Party on 4/10. Tricia will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from her website) and giving away books, gift certificates and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club). During the live chat Tricia will have a *special guest* join her. More details coming soon!

So grab your copy of By the Light of the Silvery Moon and join Tricia on the evening of the April 10th for a fun chat, trivia contest (How much do you know about the Titanic?) and lots of giveaways.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 10th!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this book in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sponge Shortcake

April 2, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I got this recipe for Sponge Shortcake on an email list quite a few years ago. Doesn’t this Strawberry Shortcake that my daughter made using this recipe look delicious?!