Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

Saturday on the Farm

January 7, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

The weather has been so mild so far this winter that the bulbs and perennials think it’s spring.

The Daffodils are growing, along with the Iris and a couple of other things.

We sold all our goats before Christmas. We had been talking out selling them. Then one day, someone stopped by and offered to buy them all. So we sold them.

We will decide in the spring what animals to get again. We’re thinking about getting sheep instead of goats. Time will tell. Hannah and I would also like to get fiber rabbits. I’m going to see if I can find any in our area.

We are down to two chickens, a rooster and a hen. So chickens are definitely on the list. I would like to get some laying hens as well as some meat chickens. We would also like to raise turkeys again. Some for us, and a few to sell.

Our dog, and Australian Shepard is lonely now that the goats are gone.

The seed catalogs have started coming in, so it’s time to plan the garden! We still have a little bit of work left to do to put the garden to bed for the winter. Then it’s on to starting seeds!

Have you planned your garden yet?

The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget Review & Giveaway

January 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year is being released January 10th. I received an advanced copy so you could tell you about this great book.

Crystal Paine, who has helped busy women everywhere take control of their finances, presents her most effective strategies designed for families of all sizes and income levels.

With hundreds of inspiring “why didn’t I think of that?” TIPS, plus WORKSHEETS, Paine breaks down your goals into easy, manageable steps so you can:

• Achieve a complete financial makeover • Set up a realistic budget

• Never pay retail • Slash your grocery bill

• Organize your time & your home • Use coupons wisely

• Pay with cash only • Live simply

• Become debt free • Choose contentment • Make every dollar count

I’ve been a reader of Money Saving Mom since Crystal first started the website. Yes, I was a reader of her first website and tagged along when she started Money Saving Mom.

In The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year, Crystal has 7 Rules For Financial Success. And she walks you through the steps needed to accomplish everything for each rule. If you follow her rules, which are more like goals and challenges, she will help you gain control of your finances and acheive financial success in a shorter time than you have ever thought possible. No, she doesn’t promise that you will get rich! She will help you and guide you to gain control of your finances and do your best with the finances you do have. The last chapter in the book is entitled “Embrace Today”, where she talks about the last rule, contentment. It’s hard to feel content when your finances are a mess and you don’t have any idea how to dig yourself out. I know. I’ve been there. Crystal will help you learn to be content.

“A cheerful attitude can go a long way in less than ideal situations; you can either complain about the thorns or you can savor the roses that bloom in their midst.”

Most budget and home finances books I have read have a “Do this because I said it works” tone. Not so with The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. She hasn’t put things in her book because they sound good. She has lived it. She knows through trial and error what works and what doesn’t work. She shares what she has learned in a friendly, informative way. Not an “I know it all” way.

No need to go out and buy the latest and greatest organizational tool to get your finances under control. Money Saving Mom’s Budget is full of great information that you can implement today. Start saving money and get on the road to financial success within minutes of reading this book.

There are several worksheets in the back of the book to help you get started. Goal Setting Worksheets, Budgeting & Time Budgeting worksheets and even a Price Book Worksheet. A Price Book helps you track grocery costs so you can be sure your getting your groceries for the lowest price possible. I haven’t made a price book yet. I need to make one as that is the next step in our saving money on groceries.

Since reading my advanced copy of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, I have implemented some of her great tips and ideas in my own life. I also plan to add more as I go along.

You can pre-order your copy of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, and it will ship to you as soon as it is available. Crystal is donating all of her proceeds from The Money Saving Mom’s Budget to Compassion International!

In addition to the advanced copy that I received, I will receive a copy of the book when it is released. And I’m giving away that copy to one of you! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free 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.”

Our Homeschool Week in Review

January 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

We’ve had a good homeschool week. Even though some of us are still getting over a cold, we were able to stay on track and get our work done.

I’ve been using REAL Homeschool Spanish with Zach, 11, and Abby, 13. I received it as part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. We are all loving it. If your looking for a spanish curriculum for the whole family, check out my review.

Today in their home ec studies, the girls made Strawberry Fruit Bars from the Vintage Remedies for Girls book.

They did a great job. They family loved them. I can’t eat them, but they look awesome.

And that little pan didn’t last very long. Click over to read my review of Vintage Remedies for Girls.

Here are a few homeschool links I found interesting and helpful:
Homeschool Class Credit Animals of the World
15 Life Skills Essential for My Children
Home Ec
Hymn Study
Make Your Own Math Game

For more homeschool posts, please visit: Weekly Wrap Up

This Weeks Favorites

January 6, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

It’s me…..back again with lots more of my new favorites!

Articles:

When is the Best Time to Buy a Car and More – a great chart to refer to often
Are you Falling For These Food Label Lies?
Slippery Sofa Fix – brilliant!
Homemade Mini Personal Binder

Recipes:

Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites
Chocolate Bottom Banana Squares
Gluten Free Salisbury Steak

Zucchini Quinoa Bread – with lots of great quinoa information
Gluten Free Chicken & Brown Rice in the Slow Cooker

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Mashed Potato Candy
No Fail Peanut Butter Cocoa Fudge

Farm & Garden:

Can You Plant Store Bought Garlic?
Natural Anti-Bacterial Herbs
Four All Natural Antibiotic Herbs
Homegrown Medicinals
How to Build a Rain Barrel

Crafts:

Pajama Patterns
Crocheted Wreath Pattern
Winter Crafts – great to do with the kids!

Christmas Socks Pattern
Crocheted Mittens

Basketweave Hoodie
How to Make a Sugar Bowl or Tea Cup Candle
Pillow Bed Tutorial

Hope you find lots of new favorites this week, too! Which one are you going to try first?

Homemade Taco Sauce

January 5, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I made tacos for supper the other night and thought it would be awesome if I could make homemade taco sauce. Since I make my own tacos from scratch, no seasoning packets, making homemade taco sauce was the next step. Here’s what I came up with:

Homemade Taco Sauce

1 cup of tomato sauce (8 oz can)
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients in small saucepan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes

That’s it! So easy!

You can adjust the “heat” of the sauce by adjusting the pepper. Use less pepper for a mild sauce. Use more pepper or use cayenne pepper for a hotter sauce.

This sauce can be frozen. Freeze in small containers and just defrost before serving.

For more tips and recipes, visit:

[Read more…]

Real Homeschool Spanish – Review

January 3, 2012 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

As part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I received REAL Homeschool Spanish to review.

I received the downloadable version of REAL Homeschool Spanish which included the book (featuring 10 units, 55 vocab clusters and 15 idea sections of ways to further your learning), a 179 page activity book featuring all kids of activities – word searches, crosswords, word scrambles and lots more, all the audio files you need, an answer guide and the daily curriculum guide/planner.

From the REAL Homeschool Spanish website:

“We believe that a relaxed environment encourages positive language learning. Too much grammar and too much emphasis on perfectly correct speech hinders the enjoyment and progress of learning. Slow and steady practice promotes correct speech over time. For these reasons, we have limited our grammar sections to a minimum and stress communication and enjoyment first.”

REAL Homeschool Spanish is designed to be enjoyable for the whole family and you do not need to know how to speak Spanish in order to have fun learning the language with your child. The program is for ages 5-13, or Kindergarten through 7th or 8th grade.

This is a great curriculum to use with with all ages and grades at the same time. I’ve been using this with my 13 yo and my 11 yo. We are loving it! They have loved the activities and making their own flashcards. I love that the audio clips are short, making it easier to replay the clips you need.

The Daily Curriculum Guide is 48 weeks of daily lesson plans for the 10 units of study. While it is sold separately, I think it is well worth the $10. to purchase. It tells you what clips to listen to when and what activity pages to do every day. The Daily Curriculum Guide also tells you what other activities you can do to reinforce what your kids are learning. It even has a place to write notes. It is in a week at a glance format, making it easy to see what’s next.

While I took Spanish in high school, I had forgotten nearly all of it. I didn’t remember more than a few words to teach my kids. Real Homeschool Spanish is really working for us. We are learning together. And that makes learning fun for the whole family.

You can see REAL Homeschool Spanish Samples, where you can also listen to sample audio clips. REAL Homeschool Spanish also has a Cultural Links section. A great addition to your Spanish studies.

There are several options for purchasing REAL Homeschool Spanish:

$49.95 for download version of the Book, Activity Book, Answer Book, and audio files
$59.95 for all of the above plus Daily Curriculum Guide
Hard copies (with audio Cd’s) of above are available for $89.95
$99.95 with the Daily Curriculum Guide with free shipping

See what other TOS Homeschool Crew members are saying about REAL Homeschool Spanish.