Friday, January 29, 2021

HomeGoing 2021

 The 2nd Annual "HomeGoing" was a big hit!  Since homeschoolers miss out on all the traditional Homecoming events, my girls got together and created "HomeGoing" instead.

Who doesn't love to get dressed up and GO out?

Aren't they beautiful??




My girls... Sugar & Spice.  Can you guess which is which?






Friday, January 22, 2021

A real Ghost Town!

 Our travels took us thru a real-life ghost town!



Wow - what a place...





Our "dream home"... maybe needs a little fixing up...
This was dubbed "the toilet trail"... yep, those are actual toilets!



Better hold your hats... that's a cowboy comin!



Thursday, January 14, 2021

New Friends

 We met some fuzzy new friends on our morning hike...


My pictures turned out amazing!








Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com : A TOS Crew Review

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Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com



Welcome back to another year with the TOS Review Crew - my 12th!  Today I get to introduce you to one of my FAVORITE homeschooling resources -  the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com!

This annual membership gives you unlimited access to over 450 courses for grades K-12th.  In addition, you get a treasure chest full of handy resources to help you homeschool effectively including planning and record keeping, streaming videos, and plenty of support for you as a parent.


This easy-to-use site offers full curriculum in their new School Boxes section.  With a few clicks, you can access lessons for a full program including curriculum guides, PDF lesson plans, checklistsstreaming videos, and other resources that are available immediately.  All in one place, and all organized for you by grade level.  You can also customize the subjects and grade levels you need for your student.




Here's a quick peek inside the  9th Grade School Box Literature lessons we've been enjoying.  Easy-to-use and comprehensive, the School Boxes can get you started homeschooling right away.


  
If you're more eclectic and like to put together your own program, like me, you'll love the VAST library of Individual Courses.  The courses are organized by grade level and by subject, to make it easy to find what you are looking for.  This is the way we use the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership

I love the selection of High School Electives I can access here.  From Architecture to Graphic Design to Foreign Language to Starting a Micro-Business, SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers the best selection of courses to inspire our high school students.  The courses include downloadable PDFs and interactive online content, many have video and/or audio components too.



My Senior (pause a moment...how did that happen?  Ok... back to the review) has been working on the 8 week (.25 credit) course "Starting a Micro Business for Teens" designed by Carol Topp.  Let me show you what is included:



Each lesson plan includes a downloadable PDF lesson plan to help get your teens started creating their very own micro business.  Lessons cover everything from brainstorming to find your idea to building a working business plan.  I love that she was able to follow her interests with this self-paced course.



My tester used this information to start her very own FB business called - Sewn by Selah ❤️.  Most of the courses on the site offer a printable Certificate of Completion, and information on how to document the course on your student's transcript.



 There's more!  Not only do you have access to all these great lessons, but you get unlimited access to other amazing resources as well.  

The SchoolhouseTeachers.com Video Library is packed with hundreds of videos from Creation.com, Drive Thru History, City on a Hill Productions just to name a few and you get access to RightNow Media too.  Many of the videos include interactive content and lessons as well. This is worth the subscription alone!



Plus,  planning and record keeping forms and schedules, the Applecore Record Keeping System, scope and sequence schedules, and everything you need to know about transcripts and college planning - all included in your membership.



Not just academics either, they offer a ton of resources to help you as well - menu planning, ebooks and expos to help you homeschool more effectively, access to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (be sure to check out my husband's article in the Fall 2020 edition!) and even a forum to connect with other homeschooling families.



Trust me, this is one homeschooling resource you don't want to miss!  

Don't miss their Fresh Start Sale






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Monday, January 4, 2021

Adventuring

I'm not ready for "back to school" time yet!  A quick stop at our Cali home, and then off to adventure...

First stop, the sweet Dow Villa Inn in Lone Pine, CA - home to over 400 movies!  John Wayne and all the old Western movie stars stayed here.


We had a bit of a view out our hotel room window... that's Mt. Whitney, highest point in continental US. 





It was a sleepy little town, and Covid made it even more so.  But, we needed a break to unwind and refocus for the upcoming year, and it was the perfect spot!






Friday, January 1, 2021

Happy New Year!

 Goodbye 2020 (you were good to me...) and Hello 2021!


We celebrated with our dear friends - with the same fun tradition that we have been doing since 2013!  (read about the beginning here).  


We take simple gift bags and fill them with fun treats like party hats, poppers, chocolate and confetti and give them all a time label.  It helps the night keep lively, and even our grown-up kids get excited to open them!





We passed the evening eating chili, playing games (we learned a new one...Secret Hitler) and enjoying a fun time with a house-full of our favorite people!









While 2020 had it's challenges, I'm so grateful for the blessings we experienced!  Truly beauty from ashes...