High Fructose Corn Syrup

Seriously, by now, pretty much everyone knows about the evils of HFCS. But when did they start putting it in sandwich bread?! What? Seriously?! Sugar is listed as an ingredient, but HFCS comes before it. Are they intentionally trying to kill every last person in the nation? "They" can't even use the excuse that it's just sweetening if sugar is an ingredient and the product is SANDWICH BREAD.

Not sure what I'm ranting about or why? Food for thought, click here.

First Year Away

My oldest son, Max, came back today after his first year at college. He's not a freshman, nor is he 18. This has been the hardest year of my life. He went away at the start of his sophomore year (having completed freshman credits at the local community college) at 16. He turned 17 without me. He turned into a man without me. He has excelled and disappointed himself without me there to help him. I don't know yet the full extent of the life lessons he's learned, but I feel fairly secure that I did a good job. I'm not sure at the moment that he's aced all his classes, but I think that he has learned a lot about the world and himself. Sure, there have been disappointments, but life is that way. As a homeschooling mom, I'm happy to have him home, whole and safe, with all the lessons learned - good or not.

I was young once and made mistakes. I'm pretty sure he's made less than me. I call that a victory.

Universal Healthcare

I spent this past week watching "Sicko" in bits and pieces (only because my kids kept interrupting me). I know I'm a little late to the game here, but I thought I'd better watch it, since healthcare is all we hear about it in the news. I have long thought that we needed some kind of overhaul to our present system. After watching Michael Moore's documentary, I'm ready to do something about it! But what? What do I do? I'm one little house mama with so much going on that it's hard to keep my head on straight.

We are the only industrialized nation in Western civilization without universal healthcare! Cuba has a better treatment rate than we do, and they don't turn anyone away, nor do the patients have to pay. Cuban hospitals treated a group of our American 9/11 workers because our systems wouldn't help them. I'll say it again: Our heroes had to go to Cuba to get treatment and healthcare that was being denied to them here in the US.

I won't talk about how beautifully universal healthcare works in Canada, England, and France, as well as other European nations. Watch the movie and find out for yourself. Do some research and look at the statistics. Citizens in other parts of the Western world live longer, feel better, are healthier and happier. They aren't starving because of higher taxes; they don't worry that their cancer treatment is considered experimental so they'll die before they get help. They aren't overworked, working more than 40 hours, not taking sick or vacation days, etc.

We have gone horribly wrong somewhere, and it started with healthcare for profit. If you know how I can make a difference (without money, cuz like you - I don't have any), where I can go to start a revolution or become part of one, please leave a comment with info. Heck, leave a comment about how you feel about this!

NYC in a Minute - Nail Polish

Okay, so I'm not a manicure purist. I would LOVE to have a manicure every 2 weeks, let alone once a year. It's just not in the budget. I was not asked to make this review. (I would love to receive free nail polish, btw!) I have always had trouble with polish not drying fast enough. Literally, I mean after the first hour, I can still get a "dink". Salon or no salon, I'm always in trouble.

So, today I bit the bullet once again, hoping for that miracle polish that wouldn't look like I did it myself and smudged it.

I found it! I found the miracle! NYC in a Minute polish, literally dried super fast, maybe not a minute. I don't know. I didn't time it, and I was afraid to touch. But I did one coat on every finger, then every toe, then every finger/toe again. I was still afraid! "Honey, plug in my laptop.", Honey, could you please get me a drink?", "Honey, could you...?" So I bit the bullet after 20 minutes, and (barely) touched. Dry. Dry as a bone. Dry as the Arizona desert, (and I know since I lived there 8 years of my life!) I couldn't believe it! I waited 10 more minutes and tried to dink my nails = nothing.

So, my review, buy it chicas! Buy it fast! It takes less time to dry than it does to complete the transaction.

Reclaiming my personal blog

It's been awhile since I've posted anything here. Okay, I'll be honest, it's been almost 2 years. This blog started as a forum for me to share what I did in the handcrafting world, as well as what was happening to me personally. Once I opened my blog just for my handcrafting, this one... well it slipped into oblivion.

I've decided it's time to reclaim this blog. I love writing, and well if you know me, giving my opinion. So here is the resurrection. I won't be talking about my handcrafting stuff, since you can read about that elsewhere. I'll reserve this forum for revelations, findings, info, and my personal journey through life. Please feel free to leave your comments on any post, whether you agree or not. Welcome back!

Homeschooling Discounts and Free Resources

The Homeschool Buyer Co-op is a great organization that has helped me save a bundle on curriculum. Co-op discounts range from 20%-90%!

This month the Co-op is giving SmartPoints to members who help spread the word about these great deals. If you haven't joined yet, you'll get 100 SmartPoints just for joining! Once you have joined, you can spread the word too and start building your own SmartPoints balance. When you have enough SmartPoints, you can use them to purchase many of the products available through the Co-op.

Click my link or use the address below to get a complete list of all the available offers organized by subject area:

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/curriculum/?source=6522

Here's a sampling of what's available:

ALL-IN-ONE:

Switched-On Schoolhouse - Save 12%, Free Shipping, AND Earn SmartPoints

PLATO Learning K-12 Curriculum - Save $50

eTAP K-12 Curriculum - Save 35%

ELECTIVES:

Meet The Masters Art Education - Save 50%

Type To Learn Typing Tutor Software - Save 56%

FOREIGN LANGUAGES:

Rosetta Stone Homeschool - Save up to $100, Free Shipping, and Earn SmartPoints

HISTORY:

Chester Comix - Save 57%

Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips - Save up to 90%

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Explode The Code Online - Save 50%

My Access! Writing Curriculum - Save 50%

MATH:

Aha!Math for Grades 5-8 - Save up to 50%

Destination Math - Save up to 66% (the ultimate Saxon Math online companion)

Thinkwell Video Classroom - Save up to 48%

RESOURCES:

Discovery Education streaming Plus (educational videos!) - Save 45%

SmartDraw Homeschool Edition - Save 60%

SCIENCE:

Adaptive Curriculum - Only $49

Aha!Science for Grades 3-5 - Save up to 67%

PLATO Learning (formerly CyberEd) - Save 63%

TEST/ASSESSMENT:

Kaplan SAT Online Prep - Save 80%

Let's Go Learn - Save 25%

THINKING SKILLS:

BrainWare Safari - Save 68%

And the list goes on!

Have a fantastic school year!

For Homeschoolers in Richmond VA

Summer is almost half over and most of the curriculum sales are finished. As I am getting my lesson plans together for the Fall, I wanted to give RES and myself a little plug. If you haven't made all your plans for the upcoming school year, then check out Richmond Enrichment Studio. Going on it's 3rd year, there are lots of great classes coming up.

This year, the new High School Academic Core Track will be starting and I'm very excited about it. This is great if you feel deficient in one or more subjects and need someone else to handle the tough subjects for you. If you haven't homeschooled through high school before, this is a great option to ease into it without wrestling over the decision to keep them at home or send them to public school.

Since the program is new, you will find some Level 1 offerings of classes and may be hesitant to enroll your student. Be assured that Level 2 classes will be added in subsequent years as the program continues to grow.

The classes I'll be teaching:
English Grammar & Composition for 9th/10th graders (there is a companion Literature class being taught by Joyce Rodgers for a TOTAL Language Arts program)
Latin I - I'll teaching from an immersion style for translation and we will be learning what daily living consisted of in the Roman Empire
PreAlgebra I, Algebra I, and Geometry - All using Math U See
Family & Consumer Science - we'll be learning how to live - how to apply for a job, resumes, buying a car, rental agreements, cooking, sewing, decorating, caring for yourself and clothing, caring for young children

Beginning Latin - for Elementary students, a great way for your child to learn grammar and word roots through Latin vocabulary
Intermediate Math - fractions, division, decimals, getting ready for PreAlgebra I

Classes are small, so register now to save your child's spot. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about classes I'm teaching.