20 Best Tips

Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Hearts at Home

Jun42012
June 4, 2012 by 190 Comments

Today, I am SO very excited to share a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate today from Hearts at Home Discount Curriculum store! Have you heard of Hearts at Home Discount Curriculum?

Let me introduce you…

Hearts at Home Discount Curriculum store is a great resource for all of your homeschooling needs. The store carries over 200 popular publishers and 10,000+ products. In addition to low prices, they offer fast shipping throughout USA and Canada.

Currently, there is a summer sale going on at Hearts at Home where there are THOUSANDS of items on sale for 30% off through July 31st! Publishers included in the sale are: Apologia, Christian Liberty Press, Bright Ideas Press, Melissa and Doug, Memoria Press, A Reason For, Vision Forum, and many more! For a list of publishers included in this sale, click here: https://heartsathomestore.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=110

A Few Thing to Love About Hearts at Home

· Christian homeschool family owned and operated since 2005

· Save up to 30% on popular curriculum everyday

· Earn rewards points on all purchases

· Same day/next day shipping

· Price matching – if you find it lower, they try to match or beat it!

· Great customer service! Carrie is one of my online friends and I can vouch for her!! {grins}

I love finding a good deal on curriculum, so sales and discounts are something that make me smile. Hearts at Home Curriculum always offers great prices and products from companies that we know and love ~ and some new faces too that you may want to get acquainted with!

Win a $50 Gift Certificate!!

Want to win a $50 gift certificate to Hearts at Home? One reader will be able to spend that $50 on any purchase in the store! Ready to enter? Follow the directions in the widget below {feed readers will need to click over to enter}. This giveaway will end on Friday, June 9th at 12:01am, so enter now!

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Yancy “Little Praise Party” Blog Tour

May32012
May 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

yancy-banner

One of the artists that our girls love to listen to is Yancy {not Nancy…as they say every.single.time}. I’m not sure when we first gave the girls their first album from Yancy,  but it’s one that they know well. When I heard that Yancy was releasing “Little Praise Party”, I knew that our family would love to be a part of the blog tour. Here’s a little more about the album:

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“Yancy and friends have created a new collection of songs  (16 songs included) that are sure to warm the hearts of preschool kids and their parents too. You’ll find lots of sing-a-long fun including songs to celebrate some of the most special days of the year including Valentine’s, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Birthdays. Plus, a song about missions to encourage us to “Go into all the world”.

There is also a DVD available for purchase that includes animated music videos for 11 songs. And honestly, because of Yancy’s style of music ~ it’s really not just for preschoolers. But shhhh…don’t tell my kids, ok? All of them are bopping along to the music {and that is just fine with me}.

As part of the tour, Yancy is singing a specially recorded song for each blog on the list.  Because I am preparing to head to Tanzania with Compassion International this week, we picked the song “GO” for her to sing here. How perfect is that? Spend a few minutes and ‘meet’ Yancy and hear the song:

 

We live in a great big world
That needs to hear
About a great big love
We need to tell the story
To every little boy and girl
We gotta go, go, go
Jesus said to go, go, go
We need to tell the story
Of Jesus and His love

Want a “Little Praise Party” in Your Home?

Yancy is giving away one copy of the CD and of the DVD to one of my readers!!  Follow the directions on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a copy of Little Praise Party!


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Little Praise Party can purchased through Yancy’s website or on iTunes {the DVD is only available on her website}. When ordering from her site use the code: YANCYLOVESME to get free shipping.

 

Little Praise Party Blog Tour Sites

Visit the sites below to hear more of the songs from Little Praise Party album. Each day a new song will be highlighted for you to hear.

Wednesday May 2
God Centered Mom

Thursday May 3  
Homeschool Creations 

Friday May 4      
ModSquad   

Saturday May 5  
When You Rise   

Sunday May 6      
4tunate   

Monday May 7  
Inspired To Action   

Tuesday May 8      
Home With the Boys   

Wednesday May 9      
1+1+1=1   

Thursday May 10      
Muthering Heights   

Friday May 11      
MOB Society   

Saturday May 12      
I Can Teach My Child   

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Don’t Miss Out!! Email subscribers of Homeschool Creations are entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon each month. Subscribe by email now!

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10 Reasons to Attend the HEAV Homeschool Convention

Apr252012
April 25, 2012 by 44 Comments

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For the past 4 years I have attended the Home Educators of Virginia Homeschool Convention {HEAV} in Richmond, VA. It has been one that I have absolutely LOVED and look forward to each year. Want to know why?

Top Ten Reasons to Attend the HEAV Convention

  1. A hands-on look at curriculum. HEAV has a exhibit hall that has over 300 vendor booths. This is truly one of my favorite parts of the convention. As soon as the doors open on Thursday, I love to browse the new products, talk to the different companies and open and see first-hand so many great products.
  2. The price is right. The registration fee for attending is very reasonable and that includes the entire family {spouse and kids ~ should you decide to bring them along!}.
  3. Parents of preschoolers can attend free. HEAV has such an amazing heart for getting parents started off with homeschooling and qualifying families are able to attend for free!! If your oldest child is under the age of five, check to see if you qualify!
  4. A HUGE used curriculum sale. By huge, I mean HUGE! This is another one of those highlights for me during convention.  Thousands and thousands of items to browse through and find deals for, sorted by subjects and grades ~ something that you don’t want to miss! Last year there were over 60,000 items
  5. Wonderful speakers and workshops. There are always new faces teaching workshops and seasoned homeschool favorites each year. There are typically over 125 workshops scheduled, meaning there is PLENTY to choose from and lots of wisdom to be gained.
  6. Session Recordings. With so many workshops and only one of me, I am so happy that HEAV offers convention recordings via mp3’s that I can store on my computer and listen to in the months to follow. They have given me so much encouragement in years past ~ and just when I needed it!
  7. Relationships. Over the course of the last few years I have met some amazing people at HEAV ~ various vendors such as Virginia Soaps & Scents, WriteShop, and Nancy Larson Science. I love coming and visiting with the companies and building relationships with them ~ connecting on a different level. It makes all the difference in the world!
  8. Free Virginia Home Educator magazine!! While this doesn’t only depend on the convention, HEAV offers a free quarterly magazine, The Virginia Home Educator, available to anyone ~ even if you don’t attend the convention.
  9. An amazing children’s program. Although our kids have never attended the convention {I’ll admit I’m selfish and grab a weekend away!}, several of our friends have used the children’s program and their kids have loved it. Just don’t forget to pick your kids up for lunch! {not that my friends have ever done that…ahem}.
  10. Meeting with friends! Over the years I’ve been able to meet up with friends from far away, friends that I’ve made via blogging {we’ll have another meet-up this year!!} and hang out with friends from home that are attending with me.

Do you have a favorite homeschool convention that you attend yearly?

Linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by Many Little Blessings.

 

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The Money Saving Mom’s Budget ~ Review

Jan102012
January 10, 2012 by 212 Comments

This post is our honest review of a product that we received for free. All opinions expressed are solely mine.

Not sure where to start when it comes to budgeting? Need help squeezing more dollars from your limited budget? Looking for practical ideas for setting personal and financial goals that are both manageable and doable? The Money Saving Mom’s Budget will definitely be a help to you!

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is written by Crystal Paine, a name you may recognize as the blogger behind the MoneySavingMom.com website. Crystal is also a homeschool graduate, currently a homeschool mom and is now sharing her knowledge of ways to radically change your budget for the better.

What’s Inside?

The The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is an easy read, full of practical and ready to implement ideas that will get you motivated to change your finances. Inside you will find:

~ How to set big goals and break them down into bite-sized pieces.

~ How to prioritize your time and life in order to live intentionally.

~ How to streamline your home and life in order to have breathing room to work toward your financial goals.

~ How to go from no budget at all to a full-fledged, realistic, written budget by following a simple three-step plan.

~ How to make a cash envelope system work for you.

~ How to cut your grocery bill in half (including 25 ways to save money without using coupons!).

~ How to save big on restaurants, travel, clothing, utility bills, prescription glasses, gym memberships, and much more.

~ And finally, how to cultivate contentment, embrace today, and live a rich and full life, no matter your income.

Although we have been using a cash budget for the last seven years now, this book gave us some gentle ‘nudging’ and we are re-prioritizing a few things thanks to the suggestions in the book from Crystal. I sat down to read the book and quickly found myself more than halfway through the book ~ it reads as if you are having a personal conversation with Crystal. She shares her personal story and the wisdom that she has gleaned over the years. I LOVE that about the book. :)

One thing that I find absolutely amazing and something that reveals Crystal’s true heart ~ ALL of the profits from The Money Saving Mom’s Budget are going to Compassion International, an organization that helps to feed and clothe needy children around the globe. That alone speaks volumes to me!

Purchase Your Copy Today!

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is available to order online from Amazon.com, via download for your Kindle, or through BarnesandNoble.com. You can also pick up a copy at your local bookstore.

 

I was provided a copy of this book from MoneySavingMom.com in exchange for my honest review and opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. I do not have to return my review copy ~ thank goodness.

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Books from Sally Clarkson ~ Giveaway

Dec192011
December 19, 2011 by 23 Comments

You all have to know that one of my favorite ladies is Sally Clarkson. I am NOT a huge non-fiction reader {at all}. This year I have managed to finish three of her books alone and have been so amazingly encouraged by her heart and her words.

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photo courtesy of Darcy @ My3Boybarians

She has spoken the last two years at the Relevant Conference and this year when she sat next to me during one of the lunches, I was NOT shy and thrilled to have a few minutes to talk with her {I’m the bug-eyed one sitting next to her…not talking at this moment}. A bit later, she sent me home with a few extra books to pass along to one of you!

Clarkson books

Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarskson gives Christian parents who desire to homeschool a detailed and trustworthy map that will enable them to confidently and joyfully follow the path of biblical home education from beginning to end.

Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson is a handbook of the best of children’s literature and whole books for family reading.

You can visit Sally’s blog, I Take Joy, anytime ~ and I HIGHLY recommend her many books!! I have two more of them on my nightstand now and cannot tell you enough what a huge encouragement her writing has been to me.

If you’d like to win the set of books, all you have to do is click ‘I Did It’ on the Rafflecopter widget below ~ it’s that simple!

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Christmas Photo Cards ~ Little Card Company

Dec62011
December 6, 2011 by 1 Comment

This post is our honest review of a product that we received for free. All opinions expressed are solely mine.

Little Card Company

Don’t miss the giveaway below!!!

I absolutely love receiving Christmas cards with pictures of my friend’s children on the front ~ and hopefully our friends and family feel the same! The Little Card Company offers personalized photo cards with faith-based messages. Their desire is to put CHRIST back in CHRISTMAS by providing a high-quality product with a meaningful message ~ and they do!

About the Little Card Company and their Heart

The Little Card Company was created by three moms who wanted fun and modern cards that included a Christian message. All photo cards  are printed on high quality, heavy-weight card stock with a matte finish. These are not a typical photo card, but truly like a standard Christmas card.  You will definitely want to browse through their Christmas card selection and start bookmarking the ones you love!

Know Jesus’. Because what would Christmas be without the One who is the reason for it all?

“As a Christian company, it is our top priority to communicate the message of Jesus, especially as we approach the celebration of his birth. Each of our customizable Christmas photo cards has a faith-based message surrounded by a unique, modern, and fun design, providing customers with a great opportunity to share a slice of their lives and an element of their faith with those they love! “

The Little Card Company also donates at least 10% of their profits to charities all over the world

Our Christmas Card

We had grand plans to have a lovely family picture on the front of our Christmas cards this year, but five minutes before picture time we ended up taking a trip to the ER instead and had a kiddo with a black eye. Then schedules went out of whack and we decided to use a picture of just the kids for our card this year. Ahhh…the best laid plans…

I spent about ten minutes browsing through the different Christmas card templates and picked a few for my hubby choose from. The process of plugging a photo into the templates was simple, the text was easy to edit to suit our family…and the order was done. From start to finish the entire design and order process was under 30 minutes ~ and the bulk of that time was just deciding which card we liked the best!

The result? Our 2011 Christmas card!

Little Card Company Christmas photo card

Turnaround and processing time was fast as well and we had our cards about a week after we ordered them. When I opened the box I was truly in love with the cards. The matte finish of the cards gives them a completely different look than other photo cards and I love the way they turned out. Each card also includes an envelope for mailing.

Any spare moment right now is spent addressing the cards and trying to get them in the mail to share them! I have to tell you all ~ this is one website that I have bookmarked and will be ordering through again next year!!

Learn More {and a Giveaway}

The Little Card Company has also offered one of my readers a $25 gift card towards their own custom Christmas Card! Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! {Email subscribers, please click over to the blog to enter the giveaway!}. 

This giveaway is only open for a few days, so enter now!!!

Little Card Company is also offering FREE SHIPPING for EVERYONE with CHRISTMAS card orders until December 9, 2011!

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I received personalized cards from Little Card Company to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not paid for this post and do not need to return the cards. All opinions in this post are solely mine or those of my family.

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