A Little Accountability :)

I was thinking about how in the past I've done my "Hoarder Challenges" and I think it's about time for another. I have a large family, small house, and a lot of stuff. There is so much to do that sometimes I just get overwhelmed and don't do anything. I am thinking I should just decide on a project, put it out there, and then do it. If I put it out there online I will have to do it. Right? Well, no, not necessarily, but it will certainly help.

Hmmm, I am sitting here trying to think of something simple that I know I can do. Oh! I have it! I just bought myself a jewelry organizer yesterday. I am going to sort through my jewelry box before the end of the day tomorrow. That's not too hard. Now I just have to remember to do it. :)

So there it is, out there for billions of people to see and hold me accountable. Haha. I will post a pic when it's done!

Thanks for reading!

New Review! HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Renaissance and Reformation

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About the product/service:
As part of the Homeschool Review Crew I received a free download of HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Renaissance and Reformation from Home School in the Woods. This is one of a series of unit studies that also includes Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Middle Ages. Ancient Rome will be available in 2018. 

This download includes text to read, audio tours, a timeline that you create, a newspaper, postcards from Renaissance figures to their families, a lapbook, and instructions for over 50 projects and activities including art projects and baking, as well as information about additional resources which will add to your studies.


What are the pros of this product?
Since there are many different projects as part of this study, there is bound to be something to appeal to all students. I would think, though, that the hands-on aspect would be the most appealing to most. It's always nice to be able to create something to show that you've learned something. Because most of the work is organized into a three-ring binder, it will serve as a nice way to display all the hard work the student has done. I know many people really love lapbooks, but this includes even more. I think this is a perfect fit for families with kids who love to cut, paste, color, etc., instead of just sitting down with a book, reading, and testing.

What's not to like?
Here's where it gets tricky. Like I said in the pros, if you are one of those hands-on, lapbook-loving people, you'll likely love this! For the most part, it's hands-on all the way. Though there is some reading, and there are audio tours, it's basically a project-based study. True confessions here; I am not one of those people. I didn't love doing all the prep work that goes into this sort of thing, and my kids don't really like doing things like this enough to justify all the work. (When they were younger, they were more into these things, but now that they are older, they would rather do mostly reading.) Also, for me, I was totally overwhelmed by all there was to do! There are a lot of things to print out and organize that honestly had my head spinning for a bit. I am lost when things aren't totally laid out for me sequentially. I realize I am probably totally in the minority when it comes to this, though, so if you are a hands-on, organized type, you'll probably be just fine. :)

What I am trying to say is, for most people, I don't really see any cons. If you're like me, however, and prefer just to have a book in your hand and go one page after another, you might be a bit overwhelmed at first. If you have kids who love hands-on projects like lapbooking, it is probably worth the effort. If they aren't really into it, you might not want to use this resource. I suggest you really just check out the website before making your decision. The photos and descriptions will be a huge help to give you an idea of just what it's all about.

The Crazy Mom take:
Like I said above, it took me a while to get it all figured out. Once I had it all straight in my head, I realized that it's actually laid out in a totally organized fashion. It's all quite orderly; I'm just a little slow. :) It does take a bit of time upfront to get everything all printed out and organized. Maybe a couple hours, not a huge amount of time. I'm just glad I did it over the weekend and didn't wait until school time thinking I could just jump right in.

I decided to use this with my son as we needed something for history for the second semester. I chose this time period because my daughter is also doing the Renaissance period this year, so I thought we could coordinate. Since my son is more into just reading, I have been doing the reading with him, having him listen to the audio tours, and having him glue the figures on the timeline and help put together the laptop projects. My daughter is doing the coloring and drawing and writing for the newspaper. My daughter is also more interested in the other projects so she is doing most of those. I'm not sure if we'll continue to use this curriculum after the review period or not. At first, I was quite sure I wouldn't, but I have to admit it has grown on me since I have it all figured out now, and most of the prep work is behind me. We shall see!

Here's just a sample of what we've done so far:

What's the bottom line?
$33.95 Download/$34.95 for the CD


I am going to give HISTORY through the Ages Project Passport: Renaissance and Reformation 4 out of 5 smileys!!! :) :) :) :)

Check it out! 
http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/renaissanceandreformation.html

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @
http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/history-through-the-ages-project-passport-world-history-study-homeschool-in-the-woods/




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*The Smiley System:

:) I can't really recommend this product.

:) :) I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.

:) :) :) This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.

:) :) :) :) Most homeschool moms will find this useful.

:) :) :) :) :) This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What? You say I'm a day late? Nope. Not at all! Several years ago we decided it was crazy to pay full price for candy that would be half off on the 15th. So we created our own family holiday. None of the kids seem to mind at all, as long as they get the candy! LOL Valentine's day is just a made up holiday anyway (as opposed to St. Valentine's day which is quite different) and we are not bound by man's traditions, right?

Anyway, just wanted to pop in here and share some love with my readers. Have a blessed day!

CLASSIC CRAZY MOM: Driving Miss Crazy

Originally published 06/25/2010


The big moment had come. First Born was going to take his driver's test and get his license. The test was at 9:00 a.m. so the plan was to leave at 8:30 in the morning. The form the testing people gave us had a list of paperwork we needed to bring. I had told First Born to look over the list and make sure we had everything so we would be all ready to leave in the morning.

We were up and out of the house by 8:30. We got to the test place with time to spare. We gathered all the papers we needed, but, wait! Where is the proof of insurance?

"Here it is!" I shout. "No, this is the old one! It must be here somewhere! I just put it in here the other day!" I shuffle through the center console and the glove box, papers falling everywhere.

You see our policy had run out on Oct. 1st and it was the 8th. I frantically look at the clock. Good, it's only 8:50.

I know I just put it in here! "Why didn't you check for it last night when I told you to check everything?" I asked First Born, growing even more frantic.

So he proceeds to tell me he checked his stuff. You know, his permit and driver's ed certificate. He figured he shouldn't have to check on ours. Why would he think that???

"Drive up to the door! NO! Wait! Let me call Dad! No! Just start to go home in case I can't get the AAA number and have to get the copy! No! Wait! Drive me to the door! Go! Hurry! Hurry! I need to make sure they can get a copy faxed!"

So I run in and ask if it's okay if the insurance company faxes them a proof of insurance. They say it's no problem, and they give me the fax number. I run back to the car.

"OK," I say to First Born, "we can just have AAA send a fax. Now how do I get the number?"

I look on our old proof. No number. I try my husband, but can't get him. I panic again and tell First Born maybe we should still drive towards home just in case. He starts to drive home and I finally call information on my cell. I get the main AAA number and call it. I get a phone tree. Do you know how much I hate those phone trees? I tell the robot lady, "Come on! Come on!"

I tell First Born to pull into the nearby parking lot.

I sit there until I get a real human and tell her I need an emergency proof, give her the fax number and she puts me on hold to make sure it went through. I tell First Born to go back to the test place.

We get there and the test place already has the fax. It seems like forever, but it's really only like 9:01. The whole thing was simple, really. And could have been a whole lot simpler if I had not panicked.

So we take the road test and I sit in the back seat reading a magazine and First Born passes without a hitch. God must have felt like giving me a break after my rough morning, so we were actually only at the DMV to get his license for about a half hour. That is unheard of.

Later, I relay the story to my husband who tells me I gave him the proof in the living room and he had put it in his wallet. Oops!

So now my oldest son has his license. I'm just guessing, but I have strange a feeling the panic is just beginning!

~The Crazy Mom