A Surprise from Rush Limbaugh!

I got the mail the other day, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting a package from the Rush Revere folks. I had done a review for them, and it was a thank you gift! As you can see above, it included a nice card, a DVD, a travel cup, a bookmark, a bag, and even a stuffed Liberty! Yes, my 16-year-old daughter loved it all! I thought that was really nice of them. I've never had a vendor do anything like this before! I thought I'd give them a shout out. Thanks, Rush! If you'd like to purchase any of these items (except the card, lol) just go to www.rushrevere.com. 

New Review! The Everyday Family Chore System

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About the product/service: 
As part of the Homeschool Review Crew, I received a free pdf copy of The Everyday Chore System from Everyday Homemaking. (The book is also available as a physical product.) The book is written by Vicki Bentley who is not only the mother of eight daughters, but has had something like 50 foster kids in her home! 

The book begins with a discussion about how to lay the foundation for having an organized, clean home. It talks about two main goals. The first is to train the child to see helping out around the house as a way to serve the other family members. (I have exactly one child who really has this attitude.) The second is to teach each child how to do the basic chores that everyone needs to know before reaching adulthood. (At least most of mine have these skills.) There are basic tips for child-training in these areas, although Vicki is clear that the book is not a child-training manual. 

The next part of the book discusses both what each child should be able to do by age and gives ideas about setting up a well-functioning chore system. It's not a one size fits all system, but a basic outline of how to decide what needs to be done and how to create a system that works for you. She details how she has done it with her own family and gives ideas that will work for just about everyone, but with modifications to fit your families own needs. 

Also, I want to mention that Vicki also has written a book called Everyday Cooking. Some of the other members of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew have reviewed that book, so if you click on the link or banner below to see what other crew members think, you'll see reviews for both books. 

What are the pros of this product?
This book is well organized and simple enough for everyone to understand. She has a lot of great ideas but is not one of those people who promise that you will achieve perfection by following her system or puts together a system that is rigid and complicated. She is down to earth and admits that children (and moms!) are a work in progress. However, if you're a mom and have never really had a system, this is a great way to get one together.


What's not to like?
I can't really see any issues here.


The Crazy Mom take:
I have to say that I've already implemented pretty much everything in this book in my own home. (Not sure why it's a total mess right now. LOL) We have done the charts, lists, the zones, etc. I think when you have a big family, you almost have to and you figure it out on your own. LOL My kids are 14 to 26 so we are pretty much past the training stage, so this book wasn't hugely helpful to me, but I do think it would be great for a younger mom whose kids are still small. I mean the fact that she lays out pretty much exactly what I have done is proof that I agree with her system! If you have kids under ten or so, or have older kids but have never worked out a chore system, this book would probably be very helpful. :)



What's the bottom line? $19.99 
SALE! From now until September 5, 2017, you can get 10% off your order of Everyday Family Chore System and/or Everyday Cooking using the code TOS10books. (Please shop first and add the code at the end of the process.) 



I am going to give The Everyday Family Chore System 5 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out! http://everydayhomemaking.com/books/

Social Media: 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/everydayhomemaking      Tag:   @everydayhomemaking 

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @

http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/everyday-cooking-and-chores-systems-for-your-family-everyday-homemaking-reviews/





*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 it isn't right for everyone.

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

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

Check out Colony House

Hey, so I've been checking out a band Called Colony House. I thought you'd like to check them out, too. Bassist Parke Cotrell was homeschooled through 8th grade. Also, Will and Caleb were each homeschooled for one year. :)

School Year Plans

Hey, so I'm getting somewhere with my goals. I pretty much have this year's school subjects planned and what I am going to use. Because I'm down to just two kids, I am going to pretty much do the same thing with both of them together, and they will work independently on the rest.

For math, Bear will continue with Khan Academy. She loves it. She is very motivated to work through it and get the points or whatever rewards they offer. Baber will continue with Life of Fred. He's in Beginning Algebra this year.

I ordered the high school grammar review workbook for both students from Queen Homeschool Supply. I love Queen because the books include a fairly short lesson for each day. It's not so much that it's overwhelming, and the kids don't complain. They both have seemed to learn a lot.

In addition to the grammar review, I am going to continue to do read-alouds with them. We do this every year, and I've read quite a few classics over the years. I am also going to have Sarah do the Lightning Lit we reviewed in the spring. Both kids will continue to work on spelling.

They'll be taking Apologia biology at co-op. It's going to be quite a challenge because it starts at 9:00 on Monday morning and is a 45-minute drive. I might hate myself. LOL

I'm still thinking about history. We've done so much I'd like to change it up a bit this year. We'll have to see.

Of course, we'll continue to learn sign language.We've been doing it for years. We use several resources for this from books to DVDs to online classes.

We've done plenty of art over the years, and will continue to do so. I don't really follow a single curriculum because I have so much stuff gathered from over the years. I love when we review art products because it really forces us to do more.

Bear will also be hopefully taking piano classes. The lady we were going to use just told me she may not be taking new students this year. I should find out in a few days.

Of course, life skills around here happens every day. You wouldn't know it to look at my house, though.

Last but not least, we will continue our Bible studies. I really don't like to think of this as school though, as it's part of daily life. I have to admit, however, that we are much more regular with systematic Bible study when we do it together as part of our day.

As much as I love the freedom of summer, I'm glad to get back to a more structured life. I can't believe I am in the final stretch. Only four more years to go. Here's to another school year!

I've Got a Secret!

I just got some exciting news! I can't wait to tell you, but it will have to wait. Now that I am only four years out from finishing this homeschool gig, I am looking to change up direction a little bit. I don't plan to completely lose my homeschool focus, but I do plan to change up a few things. Stay tuned!