The Great Catsby: Pinterest Follows

Please Follow all Pinterest accounts here and then go back to the Rafflecopter and finish entering the giveaway!!!

  Parsimonious Pash

  Bloggity Blog

  Two Little Cavaliers

  Saved by Grace

  Chips Off The Old Block(Leslie Block)

The Great Catsby Event 9/1 ~ 9/15 ,So Many Winners!

                                              

The Great Catsby Giveaway Event hosted by Parsimonious Pash and co-hosted by Bloggity Blog and Saved by Grace!

We all are so excited to bring you this huge cat event chalked full of great prizes for everyone who owns a cat! There will be multiple winners in this giveaway... totaling 27 winners!!! This giveaway really is meant for all of you crazy cat owners out there who are like all of us bloggers bringing you this giveaway as well as the companies sponsoring it! So, here we are spoiling your cats just like we spoil ours!

The Prizes:

Litter Robot!	Kitty A Go Go Litter Box!	Double Cat Feeder Bowl and Silicon Mat from the Martha Stewart Pets Collection From Pets Smart	Zanies Froggie Cat Tunnel Cat Toy!	KV Supply $25.00 Gift Card!
$25.00 Gift Certificate From Mr. Chewy	Tails to Scales Pet Supply $25.00 Gift Card!	Neko Flies Cat Toys!	Ace Cat Furniture Cat Bed!	Newman's Own Organic Cat Food Sample Box
Mr Green Cat Deodorizer	Newman's Own Organics Kitty Sample Pack!	Purina Cat Food Sample Pack!	Soft Claws Kitty Nail Caps!	Ace Cat Furniture Cat Toys
Zainies Froggie and Duck Catnip Toys!	Halo Cat Food!	Lucy's Cat Grass!	The Worlds Best Cat Litter!	Fresh News Cat Litter! 2 WINNERS!
Precious Cat Attract Cat Litter!	Feline Pine Litter Box Sand!	Arm & Hammer Litter Box Sand!	Cat Collar from Mommy of 2 Little Monsters	Vita Nip Catnip
Slurp 'N Fresh Pet Breath Freshener! 3 Sample Sized Bottles!	Pawbreakers Eats Edible Animal Treats!	Pawalla Mystery Box

InLinkz.com

I want to say a special thanks to my generous sponsors Zaines Toys who sponsored a 50.00 prize pack, KV Supply and Newmans Own Organics Premium Pet Products please be sure to thank them my visiting my reviews and their sites Where you can purchase any of their items directly from them! Zaines, KV Supply and Newmans Own Organics Premium Pet Products.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ and will run from September 1st-September 15th.

All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be verified for their entries and will be given 48 hours to respond to their notification email before a new winner is chosen.

Good Luck Everyone!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh The Amazing Places to Dream Upon~

Oh to dream of far away romantic places with crystal blue water that you can see the amazing floor of the sea and all of life's creatures that live below. That is a dream vacation to me, but wait there are so many more places in this huge world to see too! Or maybe just to study about, a geography lesson with my kiddos and learn where these cool places are? Sharing them with my kids might just be a dream come true too
Where do you want do go? Imagine your bucket list vacation spot, where would that be? Leave a comment and tell me.

                                                           Source: themetapicture.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Wandering Wednesday Blog Hopping

Are you a hopper? Come on over to Pardon My Poppet with me and enjoy the Wandering Wednesday Blog hop. Meet new friends and see some other fantastic blogs.

                                                 

 Go To Pardon My Poppet Blog Hop!

15 Grammar Goofs~That Make You Look Silly

A great reason to tell your older children why we have to learn correct grammar, this infographic tells all.
There is nothing like being on Facebook with your teen and noticing that he/she has posted a status update with misspelled words and bad grammar. Epic Fails~
This was a great refresher for myself, I love to write and blog, but not always using the best wording or grammar to get my words across.

                                                  Source: growwithstacy.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Life as a Homeschool Mom

Worth a re-share, homeschool moms would mostly agree with her.I know I do, happy healthy homeschool kids are all that matters at our house! It is not an easy task, never fault yourself for your choice, just keep going one day at a time and you will be amazed at the results!

Life as a Homeschool Mom

Author: Heather from UnionCountyMommies "The Mommies Network"

Original Post April 15, 2011 

If I were to meet you on the street today, I would introduce myself as Heather, stay-at-home/homeschooling mom of my daughters who are six and three. You would ask me my thoughts on the public school system and about my choice to keep them home, then about my method of teaching, and the curriculum I use. I would smile and say all the right things. I would tell you just how much I love it, how passionate I am about being their teacher, and how confident I am that this is the right choice for my family.

But that wouldn't really be the truth.

You see, more often than not I have no idea what I am doing. I second guess every decision. Homeschooling was never something I imagined myself doing, so I wonder how I got to this point, and what I was thinking. And some days I allow myself to dream about that big yellow bus pulling up in front of my house and taking my children away for the next six hours.

I love my girls dearly, of course. But the days are long, and the weeks are hectic. And I rarely get a few minutes to think, let alone have a conversation with another adult. We have days that we wake up early, get dressed and into our school room right away. And then we have others where I realize we are still in our pajamas at noon and I haven't even opened a workbook, or answered a single question.

Guilt and fear are par for the course in motherhood, but in my life they are exacerbated by being primarily responsible for my children's education. I believe that right now they learn so much through play, and have a natural curiosity to explore the world around them. But secretly, I worry that I am not smart enough to teach them all they need to know. I question whether my methods really are the best. And I'm afraid that I am doing them a huge disservice by not exposing them to a more structured learning environment.

As I start asking myself questions, I become riddled with the fear that while homeschooling is what I want for my girls, I might not be cut out for it. But then...something miraculous happens.

My youngest daughter will count to twenty, correctly read the letters off a sign as we pass by, and ask for her mountain of books at bedtime. My oldest daughter will flawlessly name the planets, sound out letters, and proudly find Italy on the world map. They will ask for more rhyming games, and sight words. They will demand just one more sheet of school work. They will run to their dad when he walks through the door, eager to tell them what they learned about that day. And they will beg to have school on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.

And in those moments, I realize that something is working!

So a more accurate representation of the truth is that I am a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom of two. It is harder than I expected it to be. I don't know if I am making the right choices all the time. But my children are learning! And they are loving it!! And that hunger for knowledge is exactly what I wanted to instill in them all along.

Amen sister!

7 Secrets To Success......plus the best secret!

What do you consider success in life?

Just look around you and be amazed at what you might see.

And Pray, Trust God for your success in life always

The Best secret!

Algebra problem of the week...

Ha ha this was just to funny to resist, Algebra has never been my favorite and I seemed to have passed this non-love of math along to my children. Any math tips you can share to make it more fun are most appreciated!

Please feel free to share in comments and follow.

 

Why do you stay home?

As a homeschooling mom I am asked by many well meaning individuals "why do you keep your kids at home?" "don't they need the contact of other children in regular school"? Honestly I want to look at those people and tell them to mind their own business, but that would be rather rude. So I just tell them that it works well for our family and if something is working just fine there is no reason to change it.

Here are my top reasons for homeschooling my children:

• When God tells you to do something you Do It!
• Prayerfully sought out answer
• We tried traditional school and did not like it at all (for our kids that is)
• Due to family illness, we were able to spend more time with my father as he was dying with cancer.
• We get to go visit grandma when we want to and not just on school breaks
• I know what they are learning!
• Can teach biblical principles and apply to our lives
• We have prayer in school
• We sleep late, mom works as a nurse and does odd shifts
• Field trips can be as simple as a drive to the grocery store to learn
• We learn 24/7 365 days a year no matter the weather
• We school all year round so we can take more breaks
• We can take a day off for fun if we want to.....anytime!
• Healthy options for meals and cook at home
• Kids are less affected by external distractions
• No meds needed anymore for ADD
• I have learned all of their learning styles and work around them.
• Done with work in way less time
• Can school anywhere in the house, even snuggled up on the couch or bed.
• Bring your pets to school everyday :)
• Show and tell everyday
• Cooking dinner can become a math lesson very easily
• Our home repairs and renovations become lessons easily
• Tv can be tailored into science and history learning
• I have an addiction for school supplies
• I love books
• Teaching my kids is an honor
• My husband gets to help and teach too.
• We all learn new things daily
• We get to learn and eat our work ie counting M & M's
• No bullies!
• No dress codes or expensive uniforms
• No wasting time, lining up, waiting on other kids that don't behave, lunch lines,etc
• They are living in the real world, dealing with real life problems that happen in our household everyday. Critical thinking skills and problem solving daily.
• My teen and I have had some really deep discussions about life,love and the world,that we may not have had if he was at school all day long.
• Many many more,I could go on and on!

So if homeschooling works for your family, Just Do It! If not that's ok. As long as your children are happy,healthy and learning that is all that matters, right?

 

The Great Catsby Event~ Join Me

Got Kitty Cats? Come on and join us! Some Awesome Prizes! 

We are still taking sign-ups for this giveaway! Add a prize and join for free or pay 2 for 2 links!! 

Prizes are over $500 and more keep being added!

This is going to be a HUGE giveaway!!! Bloggers can sign-up either by paying $2 for two links or by offering a prize to be included in the giveaway! This can be anything that has to do with cats!!! This is going to be THE event for cat lovers everywhere!! The Giveaway will be open to the US only.

You are asked to please share this giveaway around and get your friends in on this great giveaway! You will also be asked to post a teaser about the giveaway. There will be some information given to you for ideas for a teaser post! Everything will be posted in this group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/300319993390222/ so please send a request to join.

So far the prizes include, but are not limited to:

World’s Best Cat Litter RV $9.99
Litter Robot RV $360
Soft Claws kitty claw covers RV $18.95
2 Cat Toys from Ace Furniture RV $25
1 Cat Bed from Ace Furniture RV $12.99
Newmans Organic Cat Stuff
Mr. Chewy $25 Credit
Cat Collar from Whitney
Double Cat Feeder Bowl and Silicon Mat from the Martha Stewart Pets Collection
$25 for Tails to Scales PetSupply
$25 to KV Vet Supply
Toys from Zainies
1 Bag Vita Catnip, 2 Pawbreakers

The Giveaway will run from September 1st-15th.

Sign-Up Here!

No Bake Energy Bites

Yummy to our tummies! these are super easy to make, cheap and they travel if you are in a hurry, running out the door. Try these "No Bake Energy Bites" for a snack or breakfast to get your day going. You can adapt this recipe to your family's liking.

                                                                      Source: gimmesomeoven.com via Lee on Pinterest

Recipe and photo credit: gimesomeoven.com

No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Ali’s Tip:

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients!  Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed.  I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients.  The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible.  If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats).  If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter.  It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better.  And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled.  Enjoy!!

Source: Slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

Saturday blessings

Hello weekend,glad you are here! Praising God for all blessings whether they be great or small.

 

The First thing you should learn with your homeschoolers

Learning your children and their style of learning should be one of the first things you learn before you start homeschooling. Our very first year of homeschooling I found this out the hard way, it took me all year long and part of the next year to learn that all 3 of my children learned Totally different! Even if you are a parent of a child in a traditional school , you will find that homework and completing classroom assignments will be much easier if you know that your son or daughter learns by "hands on" and not visually, or that they learn better when running around in circles and not sitting very still in a seat. Imagine if you could tell a classroom teacher at the start of the school year what kind of learner you have, so she/he can tailor some of the lesson plans around their needs maybe (if they are actually willing)
As a homeschooling parent of course we are blessed to teach our kiddos at home. We can set up a classroom like a traditional school if that is how your child will learn better, or have class on the couch surrounded by a zoo of stuffed animals, dolls or race cars if that is what works for your child!
The info-graphic below is an example of the types of learners we may encounter in our family. Do you recognize any of these learning styles in your children?

                                                                     Source: thehappyhousewife.com via Leslie on Pinterest