Start your week right! Start it with inspiration and prayer. Start it with the Webmom's free "Bless Your Family, Empower Yourself" family coaching call!
This Sunday night's topic is "The Heart of David, The Mind of Solomon and The Faithfulness of Job".
Registration is required so that we can send you your weekly session handouts. Click here to register now!
We've gone through a lot and if we can do it, so can you!
Have fun and stay safe,
Start your week right! Start it with inspiration and prayer. Start it with the Webmom's free "Bless Your Family, Empower Yourself" family coaching call!
The Webmom is both ordained an ordained minister and a certified professional coach. More importantly, she's been there.
Join the Webmom every Sunday at 8:00 PM Central as she uses her holistic, faith-based approach to cover topics that weigh on parents, grandparents and kids alike.
Registration is required so that we can send you your weekly session handouts.
If you have any questions you'd like us to answer or situations you'd like address, please send them to us through our Contact page.
We've gone through a lot and if we can do it, so can you!
Have fun and stay safe,
Free Teleseminar Series Registration
There is one question we get asked more than others.
Whether we are out running errands during the day or participating in a trail ride, someone always asks:
How do you do it?
How do you pick curriculum? How do you make your home more like a school? How do you teach your child if you aren't a certified teacher?
Trust us, you DO NOT want to get the Webmom started. It's like she's thinking/reading/writing something the size of War and Peace! =)
Thankfully, she kept it short this time, just under 4 minutes. Although she got stuck trying to describe a "normal" school in a home. =)
If you have any questions you'd like us to answer, send them to us through our Contact page.
Have fun and stay safe,
As part of our homeschool work today, we participated in a live Q & A session presented by the JASON Project on the science behind tsunamis.
JASON, of course, was founded by Dr. Robert Ballard. THE Dr. Robert Ballard. Explorer extraordinaire and discoverer of many things - including the Titanic.
Did you know that one year of NASA funding can run JASON for 1,600 years? Yes, really!
Check out what else Dr. Robert Ballard has to say about the Earth's resources and ocean exploration:
[powerpress]
Someday soon, we might be talking about our family trips to the bottom of the ocean floor!
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
JASON, of course, was founded by Dr. Robert Ballard. THE Dr. Robert Ballard. Explorer extraordinaire and discoverer of many things - including the Titanic.
The JASON Project connects students with scientists and researchers in real- and near-real time, virtually and physically, to provide mentored, authentic and enriching science learning experiences.
Did you know that one year of NASA funding can run JASON for 1,600 years? Yes, really!
Check out what else Dr. Robert Ballard has to say about the Earth's resources and ocean exploration:
[powerpress]
Someday soon, we might be talking about our family trips to the bottom of the ocean floor!
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
Jonas Tonboe Christiansen has some totally awesome pics on Smugmug. This one was taken in Kanha National Park.
Can you spot the female Royal Bengal tiger hiding in the tall grass?
If you are looking for an awesome worldwide virtual adventure, you've definitely got to see Jonas's collection of totally cool pics.
Jonas makes taking a field trip to Uganda, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Maldives, New Zealand, Tokyo, Hong Kong, the United States, French Polynesia and a few other places easy, inexpensive and safe! =)
Have fun and stay safe,
One of the coolest things about homeschooling is how you can take an everyday, incidental thing and turn it into a full-blown day of learning.
Today, for example, CJ found an old Zootles magazine dedicated to tigers. Which of course made the Webmom think of the Survivor song, "The Eye of the Tiger".
You know, the Rocky song a lot of people play when they feel like they are the ant the world is getting ready to squish.
Naturally, that brought up questions about what the song really means, how important the tempo and specific sound elements are to the piece, why it gets used so much for motivation, if it really does motivate anyone (historic examples) and what it all has to do with a real tiger's eye.
We haven't even gotten to the Rocky movies. The Webmom isn't sure they are something she wants CJ to see at this age but sometimes movies help document a time period.
Things that are popular during a time period resonated for a reason. What was going on then? How was a piece of entertainment relevant?
Sure, a lot of stuff is meant to entertain but sometimes, the author/songwriter/script writer had a bigger message that touched an entire generation. All while making a pretty penny.
Life science, music, social studies, history, money math and it all started with finding one of CJ's old Zootle books ...
Have fun and stay safe,
We've noticed a trend lately. It seems like everywhere we turn, there's a kid using a blog as part of his or her learning experience.
Whether it's part of Language Arts or a virtual journal for the entire homeschool experience, kids are going tech.
We've seen kids with science blogs, nature blogs, citizenship blogs documenting their adventures in volunteering ... The list is endless!
We are proud of these kids and their skills. We even follow a few of these smarties.
We aren't sure why everyone else does it but homeschoolers sometimes use a blog as a way to build tech skills and a portfolio that can help open doors to higher education and awesome jobs.
Since the entries are dated and archived, all a parent has to do is either point someone to the blog itself or use a blog-to-book service and voila!
Yes, we know the internet can be a dangerous place. However, most parents (like the Webmom) will go out of their way to keep their child safe while still giving them room to learn and grow.
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This ninth site is dedicated to helping kids connect with the great outdoors.
April is just around the corner, a time when a lot of us think of camping, hiking and just being outside more.
Did you know that "Let's Go Outside" is actually a real event? We didn't know that until we landed on The Children & Nature Network's home page.
The Children & Nature Network has a list of nature clubs you can join and the resources to start one, if there isn't one in your area.
We also downloaded the free REI Kids' Adventure Journal that they recommended. It has some good adventure-prep advice, a place to record your adventure memories and some fun puzzles.
Thanks for sticking with us as we shared some awesome sites today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This eighth site is all about making chemistry kid-friendly.
Andrew Rader Studios has done a nice job of going over stuff like:
- Matter
- Atoms
- Elements and the Periodic Table
- Reactions
- Biochemistry
The best part? It's so not boring or totally confusing!
Rader's Chem4Kids isn't just for kids. It covers matter, atoms, elements, the periodic table, reactions, and biochemistry in a way that even parents might enjoy.
We highly recommend looking around this site because they also have some great sites covering astronomy, biology, earth science, physics and math.
Stay tuned because we’ve got 1 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This seventh site says that "the past belongs to kids".
We're not entirely sure what they mean by that because the past belongs to everyone but we are totally sure this is a great history resource!
Kids Past is the fun way to explore our history from early man to recent historical events.
This is part of the free and totally cool Kids Know It Network so you know you can depend on quality information.
Stay tuned because we’ve got 2 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This sixth site comes to us from the U.S. government.
It is an amazing collection of intelligence from almost all of our federal branches. We all know that "Big Brother" gathers a lot of data. What we might not know is that "he" actually doesn't have a problem sharing some of it with us.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - Teaching and Learning Resources from Federal Agencies has a ton of educational resources covering the Arts, Health, Physical Science, World Studies, Time Periods and more.
Whatever it is you want to learn or need help learning, this free site should be on your list of top research sources.
Stay tuned because we’ve got 3 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This fifth site was created by Jim Becker, Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa.
Professor Becker's amazing collection of free Spanish resources for children is huge!
Professor Becker's Spanish Resources for Children has many different ways to help kids (and parents) learn Spanish.
Vocabulary builders, flash cards, worksheets, quizzes, games ... If someone has made a Spanish version of it for kids, it's probably listed on the Professor's site.
Stay tuned because we’ve got 4 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ’s 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This fourth site is a healthy (and fun) part of the pyramid of learning.
If you think that a healthy lifestyle is boring, you are missing out! Eating right isn't about having "just" carrots, spinach and salad. It's not just about doing boring exercises either.
Cute little Chef Solus teaches through chef games, word games, pyramid games, and stories.
Chef Solus and the Food Pyramid Adventure is a totally fun way to learn about nutrition.
This site proves that being healthy can be really fun and is recognized by the Parents' Choice Foundation, KidZui and the Association for Library Service to Children.
Stay tuned because we’ve got 5 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ's 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This third site is a great way to teach kids how to retell stories. Literally, it says that.
We say anything that makes reading and storytelling fun is a winner! What makes this site truly special is the instant, audio feedback while learning things like:
- Who the characters are.
- The order that events happen.
- What the problem is.
- Where the setting is located.
The instructions are simple and easy to understand:
Don't worry! Even though it says you have 120 seconds to finish, there is a non-timed option.
John Rickey's Anchor Framework Game is targeted to kids in grades 1 through 3.
There are a lot more resources on this site, including a lot of educational software that you can buy inexpensively. However, there are also a ton of freebies inside those pages. They have learning contracts, money sheets, math worksheets and a lot more.
Stay tuned because we've got 6 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
By Michelle Mirizzi, MS, Registered Dietitian
When it comes to physical activity, every little bit counts! LET’S GET MOVING month is designed to get you and your child to become more physically active. Children are less physically fit than they were a generation ago. In fact, inactive children, when compared to active children, weigh more and have higher blood pressure. Most importantly, inactive children are more likely to become inactive adults.
Many parents think of organized sports like soccer or baseball when they think of getting exercise. Unfortunately, practice and games once or twice a week are not enough activity to reach the recommended goal of at least 60 minutes everyday. As parents, we also can’t rely on physical education in schools to provide enough activity for our children. The good news is that there are many ways that we can keep our children active everyday!
When it comes to physical activity, every little bit counts! LET’S GET MOVING month is designed to get you and your child to become more physically active. Children are less physically fit than they were a generation ago. In fact, inactive children, when compared to active children, weigh more and have higher blood pressure. Most importantly, inactive children are more likely to become inactive adults.
Many parents think of organized sports like soccer or baseball when they think of getting exercise. Unfortunately, practice and games once or twice a week are not enough activity to reach the recommended goal of at least 60 minutes everyday. As parents, we also can’t rely on physical education in schools to provide enough activity for our children. The good news is that there are many ways that we can keep our children active everyday!
In honor of CJ's 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This second site is definitely part of the worldwide learning puzzle!
Although they have a lot more resources, we're bragging about their U.S. and World Map puzzles.
Owl & Mouse's U.S. and World Puzzles are free and browser-based. No download required and they work with both PC and Mac!
We highly recommend checking out the rest of the Owl & Mouse website. Among other things, they have resources for kids who are learning to read, studying Medieval History and even software to make model villages.
Stay tuned because we've got 7 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
In honor of CJ's 9th birthday today, we are sharing 9 educational and super cool websites, every hour for 9 hours straight.
This first site is one of our all-time favorites!
Even though this is described a teacher resource site, we believe that kids grow more by being involved in their learning.
Teaching Resources by Laura Candler has a ton of cool stuff for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike.
Kids should be encouraged to become life-long learners and helping to pick an educational activity is enormously empowering.
Once kids know why they are learning something (or should learn something), it's easier to focus on how to learn it and what the lesson itself is.
We highly recommend signing up for Laura's newsletter to get notifications about freebies like these.
Stay tuned because we've got 8 more awesome sites to share today!
Have fun and stay safe,
We just saw the promo for Discovery's new special on YouTube. All we can say is ... wow. It looks (and sounds) awesome!
Granted, our laptop was already hooked up to our stereo system because we'd just watched a movie but, you know Discovery. It's always coming up with some really amazing stuff.
Are you going to watch? We've already penciled it into our calendar. =)
Have fun and stay safe,
Today's podcast - like most of our efforts - covers several topics. The biggest of these
Have fun and stay safe,
Whether you are new to the world of self-employment or have been in business for a while, a good network is always something to strive for.
If you are looking for honest feedback on your site layout, a barter, info on shopping carts or an understanding ear for your work/life balancing dilemma, I highly recommend The Mom Pack.
As of this writing, there are officially 9,600 members on their interactive Yahoo group. One of which is speaking to you right now.
In addition to the main list, The Mom Pack maintains spin-off lists such as Chat, Goal Meeting/Motivational List, Homeschoolers and a few others.
The Mom Pack is truly one of the best free resources I've come across online.Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,.png){kind=small}
Whether you are new to the world of self-employment or have been in business for a while, a good network is always something to strive for.
If you are looking for honest feedback on your site layout, a barter, info on shopping carts or an understanding ear for your work/life balancing dilemma, I highly recommend The Mom Pack.
As of this writing, there are officially 9,600 members on their interactive Yahoo group. One of which is speaking to you right now.
In addition to the main list, The Mom Pack maintains spin-off lists such as Chat, Goal Meeting/Motivational List, Homeschoolers and a few others.
The Mom Pack is truly one of the best free resources I've come across online.[signoff]The disasters we've been seeing in our world lately have been scary and amazing in their hugeness.
Place after place seems to be getting hit by major disaster. Disasters that sometimes shift the Earth's axis.
One of the best things we can do after praying for our world and all the people in it, is to help in whatever way we can.
We don't have to do anything huge.
If you have the ability and are in the affected area, you can volunteer to help at soup kitchens, supply distribution stations or any number of other ways.
Of course, you can always donate financially too. Again, it doesn't have to be huge. Just pledge whatever you can afford.
Your little bit + our little bit + everyone else's little bit = saving the world.
We all matter, no matter how "small" we think we are or how "little" we think we can offer.
Have fun and stay safe,
We've been noticing a not-so-nice trend lately.
It seems that adults and kids alike sometimes forget their manners when they are online.
We forget to say 'please' and 'thank you'. We overlook sending follow-up cards or emails to someone who is sick.
There's a quick fix for this though and it's not hard to remember at all:
If you would or wouldn't do it 'in real life' (IRL), then do or don't do it online.
Just because we can hide behind our computer screen and a fake name doesn't mean we have a right to call Suzie a fat chipmunk or Joey a stinky lizard or worse!
That's not being brave. That's being a bully.
So today, we ask that you join us in taking the Golden Rule Challenge.
If someone does something nice for you, say thank you. If you'd like someone to do something for you, ask nicely and remember to say please.
Most importantly, remember that we all came from the same Creator.
When we insult each other or put each other down somehow, it's like sucker-punching Him in the stomach. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Have fun and stay safe,
Yesterday, we said we'd show you what our new little cheepers looked like.
We wanted to wait until they didn't look kinda newborn gross (sorry chickies!) and got their little poofy thing going on.
Well, it's "tomorrow" and oh boy are these guys cute!
You don't just have to take our word for it though, you can see for yourselves because - without further ado - we now present (from left to right): Nic, Dani and Sunny!
Cute little rascals aren't they? =)
Have fun and stay safe,
If you don't know the story yet, we had a travel trailer we named Scotty but it was in an accident. Thankfully, no one was in it at the time and neither of us was anywhere near it.
It was a vintage Serro Scotty Sportsman Highlander and we were do-it-yourself restoring him. So, sadly, it was not worth the effort or money to fix the poor guy. He's now being fitted as a flat bed trailer for use on my Mom's homestead.
A few weeks later, Daisy (the truck we were using to tow Scotty) shot a fireball out of her engine compartment while someone was working on her. She was sold to someone who said he would fix her.
Instead of giving up on our dreams of adventure after all of that, we've been traveling by plane and by Escape.
Get it? Escape pod? Small SUV? Ford Escape? Uh, yeah.
Anyway, besides having some really cool friends scattered around the United States, we've learned how to car camp.
It's pretty easy to get started now that camping supply companies sell all kinds of camping equipment for SUVs and minivans. There are even special tents!
Since we'retrapped not traveling as much right now, we've had a lot of time to sit, think and remember.
We've had a lot of adventures but had our share of misadventures too! =)
In fact, we're going to share our favorite low-budget, high-fun tips so that you can adventure no matter how you get there.
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
It was a vintage Serro Scotty Sportsman Highlander and we were do-it-yourself restoring him. So, sadly, it was not worth the effort or money to fix the poor guy. He's now being fitted as a flat bed trailer for use on my Mom's homestead.
A few weeks later, Daisy (the truck we were using to tow Scotty) shot a fireball out of her engine compartment while someone was working on her. She was sold to someone who said he would fix her.
Instead of giving up on our dreams of adventure after all of that, we've been traveling by plane and by Escape.
Yep, Scarlett (our Ford Escape) is our escape pod! =)
Get it? Escape pod? Small SUV? Ford Escape? Uh, yeah.
Anyway, besides having some really cool friends scattered around the United States, we've learned how to car camp.
It's pretty easy to get started now that camping supply companies sell all kinds of camping equipment for SUVs and minivans. There are even special tents!
Since we're
- Where have we gone?
- What have we done?
- What worked and what didn't?
- What is our absolute favorite gear?
We've had a lot of adventures but had our share of misadventures too! =)
If you've been thinking about exploring but are worried that you need to have a lot of money, we're living proof that you don't have to worry about that.
In fact, we're going to share our favorite low-budget, high-fun tips so that you can adventure no matter how you get there.
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
If you don't know the story yet, we had a travel trailer we named Scotty but it was in an accident. Thankfully, no one was in it at the time and neither of us was anywhere near it.
It was a vintage Serro Scotty Sportsman Highlander and we were do-it-yourself restoring him. So, sadly, it was not worth the effort or money to fix the poor guy. He's now being fitted as a flat bed trailer for use on the Webgran's homestead.
A few weeks later, Daisy (the truck we were using to tow Scotty) shot a fireball out of her engine compartment while someone was working on her. She was sold to someone who said he would fix her.
Instead of giving up on our dreams of adventure after all of that, we've been traveling by plane and by Escape.
[su_pullquote]Yep, Scarlett (our Ford Escape) is our escape pod! :D[/su_pullquote]Besides having some really cool friends scattered around the United States, we've learned how to car camp.
It's pretty easy to get started now that camping supply companies sell all kinds of camping equipment for SUVs and minivans. Even special tents!
Since we'retrapped uh, not traveling as much right now, we've had a lot of time to sit, think and remember.
[su_pullquote align="right"]If you've been thinking about exploring but are worried that you need to have a lot of money, we're living proof that you don't have to worry about that.[/su_pullquote]We've had a lot of adventures but had our share of misadventures too!
In fact, we're going to share our favorite low-budget, high-fun tips so that you can adventure no matter how you get there.
[signoff]
It was a vintage Serro Scotty Sportsman Highlander and we were do-it-yourself restoring him. So, sadly, it was not worth the effort or money to fix the poor guy. He's now being fitted as a flat bed trailer for use on the Webgran's homestead.
A few weeks later, Daisy (the truck we were using to tow Scotty) shot a fireball out of her engine compartment while someone was working on her. She was sold to someone who said he would fix her.
Instead of giving up on our dreams of adventure after all of that, we've been traveling by plane and by Escape.
[su_pullquote]Yep, Scarlett (our Ford Escape) is our escape pod! :D[/su_pullquote]Besides having some really cool friends scattered around the United States, we've learned how to car camp.
It's pretty easy to get started now that camping supply companies sell all kinds of camping equipment for SUVs and minivans. Even special tents!
Since we're
- Where have we gone?
- What have we done?
- What worked and what didn't?
- What is our absolute favorite gear?
[su_pullquote align="right"]If you've been thinking about exploring but are worried that you need to have a lot of money, we're living proof that you don't have to worry about that.[/su_pullquote]We've had a lot of adventures but had our share of misadventures too!
In fact, we're going to share our favorite low-budget, high-fun tips so that you can adventure no matter how you get there.
[signoff]
Some of you have been asking what our current travel schedule is like. We're sad to report that we've been land-locked since the middle of December. :(
We had a family thing come up and we have to stick around until it's fixed so our travel is restricted to short adventures.
If you have a destination in South Texas you'd like to know more about, we'd be happy to be your tour guides for any place from the San Antonio metro area east toward Corpus Christi and south toward South Padre Island.
Send us your destination ideas here!
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
We had a family thing come up and we have to stick around until it's fixed so our travel is restricted to short adventures.
You can give us an perfectly honest excuse to travel though.
If you have a destination in South Texas you'd like to know more about, we'd be happy to be your tour guides for any place from the San Antonio metro area east toward Corpus Christi and south toward South Padre Island.
Send us your destination ideas here!
Have fun, stay safe and God bless,
