October – The month of cool weather & scary things. October 7, 2009

October. What can I say about October. It’s a time of cooling weather – relief from hot & humid temperatures. A time for hats, sweaters, scarfs, and gloves. Such a fun, cute look on my kidlets.

It would be such a pleasant month if only Halloween had not taken over the whole month. Not a fun thing when you don’t celebrate the holiday.  Scary movies on every channel has caused our household to turn the noise box off for the month. So, we’ll spend our time with board games, classic books, DVDs and popcorn. It a lovely way to be together.

Now, as to my book review. Just because I don’t celebrate Halloween doesn’t mean I don’t like scary. It’s the type of scary that I’m picky about. I don’t do spooks or gory. I love a good murder mystery! One of my favorite’s and probably one of the scariest that I’ve read is Agatha Christie’s “And then there were none.”  Not only will this book will have you jumping at every little noise in the house, but you will think about the plot for years to come. Seriously, there’s a great reason that it’s considered the 7th most popular book of all time.

Getting Green is Totally Shabby Chic! September 14, 2009

Over a year ago, I gave myself the most beautifily useful gift: A Guide To Green Housekeeping by Christina Strutt.  At first glance, it looks like a coffee table book. It’s gorgeous! Glance through the pages and the lovely pictures might convince you to display it promptly on your coffee table.

Remember, never judge a book by its cover or by the pictures inside either! This book is FULL of useful information about keeping a green house. 

You’ll cover everything from green household chemicals, care of linens, green kitchen gardens, beauty products & gifts.  Add this book to your bookshelf or reading list, you’ll be glad you did!

Here are a few links on green living:

ChelseaGreen

Kitchen Gardeners International

Mini Farm Homestead

The Green Guide

Eating Alabama

Eat Local Challenge

Into the wild beyond! September 8, 2009

What do you have when you have a two for one book review day? Then, you add in a few cool weblinks? Why! You shake it all up and it’s Theme Day!

Recently, I read a wonderful book called, “I Love Dirt” by Jennifer Ward. This beautifully organized book has 52 outdoor activities to get parents and children outside. The activities are simple to do and organized in 4 sections: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. In addition to this book, Ms Ward has just released a new one for tweens called “Let’s go Outside!” Both books are must have additions to any Parent’s library, regardless if you homeschool or not.

Of course, you can pick & choose your outdoor activities. But the Vasko family are planning to do one a week. This year, Nature Study will be a big part of our learning. We can’t wait! And I hope that I’ll remember to add a few photos along the way.

So, here are some super cool links!

The Green Hour

The Magnifying Glass

In Heywood’s Meadow

Imagine Childhood

Letterboxing for Kids

Bird Sleuth

Anne Elliott 

I hope you enjoyed Today’s theme! Now, grab the kids and head outside!