Review: E-Book: Molly’s Money-Saving Digest—January 2010

Let's just start by saying, "WOW!" This e-book has a ton of information. It is delightfully put together and a real joy to read.

Here is the link to The Old Schoolhouse Store where you can purchase this great little e-book.
http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=334_418&products_id=13847

I have been familiar with Molly Green for a while now by reading the blog at econobusters.com. This e-book like the blog is just full of really useful information on how to be frugal but not "cheap".

This booklet contains great recipes that look really easy to make. They don't have weird ingredients that you would never really have in your pantry. They don't have weird flavor pairings that you know your kids would take one look at and ask for a bowl of cereal. Come on, you know it has happened! It has a weeks worth of dinner recipes so you can change things up without even having to think that hard. This is nice!

I really liked the article about home-made pie crusts. This is something that I've always thought would be just to hard for this city girl to accomplish. I wouldn't want to try it and have my darling husband say "it's not like my grandma's. You could just save time by buying those frozen kind." In other words, "this stinks. Go back to store bought." Well, the gang at Econobusters has made pie crust look super duper easy. I can not wait to try it out.

The e-book also has several printables for budgeting. They all look great and are VERY practical. I really like the one for the clothing inventory. I had never thought of writing down what clothes the kids had in the closet and what they need all on one page before. This is great to keep in the car so when you run into those can't pass up sales, you know what you really do need to buy and what is just a duplication.

There are a few frugal & easy craft projects included. I really mean EASY. I am sorta craft challenged and these look like I can make them and they would turn out pretty darn cute. If you are a family member and you end up buying this e-book don't be shocked when Christmas time comes around (wink, wink).

The last thing I want to comment on is the Kids Corner section. There is a craft for younger kids but there is also a teaching section over getting a checking account. I thought that it was really well written and very applicable to homeschooling. As the mother of a 14 year-old, this put information in an easy to read and easy to learn format. Sometimes, no matter how mom or dad phrase things, it's just better to learn things from another person or source.

At $4.95, I feel that this is well worth the money. It will be a reference that I'm sure I'll go back to again and again.

Review: Help, Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!

Today I'm going to review the e-book "Help, Lord, I’m Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!" from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Here is the link to the store's purchase page.

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=334_418&products_id=12107

This e-book was very inspirational for me to read. It contains the stories of several families and their journey through high school. Each story illustrates how different each and every family is that homeschools. It made me stop and think that everyone, even myself, really does have the ability to educate their children. It tells the story of families in many, many different situations. I feel that there is going to be, at least, one story that makes you think, "that's just like us!"

Although I have had no doubts about keeping my kids home though graduation, it is nice to hear success stories from other families. I think that everyone has those days when they think, "Am I messing things up for my kids?" or "Are they missing out on something by not going to "real" school?" Reading these true life accounts is like a pat on the back. It re-enforces the confidence and gives a large dose of encouragement.

Who do I think should purchase this product? I think that, for sure, anyone who doubts their ability to see their children's education through to high school and still feels called to do it. It shows that you don't have to be "super teacher" to get the job done right. I also think the product is a good fit for those parents that just need a fresh look on why they got themselves into the "mess" of educating their kids. It really made me feel good about the decision to educate my kids.

Homeschooling is for every household member

We are now into our eighth month of homeschooling. I can't believe that we are almost done with a whole year of school. Time really has flown by. We, each, have learned so much this year that it astounds me.

We no longer get the "I wish I were in public school" or "I hate homeschool" statements anymore. We often hear "I really like homeschool" or "I can't imaging having "real" school anymore." These statements are such a joy to hear. It is just like we read about before starting this journey. It takes several months for the kids to get used to the new, more independent, type of school work. Once they get used to it, they can't imaging having to move along at someone else's pace.

Each member of our family has grown so much over the year. Steve is learning guitar, I am learning crochet, Drake is learning drums, & Jilly is learning more art techniques. We have grown closer as a family, also. We understand each other better and usually are more patient with each other than we were before starting this adventure.

I am so thankful that we started this journey. I now only wish that we had started it earlier.

Brandi Carlile "Give Up The Ghost" Album Review

It's review time again, folks. Today I'm going to give you my review of the new Brandi Carlile album "Give Up The Ghost". To tell the truth, I really didn't know much about Brandi Carlile. I did see her on VH1 last year sometime and thought her song was pretty good.

I really liked her album. I thought that it was very soothing. It was, in my opinion, a folksy jazz vibe. It had a lot of guitar and very little electric music.

I don't think I would say that she is my favorite artist ever but she is worth checking out. If you like Sheryl Crow or Colbie Caillat I bet you would like Brandi Carlile too.

Pride

Today I need to write a few paragraphs about the human emotion of pride. I have recently read the short story "Bartleby the Scrivner" by Hermen Melville. It is the story of how one person is so caught up in their own self that they can not bring themselves to help someone in obvious need. The narrator of that tale is so worried about how others will perceive him that he goes against everything he know to be caring just to keep his image and thus his pride in himself.

How is this story relevant to today's society? I think it is very indicative of how most Americans behave in general. I think that self-pride and worry about how one is perceived is one of the main factors that has brought on the credit disaster that many Americans are facing today. People have become so enamoured by what others have that they over look what they truly NEED in their lives. It became a vicious cycle that has lead to the ruin of a number of families.

People have lost the simple joy of helping others. It doesn't have to be a large sacrifice on their behalf. Society has forgotten that relationships are the things that bring joy into our lives. It has taken the losing of physical objects to make people see the prideful ways they were acting. If we just take the time to offer a cup of coffee and a chat instead of a boasting session of the latest and greatest "thing" we have obtained, maybe we would all forget about ourselves and learn about the others in our lives.

I think that once people get over the idea of having to live up to other's expectations, they will lose some of that self-pride and become better humans. When you spend your time worrying if you are wearing the right clothes, living in the right house, or working in the right job you lose the joy of your life. You are constantly trying to live up to what you think others expect of you not what you expect of yourself.

Five For Fighting "Slice"

Let me start by saying "WOW!" this is a great album. If you like any of the band's other albums this one will not disappoint. It follows in the same singer/songwriter style.

When I first turned on the album, I immediately wanted to sing along. I know that sounds crazy but the songs are beautifully written. You can relate with the lyrics right away.

I put the album playing in the background while I was working on the computer. OK, working may be loosely interpreted to mean surfing the web but still... It was just such a soothing sound. It made me feel peaceful and peppy at the same time.

I, of course, am glad to have received a preview of the album but I would have been just as happy with my purchase if I had bought it. I can't think of any song on the album that I would fast forward over to get to the next one.

Reviews are coming!

I get the pleasure of reviewing Five For Fighting's latest album, Slice. I also get to review Brandi Carlisle's album Give Up The Ghost. I've received each from a company called One 2 One Network.

I've been very happy with this group. I've got to listen to a lot of music that I normally wouldn't have bought. There is something to be said for expanding one's music repertoire.

I should have the reviews up by tomorrow. I'm going to listen to them tonight. I'm super excited!