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And the Winner Is…. #36 : Caitlin !!! Congratulations! An e-mail has been sent to Caitlin. She has 48 hours to send her shipping address and then her prize will be on its way. If I don’t hear from her in 48 hours, a new winner will be selected and the prize shipped accordingly. ——————————————————————————————————- [...]
And the Winner Is….
#36 : Caitlin !!!
Congratulations!
An e-mail has been sent to Caitlin. She has 48 hours to send her shipping address and then her prize will be on its way.
If I don’t hear from her in 48 hours, a new winner will be selected and the prize shipped accordingly.
——————————————————————————————————-
I am so grateful to Sourcebooks, Inc. for donating these two titles for our Giveaway! Because of their generosity, one lucky Busy-at-Home reader will receive the Frozen Assets Cookbook Duo, written by Deborah Taylor-Hough! If you aren’t familiar with the books or freezer cooking, you’ll want to read my blog post reviews on each title, Frozen Assets and Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy.
The Rules:
- The giveaway will run through 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Winner will be notified by email and posted to this blog on Monday, March 8, 2010.
- Winner will be selected using the random number generator at random.org. Your comment numbers will be your entries.
- You must be 18 or older to register and have a U.S. mailing address.
- Comments are moderated. Don’t panic if you don’t see yours immediately. It will show up as soon as it has been approved.
Required Entries (Note that there are 2. Be sure to complete both to be eligible.):
- Visit the Sourcebooks, Inc website and find one other book you would enjoy having from their site. Come back here and post the title and authors name in a comment.
- I love to share ideas to live abundantly on a frugal budget, but I love to get new ideas, too. The second required entry for this giveaway is to post one of the following in your second comment:
- Share a recipe that you can double or triple as you make it, so that two meals go in the freezer for the future.
- Share a list of 10 dishes from your recipe file that could be tripled for a thirty-day menu plan ( just the list, not all the recipes), and added to your freezer.
- Organize a freezer-meal co-op and in the comments, tell us how many people are in your group and what the first set of dishes you traded were.
Optional Additional Entries (If you already follow us in any of these ways, just say so in your comment. You must post a separate comment for each entry.) :
- Follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway. (Post a comment with your twitter id, when that is done.)
- Become a Busy-at-Home fan on Facebook. (Post a comment when that is done.)
- Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook wall and include the web address where it is listed in your comment. (Post a comment when that is done.)
- Join this site with Google Friend Connect (Use the sign-up box in the right-hand sidebar on this page.) (Post a comment when that is done.)
- Email the link to this giveaway to a friend (Be sure to cc me a copy of the email.) (Post a comment when that is done.)
Are you detecting a pattern here? –lol– You must post a comment for each entry, so that it is assigned a number. Each required and optional entry can only be submitted once, for a total of 7 possible entries. Duplicates will be deleted.
This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Grocery Cart Challenge .
“Something’s got to change!” Who of us hasn’t experienced that moment when we knew our health depended on us making some significant adjustments to the way we were living? Author, Deborah Taylor-Hough is no exception. When she realized it was time for her transition to a healthier diet, she put her expertise to work and [...]
“Something’s got to change!” Who of us hasn’t experienced that moment when we knew our health depended on us making some significant adjustments to the way we were living? Author, Deborah Taylor-Hough is no exception. When she realized it was time for her transition to a healthier diet, she put her expertise to work and created Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy, a publication of Sourcebooks, Inc. More than just a repeat of the original Frozen Assets, Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy is loaded with tips and advice for those of us who need to incorporate healthier food into our menus. The dilemma is saving money, and time, and still preparing healthy dishes that actually taste like you would want to eat them. Although presented in a different format and incorporating some new techniques, the freezer cooking method that we learned in Deborah’s first book, is covered thoroughly. She leaves nothing to chance, so the novice as well as veteran cooks will be able to apply the principles and be successful from their very first cooking session. The book also includes a chart of freezing times (so you know just how long your food will last in the freezer) and an ingredient equivalents list, so we know that one medium onion means 1 c. diced onion and that 8 oz of dry noodles will net you about 4 – 5 cups of cooked pasta.
Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy includes 100 recipes, categorized into mini-cooking sessions, and all the detailed shopping lists and prep instructions to fill your freezer with nutritious healthy meals. Like the original, this cookbook anticipates that confident cooks will want to incorporate their family’s favorite recipes into the program and gives instructions on how to do a 30 meal prep in one day. The primary focus of Lite and Easy, however, is mini cooking sessions. Mini cooking sessions take on a more leisurely pace of filling your freezer, for those who simply can’t do 30 meals at once. I have found this technique can work for me around my homeschooling and other homemaking duties and I can’t wait to share some pictures with you in future blog posts of the freezer meals we have been doing.
Mini sessions focus on one main ingredient, like chicken or ground beef. An afternoon mini-session can easily put 5-10 meals in your freezer. This technique also provides a way to save extra money by stocking up on items when they are on sale, planning a mini-session around that ingredient and then doing the same with a different ingredient the next week or at the next sale opportunity. Here is how Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy is laid out.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Frozen Assets
Chapter 2: Saving Time, Saving Money
Chapter 3: Easier Cooking for Easier Living
Chapter 4: Cooking for the Freezer 101
Chapter 5: Creating a Thirty-Day Meal Plan
Chapter 6: Preparing Your Kitchen
Chapter 7: Chicken Mini Session # 1
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Chicken Taco Sandwiches
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Chili Mac
- Lemon-Mushroom Chicken
Chapter 8: Chicken Mini Session #2
- White Chicken Chili
- Chicken-Asparagus Crustless Quiche
- Penne Cacciatore
- Marinated Lime Chicken
- Cheddar Chicken
Chapter 9: Chicken Mini Session #3
- Cheese and Chicken Shells
- Spiced Chicken Sandwiches
- Artichoke Chicken Bake
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Mushroom Rolls
- Chicken Broccoli Noodles
Chapter 10: Chicken Mini Session #4
- Old-Fashioned Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Vegetable Skillet
- Chicken Pasta Italiano
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Mushroom- Chicken Couscous
Chapter 11: Turkey Mini Session
- Roast Turkey Dinner
- Turkey Potato Pie
- Turkey Divan
- Turkey Spaghetti Bake
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Turkey Asparagus Strata
- Turkey Soup
- Turkey Tortilla Casserole
Chapter 12: Ground Turkey Mini Session
- Turkey Loaf
- Turkey Burgers
- Sloppy Turkey Joes
- Turkey Lasagna Roll-ups
Chapter 13: Ground Beef Mini Session
- Meatballs and Sauce
- Beef Loaf (This one’s a great way to camouflage veggies!)
- Pizza Burgers
- Macaroni and Beef
- Tortilla Casserole
Chapter 14: Beef Mini Session
- Country Beef Soup
- Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
- Braised Beef
- Beef Fajitas
- Beef and Noodles
Chapter 15: Pork Chop Mini Session
- Dijon Pork Chops
- Sweet-n-Sour Pork
- Pork Rice Skillet Bake
- Herbed Pork Chops
- Provencal Pork
- Stuffed Pork Chops
Chapter 16: Crab Mini-Session
- Crab Quesadillas
- Crab Quiche
- Crab Rice Chowder
- Crab Strata
- Crab-Stuffed Manicotti
Chapter 17: Tuna Mini Session
- Crustless Tuna Spinach Quiche
- Tuna-Bean-Pasta Salad
- Italian Chowder
- Tuna Mac
- Tuna-Mex Casserole
Chapter 18: Pasta Mini Session #1
- Italian Pasta Bake
- Linguine with Vegetables
- Three-Cheese Mac-n-Cheese
- Italian Garden Pasta
Chapter 19: Pasta Mini Session #2
- Spinach Ricotta Bows
- Spaghetti Pie
- Pasta with Vegetable Cheese Sauce
- Cheese Manicotti
- Florentine Shells
- Creamy Penne
Chapter 20: Tofu Mini Session #1
- Broccoli Tofu Quiche
- Tofu Fried Rice
- Tofu Burgers/ Loaves/Balls
- Enchilada Casserole
Chapter 21: Tofu Mini Session #2
- Tofu and Spinach Lasagna
- Tamale Pie
- Stuffed Shells
- Tofu Sloppy Joes
Chapter 22: Cooked Beans Mini Session
- Pasta e Fagioli
- Bean Casserole
- Couscous Bean Paella
- Veggie Bean Chili
- Black Beans and Rice
- Mexican Noodle Bake
- Minestrone Soup
Chapter 23: Vegetarian Mini Session #1
- Spinach Pizza
- Mixed Veggie Soup
- Cajun Stuffed Peppers
- Cool Lime Burritos
Chapter 24: Vegetarian Mini Session #2
- Vegetable Friend Rice
- Ricotta Broccoli Bake
- Cheese and Veggie Quesadillas
- Three-Cheese Lasagna
Chapter 25: Vegetarian Mini Session #3
- Dolmas
- Baked Spaghetti
- Vegetable Quiche
- Spicy Chili Mac
Chapter 26: Eggplant Mini session
- Classic Ratatouille
- Eggplant Bake
- Stuffed Eggplant
- Eggplant Penne
I received a complimentary copy of “Frozen Assets” from Sourcebooks, Inc., in order to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and the views expressed in this review are wholly my own.
A stay-at-home mom who, over a five-year span of time, saved $24,000 from her family’s grocery budget, has definitely got my attention! When that same mom says she can show me how her money-saving plan can save me time in the kitchen, so I have more time to focus on family, service and recreation, I’m [...]
A stay-at-home mom who, over a five-year span of time, saved $24,000 from her family’s grocery budget, has definitely got my attention! When that same mom says she can show me how her money-saving plan can save me time in the kitchen, so I have more time to focus on family, service and recreation, I’m going to take notes!
Imagine a life where you don’t have to stop and wonder what to fix for dinner. Would you like to be able to quickly put together a meal for a friend who is ill or throw a freezer meal baby shower for an expectant mom? What single do you know who wouldn’t love a month’s worth of single-serving freezer meals as a birthday or Christmas gift? You can easily provide each one of those gratefully received services by learning and using the techniques taught in Frozen Assets.
Frozen Assets, published by Sourcebooks, Inc, was Deborah’s first in a two-book series on the time and money-saving techniques of freezer (or once-a-month) cooking. The concept is fairly simple: cook for a day, eat for a month. Whoa! The “practice” of the concept suddenly seems “less simple”. But it’s not. Frozen Assets provides recipes, precise shopping lists, menu plans, and step-by-step instructions for your cooking day. Deborah provides all the necessary information for wrapping, freezing, storage, and labeling your meals so none of your hard work ever goes to waste. Nothing is left to chance and every question is answered, so that you can put a month’s worth of dinners in the freezer in just one day. Novice cooks can use the meal plans straight from the book and not have to adjust a thing .
But, here’s the part I really get excited about. Not every recipe in this book will suit the tastes of my own family. Ms. Hough didn’t craft a book that requires you to eat only what her family would eat. This cookbook is more about the system than the recipes. I view the recipes as a “bonus”. Her “cook for a day, eat for a month” plan is artfully explained, so veteran cooks who want to utilize their own recipes can prepare the meals their families love and save time and money doing it. You will learn the detailed steps for how to create your own menu plan, devise a money-saving shopping list, and organize step-by-step plans for prep-day. The appendices of the book even include reproducible, blank forms to help you do it.
Still concerned at tackling a month’s worth of meals? No worries! Frozen Assets also includes a complete Two-Week Plan! The same detailed recipes, shopping lists and prep-day instructions are included for those who want to start smaller and work up to a once-a-month plan. It even includes a freeze-ahead plan for your holiday cooking, leaving you to enjoy the festivities instead of being harnessed to your kitchen.. Adapt and utilize these recipes, ideas and techniques to fit your needs and resources. The time and money saved will be worth the effort.
Frozen Assets gives tips on saving at the grocery store, what food items freeze or don’t freeze well, reducing fat in recipes, and how singles can benefit from once-a-month cooking. This book will be an irreplaceable resource in your kitchen.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Attraction of Frozen Assets
Chapter 2: Help! My Freezer is Too Small and other Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 3: A Day in the Life of Frozen Assets
Chapter 4: The Ins and Outs of Meal Planning
- Getting started with ease
- Menu choice and planning for the trail blazers
- Making a list and checking it twice
- Shopping tips
- Steps for a successful cooking experience
- Freezing
- Thawing, serving and power outages
- Twelve additional cooking tips
- Frozen assets preparation steps
Chapter 5: The Thirty-Day Meal Plan
- The thirty-day meal line-up
- Shopping list
- Preparation Plan
- Recipes – Sauce over pasta, baked ziti, lazy lasagna, meatball sandwhiches, meatloaf, Salisbury steak, broccoli-ham bake, scalloped potatoes and ham, mix-n-match chicken soup, chicken broccoli and rice, sweet and sour meatballs, chili-day meatballs, chicken broccoli and noodles, mexi-chicken
Chapter 6: The Two-Week Meal Plan
- The two-week meal line-up
- Shopping list
- Preparation plan
- Recipes – chicken curry, texas style chili, spaghetti pie, broccoli quiche, sloppy Joes, stuffed peppers, poor man’s casserole, black beans and rice, lentil-rice soup, east Indian rice ring
Chapter 7: Ten-day Holiday Meal Plan
- Ten-day holiday meal line-up
- Shopping list
- Preparation Plan
- Recipes – turkey dinner, broccoli and ham bake, turkey rice, Texas style chili, sauce over pasta, lasagna, easy taco salads, turkey noodle soup, turkey stuffed manicotti, baked ziti, ham and cheese quiche, holiday breakfast casserole.
Chapter 8: More Main Dish Dinner Recipes
- bulk spaghetti sauce, lazy lasagna, calzones, baked ziti, spaghetti pie, meatloaf, meatballs, Salisbury steak, sweet-sour meatballs, chili-day meatballs, East-Indian meatballs, East-Indian rice ring, Tomato-sauced meatballs, Meatball stroganoff, California meatballs, all purpose ground meat mix, tacos, taco potatoes, easy taco salads, stuffed peppers, sloppy Joes, Texas Style chili, poor man’s casserole, mexi-chicken, chicken casserole, chicken broccoli, chicken creole, turkey-stuffed manicotti, turkey rice, crab and swiss quiche, basic “use it up” quiche, quiche Lorraine, chicken elegante, quiche Nicoise, green chili and cheese pie, crustless “use it up” quiche, stuffed potato shells, broccoli ham bake, scalloped potatoes and ham, split pea soup with ham, lentil-rice soup, lentil ranchero, black beans and rice, Mexican noodle bake, beef and bean burritos, enchilada pie, pizza blanks
Chapter 9: Breakfasts, Lunches, Desserts and Mixes
- Breakfast ideas and tips
- Lunch ideas and tips
- Dessert ideas and tips
- Holiday breakfast casserole, McBreakfast, breakfast burritos, Mix-n-match quick bread, mix-n-match soup, Debi’s million dollar chocolate chip cookies, multi-purpose baking mix, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, shortcake, snack cake, dumplings, pizza crust
Chapter 10: 100 Money-Saving Tips and Ideas for Groceries
- General money-saving food tips
- Saving strategies for grocery shopping
- Food purchasing specifics
- Breakfast ideas
- Lunch tips
- Dinner meal stretchers
Appendices
- Appendix A: Foods that don’t freeze well
- Appendix B: Recipe equivalents
- Appendix C: Tips for singles
- Appendix D: Reducing fat in recipes
- Appendix E: Creative uses for freezer meals
- Appendix F: Recommended resources
Index and worksheets
- Blank calendar for cooking plans
- Add your own recipe pages
- Blank shopping list
- Recipe index by main ingredient
I received a complimentary copy of “Frozen Assets” from Sourcebooks, Inc., in order to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and the views expressed in this review are wholly my own.
Allergy sufferers around the globe will relate to the experiences of author, Teresa Thompson, in trying to eat out or prepare foods that will not cause allergic reactions. This cookbook, published by Dorrance Publishing, highlights her difficulties with artificial sweeteners and chemical additives like MSG and the bleaching agents used in white flour and white [...]
Allergy sufferers around the globe will relate to the experiences of author, Teresa Thompson, in trying to eat out or prepare foods that will not cause allergic reactions. This cookbook, published by Dorrance Publishing, highlights her difficulties with artificial sweeteners and chemical additives like MSG and the bleaching agents used in white flour and white sugar. Ms. Thompson suffered severe, often life-threatening, reactions to these ingredients and her cookbook is the culmination of all she learned about eating in a way that kept her healthy.
The recipes use only natural ingredients and so, while they are useful for those suffering from severe food allergies, you will not find recipes that reflect modern views on healthy living. Many of the recipes are high in fat and sugar (the unbleached kinds) and so those needing to restrict those ingredients won’t find as much to use here, as those who are simply taking charge of their food allergies. With that in mind, this book does exactly what it sets out to do – teach people with severe allergies how to avoid chemical additives in the food they are eating and cooking.
Ms. Thompson includes recipes from all categories: Appetizers and Beverages, Entrees, Desserts, Side Dishes and More. Many of the tasty dishes she has created will remind you of a Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house — Meatloaf, Pot Roast, Pork Sausage Gravy, Company Potatoes, Creamy Cole Slaw, Red Skin Potato Salad, Cream Puffs, and Lemon Meringue Pie to name just a few. She weaves tips and hints into her recipes, so novice cooks learn more than just to cook that dish. They are taught things like the safe way to wash pesticides from fruits and vegetables or how to keep that “fishy” smell out of the kitchen when cooking seafood. The book is loaded with years of kitchen wisdom and experience.
For our family, comfort food usually means warm, filling and tasty. This cookbook will deliver on all three for those who have had to limit their diets because of allergies. They will enjoy the freedom to eat the foods they love, again, by simply getting back to the basics and using only natural ingredients.
To order your copy, visit Dorrance Publishing.
I received a complimentary copy of “Grandma’s Back to Basics All Natural More than Just a Cookbook” as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.
This may be my shortest post ever. Sunday was a blast! Good food, family and friends and this special little masked super hero! I adore being a grandma and this is my gratuitous, “Isn’t he the MOST adorable baby you have ever seen!” blog –just because I can. I am incredibly blessed and so thankful [...]
This may be my shortest post ever. Sunday was a blast! Good food, family and friends and this special little masked super hero! I adore being a grandma and this is my gratuitous, “Isn’t he the MOST adorable baby you have ever seen!” blog –just because I can.
I am incredibly blessed and so thankful for all the “little people” in my life.
This blog is linked to Wordless Wednesday. (Even though I know I am never wordless. – lol)
Hi Busy-at-Home Friends! I have two small tidbits to share in one post this evening. I am anticipating some changes to the blog site, over the next weeks and months, that will continue to add services and features for you. For the time being, I do not have a specific release date, but if you [...]
Hi Busy-at-Home Friends!
I have two small tidbits to share in one post this evening. I am anticipating some changes to the blog site, over the next weeks and months, that will continue to add services and features for you. For the time being, I do not have a specific release date, but if you see strange pages floating around in the menus that have the word test in them or pages that momentarily change before your eyes and then go back again, don’t think I have lost my “coding” mind. (Actually, tonight I feel like I have a little bit. – lol ) I am testing code and doing some dry runs on those upcoming features.
Walgreen’s didn’t have much to fit our needs last week and so I didn’t run into Lincoln to shop there until today. I had two RR coupons, a $10 and a $6 that would expire on Wednesday. While my list was not long, my savings were outstanding!
So, this is the scenario from my latest, albeit brief, Walgreen’s shopping trip. I left the house with $16 in Register Rewards (RR) from my last trip. There were 3 things on my list: Excedrin Menstrual Complete, Hershey’s bagged chocolate and Johnson and Johnson hair detangler. ( I know, I know, don’t even say it. – lol ) I went to one store and rang up my items as two different transactions. These are the cost breakdowns.
…..
Transaction 1
| (1) Excedrin Menstrual Complete (reg. price $6.29. On Sale for $2.50) | …. | ………. | -$ 2.50 |
| (1) 19.75 oz bag Reese’s Miniatures (reg price $5.99. On Sale 2/$10) | …. | ………. | -$ 5.00 |
| (1) 19.75 oz bag Hershey’s Kisses (reg price $5.99. On Sale 2/$10 | …. | ………. | -$ 5.00 |
| (1) coupon for FREE Excedrin (up to $5.99) | …. | ………. | +$ 2.50 |
| (1) $10 RR from previous shopping trip | …. | ………. | +$10.00 |
| Sales Tax | …. | ………. | -$ .18 |
| Out of Pocket | …. | ………. | -$ .18 |
| Register Rewards Received for Transaction | …. | ………. | +$7.00 |
So as you can see at this point, I am up $6.91, so far, plus in my hand, I have the $6 RR from the trip I made two weeks ago and the $2 and $5 RR’s I just received on the first transaction. Now, for the second one.
…..
Transaction 2
| (1) J & J Hair Detangler Spray (reg. $3.99. Sale: Buy one, get one 50% off) | …. | ………. | -$ 3.99 |
| (1) J & J Hair Detangler Spray (reg. $3.99. Sale: Buy one, get one 50% off) | …. | ………. | -$ 1.99 |
| (1) Milky Way (Using $6 RR and total before tax must be at least $6.) | …. | ………. | -$ .69 |
| (1) $6 RR coupon from trip two weeks ago | …. | ………. | +$ 6.00 |
| Sales Tax | …. | ………. | +$ .42 |
| Out of Pocket | …. | ………. | $ 1.09 |
…..
So, totaling the Out-of-Pocket for both transactions, it looks like I didn’t do too badly. $1.27 for Excedrin Menstrual Complete, 2 large bags of Hershey’s chocolate and 2 Johnson and Johnson hair detanglers is an exceptional success. But wait…! (I love this part of the story.) I have the $5 RR and $2 RR in my purse from the first transaction. That’s right! I’m up $5.73! It made David laugh when I told him that Walgreen’s had paid me $5.73 to bring all this stuff home. – lol
It’s about time someone was willing to pay me to eat chocolate and feel no pain while I’m doing it! I hope your Monday was a great start for what will be an awesomely blessed week at your house. Go shop. Eat chocolate. Save money!
…..
This post is linked with Grocery Cart Challenge.
We have all heard of the $5 footlong campaign at Subway. While it was an excellent deal, it was limited to only certain sandwiches. Well the deal just got sweeter, because ALL Subway footlongs are now only $5! And our blogging friend, Andrea, at Mommy Snacks.com is giving away (2) $25 Subway Gift Certificates. Click [...]
We have all heard of the $5 footlong campaign at Subway. While it was an excellent deal, it was limited to only certain sandwiches. Well the deal just got sweeter, because ALL Subway footlongs are now only $5!
And our blogging friend, Andrea, at Mommy Snacks.com is giving away (2) $25 Subway Gift Certificates. Click on over to her site and register for your chance to win. You might be able to feed your whole family for free with one of those gift certificates and the new $5 deal!
Okay — today is sort of “true confessions”. Twenty years homeschooling and I have all the answers…right? Not so much. Every one of our kids has been so different, as have their learning styles. Pair those learning styles with my “no-nonsense, why can’t you see that” teaching style and once in awhile, some of us [...]
Okay — today is sort of “true confessions”. Twenty years homeschooling and I have all the answers…right? Not so much. Every one of our kids has been so different, as have their learning styles. Pair those learning styles with my “no-nonsense, why can’t you see that” teaching style and once in awhile, some of us butt heads. No nonsense is a great method for an “all my ducks in a row” learner . After you show them the “hows”, “all my ducks in a row learners” just plug away at the assignment list until it’s done . But when “no nonsense” teachers meet, “but, why?” students, it can be a legendary fireworks show.
To some degree, I have mellowed, (or just gotten really tired – lol), over the years, and I have found answers or at least workable ways around the “but why’s”. But, when it comes to Math, I still falter. Math (with the exception of Geometry which I argue is not really math. – lol) is, and always was, not as hard for me. I can see the numbers and equations in my head. I work problems in my head faster than the calculator sometimes, which always annoys my husband just a little bit. But, I don’t think that I have done a good job in passing that skill on to my kids. With two of them, I missed a huge chunk of opportunity when I was so involved in running our business and caring for David’s parents. Everything, even homeschool, took a back burner to those two things for several years. By God’s grace, the two in the middle are catching up to what they missed in my “pop in and out” teaching style back then, but math is still a struggle. I have been thinking about what I did to learn it. What was it that made it easier? Why can I see it in my head? And how did it get there?
Tear-streaked, pencil smudged faces with eraser shavings thick in the air would, sadly, often be used to describe our math sessions; and Algebra is particularly problematic. I see the problem and show how to get the answer, but my “but why” is still back at the first step, “but whying”. She has many questions for the universe and, “if God created mathematics as a system of order, why is it so inconsistent?”
“I don’t see anything inconsistent about it, now go back to …do you understand how I did…?”
” Why did you do it like that?”
“Aaaaaggggghhhhh!” Is it ok to say “Because I said so”, when teaching math? – lol
Well, to give you hope, and help you not to fear for my children, I want to share that today, I am doing a little, bitty Algebra victory dance. Small as it might be to some, we had a sort of breakthrough – that infamous lightbulb moment. We haven’t necessarily won the war, but that one small battle victory is very sweet. I made brownies. “But why?”
“So we can celebrate.”
“But I want cheesecake.”
-sigh-
What’s your toughest obstacle with homeschooling? Do you have great tips, tricks or curriculum suggestions for Math? Inquiring minds want to know. What’s the fastest, easiest way to memorize the times tables? What hands-on methods worked really great for you? Share your experience and wisdom and we all will benefit. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Have an awesomely blessed evening!
I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about an organizational tip! I have never been a big fan of boardgames, partially due to bad experiences as a child playing with someone who made it life and death to win, instead of fun; and partly because…oh my goodness, all the pieces! Plus, the [...]
I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about an organizational tip! I have never been a big fan of boardgames, partially due to bad experiences as a child playing with someone who made it life and death to win, instead of fun; and partly because…oh my goodness, all the pieces! Plus, the boxes are all different sizes and shapes and storing them where they are conveniently out of the way means the kids don’t really have easy access to them. This ingenious idea solves the storage problem and creates bright, fun and colorful decor around your home.
Visit Beckie’s blog, Infarrantly Creative, (not a typo – lol – It’s a clever play on her last name.) She gives detailed, step-by-step DIY instructions to create these for your home. Not only is this an inspired organizational idea, but what a great frugal way to decorate kids’ rooms, toy rooms and game rooms. Instead of leaving those walls bare, or trying to come up with extra cash for wall art in those rooms, use the bright colorful board games as no-extra-cost decor.
Another idea as I thought about this: How much more fun to open “board game art” at a birthday party than a rectangular box – same gift, completely different reaction.
Get creative and share your frugal home decorating ideas or ways to reuse something you already have as art. I can’t wait to hear your ideas. And thanks, Becki, for an extraordinarily creative solution to board game storage.
Busy-at-Home has a Facebook page, now! That seems a little silly when only about a year ago, my children had to cajole and wheedle me into having a Facebook page for myself. But of course, now I peruse it every day and enjoy the interaction. This actually solves a real dilemma for me, as I [...]
Busy-at-Home has a Facebook page, now! That seems a little silly when only about a year ago, my children had to cajole and wheedle me into having a Facebook page for myself. But of course, now I peruse it every day and enjoy the interaction.
This actually solves a real dilemma for me, as I often want to pass information on to you about great offers or freebies I have been made aware of. Generally, those small tidbits of valuable information would not merit an entire blog post for me, though. So, I was left wondering how to make all those great money-saving deals available to you, without starting a new blog each time. Facebook is the perfect answer.
When you become a fan of Busy-at-Home on Facebook, not only will you get the links to our blog posts and giveaways, but now you will receive the links to all those freebies and great values I have been wanting to pass along. If you haven’t become a Busy-at-Home Facebook Fan, yet, now is the time to get started. Join us as we strive always to be good stewards of all the Lord has provided, live on a budget and save, save save!
P.S. For all of you who are already fans, feel free to post comments about great deals you find. We’re all working to help each other.
