SEO for beginners

If you have a high schooler who is building a website in the html or wordpress class this term, they're probably considering monetizing that blog or website. When you have information you're trying to share it's just natural to want to benefit the most amount of people, right? I mean, it makes sense that if you think your stuff is awesome then you think others might like it, too, right? Maybe it's just me and my opinion. Either way, there's a website to help people write for income and there are also sites to help people learn about niche blogging and building topic-specific websites. In the web design world, a lot of that stuff is called SEO, Search Engine OPtimization. It's an ever-changing field of study that's entirely man-made, so is it an art? Is it a science? Either way, for some of us, it's a job. Crazy world we live in, right?
startseobusiness.info

Let's define "dropout"

I hate the stereotypes about education in the US. It's like "finishing school" is a separate and holier thing than learning and actually getting a real education. A high school aged person who decides to take charge of their own life and education and that involves leaving the institution is very very different from the inner-city kid who can't make it to class every day because he's hung over or working to support his crackhead mother and her 5 illegitimate kids. Dropping out of high school is not the problem we're afraid of, giving up on life is the problem. Being under 18 and giving up on life is really a sad state of affairs. But taking charge of your future as a teenager is just about the most responsible decision you can make. In The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education teens are empowered to take control of their own life. It's a lesson that's often stolen away from kids before they realize that they ever had a choice in the matter. But it's a fact, the only person who owns a life is the one living it. Simply leaving school isn't a precursor to misery. Also, I've never ever ever ever ever had a potential employer ask for a copy of my high school diploma. But whatever. Maybe I'm biased because I'm an unschooler and have seen kids doing amazing things outside of the institution. And come to think of it, I've never had a college ask for my high school information either.
Reference Site

New to Washington State Homeschooling

As if moving wasn't complicated enough. As if homeschooling wasn't complicated enough. As if life wasn't complicated enough. We've all had these thoughts at times, right? There are important things to remember when you're moving and homeschooling. The first bit of helpful advice I have is to research the homeschooling laws on official state websites. For example, the state of Washington has a Home-based Instruction law and their site defines it clearly. There are commercial and nonprofit websites that also offer up their own translations of the law, which are sometimes easier to digest than the actual legal terminology. At other times, however, these translations are unnecessarily wordy. One nice thing about legal language is that it's concise. The Washington Homeschool Organization provides a nice translation. One of the nicest things about the WA homeschool law is that children aren't subject to the compulsory education laws until they're eight years old in Washington State. Once the legal aspects are out of the way, you can focus on the necessities of packing and switching over your utilities and making sure everything is insured and transported safely.
Read More

Using RSS

RSS stands for "really simple syndication" and it was invented by (among other developers) Aaron Swartz, a teenage boy who happened to grow up and invent Reddit and commit suicide when the FCC was prosecuting him for hacking into the database of federally funded schools. He believed (and I think he's damned right) that if our tax dollars fund the research, the school shouldn't be profiting from their publication, the information and finding should be free for all taxpayers to access. Anyway, RSS is a code mechanism that allows a central server to be pinged (notified) when there is new content (like a new article or blog post) on a website.
Image Credit Subscribing to website feeds is one way to follow new developments without checking each website on a daily basis.

Moving the Homeschool

Moving is a pain in the behind. All of that looking for boxes and then packing things and labeling boxes (if you're smart) and stacking boxes and moving them out to the truck and then into the new house (which room?) and then the unpacking and then the getting rid of the boxes... it's no wonder moving is on the top ten list of stressful things in life.
www.1800packrat.com

I was really surprised to find out that it's possible to deduct moving expenses.  I've never relocated for a job, that's an entirely different situation but most people HAVE, especially when they're in a situation where they have a husband who is working to support their family. I never had that luxury when I was married, but a lot of people do.

When you're homeschooling the moving consists of a ton more books and musical instruments and art supplies and the inconvenience of unpacking melts over into several other areas of life.  Right now I'm living in my favorite house ever so I can't imagine moving away from here.  I hope you love your house just as much as I do. I also hope I never have to move again.  Unless it's closer to Seattle or Portland.  Small town life has not grown on me.

The most unexpected things can lead to the best lessons

You can learn so much about the world by looking at things from different angles.  When we were running our family business, we learned so much from communicating with vendors, Hotel Bar Supplies companies and government agencies.  Simply being in the postition to hire and fire employees showed us a different side of human nature.  We had no idea how much of a worker's wages went into paying taxes, for example and how the employee's paycheck represented sometimes less than half of what they were actually costing us.

Well, recently we were staying at a hotel and we saw that they had dispensers for their shampoo and conditioner.  It was a rather upscale venue and we were looking forward to taking home little souvenir bottles of shampoo and conditioner because we wanted to enjoy them in our big bathtub.  That led to a great discussion whereby we discussed the costs of things (both financially and environmentally) and we ended up googling for Hotel Supply Online where we found an  Atlanta Hotel Supply company that gave us some new insight into how the world of hotel supplies works.  We were surprised and now my kids have learned so much more than they would have if we were just blindly stumbling through our days.  Yayyy for homeschooling. 

Small Town

Written by Fermin Washington

Being from a small town meant that when I moved I had no idea what to do about home security. I had a big dog and I figured that was enough, that is, until one of my neighbors’ houses got broken into. I just didn’t imagine I was so vulnerable but you know, when something like that happens it really forces you to think about things. I went to www.homesecuritysystem.com and got a home alarm and actually had all the locks changed since the previous owner was, in a word, sketchy. I feel better now about being here along and I actually want to buy expensive stuff to decorate. You know, there’s nothing like owning your own home and really being part of the process and that’s what I’m in the middle of right now. I love that this place is mine and that I’m the one responsible for taking care of it and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Owning your own home is the most amazing feeling ever!

Excellent ideas

We were looking for a floor mat for the science lab and it struck me that if I shopped through the industrial sector I might find a higher quality floor mat with some anti-slip stuff for fall protection, too and that's exactly what I found. Now, if something toxic happens to spill we're not in danger when we're trying to get to safety. And even if it's just water on the floor, we won't have to worry about slipping and spilling something toxic. I was thinking we would all need some rubber soled shoes or something, but it just didn't seem practical, the kids enjoy doing science experiments all the time and I can't imagine trying to monitor what shoes they wear when they head into the science lab, I mean... can you imagine? Anyway, what have you done in your house to create a safe space for science? It's only really chemistry that's been causing such a dilemma I mean, we had a few chemical uses in physics but not nearly like we're having this yeah and the entire family has been enjoying it, too. That's another cool thing about homeschooling, it's just so much fun.man, i wish I could go back in time because I definitely would have wanted to be a homeschooler when I was a kid. I guess it's never too late, is it?

That special blankie

Oh don't you just love it when your friends are expecting new babies? I just love watching their bellies grow and sharing every moment of pregnancy, it's such an amazing time and I always make a habit of knitting them a crib blanket or buying a special organic baby blanket for every one of them. I always make a point to get only the best with the hopes that my blanket will be the one they cling to when they're toddlers. I was lucky with my friend Kathryn, the blanket I got her was a jewel toned organic cotton blanket with a matching beanie. I even got a teeny little doll blanket that goes with it. When I was a kid, I loved having doll-sized things to match my own belongings. Little Chloe Luna is only a year old right now, it's too soon to say if she has any special attachment to the blanket or not, but every time I go visit her I make sure to snuggle with that blanket and bring her little presents and stuff. We'll see if it works, I guess I'll let you know in a few years ;)

Making ends meet

One thing all families can probably universally agree with is that it's important to keep a budget and make sure that everyone's needs are taken care of. I'm not sure what your situation is, but if you're like many Americans, you've had your ups and downs, right? I know we have.  I'm a spreadsheet fanatic, so I really like to document where our money goes every month and where it comes from. I can't stand it when a creditor calls and wants you to run down all your expenses with them so they can "prove" to you that you really CAN make a payment agreement. It doesn't take rocket science to know that it's difficult to raise a family on a small budget, right? For many people, the key to financial well-being is to Stop Collection Calls because all that stress makes life way more difficult. Whether the solution lies in a consolidation loan, lower interest rates or even just paying off everyone a teeny bit at a time, it's just nice to know that there IS a solution and you don't have to put up with all the nastiness and stress that these guys like to put out there.

Best advice ever

I'm about to share with you the number one best homeschooling tip ever .  When my oldest was about 8 months old, we joined a local homeschool support group in the city where we lived, it was the AV Rose Rock Inclusive Homeschool Support Group, it was a chapter of the nationwide Rose Rock group of inclusive homeschool support groups, started by Bonnie Carter and Kim... shoot, what was Kim's last name... I don't remember. Either way, it was one of a chain of support groups that welcomed families of all faiths, homeschooling styles and whatever else. We had a family drop out once because she read our guidelines and realized that we'd welcome a same-sex couple and just thought that was far beyond her comfort level.. That's why we defined the term inclusive before we started, right. We wouldn't have WANTED the presence of someone who was judgmental, or otherwise believed that diversity could hurt their children. We specifically invited everyone and believe that everyone has value.

Anyway, it was in this group that I decided I wanted to get to know these homeschool moms better, so I asked a few if I could come over for a visit to see what they do at their house. The very first place I visited was a woman named Lisa who had 3 children. We were house-hunting at the time and she advised me to go for hard wood floors because you can always put rugs over top of it and clean them without having your floors ruined.  best.advice.ever.

Keeping everyone dressed

One awesome thing about traveling (other than the fact that the kids have been able to tour a million museums and meet awesome people all over the country) has been the shopping. We've seen outlet malls, we got to spend some time in the Los Angeles Fashion District (cute pink hoodie for a steal), we got to check out the Epic Threadz company, they travel the world shopping for handmade items and then bring them all back to the US to resell and every piece has a story. Every item on the rack was made by someone they remember. Imagine living in some third world country and making your beaded jewelry and having some American come and buy it all in one day, it would feel like winning the lottery, right? I love supporting individuals but as a mom sometimes, we just need to focus on supporting our own kids. And our husbands, that's why I like shopping online from major retailers. I was able to get some hoodies and mens t shirts for such a bargain. The cool thing about shopping online is that you know you're probably getting a great deal because they don't have to worry about a sales staff, most of the work is automated. You don't have to finance the staffing of a person that folds clothes all day, re-shelving things, and stuff like that. Anyway, keeping everyone dressed is a constant dilemma, might as well make it fun, right?

Here's a story

So a few years ago at the county fair, my husband bought himself an RC helicopter. he played with it all the time, he loved it and it was his favorite toy. Grown men don't often get to indulge in playing with toys so this was definitely a treat. Well, one day we were gone and the kids decided they wanted to play with it, too. They crashed it into the irrigation canal and it broke. It's been broken ever since, sitting in a box in our closet and he looks at it all the time, wanting it to be repaired. But the silly thing is that the cosmetic damage was easy to repair, it's one little soldered connection inside where some wire needs to be reattached to a circuitboard. Can you imagine letting your favorite toy sit undisturbed and unplayed with for like 4 years just because of one $25 repair. It's $25 if he replaces his soldering gun- I think that's what we paid but nevermind that, we have a friend with a computer repair shop who soldered things all day long. I'm sure that if he wanted to, he could walk in and use HIS soldering gun instead of buying one, then the repair would be virtually free.

Anyway- it just dawned on me that it wouldn't happen with the kids' stuff, it would be repaired or given away or thrown away much faster than that. Why would an adult- who has the means to make it work for himself- choose to let his toy sit dusty and unplayed for so long?  Who knows? I just know that whenever I need a cheap (or free) gift for him all I need to do is get that helicopter fixed and he'll be so happy.

Getting a taste of Broadway with Mary Poppins

Guest post written by Donna Singer

I'd never seen a Broadway play actually on Broadway until our recent trip to New York this summer. I had seen Broadway plays while they were on tour across the country and stopped near us, but I've always heard that they can't do nearly as much with the plays while they're on tour as they can when they're actually on Broadway. So I was definitely ready to actually see a play on Broadway in New York.
While I was looking online to get some more info on it, I saw some info about a waterproof hearing aid. I showed it to my husband and he actually went to go and get fitted with one. I never thought that he would admit to needing one!
We really loved the play! It was so neat, especially during the chimney sweep scene. I'm curious if they could have pulled that off on a national tour. If it comes on tour right near us, we'll just have to go and see it again! It was just so much fun and kind of makes me wish I was a kid again.

Taking Care of Pops

I just love the idea of allowing Pops to stay in his own home as he ages. I was excited to find a nj senior care company that specializes in in home care. I think the best sort of new jersey elder care allows patients to stay in their own homes because it's so much more dignified and I can't imagine being taken away from my home just because I'm aging. In a perfect world (my perfect world anyhow) families would live in communities, taking care of each other and I'm hoping the visiting nurse acts like family, so Pops feels more like he's visiting with someone rather than like someone is coming over to take care of him. I wish we had found something like this several years ago, it seems like the perfect solution. They check over the meds, they help with hygiene and all sorts of other things, to help make life easier for Pops.

So have you ever used an elder care service? What sort did you go with? I think our culture has strange practices for aging, like when Aunt Rita was 94 and she went into the hospital for something simple, they ended up wanting to give her surgery. I was so happy when she said "No thanks" and just went on about her life. She lived another 3 years after that and died at home in her sleep. She told her daughter that next time she's not feeling well, tell her to suck it up because "I'll be damned if I'm going to die in some hospital bed somewhere."

Gotta love her, I hope I'm just as fiery at that age!

Pinching pennies

If you or your spouse works at a place that requires scrubs, then you should totally check out this link for a website called Blue Sky Scrubs at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/ because they are an online scrub store that has an amazingly huge selection and also great prices. It's no surprise really that a web based business would be able to offer the best prices and selection, but when you compare like on an item by item basis, it becomes suddenly the most exciting thing int he world to shop for scrubs. I just LOVE the simple layout of the site and how easy it is to browse through the color swatch tabs. I can't do it on my husband's computer because his color is a little off and everything looked a little greener than it's supposed to be. But on my computer, I love to see the full range of beautiful colors they have and so many different prints and fabrics and sizes. They even have scrubs for kids. You know, in case you're like Doogie Howser's mom or something. Anyway, be sure to take a peek and see what they've got. You're SURE to save some money and I dont' know about you but shopping online is so much MORE FUN than actually going somewhere, right? For me it is, anyhow. I'm not much of a shopper. 

Putting the HOME back in homeschool

Have you ever walked into a homeschooler's house and you get that sinking, crappy feeling that you're back in school again? Charts on the wall with gold stars ensure that kids are being taught to follow someone else's reward system rather than their own inner guidance... lesson plans that ensure that the specific target points of knowledge are being communicated and stressed, even if it's in spite of true understanding or enthusiasm. That used to impress me, but I don't think a homeschooling mom's job is to recreated the (failing) classrooms of the world. Life is joyful and learning is fun and there's no reason a home should be anything but a home.

It hit me when we were shopping to decorate my daughter's room. The rest of the world was shopping for school supplies, but that was the farthest thing from my mind, I just wanted to create a beautiful environment she'd be comfortable in. She's picky and I know it's important to HER that things be in order, so we set off with hot cocoa, our snuggies and started shopping online. She wanted everything she saw on this site, but we settled for a beautiful pegasus vanity and a trundle mattress that she can use when friends come over and some matching floral lamp shades to bring it all together.

Remove It

Now is definitely the time to get rid of those nasty old appliances. You might want to call a service like Appliance Removal Chicago because they specialize in coming right out to your house and hauling away whatever it is that you want removed, as long as it's an appliance. So maybe you have an old dryer on your back porch, or an old washing machine or an old refrigerator or an old oven or an old freezer. Whatever it is, they can take it away for you. I mean, what else would you do with an old appliance, right?

Well, not so fast... I once saw the most adorable planter made out of an old dresser and I keep thinking it would be kinda cool to use an old washer as a planter. You could plant rosemary in it, or some other hanging-basket type of plant, like petunias, because they would spill over the top like too many soap suds. Hey, that would actually be kinda cute, to have a line of washers back-to-back like a little dividing wall, with flowers growing inside of them and maybe a row of pots in front of it. Anyway, it would be tacky but sometimes that's cute. I'd rather have that than a stack of nasty old machines on the porch collecting dust and spider webs.

Wear one out

Hey homeschoolers, wanna get your hands on some great Christian T Shirts? I know what you're saying; "A T shirt isn't capable of accepting Jesus as its savior." But lighten up, I just mean that there are some awesome shirts out there with Christian sayings, quotes and graphics. If you decide to visit their site, be sure to check out the top selling funny shirts.One cool thing about this site is that so many of the shirts are able to be customized. When you see the designs, it's kind of funny to see that each shirt says "Your words here" I collect quotes, though, so I'm always thinking of which words would go on a T shirt and I bet they might sell more if they display them with actual words instead of making the consumer think of their own. Oh well, they must have an artist on staff because the designs are fresh, modern,(yet traditional - nothing trashy) AND they're well-drawn. So basically you go for the art of the T shirt and you have to then choose your favorite quote or saying to be printed with the art. It's really a unique idea and the shirts are beautiful.  I'm sure they would make great gifts, too. 

Home Economics

I took home economics in High School and it wasn't an economics course at all. We learned how to cook and clean and sew. Not that I can even sew a simple set of kitchen curtains today, it's not because I didn't learn how, it's just because I wasn't interested at the time.  Either way, that's not economics. Economics is managing money. Maybe they were trying to teach us that it's cheaper to bake from scratch or to sew things instead of buy them.... but we didn't really ever learn how to juggle bills, how to make a family budget or how to save money eating out. That's the kind of economics I find useful as a mom and homemaker. We redecorated our kitchen once fore like $30, they didn't teach us THAT in high school, right? I mean, you can't buy one single kitchen decor item for that much, it's ridiculous.

I don't know about you, but one reason we homeschool is because I want to be sure that the kids have real-life skills that they can use and one way we do that is by including them in decisions. See, in life, you really CAN have everything you want, as long as you work out a method to get it, right? Actually I shouldn't say that because every plan I make seems to fail but I still end up getting what I want. Life is good. The world is a good place and people want to help your dreams come true. That's why we homeschool. You don't need to have an average set of knowledge in every topic in order to be successful. A better approach is to be an expert in your favorite things and homeschooling allows us to raise kids who have time to pursue their passions and become experts in their field, without the time-wasting, mind-numbing, soul-crushing focus on mediocrity. so what about you? Did you take Home Ec in school? Do you think they missed the mark, or did you learn valuable homemaking skills? How does your homeschool differ from the experience you had as a child?