Keeping it Clean

Boys are such a mess. Austin and Mason came by to play with my kids and now I'm in the market for a serious power washing company
Austin made such a mess, he managed to get something stuck in the air vent. I mean, who has air duct cleaning tools austin just lying around, right? I should have his mom do it, but the company I found is just so phenomenal. They even do natural odor removal austin, which is going to be an amazing resource if those skunks decide to come back this year. My dogs just don't leave them alone. so what has your greatest cleaning challenge been?

Kids need good storage solutions too

Guest post written by Ameila Bridges

When I went to babysit my sister's kids at their home about a week ago I was amazed by the lack of storage that she has for them. But then again she's doing the best she can as a single mom. So I thought that I would do something nice for her and figure out how to incorporate storage into the design of their rooms.

I love looking at home design and craft blogs online with myCLEARWIRELESSINTERNET so I actually had some great resources to go to for that. It's really cool how some people incorporate storage into kids rooms and I found this one great example that included cubbies.

So I did my research and found out that you can get some unfinished plain cubbies at about any hardware store easily. I'm going to help them paint the cubbies to match their rooms, which I think will be something fun for the kids to do. Plus, it will give her a little break to rest and enjoy some time to herself on time off from work.

Is there a future doctor in your house?

Encouraging our children to follow their dreams is one of the most valuable ways we can be effective parents. One of my daughters was planning to be a medical doctor for a while, she was very excited and in my excitement, I made a few fatal mistakes:

I announced it on Facebook, telling everyone in our family and circle of friends that she was planning to become a doctor. Like any 15 yr old girl really wants to be locked into a lifelong career choice? She can't even decide what color hair she wants, why would I latch onto a career decision?  It would have been smarter for me to buy her a set of medical scrubs so she could just get used to the way it felt to look and dress like a medical person, right?  Even just getting her a nursing uniform for a halloween costume would have been more effective. The scrub store has lab coats and kid sized scrubs, too- so I'm thinking it might have been wiser to allow her to embrace the decision instead of turning it into a high-pressure thing. Oh well, live and learn. I'm sure by the time our youngest is this age we'll have it all figured out, right?

Studying Hawaii

If you're working with the group of kids who are planning a trip to Hawaii, then you might be interested in these unit study resources;

*The Hawaii Tourism Authority 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 943-3500. They also have a website. You can contact them for travel brochures and to book group tours, if you choose. When you arrive, stop in and sign the guest book.


*Hawaii foreclosures are down, so real estate there is starting to move up again. If you plan to invest in a timeshare or vacation house, now is the time to get started with that research


*Plan fun activities. There are a million free and cheap things to do in Hawaii. All you have to do is research and be open-minded. And don't forget to visit Pearl Harbor. 

CAPE Convention is rockin' the giveaways

The Yakima Homeschool group is planning their 2009 Convention, and this year they have some awesome door prizes, like a computer from Green PC Academy. Head over to the CAPE website to check out the classes and workshops they have scheduled for this year's CAPE Convention. It's a fantastic annual event with family-friendly pricing, a great variety of vendors and door prizes, like a computer, gift certificates, Discovery Toys, plus curriculum items like books and parent guides.

Washington Homeschool Science & Engineering Fair

Thursday, February 26^th, 2009 6-9 p.m.

Trinity Baptist Church

18652-116^th Avenue SE, Renton, WA

(Do not send registration forms to this address)

The purpose of WHSEF is to provide a science fair which is open to all homeschooled students. All participants will receive a medallion at the end of the evening. With the feedback students receive at this fair, they can improve their projects and continue on to regional and state science fairs.

If you didn’t attend a workshop and do not know what is expected at science fairs, please feel free to come and observe. You will learn even more if you volunteer to listen to presentations. Thirty homeschool students participated last year and twelve went on to state. Six of those students won state trophies.

The fair is only 6 weeks away. If your child still needs help choosing a topic, I recommend the following Selah website: http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/JHS/Brown/HowToDoAProject.htm

Please fill out the following registration form and return it by Jan. 31^st, 2009. If your child wants to do a project involving humans or animals, contact me at kpbrighton@yahoo.com as soon as possible. These projects take extra time for approval before beginning experiments.

WHSEF 2009 Registration Form

Student Name__________________________________________

Student Grade__________________________________________

Student Age___________________________________________

Parent Name___________________________________________

E-mail address _________________________________________

Phone Number_________________________________________

Parent or Adult Volunteer________________________________

For participation in this fair each child must have a parent or adult volunteer during the fair to listen to other children present their projects. For families with two or more children participating, two adults are sufficient. Fill out separate forms for each child. A $3 donation per child would be appreciated to cover the cost of the medallions.

Project Title____________________________________________

Scientific Category______________________________________

Animal Sciences, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Biochemistry, Cellular and molecular biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Planetary Science, Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical, Engineering (Materials & Bioengineering), Energy & transportation, Environmental Management, Environmental Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Medicine & health sciences, Microbiology, Physics and astronomy, Plant Sciences.

Send Registration Forms by 1/31/09 to:

WHSEF 18512 SE Petrovitsky Rd, Renton, WA 98058

For questions contact: kpbrighton@yahoo.com

Leadership Education at Home

During times of uncertainty, we evaluate what is important in our
lives. Society looks to those in leadership positions to solve
problems. The time to fill those leadership roles within our homes,
schools, and communities is here. Being prepared with knowledge and
the tools to gain more is indispensable. Great leaders studied
classical books, philosophers, mathematicians, and war before they
gained the skills of great leadership.This seminar teaches you how to
begin your own leadership education at home.

This seminar is in Federal Way, Wa and is hosted by Moira Caswell
(Chair of Leadership Education Association of Puget Sound and LEMI
mentor). LEAPS board members have offered to open their homes to out
of town guests for this seminar. Please read below for more
information.

FACE TO FACE WITH GREATNESS:
A THOMAS JEFFERSON EDUCATION REVISITED: YOU NOT THEM

Coming to you on *February 20-21, 2009* in the *Seattle* Area
Featuring Dr. Shanon Brooks
A hands on workshop for parents and teachers on how to mentor the
classics

"For learning requires a mentor---an Athena, a Virgil, a Beatrice---
to
lead and teach, guide and instruct . . . showing their charges how to
learn, stepping back when the pupil begins to see and to understand
on
his own." --L. Cowan

Topics covered:
Core and Love of Learning
Transition to Scholar
Scholar Phase
Depth Phase
How to Read a Book
Cycles of History

*Required Reading for Colloquium: The Virginian and Pride and
Prejudice
(Seminars will be taught from the perspective that all attendees
have prepared properly and have read all readings.)

*Strongly Suggested Preparation: A Thomas Jefferson Education, /A
Thomas
Jefferson Education Home Companion/, /Leadership Education: The
Phases
of Learning/ and one Shakespeare Play of your choice.

How can a generation that wasn't mentored in the classics, mentor
their
own children in the classics? Do you want to help your children get a
superb, leadership education... but just aren't sure how? THIS
SEMINAR
TEACHES YOU HOW!!

Date: February 20-21, 2009
Location: Federal Way, WA
Cost: Before January 30th:
$175.00 per person
$125.00 per spouse
$ 90.00 per youth

After January 30th:
$200.00 per person
$150.00 per spouse
$105.00 per youth

This George Wythe University Seminar series, presented by Touchstone,
R.E, is hosted by
LEAPS: The Leadership Education Association of Puget Sound

Registration is limited to 70 participants
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

For more information or to register, please contact:
Moira Caswell
Phone: 253-661-0401
E-mail: leapsinfo@yahoo. com
*Seminar fees are transferable person-to-person, not seminar-to-
seminar,
and are non-refundable.