Choosing homeschool curriculum

Help me mamas that have or are homeschooling.  There is so much to choose from, which is awesome, but it's also overwhelming.  I'm starting to regularly do projects/crafts/etc with our 3yr old.  What have you used?  What did you like or dislike about it?  What did you like for handwriting?  Science?

Thanks :)

What I decided to buy with my Swagbucks

It's super duper boring, sorry.

Jif Natural Peanut Butter for The Hubbs and Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  I told you it was boring, hehe.

It's certainly a blessing that they were free though.  I love my Swagbucks


Have you tried Swagbucks?

Quick...hurry...$10 of any $10 order at Doorposts

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2011/10-off-any-10-order-at-doorposts-this-weekend-only/

Enjoy :)

Do you ever feel bad...

...for "new" friends on Facebook?  I am friends with some "old" friends from high school on Facebook and I sometimes wonder about what they think of me.  Not in a bad way mind you, just in a funny way.  I post about breastfeeding, car seat safety, cloth diapers and the list goes on.  Some of these people I haven't heard from in years, so it may come as quite the shock, especially if they don't have kids, since I wasn't "crunchy granola" back then.  O well, I'll just keeping snickering to myself about it ;)

Do you ever wonder how your posts come across??

I love Bumblebars and just found a copycat recipe

I love easy energy bars for errands and late mornings, but many of the packaged ones have TONS of soy in them.  I don't like soy.  Like my friend Stephanie said "I try to limit it since it's estrogen-based and I'm all estrogen!".  I too am full of hormones and don't need any extra ;)


BumbleBars are made in Spokane Valley, WA and they are really awesome, however they're about $2/bar or you can buy them in bulk on Amazon.com for about $1.75/ea.  


Here is the recipe I found and here are my changes:
Use honey instead of brown rice syrup and evaporated cane syrup
Use pecans and almonds instead of macadamias and cashews
Add Craisins and mini chocolate chips


Do you have a favorite copy-cat recipe?

What shall I buy?

I have $20 in Amazon giftcards from using Swagbucks.  I have no idea what to buy because I have a laundry lists of books and random things I'd like.  However, I'd prefer to get something we need rather than want since money is a bit tight right now.  So mamas, what do I need or want?


Click here to learn more about Swagbucks...it really is FREE

If you were in my shoes what would be the first thing on your list?

Will Costco save our family more money?

The Hubbs and I started debating whether shopping at Costco on a more regular basis would save us more money.  We generally shop there every 3 months or so.  Together we wrote down what we had just purchased at Costco last week and what it would cost at Fred Meyer, where I shop every week.  This short list is just what we purchased last week.  At the bottom of this post are current prices on everything we would buy at some point from Costco.


Costco purchases on 12.27.2010
Organic olive oil, 51oz~$10.49
Organic sugar 10lbs~$8.89 *will last more than 1 month
Organic frozen corn 5lbs~$5
Organic frozen peas 5lbs~$5.29
Organic frozen green beans 5lbs~$5.29
Organic strawberry jam 42oz~$6.49 *will last more than 1 month
Tillamook sharp cheese 2.5lbs~$7.55 *will not last 1 month
Tillamook colby cheese 2.5lbs~$6.59 *will not last 1 month
= $55.59

At Freddy's I would pay (I'm comparing the exact same item, but probably diff. brands)
Oil 48oz~$24
Sugar 10lbs~$12.90
Corn 5lbs~$20
Peas 5lbs~$20
GBeans 5lbs~$20
Jam 42oz~$14
Sharp cheese 2.5lbs~$9
Colby cheese 2.5lbs~$9
= $128.90

For a savings of $73.31

So today, like the type-A-list-making nerd I am, I went to Costco with nothing in my mind to purchase but I wanted to make a price list.  It was of course packed...1pm on Monday shouldn't be, but it was.  So here is what I found, I hope it helps :)

Organic Broccoli - $3.49/3lbs
Tillamook sharp cheese 2.5lbs~$7.55
Tillamook colby cheese 2.5lbs~$6.59
Frigo mozzarella 2.1lbs~$4.29
Organic frozen corn 5lbs~$5
Organic frozen peas 5lbs~$5.29
Organic frozen green beans 5lbs~$5.29
Organic salted butter 2lbs~$6.89
Polish hot dogs 3.81lbs/14 hot dogs~$10.99
Maple syrup 32oz~$12.55 *every other month
Organic strawberry jam 42oz~$6.49 *every other month
Organic peanut butter 56oz~$7.89
Organic Better than Bouillon (chicken and beef) - $6.49 ea? *every 3 months
Steel cut oats - 72 oz/$8.99 ??? *every other monthOrganic olive oil 51oz~$10.49
Organic sugar 10lbs~$8.89 *every other month
Organic animal crackers 64oz~$7.99
Pace salsa 76oz~$5.39 *every other month
Mayonnaise 64oz~$6.89 *every 3 months
Classico spaghetti sauce 64oz~$6.99
Organic tomato paste 72oz~$5.99 *every 3 months
Organic apple sauce 189oz~$8.79 *every other month
Organic quinoa 4lbs~$9.89 *every 3 months
Organic short grain brown rice 12lbs~$13.99 *every 3 months
Listerine 3liters~$9.99
Smokehouse almonds 38oz~$8.69
Jerky 18oz~$11.99 *we only buy this on coupon
Triscuits 38oz~$5.99
Craisins 48oz~$6.99 *every other month
Prunes 50oz~$5.99 *every 3 months
Organic raisins 4lbs~$6.99 *every 3 months
Fruit leather 48oz~$10.65 *once in a blue moon purchase because of the waste created
Trail Mix $9.99 *when the budget allows
Organic Almonds - $9.99/4lbs
Tortillas $4.99/5lbs 14oz (40 large) *the all natural ones
Vinegar (white, distilled for cleaning/laundry/dishwasher rinse) $3.49/2 gallons
Toothbrushes *only on coupon

I'm not including produce because the price fluctuates so much and we try to eat in-season produce.  We get our milk and eggs from local farmers and we purchase our meats directly from our local farmers/butchers :)

This breakdown has shown me that I need to adjust our budget and shopping to make Costco more of a priority.


What are your Costco staples?  Can you find any comparable products at your grocery store for less?

Posted over at We Are That Family for WFMW

 

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Uh-oh

So I'm a little disappointed in myself.  This past summer I tried to score as many clothes for the next 9 months for both kids that I could.  I bought TONS of stuff in their current size and the size up in appropriate seasons...you know the drill.  I scored on lots of stuff at garage sales and from friends who have bigger kids.  Well, today one of the things on my to-do list was to go through Miss A's "too big" clothes bag under her bed.  It's a garbage bag full of clothes and shoes.  Well, I couldn't pull anything out.  There were 4 pairs of shoes for J Bear to wear this summer, 6 pairs of fleece jammies that are too big for Miss A and a few random things that are still way too big (5t).

She's moving into a 4t now and I remember thinking to myself this past summer that she wouldn't be in a 4t until summer 2011, because she had just moved into 3t in August.  So, I have to go shopping soon and the thrift stores have slim pickings right now on in-season kid's clothes.  Wish me luck :)

Is anybody else itching for garage sale season to get here???