How To Spice Up Your Blog Posts

When I first started to blog a couple of years ago, my posts would look quite boring. I never could figure out where other bloggers got all those great pictures from to dress up their blogs.

I knew there had to be somewhere to go and get photos. But I was too afraid of stealing someone else's photo that I would not use anything.

Since then I have learned a few things about blogging. The first thing I was determined to figure out was where to get all those great photos from and how I could also get some.

There are several sources for photos which are available free of charge to any blogger who can use them. And adding photos to your posts will cetainly make for a nicer looking post. I personally love to see a visual when I stop at someones blog.

I recently registered at acobox.com as a blogger. Now I can have access to tons of blog pictures that I can be sure are properly licensed. Now I do not have to be concered about copywright and things like that. All I have to do now is choose a picture that I like and copy and past the image code. No downloading anything.

It couldn't be easier.

Veterans Day Activities

Tomorrow is Veterans Day.

I think that it is very important to teach our kids about the men and women who have daily sacrificed their lives in order for us to live ours.

To help you with this I have gathered what I consider to be some of the greatest free internet resources available.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has a Veterans Day Teachers resource guide that is full of activities for teaching children the history of the day. It also has lots of other valuable ideas and an activity book for kids.

Enchanted Learning has a ton of Veterans Day activities.

Veterans Day Unit Study by Amanda Bennett can be found here.

This link will take you to an online Veterans Day quiz.

This is a good activity for older high school aged children.

VA Kids has some teaching resources available.
They also have a section especially for 6-12 grade and also for K-5 grade.

Military.com offer 7 ways to celebrate Veterans Day with your children.

So go ahead and enjoy this special day.

Buck Fever

If you have got a hunter in the family, then you know the big opening day is fast approaching. This is the time of year that not only the deer get crazy. The hunters get a terrible case of Buck Fever. This is also the time of year that men will spend obsene amounts of time, energy, and money to sit in the freezing cold for that one chance to see their deer, and shoot it.

There is a pretty neat promotion going on now through December 31st on Nikon ATB Binoculars. When you purchase any of these binoculars you receive either a $25 0r $50 gift card. You know what that adds up to? More Free ATB Pro Gear.

Science Songs

Shelly found a wonderful site called Singing Science that has lots of old time science songs that you can listen to. Some of the titles are:

What are the Parts of a Flower?

How Does a Frog Become a Frog?

What Makes a Rainbow?

Why Do Leaves Change Their Color?

Warm Fronts, Cold Fronts

What Makes the Lightening?

Rocks and Gems and Minerals

How Do We Measure Energy?

E-lec-tri-city

Ballad of Sir Isaac Newton

These are just a few of the science songs that are offered for free on their site. They have space songs, energy and motion songs, experiment songs, weather songs, and lots of nature songs.

*Kristie*

Debt Overhaul

I think it is so very important in these crazy economic times that we do all that we possibly can to get out of any of the debt that we may have acquired over the years.

Now I understand that sometimes it is necessary to acquire debt such as an unplanned emergency like a hospital trip. Also most people can not afford to pay cash in full for a home to live in.

Those are some of the instances where I think that accumulating debt is excusable. But if we just really want that huge TV and do not have the money for it. Then I would have to say oh well. That to me is not an excusable reason for gaining debt.

I think that what we saw happen with the financial markets over the last month should be a rude awakening to us who have chosen to live off of credit. Credit should never rule our lives.

I remember what it feels like to be so far in debt that it feels like you could never possibly get out of the hole you have dug. But with services like freedom debt management it is possible to get rid of the weight that debt puts on you.

Back on Track?

We have been just barely staying afloat these days as far as school is concerned.

Kalene has one more week of volleyball and then we can resume some sort of normalcy around here once again.

The kids have been pretty great I must say. Mostly keeping up with the core subjects such as math, science, reading.

I haven't been as diligent as they have when it comes to keeping up with school.

I admit, I have a stack of papers to go through at least a foot high taking over the surface of my desk. And I haven't taught history to Richie in such a long time, that I don't remember when.

So I am determined to take this week to get all caught up. This way, when volleyball ends we will be able to start anew fresh.

This is what I love about homeschooling. We make the rules, and we are never really behind. We'll spend some extra time during the colder months really encountering history.

I think that for me it is really important to take some time every couple of months to evaluate where we are and where we need to go, that way I don't get so far off track that I can't find my way back again.

Win a Wii!

Who wouldn't want the chance to win a Wii just in time for Christmas?

Now is your chance to enter the coolest giveaway, at least according to my son.

There are no strings attached,. Just sign up here.