Apologia Live is a specially designed weekend retreat. A refreshing time for the homeschool mother in the trenches! An Apologia Live retreat will help you find strength for the journey!

I have the privilege of attending (and counting down the days until the weekend!) in Atlanta. I will be tweeting live from the retreat for Heart of the Matter. Just take a look at what this special weekend includes:

More information for you about Apologia Live – Atlanta – March 23, 24

General information about Apologia Live Retreat

List of speakers

The Retreat Schedule 

Special guest speaker at Apologia Live – Atlanta, Pam Tebow

Pam Tebow, mother of Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow, will join us for our March 2012 conference. Pam and Bob are homeschool pioneers who began teaching their children at home in 1982 and homeschooled all five from kindergarten through high school. All five of Pam’s children have gone on to complete college degrees. Pam speaks nationwide and is passionate about encouraging women to trust the Lord with all their hearts for all their lives.

Heart of the Matter and Apologia are giving one lucky winner the opportunity to attend the Atlanta conference! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will be open until Friday 2/10 at 10:00pm EST. If you are viewing this post on Facebook, please visit our website to leave your comment. 

Tricia gave up life in the drive thru lane for the joy-filled road home. She homeschools five children from preschool to middle school. You can find her facing that daily dose of chaos at Hodgepodge. There she writes about practical schooling strategies and shares how she is saving bucks and her sanity with the frugal recipes of her Southern roots. Tricia is also known as Hodgepodgemom.

If you are anything like me, life works out much better when it is scripted. “Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it’.” (Habakkuk 2:20) I have found this scripture to be of great importance; reminding me to prayerfully write things down rather than trying to remember everything on my own. Because of the importance of staying organized as a stay-at-home homeschooling mother, using planners has been a wonderful and necessary tool in my life.

Does this describe you? If so, then I have the perfect resource to recommend you!

Recently I had the honor to review the eBook, Planner Perfect: A Fresh Idea on Organizing Your Life by Jenny Penton. The Planner Perfect is unlike any planner that I have ever used in the past. It is truly a breath of fresh air that I know will help me out with planning many wonderful thins to come in the new year. It is well written, well organized, keeps God at the center of your planning, and very simple to understand. The beautiful thing about Jenny’s eBook is that it teaches you how to become a master life planner, taking control of your own scheduling, rather than being held captive by your schedule.

The story behind the concept is absolutely heartwarming. Jenny has fashioned the planner around the influence of her precious Proverbs 31 mother and the example she modeled while Jenny was growing up. Rather than the typical “task manager” planning, the Planner Perfect is a place where you create your life and can dream up new things birthed in freedom, rather than being tied down by an impossible to-do-list.

One of my favorite things about the Planner Perfect approach to goal setting is the simple fact that it is more about dreaming and living life than about the legalistic aspect of making lists to “check” off. While lists do serve their purpose, the Planner Perfect gives you a whole new understanding about the importance of not overbooking yourself and family. This new “mindset” will help anyone who has been giving their calendar too much control in their life plans.

Some of the many wonderful topics this fabulous eBook covers are:

• creating a space of your own
• secrets to why we can’t stay organized
• the role of your calendar
• daily and monthly pages
• organizing and exploring your strengths and talents
• organizing your wardrobe
• party planning
• vacations
• emotional and physical health
• keeping your home clean
• meal planning
• holiday’s and special occasions
• aspiring for more

I would highly recommend purchasing this eBook if you want a fresh and exciting new start to your life planning. I love the way Jenny teaches us to become the master of our own life planning accompanied with living life, accomplishing goals, creating and accomplishing dreams, and above all else; living a life pleasing to God.

You can purchase Jenny Penton’s ebook here: Planner Perfect: A Fresh Idea on Organizing Your Life.

We have FIVE copies of Jenny’s planner to give away!  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will remain open until Wednesday 2/8 at 10pm EST. If you are reading this on Facebook, please note that you must enter your comment on the original blog post on our website.

Carlie has been blissfully married to the love of her life, Michael, since June of 2000. She has been a stay-at-home homeschoolin’ mama to their 3 children since 2001. Carlie currently resides with her family in Germany courtesy of the US Army. You can read about her homeschooling adventures and Christian faith at her blog: So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler?

Simply Homeschool offers great practical tips on how to reduce the physical homeschool clutter, but also focuses on the very important step of reducing mental clutter in your life. This book is short and easy to read, consisting of 7 chapters as well as an appendix of worksheets to help you simplify your homeschool. Simply Homeschool encourages you to focus on the main reasons you started this homeschooling journey in the first place.

The worksheets that are included in the book are particularly helpful if you have no idea where to even start a journey towards a simple life. Personally, I was particularly convicted about the use of my online time after I completed the all of the questions for “Simplify Your Time: Accountability for Reducing Mental Clutter.”

Simply Homeschooling strikes a nice balance between living an uncluttered life and living a life of stark minimalism. This book doesn’t advocate throwing out every possession and canceling all extracurricular activities on the calendar. Instead this book encourages you to be purposeful with your homeschool, to make wise choices and seek joy each and every day.

It was an educational field trip left Karen DeBeus pondering on her family’s needs versus wants. That journey led her to start her blog, Simply Living…For Him. She was then encouraged to share her own personal homeschool experiences in her book, Simply Homeschool: Having Less Clutter and More Joy in YOUR Homeschool. Now you can follow along with a veteran homeschooling mom as you discover how to live your life simply and uncluttered.

Simply Homeschool: Having Less Clutter and More Joy in YOUR Homeschool by Karen DeBeus can help you discover all that God would have for you and your homeschool. Strive for joy in YOUR homeschool one simple, uncluttered day at a time.

Karen is generously giving away 3 copies of her ebook to 3 lucky winners. To enter, simply leave a comment telling us what area of your homeschooling life needs the most help. The giveaway will remain open until Wednesday, 11/23 at 10pm EST.

Pamela has been homeschooling her kids since 2005. She has visited 41 states and 16 countries and now calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home. You can find her writing about homeschooling, books and downsizing her life at I Read. Do You?

We introduced Heart of the Matter readers to Library and Educational Services a couple of months ago when they gave away a set of Great Moments in American History.

Library and Ed received such a positive response from the homeschool community here at Heart of the Matter; they have generously decided to sponsor another fantastic giveaway!

This boxed set of eight delightful stories feature the complete works of James Herriot which were later reprinted as the three best-selling volumes: All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and All Things Wise and Wonderful.

I remember the James Herriot books from my own childhood – my sister read them over and over, and today she works in veterinary medicine. These warm and funny stories recount James Herriot’s adventures as a country vet in England from 1940 to 1995.

Not only is Library and Ed giving one lucky Heart of the Matter reader a chance to WIN this terrific set, they are offering a substantial coupon code to the rest of us!

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite childhood book (personally, I have very fond memories of Harriet the Spy…and The Bagthorpe Saga…and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle…and Cheaper by the Dozen…and now I’m getting sidetracked). This giveaway will be open until Friday 11/25 at 10:00pm EST. The winner will be notified by email.

To take advantage of this coupon code, click HERE and use the coupon code JAMES at checkout. This will reduce the price of the set from $39.95 to $17.95. That’s a savings of over fifty percent!

These books would make a lovely addition to any homeschooler’s library or a special gift under the Christmas tree. The coupon code will remain valid until November 30^th.

Happy shopping!

Thank you to Library and Ed for being so very generous with this give away and coupon.

Deb is a knitting, cooking, home schooling mom. Who is way cooler than that sounds. Really. She blogs about all sorts of random and sometimes even mildly interesting things at Not Inadequate.

The young children will love the Alphabet Matcher Twisterz the best. Children choose a letter, then pick five pictures that correspond to that letter. For example the Letter “B” matches with ball, butterfly, banana, boat and books. Some of the pictures might be a bit tricky (is that a boat or a sailboat?), so thankfully the matching instructions are included. In order to cover all 26 letters of the alphabet and their coordinating pictures, the Alphabet Matcher Twisterz requires parents to reassemble the Twisterz wand. This is done easily enough by unscrewing the end of the wand, sliding off the old rings, then putting on the new rings which are coordinated by colors on the stickers.

Early spellers will enjoy the Word Builder Twisterz. By spinning the rings on the Twisterz Toys wand, kids can spell a variety of words using the letters found on the rings. Like with the Alphabet Matcher Twisterz, the rings can easily be removed and changed allowing your child to spell many more words. This particular Twisterz is limited to the letters on the rings and the order in which the rings are put on the wand, so the Word Builder Twisterz Toy can really challenge your child to create some unique words.

Kids and parents will like the Story Starter Twisterz. Spin the rings to set the stage for some very creative story-telling fun. With four different rings each with 10 possible storylines, the Story Starter can spin up some great story beginnings such as “The man of mystery…noticed the Queen…and rang the bell. Somehow…” or perhaps “The game contestant…pulled the switch…and peeked inside…However…” This Twisterz would be great for family game night or would work great as a creative writing device in your homeschool.

Educational, electronic-free and engaging, Twisterz Toys are really great. More information on Twisterz Toys can be found at http://twisterztoys.com/. To help your kids kids the most out of the Twisterz Toys, supplementary learning material can be found at http://twisterztoys.com/learn/.

Twisterz Toys is giving away a set of all 3 toys, just in time for Christmas! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on the original post. This giveaway will be open until Friday, 11/18 at 10:00pm.

Pamela has been homeschooling her kids since 2005. She has visited 41 states and 16 countries and now calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home. You can find her writing about homeschooling, books and downsizing her life at I Read. Do You?

I Wish I Knew That is subtitled “Cool Stuff You Need to Know” and that is really true. Part educational, part trivial, the focus of this book is a quick understanding of basic educational subjects such as history, math and science. I Wish I Knew That also includes chapters that explain art, nature and “classic stuff.” This book does finish on with the science chapter with a section titled “where do you come from?” which is a 2-page detail explaining the theory of evolution. From Shakespeare to the Water Cycle to how to say “Hello” in Chinese, this book has a little bit of something for everyone of all ages and would really make a great gift book.

Write (or is that “Right”?) Every Time is a great summary of all things Language Arts, including grammar, spelling rules and punctuation guidelines. With short tidbits explaining topics such as the parts of speech, spelling plurals and when to use a comma, this book is an overview of Language Arts knowledge and is not intended as a complete curriculum. Homeschoolers might really like this book as a reference tool for elementary language arts rules. Want to know when to use quotation marks or what the object of a sentence is? This book is filled with short, easy to understand definitions and examples that can clear up Language Arts confusion with ease.

My Grammar and I…or Should That Be Me? is a great book for older homeschoolers who might want a little bit more help when it comes to grammar. Like Write (or is that “Right”?) Every Time, this book is an overview of language arts and would not work as a complete curriculum. With random quotes from Shakespeare, Winston Churchill and Edgar Allan Poe, My Grammar is is written for an older audience than Write Every Time. For example, a gerund is explained in My Grammar, but not in Write Every Time. To be honest, Write Every Time is more readable, but My Grammar is a better reference tool in our homeschool.

Reader’s Digest is giving away a set of all 3 books to two winners! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on the original post. This giveaway will be open until Friday, 11/11 at 10:00pm.

Pamela has been homeschooling her kids since 2005. She has visited 41 states and 16 countries and now calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home. You can find her writing about homeschooling, books and downsizing her life at I Read. Do You?

Maybe it has been a difficult homeschooling day. Math facts were a disaster and spelling words were forgotten. And now it’s dinner time? What on earth is a mom to do? Panic! Well, at least, that is what I do. I can organize a unit study in a few short minutes and teach a co-op class as a substitute teacher, but cook? Uh, no. I’m not very good with menus or grocery shopping and I’m really not very good at preparing meals that my family will actually eat.

And that is precisely why I was so incredibly impressed with E-Mealz!

By offering weekly menu based on grocery store ads, E-Mealz has made dinnertime fun again.

Step One is to pick a menu plan. E-Mealz is based around the shopping/menu option that you choose. With almost 30 menu options, you are sure to find a plan that works for you. Maybe you would like to have a vegetarian menu designed for a family? Or perhaps you need a shopping/menu plan that is tailored to a small family of 2 people? With plans ranging from gluten free options for a family to low fat options for 1-2 people, E-Mealz plans are very easy to choose.

Step Two is to pick a shopping plan. E-Mealz also tailors their shopping/menu plans to a few specific grocery stores found throughout the country. Based on a store’s weekly ad prices, E-Mealz offers its subscribers shopping plans for Kroger, Publix, Wal-Mart, ALDI and Ralphs (CA). If none of these stores are available, E-Mealz has an “any store” shopping plan as well.

Step Three is to print out a weekly meal plan. By accessing your account on the E-Mealz website, you are given a full plan that includes a complete shopping list, a 7-day menu plan AND simple recipes for preparing the food! Yes, not only does E-Mealz make it easy to shop and plan a week’s worth of dinners, they also provide the recipes that make meals easy to prepare! With dinners such as Sweet and Sour Chicken to Deep Dish Pizza, these meals are quite yummy too. E-Mealz plans are published weekly, but in case you forget to print off a plan, menus can be accessed for two weeks. Meals are simple and the necessary ingredients are clearly listed, so meals could actually be prepared by any cook in your family, young or old.

E-Mealz is impressive on many levels. First, it is amazing that these plans are tailored to store ads. Given the current economy, saving money at the grocery store is always something to be appreciated, especially if I don’t have to spend the hours it takes to do all of the comparison shopping. Second, the menus themselves are so orderly and easy to read. It is so easy to see what ingredients are needed on a particular day. Finally, the meals themselves are easy to fix and really taste great. Being a not-so-creative cook, having the recipes laid out right next to the shopping plan was the best part of E-Mealz for me.

Based on a $15 for a 3-month subscription plan, E-Mealz has literally done all of the work for you, except chop the onions!

Gone is the menu planning. Gone is the comparison shopping for the best shopping bargains. And, best of all, gone is that terrible “What am I going to make for dinner” feeling. Really, I love E-Mealz!

E-Mealz is giving away a 3 month subscription to the plan of the winner’s choice. To enter the giveaway, go to E-Mealz’s website and tell us which menu plan you would wan to try if you win. This giveaway will be open until Friday, 10/28 at 10:00pm.

Pamela has been homeschooling her kids since 2005. She has visited 41 states and 16 countries and now calls the beautiful Pacific Northwest home. You can find her writing about homeschooling, books and downsizing her life at I Read. Do You?

From their website

The KidCoder(tm) 2nd Edition programming courses are designed for 4th-8th grade students looking for a fun, easy-to-learn, graphical programming environment. These self-study programming courses use the Visual Basic language which has an English-like, forgiving syntax. Your child’s computer science education starts here!

Students will use the Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Express development environment, which has a drag-and-drop interface for creating objects on the screen and automates many tedious programming chores. Students can focus on writing code to responds to events such as user button clicks.

This is definitely a hands-on course, designed with kids of all learning styles in mind. The auditory learner will benefit from the instructor’s spoken lessons on the CD, visual learners will love the demonstrations shown in the instructional videos as well as the reinforced lessons in the textbook, and kinesthetic learners will enjoy the hands-on “Your Turn” activities after each chapter. My 9 year old was easily able to follow along with the lessons and he really appreciated the fact that he could go at his own pace and go back to previous screens to review the instructions.

Created by homeschooling parents, who also have a combined 17+ years of experience in the software industry, this curriculum is very organized, steadily paced and does a superb job of communicated the essentials of computers and programming. While I do have personal experience with programming and Visual Basic, the instructional videos are so thorough and easy to understand, that I have not even had to step in as teacher!

By the end of the course, your student will be able to create these Bubble Blaster and Go Fish games! How exciting, huh!

The full course will last a whole year and contains 2 books and 2 CD’s:

1. Windows Programming (first semester) – build fundamental programming skills!

2. Game Programming (second semester) – learn to write computer games!

View demo videos and see sample lessons

Be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Our friends at Homeschool Programming, Inc. are generously giving one reader the opportunity to win a copy of one KidCoder: Windows Programming (or TeenCoder if you have older students) plus the accompanying video ($85-90 value). To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment here on the post (if you are reading this on Facebook, please visit our website.) The giveaway will be open until Friday 10/21 at 10:00pm eastern.

Check out the latest edition of Heart of the Matter’s Magazine, for free!

Empowerment is what The Mighty Macs is all about. Set against the backdrop of early 1970s women’s rights movement, this movie highlights what a group of women was able to achieve as they blazed their way on the basketball court. With their glorious finish at the National championships, the team proved their worth both on and off the court.

Coach Cathy Rush is portrayed as a very hard-hitting, no-holds barred woman. With her unconventional coaching ways and the burgeoning women’s right movement, even Rush’s own husband is sometimes perplexed about her place in the home and on the basketball court. Using men’s basketball training techniques, Coach Cathy Rush allows her players to practice with male players. A decision that ruffles the feathers of the Mother Superior since, at the time, men were not even allowed on the Immaculata College campus.

In the end, what makes Cathy Rush a winning coach is her endless enthusiasm for women and the sport of basketball. In one scene she optimistically hands out lapel pins to strangers that say “We will be #1” as she attempts to rally a fan base. In another she argues about a woman’s role in the early 1970s when she declares that her team deserves a chance because they have “been told so long that they can’t, that they can’t imagine wanting it.”

The Mighty Macs is rated G and is fairly suitable for all audiences. The movie contains no swearing, however one scene is set in a bar and the characters are casually drinking a beer. The movie also contains minor fibbing and lying, including one character dressing as a nun in order to get free airfare. Overall, however, nothing in the movie was overbearing or offensive.

Funny at times, insightful at other times, The Mighty Macs is a good family movie. At times the “come back from behind” sports movie theme does seem a bit cliché and overdone. Also, the movie focuses heavily on Coach Cathy Rush and doesn’t really develop much of a storyline about the players on the team themselves. However, to steal a quote from the movie, this film is “for every team that thought they never had a chance.” Without a doubt, the original Mighty Macs paved a path that has lead to women’s athletics as we know it today. By looking back through films such as The Mighty Macs, it’s easy to see how very far we all have come.

For more info about THE MIGHTY MACS, which opens in theaters October 21, go to http://www.themightymacs.com.

The producers are generously giving one reader the opportunity to win an autographed poster, signed by the members of the cast. To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment here on the post (if you are reading this on Facebook, please visit our website.) The giveaway will be open until Wednesday 10/19 at 10:00pm eastern.

Check out the latest edition of Heart of the Matter’s Magazine, for free!

The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener.

We’ve now had ours for months, and I love it more every time I use it. It sharpens both regular pencils and colored pencils into a perfect point.  Isn’t it cute? It’s so retro looking – and way less expensive than the best rated electric one I found (like a hundred and sixty dollars cheaper), and it works great. What more can you ask for?  I contacted the maker a couple of weeks ago and he is once again willing to give away not ONE, but TWO of these terrific little sharpeners to readers of Heart of the Matter!

To enter, leave a comment below.

Contest ends Friday, October 21 at Midnight.

***Those viewing on Facebook or Twitter must post a comment on the original Heart of the Matter article to be eligible.

For those who don’t win, but would like to purchase, it also comes in the most adorable car shape, which was a big hit with my kids.

Deb is a knitting, cooking, home schooling mom. Who is way cooler than that sounds. Really. She blogs about all sorts of random and sometimes even mildly interesting things at Not Inadequate.