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Toy Story 3 Review

We took some of the savings today and went to see Toy Story 3 (and to get out of the heat). It is a great movie! We all loved it. We saw the regular version, not the 3D one. The kids absolutely loved it. They have been talking about it all afternoon.

A quick review: Andy is going off to college and so he has to make the decision of what toys to place into the attic, or take with him to college, or to throw away. I won't give all of the details away, but the toys go on a wild adventure from SunnySide Daycare Center to the landfill and then to home. It will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what is about to happen next. You will catch yourself laughing out loud and embarrassing your children ** guilty here, :D **

But if you get the chance to watch, the kids and adults will love it!

Some Survey companies that I use

Here is a list of some of the survey companies that I am a member of that I make alot of money or prizes from.

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As a member of OpinionSquare, you'll have the opportunity to earn valuable rewards like sweepstakes entries, points redeemable for exciting prizes, and cash just for taking surveys.
https://www.opinionsquare.com/Default.aspx?Fn=ref&refID=ZJ_gD%

Points2Shop cash out is $5.50 or use points for items at Amazon.com
http://www.points2shop.com/?ref=PrpleHze

Mindfield: Cash out is a $5 check
http://mindfieldonline.com/referral/4ef64080

RewardTV: Take tests on TV/Movies that you watched the night/day before. I recently won on the Shopping Spree which happens twice a week. I have gotten alot of gift cards and gifts from this site.
http://www.rewardtv.com/join/default.sdo?refID=928017&join=friend

Valued Opinions: Cash out is $20 for Visa pre-paid gift card
www.valuedopinions.com/

BzzAgent: Try out new products and get awarded points to be used at MyPoints.


My Points: Click to read emails, surveys, and more for points that you use to purchase gift cards.
http://www.mypoints.com/

Pinecone Research-- Get a $3 check per survey

http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/RR595DS1.asp

I have been with Pinecone Research for quite some time now. It is a survey company where they send you surveys in your email to answer. From time to time, they also mail you items to test out. All company names and such are confident (which they will explain when you sign up), but I have personally been sent to test:

• dog food
• lotion
• candy
• beverages
• food
• hygiene items

At Pinecone, you don't have to worry about points or cashing out. Everytime you do a paid survey, they automatically send you a check for $3. If you have a paypal account, you can link up so your $3 gets sent to your paypal instead of a physical check. I normally receive anywhere from 1-4 checks a month from them.

There is only 1 account allowed per household. The surveys are only a few minutes long.
If you have any questions, you can email them at scott@pineconeresearch.com or click on the attached links to learn more about PineCone Research.
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//about.HTM
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//policy.htm

Another addition to my fund

Cash out at Mindfield.com for $26.

I also cashed out at OpinionSquare for a AMC movie ticket for 1 person for my bil for father's day. (He saw the movie "The A-Team")

Added to our Fund today

I cashed out for a $7 check from Opinion Outpost today.

What and How we teach

For the TN law, it states that we must homeschool at least 4 hours a day and 180 hours a year. We homeschool longer than that, but the law only cares if you make that 4 hours. **Every state is different, check with your local state laws to see what you are required to do. Some states don't have a limit while others do.**

I created my lesson plan sheet on my PC using Microsoft Works Word Processor, which came with the HP computer that we got.

This is what it looks like:


I just print them out and fill them out by hand. Then use my 3-hole punch to punch the holes in them so I can easily put them into my binder when the week is finished.

After printed them out, I prepare them and when I have that child's week done, I have a set of regular file folders that I write the week's dates on the tab in pencil, (so I can erase when that week is done and write the next week's date on them) and I place the sheets in there. I paperclip together the lesson plan sheet, which is on top, then any other worksheets that they may have. That way they have all of the work for that week clipped together.

I normally prepare about 3 months worth of work at a time. So I am prepared if something goes wrong, like I become sick or hurt, their work is ready for them. For an example, this past year I caught a very nasty flu and was basically bed-ridden for a month or so. But, my kids' lesson plans were already prepared, so we didn't get behind in any work.

***CW on the sheet above means Creative Writing. LA on the sheet above means Language Arts. Our Activity time differs from week to week. One week it is Spanish, the next is Keyboard, the next is Art, and the next is Poetry.***

Homeschool Attendance Calendars

http://donnayoung.org/calendars/calendars.htm
Since schooling for us is about a month or so away, I went ahead and printed out my calendar that I use for keeping attendance. I print out 4 copies. Three of them for each one of my children, which gets turned in to the Board of Education, which we are signed up with. And the last one is my copy. At the end of the year, I always put it in the binder that contains all of my lesson plan sheets for that year.

**I create lesson plan sheets for each one of my children, each a week's worth of work. After the week is done, I put the sheets in a binder with the year (so I can keep track just in case someone wants to know what we do), and I keep them seperated by using dividers.**

Adding to our Vacation fund

Well, I have posted about some survey sites that I am a member of and told you how you can make money and get free stuff. Well, here's what I got this past couple of weeks:

• Coupon for free can of Libby veggies (facebook)
• Coupon for a Weight Watchers Smart Ones
• Gillette razor
• Jeff Gordon Fan Club kit
• $5 Subway gift card
• $3 check from Pine Cone Research
• $20 Visa card from Valued Opinions
• $5.50 check from Opinion Outpost
• $6.45 check form Opinion Outpost
• $14.43 check from Viewpoint
• $2 check from Survey Spot
• (2) $5 Shell gift cards
• $10 BP gift card
• $10 Lowe's gift card
• Coupon for a free Goji Berry Juice

And I am currently doing 3 product testings. Woo-Hoo!

Couponing to Disney -- My Favorite Blog!!!

You probably see the banner on the side titled Couponing to Disney.
Well, I am going to tell you a little about the blog.

It is ran by a wonderful lady who posts tips, coupons, and much more to help us moms and families out to save some cash. Every year, she piles up all of the extra cash, survey cash, etc and they set a goal to go to Disney every year. It may seem far fetch, but I can tell it that it can happen.

My family and I set a goal to get a trampoline and a swimming pool, the kids have been begging to have. Within 6 months, we have them both by just using the survey money and extra money that we saved by using coupons and getting free stuff.

For an example, she posted about a coupon at Redplum that was for $1 off of Axe deordorant. Well, at Wal-Mart you will find the sample sizes (not the sprays) for about $.97. So the coupon basically gives you a free Axe. There have been other coupon just like that. She has a running tab on super-low priced and free items located at Wal-Mart, Targets and more.

Thanks to her, we are setting a new goal starting next month to save up to go on our first family vacation. There will be 5 of us. We are wanting to go to the Aquarium in Gatlinburg or the one in Chatanooga. It will have to be a day trip because we have outside animals that have to be taken care of.

But, stop on by her blog since school is out for the summer and take a look around to see if there is anything that can help you out.

So how do you like it?

I change the design of the blog today, I got tired of the old one. Change is good sometimes. I liked this template because it was more family / children style. :)

PBS Teachers Newsletter June 10, 2010

Reading Rockets 2010 Summer Reading List
It's summertime! What a great time to slow down or cool off with a good book. Browse and print Reading Rockets' 2010 summer booklist http://www.readingrockets.org/books/summer/2010

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Gulf Oil Spill Resources for the Classroom
Local PBS station WSRE has compiled a list of parent, teacher and kid resources regarding the Gulf oil spill at http://wsre.org/OilSpill/teachers-students-kids.asp

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Activity Packs: Offline Activity
Arts Everywhere Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8
Explore the meanings and moods of color through art, music, vocabulary, dance and cultural activities. Examine how the arts are used to portray personal feelings and depict social protest in society, and research the artwork of Norman Rockwell.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/activitypacks/arts/artseverywhere/


Martha Speaks: Interactive
Make the BandGrade Range: PreK, K-2
Create a musical composition for a band of kids and dogs using the control panel to choose the tempo, vocalists and instruments for the melody and rhythm. Build vocabulary by learning words that describe music.
http://pbskids.org/martha/games/maketheband/index.html

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WPSU: Energy Education for the 21st Century: Walk a Mile for a Burger?
Lesson PlanGrade Range: 6-8
Compare calories burned during a period of walking with the number of calories in certain types of food. Use a pedometer to associate physical activity (physical energy) with calories burned (chemical energy).
http://www.pspb.org/e21/lessonplan_detail.php?lp_id=38

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Nature: Horse and Rider On-Air: Sunday, June 13, 2010, 8 - 9:00 pm
Offline: Grade Range: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Every relationship between horse and rider rests on a few fundamental principles. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/horse-and-rider/introduction/834/

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Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency
On-Air: Monday, June 14, 2010, 9 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12
A biography of America's seventh president, this program explores whether Americans should celebrate Jackson or apologize for him. (CC, Stereo, 1 year)

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Reproduction of PBS Teacher Previews is permitted with proper credit given to PBS Online. Copyright 2010 PBS Online http://www.pbs.org/teacherline

Stones River National Battlefield Events

On Saturday June 19, 2010 at 7 PM, park rangers and volunteers will present Voices from the Past. This non-walking program, based on the stories of soldiers buried in Stones River National Cemetery and their families, is an alternative for people who are physically unable to go on the hour long lantern tours of the cemetery.
Visitors will gather on the back patio of the visitor center and listen to soldiers and civilians who will share their tales of loss and sorrow.
The program will begin at 7 PM on Saturday, June 19, 2010. Reservations are required and must be made by calling (615) 893-9501 starting on Monday, June 14, 2010 at 9 AM. Reservations will not be taken in the visitor center or by e-mail. There is a limit of four tickets per caller and reservations are not transferable to another program date.
If you have always wanted to hear the stories told during the cemetery lantern tours but were physically unable to join them, this is the program for you.
These programs are a part of a series of interpretive programs offered at the battlefield during the year. Stones River National Battlefield is located on the Old Nashville Highway, northwest of Murfreesboro. Additional information is available at the visitor center, at the park web site http://www.nps.gov/stri or by calling (615) 893-9501.

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HALLOWED GROUND: A LANTERN TOUR OF STONES RIVER NATIONAL CEMETERY
Superintendent Stuart Johnson announced that Stones River National Battlefield will offer Hallowed Ground: A Lantern Tour of Stones River National Cemetery during 2010. Each scheduled evening, one hour tours of up to thirty-five people will tour the cemetery by lantern light and listen to the stories of the soldiers who are buried there and their families.
The next program will begin at 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 19, 2010. Reservations are required and must be made by calling (615) 893-9501 starting on Monday, June 14, 2010 at 9 AM. Reservations will not be taken in the visitor center or by e-mail. There is a limit of four tickets per caller and reservations are not transferable to another program date.
These programs are a part of a series of interpretive programs offered at the battlefield during the year. Stones River National Battlefield is located on the Old Nashville Highway, northwest of Murfreesboro. Additional information is available at the visitor center, at the park web site http://www.nps.gov/stri or by calling (615) 893-9501.

Pinecone Research-- Get a $3 check per survey

http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/RR595DS1.asp

I have been with Pinecone Research for quite some time now. It is a survey company where they send you surveys in your email to answer. From time to time, they also mail you items to test out. All company names and such are confident (which they will explain when you sign up), but I have personally been sent to test:

• dog food
• lotion
• candy
• beverages
• food
• hygiene items

At Pinecone, you don't have to worry about points or cashing out. Everytime you do a paid survey, they automatically send you a check for $3. If you have a paypal account, you can link up so your $3 gets sent to your paypal instead of a physical check. I normally receive anywhere from 1-4 checks a month from them.

There is only 1 account allowed per household. The surveys are only a few minutes long.

If you have any questions, you can email them at scott@pineconeresearch.com or click on the attached links to learn more about PineCone Research.
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//about.HTM
http://www.pineconeresearch.com//policy.htm

Just a Reminder:

For all of those who have to turn in attendence sheets and Intent to Homeschool forms, please don't forget to turn those in. I turned both of our sheets on Thurs, 6/3. Make sure to call your Board of Education, if that is who you are registered through, to find out their summer hours.