Hey all, this is a guest post by Marina.
She's here to talk about Credit Card Fraud.

Did you know that, pretty soon It will be time for interested parties to contact the Homeschool Review Crew.

Yes, isn't it exciting?    Just think...you too could be part of this marvellous group of people working together, helping others find excellent curriculum, and/or warning of you potential issues that they see.  Great eh?

So let me tell you WHY you should join the crew.

1. Friendship.  I know.. friendship?   With a bunch of people you meet on-line??? But yes, friendship.  You get to know each other through our blogs and through conversations.   Commenting on each others' blogs and sharing time and ideas with each other... IT IS GREAT!

2. Support.   Have a concern about schooling your children?   Curious about a curriculum?  Want to know some of the ins and outs of how a curriculum works and no one in your real world circles has even heard about it?   Well the ladies (and Tim!) of the crew will be HAPPY to help you out.  Giving real life experiences and tweaks if needed.

3. Curriculum.   The curriculum is great.  I haven't met one yet that I can say was truly awful.  Not all have been a great fit, but they have all had redeeming value and I've met some true gems....curriculum that I will turn to time and again to help me educate my boy.   Get this point clear... the curriculum is FREE!!!!   :)

4. Writing.  You want to become a better blogger and gain some inspiration for your blog?   Well.. the crew will help you.  You can ask leadership to review a blog post before you submit, you can query other crew members for ideas on how to say an idea better, you can read what others have to say and so learn from how they write. 

5. Volunteer opportunities.  Did you know that the crew leadership can't do ALL the jobs on their own?  I know.. stunning revelation eh?   Behind the scenes there are groups of people working, helping us to become the best we can, making sure all the "T's" are crossed, and that the vendors get good exposure for the dollars they pay for our help.

6. Prayer and Praise.  We can rejoice over victories in health, schooling and life.  We can join prayer of the sorrow of family loss, moving, job changes, illness and more.

7. World travel .. without even having to leave your home.  The crew is all over the place, this year I think we have Australia, England, Canada, all parts of the USA, and a few I can't think of right now.

So what do you need to join the crew?

1. A blog and a willingness to write posts.
2. Current requirement is once a week write a post.
3. Willingness to write reviews.
4. Be interested in knowing what curriculum is out there.
5. Being active on social media in order to spread the news about our vendors and the great products they have.

For more information check out this post here or click on the graphic below

The TOS Crew is renaming itself.  We will now be called the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can read about our exploits here.

Usually I store these open windows in a file on my blog task bar, but some of these are posts that I was wanting to share with folks, so I figured I'll temporarily.. well permenantly.. store them publicly.  :)

SmartKidz Media.
This was a review I did last year and I recently discovered they've extended my subscription for another year!   Pretty cool eh?  Today we learned about the geography of Turkey.. rather fascinating.
e in Christ
This is a well
Made Whol written poem by the author of the blog Call to Witness.
An excerpt
Jesus Christ is the only One who can plug the gap in my spirit.

Before He came, I was a slave to sin,

Learning the power of saying I don't know.
A short quote: There are at least three reasons why admitting ignorance is good for you as a person and a ministry leader:  You will have to go to the post to discover those three reasons.  :)

Twittter page for Homeschooling World.
I found some links on this page I found intriguing and wanted to find the time to follow up on them.  

Gosh, Golly, Gee...
I have to admit that I am not sure if I agree with the innocence of using these words. I think more care needs to be given when using these words, as that lack of respect for God is also disrespect... it's hard to figure sometimes....

Neuter your rabbit.
I have to admit that most of my readers WILL NOT be interested in this post.. but it's one that intrigued me.  not sure that I am brave enough to try any of the methods with my rabbits though.... 

Moving beyond the page.
Someone recommended them as a great science program so I thought I'd check it out.  Won't be using them, as I have a science program already that is working for us.  BUT they do look interesting.

Three Bravewriter Products.
have to admit, I haven't really looked at this page, it's on my "to-do" list which I haven't really managed to shorten (at least that's how it feels).   I hadn't heard of bravewriter before but something about the post intrigued so .. I'll get to looking at it sometime.  :)

Meet the masters.
Still haven't signed up for this... but it's supposed to be free for the summer or something like that.  :)

10 YouTube Channels to supplement homeschooling.
Hey.. the title says it all.  Wouldn't you save it to look at later????

Of interest to fellow Ontario-ians.  :) 
Coupons for Ontario Attractions! 

Vows.
Hubby suggested I read this.   I felt VERY sad when I finished it.   Our denomination is under such a battle.   Political statements made during communion.   If the church is supposed to be so welcoming then why make such a political statement during a time when we are to see our sin clearly and our need for Christ be felt more dearly?   Sometimes, all this stuff makes me just want to weep.

Wedged:
This one wasn't open in my browser at the time, but I think it deserves to be read as a counter-point to the one above.

Anyways, closing ALL those tabs will make my laptop run better so I can close my last two windows...LearnBop and The TOS Forum when I get this review done.  :)

Today my Momma's heart was made glad.

My lad had an eardrum replaced this past week.   He's had this surgery before but last year, it didn't bother him much at all if any.

It was completely different this year.

Ah my lad struggled. It was hard to see him upset and looking so bleary and knowing that wasn't anything I could do to make it better other than to be a support to him. 

But today that changed.

OH MY did it change.

He was talking and laughing and excitedly sharing details of videos with me and plans for his minecraft stuff AND....   We went for a walk!!! 

We had a great time.
Pointing out flowers that were new.   Marsh marigolds, trilliums, and more.
Noting birds.... the mallards, Canada geese, and pretty sure it was a wood duck.
Talking about this that and the other thing.   It was great!

My quick eyed boy saw this fellow.  Collecting pollen already...

We tried to follow the bee back to it's home but lost it in the trees.   I have to admit, by the time we were done our walk, and a quick shopping trip for more advil (and MOM PLEASE cupcakes are on sale), we were both tired. 

BUT ah... my momma's heart is much more happy now that my lad is feeling better.

What predicates this post being written?

The other day on facebook I commented on how I have my peas planted, and how my radishes and turnips are coming up.    I was surprised to get comments of "Boy you are early!"  "Wow.. .that's might early".   I often have things in the garden at this time of year.    I don't always tell people, but this year it surprised me at how many people commented on the earliness.

Hubby, in answer to my surprise said "but hun, you have raised beds.. it makes all the difference".

So know you what predicated this post.  :)    Be prepared to get some early gardening advice.

Early in the season... probably beginning of March I put up my hoop over one of the raised beds.  I did this so the ground would have a chance to heat up.   I blocked off the ends and just waited. 

Once the weeds started growing I knew the soil was warm enough.    I planted cold weather seeds such as spinach, radish, turnip and the like and then let the boards stay up until the seeds sprouted.

Now the boards stay off and I just watch for frost warnings.   I picked up some inexpensive frost cover at the local dollarama.

At the beginning of this week, after we had a good rain I planted my sugar snap peas.   The package will tell you to soak them, but I've learned you don't need to soak them if you just wait with on the weather.  Rain comes in the spring.  :)   I put my peas in.  YEAH!!!    Soon enough I'll have pea!!!!  The lad and I can eat them all before they even come in the house. :)  (and dad will shake his head at us).

oday as I was fussing about I noted I made an error in judgement.  I forgot to remove my seeds from a box before I watered our freshly bought mint!   ACK!!!   Wet seeds!

(guess what I got to do?)

Yes..you nailed.. I got to plant seeds that I wasn't anticipating planting today.  :)

I planted: more spinach, swiss chard, lettuce (two kinds), mustard greens, and Salad greens.   This is all for the bunnies except for what we steal for our own table.

I also planted some bush type zucchini.   These went into my short box raised beds that I reserve for plants that need their own space.

In my raised beds I plant close together, usually about 6-8 inches, but some plants simply don't do well with that type of spacing.  Those plants have short beds that they don't need to share.  :)   I planted the whole package of zucchini which we DEFINITELY don't need but they will hopefully come up and then my son can sell them to raise some dollars.  :)    We'll market them to the various homeschool groups around.   I certainly felt stupid getting the seeds wet so hopefully that didn't ruin them.

I keep a thin piece of plywood next to my short boxes so I can cover plants as they start to come up to protect them from frost damage.

The reason I plant closely is two fold.
1. It helps to keep the grounded shaded so they don't dry out as fast.  The nemesis of raised gardens is they dry out quickly.
2. It helps shade the ground so weeds don't grow as persistently because there is no room for them to spread their roots.

The Joy of raised beds is
1. they are MUCH easier to work and it's easier to work up one section at a time.  This keeps the job from being overwhelming.
2. It's easier to rotate what is going where.
3. If you get a diseased patch of dirt (it happens).  It's easy enough to spread that batch of bad dirt over the lawn, which gets rid of dips and divots in your lawn.
4. Lack of persistent weeds.  Twitch grass is SO not a problem in my gardens.
5. Adding growing room is not difficult.  You can use a hoop cage, screw in support poles and hang twine down for plants to grow up, or you can even build up (as in the case of layering potatoes)...
6. It gets me started earlier growing plants for the bunnies.  They adore my parsely/cilantro patch and have eaten from it twice already.   I have some clover, plantain and dandelions mixed in the patch as well.

Here in Ontario, where the season can be shorter than one wants, having raised beds helps me to extend the time I can garden and to take advantage of the cool weather crops by planting early. 

Do you have anything special that you do when you garden?

Have you ever thought about using crayons to help your students learn about rocks?

It's a lot of fun and teaches in a fun manner.

Check out my guest post over at Tots and Me.

While you are there, if you have littles in your household, consider joining in Karen's link up.  :)  Share the knowledge you have.

Exciting News... I'm being given an opportunity to review Medieval Times.   I am not  not sure if you remember I was able to review them last year, but we get to go again!  :)

Just so yo know they are running a promotion and I thought I would share with with you. 

Moms get in FREE* May 2nd-8th! Code FBMOM valid 5/2/16 - 5/8/16 for ALL castles. Visit http://goo.gl/AZoxsH to redeem!
To make Mom feel really special, upgrade with to our Mother's Day special package! Upgraded Mother's Day Package includes framed photo of Mom, "Royal Highness" sash, and champagne, mimosa or cider in logo souvenir glass. Over $55 value for only $20!         *Visit link for details and restrictions

Medieval Times has been in the Toronto area for over 20 years and are the destination for celebration: birthdays, anniversaries, grad trips and bachelor & bachelorette’s. When you come to Medieval Times you will experience spectacular pageantry, dramatic horsemanship, breathtaking swordplay and falconry while feasting on a four-course medieval banquet. The experience culminates in an authentic jousting tournament between six brave Knights of the Realm.

I bought their God's design science materials to use with my lad.   They work well.

BUT I misplaced the CD for one of the units.   Called them hoping they had a private link online for them and learned that no they don't.

BUT the customer service fellow said "can I send it to you?"  

My immediate response was SURE.

I expected the CD.   It was my fault it got misplaced, so it was NOT their issue at all.  A CD would be a quick mail out eh?

Would be quick, cheap shipping.  They sent a whole other teachers manual.

WASN'T THAT TOO COOL!?!?!?!

I was SO impressed.

That goes beyond Good Customer service to me.  That's a heart for helping out folks and I so much appreciate it.  :)

YEAH Answers in Genesis.  You all rock.

   I have to admit that I am not real familiar with this artist.   BUT Chris Tomlin has a music video out called "Good Good Father" which sounds pretty good.  :)   So I thought I'd share it with you.  It's not what I would call a deeply theological song, but it is a nice song that speaks to God's love for us and his concern for us as a father.  It speaks to how God is perfect and loves us.

If you want to download the video on itunes you can find here.

Did you know that he is currently running a contest?
It's  Flyaway to see him in concert.   Pretty cool eh?   
You can learn more about that concert at this link.

CHRIS TOMLIN LYRICS

"Good Good Father"

Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like
But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And you tell me that you're pleased
And that I'm never alone

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

Oh, and I've seen many searching for answers far and wide
But I know we're all searching
For answers only you provide
Cause you know just what we need
Before we say a word

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

Cause you are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways to us

You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways to us

Oh, it's love so undeniable
I, I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable
I, I can hardly think

As you call me deeper still [x3]
Into love, love, love

[x3:]
You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

You're a Good, Good Father
(You are perfect in all of your ways)
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
(You are perfect in all of your ways)
It's who I am, it's who I am it's who I am