Vertical Garden Using Recycled Plastic Bottles

Directions are here. I am going to try this inside my the kitchen!

DIY Honey Bear Liquid Soap

Easy and so clever. See here for recipe.

Vertical Garden: Over the Door Wire Rack Kitchen Garden

So clever! See here.

DIY Covered Raised Bed Greenhouse - Extend the Garden Season

Source

Frugal and Small Footprint: Shipping Container Cabin

Strawberry Rhubard Pie Recipe

We had this in Amish country recently....soooo good:

Getting Ready for the New Homeschool Year

My eldest will be entering 10th grade, our eleventh year homeschooling. By now it has become old hat and an established way of life. I barely think about living any other way - it just is. My daughter begins second grade which is hard to believe. Her childhood seems to have rushed by much more quickly than my son's did. It is like a blur, but then she is like a blur - in constant motion. To quote Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin, she "danced up and down like a sunbeam". This is my daughter's walk through life. It's wonderful and exhausting all at once.

Jeremy will continue with Christian Light Education which he does on his own. Periodically, I'll add to the curriculum as an extension to his interests or comprehension. We talk a lot about his studies and use the Internet daily for free study resources. YouTube has a great many interesting documentaries and math tutorials which we use a lot.

Olivia, my little sunbeam is learning with Kindle educational apps and YouTube educational videos.Her attention is limited, so a full structured curriculum does not fit her. She is very curious and a natural learner. She pursues knowledge with gusto which makes it very easy for me! I read to her a lot, and we spend time learning by doing. We do use some structured curriculum. We are using Climbing to Good English(about 170 pages), Pathway Readers, and MCP math. Last year we finished about 80% of Christian Light Education's learning to read program. It was a good program; she just got a little burnt out on it.

Some of Our Resources:

Christian Light Education(Son - full curriculum)
Climbing to Good English(Schoolaid)
Pathway Readers
MCP Math(check Amazon as well)
YouTube (my channel)
Pinterest Homeschool Pins
Kindle/Android Learning Apps
Library
Nature Centers and Museums
Field Trips and Travel
Learning By Doing
Recreation Center for P.E.

Tutorial Children's Play Fort/Treeless Tree House

See here.

Naturalish DIY Home Acne Treatment

My son has mild acne with sensitive skin. I've had him use a zinc based wash and honey masks, and they seem to be working at keeping the acne at bay. He still has red areas that don't seem to heal. I'm still working on this, but the weekly honey masks bring down the redness quite a bit. Honey has gentle antibacterial properties which seems to work well with sensitive skin.

Our Gentle Acne Treatments:

-Zincplex Shampoo 8 oz - shampoo that he uses as a facial wash.

-Salux Nylon Japanese Beauty Skin Bath Wash Cloth(exfoliating cloth/towel)

-Honey from the grocery store
- BC Powder(aspirin) mask...takes away redness and promotes healing.
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Just ordered: Enessa Clove Acne Control 0.5 fl oz. Review to follow...update: Not effective, but nice scent. I use it as a perfume.

I try to order natural based products for us, and we are avoiding prescription medication because of the side effects.

I've been using this for scalp blemishes: Dr. Kaufmann Medicated Sulfur Soap . I've not gotten any new blemishes, but the old ones are healing very slowly. I have not had my son try this yet, but will soon. 

I bought this to keep my head cool through the night: Organic Buckwheat Pillow - Japanese Size (14" x 20") It's breathable and has helped a lot! I get some night sweats due to menopausal symptoms. The sweat inevitably results in blemishes, and I'm not hot with this new pillow. This and two fans at night!

We wash pillow cases every week which keeps an oily face cleaner. I flip my son's pillow over half way through the week.

I'm also using at-home acidic facial peels which have worked well at abating age spots and blemishes on my face with extreme exfoliation: Skin Obsession 40% Glycolic Acid Peel for Acne, Scars, Age Spots & Lines . This would probably be great for my son's skin, but he can't take the stinging feeling. When I use it, it feels more like an itchy sensation, but it is not painful at all.

Tobacco Farming Stories

My blogger friend Debbie has a facinating post about her childhood experiences helping with tabacco farms in North Carolina. She shares details of the entire process. See here.

Frugal Tent Homes

Thrift Store Shopping for Fall Children's Clothing in June

We got a new thrift here which now sells clothing by the pound. I thought I'd try it for some early back-to-school shopping, and was pleasantly surprised to find some decent items in the bins! I got two pairs of like-new Levi jeans and a good quality striped long sleeved top, all for my teenage son.

Check the thrifts NOW for good deals, before the stock is picked over in late July and August. I plan to return throughout the summer to build his wardrobe for the fall. I don't mind digging through bins for good deals, especially when they are .50 cents a pound!

Yardsales are good too, although I don't do them because of high gas prices. If a yardsale is on my way, I'll stop, but otherwise I like to go to a one-stop source.

Frugal Summer Plans

Gas prices have reached almost to $3.50 a gallon in our area! This year we are staying closer to home. A few frugal staycation plans  for us this summer:

- An overnight stay or two at a local hotel which has a free buffet breakfast and a fabulous pool.
- Visit state and federal parks for the day within an hour or two from our home.
- Go fishing locally.
- Visit the library.
- Take a swim class with the city recreation center.
- Learn handyman skills together as a family from free resources online and at the library.
- Go bowling.
- Garden
- Craft and learn to draw.
- Walking tours of the area's more pleasant places.
- Read and relax in the backyard.
- Hang out together with no plans .

DIY Portable Greenhouse From Recyclables

See here for tutorial.

Awesome Thrift Store Curriculum Finds

See here.

How to Fold To Towels Tutorial

June Homeschool History: Flag Protection Act

"The flag-protection movement regained national momentum during World War I, and on June 14, 1923, the first National Flag Conference was held in Washington, D.C., to establish a set of rules for civilian flag use. The U.S. Flag Code, first published in 1923 and adopted by Congress in 1942, is based on the belief that the American flag “represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” It proscribes any use of the flag that could be construed as disrespectful, including using it for advertising and to decorate clothing and other goods. While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down flag-protection laws as violations of free speech in 1989, the Flag Code is still maintained as a code of etiquette, enforced not by law but by tradition....In the 1920s, when the U.S. Flag Code was created, teaching respect for the flag was considered an essential part of 'Americanization', the process of assimilating immigrants into loyal, English-speaking citizens."

Read more here at the Smithsonian National Museum of History. Link to classroom resource.