Homeschool vs. Public School Graphic

I think on an almost weekly/biweekly basis I have to defend my choice of homeschooling my kids.  It's refreshing to get numbers, real numbers that help me recommit to my decision to continue home schooling my children.

Home schooling is hard.  It's a commitment to learning and taking charge of your child's education, often with out any outside help.  So mom's who homeschool, take a look, a deep breath, and smile knowing you're doing great.

Primal Menu Plan

We don't have a lot of cooking to do this week.  Monday night I'm teaching in the evening so no dinner there.  Then we're going out of town Friday morning.


Monday: out
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Smokey Roast
Wednesday: Chicken with Cauliflower and Olives
Thursday: Paleo Sausage Stuffed Peppers


We are going camping this weekend so I thought I'd tack on some snacks that we'd like to take with us.

• Paleo Trail Mix
• Pumpkin Spice Granola

Linking back to Organizing Junkie

Roman History and Latin Curricula

Ok, slightly obscure.  My son has expressed interest in all things Roman.  He wants to learn Latin, and for history this year he wants to study the ins and outs of Roman History. The beauty of homeschooling is child directed learning. However finding homeschool curricula on this has been challenging.  Here's a list of what I've found to save you some time.  I'm inspired to write a curricula...because there's nothing out there that is the way I want it to be. I don't even know where to begin, but I just might work through it.

Anyway, here are some links to curricula that I am considering until I can space the time away to write my own.

1. Heritage History: Ancient Rome: At $24.99 for a CD of the entire curricula and study guide, this is a bargain and will be a great resource.  It's definitely being purchased.
2. Roman History Pockets: These are great supplement when combined with other forms of study.  They are fun projects that my children have enjoyed in the past.  Last year it was American History, and they just loved them.
3. Literature Pockets: Greek and Roman Myths: Another great project resource.
4. Rome Unit Study: This is a free unit study you can download and print out to use as needed. Free is fabulous...isn't it?
5. If your child learns best through worksheets, then Ancient Rome Thematic Unit may be a good supplement, too.

Latin Resources:

1. Latin: First Year: I was drawn to this one because of it's quizzes and tests book. I am a secular/classical schooler, so this test booklet is super important to me. Before purchasing though, I do suggest reading the comments listed below.  It got some not so great reviews.
2. Beginning Latin for the Homeschooler looks like a strong contender for us. This has great reviews and is very basic.  It seems to me that this book may be used before you begin the first book I linked. 
3. Latin's Not So Tough is a classical curricula with pacing, tests, study guides...it seems to have it all.  It seems difficult to obtain, and I suppose you are lucky if you get your hands on one. It also seems to be geared towards younger learners.  It looks appropriate for 2nd and 3rd graders, or maybe even a gifted 1st grader.

Any resources out there that you think I should add to the list?  Just comment below and I will take a look. 

Menu Plan Monday

Back to life, and back to menu planning.  I haven't been great at menu planning or keeping my life organized lately. It's expensive not to, and I don't eat as healthy and I put on weight.  Yuck. Anyway, here is my plan for our sad week.



Monday: Paleo Fish Tacos
Tuesday: Funeral Viewing (out)
Wednesday: Funeral (out)
Thursday: Primal Fried Shrimp and raw carrots (meal on the go)
Friday: Primal Pizza
Saturday: Caribbean Seafood Stew
Sunday: Grilled Chicken and grilled veggies

Finding a Secular Science Homeschool Curriculum

It's almost laughable. A secular science curriculum?  They are out there, and they are extremely hard to find. Lots of authors tip toe around the Christian majority who homeschool, and there are so many creationism curricula it's unreal.

Well, let me show you what I've found so hopefully you won't be driven to wine at 10:30am. Some stuff I've used, some stuff I will try this year. Please feel free to comment below if you've used any of these and have had success (or not) with them.

• Intelligo unit studies are a great resource.  Last year my son did one of their astronomy units, and found it very inspiring and thorough.  They are so secular they have TWO unit studies on Evolution, and frankly, they are one of the few curricula I have ever seen to have it.
• Last year we used Noe Science and if I get around to it I will write a complete review of it.  Currently the entire curricula is missing because of our move....so I'll have to find it first. It came with a science kit, lots of experiments and was pretty fun to use.  There are no tests, which I didn't like, so it was hard for me to know what my children were retaining.  We did Biology, and I'm sure it's pretty obvious, but evolution was never discussed.  Also, there is a biblical verse in the beginning, however the rest of the curricula had no reference to any religion.
• Real Science Odyssey is said to be a secular science curricula. This is a contender this year for my butterfly.  I'm betting this particular curriculum is to easy for my little science geek son, but it might be a good fit for my girl.
• Focus on Middle School Science is more of a contender for my son.  They also claim to be secular.
• Elemental Science is also a contender for us next year.  They go from pre-k to 7th grade and up. Edit: We ended up not choosing this curricula, so I have no personal experience with it. Comments below have noted that this is not quite a secular curricula but more of a neutral curricula. They do not cover evolution.
• Building Foundations is another secular curricula. It comes in different levels up to 8th grade.
• Last one I found that seemed worthy of a nod was the Nancy Larson science curriculum. This curricula is for kindergarten through fourth grade.

So there you have it.  Hopefully with this post I've saved some sanity for you.  If I missed any curricula just link it below, I'm happy to add any secular science curricula my readers may find.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday - All primal

I'm grumpy...and I'm going to admit something.  I hate sitting down planning menus.  I truly enjoy eating from said menus.  We eat better, and stay within our budget when I plan out menus. I know some people sell menu plans...I sincerely wish I had the extra money laying around to buy one.  Also, we have a leg of lamb we got at the end of last summer that's been sitting in our freezer.  It's been in there long enough, maybe too long.  It must be eaten before it gets any more burned. Anyway...here I go with this week's menu plan.

Monday: Leftover Cookout stuff
Tuesday: Paleo Kung Pao Chicken (can you believe it?!)
Wednesday: Fire Roasted Paleo Chili
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Pankoconut Fish Sticks with sweet potato fries.
Saturday: Going to a cook out!
Sunday: Roasted Leg of Lamb


A recipe I'd like to try out this week: Breakfast cookies!
One recipe we tried last week that was awesome was this seasoning recipe for tacos.

Linking up with Organizing Junkie, be sure to check it out for more menu plans (just in case you hate to make them like I do!!).

No Sugar Jalapeño Raspberry Vinaigrette

After the stress of moving I've needed to clean out my diet.  Less hard cider, more salads. The stress of this move helped me put on five pounds, and I don't want my salads to be the same old boring salads.  I've always found that when I make my own dressing they taste so much better.  I had been craving a Jalapeño Raspberry Vinaigrette and I couldn't find a primal/paleo recipe anywhere so I made one up myself.  It was so good I had to share it with you.  If you like a sweet/spicey combo this one is for you. You should know, this recipe does not store long in the fridge.  Make small batches!

• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 of 1 jalapeño (or 1/2 if you want it really spicy)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

1.  In a blender mix raspberries, your bit of jalapeño, and your garlic clove.  Pulse until they are well blended. 
2. Add in oil, honey, vinegar and salt.  Blend again until you've reached your desired constancy. 
3. Chill in the fridge for an hour or two to let the flavors blend, best if used within 24/48 hours. 
4. If you need it to last in the refrigerator for more than two days, add a tsp of organic lime juice.