Princess Heirlooms

Time 4 Learning

2011-12-12T13:19:00.003-05:00

Arminda has been using the Time 4 Learning for 8th grade for the past few days. She is enjoying it, but we are both frustrated that we can't figure out how to customize her curriculum. I would like to have her skip some of the activities that she already knows, but I can't figure out how to do it.

I use http://www.theheadoftheclass.com with my 3rd grader, and it is SO customizable. I can change things easily on that site, and I can give her assessments every few months and the site will automatically adjust her curriculum to skip activities she has mastered and repeat ones she needs more work on. I expected at least as much from Time4Learning as I can do with a free program.

I will keep looking to see if there is a way to customize (or if anyone reading this knows of a way, please let me know!) and I'll update the post.

Update: There doesn't seem to be a way to change her curriculum online to skip activities or repeat ones I feel she needs more work on. But, each assignment has a number that I can look up and have her input that into a box (I think!) to have her repeat the lesson. I'm not sure how that works with skipping lessons, I may have to give her a list of just the assignment numbers I would like her to complete and have her put the numbers in. We love this program, but I find this extremely inconvenient.
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As a member of Time4Learning, I have been asked to review their online education program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. Write your own curriculum review or learn how to use their curriculum for homeschool, after school study or summer learning.

New Giveaway at Freely Educate

2011-11-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

There is a new giveaway on Freely Educate

All About Reading Curriculum ($157 Value)

It looks pretty interesting.

Life Skills or Child Labor?

2011-09-23T11:21:00.001-04:00

Today, I'm thinking about having Arminda do "Life Skills". In other words, I have a bunch of housework that I have fallen behind on and I need her help. Learning to do the laundry is a necessary skill, right? And, using the embroidery machine is pretty important too, right? I also have a few avocados in the fridge that really need to be turned into some guacamole. Ok, so today, Life Skills (otherwise known as child labor).

She's going to be so excited!

Time 4 Learning, going to try it out.

2011-09-23T10:37:00.005-04:00

I have Arninda trying out the website. She's been on for a few minutes and this is what she just asked me, "Mom, is this suppose to be fun? Because it's not, it's boring!"

So far, not so good. I'll update again when she's used it longer. She using the 8th grade version.

Update:
We tried out Time 4 Learning for both girls for a month. At first, Arminda wasn't crazy about it, but after she was on for a day or two, she really loved it. Lydia was also a fan. It was easy enough for both girls to use without asking me for help every few minutes. They both told me it was the most fun they had ever had learning. (not sure how I feel about that, since I do most of their teaching!)

We have actually decided to go ahead and sign up for the service for Arminda. Lydia will continue to use the free curriculum: The Head of the Class.

If anyone signs up, I'd love it if you use my referral

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Joy's Hope: On shyness.

2011-02-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

Joy's Hope: On shyness.

Fantastic blog post about shyness. Go, read it.

I Just Won 8 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-12-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

I Just Won 8 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

New Contest

2010-10-09T17:36:00.000-04:00

We've had a busy and stressful past couple of months. But, I'm not up to posting about that right now, so I give you a link to a contest instead.
http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content/348-October-Giveaway-The-Homeschool-Reader-Series-1995-1999-Collected-Articles-from-Home-Education-Magazine

Crayola Color Wonder Giveaway

2010-07-21T08:57:00.000-04:00

There's not much time left, but if you head over to: http://afewshortcuts.com today, you can sign up to win a Crayola Color Wonder pack.

How Do you Take a Picture of a Child Like This?

2010-07-20T13:20:00.000-04:00

My Lydia, she just NEVER holds still!

Homeschooling Resource

2010-07-01T15:24:00.001-04:00

I mentioned this in my last post, but I've been homeschooling my youngest daughter, Lydia since February. I've just begun to homeschool our oldest daughter, Arminda. Corey, of course graduated this year. (my baby boy...)

Anyway, I again wanted to mention a wonderful site I found for homeschoolers. http://www.freelyeducate.com/ This site is a WEALTH of information! If there is something you want to teach your child, look here, and Lori will show you where to find a free resource for it! I am constantly amazed at all the wonderful things she finds! Just today she posted about a free Phonics reading program: http://www.progressivephonics.com/ I plan to try it out with Lydia.

I tend to start at Lori's site first anymore if there is something I'm looking for. And, most times, I find it on her site!

Ancient Egypt, Dance Class...etc...

2010-06-22T13:02:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Brian and I decided to homeschool both of our girls. We started Lydia in February and I just started with Arminda. It's going pretty well. Right now, we are studying Ancient Egypt. Which, I have always found very fascinating and Lydia does too! Arminda isn't quite the history nut that Lydia is, but I think I can get her to come around! I'm considering making a mummy with the girls. I found some "recipes" online. We'll see about that though!

And, Lydia's lifelong dream has been fulfilled! She is now taking dance class!! At least for the summer. She is THRILLED!!! I am considering making her some leotards. I purchased Kwik Sew 2725 on the recommendation of a friend of mine. I really hope I get to it! I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you though!

What else... Oh, I posted a new tutorial over on my Disboutique blog, written by my friend Jeanne (like in the bottle). It's a really cute little skirt.

And, here is a great giveaway on one of my favorite sites: FreelyEducate It's for Summer Bridge Activity Books. She's giving away five. And, while you are there, look around her site, it is WONDERFUL!

Have a great day, and don't forget to vote for me for Sewing Idol, you can vote every day. Click the link over in the right sidebar. (the one that should be sparkling and says "Sewing Idol")

Pook A Looz Giveaway on Chip and Co.

2010-04-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Cip and Co. is having a contest to give away a cute little Pook A Looz. I'd never heard of these before I saw this, but they are cute!
http://www.chipandco.com/2010/04/disneys-pook-a-looz-giveaway-from-chip-and-co/trackback/

Princess Tiana

2010-04-17T22:50:00.000-04:00

This is a dress I just made for one of our Make a Wish Big Gives. I was pretty happy with how it came out. It is suppose to be Tiana from Princess and the Frog. I used the tutorial that I haveup on my Disboutiquers blog. (link over there in the right column, unless I moved it since I wrote this post.) I also made a pink Cinderella dress, but I'm not happy with how it photographed on the dress form, so I don't want to post pictures!

Big Box of Sewing Goodies!

2010-04-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

I spent the afternoon today at my sister's house. My cousin Tracy came over too, and brought me a huge box of sewing goodies!!! So many zippers that I don't know that I'll EVER have to buy another one! Buttons, snaps, hooks, thread, pins, Velcro (Heather is pretty sure it is form when Velcro first came out!)among other wonderful things! And, to my delight, a SEWING HAM!!! WITH A STAND!!! I've wanted one of those since Mrs. Mac Donald's Home Ec class in 7th grade. Oh, the wonders of a sewing ham! I will have to take some pictures and post them!

Why I Should Pay More Attention To My Kids

2010-03-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

The other week was a busy one for me, trying to sew up all the dresses. So, I guess I was distracted when Lydia was talking to me.

"Momma, I want to make a kite."
"Ok Lydia, that's nice."
"Momma, I need some fabric."
"Ok, Lydia."
"I'm going to use some out of this bag, you said it was scraps, so I can use them, right?"
"Uh,huh.."

"OOOH, pretty!"

10 minutes later....

"Momma, LOOK at my new kite!"

"Nice Lydia..."

"NO, Momma, LOOK!"

"OH! That's my Sis Boom fabric..."

"I KNOW! Isn't it pretty!"

"Yes, Lydia it is VERY pretty!" (and very expensive....)

So, with no further adieu, here are some more pictures of Lydia and her kite.

What would Jennifer think???

These Amazing Friends of Mine

2010-03-09T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, my sister requested that I be at Mom's house by 6:00 for our weekly Family Pizza Night. Mysterious little sister. She had me curious, I must say! I asked Corey if he knew of any special programs on TV at 6?? He didn't. I had just finished up my Dress Marathon week, and was a bit sleep deprived. On top of that, it was a hard week for me, because Monday had been the 14th anniversary of my second baby, Quinn's birthday and a few days before that was 13 anniversary of the birth of our third baby, Gavin. Neither one of them survived to their birth.

So, I was having a stressful and I'll admit a "woe is me" kind of week. I was very much looking forward to Pizza Night, so I could relax with my family.

So, around 6:15 or so, my sister, Heather, went into my parent's bedroom. Five minutes later, she returned and handed me a phone. I was confused (nothing new)as I heard familiar names coming from voices I had mostly never heard before. It was a group of my online (but oh so real) friends.

Shannon was appointed spokesperson, and she started out by saying that there was something they all wanted to say to me.

"Uh oh" I though, "it's a fabric-addict intervention!"

But, no as she continued, she told me that they had all decided to nominate me for the "Sewing Idol" contest being held on Sew News.com (go ahead and click on the link to view what she wrote, and go ahead and vote for me if you like!). She read me the most beautiful and touching tribute that they had all collaborated to write about me. I was stunned, I was in tears.

This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me, and I thank you my dear friends, Shannon, Cathy, Carla, Marlo, Stephanie, Mindy, Tom, Heather, Tifani, Stacey, Jessica and Jeanne you guys are the best!

Too Many Dresses in Too Little Days!

2010-03-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful customer order some Princess dresses from me. We met on the Disboards ( http://www.disboards.com, go check it out!) Due to some PMs that are lost in cyberspace, I had only a few days to finish up three of the dresses. This resulted in several almost all night sewing sessions so I could get these out to her in time for their trip! Sleep is overrated, right? (Don't worry, I don't really believe that!)
So, here they are:
I am just going to admit it. I LOVE the way this Cinderella turned out! I found the perfect material at Joann's. It is white with blue and silver designs. Then, the bottom is white fabric that I sprayed with some sparkles. (I love sparkles). My sister, Heathersue, digitized the embroidery designs on all these, except for the book on the Belle dress. She is an amazing digitizer.The Cinderella dress is made with the Precious Dress (Aka:The Lydia) by CarlaC. I modified the neckline a bit and added elastic to the sleeves as well as shortened them.

The next one I made was Belle:

I wasn't crazy about this one until I put the little ribbon roses on the peplum, then I loved it! This is the Simply Sweet pattern by CarlaC
I used the directions on Carla's blog to princify these dresses.

Then, I tackled a Sleeping Beauty. This is also the Simply Sweet pattern, princessified:
Last, I used CarlaC's Molly to make Giselle from Enchanted:

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-02-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I've been doing Swag Bucks just over a month and have earned $20 in Amazon gift certificates!

Disney's Give A Day Get A Day

2010-02-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

I went to Joann's today and bought some fleece for the family to make blankets for Project Linus. It's a project I've been wanting us to do anyway, so when I found out it was one of the organizations offering free Disney tickets for volunteering, I figured this was a good time to do it!

Lydia picked out a really cute Strawberry Shortcake fleece for her blanket, then since the other kids didn't think a trip to Joann's sounded like a fun way to spend their day off of school, we picked out everyone else's too. Arminda will be making a zebra blanet, Corey a dinosaur, Brian a hunting dogs blanket and Lydia picked out a cute golf fleece for me to make something with.

It was so much fun picking out things we thought other kids would like. Lydia put a lot of thought into it, and we talked about how nice it will be for the kids to be able to cuddle up in the blankets we made. I was glad that Lydia saw that the free tickets were really secondary to helping out someone else. (although, the free tickets are a very nice bonus!)

I will post some pictures when we get them made.

Time for a change

2010-02-13T10:38:00.001-05:00

Like my new background? I thought is was cute too. I found it at Shabby Blogs
The best part? It's called Lydia's Apron!

I just finished sewing up a few things. I am a tester for CarlaC and I just sewed up this adorable springy dress for Lydia. I used SisBooms Casey Scroll in this fabulous pink! I added a sash to the dress. I'll be making more of these! You can buy the pattern at CarlaC's site or on YouCanMakeThis .

Then, yesterday, I made a dress for my niece, Tessa, for her Father Daughter Dance. My sister is a wonderful sewer herself, so I was honored that she asked me to make it!

I used CarlaC's "The Precious Dress" pattern (which I like to think of as "The Lydia" ) unfortunately, the card reader on my computer is not cooperating with me at the moment, so I don't have a picture. I'll update with one as soon as I can. For now, you will have to take my word for it that it was pretty cute!

Edit: My sister uploaded a picture of the dress, so I stole her picture!

giveaway

2009-09-16T14:32:00.001-04:00

I don't have much go post, so here's a giveaway for you!

It's for a pampering beki item!

http://shealynnbenner.blogspot.com/2009/09/pampering-beki-giveaway_15.html

Another cool giveaway

2009-08-21T01:31:00.000-04:00

This is a really fun blog, she is always posting neat ideas and tutorials! She is having a giveaway, so go enter!

http://treasuresfortots.blogspot.com/2009/08/girl-bento-box-set-giveaway.html

EA Sports Giveaway

2009-06-25T22:13:00.001-04:00

Go here to enter to win an EA Sports for the Wii
http://budurl.com/jc4c

Time for a New Giselle

2009-06-21T22:48:00.000-04:00

It was with great sadness that I have had to pass on Lydia's Giselle dress to my niece, Tessa. Lydia got to wear it one last time while we were in Florida in May. I took some cute pictures of her in it at the Grand Floridian. But, as we were leaving the Grand Floridian and I told her I had another dress for her to change into for our meal at Bomas, she asked "Does it have more elastic in it? Because my Giselle dress is getting too tight!" So, I'm thinking the next Giselle dress will be made with "more elastic" in it. :-) I'm working on some plans and hope to get started on it in the next week or two. I picked up some material that should work for it, and hopefully have enough for one to sell on Etsy too.

This is the old Giselle dress. Oh, how I loved this fabric, but I can't find it anymore!

Long Time No Post!

2009-02-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, it was October when I posted??? Goodness!

Well, the other day, Armnida had a Famous African American Wax Museum at her school. Each kid in her class had to pick a famous African American to be. Then, they dressed as the character and stood out in the hall at school. People would then come and press the "buttnon" on their hands and the kids gave a short speach about the person. It was really a lot of fun! Arminda chose Serena Williams. I made her a skirt using CarlaC's Perfectly Preppy skirt pattern, available on http://www.youcanmakethis.com/ and Carla's raglan t-shirt pattern. Ok, I actually made the t-shirt earlier in the year for something else, but I did make it.

Etsy

2008-10-18T19:10:00.000-04:00

I finally got more than one item listed on Etsy! Woo hoo! I added a Minnie Dot dress the other day, and am hoping to put up some more items soon. I like Etsy much better than Ebay, mostly because of the lower fees. But, there is also a friendly, homier feel to Etsy I think.
http://www.princessheirlooms.etsy.com