Looking for an easy science project? Dunecraft has an amazing assortment of science products that your kids will love. (No, this is not a sponsored post. I just happened to get a few kits from Totsy, loved them, and wanted to share them with you.)

I needed something to help explain non-vascular plants to the children. Since as a child I never really understood the concept of how a plant could get water without roots, I didn’t want to mess this up.

Then I discovered the DuneCraft Curious George Science Novelties – Silly Squares. All you need to make this fun is water, but for added science oomph, you can grab measuring cups, ruler, and scale.

Before adding water to the cubes, measure and weigh them.

Next, add water to the cubes and stir it up a little… because little hands are not content to just drop these tiny pieces into water and walk away.

Have some paper handy and if the children want, let them draw the shapes of the squares as they grow and change.

We watched the clock and made a note of the time each time the children stirred the cubes around (which is not necessary but it is fun). I let them touch the squares too and I recorded what they said about the texture changes.

The next morning, it was time for some real fun!

For Lira, this was a real sensory test. I put the cubes on her plate and she touched them (barely) at first. Next thing I know, she was stacking them and wiggling them and squishing them between her fingers.

We measured and weighed the silly squares to compare the difference from when we started.

Then, Franc wanted to know what would happen if one of them dropped. So, outside we went and dropped them on the sidewalk. We tried different distances and… ahem… velocities. Nothing quite like smashed silly squares all over the sidewalk. But it was so much fun!

When they were done, I placed a few silly squares on a paper plate to let them dry. (Just a note… silly squares are reusable!)

The paper plate gave us an unexpected surprise. We were able to see the size variations as the water evaporated and the silly squares return to their original size. And, of course, we measured and weighed them again.

The children loved this project and it really helped them picture how non-vascular plants function. It also gave us an excellent opportunity to practice measurements. When I do it again, we are going to practice graphing by measuring and weighing every couple of hours.

How do you think you could use something like Silly Squares in your homeschool?

Here are just a few of the new coupons available this week.

From Coupons.com ~

$0.75 off any (1) one Danimals Crunchers 4-pack

$0.50 off one Newman’s Own Pasta sauce

$1.00 off any Adult LISTERINE mouthwash

From RedPlum.com ~

$0.55 OFF on ANY variety of LAND O’FROST® PREMIUM® ONE POUND

SAVE $5.00 on ANY ProNutrients® Supplement

SAVE $1.00 on ANY Children’s Advil® product

From Catalina’s CouponNetwork ~

Baby

75¢ off when you buy any FOUR GERBER® SmartNourish™ 2nd Foods Baby Food

$1.00 off when you buy any THREE gallons of GERBER® PURE™ Water

75¢ off when you buy any TWO 32oz. Gerber® Graduates® Fruit Splashers®

Breakfast

50¢ off when you buy EIGHT CUPS any variety Yoplait® Yogurt

Frozen Foods

$1.85 off when you buy any ONE Birds Eye® Voila® Product

From SavingStar ~

Buy 1 Truvia® Natural Sweetener (40 ct or larger), Save 75¢.Expires 3/15/2012.

Buy 1 issue of People® Magazine, Save $1.00. Expires 3/19/2012.

Buy 1 box of Kleenex® Hand Towels, Save 75¢.Expires 3/7/2012.

Earn cash rewards for sharing your opinion about baby products and services. They’ll even start you off with $5! Sign up to get started!

Are you 65 or older? Get paid for your opinion. Sign-up for Pinecone Research and earn CASH for completed surveys.

I have worked with Pinecone Research before and can certify that they are legitimate survey company that pays cash!

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

~John 10:10

Life is extraordinary but Jesus didn’t come so that it would be boring.

The realtor comes this afternoon and things should slow down a little, but these last several days have been a whirlwind. Since deciding to put our house on the market, I have spent my days de-cluttering eight years of living. As I cleaned out closets, I was stunned by the amount of clothes given to us. Overwhelmed by the toys our children have received. Hand-me-downs generously offered. God’s way of providing for the needs and desires of our children.

We contacted our insurance agent who was able to price a policy $1,500 a year cheaper than the policy selected by the mortgage company. This will make the deficit in our escrow account $3,000 less than the current adjustment. Some Facebook friends have asked if this will be enough to let us remain in our home. Right now, we are not sure what difference that will make in our monthly payment, but we realize that each year, insurance will continue to increase and this will constantly push our payments higher and higher. If we persist with the sale of our home, there is a possibility (God willing) that we will clear enough money to come away debt-free.

I was able to list a huge amount of clothing which the children have outgrown as well as kitchen items that I didn’t use very often on the Secondhand Sisterhood and made over $500 in one week. I was able to use this money to pay our utility bills and to purchase the items needed to do some home improvements to prepare the house for sale. We were also blessed by a benefit auction hosted by Jellybean Boutiques which raised over $80. That money is safely tucked away for March.

March… 

It is so strange for the future to be so uncertain. Bill and I want to sit down and make a plan but it is incredibly difficult. We literally are living day to day, just waiting for God to give us our instructions for the next 24 hours. But TODAY, we have everything we need.

Have you ever been in a place where you could not see where your next step would fall?

Follow Our Story ~

Standing at the Crossroads (February 4th)

Crossroads: Mortgage Update (February 6th)

Welcome Friends!

Last week’s linky was amazing! We set a record with over 100 recipes brought to our party. Thank you to all the bloggers who bring those goodies each and every week.

The recipe with the most clicks ~

Red Hot Oreo Fudge by Inside BruCrew Life

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Rainbow Teriyaki Chicken Pizza from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Mini Funfetti Cake Batter Cheesecakes by Moogie & Pap

And, a personal favorite ~

Western Sweet Potatoes from My Crowded Kitchen

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the “featured” button from my sidebar.

Your hosts ~

• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Baking Bad~ Hilary
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• Meet Penny ~ Me!

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FOUR blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

We want you to get as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, Baking Bad, 4 Little Fergusons, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!

<a href=" http://www.meetpenny.com/" ><img border="0" src="http://www.meetpenny.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/weekend-potluck-buttong.jpg" width="150"/></a>

Sometimes even in the dead of winter, you want some really awesome ribs. If it is too cold to grill, you can always use your oven. Yes, your oven.

Start with a huge pot of water and add enough salt to float a boat as well as some pepper, lemon, red wine vinegar, and a few bay leaves. Slice your rack of ribs apart and put them in the pot. Bring them to a boil and let it roll until they are brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the water and lay them (as flat as you can) in a large roasting pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and with the grate removed.

Pour barbecue sauce directly over the ribs. Add just enough water to the bottle to swish it around and pour that over the ribs too. Cover the entire pan and place it in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and add additional sauce if desired. Boy, do I desire! Return the ribs to the oven for another hour, uncovered.

These ribs will fall apart! So good.

I love my sisters. None of them are biological but we stand together to save money and avoid paying retail. What could be better than that? We sell our gently used items (household, clothes, and more) to one another at great prices and have a TON of fun doing it.

If you are a member of the Secondhand Sisterhood and are looking for forms to help you keep up with buying and selling, I think I can help!

I created these for myself but they are available as free printables for you if you need them. Just click the link to open the file. Then, you can save it to your computer or print it. Have fun!

For buyers ~

• Buyer Records Word (Doc format)
• Buyer Records PDF (PDF format)

For sellers ~

• Seller Records Word (Doc format)
• Seller Records PDF (PDF format)

Want to join our family?

Homeschool curriculum can be very expensive when you are living on a strict budget.

For the last two years, I have tried to get by with as little expense as possible. I would skip buying the teacher’s guide or look for free resources online to supplement what I had purchased instead of buying the recommended materials. I was writing lesson plans myself and trying to pull resources together from all over.

The problem… I was burning out.

Planning was taking weeks and weeks and I was still falling behind. My frustration was spilling over into our school time because by the time I was teaching a lesson, I was tired of it.

I think it is completely possible to homeschool for free and I know that many people are successful at it, but for me, it was incredibly stressful and not worth the money I was saving. Plus, once I considered how much I was paying for paper and ink to make print materials and the amount of time I sacrificed, I don’t think I saved that much.

So, this year I am changing my mindset. As I review homeschool curriculum and consider the resources available, I am viewing our purchases as an investment.

Purchasing homeschool curriculum is an investment in our children.

Why did Bill and I decide that homeschooling was the best option for our family? In part, the answer is that we wanted what was best for our children. If I think about that statement in its entirety, how can I suddenly decide that they are not worth the money necessary to purchase the materials I need to educate them?

Now, I have no plans on going crazy and purchasing a lot of stuff unnecessarily. I can still shop smart and make wise choices, but instead of doing so with the intention of barely getting the things we need, I will be a good steward of not just our finances but also my time.

Speaking of…

Purchasing homeschool curriculum is an investment in me.

As a mother, I sacrifice almost constantly. (I love it.) However, a part of being a mother is knowing how to delegate so that you can achieve a little more balance. (You never achieve a perfect balance… If you have, please tell me your secrets.) In order to keep my sanity secure and to give me a little more time in the day to tackle more pressing matters, I am leaving the curriculum planning to the fabulous companies who get paid to pull it all together.

Again, I cannot stress enough that homeschooling for free works for some families. The parents are amazing at pulling everything together and presenting it in a very educational way. It just didn’t work for me.

What about you? What is your opinion about purchasing homeschool curriculum?

I can take absolutely no credit for this craft at all. One of my children came home from church with it and I have to admit that I said, “Oh! What a cute firecracker!”

The reply was, “No, Mommy! It’s fire and a cloud.”

Suddenly, I knew exactly what it was and I was awestruck at how such a simple craft could capture the story from Exodus 13:21.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.