• Essential Oils for Dogs!

    Essential oils are as beneficial for our pets as they are for us!   Many of the oils from the Premium Starter kit can be used on both people and animals.   These different oils can be used to help boost the immune system, relieve stress, and support overall wellness!   See the graphic above for just a few ideas. I love my Young Living Essential Oils! We use them DAILY in our house and love having healthy alternatives to common meds, cleaners, supplements and personal care products! It’s easy for you to get some Young Living oils in your house, and I have a special offer, just for you!…

  • The Role of Dogs in Homeschooling

    We added a four legged friend to our family recently, so I’ve had dogs on the brain!  We are knee deep in potty training and socialization.  Our puppy, Liberty, is a total sweetie and SO smart!   She can already sit and come, and is learning down and roll over.  The potty training is…coming. Here’s a quick video of Liberty and Sweetheart in action: Doug from HerePup.com is bringing us a guest post today on incorporating dogs into our homeschooling! In 2012, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reported that over 43 million households owned a dog. That’s over one out of three families! That’s a lot of dogs! Well,…

  • Organic Coupon Round-Up (As of 10/29/15)

    New Coupons: Pumpkins Coupon – 20% off Pumpkins Enjoy Life Foods –$4/$15 Enjoy Life Foods Alexia Coupon – $.75/1 Alexia Frozen Side Veeda –$2/2 Veeda Products 12-count or higher Stevia Coupon – $1/2 Stevia In The Raw 100 ct Box or 9.7 oz Bag EVOL Coupon – $1/1 EVOL frozen Single-Serve Meal The Better Chip Coupon – $0.50/1 The Better Chip The Better Chip Coupon – $0.75/1 The Better Chip Organic Valley Coupon – $2/1 Organic Valley Grassmilk Whole Milk Yogurt, 24 oz tub Upspring Coupon – $2/1 Upspring Milkflow Upspring Coupon – $2/1 Upspring Wellbaby Big Slice Coupon – $0.50/1 Big Slice Apples Big Slice Coupon – $0.75/1 Big…

  • Review: The Nutcracker ~ Stories in Music

    Maestro Classics offered us the opportunity to review their cd and activity book, The Nutcracker.  They sent us the cd in a nice case and an activity book.  This would make a great Christmas gift for a family! Have you ever heard Jim Weiss tell a story?  If not, stop reading this, grab your kiddos, and listen to this story! We are huge fans of his, and own several of his recordings.  He makes the stories come alive!   I was excited to see that he was the narrator for The Nutcracker.  He also wrote the script himself. I loved the idea of having a script to go along with…

  • Review: The Ultimate Homeschool Planner

    Apologia Educational Ministries has another winner!  I reviewed their Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal earlier this year, so I had high expectations for this homeschool planner.   Apologia sent me not just a homeschool planner, but The Ultimate Homeschool Planner.  And, yes, it has lived up to its name. I’m a rather techy girl, so a lot of my life revolves around being online.  I’ve tried a variety of online resources for planners, and I’ve recently found myself coming back to pen and paper.  I would miss an appointment, or finding an appointment in my digital planner on the wrong date, minor things like that.  #hideseyes   I picked up…

  • Review: The Phonetic Zoo: A Self-Teaching Spelling Program

    I’ll admit, I’m a bit of an Institute for Excellence in Writing groupie.   I heard the founder, Andrew Pudewa, teach at a homeschool convention I attended last spring, and I went to every lecture he gave.   When we were offered the opportunity to review the Phonetic Zoo, I jumped at it.  Actually, I begged.  Pretty please, with sugar on top, let me review this product!   The kind folks over at The Old Schoolhouse agreed, and pretty soon this fabulous product arrived at my mailbox.  We’ve spent the last couple of months using this program: Institute For Excellence in Writing’s The Phonetic Zoo A Self-Teaching Spelling Program Level…

  • Organic Coupon Round-Up (As of 10/22/15)

    Welcome to the Organic Printable Coupon Round-Up at Renaissance Mama!  Check out this week’s updated list of currently available printable coupons, as of 10/22/15, gathered from all over the web! New Coupons: Lettuce Coupon – 20% off Lettuce Saffron Road –$1.50/2 Saffron Road Chicken Nugget Products NUMI –$2/1 Numi Organic Tea Box Earth Balance Coupon – $1/2 Earth Balance Earth Buttery or Culinary Spread, 10oz – 15oz Sargento Coupon – $0.75/2 Sargento Sliced Natural Cheese Sargento Coupon – $0.55/1 Sargento Sliced Natural Cheese Milkflow Coupon – $2/1 Milkflow Fenugreek + Blessed Thistle Powder Drink Hyland’s Coupon – $1/2 Hyland’s 4 Kids Bumps ‘n Bruises with Arnica Alexia Coupon – $.75/1…

  • Review: Writing Through Ancient History

    Brookdale House recently offered us the opportunity to review a digital copy of their program Writing Through Ancient History, Level 1 Cursive.   They offer multiple eras of history including Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern History.  I chose Ancient since it corresponds to what we’re studying in Classical Conversations this year, and I thought it would be a great way to go deeper in what we’re learning. Brookdale House offers their programs in a variety of levels.  Level 1 is designed for grades 1-3, and Level 2 is for grades 3-5.  I chose Level 1 since we are new to this program.  The difficulty level of the reading selections has been…

  • Review: Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth DVD

    I am not a big movie watcher, mostly because I have a terrible time sitting still that long!    I recently had the opportunity to review a movie from FishFlix.com called Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth and ya’ll…. it is brilliant.  Just brilliant.  This is the third film in their documentary collection, The Design of Life. As a family, we LOVE watching nature shows that show the expanse of the world – up to the tops of mountains and into the depths of the oceans.  So many of them are not from a creationism perspective though.  While we normally just overlook the evolution parts, and…

  • Organic Coupon Round-Up (As of 10/15/15)

    Welcome to the Organic Printable Coupon Round-Up at Renaissance Mama!  Check out this week’s updated list of currently available printable coupons, as of 10/15/15, gathered from all over the web! New Coupons: Pears Coupon – 20% off Pears Old Orchard Coupon – $1/2 Old Orchard 64 oz 100% Juice Blends Kettle Brand Coupon – $1/2 Kettle Brand items (4 oz or larger) (organic options available) McCormick Coupon – $0.50/2 McCormick Herbs or Spices (organic options available) Kidfresh Coupon – $5/$25 Kidfresh Frizen Kids Meals Superberries Coupon – $0.75/1 Superberries Brand Product Dominex  – $1.50/1 Dominex brand product World Peas Coupon – $3/1 World Peas Lindsay Coupon – $2/1 Lindsay Naturals…