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Welcome to this weekend’s giveaway–hosted by Great Homeschool Conventions!

Great Homeschool Conventions will hold its 2013 regional conventions in South Carolina (March) and Ohio (April). Each convention features a huge Homeschool Curriculum exhibit hall.

This year’s featured speakers include Tim Hawkins, Gianna Jessen, Andrew Pudewa, Todd Wilson, Steve Demme, Crystal Paine, Dr. Jay Wile, Dr. Carol Reynolds…and yours truly!!
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I was tucking my eight-year-old son Jonathan into bed last night when he turned to me suddenly and said, “I wonder what trash company Martin and Sylvia use at their house?”

Seven-year-old Martin and five-year-old Sylvia are the main characters in one of Sparkle Stories most popular storylines. This homeschooled (woot-woot!) brother and sister live, love, eat, learn, argue, and work together–just like most of our little people.

Jonathan’s comment probably clues you into the fact that this duo has, along with other Sparkle Stories characters, become featured players in our home.

I download new Sparkle Stories each week onto my phone, and we often listen to one or two after dinner and before bed. They have added a blissful layer of calm to this hour that for some reason tends toward chaos.

Here’s an overview about this resource that has added so much to our family’s life:
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Today is the final day of our Home for the Holidays week! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and that you’ve gleaned a few gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season as well!

Since this is the third year in a row that I’ve highlighted the online store Imagine Childhood, I don’t have to tell you that I’m a fan.

I have reviewed, and purchased, items for birthdays and holidays there for a quite a while now, and have been incredibly pleased with the quality of the toys–as well as the heart behind them.

Sarah from Imagine Childhood has created the most beautiful virtual holiday catalog, showcasing many of the items in their shop–it’s an excellent way to get an overview of the toys and other creative goodness they offer to customers.

Last year I bought many of my kids’ stocking stuffers here–and I appreciated that they made it easy for me by putting the smaller sized gifts together for easy browsing.

Continue reading to find out more about the two toys being offered to a lucky winner today!
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Welcome back to day three of our annual Home for the Holidays week!

Today I have the privilege of bringing you another giveaway from a friend and contributing writer to Simple Mom, Katie Clemons of Gadanke journals.

I have always been a journal lover at heart, and I’m thrilled that at least one of my children shares my passion.

But as a writer I also know the terror of the blank page that can overwhelm my creative expression. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

That’s where Gadanke comes in.

Gadanke, pronounced guh-dawn-kuh, comes from a German word meaning thought or idea. It’s also the name of Katie Clemons’ award winning shop, which she runs from a vintage airplane hangar in Montana.

Katie’s hand-crafted books are filled with:

• writing prompts
• embellishments
• materials from Europe
• 100% recycled paper.

Continue reading for a glimpse into these lovely story-catchers:
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Today is the first day of our annual Home for the Holidays week! Welcome to what will be a fun five days of giveaways, charity spotlights, and helpful holiday link round-ups from around the web.

I love HearthSong’s tagline–toys you’ll feel good about giving.

The company specializes in toys that encourage kids’ creativity and imagination–qualities desperately needed at this time of year–when we’re often bombarded with ads for tacky gizmos that seem enticing, but often don’t last very long.

HearthSong began in 1983, when founder Barbara Kane was struggling to find appropriate toys for her own children. I love her perspective:

“Earlier is not necessarily better. It’s important that children learn basic skills, but at the right developmental age. Most of all, children need time for creative, imaginative play. In fact, it is through play that children learn most readily.”

Continue reading to find out more about the two toys being offered to a lucky winner today!
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