Saturday, November 30, 2013

Sunday Snippets 12/1/13: Art for the Impoverished, Advent Linkies, My 3 Reasons and TOS Review


HI there and welcome back for another Sunday Snippet!
I'm happy to link my Catholic-inspired posts from this week at RAnn's for
her weekly blog carnival!
Please visit RAnn's blog for more !
So, my shares this week are~~~

A Cross Catholic Project




7 Quick Takes 11/29/13

Advent Prep, Linky Love, Awesome Gift Resources, My Giveaway,

 A Real Leader from the 80s, Bloggy Fun & More









Friends, as always, thank you for spending some of
your precious time here at my home on the web!
I look forward to "seeing" you soon.

Today's the last day 
to enter my giveaway..... 
You can  win one of a dozen of  my OLG scapulars.
Good luck!

Don't forget to subscribe to Campfires and Cleats
 by scrolling to the subscribe button at the  top left sidebar.
You can also join us on Facebook.
I'd love to stay in touch regularly!

Until next time,

~Chris

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The "Art" of Giving~ Part 1 A Cross Catholic Project We Can All Support!

I am honored to be one of several bloggers
 sharing and promoting the mission
 of an amazing organization, 
 as they work to feed, help and support
 poverty stricken families of Honduras.
My friend and fellow blogger, 
Jennifer of Catholic Inspired,
introduced this amazing charity to me and a few other Catholic bloggers
as she continues to share their work.
I'm delighted to be part of a team which includes
these bloggers~
Jennifer from Catholic Inspired 
Birgit from Designs By Birgit
 who are publicizing 
Cross Catholic's  herculean efforts!

Thank you for clicking over to read up on this project,
 to share their work 
and to potentially get involved in this massive effort with your own family! 

~How adorable are these sweet little faces?~

Let me tell you a little about Cross Catholic's project,
The Art of Giving and specifically how we can all support them
in bringing food and necessities to so many more
sweet babies.

How you can  get involved in The Art of Giving:

To easily  help the impoverished of Honduas:
1. Your  kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, class can draw/color/create an art project.
2.  Parents/guardians  take a picture of it (or scan it) and send the image to Cross Catholic right here.:
mpotter@crosscatholic.org.


How we can donate to Cross Catholic:
Once the image is uploaded onto the slideshow, parents, family members and friends can make donations on behalf of the child's artwork to Cross Catholic Outreach. When donating  place the child's name in the comment box. The donations will be used to feed impoverished children and families in El Progreso, Honduras at the Prince of Peace Nutrition Center. 


Who can submit artwork to Cross Catholic?
Art projects will be accepted from kids of all ages - from toddlers to teens! This would really be a great project for teachers and RE teachers, as well as, any homeschooling family! Youth groups may like to do this as a service project, too. 

Viewing the lovely slideshow:
1.View the slideshow at Cross Catholic's site~
Please, keep in mind that this web page is still a work in progress. The information on the page will help you to better understand the event, but the art slideshow may or may not be visible on your computer. Cross Catholic will be adding a link to the page for those who can't view the slideshow. 

2.OR view the slideshow here~
 I've added a link to the slideshow if you'd like to view it right here~



3. And if none of the above works for you, 
just click this  link which  will take you to Flickr to view the slideshow there :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/109073631@N02/with/10950878263/




My kids are getting psyched to create and share their work in support
 of  The Art of Giving! 
Please visit next week  when those of us on the blogging team will  be posting our children’s art and inviting all  bloggers  to join in a link-up to share
 the art that their kids have created for this event!
On December 9, the link up will go live!

We look forward to viewing YOUR children's,
 grandchildren's and/or classes' artwork as well,
 as we support the efforts of the
selfless individuals at Cross Catholic
who help our Central American
 brothers and sisters!

As always, thank you, readers and friends,
for the precious time you spend here at my home on the web!

And, friends,  if you have not entered my giveaway for one
please do so right here.

Don't forget to subscribe to Campfires and Cleats
 by scrolling to the subscribe button at the  top left sidebar.
I'd love to stay in touch regularly!

Until next time,

~Chris




Sunday, November 24, 2013

Review of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine~ Nov/Dec 2013 Issue


HI there  friends,and welcome to my home on the web!
I hope you're enjoying your day!
Thank you for clicking over to check out my latest post~ 
I was recently granted the opportunity to  review
the online version of the
November/December 2013 issue of
And boy. what an opportunity !!
If you homeschool and you're not
 subscribing to, immersed in, living and  loving this 
absolutely free gem,
 which you can subscribe to here
seriously,
what on Earth are you waiting for?
This issue, in fact, every issue, 
is packed with 
info, tips, encouragement, seasonal goodies
for homeschoolers and families of all ages.

Now, how inviting is this?
The cover photo alone just inspires you to curl up 
 and dive right in,  doesn't it?

I'm really excited to tell you alllllll about it...
truth is, I love chatting about all things 
curricular and homeschool-ish;
so let's get started!
pencildivider
~Apps and Social Media~
First of all, check out TOS magazine's super app page,
which is right here. It's so user friendly
and accessible for the busy homeschool mom.
One can download the issue onto any number of appliances,
or
scan the QR code 
or 
go right to the online magazine from the app page.
Talk about simple, no-frills.

Next, let's talk social media and TOS and how
super easy it is for 
a multi-taskin' homeschool mama to access TOS 
on facebook,
and
I had already followed TOS on FB and Twitter
 and through this review. was thrilled to find them
on P, G+ and YT as well!
So, go "like," "follow"
and "subscribe" on all platforms!

pencildivider
~The Nov/Dec Issue of TOS Magazine~

Navigating through the issue online couldn't be more of a breeze.
From the "faculty," ( the contributing writers)
to the "teachers' lounge," (letters from readers)
to "the informed homeschooler"
a column by Dr Ray on homeschool issues,
to "Show and Tell" a focus on one homeschool family's
journey and methods,
to other cleverly titled magazine departments,
there is something to grab each of us.
There's even a pop out menu from the left
for the issue itself,
a search bar and
an icon which takes one to 
Christian Books.com to search 
"more than 44,000 homeschool resources."
I absolutely loved the latter feature and spent so much time
clicking around through the resources to check availability 
of items across the curriculum on a couple of different grade levels.

pencildivider
~Favored Feature~
One feature of the magazine that I found
incredibly helpful is the department entitled,
"Vendor Hall."
This month the focus is on All About Learning Press, whose products 
I am currently using with my 10 year old.
 However, I learned more about 
the company and its offerings from this article and my conviction
in  their reputation was solidified.
pencildivider
~A few articles of focus~
Another article I particularly enjoyed, 
an "open article" featured on the cover,
is one entitled,
In my pre-Mommy days, I was a reading specialist and
then a third grade teacher whose focus
was primarily at risk children with learning disabilities.
Currently, in my homeschool, I struggle with needing encouragement
and practical tips for immediate usage, 
however, as my son is dyslexic.
(God certainly knew what He was doing, it
becomes evident to me more each day,
 when He guided me to
focus on a reading and learning
 disabilities Master's degree eons ago....!
My background knowledge has come in handy
as a homeschooler) )
One would presume that an article tackling
frustration around the teaching of reading 
to a child who's struggling would be rather superficial,
given the space constraints.
Rather, I found
Dr Glavach's suggestions in the article section,
compelling. I'm eager to try a few of them this week.
I do think, however, that the title of the article
implies  that its  content is one of
  developing phonic ability and/or enhancing
reading comprehension.
Yet, the focus is on oral reading fluency.
I adjusted my expectations as I read and as I suggested above,
the article did not disappoint
once I did so.
I also found the resources at the link to his site
practical. I would love to implement  a couple of the items sold there, actually,
in my homeschool!
I encourage you to click over 
 to Struggling Readers to check it out
if your kids, too, struggle with any aspect reading fluency,
 comprehension or phonic development.

Lastly, I must share that I thoroughly enjoyed
 and gleaned useful information from
as well as Senior Editor,
Deborah Wuehler's editorial ,
Seven Reasons to Celebrate."

pencildivider
Reviewing The Old Schoolhouse's
Nov/Dec issue was an absolute joy and just plain fun!
I plan to refer back to the issue from time to time as there
 several articles that I'd like to reread and digest more thoroughly.

This review is my trial for the School House Review Crew.
Informative and helpful reviews  aplenty 
can be found here at their very user friendly blog,
Thanks for stopping in to check out my review!
I hope you  will read and enjoy the issue
and find it a solid addition to your library 
of homeschooling resources.
pencildivider

And, friends,  if you have not entered my giveaway for one
please do so right here.

Don't forget to subscribe to Campfires and Cleats
 by scrolling to the subscribe button at the  top left sidebar.
I'd love to stay in touch regularly!

Until next time,

~Chris



Saturday, November 23, 2013

Sunday Snippets: 11/24/13

Hi there and welcome back for another installment of
Sunday Snippets, hosted by RAnn!!
Here are my Catholic-related posts from this week.....:
Enjoy and please head to Rann for more!




My November column linked from
Catholc Mom.com





"Keep Christ in Christmas" Link up & 
(Optional) Follow Frenzy! Here are the Details:



And, friends,  if you have not entered my giveaway for one
please do so right here.

And how perfect is this image that my friend, Monica, 
created for my giveaway?
Yup, the very same lovely lady who is the 
 inspiration behind this Keep Christ link up!

Don't forget to subscribe to Campfires and Cleats
 by scrolling to the subscribe button at the  top left sidebar.
I'd love to stay in touch regularly!

Until next time,

~Chris

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Victory Tour "Girl on Fire" Cake AND Should Your Child Be Reading the Hunger Games?


...or "Boy on Fire,"
as it is in our case!

...and read on a bit for my answer to the title's question.....:


For my son's 10th birthday, 
we celebrated with a Hunger Games theme~
He was President Snow.....
K was Gale Hawthorne
and we were graced with
 Effie, Katniss and Cato in attendance as well.
Our party details from treats to games  to decor, costumes 
and  favors is herein the post, 

                                    

Gale and his nemesis, Pres Snow
                              
Yes, we've read the series with our kids,
though we have not seen the movies,
and  as I mention in the post
I do understand that embarking on the reading 
while not 'controversial,' necessarily, is a family's very personal 
and deeply thought out decision.
Frankly,  my feeling is that if a child is aware of 
the reality of the greatest evil
rampant in our day and age...
yes, abortion...
then the decision to read The Hunger Games series is
rather a moot point.
Discussion  of the social structure, government suppression
and brutal and bloody manipulation of children 
during annual games broadcast on reality TV
in order to satisfy The Capitol's sick bloodlust
within a fictional series set in a dystopian futuristic society, 
well.... 
that's nothing when compared to 
the greatest evil and  one which is
so prevalent, so accepted
within our culture of death, as abortion.
Really, we should be thinking about how to capitalize on
the series and using it to our best advantage in
teaching history, politics, government and ancient Rome.
Yes, ancient Rome.
If you don't know what I mean by that, read the series.
It. Is. Excellent.

Now, onto the cake..
Whether you are indeed checking out the newly released
 Hunger Games movie with your kids
this weekend
OR
simply looking for a fun, campfire-ish themed cake...
here goes:




Ingredients~
1. Your fave cake mix recipe
2. Your fave chocolate frosting recipe
3. Wilton two tiered cake stand ( Michael's carries it...use that 40% off coupon in your Sunday paper). If you can't find it, you can click here and purchase the cake stand on amazon.
4. Wilton white candy roses....yes indeed, President Snow's trademark! Again, go to Michael's for these. If, for some reason, you can't locate them, you can click here to  buy the roses on amazon.
5. Gold edible glitter ( They're your campfire sparks)
6. Fancy yellow, orange, red cello wrap. (This will be your campfire flame!)
7. Pirouline cookies. Believe it or not,  my local Dollar Tree carries these!! Wow! What luck!  Otherwise, check your supermarket's cookie aisle or click here if you have no luck in either spot to buy them on amazon.
8. Chocolate icing writer with which to decorate the cake. Easily found at Walmart, Michael's, grocery store or here on amazon.

Directions~
Assemble cake and campfire atop it,  as shown in pictures above.
 Write your celebratory tagline. 
Decorate with candy rosettes and candles AND ENJOY!


Happy Hunger Games and
May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!

Lastly, friends.....
Can I ask you to do me the honor of voting for my blog  in the 
2013 HS Post Blog Awards? 
THANK YOU!! 
It's really simple.  
You click over to the links below,
  click the little dot to the left of my blog's name, Campfires and Cleats,
 and then scroll down to click the VOTE box.
 Done.
One can vote once per day per device until November 18th.
Here we go:  
My blog was honored by being nomianted in these categories~~~~ 

THANK YOU! 


Image result for new york city themed blog post dividers

Thank you for spending some of your precious time today
here at my home on the web! 

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?
   If not, just click here to 
quickly and easily  so we can be in touch regularly!
You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Image result for new york city themed blog post dividers
This post contains amazon affiliate links....
If you are shopping at  amazon and Target
why not consider clicking through my link
In this way, I will receive a small commission on the purchase.....
at no cost to you.
THANK YOU!


Until next time,

~Chris