Free Homeschool Curriculum ($150 Value!)

I am thrilled to be partnering with Homeschool Giveaways for their 4th Annual Black Friday Event and this is the biggest one ever, with over $150 in FREE Curriculum!

Click the image to claim your freebies! Scroll down below for complete details of this special offer from Homeschool Giveaways!

There are also a ton of BONUS Freebies and Exclusive Coupon Codes for you when you download your freebies. (Hint: you'll be able to grab my eBook 101 Independent Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers at 50% off!)

Ready to learn about the freebies in this bundle?

Creative Freewriting Adventure – $18.95 Value
Writing can be hard work. Good writing most often results from much rewriting, and much rewriting can make a writer weary. Since Philosophy Adventure™ students polish one primary writing assignment over the course of several weeks (supported by clear step-by-step instructions and seven writing checklists), we created freewriting exercises to offset their hard work with play.

Use Creative Freewriting Adventure as a stand-alone resource or to complement Philosophy Adventure. No prep required. Just grab a pen and paper, set a timer, and have fun!

Quark Chronicles: Botany $14.95 Value
Quark Chronicles: Botany is a living science book that is worldview neutral, meaning that you can use it regardless of how you feel about creationism, intelligent design, and evolution.

To get the most out of this living science curriculum, purchase the Notebooking Pages, which include suggestions for extra reading as well as copywork, vocabulary, and pages for narrations and experiment write-ups. It contains the workbook in five different handwriting fonts: vertical cursive, slant cursive, basic italic, cursive italic, and manuscript.

Experience History Through Music Notebooking Pages Set $12.95 Value
Are you looking for a creative and fun way to teach history to your children? Diana Waring’s “Experience History Through Music Notebooking Pages Set” was created to use side-by-side with the actual books and CD’s, but can also be used separately. This set features delightfully decorated pages for written narration for each song, plus a copywork page with lyrics.

When you download the freebies, you will get a coupon code discount to purchase the beautiful set that goes with this notebooking pack!

Birds of a Feather Unit Study – $17.95 Value
Our delightful feathered friends are waiting to be discovered just beyond your window pane. Get up close and personal with Birds of a Feather and some of God’s most stunning creations! Birds of a Feather is a FUN, NO PREP, 4-week unit study appropriate for grades 2-12.

Children choose from a wide variety of quality, library reading selections that focus on backyard birds, bird identification, the science of ornithology, and birds of prey. They will create and maintain a nature journal, learn to identify a variety of species, meet a famous scientist and artist, Set up a bird feeding habitat with simple homemade bird feeders, a bird bath, and bird food concoctions, an MUCH more!

Do you have a Boy Scout in your family? He will earn his Bird Study Merit Badge while completing Birds of a Feather with the rest of his family. American Heritage Girls earn Our Feathered Friends Badge.

The World of Vertebrates – $24 Value
Organized around 24 lessons, each with a mini-book project, lab activity, and graphic organizer project, students will learn about fish, amphibians, salamanders, alligators, birds, mammals, and more.

Includes vocabulary words, “Lots of Science Library Books” a mini-book to make & read, lab activities, graphic organizers, and “Experience, Investigations, and Research” enrichment/extension projects. Clear directions with step-by-step, leveled instructions, pictures, and helpful information make presenting lessons easy once the pre-lesson preparation is completed. A final cumulative project completes the course.

Grades K-8. On Cathy Duffy Top 100 list!

“For You They Signed: The Spiritual Heritage of Those Who Shaped Our Nation” – $14.00
More than simply facts and figures, For You They Signed provides an abundance of resources within one volume, including: a full year of life-changing, challenging family or group devotional character studies, over 90 illustrations, biographical summaries, and insightful quotes, character quality definitions, Patrick Henry's speech delivered to the signers, the Christian nature of state constitutions, and the Christian nature of America's universities.

When you download the freebies you will get a coupon code discount to purchase the other components to get the most of this curriculum (optional.) It can be used for a high school credit course!

The Latin-Centered Curriculum 1^st Edition – $12.95 Value
From Cicero to C. S. Lewis, from Thomas Aquinas to Thomas Jefferson, the great minds of the West have been formed by a classical curriculum centered on Latin and Greek. Now you can give your children a traditional classical education at home with The Latin-Centered Curriculum.

In a clear and readable introduction, The Latin-Centered Curriculum surveys the history of classical education from the ancient Greeks through the 20th-century neoclassical revival.

With helpful charts and detailed explanations, The Latin-Centered Curriculum guides you step by step with book and curriculum recommendations for each school subject from K-12. It shows you how focusing a few core disciplines—classical languages, mathematics, and composition—can revolutionize your homeschool.

“Pirate!” Unit Study – $7.00 Value
“Pirate!” is a two-week study on pirates, their plundering ways, swashbuckling fights, and golden loot. Daily readings share about their sea-faring culture and history, as well as the traditions of pirates. The module includes schedule pages for the two weeks that schedule daily assignments and the journaling pages that include rich content and interactive pages. You’ll love all the different things kids will learn, and the fun activities that will bring pirates home with you!

This study includes the reading you need for the study, activities and how to do them, fun games, and more! It is planned around a four-day week to make it easy to do, but it could also be spread out for longer, or customized to use in other ways. Nothing else is required except craft supplies for the activities!

NotebookingPages.com Bundle – $20.85 Value
Notebooking is a family favorite here! We use notebooking in Science, History, and Geography (and anything else we feel like!) This FREE notebooking bundle will give you a taste of what Notebookingpages.com offers!

Includes: Alphabet Copywork, Basic Lined Notebooking Pages, Christmas Copywork, American Presidents Sample Pack, Ancient Times Sample Pack, Famous Composers Sample Pack, First Ladies Sample Pack ,North American Birds Sample Pack ,State Studies Sample Pack, National Parks Sample Pack, and World Explorers Sample Pack.

Take advantage of their HUGE Black Friday Sale and Save $25 on a Lifetime Membership!

Unlock the Secrets of Compare-and-Contrast Writing – $19.99 Value
Unlock the secrets of compare-and-contrast writing in this eBook for your junior and senior high students. Written by Sharon Watson, Apologia author of “Jump In,” a middle school writing course that is one of Cathy Duffy’s 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, this is sure to be a hit!

– Includes 10 complete lessons with 28 writing exercise
– Teaches your students 3 solid methods of writing compare-and-contrast essays
– Teaches nonfiction and fiction methods for compare-and-contrast
– Uses copious examples, even full essays written by students
– Includes Answer Key

Click here to download these amazing Black Friday FREEBIES!!

GRACE for the Stressed Out Mama

Before I got married I had visions of what our family would be like.  Mommy would be humming cheerfully while the kiddos helped her make cookies in her sparkling clean kitchen.

Instead, I find myself in situations far different than what I envisioned.  In fact, our latest baking enterprise turned out like this:

Yes, all mommy has to do is step into the bathroom or go change the baby's diaper and it seems like all hell has broken loose by the time I return.

Moms, I get what it's like.  Oh, I SO GET IT!

You want to be a happy mom and do fun stuff with your kids.

You want to cook nutritious meals and bake yummy treats.

You want to serve at church and keep your house clean and serve your neighbors and keep yourself looking nice for your husband and…and…and…

But it seems like everywhere you turn there are obstacles in your way.

Little people dump out what you're baking.

The food you cook gets burned and you have to serve your family cereal for dinner.

You're tired out with a teething baby and you're having to drag yourself through the housework.

“THIS WASN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!” you're thinking.

Homemaking was supposed to be fun.  I was supposed to be a cheerful wife and mom, enjoying being here for my family, but instead I am one STRESSED-OUT, FRAZZLED MESS!

You know what you need?  A good dose of GRACE.

Here's how I find grace in the stressful seasons:

G – Get some rest

When you're tired, your emotional sensitivity level shoots through the roof and your patience level fizzles out to nearly zero.  Instead of sweetly letting your children help you stir the cookies dough, you find yourself hollering about the flour they spilled (or purposely dumped. ahem.)  “Where did that even come from?” you wonder.  “Why I am hollering at my babies?”  It's time to get some rest, mama.  Get everybody down for a nap and go take one yourself.  If that's not possible, get them to bed early and GO TO BED yourself.

R – Read your Bible

When I find I'm acting like a bear, I often realize I've been so busy that I haven't spent much time with the Lord.  Instead of letting the sweetness of the Spirit of God fill my soul, I've been letting the worries of everything I have to get done fill my mind.  When the clock is ticking away and my agenda isn't getting completed, I find myself getting more and more frustrated and stressed until I eventually explode under the pressure.   Sometimes that's simply because I haven't asked him whether what's on my list is what He really wants me to accomplish.  Sometimes there are things that must be completed within a certain timeframe, but I'm trying to accomplish them in my own power.  When I feel the pressure, it's time for me to step away from my worry and step into the presence of God.  (See also: Finding Time for God When You Can Hardly Find Time to Breathe)

A – Abandon failed projects

Just because you think a good mom makes cookies with her kids doesn't mean you're a bad mom if you don't.  If you're the type of mom who gets aggravated at spilled flour, then give up on the cookie idea.  Your kids would rather have a happy mom who doesn't get herself all worked up.

If you've been asked to bring a pie to the family gathering and it's taking you all. day. long. to get the thing made with all the interruptions (true story), you can do one of two things: 1. Don't bring the pie and say “I'm sorry I wasn't able to get the pie done.” or 2. Go to the grocery store and buy a pie, put it on a nice plate, and keep your mouth shut about where it came from.  It doesn't make you a failure.  Who cares if other people think you should be able to get it done.  You know you can't get it done without making your family miserable with your stress.  They're more important than what everybody else thinks.

C – Cue the music

There was a reason David was brought in to play music for Saul when he would get so enraged.  Music soothes the soul.  When you're feeling stressed and snippy with your family, turn on some relaxing, soul-strengthening music.  Your disposition will improve immensely.

E – Embrace reality

Be who you are, not who everybody else thinks you should be or what you've envisioned you would be in the past.

If it's not your thing to make cookies with the kids, don't force yourself to make cookies with the kids and end up being a grouch because it frazzles you.

If you burned dinner and had to feed the family cereal, don't worry about it.  At least you're putting something in their bellies.

If you struggle with keeping the house clean, but you give it your best shot, don't look around and beat yourself up for being such a failure.  “Other moms manage to keep their house clean.  I am such a loser.”

No you're not.  You're you.  You've got a unique personality, and you are loving your family in the way that only you can.

Stop wishing you were like this or that other person.  Be the wife and mom God made you to be and embrace it with joy.

Give yourself some GRACE, mama.

Find more mom-to-mom encouragement on Facebook:

Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s the plan for the next few weeks…

Thanksgiving is just a couple days away.  Things will slow down around here from now till Christmas.  I'll be posting a bit here and there, but I really want to focus on just relaxing, spending time with my family, and meditating on God's goodness.

I hope you all are are having a stress-free holiday season so far!  It's not about having everything decorated perfectly or making the most-complimented dishes for the parties you attend.  Let go of expectations that rob you of the joy you will have when you meditate on the blessings God has given you.

Now, I don't want to take anything away from what Thanksgiving or Christmas is all about.  I don't want to encourage you to focus on things.

I hope you don't go crazy and buy tons of things at Christmas just for the sake of buying them.

But the fact of the matter is

1. We are all shopping for the few gifts that we are planning to give

2. We would all like to pay the lowest prices possible for those things

3. Right now is when the best sales are.

I have been pointing out some of the best deals on my Facebook page, but there are tons more that I could mention but haven't for the sake of not seeming like all I care about is more things.

Do you want to see all the insane deals I find, though?  Just during the big sale season from now till Christmas, I'll be sending out emails in real time as I find the lowest prices on things.  If you want to see all the deals, here's how it will work:

1. Sign up with your email address and I'll put you on a special “Christmas deals” email list.

2. I will send out multiple emails a day with each crazy deal I find.

3. I will put the actual deal in the subject line so you can decide whether you want to open it or simply delete. (Example: Lincoln Logs Set $11.99)

4. After Christmas I will delete the email list so you don't have to worry about receiving tons of deal emails all year.  (Unless you want to. (?)  Let me know what you'd like to see happen with that.)

Ready to get your shopping done?  Sign up below!

What kinds of things are you looking for?  Let me know so I can keep that in mind as I'm sending out emails!

The Easiest, No-Brainer Way to Earn Extra Cash

We're all looking for ways to earn extra cash, but before I go any further, I want to stop right here and make something very clear.  This makes the second post in a row on earning money.

That doesn't mean everything I post is now going to be all about money!  That's just the way the timetable happened to line up with these posts.

Using our money wisely, both in how we spend and how we earn, is an important aspect of homemaking; however, it should not be an all-consuming thing; only a small part of what we do.

Now that we got that out of the way, let me make sure you've been using the easiest, no-brainer way to earn extra cash that every single homemaker can do.

Have you heard of Swagbucks?

I can't believe I haven't mentioned it to you sooner.  I've been using it for years, and I imagine a lot of you here have too.  But for those who are out of the loop, it's time to get in the loop!

I have earned hundreds (thousands?) of dollars from Swagbucks by doing nothing out of the ordinary.

The simplest way to use it is to use Swagbucks as your search engine.  Every time you use Swagbucks for a search, it will periodically award you with a random amount of Swagbucks.  Those Swagbucks can be redeemed for gift cards to various stores or even cash via PayPal.  My favorite way to redeem them is for Amazon gift cards.  Since I regularly shop at Amazon anyway, it's like getting free money!

Use the Swagbucks search engine for everything and your earnings will add up rather quickly.  For example, if you want to come to my blog, you can type Imperfect Homemaker into the Swagbucks search engine instead of coming directly here.  The more  you use it, the more you increase your chances of winning.

Over the last few years, Swagbucks has added a ton of additional (and quite easy) ways to earn.  I've neglected to use it as much as I should, and I know I've left a lot of money on the table because of it.  I'm excited to start exploring the quickest and easiest ways to earn which I'll share with you periodically.

But for now, let's get you started!  You're already online; you might as well be using the Swagbucks search engine and earning a little something for your time!

Just by signing up and completing your profile you start out with 30 Swagbucks right off the bat.

See how easy it is?!

Sign up through this link and start earning those gift cards!

Update 12/13!

Swagbucks has an incredible deal right now for all of you VISA customers out there – register your card via this offer and you'll get a $5 Gift Card of your choice (500 Swag Bucks) when you make a purchase of $1 or more at any Peets Coffee & Tea store! 

Did you hear that??  Spend $1 and get back $5!

The best part is that you can complete this offer up to 5 times, meaning you can get a total of $25 in FREE gift cards through this offer.

I told you it was easy to earn with Swagbucks!

Sign up here!

How to Make Money Blogging

I don't blog a whole lot about blogging here, as that is not the main purpose of this blog.

However, I do realize that many homemakers are looking for ways to make money from home.

Therefore, I do have a couple resources available for you.

First, if you don't yet have a blog, you can go here and use my step-by-step instructions to set up your blog.

Second, if you're looking for specific ways to make money with your blog, you can download the quick start guide here for all of my best ideas!

Natural Cleaning With Norwex (Christmas Gift Guide)

Today I'm reviewing another product that was sent in for the Christmas Gift Guide.  Be sure to check out all the ideas there!  You'll find plenty of ideas that will interest you as well as help to support some of your fellow homemakers.

If you're trying to remove toxins from your home, a good place to start is with your cleaning supplies.  Many of them contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that are not good for you or kids to be breathing.

An extremely simple way to get started switching to natural cleaning products is to use Norwex products.  I was sent the household package to try out, which includes an Envirocloth, a Window Cloth, and a Dusting Mitt.

This package gives everything you need for most of the common cleaning you would do.

When using Norwex cloths, all you do is add water to the cloth and clean like you normally would.  The specially-made fibers attract and trap dirt much more effectively than a regular cloth does.  The cloth can hold up to seven times it weight (in other words you can clean a very dirty surface without having to rinse your rag!)  Antibacterial silver woven into the fibers inhibits bacterial odor, mold, and/or mildew growth within the cloth.  Your cleaning cloths will not get nasty and have to be thrown away like a regular rag would.

I enjoyed using the dusting mitt to clean my ceiling fans.  It made the job much easier since my hand was completely encased in the cloth.

My kids had a little different idea.  They decided to clean the bathroom floor with it.  At least they tried to be helpful, right?

My favorite item by far, though, is the window cloth.

I absolutely love how well the window cloth cleans glass.  All you need is water, and there are no streaks!

I can wet the rag and turn my kids loose to go wash windows without worrying about letting them use window cleaner or whether there will be streaks all over the window!

My mother-in-law bought me something very similar for Christmas several years ago, and I loved it!  If you're Christmas shopping for other ladies you know, I am sure any homemaker would be grateful for anything that will make her job easier.

If you're interested in finding out more about Norwex products, you can connect with Michelle Morgan on Facebook, and she will be happy to answer any questions that you have!

I'm looking forward to exploring some of the other products Norwex offers.  They have a large selection of non-toxic cleaning products as well as personal care products.

Which product would you want to try first?