Hey Howdy Hey!

It's time for the Homeschool Blog Awards again.  Olive Plants has been nominated in the Best Variety Blog category!  I actually know the three people who nominated me and am happy to be included in the voting again this year.

If you would like to vote for Olive Plants, just click the above button, and you will be redirected to the correct web page. 

To be honest, I'm not really interested in winning.  (Previous experience has taught me that ain't gonna happen.)  However, my favorite part of these awards is how a nomination brings in new readers who often become new members of the OP community and friends of mine. 

I just wanted to take a minute to say hey and welcome to those of you visiting for the first time.  I really am glad you are here and hope you will take a minute to look around.  I have not had much time to blog in recent months because of irl circumstances (boy, are there a bunch of posts in the queue and the recesses of my mind!).  However, I have a lot of teaching ideas and homeschooling content that I posted before I went into semi-retirement.  (For regular readers who are wondering where I am and what has happened, I hope to post about it soon- if life will slow down just long enough for me type my heart out.  I do intend to return to the blogosphere one day soon, Lord willing.)

Thanks to those who nominated me and who will be sending votes my way!

Thanks also for visiting.  I hope to see you around often!

Happy Voting!
Dawn

Nathalie Van Giveaway

I am absolutely in love with this love bird painting by Nathlie Van and am hoping to win it in a giveaway.  You can enter to win this (or any other beautiful piece in Nathalie's Etsy shop valued at $250 or less) by hopping over to She Wears Flowers.  The entry is simple- visit the shop, like your fave, and comment.  The winner receives a $250 credit toward the painting of his/her choice.  There are chances for bonus entries, too!  Fly over for details.

Blessings,
Dawn

My Audio School Giveaway Winner

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the My Audio School giveaway and the Great Curriculum Reveal! 

There were five entrants with 17 total entries (a LOT of bonus entries!).  This morning I assigned a number to each entry and used random.org to select the winner.  It chose #2 which was assigned to Heather of Kingdom Arrows!  Congrats, Heather!  I know your family will enjoy and benefit from all that My Audio School offers.

I also want to say thank you to Molly of My Audio School and Counter-cultural School for offering such a great prize for my readers!  MAS is great, and so are you!! 

Happy Listening!
Dawn

Welcome to Olive Plants!

The Homeschool Blog Award nominees have been released, and voting has begun.  I am excited to announce that Olive Plants has been nominated as Best Encourager!

 If you are visiting from the HSBA Post, WELCOME!  I am so glad you stopped in.

You will find the posts that my regular readers have deemed "most encouraging" linked under the heading "Words of Encouragement" in my sidebar.  I am honored to receive this nomination because I want this blog to be encouraging more than anything else.  Thank you to those who nominated me, and if you would like to vote for Olive Plants, click here to head over to The Post.

For those who are visiting, I thought you might want to know more about two regular Olive Plants series: Round about the Table and Wednesday Weigh-ins.

Each week in Round About, we pull up a cyber chair to "talk" round about our cyber table about issues important to us homeschooling moms.  In the first four segments, we have been getting to know each other, playing games, and winning prizes.  I am currently working on a When School Gets Tough devotion which I plan to post soon.  Please stay tuned!

On Wednesdays I step on the scale to see if I have lost weight and report in to my readers.  I have struggled with chronic pain for years and am working to lose the weight I gained from an inactive lifestyle.  It's a struggle because exercise is really hard for me, and the encourager needs encouragement in this area.  So I write with the hope that the Lord will bless my readers in the process, too.

Thank you for stopping in.  I hope you will leave a comment and let me know you were here.  I love comments!!

Thank you again for the nomination and for your votes!  Olive Plants readers are the best!!

Happy Voting!
Dawn

p.s.  Make sure you check out Blue House Academy, Kingdom Arrows, SouthForte Farms, and Counter-cultural School, four blogs which are also nominated and that I think are just great!!!

My Nature Journal Give-away Winners!

This morning I wrote the name of each entrant on an index card

and folded each card twice. 

I placed the cards in one of the boys' nests

for their plush toy birds. 

Orville and Wilbur drew the winners. 

Play the video below to find out who won!

Congratulations to

Kellie @ Blue House Academy

and

Sarah, a new Olive Plants subscriber.

I appreciate all the entries

and helpful comments.

Thank you!

And

WELCOME

to those of you who are new to

Olive Plants!

Don't forget...

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for one of two copies of Adrienne Olmstead's My Nature Journal.  All you have to do is leave a comment here.

Both winners will be chosen and announced tomorrow.

Blessings,
Dawn

Flip minoHD Video Camera Giveaway

The funniest lady in the blogosphere, Fiddledeedee, is hosting a giveaway for a Cisco Flip minoHD video camera.

This teeny, tiny camera, smaller than an iphone, looks like a winner.  You can read more about this product, valued at $199.99, and about how you can enter to win one of your own at Fiddledeedee. 

The folks at Cisco are holding a promotional sweepstakes, too.  One person who enters will win $10,000.  Visit Fiddledeedee for the details on how you can enter.

Curriculum Clean Out Giveaway

Spring cleaning has begun at the Olive Plants house.

Boy, is it needed, too. The long, hard winter has taken its toll on our house, and it feels good to clear away the clutter, wipe away the dust, and watch order return to our home.

One of the hardest parts of spring cleaning for me is starting the process of emptying the school shelves. As a curriculum pack rat connoisseur, my shelves are always too full.

And crazy sentimental me, I do not want to let anything go because it all has such meaning...

I can't sell that book. I taught Wilbur to read with it.

I remember the day we did this. Oh, how can I part with this?

I can't throw that out. Orville told the funniest joke about the picture on p. 12.

But alas, the Olive Plants house is bursting at the seams, and books, teacher's guides, and activity packs are popping through the crevices. So it is time for me to get over it spread the wealth.

The Curriculum Choice has motivated me to get moving in my efforts to de-curriculify with their Spring Cleaning Curriculum blog hop.

Yes, I really just wrote "de-curriculify". It's my blog, and I can make words up if I want, right?

I am giving away four books in the First-Rate Reading Basics series. Each book contains activity ideas and reproducibles to support basic reading instruction. There is one book each for vocabulary, phonemic awareness and phonics, fluency, and comprehension. I used these books with both of my boys in the early years to supplement their reading and phonics instruction and have loved the results.

The boys enjoyed the activities and did not learn words like "de-curriculify". Honest!

To enter, leave a comment with the title of your favorite children's book. I will accept entries through Monday, March 22 at 11 p.m. The next day, I will select a winner using random.org and notify the winner via email, as well as announce here and link to the winner's blog.

I will do my best to mail it promptly next week and not cling to it with my last heart string. I may stand at the post office and wave as the delivery truck departs, though.

For additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Subscribe to receive Olive Plants via email




• Grab the new Olive Plants button and display it on your blog (leave a link)




• Follow Olive Plants




• Follow me on twitter- @Homeschooldawn

If you are new to Olive Plants, welcome! Please take a little time to look around and be sure to introduce yourself.

If you are an Olive Plants regular, take a minute to hop over to The Curriculum Choice and check out their great giveaway and the other participating blogs. There are some real goodies available.

Happy De-curriculifying!

Dawn

Simplify My Life Sweepstakes

I received a diagnosis! The doctors know what is causing my debilitating back pain and sciatica.

It is a newly recognized condition called Desktopsy-Turvy Syndrome.

It is caused by my excessive use of a desktop computer. I organize every aspect of my life on it and have to lug it with me everywhere I go.

To the kitchen…

To the classroom...

Even to the gym!

No wonder I had problems walking last week!

But don’t despair! There is a cure for my condition!

The HP mini 110 with Windows 7!

The Mom Bloggers Club and HP have partnered for the Simplify My Life sweepstakes. If the judges like this post, I could win a new HP mini 110 with Windows 7.

It’s so sleek, compact, and light-weight!

Winning an HP mini 110 would allow me to keep my life organized without breaking my back!

Plus, I would look a lot less dopey when I need to carry my computer with me to homeschool support group meetings.

I mean, would you want your group president to look like this?

The rolling chair walker really completes the look, doesn't it?

Here is extra good news! I am not the only one who could find myself in Laptopia!

You could win an HP mini 110 with Windows 7, too!

Three random winners will be chosen from those who comment on any participating blog post. That means you could be a randomly selected winner just by leaving a comment here about my back pain solution!

What do you think?

Isn’t an HP mini 110 just what the doctor ordered?

And the winner is...

I have updated this post. The original winner has decided to participate in this promotion and I have picked a new winner.

Devildogwife @ Marine Corps Nomads!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I appreciate your comments and tweets. For those who are now following, welcome! I am glad to have you here.

There is still time to enter the SouperYou contest if you have not already. You could win a make-over trip to NYC! Thank you to Progresso and My Blog Spark for providing this giveaway.

I have emailed Devildogwife and she will receive her goodies from Progresso soon!

Congratulations, Devildogwife!

Give-away: Progresso Soup Gift Pack

It is that time of year.

The time when the majority of Americans list their resolutions for the new year. Losing weight tops most lists. I know it is at the top of mine.

Progresso wants to help us achieve our weight-loss goals and has provided Olive Plants readers the chance to win a gift pack of Progresso soups and to enter a contest for a make-over trip to New York City.

Three grand-prize winners will be chosen in the SouperYou Contest and will receive airfare to NYC, accommodations for 2 for 3 days and 2 nights, a head-to-toe makeover from a stylist, and a $1000 wardrobe shopping spree. Pretty exciting, huh? You cannot enter the SouperYou Contest here at Olive Plants. Instead, visit the SouperYou site for all the details and to enter.

What you can win here is a fabulous Progresso gift pack. One Olive Plants reader will receive two cans of Progresso soups, a digital jump rope, and a large Progresso mug, perfect for your 100 calories or less lunch!



As the hostess of this giveaway, I received 15 cans of Progresso soups, along with the jump rope and mug, and have really enjoyed the package. There are so many 100 calories or less soups to chose from. 40 to be exact. It makes for a warm, filling lunch that only uses 1 of my diet points, sometimes 0! If you can't wait to give Progresso Light a try, you can find coupons here.

To enter the give-away I am hosting, comment on this post with your best diet tip.

You can earn additional entries by:

• following me on twitter (@Homeschooldawn)
• tweeting about this give-away
• posting about this give-away on your own blog
• subscribing by email to Olive Plants
• following Olive Plants

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and provide links to your posts.

This contest ends on Friday, January 15, 2009 (11:59 p.m. EST). I will use random.org to select the winner on Saturday, January 16.

Happy Eating, Commenting, Tweeting, Posting, etc.!

Dawn

I received the Progresso gift pack from Progresso through My Blog Spark for free in order to review the product, promote the SouperYou Contest, and provide one gift pack for my readers. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion of Progresso soups and related products.

Giveaway: Winter Nature Study Ebook

Barbara McCoy, better known as Harmony Art Mom, has completed an ebook. In Winter Nature Study, she provides 10 Winter Outdoor Hour challenges as well as notebook pages, artist and composer studies, and more.

She is holding a special giveaway, and you could win a copy of the complete winter challenge ebook. Click the picture of her book above to get all the details and to enter.

Congratulations HSBA Winners!

The Homeschool Blog Award winners have been announced, and I was not among them this year. However, it really was an honor to be nominated, especially in three categories. I know who nominated me for Best Crafts, etc. and Best Encourager but have no clue who nominated me for Best Super. You really surprised me with that one!

Thank you to everyone who voted for Olive Plants, too. I really appreciate you guys and am glad that you are blessed by this blog.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to everyone at the HSBA Post. Hosting these awards has to be a HUGE undertaking, and all of us who participate profit from it, win or lose. Thank you!

Dawn

Avon Give-away

Heather @ Kingdom Arrows is giving away a set of Avon Naturals Pomegranate and Mango bath products. It is a great give-away, so don't miss your chance to win! Visit Kingdom Arrows for the details.

16 x 20 Rolled Canvass Print Give-away

Kimberly @ Raising Olives is giving away one 16 x 20 rolled canvass print of your favorite picture from Online Poster Printing. This would make a fabulous Christmas present and can be yours for free. Visit Raising Olives for the details.

My Audio School Subscription Give-away

My Audio School is one of the best resources for homeschoolers to hit the web, and I am proud to say that it is the brain child of my dear friend, Molly @ Counter-cultural Mom and School. What began as an effort to meet the learning needs of her dyslexic son grew into a home-based business.

You may have seen the MAS button in my sidebar or read the promo I wrote soon after the site's launching. You may have noticed that I nominated MAS for Best Curriculum/Business Blog in the Homeschool Blog Awards. But... have you visited yet? Have you seen the oodles of free downloadable audio content that Molly has compiled?

You can access a portion of the content without a paid membership; however, a one-year subscription only costs $14.99 per family. It is a fabulous deal.

This week, however, you could win a free one-year subscription. Brenda @ Tie That Binds Us is giving away an MAS subscription to one of her readers. You can get all the details on how to enter at her blog.

Free Digital Holiday Supplement from The Old Schoolhouse

I just downloaded the free Digital Holiday Supplement from the Old Schoolhouse Magazine, and it is a wonderful resource that I will use to plan our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. There are recipes, inexpensive and hand-made gift ideas, crafts ideas, decorating ideas, and much more. All the articles keep the budget-conscious family in mind, too.

You can get your free copy by clicking the icon above and following the directions you will find after being redirected.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Give-away: Southern Living Homestyle Cooking

Kathleen @ SouthForte Farms is hosting her first give-away. She is offering her readers the chance to win a copy of Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. This cookbook offers a variety of recipes, from simple to complex, and will, of course, add a little Southern-flare to your fare.

To enter, read Kathleen's post and then leave a comment. You can earn an extra entry by spreading the word via a blog post of your own. She is giving away one copy and will pick the winner next Thursday, 10-29-09.

HSBA Nominations

It's that time again!

The Homeschool Blog Awards are accepting nominations starting today. This is your chance to nominate your favorite blogs for up to 25 different honors. The winner of each category will receive a great prize. The HSBA also gives your favorite blogs the opportunity to be introduced to new readers. I found a few of my favs while visiting the nominated blogs last year, and a few of you found me that way, too. If you have never participated before, don't be shy. Hop on over to The Post (click the icon above) and nominate your favs right away. It doesn't have to be Olive Plants, either. ;)

There are 25 different categories, and I have nominated 10 differen blogs. I am still considering who to nominate in a few categories.

Each blog needs three nominations per category to make the voting list. So my single nomination does not guarantee these blogs will be official nominees when the voting begins in two weeks. Here are the blogs I have chosen:

Best Live What You Believe: Kingdom Arrows
The author of this blog, Heather, knows what she believes and she lives it. Her dedication to serve Christ selflessly shows in her posts, particularly those she has written about her experiences teaching her dear daughter with auditory processing problems. Her level of commitment to her children's needs demonstrates her love for God.

Best Eclectic: Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Who doesn't love Kris's blog just for the name alone? She does a great job with hands-on, nature studies, unit studies, and keeping school interesting for her unsocialized crew. She describes herself as "classically eclectic", a label that fits us Olive Plants, too. Visiting her blog actually makes me feel a little less weird and a little more socialized.

Best Homemaking/Recipes: Mercy Every Morning
I get hungry every time I visit Christy's great blog. Since starting Weight Watchers I have had to avoid posts like Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole, Best Bean Soup, and especially Pumpkin Cookies. She is a great cook and is budget-conscious, too. I would nominate her for Best Thrifty, too, but the rules won't allow it.

Funniest: Rocks in My Drier
This blog makes me laugh. Every time.

Best Cyber-buddy: Blue House Academy
I have one of those inexplicable online friendships with Kellie. She and I have never met in person, yet I would go to bat for her. She is my most loyal reader and commenter, and I really like her blog, too. I think if we lived near each other, we would be best buds.

Best Curriculum Business: My Audio School
My friend, Molly, launched this new blog a few months ago. If you haven't visited yet, please, don't wait any longer! Go now! She has tons of free downloadable audio content. You can access about 20% without a membership. The subscription fee is $14.99 per year and allows you access to the entire site. It's a great deal and deserves this nod.

Best Variety: Heather's Blog
Heather writes on a variety of topics. Sometimes she shares the precious but hysterical conversations that take place between her preschool-aged twins. Other times she shares recipes, words of encouragement, home making ideas or teaching ideas. She's not new to teaching but is new to the world of homeschooling, so let's give her a warm welcome.

Best Nitty-Gritty: Raising Olives
Kimberly is a homeschooling mother of 9 who gives great, fluff-free advice. She has given me ideas for laundry management, multi-age (or in my case multi-level) homeschooling, organization, and many other aspects of home management. Her Not-Me-Monday posts are a riot and show just how down-to-earth she is too.

Best Homeschool Methods: Counter-cultural School (Classical)
Molly was last year's Best SUPERHomeschooler winner, and her counter-cultural school blog is a great resource for classical homeschoolers. Need I say more?

Best New Blog: SouthForte Farms
Kathleen launched her blog last month. Her posts offer great advice on homemaking, teaching, and child-training topics and are infused with witty humor. She can teach you just about anything about home management and make you laugh in the process! I was a Best New Blog nominee last year so I feel like I'm passing the baton to her and am happy to pass it to the blog that I think should win hands down. Last year, I was in 1st for a while but landed in 3rd. Here's hoping you do better than I did, Kathleen. Bon chance!

If you like these blogs as much as I do, head on over to the Post and fill out their new and improved, super-easy-to-use nomination form. Remember that a blog needs three nominations in each category to be in the running. Thanks!

Kroger and Crayola Give-aways

This is the week for great give-aways. Kimberly @ Raising Olives is offering two great ones this week.

General Mills and PepsiCo. are offering one $30 Kroger gift card to one of her readers. You can also enter to win a Crayola Creativity Pack, valued at over $57.

While there, check out Kimberly's fabulous blog. She is a great lady and mother to nine precious kids. She offers a lot of great advice on parenting, homeschooling, and homemaking.