Pizza Wheels

For our family, summer is just as busy as the school year, but in a different way. Our kids have always been involved in softball and baseball, so I am always looking for meals that can be made quickly and that everyone enjoys. I came up with this idea, after having something like this at a local restaurant. I have tweaked it a little here and there, and feel free to tweak it some more if you want!

Pizzal Wheels

frozen bread (like Rhodes) - I like the whole wheat
pizza sauce
toppings of your choice
cheese

Thaw out the frozen bread either the night before in the fridge or the day of (directions are on the bag). Once the bread is thawed, roll out the dough into the size of a rectangle about 10" x 14". Cover with sauce and put on toppings of your choice and sprinkle with cheese (I like to use a blend of cheeses). I also sprinkle with Italian seasonings on top of the cheese. This next bit is kind of tricky. Roll it up starting with the long end to make a log. While you are rolling you have to kind of tuck in the edges to keep in the toppings. After you have your log rolled out, you cut it into 1 - 1 1/2" pieces. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them.

They are great because you can have a "kid" friendly one with one loaf of bread and then make another one with all the good stuff!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Lock in current Sonlight prices when you order by June 30!

I just received this letter from Sonlight, and wanted to pass it along fyi!

I realize you may just be winding down your school year, but it’s already a great time to think about your curriculum for the year ahead. You might have read about our price guarantee through June 30, 2009, in your Sonlight catalog, but I want to remind you that deadline is drawing near.

You have three more weeks to lock in your current Sonlight prices before any potential price changes begin July 1. These changes may be minimal, but I want to give you a heads up so you can save money on some items you intend to purchase.

As you consider your budget, if you'd like to take advantage of our Time Payment options, you can make a single order and pay for your Sonlight purchase over 3, 6 or 9 months. Read more about this service here.

While you're on Sonlight's site, feel free to browse our fascinating Core packages and award-winning books. If you'd like help choosing a curriculum that’s a great fit for your family, feel free to contact a Sonlight Advisor (every Advisor is an experienced homeschool mom and a Sonlight expert!).

If you have any other questions, you can chat with a member of the Customer Relations Team on our website (http://www.sonlight.com/contact.html), email main@sonlight.com or call (303) 730-6292.

Wishing you the best,
Tim Heil
Customer Relations Manager

www.sonlight.com
Empowering parents to raise life-long learners who
fervently pursue whatever God calls them to do.


P.S. Enjoy 25% off our toys and treats for little ones while supplies last! If you haven’t given this page a glance, you’ll be amazed at the low prices on classics like Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as lots of toys that enrich child development.

Schooling through the hard times . . .

As our school year has been winding down I have been reflecting a lot about the last year . . . a lot of big things have happened in our family. Last April 2008 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Within four weeks of diagnosis I had a total abdominal hysterectomy. I started chemo about 6 weeks later and was on chemo for about five months. Needless to say our lives have changed. Fortunately we were on the tale end of school, and my kids are older, so we made it through the school year without much difficulty. The biggest thing that I have taken from this was that through it all God was with me and my family, and I can see His hand in all that has transpired. I cannot stress how important it was for me to know that God was and is in it all. If I did not believe that He had planned my steps, and truly wants what is best for me and my family, I could easily see that I could be in the pits of despair. I just want to encourage anyone who is going through a difficult time to "cast your cares on Him, for He cares for You!" I Peter 5:7

Just a side note for this Spring . . . we were never able to have a graduation party for my son as I was too ill, so we are having it the end of this month! It looks to be a fine time as we have a big picnic with food and friends! (Just what he wanted). I am also doing well, and am "dancing with no evidence of disease!" God is good all the time!

Transcripts

That dreaded word! I know many people hear that word and start to tremble, I know, because I was one of them. A year ago last December, my then 17 year old son, decided he wanted to graduate in the Spring. He had plenty of credits, he was already taking classes at the local community college for dual enrollment, all he needed was a transcript so he could apply for scholarships. I was in a bit of a panic since I thought I had a year to supply this when in reality I only had about a month! So, to hopefully spare some of you this panic, I thought I would share a few things that helped me get his transcript together.

I had all his grades, so that was not a problem, but getting it all on paper was the challenge for me. I did some poking around, and soon discovered that most Christian colleges have transcript templates for homeschoolers. I soon found one that I liked, and easily downloaded it to my computer. Next came the challenge of assigning credits and naming his coursework.

After digging through posts on the Sonlight Forums, I came up with all the information I needed: how to assign titles for his High School cores, how to assign credits, and which other pertinent information should be included on a transcript. If you are a member of the Forums, I strongly recommend that you visit the Parents of High Schoolers forum for some terrific help. If you are not a member of the Forums I would suggest that you check out a few of these sites that also offer great tips and information: Transcripts A to Z, Create Professional Homeschool Transcripts, Homeschool Legal Defense. There are many resources out there, some are free, and some you can purchase. I have listed a few just to get you started.

Hopefully I have helped you get going, but if you need any other help, please drop me a comment and I'll be happy to share anything else I might know!

Lessons Learned from three Homeschool Guys

My son and two of his best friends did this video for a Christian Filmmakers contest over the weekend. Josh was one of the actors, Nate wrote it, and Ethan filmed and edited it. I thought it was very thoughtful and wanted to share what they did. Please give it a watch.




This video is one that Ethan made as a testimony to God during his struggle with leukemia. He was first diagnosed in February 2008. He has until Feb. 2011 to be done with all of his treatments.

To Test or Not to Test . . . .

My 13 year old daughter just finished taking the Stanford test this week, and that got me thinking about the value of testing. Some folks wonder if there is a benefit in having their kids tested. We personally don't do a lot of testing, but we do have them tested on a semi-regular basis, and here some of the reasons why.

One of the things that I believe testing does, is to help me as the teacher know which subjects I am adequately teaching my children and where they may need help. If they are falling behind in a subject, or need assistance in a subject, the test results can be helpful in finding out where their weakness may lie and thus enabling me to address that weakness.

I think another good reason to test your child would be to help them get used to the idea of taking tests - to take out the fear factor. If they have plans to go to college, trade school, Bible school, or most any further education after high school, they will need to get used to the idea of taking tests. I don't think it is a bad thing to prepare them for that event. Something as simple as filling in an oval, which we may take for granted, is something that a homeschooled child may have never have done before.

Also, we have found that testing before they enter high school has enabled them to be a part of the homeschool honor society Theta Zeta. Not only does being a member of Theta Zeta look good on a resume, but it provides great leadership opportunities and a chance to serve others in the community as well.

Lastly, testing in high school is often required for students to get the good student discount if they will be getting their driver's license at 16. Usually a student needs to be in the top 20% to receive the discounted price. If you have a young driver, (we will soon have two) you will appreciate that discount as it is substantial!

So as you ponder whether or not you should test your child, I hope the above information has helped you make that decision.

The Cost of Home Education

Over the years I have had several folks tell me that Sonlight is too expensive and that they could never afford it, so they trudge on using workbooks or going to the library. It is true that homeschooling isn't free, but I do think it is important to think about where you want to invest your money.

I was fortunate that I found Sonlight at the beginning of our homeschooling experience. Since I graduated one last year, I have every core that Sonlight offers and my expenses for my other children are very minimal since there are so few consumables with Sonlight. Yes, I made the initial investment of the cores, but once they are purchased there is little needed after that.

My husband is a pastor of a small church, so we have never had a lot of "extra income," but Sonlight was one thing I didn't want to cut back on. Some of the things I did to help pay for our Sonlight was to take on extra jobs (did you know election judges in our county make $150 a day?), cash in aluminum cans, sell things online, and cut back wherever possible. Yes, that meant we didn't eat out a lot, or have a lot of new things, but I was able to give my kids the education that I wanted them to have, using a curriculum that I truly believed in. Other folks have used their income tax check, or budgeted for it monthly. Sonlight also offers an option to make your payments over several months for a small fee.

However you pay for your homeschooling materials, the time to start planning for it is now!