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I LOVE homeschool conferences. For me they are a time to connect with other homeschoolers, receive encouragement, and learn a lot about myself and homeschooling. On March 12-13, I will be attending the Apologia Live Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. I am so excited about this opportunity as I missed the conference last year.

Speakers include:

  • Rachael Carman – author of SoundBites from Heaven
  • Zan Tyler – author of 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child’s Potential
  • Debra Bell – author of the best selling Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling
  • Elizabeth Smith – with HSLDA and the Homeschool Foundation

Apologia provided me with the recordings from last year’s conference and I have been listening to Deb Bell, Sally Clarkson, and Zan Tyler speak with passion and conviction on topics like wisdom, God’s word, and joy. After listening to the CD’s I am even more excited to attend the 2010 Apologia Live Conference.

This year’s conference theme is Standing Strong: Renew your vision… Refresh your soul… Rekindle your light… Rebuild… Recharge… Restore… Revitalize. With a high schooler, middle schooler, three elementary aged kiddos, plus a toddler and a baby I am ready for some refreshment! To make this wonderful conference even better, this year I am attending with my dear friend Crystal who you might know from her website Money Saving Mom. I was able to meet her for the first time in real life this weekend and I look forward to hanging out with her again in March.

The wonderful folks from Apologia Live have offered to give one of my readers a conference pass to either the Baltimore conference in March or their Chicago conference in October. I also have five CD’s to give away to my readers from last year’s conference. The titles include:

  • Walking in the Light of God’s Grace – Zan Tyler
  • Walking in the Light of God’s Joy – Sally Clarkson
  • Walking in the Light of God’s Wisdom – Elizabeth Smith
  • Walking in the Light of God’s Word – Zan Tyler
  • Walking in the Light of His Plan Everyday ~ Rachel Carman

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment. I realize not everyone can attend conference in Baltimore or Chicago, so if you would like a chance to win a conference pass please specify that in the comments. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win one of the cd’s.

I hope to see some of you in Baltimore next month!

Apologia Live Homeschool Conference Giveaway

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Dave Ramsey Interview

February 7, 2010 · 24 comments

There will be no Menu Plan Monday this week as I am unable to return home due to the Blizzard of 2010.

This week I had the privilege of touring Financial Peace University and meeting (including interviewing) Dave Ramsey. I cannot tell you how excited I was to have this opportunity. Dave’s booksDave Ramsey Interview inspired our family to start living like no one else and if it wasn’t for our debt free journey I wouldn’t have started this blog.

Instead of the usual office artwork, the walls of Dave Ramsey’s studio are filled with credit card art.

Dave Ramsey Interview

Dave Ramsey Interview

Dave Ramsey Interview

I also loved the wall of inspirational quotes.

Dave Ramsey Interview

Then my friend Fish Mama was able to do a live “We’re Debt FREE!” with Dave.

Dave Ramsey Interview

We watched him work.

Dave Ramsey Interview

He spent about 8 minutes chatting and talking about finances, which is what he does best! You can find my interview with Dave on the Savvy Blogging website.

Dave Ramsey Interview

I have never considered myself to be someone who gets “star struck” but meeting the person who has had such a big influence on our family’s life was definitely awesome!

Dave Ramsey Interview

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Confession time, I rarely sign up for free samples. It seems too time consuming, too annoying, and who wants all that junk mail in their in box? Then I  started wondering this weekend, maybe free samples are worth my time and effort? The only way to be sure is to track my time and the samples I receive. There is no reason to pass links on to my readers if I wouldn’t do something myself.

Since most free samples take between 4 – 6 weeks to arrive I will run this experiment until May. I have several blogs in my reader that regularly post free sample offers so I will use those sites as my resources for finding the samples. I don’t have time to scour the internet for samples, so I am depending on these bloggers to find them for me.

I have set up a specific email address for receiving these offers so my regular email doesn’t get clogged with their newsletters. If you see a free sample offer please feel free to email it to me at freesamplehousewife (at) gmail (dot) com.

I’ll update monthly with time spent vs samples received.

How about you? Do you regularly sign up for freebies? Do you think you are making a wise time investment? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Are Free Samples Worth Your Time?

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February 3, 2010

Cora and Kit ~ 10 Months

Cora and Kit ~ 10 months

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February 2, 2010

Using Networks to Grow Your Blog

This week Kristen from We Are THAT Family asked for us to link up with our best blogging tips. Honestly there are so many great tips out there I have a hard time thinking of just one. But, I will share with you something that has made a difference in my blog traffic.
If you are [...]

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February 1, 2010

Bulk Cooking Video Tutorial

My Bulk Cooking Plan

Whole Chicken DONE
Chicken Broth DONE
Pizza Crust DONE
Shepherd’s Pie DONE
Chicken and Rice Casserole DONE
Salisbury Steak DONE
Taco Meat DONE
Refried Beans DONE
Wet Burritos DONE
Rolls
Bagels DONE
Two loaves of bread
Cinnamon Rolls DONE
Waffles DONE
Pretzels
Granola DONE
Banana Muffins DONE
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins made pumpkin instead DONE

What I made that wasn’t on the plan.

Pancakes
Baked ziti
BBQ pork in a crock pot

I ended [...]

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February 1, 2010

Diapers.com Free Shipping and Rebate

When Cora was born I fell in love with Diapers.com. Unable to drive, I used their fast free shipping to have formula and diapers delivered right to my door in 48 hours.
Right now they have a great deal going on for new customers. Shipping is free if you spend over $49. They have some sales [...]

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February 1, 2010

730/365 Decluttering Challenge

I am excited about my first months progress on the de-cluttering challenge. I have two large boxes in my basement that are ready to leave the house! I just need to count the items in order to add them to my tally. My totals are a little low this month because I haven’t officially pitched [...]

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February 1, 2010

20% Cash Back at Old Navy

I love my thrift stores, but if I am going to buy new I always visit Old Navy. Their clothes have help up well for my children and I have often found items for less than I would pay at the thrift store. My sister is the queen of the $0.99 Old Navy bargain.
For those [...]

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