Parental Rights Amendment

Dear Illinois Supporter,

It’s time to get more cosponsors for the Parental Rights Amendment! In order to pass the Parental Rights Amendment we need bipartisan support from those in Congress, and we are planning a Cosponsor Drive for Tuesday, July 21, through Thursday, July 23. In this nationwide effort to get support for the Parental Rights Amendment we will be calling all members of the U.S. House and Senate who are not already cosponsors. If your U.S. Representative and Senators are not cosponsors, we need you to call them during our three-day Cosponsor Drive.

U.S. Representatives who are not cosponsors of the Parental Rights Amendment:

Representative Bobby L. Rush (IL-1) – 202-225-4372

Representative Jesse L. Jackson (IL-2) – 202-225-0773

Representative Dan Lipinski (IL-3) – 202-225-5701

Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (IL-4) – 202-225-8203

Representative Mike Quigley (IL-5) – 202-225-4061

Representative Peter Roskam (IL-6) – 202-225-4561

Representative Danny Davis (IL-7) – 202-225-5006

Representative Melissa Bean (IL-8) Blue Dog Coalition – 202-225-3711

Representative Janice Schakowsky (IL-9) – 202-225-2111

Representative Mark S. Kirk (IL-10) – 202-225-4835

Representative Deborah Halvorson (IL-11) – 202-225-3635

Representative Jerry F. Costello (IL-12) – 202-225-5661

Representative Judy Biggert (IL-13) – 202-225-3515

Representative Bill Foster (IL-14) Blue Dog Coalition – 202-225-2976

Representative Timothy V. Johnson (IL-15) – 202-225-2371

Representative Phil Harep (IL-17) – 202-225-5905

Representative Aaron Schock (IL-18) – 202-225-6201

If any of these is your Representative, we need you to call their office sometime during our three-day Cosponsor Drive and urge them to cosponsor H.J.Res. 42, the Parental Rights Amendment, in the House (find your Representative by typing your zip code into the box here.) We are especially targeting Congressmen in the Congressional Blue Dog Coalition. Securing this group of Democrats will make the Parental Rights Amendment a truly bi-partisan issue in the House, as it already is among the voters.

If your Representative is not listed above, please send an email thanking them for cosponsoring the Parental Rights Amendment. Thanking those who cosponsor lets them know we appreciate their support. To view the list of current cosponsors, click here.

The Parental Rights Amendment was also introduced in the U.S. Senate this past May by Senator DeMint, and it’s time to get Senate cosponsors! Call your Senators and urge them to cosponsor S.J.Res.16, the Parental Rights Amendment, in the Senate.

Senator Richard J. Durbin – 202-224-2152

Senator Roland Burris- 202-224-2854

Thank you for your participation in this important Congressional Phone Campaign right before Congress adjourns for the summer. Senators and Representatives will soon return to their home districts for the August summer work period. ParentalRights.Org is organizing visits to local Congressional offices by 20 constituents with 1,000 activist signatures, to be scheduled during that time. A face-to-face group meeting with your Congressman is an extremely powerful and effective way to communicate clearly the message of the Parental Rights Amendment. If you would like to participate in these local meetings please contact Region 3 Grassroots Coordinator Jason Heki (jason@parentalrights.org).

For more information about the Parental Rights Amendment, visit ParentalRights.org

Sonlight upcoming 20th anniversary

The following came in an email from Sonlight:

Sonlight’s 20th Anniversary Celebration …

Sonlight Curriculum is turning 20 in 2010! We plan to make our 20th anniversary a special year for our company staff, vendors, friends and our beloved customers. Twenty years of offering the best of the best curriculum while getting to know and serve you–that’s worth a lot! You are invited to celebrate with us.

You’re Invited …
I’d be honored if you would join us for a 20th Anniversary Virtual Meetup Celebration in June of 2010, with John and Sarita Holzmann, Sonlight’s founders, hosting you. Expect lots of fun surprises with this webinar event to commemorate Sonlight’s beginnings, celebrate its customers and look forward to the future.

Stay Up-to-Date
Look for special events throughout the year–from money-saving special offers and charitable opportunities to customer contests and featured alumni. If you haven’t already, sign up for updates regarding the 20th anniversary celebration and events at www.sonlight.com/meetup2010. That’s how I plan to communicate further news about this celebration.

We originally planned a 20th Anniversary Meetup on site here in Colorado and shared that expectation in last year’s catalog and on our website. As we actually began to plan for that, we realized too many Sonlighters could be left out of a celebration like this. So, we began looking at ways to engage as many friends of Sonlight in more electronic ways.

Tour of Sonlight
Still, if you plan on being in Colorado in 2010, we would be delighted to open Sonlight for tours each Thursday in June from 1-3pm. I’ll let you know how to RSVP so we can ensure our tours will accommodate you.

No matter where you are, I hope you’ll take advantage of our main event: Sonlight’s 20th Anniversary Virtual Meetup Celebration. Hey, it’s one of the few Sonlight Meetups where you can actually wear your pajamas the whole time! (New haircut not required–but if you need a good excuse for one, you have my permission.)

Don’t forget to sign up for updates so you stay in the know about what’s happening regarding Sonlight’s big anniversary year!

Sincerely,
Tim Heil
Chairman, 2010 Anniversary Celebration

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

P.S. As you look forward to the year ahead, have you already chosen your Core curriculum for the school year? If you’d like help with your choices or want to talk through your homeschool goals, please contact a Sonlight Advisor–potentially even chat live while you’re browsing Sonlight’s website!

Become a fan of Sonlight on .

Have you heard of Currclick?

If you are not familiar with their weekly freebies, you will at least want to check out their site and sign up for their email updates. They also offer a variety of virtual classes for homeschoolers. To find out more, read on in this excerpt taken from an email:

Planning your 2009-2010 School Year?

There are still spots available in our July 15th open house and kids activity. Get enrollment discounts and have fun. Don’t miss out!

Sign up for CurrClick Live’s Meet and Greet Open House from 7-9 PM CST including a FREE, totally live kids activity presented by Heart of the Matter Online: Amy Bayliss and her son will be leading a Flat Stanley, pen pal activity for kids of all ages!
Teachers will be answering questions, giving presentations about their classes and “handing out” enrollment discounts!

You can register here, right now!

Once you register at CurrClick, go here to register with GoToMeeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining our open house. Please note that you are not required to show up to every single session during the 2 hour period. Please see the itinerary below to determine which sessions you would
like to attend.

OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE:
7:00-7:15

Wieck Math and Science LC: Melinda Wieck discusses the Beginning and Advanced, Live Algebra classes she’ll be offering in the fall. Melinda is a highschool Math and Science teacher.

7:15-7:30

Bright and Blessed: Susan Bertrang is a Georgia Certified Teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. Find out about her wide variety of fun, self-paced classes such as, “Getting to Know Shakespeare” and ‘Writing Well.”

7:30-7:45

Lessons Worth Learning: Loretta Rhodes, homeschool Mom of 4 and a teacher of 20 years talks about her very popular live History, Geography and Literature classes and answers questions.

7:45-8:00

Triple G Academy:Angie Marcum talks about her popular Art and Nature classes as well as her academic Saxon-based Algebra I and II classes. Mrs. Marcum is a homeschool Mom with her BS in Secondary Mathmatics.

8:00-8:15

Become a CurrClick Live Teacher Q&A:Interested in teaching for CurrClick Live? Attend this discussion, find out more and get your questions answered. Staley Krause, one of the CurrClick/CurrClick Live founders discusses the ins and outs of teaching for CurrClick Live.

8:15-8:30

MathTools: Patrick Martin, homeschool Dad and Math teacher and tutor, will discuss his live math lab, where he helps students with math problems they may be having, and his 1 on 1 live tutoring option.

8:30-9:00

Heart of the Matter Online:Night time activity for kids courtesy of Amy Bayliss and her son from Heart of the Matter Online.

We look forward to “seeing” you there. And, don’t forget to bring a friend!

Great America Read to Succeed

If you and your kids earned tickets to Six Flags through their Read to Succeed Program, now is the time to redeem them!

They expire August 9th, just a few weeks away, and the closer we get to that date, the more crowded the park becomes. I just took my girls yesterday and we had a perfect day for it! The crowds did swell a bit in the afternoon, but most of the day we enjoyed short to non-existent lines.

The employees said it was a typical Monday.

Tips for enjoying your day:

Don’t forget the sunscreen so you don’t regret your trip the following day(s)
Stay hydrated. We actually were there from the time they opened until they closed and my girls still weren’t done! Keeping plenty of water on hand helps them enjoy the day.
Bring healthy snacks (but, of course, they need to stay in the car). Rather than filling up on fried food, pop, and sweets, we enjoyed dinner in the parking lot. Whole wheat sandwiches, carrots, fruit, and lots of water. Nothing holding us back from having a lot of fun the whole day at Great America
Go soon, and preferably earlier in the week. It will never be completely empty, but you have a better chance of fighting fewer crowds this way. We whipped through countless lines before 11:30.
Take the express lane up 294! If you are taking 94/294 up to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee get in the middle/express lane if at all possible. We crawled through the construction induced congestion that whole stretch while watching cars whiz past us. There is an exit from the express lanes at Grand (where you need to get off for Great America), so you don’t need to worry about missing it. If you stay in the local lanes you could easily count on an hour drive from 90 to the park.

If you do have the free tickets, try not to let them go to waste. We enjoyed a full day of fun for around $20 (including parking). Not bad at all, and the kids deserved it for the great job they did reading this past year.

More flags! More fun! 🙂

. . . More Works for Me Wednesday!

Mini-homeschool expo

The CHESS homeschool support group is planning a small scale Homeschool Expo on August 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Grace Fellowship Church (15150 Oak Park Ave. in Oak Forest). They are asking those who assist and support homeschoolers in the community to come out and share information regarding their areas of support. A “New to Homeschool” seminar to assist new homeschoolers will also be available. The evening will also provide an opportunity to register for the CHESS support group.

If you would like more information or would like to reserve a table at this event, please e-mail Sandi Grutzius (sgrutzius@ymail.com).

Penny pencils and more!

Tis the season for back to school deals.

Grateful that I don’t have a school mandated supply list to follow, still I gleefully take advantage of the incredible deals on school supplies this time of year. I joked to my kids that we have enough paper and pencils for me to homeschool their children.

Some of the deals you don’t want to miss:

Staples :

Penny pencils (8 pack, yellow — limit two) only through Wednesday this week
Copy paper costs $3.69 and can be submitted for $3.68 rebate online (500 sheets per pack, limit two) also through Wednesday only
Lots of other dollar items, and a $5 off a $20 in store purchase coupon, but if you don’t need any of these dollar items you might be better off waiting, because sometimes even better deals are just a week away.
More details and scenarios at Money Saving Mom.

CVS (**These deals are only good through Tuesday** In order to enjoy their deals you must get an Extra Care card and the coupons will print out at the bottom of your receipt, good towards your next CVS purchase. More on that here if needed):

Items that give you Extra Bucks equal to their purchase price (essentially making them free): glue, scissors, ruler, one subject notebook, and pens. (see store or ad for more limitations and details)
3 subject notebooks are $3.99 with $3 Extra bucks.
Folders are on sale for a nickle

I’m sure there will be many more deals in the weeks ahead, but these you will need to jump on in the next couple days.

If you want to make sure that you don’t miss information about short term deals like these, or special events, don’t forget to subscribe to Chicagoland Homeschool Network.

Shakespeare in the Park in Geneva, Illinois

Looking for a little Shakespeare in your summer? Geneva has just what you are looking for.

This from a recent press release:

The Midsummer Theatre Troupe will present a free production of “Taming of the Shrew” at 6 p.m. at the park. Before the play begins, the junior and senior performing company of State Street Dance Studio in Geneva will dance.
Seating will be Ravinia-style; audience members are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics. Food will be available for purchase from Mill Race Inn and Graham’s.
“Taming of the Shrew” is about love and marriage, and those wanting to attain that perfect union. Two sisters, one fair and one shrewish, are being courted by various suitors. How and why these men approach the task is brought out in this story.
“This is the third year the arts commission is presenting a Shakespeare play as a gift to the community,” said event chair Vic Portincaso. “Last year we had attendance of 600: this year we expect 1200 people to attend.”

Admission is free; a $5 donation is suggested. Free parking is available at the government center on First Street. It’s just a short walk across the covered bridge across the Fox River to Island Park.

TOS Crew

I never made an official announcement, but you have probably noticed and will continue to notice something new around here . . .

For the coming year I have been selected to join a group of homeschoolers to review products for various companies. Many vendors have great products about which they want help getting the word out. I am excited to be a part of this group and pass along information on some great products to you.

At the TOS Crew’s blog you can find links to all the companies we will do reviews for this year as well as other Crew member reviews of the products. Whenever I do a review for the Crew I will link back to their blog so you can see other’s reviews as well.

Up and coming is a review of the Grapevine Bible study curriculum. They have so many great options, and can be tailored for families or group studies. We plan to start using it this coming week and I look forward to jumping into our Old Testament Overview.

Welcome aboard!

HSLDA membership giveaway winner

We have a winner!

Commenter number 3 is the winner of a one year membership to HSLDA.

Jacqueline, that’s you! An email should already be headed your way, so please get in touch with me and I will get the information to you.

Thank you to the rest of you for entering and passing along the word. We can all continue to support this fantastic organization.

Unschoolers Winter Retreat

The 3rd Annual UWWG Announced for 2010:

We’re excited to announce the 3rd Annual UWWG (Unschoolers Winter Waterpark
Gathering) will be Feb 7 – 13, 2010 at the awesome Kalahari Indoor
Waterpark Resort – Sandusky, Ohio!

Join us for a week of awesome fun
and support among a 1000+ unschoolly / life learning homeschooling
families from around the country, at Ohio’s Kalahari Waterpark Resort
– the largest Indoor waterpark in the USA! Plus, NO register or
Conference Fees! Our super discounted room rates start at only $99/per
night for a standard 4 person room – and that includes your waterpark
passes and participation in all our UWWG Events! What a tremendous
deal!!! Our 2010 UWWG will be even bigger and better! We’ll be doubling
the size of the conference area we’ll be using, so we’ll have lots
more room for all the Funshops, Talks and Events being planned.
Further details and to start chatting with other UWWG attendees,
please join our UWWG yahoo group.Please help us spread the word, by
sharing this announcement with all your unschooling friends and
posting on all your unschooling groups!

THANKS and see you next February!!!

Carol Reinhard
UWWG Coordinator
Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gatherings
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UWWG/