We own a big, hairy, outdoor brute of a dog.  How about you?  Is your dog itching, scratching and stinking beyond belief?  Ours isn’t too stinky, but he sure is dirty, and itchy.

I’ve just heard of an all natural dog shampoo from Dinovite that looks absolutely wonderful! It really is incredibly natural - as folks with a background in organic farming we’ve seen a lot of ‘natural’ products that are anything but that, but this ingredient list is fabulous.  Among it’s many virtues, the shampoo claims to remove skunk odor in one bath with their authentic essential oils (no more tomato juice!), and they have a formulation designed to eliminate fleas with the inclusion of carefully blended therapeutic grade essential oils!

Carefully designed to lather well, rinse out easily, impart a lovely natural scent to your pooch, and agree with the skin of sensitive puppies, I can’t think of a more promising product for dogs.  An unscented version is also available for those who prefer no odor - though this shampoo doesn’t remove skunk odor.  Lavender, peppermint/tea tree, and essential oil blend are the other scents available with both peppermint/tea tree and the essential oil blend offering natural flea and tick protection.  I know that tea tree oil is great for lice on humans, so I imagine these formulations are fairly effective.

Dirty, stinky puppies with dry skin - watch out, Dinovite’s got your number.

Larry likes to mix things up a bit with our family devotions, and we’re changing things up again!  It’s a very exciting transition though, and very homeschooly - if there’s such a word!  We’ve read through all of Genesis and Exodus over the past half-year, dug around in a story bible, drawn lots of pictures, and now we’re going to start again in the creation week with 106 Days of Creation Studies from Simply Charlotte Mason.  I recently reviewed this title at Eclectic Homeschool Online here.  We are all going through it together, and are looking forward to studying science through the scriptures (once I assemble some materials of course).

With communications becoming increasingly prevalent, many individuals rely solely upon the internet for their current events listings (myself included).  New services are popping up all the time online to facilitate effective communication of current events, gatherings, and so much more of course.

InTheRooms Meetings has an easy to navigate and incredibly comprehensive listing of recovery support groups, the most comprehensive service I’ve seen of this kind.  Their current listings include meetings for Overeaters Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Gamblers Anonymous.  Unlike many directories, the site includes state by state listings in the U.S., provincial listings for Canada, and a wide variety of international listings by country.  The listings are then further broken down by city.  The clean, clear Wiki-style site is incredibly easy to use and navigate. It’s easy to see why this is one of the top recovery sites currently on the internet.  Members in recovery groups can log-in and add or edit listings for their group’s meetings resulting in accurate, up-to-date listings for these organizations.

The associated free support community, InTheRooms, allows participants users to join discussions, and participate in the person-to-person support available through the online community.  Their total member recovery time is 112,987 years, so if you could use a bit more accountability and sharing time, check it out.

Here we all are!  Larry is SO outnumbered!  Four to one :).  This is the female majority of the family in the morning.  Yawn - I’m not at my best in the a.m. - it takes me a few hours to get going!

…here comes baby! You know how children learn through modelling?  Well, when my little girls see mamma on the computer, they think that they should be able to type and click and mouse and…you get the idea.  Unfortunately our youngest at one year, is still largely lacking in impulse control and fine motor skills.  Sadly my laptop has hit the ground a couple of times due to her fascination with pulling its cords!  While I’m diligently working to teach her NOT to touch the computer, I do feel a bit nervous about its continued health and well-being.  We have an extended warranty, but I’m hoping we won’t be needing a powerbook repair anytime soon!

SpellQuizzer is an easy to use software program for computers running Windows that allows parents and teachers to create their own customized spelling lists for automated practice on the computer.  While we have a Mac, and can’t use the program - I know from experience in other subjects that my six-year-old is always eager and anxious to practice her skills if she can do it on the computer.  Working on the computer always equals fun to her, regardless of the subject and I know many other children feel the same!

With spelling such a difficult subject for many children, an independent method for review might be just the thing your children need.  I still recommend a comprehensive spelling program that teaches intensive phonics through parent/teacher involvement, but supplementary educational resources for review and further instruction are always helpful!

SpellQuizzer features an easy to use interface that allows parents and teachers to design customized spelling lists to target the needs of their students.  The program even features audio recording so that the spelling words are read to your student along with an example of contest in your own voice!  An extensive list of videos and clear screen shots are available to see how the straight-forward software works.

Interested in taking it for a spin?  You can download the full version of the program for a 30 day free trial and see what you think!  Then if you’re interested in purchasing the program, the cost is $29.95 for a downloaded version, and you can add another $7.50 if you’d like the software on a CD.

Thanks to SpellQuizzer I have one (1) free downloadable license to give away to a blessed winner!

If you live in the country, chances are you’ve heard of carhartt clothing.  You’ll find their overalls and work duds at pretty much any local store that caters to farmers.  Their clothes can also be found online at Hanks Clothing, which has been selling outdoor wear since 1949.  Carhartt themselves have been around for even longer - 120 years - no wonder rural dwellers are so familiar with the brand.  Not only do they offer the classic brown work overalls, but they have jeans, shirts, shorts, vests, socks, and more.  I think I’ve even seen their clothing for sale in the big hardware stories in the city - even construction workers are impressed by the durability of the clothing.  As an industry standard, I imagine we won’t be seeing their clothing disappearing from store offerings any time soon.

For over a decade the UN ranked Canada as the world’s best country to live in.  I think we’re currently fourth on the list, but I wouldn’t live anywhere else (unless God led our family there, of course).

We’re blessed with a universal health care system, benevolent democratic government, freedom to homeschool, freedom to homebirth, freedom to work for ourselves, and most importantly - freedom to follow Jesus.

Canada is now 142 years old as of yesterday - a very young country, but one where Christians can live peaceably and openly practice our faith.  I pray our country remains safe and free for many years to come - God keep our land glorious and free!

When Larry and I were married over seven years ago, we had a very affordable wedding.  The total cost including our honeymoon was around $800 which was completely recuperated through wedding gifts!  I don’t think we had ANY wedding favors, and our reception was potluck, but we loved it!

We also love chocolate, and chocolate wedding favors and gourmet chocolate gifts are something that guests can actually consume and enjoy (unlike monogrammed golf balls for example - no, we don’t golf).  The linked blog post has some neat ideas for using chocolate as part of your wedding, and the treats from Gertrude Hawk look delicious!