Homeschooling Tips: ACE/SOT Curriculum

The Accelerated Christian Education/School of Tomorrow curriculum is the one we are using for my son's Preschool homeschool program. We are happy to report that a week in since we started and we are breezing through it. I love how this program integrates values and Bible training in the academics. For those who would love to explore the shores of homeschooling, ACE/SOT is the curriculum to look into.

The Accelerated Christian Education has been around since 1970. Students undergo diagnostic exam upon entering the program and are placed where they belong based on the result.

Unlike traditional education, this program allows for students to advance from pace to pace as they demonstrate mastery. The advancement is done with the supervision of instructors. What I especially love about the School of Tomorrow curriculum is it is more than quality academics. The foundation stands on the value for students to learn the things they need to know from God’s point of view. Students are encouraged to nurture their personal relationship with God and their personal responsibilities towards their family, church and community. 

A word from Executive Director of School of Tomorrow, from their webpage, www.sotphil.net:

The present economic situation of our world lends itself to introduce the discussion and theme of School of Tomorrow® for this year. Each day the bad news seems to swell into our lives like the tsunami that rolls into the shore, affecting everything in its path. Where and when will it end? Why did it have to come?

These are the questions, but the answers are found in a realization that calamities like this really do help us define what is TRUE TREASURE! We must see that when all the problems are gone and the effects are seen, the true treasure is still there. Some things wash away, but real treasure remains.

So often in education we have placed our trust and hopes in fake treasures. We have made the accumulation of riches the end of the pursuit of education. A better college or university (by whose standards, we have to ask) is the goal for our graduates. And after that a better job and higher salary. But even these pale when the crunch comes. There is no sure standing or guarantee in these times.

The TRUE TREASURES are few, but totally REQUIRED for our lives. They must be eternal. Earthly riches fade, tarnish or devaluate. Even priceless antiquities are but temporary and can be destroyed by fire, water or aging. When heaven and earth pass away, those things built on relationships will last. The greatest of these is the relationship with God and his Son, Jesus Christ. No wonder Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…”

Second they must be RELEVANT. Relationships with family and friends remain and often are even stronger when trials come. We see differences vanish as they draw us together. The relevancy of relationships are seen and are demonstrably common in our Filipino society. We have those particular names such as “cuya” and “ate”. These mean a special relationship and delegate responsibility as well.

Finally, True Treasures should be RESILIENT so that they never fail, never are out-dated or in need of renewal. God’s Word and the principles taught there are permanently true. They will “never pass away”, and as such make the educational process totally and truly TREASURES.

School of Tomorrow® will do that for those who use the curriculum (which is Individualized, Scoped and Sequenced) and procedures (developing character with each component). The different programs such as ABC’s, the Educator’s and student conventions, the retraining of staff, and then school visits, ALL combine to make us a system of value. We are not just an individual school using a portion. We are a SYSTEM of parts and Parts of a SYSTEM!

Let us determine to be a TRUE TREASURE for this Nation’s future growth, impact and blessing. Only as we work together will the impact be realized.

 

Monitor Children's Exposure to Game Consoles

Now that we have started homeschooling, it is now more than ever that I am convinced that children should not be exposed to too much game consoles.  I am not a game console hater, we actually have one at home.  I just happen to believe that there should be moderation to everything.  XBOX, Wii, PS3 players should be played mostly by adults and if children should at all be allowed to play, there should be a limit.  

Benefits of Debt Consolidation

Nothing can be as stressful as having to manage debts. An overwhelming percentage of our population are undergoing debt crisis and do not have the slightest clue on getting their way out of it. Debt to begin with, makes you a slave to your lender. It makes you feel every single pay day that you are working not for your family but to the people you are indebted to. This is reason that whoever who is in debt should consider debt consolidation. 

Debt consolidation strategically plans out your payments in such a way that paying them all off will be more realizable, and the process less overwhelming. Debtconsolidators are available to do this for you. Getting all your credit card, medical, personal and other debts in one account can be the most beneficial if you would love to improve your credit standing and be finally relieved from all the burdens of having debt. Struggling over debt is not uncommon, even those who we may consider as well off. In fact the opposite is true. Those who may seem “can afford” are those who are really heavily indebted to institutions.

There is no need to hide and refuse to answer calls because of the fear of credit collector running after you. Why live with such kind of life when financial freedom is realizable. All you really have to do is make that first step. Decide to consolidate debt and get this out of your way to achieve a better standard of life for you and your family.

A Better Internet Provider

Every internet marketer could make use of a good internet provider. When one does internet marketing, you almost always multi-task, opening a handful of few browsers and tabs and working at them simultaneously.  

It will be wise to look into Qwest high speed Internet if you happen to believe that you deserve a better value for your money. You will be surprised how other internet providers claim of a particular speed but never deliver. Pages load close as if you were connected via dial up and the problem with it is you pay a good amount of money for the subscription. Waiting for pages to load is practically non-existent with Qwest. The great thing about this is you can avail of a bundle which includes Qwest phone service all for one affordable monthly price. 

One does not have to get into a handful of different subscriptions, when you can actually have one account for each in their very neat bundle packages. This is actually the wisest thing to do. It will not just take your internet business to the next level but will present a more convenient way of handling your utility bills. It is just neat that this generation presents packages such as these. It does make life easier in this fast paced world.

One sure way to know how your internet connection is faring is to check how the downloading and uploading are doing. Large files usually take a lot of time to upload and download via the regular internet providers. It is about time that we stop wasting our time and money by switching to the better deal. 

An internet connection provider that performs 26 times faster than dial up should be a great deal. It will not just give you better speed, you will never have to wait for pages to load and even files to upload and download. This could mean better income for you, if you run your business on the internet.

Gadget Tip: Read Manuals and Maximize Your Gadget's Potential

As a proud owner this brand new, albeit entry level DSLR baby, Nikon D40, I have been pretty busy looking into getting better at doing photographs. Even as I do this, I have been looking for tips and tricks and what nots that pertain to this particular model of DSLR. 

Reading through forums and lingering over at KenRockwell.com’s webpage is helping me a lot. Especially so that the manual that I got hold with my kit is in German. Ken Rockwell provided a D40 user guide that is just so easy to understand, even for someone who is not big on manuals ever. This is where I inject my tip for the day: Read manuals to maximize the potential of your gadget. 

As I mentioned, I have never been big on manual reading. I usually go by feel, but I understand that if I wanted to be more than just a photography hobbyist, I should go beyond that mediocre phase. Get to know whatever gadget you have. Like for instance, for this particular topic, your DSLR. 

Sure you can go by feel and figure out what will be the best settings for exposure modes, medtering controls, flash, focus, white balance and all other settings. But wouldn’t it be nicer if you get hold of the manual and get it straight from the manufacturer what each and every button is built for. Manual reading is essential if you would like to go beyond the so-so performance of whatever gadget. Otherwise, you do not just risk not being able to optimize its potential, but you could also mess up with its settings and if you are not very lucky run the risk of destroying the software of your gadget. 

Read your manuals and go through forums and helpful web pages that could assist you through your gadget. That is what I am doing now and for everything about cameras, go for the guru himself, Ken Rockwell. 

Quality Bathroom Accessories

As taxing as house construction can be, it can also be fun. My husband and I were very hands on and we were happy that despite the limitation in our budget we did get a contractor who is very generous and indulged us in possibly every single request we had. 

One of the things we became very particular over is the way the bathroom would look. It has always been said that the house is defined by how the bathroom looks like. Aside from that, we wanted to make sure the bathroom we will permanently have is something that we want unlike all the bathrooms we had in all the five houses and apartments we previously rented. We canvassed showrooms of bathrooms and discussed what we wanted for our bathroom accessories. We chose between some classic designs and contemporary ones. We ended up choosing a black and white contemporary design and we are happy we did.

For bathroom accessories, head over to FairFieldBathroomsDirect.co.uk for a wide range of quality bathroom products.

Tips on Maintaining a Home Gym

Keeping healthy and keeping to a regular workout routine is not exactly the easiest to maintain especially in this fast paced generation. It is still not an excuse to least prioritize your health. In fact, if we at all care for our families enough, we should give it a priority. 

One wise thing to do is maintain a home gym. This way you would not have to leave home to pursue a regular workout. Home gyms are the most convenient for people who would like to keep to a regular routine of working out. Some would say that it has its downside, but if time is really not on your side and work keeps you from visiting your regular gym then this will be the wisest thing to consider. 

Investing on equipment should not be a burden at all. The monthly payment you give to your regular gym can serve as funds for your very own home gym equipment. You can start with what you need. Buy an equipment at a time and keep to a schedule. Start with five minutes and work your way up till you get to the most convenient time for you. As you progress and see the results you will be encouraged to keep on. 

Tips on Organizing Files

How do you effectively organize files? Effective meaning, it will not go into chaos the minute you’re done with organizing. First thing to do is know where the file is going. For example if you are looking into organizing your files in your computer, then create folders and subfolders first. The same way with papers and get them into labeled folders.

Sort the files by classifications and into the subfolders. Categorizing is the key. If for example you have personal and office files. Determine where your file falls under, then that should be a no brainer from there. Labeling is the key.

If you have done the organizing the proper way, there is no way you will go back to messing up your whole system. Putting everything back in their proper places will be easier.

Hughes Net High Speed Internet

Gone are the days when dial up was still one of the choices for people to go online. The advent of satellite internet has made way for people to access the world wide web via high-speed internet. Truth to tell, even those who are using a mid priced broadband subscription like myself are shortchanged because of the frequency of intermittent connection, especially during typhoon, like what we have been having lately.

Hughesnet is a satellite internet broadband connection that uses the power of satellites. It caters even to the remotest part of America and with connection speed that is 50 times that of what a dial up would give you. Other broadband connection will have a hard time measuring up with what they offer. Downloads are done in no time and practically zero downtime for its subscribers. Now, this is something every internet marketer could make use of.

Satellite technology will give the subscribers of HughesNet an uninterrupted internet access that will totally give all other internet company a run for their money. Sooner or later people will find out that they are being shortchanged and a speed as fast as HughesNet can offer is possible to get their hands on. What’s more if you subscribe with this team, you get an ultra reliable anti virus and anti spam protection with your package.

Perfect Boracay Accommodation at Taj Guesthouse

A great place to check out if you are looking for an accommodation in Boracay is the Taj Guesthouse. The location is perfect. Just thirty seconds away from the beach front and right smack where the action in Boracay is- Station 2.

After spending four days and three nights in Taj Guesthouse, I only have good words about it. Their fully furnished rooms are major convenience for travelers. Make sure to have a look see and book your accommodation with them. A word of warning: they are fully booked even during lean season. So better reserve with them the soonest.

This is the frontage of the room where we stayed. One of my favorite part about our stay in Taj Boracay is their private balcony and the towel rack where we could hang our wet stuff and swimwear from a whole day of splashing fun on the beach. :-)

Tips for Philippine Travelers

Allow me to promote one of my husband's web pages-  The Best Tourist Spots in the Philippines. TouristSpotsPhilippines.com is a site that features different travel spots, tourist attractions, events, hangouts and places to dine in and other interesting places in the Philippines. Contributors are welcome, just send us an e-mail at travel@touristspotsphilippines.com

The latest entry is entitled Recommended Historical Sites in Cebu City. Visit the site when you get the chance.  

Health Tip: Prevent Asbestosis of the Lung

After having read about the reality of people getting a rare form of cancer that manifests with asbestosis lungs and then a while back that asbestos is present in a make up brand from South Korea, it occurred to me that we have to be more careful than we already are.  

Toxic substances are everywhere. The presence of free radicals in our environment hikes up the risk of mesothelioma in our society. If at all detoxification should be done to make sure traces of deadly toxins are excreted out of the body. This is especially true if you think you and your family are at risk and asbestos are still widely used in your vicinity. 

Tips on How to Gain Weight

Because of the prevalence of people who are on the heavy side and are obese, it is rather easy to disregard people who actually have a hard time gaining weight. Being thin does not exactly follow that you have some form of eating disorder.

Instead of flooding your system with crappy foods for the easy fix, choose to gain weight the healthy way. Junk foods and ultra greasy food will mess up with your body. If you are not used to eating heavy meals, try eating five to six small meals a day. Check with the daily recommended foods to make sure what you eat is balanced. An appointment with a nutritionist and doctor should also help to address if there are health issues you would have to resolve first. 

Mailbox and Beyond

How many times have you lost your mail just because you expect them to stay where the mailman threw them. Chances are if you do not have anything to house your mails and documents they end up all over and there is a great risk of losing them altogether like I have had in the past.

One of the things that we can do that would practically get our home to get organized is starting from when mails arrive our home. Mailbox and Beyond have the widest selection of mailboxes plus an even greater choices of elegant address plaques, house numbers and Whitehall products.

Make sure to swing by their site for a wide array of choices that will not just accessorize your home but keep things organized.

Tips on How to Clean Suede Shoes and Boots

With suede and leather goods, it is always best to take note that preventions is better than cure. Buy a protective spray especially made for suede footwear. This will help repel water and stains. More often than not stains are not very easy to remove from suede materials.

As with other items, if you attempt to clean suede shoes with a new product, test it in areas that are not conspicuous. A suede erases should also be at hand just in case you will need one to take off heavy stains.

Affordable and Quality Steering Parts

For everything about cars I could easily redirect you to the hubby’s Auto Blog, but I happen to find this shop where you can buy affordable steering rack and steering box at the highest quality. CarSteering.com is the place to check out. They currently have the lowest prices, from rack to box, to pumps and everything about steering. They all come in warranty too and shipping should not be a hassle, it’s free.

Quality and affordable products are not very common these days and it is always good news when we find one that we have to let people know about it.

Healthy Living Tips

For those who would love to read more on living healthy, visit my blog that is dedicated to healthy living tips. Health secrets are unfolded, old and new. There are topics from mental health tips to physical and emotional well being tips.

While Handy Tips and Hints posts are of random tips, Healthy Living Tips will cover healthy lifestyle topics through and through. Swing by AllHealthyTips.com and leave a line or two when you can. :-)