The Ultimate Family Expo

Are you longing for the ultimate help in raising your children whether you home educate or not?  I homeschooled full-time my three children for 19 years.  The two oldest are homeschool graduates and college graduates.  After my husband passed away, I became a part-time homeschool mom.  Now I encourage younger moms to persevere in their high calling.

I remember when I went to the homeschool conventions filled with big name motivational speakers but I always felt that there was no way I could measure up to what they were doing, so I was always left feeling more overwhelmed than encouraged by those experiences.

I longed to hear from real moms who were finding solutions to making their homeschool work for their particular family situation, budget, and learning styles.  I longed for more information on managing the day to day then teaching the academics.

I hated coming home exhausted and feeling like I couldn't absorb another piece of information.  I didn't like choosing between two workshops I didn't want to miss.  All these objections have been solved by:

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo is everything I longed for and MUCH, MUCH more. The Ultimate Expo has something for everyone and for all Families.  You will find speakers talking about topics of interest to ALL FAMILIES. Read more details below:

There are no large crowds!  No outrageous gas bills! No makeup! No babysitters! No parking miles away! No expensive trips or hotel stays! No walking for blocks and blocks! No lugging big loads of books around! No expensive trips or hotel stays!  No rushing around so you can catch the vendors, yet missing the wonderful workshops!

In fact! No missing ANY workshops!  Look at this sampling of speakers that will appeal to all Families including those who have a baby on the way!


Anne Elliott
Using the Bible to Choose Methods and Curriculum

Carol Topp
Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out
Is Your Homeschool Group Ready for 501(c)(3)Tax Exempt Status?
Micro Business for Teens

Christine Field
Catching the Foxes that Ruin the Vineyard

Cindy Carrier
Creating a Joyful Home Atmosphere

Cindy Rushton
Back to the Heart of Homeschooling
Say Goodbye to Super-Mom!

Dawn Billesbach
Making Family Dinners More Feasible, Fun, and Healthy in a Busy, Multi-tasking World

Jane VanOsdol
Spiritual Disciplines for Your Kids
Publishing Your Young Writer's Work:  Tips for Getting Their Work in Print

Jennifer Schwilling
Homeschooling Through the Hard Times
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Review

Karisa Rivera
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Sweet Memories and Valuable Lessons

Kimberly Ehlers
Homeschooling a Child with Health Issues

Kimberly Guthrie
A Mom's Journey to Healthy Eating on a Real World Budget

Lisa Hodgen
"Teach Us to Pray" ~ Becoming a Family of Prayer

Lois Graham
Facing Frustrations and Surviving Stress
ABC’s of Creative Bible Learning

Lorrie Flem
How to Raise Children Who Win Friends and Influence People
Mind Training
Attitudes are Born in the Mind

Mary Kane
Take 5- Time Out with Jesus

Matthew Rushton
Graduated, Married, Got a Baby On the Way--NOW, What I Think About Homeschooling

Molly Evert
Protecting your Marriage
Homeschooling the Dyslexic Child (A Parent's Perspective)

Paul and Marissa Osborne
Have A Killer Garage Sale and Live To Tell About It

Phyllis Wheeler
Internet Savvy for Homeschoolers

Rachel Starr Thomson
Power in Words: Encouraging Your Writer in the Art, Craft, and Ministry of Writing

Regina Hicks
Who’s Driving Your Bus? Tranquility or Turmoil
High School & Beyond: The Final Leg of the Journey
Three R's for the Homeschool Mom: Rendering, Resting & Romancing

Rhea Perry
The Biggest Gap in Education and How to Fill It
Online Businesses You and Your Kids Can Start from Home

Sharon Jeffus
Using Art to Help Struggling Students/A Different Approach
Teaching Art to Reinforce Understanding of Core Concepts for Visual and Kinesthetic Learners

Stephanie Buckwalter
What I Learned From Keeping a Dirty House
How to Make Any Curriculum a Right Brain Curriculum or How to Make Any Curriculum Right Brain Friendly
Getting  the Kids to Help—Your Part and Theirs

Susan Scott

Homeschool Success for Every Child: Uncovering the Unique Gifts within each Child

Tara McClenahan
Unpacking Your Child's Suitcase
Discovering Your Child's Love Language.
Is That Ultimate or What?  There is something for everyone all from the convenience of your home!

I know I can't wait, there is a lot for me still to learn.  I hope you will join me in obtaining a ticket to the Ultimate Family Expo.

Recharge Mom! Free Phone Seminar Weds Night

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."-Ben Franklin


I am very excited to announce that I am getting started with regularly scheduled phone seminars again. In fact, I will start tomorrow afternoon - Wednesday April 28. But don't worry if you can't make it, the call will be recorded and available for you to listen to at your convenience and there is no charge.

Since I'm in the middle of kitchen remodeling I'm thrilled at the timeliness of tomorrow's topic being: "Recharge Mom"

I'll admit, taking time for mom, taking time for me is a subject I'm not particularly comfortable with or knowledgeable about. Too much false guilt, I guess. I don't know why I think I'm supposed to be some sort of robot that works and works and never stops to take time for a little rest, relaxation or even a little pampering.

Now I can honestly say, I'm not sure where this false belief comes from, but I notice in scripture that Jesus often took extended time away to spend time with the Father. He needed to get away from the crowds frequently, I assume he was very tired and needed to get recharged. Why does our 24/7 culture tell us otherwise? Am I any different than God incarnate if I am made in his image?

Do I think life can't go on in the family if I'm not there to do the work or overseeing all the activities, meals, appointments, baths, etc? Maybe your idea of recharging doesn't fit within your budget constraints. Does recharging have to take money? Does recharging require time away from home? How much time does it take to recharge?

How often should we recharge? What are the benefits of recharging for myself and for my family? These are just a few of the questions on my mind, maybe you have others.

But this will be our lively topic of conversation with well known speaker and author, mom, and wife, Cindy Rushton tomorrow. We will be talking with Cindy in the afternoon during some children's nap time.

Plan to carve out a little time to listen in! The call or the recording is free and available 24/7 to you and your convenience.

Remember, the background noise is muted out so your house doesn't have to be quiet.

Here is the Contact Information:

Join Cindy and I in a Live-Online CHAT/Seminar:

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444  The only cost is for applicable long distance charges, if any)

Call ID: 38181# PIN: 1# (Or your Talkshoe PIN)

OR: Live on line:  Talk-a-Latte.com/chat. You just go to this page and you can see the chat and click to hear the workshop stream live. No need for a password or code. It is easy AND free!

Time: 5:30 ET, 4:30 CT, 3:30 MT, 2:30 PT Date: Wednesday April 28 Topic: Recharge Mom Guest Speaker: Cindy Rushton with Marilyn Moll

What a mess! Kitchen Demolition Progresses

Once upon a time there was a small 10 X 10 1970's style kitchen. 

Then one day the homeowner said, "Enough! It is time to replace the 35 year old cabinets and non-repairable appliances."



This homemaker knew there would be a mess in tearing out all the old, and knew there would be surprises.  But she had no idea how long and how wide and how deep this massive mess and life disruption would be.



This is a picture of my old dining room looking in from the kitchen.  This horrific picture of debris now occupies what was once my dining room, next to the kitchen.
The picture above is looking into the "bones" of my old kitchen from the former dining area.

I had been warned that when remodeling, you don't really know what you are getting into until you start tearing things up.  So far, the main surprises have been to see that the sub-floor is actually particle board.  All this particle board must also come out so that a plywood sub floor (much stronger and not so wavy) can be installed before the hard wood floors are installed.

Although the pictures won't show it, the old sub floor was quite "wavy"and squeeky,  a defect that carpet does a good job of hiding, except for the squeeks.

Although the picture to the left doesn't make it obvious, there is a "low" area on the right side of this picture, which also happens to be right in the center of the house between the fireplace and the old kitchen/dining area.

The flooring here is about a 1" dip or 1" lower than the rest of the entire upstairs.  The cause of this "mystery" must be identified and remediated before the flooring can be installed.






The below right photo is taken from the window of my "old" kitchen looking back towards the fireplace/living room area.  The two by four posts in this picture frame all the wires to all the kitchen, dining room, and hall lights plus the baseboard heating.  All this wiring and light switches will have to be relocated!

This little "wall" area is coming out to open up the rest of the space and make room for my new island.  Relocating the "mini-wall", which just so happens to be a supporting wall requires that a new supporting beam going perpendicular to this wall will have to be put into position before any finish work or cabinet installation can take place.

I think I will get most of my freezer emptied before this whole mess is put back together and made beautiful.  Everyone who has taken time to write to me, say, "You are going to love your new kitchen so much that it is well worth enduring this mess."

Metaphorically, I'm considering this tear out phase to be "winter" and "spring" is around the corner.  I can't wait!

You can follow other blog posts of my kitchen remodel progress before pictures, pictures of  plans for the new kitchen, and moving to my "camp kitchen."

In Memory of Duane E Moll - Second Anniversary

Thanks to the prayers of dear friends and relatives I awakened this morning feeling good.  In fact, better than I have for quite a few weeks now.  Today is the second anniversary of my husband, Duane E Moll's passing.

My good friend Debbie arrived bright and early so Mary and I could go to the grave and leave some new flowers and enjoy our good memories of his life together.
To our surprise, the apricot trees in the orchard next to the cementery were in full bloom.  Behind us, Mt Lamborn rises to over 11,000 feet on a clear and beautiful Spring day.  What a breathtakingly beautiful place for his final resting place and  a pleasant surprise.


If you are new to my blog, my late husband, Duane, was driven by the passion and vision to establish a family enterprise together.  God opened the door for my bread baking hobby to grown into a family business that continues to support our family.

After his passing, I received literally hundreds of cards and emails from customers who appreciated his gentle spirit, and the time he spent on the phone helping them and ministering to their hearts.

By God's grace I am still in the process of moving ahead with a new life.  How blessed I am to have been married nearly 25 years to this godly man.

Five Easy Steps to Involve Your Children in Spring Cleaning

Ed Note: As an older mom, I can tell you it is very wise to involve the little ones in household activities when they are very young and want to help. Here is how one young mom is achieving this goal.


NORWEX IS NOT ONLY SAFE FOR KIDS, IT GETS KIDS INVOLVED!  By Rebekka Parry

It has always been one of my goals to get my kids involved with weekly chores around the house. Learning responsibility and the importance of doing a good job are priorities for our family. But how that was going to actually work out practically, I wasn’t sure! Then Marilyn introduced me to Norwex microfiber, and the light bulb came on! Now I could assign small duties to my young kids without worrying about buckets of water and chemicals! The following are some practical ways that Norwex can be a family affair:

1. The telescopic mop handle adjusts in height! It can adjust small enough for an eight or nine year old to use. You can start teaching the technique of mopping early!

2. The dry superior mop pads are useful even without the mop! I have my five year old son using them to wipe down my wooden stairs by hand. They also work well on the hardwood that is not covered by my area carpets.  They come in two sizes, I have the smaller one for maneuverability around carpets and hardwood floors.

3. Kids can learn the consequences of their actions by helping to clean up. When my four year old decided to write with a crayon on my kitchen floor, I had him help me scrub it off with the antibac wet mop pad.  Again this wet mop pad comes in two colors.

4. The antibac microfiber mitt is a great way to get even the smallest child excited about helping! Just slide that “big blue paw” on, and show them how to wipe down chairs and railings! The best part is—whatever those little fingers touch, they dust!

5. The antibac enviro cloths come in different colors! You can help your child feel the special part he or she plays by letting them pick their own color. Then work side by side cleaning the bathtub, wiping counters, cleaning the fridge, washing windows, or dusting. Let them “own” the cloth and the responsibility of a job well done!  (You can invest in a four pack or individually.)

Ed Note: Rebekka Parry is proud momma of 4 children ages 5 and under, three boys and 1 girl, so far and a family friend from when we lived in Pennsylvania.
Cleaning has never been easier, safer, or faster!
Purchase all the Spring Cleaning Pack, one Enviro, one dust mitt, and one window cloth
for just $41.99 (reg. $46.48)

Use and Care Info:  To care for your cloths, simply wash with a dot of dish soap and rinse very well under running water.  Once a week, or when needed throw into the washer with lint free items.  Be sure to NEVER  use bleach or fabric softener which destroys the fiber properties.   Tumble dry or hang to dry.  Avoid drying with towels or other high lint items.

Visit my blog for Kitchen Remodeling Updates and Pictures:  marilynmoll.com

Request a Norwex Catalog:  Email me at marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com


Copyright 2010 Marilyn Moll and Laura Coble, All Rights Reserved.

Back to Basics

The simple phrase, “Getting Back to Basics”,  has been going through my head since I have been setting up my camp kitchen with "basics" and while I was concocting the elk stew melange earlier this week.

Basics, in my mind, are learning basic cooking skills such as sauteing, stock making, baking, yeast bread baking, roasting meat, basically cooking from scratch.  Basics are good to know in an emergency and as part of a family preparedness plan.

Not surprisingly, basics are often quite economical and budget friendly ingredients and recipes.  Basics are ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, milk, salt, vegetables, fruits, bread, and cheese.

Basic vegetables in a pantry would include potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage and celery.

Basic fruits in my house are based on what is in season.  Right now strawberries, pineapple, apples, bananas, and oranges were on sale at my grocery store so that is what I bought.  Here is the complete Master Pantry List that I work from when re-stocking basics.

If all this back to basics cooking sounds a little too complex and confusing to you I discovered there are numerous websites that enable you to list what items you have on hand and then generate useful recipes to try out.  Check out recipematcher.com/ which enables you to type in a list of ingredients on hand and then select the type of cuisine you are trying to prepare such as breakfast, American, Mexican, Chinese, side dish, healthy, Vegetarian, Crock Pot or 30 Minute Meal, etc.  Voila, recipe suggestions are listed.  This will definitely be a handy website for my menu planning in the weeks ahead.  A google search will locate other similar sites.

Now that Spring has officially arrived,  I challenge you to clean out your pantry, fridge, and freezer to make room for putting aside some of the bounty of this coming years harvest.  You might even want to do some pantry planning and overhauling.   Are you Prepared?

Moving to the Camp Kitchen

I spent a large portion of my time last week moving kitchen essentials into my camp kitchen and boxing up the non-essentials from my "old" kitchen.  The picture below shows my kitchen table, working counter top with a hot plate, electric tea kettle,  and storage for silverware, mixing bowls, and pots and pans.

The right corner of the camp kitchen contains an old computer desk that I used for writing ebooks and newsletters when Duane was still living.  Now I have my bible,  laptop, home telephone and answering machine located here.  To the right of the main eating table (outside the picture) is a very old set of file drawers that are doubling as a counter to house my microwave/convection oven combo, an airpot being used as a faucet for cold drinking water, and my beloved Bosch.
Along the left side of my camp kitchen facing the window is my entire family library with a banquet table set up in front for my cutting board, utensil storage, and dish washing station.  The trash can is in front of the banquet table.


I now have my dining room, family library, kitchen, and desk area tucked into about a 10 X 12 foot space.  It's all very cozy but surprisingly functional.

Bosch Mixer and Nutrimill Combo now on Sale!

I hope you all had a nice Easter with family and friends. Mary and I  accomplished our Easter dinner without my beloved Bosch and grain mill.  Instead, we invited a family friend to join us for dinner in our downstairs "camp kitchen/cabin".

Demolition began in my old kitchen on Thursday so we had a simple dinner cooked on a hot plate in stages.  Pictures will follow soon.

Now, through Mother's Day, May 10, you can invest in a Bosch Universal Plus and Nutrimill and save nearly $200.  The combination price is $549.99.  With the tax deadline fast approaching, I know many readers are awaiting their return so they can invest in a mill and mixer.  Don't miss this once a year savings event!