A Pinterest Find for Father's Day

 I do love Pinterest, but I must admit that I mostly use it as a TOOL to catalog my various finds around the internet.  Rarely do I actually MAKE something I pin.    

This week, however, we are making two things I pinned over the weekend.   I am sharing one with you today.  The other I can't share with you until AFTER Father's Day (because my dear husband is a faithful reader of this blog).  Sorry daddy, you're not going to find out our surprise here! 

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Making Good Use of Pinterest

Pinterest has changed the way I spend my time online.   It has made me much more intentional and productive.   It has changed the way I think about pictures in my blog posts.  I implement more fun ideas in our homeschool.     Bottom line:I'm in love with Pinterest.   
Yes, I'm aware of legalities and have read several articles online.   Right now I'm being careful of what I pin and keeping up with the latest news about Pinterest. 
This recent article from MacWorld is very informative -- if you are wondering about the future of Pinterest and what it is good for, you should take the time to read it:
Opinion: Should You Care About Pinterest?  
Another GREAT article is from Jimmie, of Jimmie's Collage:
How Pinterest Can Ruin Your Homeschool 

Every now and then I like to see what's being pinned from my blog {and isn't it cool when you're looking through your stream and you see something that was just pinned from your blog?}. 
Currently, these are the top three pins from Homegrown Learners.
1.  Making Math Fun - Unifix Cubes - This is a post from August, 2010 - and when I look back on it I remember the FUN my little guy had with the Unifix cubes and how he learned addition and subtraction.    

  2.  Learning About Birds - This post gives our favorite resources (mostly books) for learning about birds.   I'm sure the words on the picture made it more "Pin-able".    

3.  Fun With Fractions - This post is quite recent... I think the chocolate subliminally enticed people to pin this one!  

I also wanted to share some of my favorite pins - things I've pinned and then done.    There are far to many to count - these just stick out in my mind:

*  Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes - simple and elegant.  They have been a hit whenever I take them someplace.

*  Viking Mask - so easy and effective!

*  2012 IKEA - I've also fallen in love with IKEA over the past month - inspired by this pin and another blogger.

*  How To Clean Your Glass Cooktop - This really works!   My glass cooktop is the cleanest it has been since we moved into our house seven years ago.

*  How to Draw a Castle - I enjoyed doing this just as much as my children did!  

*  Ham and Cheese Sliders - My husband LOVES these - these little sandwiches are the key to his heart!

*  A Bag of Bookworms - I loved this idea so much I adapted it for Valentine's Day in our homeschool.  

I'm learning to use Pinterest to my advantage - as the online bookmarking tool it should be.   It isn't a time waster for me - quite the contrary.  It saves time because I'm not hunting around for ideas or spending time doctoring my bookmarks bar.  

I also try to pin things that are of direct interest to me, and directly from the source.   A lot of repinning and seeing what others are pinning sometimes leaves me feeling a bit empty, know what I mean?   

Are you on Pinterest?  If you are, leave me your link so I can follow you!!    

*Linking today with Pinterest Mondays.