The Happy Homeschool Mom

My Qualifications to Homeschool

2012-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

I try not to get offended when people ask me what makes me qualified to homeschool, or when someone who is a public schoolteacher that is considering or beginning homeschooling comments that they are more qualified because of their degree. The truth is they just don't understand homeschooling at all.

I did really well in school and have a college degree. I know people who successfully homeschool that have several degrees and people with only a high school education. It is not a piece of paper that makes you qualified to homeschool.

What makes me qualified to homeschool is the Lord himself. He blessed me with these 7 children at this exact moment in time for me to , "train up." He wants me to, (from deutoronomy 6:4-9)" keep his commandments on my heart, impress them on my children, talk about them when we sit at home, walk along the road, when we lie down and when we rise up."

People don't think they need qualifications to have a child. Or teach them how to walk, talk, feed themselves, use the bathroom, or ride a bike.. We teach them to love, have compassion, be a good friend. From the moment they are born we are teaching them. Why then, should we need a piece of paper that "qualifies" us to homeschool them. Homeschooling is much more than teaching children their alphabet or how to add. The Lord has entrusted these children to us for a time to raise them to further His kingdom and to accomplish His work here on earth. Homeschooling is a lifestyle designed to teach everything your child needs to know in order to do that. It looks different to every family and even every child.

Yes, there are practical things we need to be able to teach our children. I know that I was worried when I started homeschooling that my child's knowledge would surpass mine in some areas and then what would I do? I have come to find that even when there are things that you need to teach your children that you don't know or are not very good at, there are many ways to teach them. You can find an expert in the field to teach them, take an internet course, or just simply surround them with books and information so they can teach themselves. I don't have to be a Marine Biologist for my daughter to learn Marine Biology. A text book and some lab assignments will enable her to teach herself.

We have the freedom as homeschoolers to cater to each child and create a learning environment where they can love to learn. Parents always want to do the best they can for their children, that includes homeschoolers too. Being their parent qualifies me to be able to homeschool them. It doesn't mean I will know everything, or even do everything right all the time. It does mean that I will strive everyday to love and educate our children the best we can and trust in the fact that whatever God has called us to do, He will equip us for.

Snow Fun!

2012-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Snow is a big deal around here. We don't see it very often and it doesn't last very long. Whispers of snow will send flocks of people to Walmart to buy up all the milk and bread just in case. Schools are cancelled even if there is a chance it might snow. Friday or Saturday, we started to some a mention of possible snow in the forecast for today. Last night, we watched the weather and they were in fact calling for the snow to start at about 3:30 am with possible 1-2 inches of accumulation. By afternoon, the snow was supposed to turn to rain, presenting a chance for sleet, freezing rain, and icy roads Monday evening.

The children were very excited to see the snow when we got up. Knowing that it wouldn't last very long, they started looking for warm clothing to head out right after breakfast. They got out the sled, made a small snowman, and threw some snow balls. After about an hour they headed in to warm up and we got a little schoolwork done and then bundled up and went back outside. It is now pouring down rain, so our time in the snow is over. It will all be melted soon and hopefully won't freeze.

Christian eating snowball

Carrying the sled up the hill

Lily all bundled up

Anthony making a snowman

Christian. Lily, Chelsea making snowballs

Nick, Christian, Chelsea

Alex sledding down the hill

We have a great hill for sledding!

Emelia didn't get to play in the snow

Anthony's snowman

Menu Plan Monday 2/13/12

2012-02-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

Winter has arrived! It is cold and snowy today, the perfect day to sit under a blanket and drink hot tea. Instead, I will be digging out any hats and gloves we have so the children can play outside before it all melts.

Here is this week's menu plan:

Fri 2/10-pizza
Sat 2/11- mushroom and swiss burgers, potato salad, applesauce
Sun 2/12- cheez it chicken, rice, corn
Mon 2/13-lasagna, homemade bread
Tues 2/14-Take out from the Valentine Banquet at church (kids are having chicken nuggets)
Wed 2/15- baked tilapia, scalloped potatoes, stir fry veggies
Thurs 2/16-breakfast

Go to www.orgjunkie.com for great menu planning inspiration.

Art Class 2/10/2012

2012-02-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

Today's class was a little hectic. Five of my children were ready to paint their clay sculptures, while 5 other children needed to make their sculptures. I was helping to get paint set up and ready for my children while the others were getting their clay and I did not get any pictures of the children painting. I will take some of their finished products next week.

After we finished painting, the children designed a picture frame out of decorated popsicle sticks, and drew a crayon picture inside the frame. After they finished that, they worked on creating a drawing that looked like a stain glass window. Then, those that finished that project went to the drawing easels. It was a very busy morning! Here are the only pictures I got:

Review: Cooper and Me and the Military

2012-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hardcover $12.99

Cooper and Me and the Military

Website: http://www.cooperandme.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooper-and-Me-Inc/214695101924101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cooper_and_me

From the back of the book: "Meet Trooper, Cooper's best friend, and learn how he was adopted by Gracie and Joe and their parents, who both serve in the military. Find out how this family stays close despite being separated."

This book has been dedicated to all the families who serve our country.

This book like the others in the series is written in rhyme which my children love. The illustrations are very sweet and childlike. The story itself is very cute and helps children know that even though we have to be far away sometimes, our loved ones still think about and miss us. It shows a way we can keep loved ones close even when they are far away.

Like the other Cooper and Me books, it has several interactive features which makes it not just a great story, but a learning experience.

A Special Memory Creation-gives an outline of a letter to send to service men and women and the website to send letters and messages to our troops

Life Lessons-talks about the different ways we can stay connected to loved ones that are far away

Connections- asks feelings questions about loved ones that are far away

Learning Together- questions and answers about the story

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Heart of Gold by Robin Lee Hatcher

2012-02-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Against Shannon's wishes, love stakes its claim in her heart. Will she discover treasure or treachery?
When Shannon Adair accompanies her minister father to the western gold rush town of Grand Coeur, she's certain she'll never be happy away from her beloved Virginia, even though the South is still gripped in civil war.
Wells Fargo driver Matthew Dubois isn't sure the lovely Shannon belongs in Idaho Territory either, but he is a desperate man. His widowed sister is dying and leaving her young son, Todd, in his care. Matthew wants to return to driving coach for the express company soon—so he'll have to find a wife to look after the boy when he's away.
Shannon is determined not to lose her heart to a man who is neither a Southerner nor a gentleman. But love stakes its claim. Now, will her heart survive learning the truth behind the courtship?

I really enjoyed reading Heart of Gold. It was more than just a story about a budding romance. It takes place during the Civil War, and it gives a perspective on the people in a neutral territory that are on different sides of the war. There is also a bit of mystery going on in the story. My favorite aspect was the character development of both Shannon and Matthew. They both go through an amazing amount of growth and change. I will admit that I read the last few chapters in a hurry. It was getting late, and I just could not go to sleep until I had finished the book.

I received a complimentary ebook copy of Heart of Gold from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Bringing Your Child Home From Public School

2012-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

There are many, many different reasons families are deciding to bring their children home from Public School and start teaching them at home. Problems with curriculum that is taught, children either being way ahead or behind the rest of the classroom, negative peer influence, illness, moving, are all some of the reasons people choose to remove their child from the public school system. After the decision is made to bring your child home, what do you do next?

If you haven't already done so, you need to look into your state's homeschooling laws. You need to know what you need to do to take your child out of school legally and also what the requirements are for homeschoolers in your state. Do not expect your school or counselors to be a lot of help in this matter. As a rule, the public school system is not "for" homeschooling and will probably try to discourage you. They also do not know all of the laws and requirements for homeschooling and may steer you in the wrong direction. I spoke recently to a lady who had been told by her school that the only way homeschooling classes "counted" is if they are accredited (wrong!) Do your own research. A good place to start looking for information would be the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association.) They have a lot of information on homeschooling and a link to every state's laws. If you are homeschooling here in Arkansas, visit The Education Alliance website. You will find out about Arkansas homeschool laws, support groups, and plenty of articles and information about homeschooling.

One of the hardest things to do is to decide on a curriculum. I struggle when I am talking to new homeschoolers because they just want to know what "the best" is. It is not that simple. One of the best things about homeschooling is freedom to choose the best fit for your own child. There are so many wonderful homeschooling products that are available. What is best for my 14 year old daughter may not be best for yours. You have to decide what you want for your homeschool. Do you want to "school at home?" ( meaning doing a public school type curriculum in your home), or do you want to homeschool? (tailor your child's education to their individual wants and needs.) Do you want your child to use an online program or physical books? Do you want a creation based program? Do you want to buy everything from one company, or pick and choose from different companies? Do you have an idea of what you are able to spend? What are your child's interests? Is your child a hands on learner or do they learn better by reading? What are your child's goals? Those are some of the questions that may narrow down the kind of curriculum you are looking for.

Use the internet when searching for curriculum. Read reviews. Don't pay attention to whether or not people liked about the product. Instead, read why they did or did not like it. Those reasons will help you decide if something will be a good fit for your family.

Talk to other homeschoolers about their experiences. It is very helpful to talk to people that have already been through bringing their child home from public school. They can share with you what they went through and how they made the transition and adjustments that come with big changes. If you can't find any local people to talk to in person, look online. The web is full of homeschoolers and homeschool blogs.

Give yourself and your child some time to transition. Going from public school to homeschool is a big change. Give both of you time to adjust and get into a routine, especially if you are pulling them out in the middle of the school year. Allow for flexibility in your schedule. Sometimes our plans don't work as well when they are set into motion. If its not working try something else.

Pray! Ask for God's favor during the transition. Ask for wisdom and direction for your homeschool. He will give us what we need, all we have to do is ask.

Favorite Recipes: Beef and Bean Skillet

2012-02-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

I really need to start taking some pictures to go along with these recipes. I will try to remember to start doing that. I am always looking for new recipes, and this time of year ones that I can trade the beef for venison. We get a lot of deer steaks every year, and I like to find new ways to eat them. I found this recipe and it was really good (the children were not that thrilled with the beans especially when the little ones were told beans are gross, gotta love big siblings sometimes.) We really liked it. I served it with some homemade biscuits and fruit.

1 1/2 lb sirloin steak cut into small pieces (I used deer steaks)
2 slices chopped bacon ( I used turkey bacon)
1 red pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 can pinto beans (rinsed)
1 can butter beans (rinsed)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce

Cook steak in a deep skillet 3 min or until no longer pink. Remove from pan. Add bacon and cook 1 min. Add onions and peppers and mix well. Cook until bacon is done and veggies are tender. Add beans and BBQ sauce to skillet and simmer 5 minutes. Add steaks back to skillet and cook another 5 minutes. Serve.

Menu Plan Monday 2/6/12

2012-02-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend 4 H did their annual BBQ Bowl fundraiser selling Cornish hens and ribs. I had ordered 4 hens for us to have for supper Saturday night. When Art went to pick Chelsea up, they still had some ribs left that they were selling at 1/2 price, so we ended up with 4 hens and 1 1/2 slabs of ribs. my menu plan for the week had to be altered a bit because we had some ribs that need to be used up. I have to add that the hens and ribs were delicious!

Fri 2/3-pizza
Sat 2/4- hens, ribs, cheesy potatoes, biscuits
Sun 2/5- Superbowl! shrimp, chicken wings, pizza, Doritos, strawberry soda, and Oreo Cookie Balls for dessert
Mon 2/6- BBQ pork sandwiches, oven roasted potatoes
Tues 2/7- taco salad
Wed 2/8- cheese raviloi, homemade bread
Thurs 2/9-vegetable beef soup, homemade bread

Visit www.orgjunkie.com for great menu inspiration!

Homeschool Art Class 2/3/2012

2012-02-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today was the big day in Art Class. The children we so excited that they would get to use the pottery wheel. We actually were the only family in the morning art class (hopefully our friends will get well soon!) so they didn't have to wait long for their turn at the wheel.

First they had to choose their clay, add some water to it to soften it, and work it into a ball.

Lily did not want to play in the clay, she wanted to play with the stuffed animals instead.

Then they each took a turn at the wheel.

After getting the shape they wanted at the wheel, they returned to the table to finish molding and shaping their creations. They also had a tool that they could use to make a design in the clay. Nick carved Tim Tebow's name and Chelsea carved Jeremiah 29:11. Anthony carved a buffalo and Alex and Christian just made squiggles. The clay will air dry and next week the children will get to paint it.

When we finished with the clay, we did some stamp paintings. Lily picked out every single pink stamp that was there. The rest of the children made some really cool paintings using dinosaurs, bugs, alligators, and other stamps. Instead of taking 14 wet paintings home with us, we left them to dry and puck up next week.

Review: God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren

2012-02-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

When a charming polar bear cub climbs into bed one night, she asks her Mama a very important question:

“Where did I come from?”

As Mama bear tucks her youngest cub under the quilts, she lovingly explains, “We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because…

“God gave us you.”

Perfect for bedtime, naptime, storytime or anytime, God Gave Us You builds children’s self-esteem and assures each one that he or she truly is a treasured gift from the Lord.

Board Book $6.99
BUY NOW!

I received this adorable board book and Lily (2) and Christian (4) wanted to read it as soon as I took it out of the package. So we read it, and read it, and read it, and read it again. I love that is a board book and sturdy for little hands to carry around (you also can buy as an ebook or audio book.) The illustrations are adorable and it is a very sweet story perfect for the pre-schoolers in your life. This one will definitely be a favorite in our house!

You can find more information about the author and her other books (adult and children's) here.

I received a complimentary copy of God Gave Us You from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack

2012-02-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Last week Thursday, when we came home from our 4 H meeting, it was such a beautiful night. The sky was full of so many beautiful, bright stars that the children and I stayed out and gazed at the stars for a long time. I wished I knew more about the different stars in the sky, so I could teach them to the children. A couple of days later, I received a link to an awesome resource, Celestial Almanack by Jay Ryan, that does just that, teaches about the night sky.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the sky displays his handiwork.
Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. Psalm 19:1-2

The Celestial Almanack is a monthly publication that teaches about the night sky. We received Celestial Almanack Vol 1 No.2 Feb 2012 and it is 21 page download that is full of information about what is going on in the night sky for the month of February 2012. You will be able to discover that:

* The Sun is moving higher in the noon sky, and rises and sets farther to the north, and how this relates to the days growing longer;
* The constellation Orion dominates the evening skies. Find Orion and his neighboring constellations, and how Orion can be used as a starting point for finding 35 constellations!
* Wow! Jupiter and Venus are drawing closer this month, approaching a spectacular conjunction in March! What an amazing sight!
* Mars and Saturn are visible earlier in the night, and are well placed before midnight;
* Discover these planets and also many bright stars on the evenings when they line up with the Moon;

and much more!

You do not need a telescope to see these beautiful, amazing sights. They are visible to the naked eye. With the Celestial Almanack you will:learn about the night sky, follow the phases of the moon, and discover the visible planets. You will also learn to recognize the passing of the seasons and hoe these signs were used in the calender and celestial navigation.

Celestial Almanack can also be used as a monthly companion guide for the Signs and Seasons Classical Astronomy Curriculum.

Celestial Almanack Vol 1, No. 2 Feb 2012 costs $3.00! and is available for purchase here.

Over the next 6 months there will be some rare sky events that the Celestial Almanack will be focusing on and you may want to be aware of:
1) the Jupiter-Venus conjunction on March 15 (once every 24 years);
2) the annular solar eclipse on May 20 (once every 18 years); and
3) the transit of Venus on June 5 (last one til 2117!)

I have to admit when I saw the $3.00 price tag, I expected it to be just a couple of pages about the moon and the stars. Boy was I wrong! This almanack is full of fascinating information! It starts out explaining about the days of February and what makes it a leap year, the calender, and ground hog day. The following pages talk about: the astronomical calender, the sign's of the seasons, seasonal skies-evening, and the dance of the planets. What is even better was all of the different color charts and diagrams showing the moon, stars and constellations, and planets. Even a very young child can appreciate and learn from the pages of this Almanack by looking at the pictures. My six year old was fascinated by them, so I took him and my 2 year old out last night with me to study the sky. He was so excited to be able to find some of the same stars in the actual sky that were on the computer! I think the Celestial Almanack is a wonderful, inexpensive tool that can benefit anyone that is interested in learning more about the night sky.

To see what other crew mates had to say click here.

I received a complimentary download of Celestial Almanack for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

We All Have Those Days....

2012-02-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Homeschooling blogs can be a wonderful thing for ideas and encouragement. But sometimes, they also can be a source of discouragement. Why? Many times you only get to see the" best of the best." You get to see great ideas, projects, crafts, and field trips. You get to hear about curriculum that we are using or looking into buying for next year. What you don't always get to "see" is what goes on in the actual day to day homeschooling. It's kind of like going to a friend's house that knows that you are coming and their house is spotless and their children are always well behaved. It makes you think their house is always clean and their children are always better behaved than yours. There is no such thing as the "perfect" homeschool. And, although I am The Happy Homeschool Mom, not every moment of my homeschool day is happy. Let me give you a little glimpse inside my day today.

Are started out feeling like I was behind because I had to make a special trip to the post office to mail an important letter. When I returned, we started in on our Bible (we are reviewing Who Am I from Apologia.) Not even 5 minutes into the reading I detected an odor. Yep, Emelia needed to be changed. Luckily we were listening to the audio CD and I let the children keep listening while I went into the other room and changed the baby. We started working on our assignment in our Notebooking Journal when my three oldest started being very nasty to each other. I had to stop the lesson and go into a little speech about treating others like we want to be treated and setting an example for the other children (still hoping it sunk in.) Moving on to History. We were working on our timeline and memory cards when my 2 year old decided she was going to have a crying melt down because my 4 year old did not want to play with her, and my 6 year old decided this would be a fun time to practice the keyboard turned up as high as it would go. Next, it took us 15 minutes to locate our Visual Latin DVD. By now it is time for lunch and we still haven't gotten to our current read aloud, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (hopefully will get to that later.)

We are making lunch when I realize I never took any meat out of the freezer for supper (oops, gonna have to come up with plan B.) A little fresh air and time to get Emelia down for her nap during which I need to get the floors swept, dishwasher loaded, and do All About Reading Level 1 with Alex and Anthony (much easier when the baby is sleeping.) She slept 20 minutes! That's all. 20 minutes! Not enough time to get my chores done, and we had lots of help from Emelia during our reading lesson. The next challenge came during Math. Fractions have been causing melt downs from Nick all week long ( I have yet to convince him he will survive learning fractions.) Ug! Mommy needs a time out and was getting ready to send them outside for more fresh air when it started thunder storming! Good thing school is over for the day!

I have to tell you that during moments like these, it is so easy to want to throw up your hands and give up. Especially when the enemy uses these times to whisper in your ear and tell you what a failure you are and that you will never be a successful homeschool mom, and your children will always be bickering. Don't listen! Homeschooling is a calling and whatever God has called us to do, he will equip us for. That does not mean it will always be easy and there are times when we need to be taught just as much as our children. It does mean that we can do it and are never going to have to do it alone.

During all the disorder and chaos of the day, some pretty good things happened too. My 4 year old climbed into my lap and told me he loved me and I was the best mom ever! I got to snuggle up with the little ones this afternoon and read the same book over and over again. I also got to listen to my 8 year old struggling reader read aloud fluently without stumbling! I have the joy of being able to stay at home with my children and watch them learn and grow. That joy is what helps me hold on during all of the crazy moments and chaos of everyday life. That, a lot of prayer, and the knowledge that I am doing the job that God has called me to do.

So don't be discouraged thinking you are the only mom who has bad days or doesn't have it all together. We all have those days, I promise!

Getting "Behind" In Your Homeschool

2012-01-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

I often hear homeschooling friends talking about how they feel they are behind, or that one of their children is behind compared to other students their age. There are a couple of different reasons homeschoolers woory about being behind. Some face the possibility of putting their child back into a private or public school setting. Some worry because of all the negativity about homeschooling coming from friends and family and that it will be fuel to their fire if their child does not do as well at Math or Reading like a friends child or family member. Some homeschoolers write up a schedule for their year and begin to worry when Dr. appointments, sickness, or big changes in family or situation cause them to not be able to complete the work when they have scheduled it.

Being behind is something I worried about as a new homeschooler, but it is not something I worry about now. One of the best things about homeschooling is flexibility. You can work on what you want to work on when you want to do it. If there is something in your life like a move, illness, pregnancy that causes you to not be able to get the amount of work done when you thought you should, there will be time to do it later on. There is no rule that school can only be done September- June, Monday-Friday 8-3. You do not have to follow the public school schedules for vacations. Homeschooling is flexible and if you feel that you are getting behind now, you can always "catch up" this summer. Also, check your expectations and see if maybe you are trying to fit too many things into too short a period of time.

Children are not going to learn at the same pace. If you are worried that your 5 year old is behind because he can't read like your neighbor's 5 year old, don't panic and start doubling his phonics school work. All children learn differently and they should not be compared. Your 5 year old might just be 10 times better in Math than your neighbor's.

Your homeschool is not and should not be just like anyone else's. There are going to be times when "real life" is going to take the place of what you had planned in your homeschool. During these times, don't add more stress on yourself because you are panicking because you feel your child is getting behind. Sometimes, that little break you face just makes your child that much more mature and able to tackle his Math problems faster and easier than he would have if you had tried it the month before. You may also be surprised by just how much your children are learning even when you are not able to sit down and teach them.

Menu Plan Monday 1/30

2012-01-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

I had to plan this weeks menu to include a special request. Christian (4) loves spaghetti and he says we haven't had it in forever! When I told him we would have it this week, he told me I was the best mom ever and he really loves me! It was such an easy thing to add in to this weeks menu and I will have a very happy little boy tonight.

Friday 1/27-pizza
Saturday 1/28-mexican chicken casserole, rice
Sunday 1/29-broccoli cheese soup, crescent rolls
Monday 1/30-spaghetti
Tuesday 1/31-ham, mashed potatoes, corn
Wednesday 2/1-BBQ chicken legs, potato salad, fruit
Thursday 2/2- beef stew, biscuits

For some great menu inspiration go to www.orgjunkie.com.

TOS Review: Kinderbach

2012-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

Kinderbach was one of the vendors that I was most excited about on the TOS Crew list this year. I was unable to review it last year, but was really, really hoping to be able to review it this year. I was so excited to have the opportunity, especially since our subscription started around Christmas and the children had just gotten a keyboard as one of their gifts this year. The timing was perfect for us to begin using Kinderbach's online piano lesson program.

Kinderbach teaches note reading, rhythm, singing, and composition to children ages 3-7. They use cute and fun characters to help children learn their lessons through a series of short videos and hands on worksheets. Children will get to sing songs, play songs with entertaining characters, enjoy games and puzzles, and play the piano. They have the opportunity to develop a love of music and musical skills at a very young age. Parents do not need to have any musical knowledge, Kinderbach does all of the teaching for you.

Kinderbach has a total of 240 available lessons in 6 levels. Each level has a printable PDF lesson book full of coloring pages, music, crafts, and games to go along with the lessons. After completing the entire program your child will be able to:

Know all the notes on the piano by location and letter name
Be familiar with the grand staff,
Read some individual notes on staff and all notes by pattern on staff,
Understand and read rhythms from eighth to whole notes,
Have improved listening skills so that he/she can interpret rhythms, intervals and patterns heard.
Play familiar melodies,
Play hands together or separately,
Have a working music vocabulary,
Understand basic composition methods

Kinderbach is available for purchase to use online (including new apps for the iPad, Android Tablets, Kindle Fire, or Nook) with high speed internet, or you purchase Kinderbach on DVD. A yearly online subscription is $95.88, or you can purchase monthly for $19.99 a month. You can purchase DVD activity packs by level. Each pack contains 3 hours of video lessons on DVD, 1 PDF activity guide on CD with a parent guide, and 1 audio CD with performance and demonstration tracks for $40.45 per level. You can save money by buying value packs (more than one level at a time) and they also have songbooks available for purchase. Kinderbach offers a 30 day money back guarantee.

For a free online trial click here.

Use the following coupon code TOScrew2012 to get 30% off of any Kinderbach purchase! Good for one whole year!

I wrote in my introduction that Kinderbach was one of the reviews I was most excited about this year. I am happy to say that the program has exceeded my expectations! I have been using the online version with my 10,8,6,4, and 2 year olds. We have what is considered high speed internet, but it is pretty slow. I have had no problems, pauses, or delays playing the videos. We have been completing 4 videos 3-4 days a week. They love watching the videos! They love the characters, especially Dodie and the "beat bugs." We have had a lot of fun playing our rhythm instruments (although I will admit that 5 children playing rhythm instruments for hours on end can get a little tiring for mom ;) I really like the printouts that go along with the lessons. My 6,4, and 2 year olds enjoy doing them, while my 8 and 10 year olds do not. They love the songs that they have been singing. I love that the program does not just teach notes on a keyboard, but teaches music appreciation also. The children are learning things that they would need to know if they ever decide to go on to another instrument.

Anthony, Nick, Alex watching videos on laptop

Christian and Lily watching videos on Nook Color

If you are looking for a program that is going to teach children to just play songs on a keyboard quickly, this is probably not it. We are in week 9 of the online lessons (4 videos per week) and have yet to actually play a real song on the keyboard. We have played the keyboard and played beats to go along with songs, but have not actually played a song using different notes.

To see what other crew mates had to say click here.

I received a complimentary online subscription to Kinderbach for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Movie Review: Dolphin Tale

2012-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

We still have pizza and a movie night every Friday. We have been doing it for years, since before Christian was born. Sometimes the pizza changes from homemade, frozen, french bread, calzones, or even on the rare occasion take-out. The children love to be able to sit in the family room and watch a movie. It is their favorite day of the week.

I had heard great things about the movie Dolphin Tale, and have been waiting (not so patiently) for it to become available through Netflix. We finally got it yesterday, just in time for pizza and a movie.

Dolphin Tale is based on the amazing true story of Winter, a dolphin who was caught in a crab trap, and had to have her tail removed to survive. Through the combined effort of the young boy who saved her, The Clear Water Marine Aquarium, and Dr. McCarthy (who specializes in Prosthetics) they are able to create a new tail for Winter and save the dolphin's life.

This is the kind of movie you want your family to see. It is inspiring and uplifting. There is nothing objectionable in the movie. No bad language, poorly done romantic scenes, no violence, or even any blatant advertising. We even enjoyed the soundtrack. My entire family (well not the baby, 2 years old and up) loved this movie. If you are a homeschooler and you haven't heard already, you may be interested to know that one of the characters in the movie is homeschooled. I honestly wish that I had not waited for it from Netflix, that I just went out and bought the movie. Dolphin Tale is the kind of movie you want to have on your family movie shelf.

One thing I did want to mention is that it is a little long. The movie is 1 hour and 53 minutes, so if you have little ones they may not want to sit and watch the whole time. My two year old (girl) did, but my 4 year old boy played with his cars while he watched. He liked it but there was no way he was sitting and watching for that long. He needed something to keep his hands busy.

After we watched the movie, the children wanted to see Winter. So we visited her website and watched her via webcam at www.seewinter.com.

Homeschool Art Class 1/27/12

2012-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

Our Homeschool Art Class was a lot of fun today! Their first project was something I had never seen before. It was string art from the Huichol Indians. The children used these sticky 2 layer foam sheets and drew pictures on them with a wooden stick. Then, they peeled back the out side layer and used string to cover their drawings and make more things in the background. The idea of using the sticky foam was great and so much easier than trying the same thing with glue. Chelsea and Nick both made geometric designs. Anthony made an outdoor design with an Indian and Alex did an outdoor design with a deer. They all turned out so cool!

The second project was using 4 different color papers to create a puzzles. First they drew a design. Then they went over it with chalk and then water color paints.

Christian and Lily did some drawings, painted with water colors, and played with the stuffed animals in the basket.

Last they did a pencil drawing of different things that were displayed in the room. It was a very busy class! Next week, we will get to use the pottery wheel and make something out of clay. The children can't wait!

Cloverbud Meeting "Wings Over Arkansas"

2012-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

For our 4 H meeting tonight, one of the Cloverbuds did a talk on a project he is working on called "Wings Over Arkansas." With this program, you bird watch and record what kind of birds you see and when. When you record specific numbers of birds, you earn a certificate and a pin. Anyone of any age can participate, it is not just a 4 H program. You can find more information on the program here. It takes a lot of courage to talk in front of a group of people and even more so when you are only 6 years old! After he did his talk, we made a bird craft and a simple bird feeder by stringing Cheerios on a piece of yarn. It was a fun and productive meeting, although a bit chaotic which is to be expected when you are dealing with 15 children, ages infant to 10 years old.

New Curriculum In Our Homeschool

2012-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

We have a few changes and additions to what we are using in our homeschool, so I thought I would tell you about them.

I mentioned before Christmas that Chelsea was struggling in her Math and we needed to make a change in her curriculum. We went with Math U See Pre-Algebra. She is doing great! She loves she can go at her own pace and can do all of her work independently. More importantly, she is really understanding the concepts and not just guessing her way through multiple choice questions. It was well worth the money spent. She will finish Pre-Algebra by June and start working through Algebra 1 over the summer. She will be sticking with Math U See for the rest of High School.

Nick has started in fractions in his Abeka Math book. He has done really well with Abeka up to this point, but they move really fast. Before he is really understanding the first fractions concept, they move on to the next topic and we are getting frustrated. So, I bought the Math Mammoth Fractions Worksheet Collection. We will be working only on fractions until he understands all the different topics. I am not sure what he will be doing for Math next year, but I know it will not be Abeka and I am thinking we may stick with Math Mammoth.

Last year, we had the opportunity to review Apologia's Who Is God and Can I Really Know Him? Read my review here. This year, we received the second book in the series, Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here? to review. This year, we got the complete set including: textbook, notebooking journal, audio files, and coloring book! We started it yesterday. Look for my review on it next month.

The other new curriculum that I am really, really, really excited about (can you feel my excitement?) is All About Reading. We received All About Reading Level One and the Deluxe Interactive Reading Kit. We also started this yesterday and I am using it with my 6 year old and 8 year old. My review on this will also be next month.

We have been having a great week so far even with the changes and additions and have been getting a lot accomplished. I am hoping the rest of the year continues on as well!

Digital Edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine on Nook Color

2012-01-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I was not thrilled when The Old Schoolhouse Magazine switched from a quarterly print magazine to a monthly digital. I am not a real big fan of change (even though I know all change is not bad) and I really liked it just the way it was (keep in mind I also didn't like the idea of an ereader when they first came out either and I love mine!) I do believe though, that the magazine rack is going to be a thing of the past sooner than later. I decided that I would give the new magazine a chance.

I got a Nook Color for Christmas and besides reading a couple of books, loading some apps and children's books, I hadn't taken much time to see what else I could do with it. This weekend I decided I would try and figure out how to read TOS Magazine on my Nook Color. I had tried to go directly to the magazine using the internet and it did not work well. Even though I could zoom in, it was too blurry for me to be able to read. On a recommendation I bought the ezPDF Reader Pro App ($2.99) on my Nook Color. Then I downloaded the January edition of the magazine to my PC and side loaded it to the Nook Color using the USB cord. The magazine then showed up on my shelf in my ezPDF Reader App and I could open it. I could easily zoom in and out without it being blurry. I could move ahead or back several pages easily. The colors and advertisements looked great on the Nook Color. It was easy to read and I was very impressed with the digital edition. I read through the whole thing in a weekend.

Yes, I am a little sad that I will no longer be able to read TOS Magazine in the bathtub. But, there are definite advantages to reading in on the Nook Color. The Nook saves my page. Children can't wrinkle the pages or spill something all over it. I also don't have to find a place to store it when I am finished reading it. It just stays safe and sound in the memory of my Nook.

You may also be pleased to know that TOS has just released a new free App for Android Phones and for Apple Devices. What are you waiting for? Download your app and check out the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine today!

Review: When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall

2012-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

paperback 354 pages $13.99

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall is the 3rd and final book in the Sisters of the Quilt series (When the Heart Cries and When the Morning Comes are books one and two.) Hannah receives a desperate call from her sister and has to return to Owl's Perch the Old Order Amish community that she fled in disgrace two years ago. She has finally found her place in the Englischer world with a wealthy man that she loves, his adorable niece and nephew, and her dream of being a part of the medical community is about to come true. Her return to Owl's Perch reopens all of her old wounds. She is forced to work for her sister;s mental health with her former fiance Paul Waddell. After being gone for two years and reuniting with friends and family, her old community begins to pull at her. She also finds out that things were not all that they seemed when she fled, there were many deceptions, and all was not what she thought it was. Will Hannah choose the Englischer world and the man that restored her hope, or will she return to the Plain Community and even back to her first love?

I chose this book because I have really enjoyed other books by Cindy Woodsmall. I knew that it was the 3rd book in the series and I was hoping to get my hands on the first two before I read it, but I did not. It is very possible to read this book and enjoy it on its own without having read the other two. There is enough background within the story for you to understand the events that have already happened and get to know the characters quite well. It was not what I consider to be a typical light hearted Amish fiction. The book deals with some heavy topics and you will shed a tear or two. It is an amazing story of love and forgiveness and a great example of the Lord working all things for the good for those who love Him. The characters were real, believable, and genuine and the plot was great even though the ending was a bit predictable. This is definitely my favorite book by this author so far.

Even though it is possible to read and enjoy When The Soul Mends without having read the other two in the series, I do wish that I had read them all. I enjoyed the book so much it would be great to have the whole picture. I still may go back and read the other two.

I received a complimentary copy of When the Soul Mends from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

First Homeschool Art Class of the New Year

2012-01-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today was our first Homeschool Art Class since November. Our teacher had been ill and was unable to teach for 8 weeks. The children have really missed it and were really looking forward to going today. Unfortunately, Lily started running a temperature of 102 in the middle of the night. The only other time she has ever run fever is the only time she has ever had an ear infection, and with it being Friday I decided she needed to go to the doctor. Fortunately, they had a 10 am appointment available and Art Class is literally right across the street from the doctor's office. I sent Chelsea, Nick, Alex, and Anthony to class and took Lily, Emelia, and Christian to the doctor with me. Luckily she did not have an ear infection and her lungs were clear. So it seems she just has this upper respiratory stuff that has been going around. The little ones and I had to run into Walmart very quickly (even though I hate taking sick kids to Walmart) to get Tylenol, tissues, and refills for our Pediacare plug ins, and got back to Art Class about 30 minutes early. The children were finishing up with their projects so they cleaned up and we headed home. I did not get to take pictures of them in class, but I did take a picture of the three different projects they worked on today.

The Vessel Project

2012-01-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have always loved to read. I do not have a lot of extra money to be able to buy books for myself, especially after buying school books and other books for the children. Knowing how much I love to read, my husband bought me a Nook last year for Mother's Day, and then got me a Nook Color (which I love!) this year for Christmas. One of the things I was worried about was that I was not going to be able to have any money to put books on my Nook. We have a library card to a library that offers ebooks and audio books, so I started out doing a lot of borrowing of books. Then, two of the companies I review for started offering ebooks. I have found websites like the Gutenberg Project that has thousands of classic ebooks that are all part of the public domain.

Barnes and Noble does offer several free ebooks on their site, but it can be difficult to search through all of their titles, and since they have all different "types" of free books, it is not exactly family friendly either. Yesterday a read a suggestion in a forum about a site that lists free Christian books for Nook and for Kindle called The Vessel Project. I had never heard of it before so I decided to check it out. The Vessel Project is a website for those who love Christian books, ebooks, and audiobooks. They have a section that lists free Christian books for Nook and Kindle (click here.) When you find a book you are interested in, the link takes you to Barnes and Noble or Amazon so you can download the book straight to your Nook or Kindle. Usually when a book is free on Kindle it will be free on Nook too. Books are free for only a certain period of time, so you should always check that it says $0 before you download. I downloaded 3 books last night and "liked" The Vessel Project on Facebook. This morning there were several new free books listed for Kindle, but when I searched them in the Barnes and Noble shop on my Nook, they were free for Nook too.

If you are looking for free Christian ebooks, check out The Vessel Project.

Review: A Mile in His Shoes

2012-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

From the director of "Angels In the Outfield" comes an inspiring story about a special boy with an amazing gift, and the coach who believed. Dean Cain and Luke Schroder star in the gmc movie based on the book "The Legend of Mickey Tussler".

Only a miracle can help Arthur "Murph" Murphy (Dean Cain) and his losing minor league baseball team. He accidentally stumbles upon a boy (Luke Schroder) who has an amazing pitching arm but his parents are reluctant to let him try out for the team because he has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. He convinces his parents to let him and that Mickey will benefit from using his skills and having a life outside of the farm. What Murph doesn't know is how much his team (and himself) will benefit from having Mickey, and not just their game but their spirit too.

Website: http://www.watchgmctv.com/video/mile-his-shoes#biography

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Mile-In-His-Shoes/270101973014772?sk=wall

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev2T0BFetH4

Dove Foundation Review: http://www.dove.org/reviewmasterframe.asp

My husband and I watched this movie with our 14, 10, and 8 year olds while the little ones played nearby. We all really enjoyed the movie. It is a movie that can be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Mickey is an amazing person who shows us that people should not be limited according to their labels. Not only does he prove that he can survive in the out in the world, he also serves to be an inspiration and example to those around him. What makes it more amazing and inspirational is that it is based on a true story.

There are a few things you may want to be aware of before watching with your family. There was one scene where there was one word I wish would have been left out. There is a scene with young people at a party drinking, even though it is not clear what they are drinking. There is also a scene where Mickey is violently attacked although it was well done with the violence taking place off screen, you know what is coming.

Overall, I thought A Mile in His Shoes was a great, inspirational, family friendly movie that was definitely worth watching.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TOS Review: Virtue Clues

2012-01-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

From the website" Let's be honest, instilling virtues in kids is hard work. But can it be fun too? We think so. In fact, there's no better way to learn. So We Choose Virtues brings memorable catchphrases, endearing characters, and just plain fun to simply inspire character that lasts. It's the best choice you can make for the kids in your life."

We Choose Virtues has several different products designed to be used everyday as character development tools for your children (and maybe a bit of a reminder for moms and dads too ;) You introduce the virtues, demonstrate them, memorize the catch phrases, learn the antonyms, and take advantage of the teachable moments that present themselves to you throughout the day. There are several different products available for ages 3-18 for churches, homes, homeschools, and private schools. You can see all of the different products by clicking here. We were given a brand new product to use and review called Virtue Clues.

Virtue Clues are a take everywhere set of cards featuring the Virtue Kids, their names, catch phrases and antonyms, and a "You Can Do It" challenge listed on the back. The set includes: 13 cards (2x3.5 in) with the following virtues: I Am Obedient, Forgiving, Diligent, Helpful, Perseverant, Content, Self-Controlled, Patient, Kind, Gentle, Attentive, and Honest. The cards come in a plastic carrying pouch (3x4) with a velcro closure for $5.99.

The card we have been working on says, "I am obedient. Ok, whatever you say I will obey, right away. I am NOT argumentative, slow, or unwilling, and I don't refuse to do what I am told." The backside says, Choose to go the whole day doing everything exactly as you are asked to do it...with a smile! Oboe Joe knows you can do it!"

We were also given a complimentary download of the Kids of Virtues Coloring Book available by download for $3.00 to compliment the Virtue Clues.

And the Teacher's Handbook $4.99 as a download and $19.99 for a hard copy.

There are also many free assessments, reports and schedules that you can download for free here (scroll to the bottom of the page.)

"Like" We Choose Virtues Facebook page for tips on parenting, leadership, and inspiring lasting virtue.

Here are the current specials being offered:

Kids Virtue Poster now $11.99 (from $14.99)
3 Rules Poster now $9.99 (from $11.99)
100 Days of Virtue Chart with Butterfly Stickers now $13.99 (from $14.99. The stickers are still pretty pricey for me)

What will happen to the 3 posters we currently have in stock? CLEARANCE SALE!

2011 Kids Virtue Poster $9.75 (from $14.99, 35% savings)
2011 100 Days of Virtue Chart and Butterfly Stickers $11.99 (from $14.99, 20% savings)
2011 3 Rules Poster $7.75 (from 11.99, 35% savings)

There is a CLEARANCE category on our website only while supplies last.

I loved the Virtue Clue Cards and the whole idea behind We Choose Virtues. It makes it easy to spend a few minutes a day teaching and talking about an important virtue in a way that is fun and easy for children to understand. Then you can revisit that lesson during appropriate moments throughout the day. I listed the "Obedience" card as my example. After teaching and discussing that card, when the children do not remember to obey right away without arguing, I remind them of the card and ask them to tell me what it said. It is making a difference. The cards are high quality and the colors are beautiful! The size makes them very easy to put in your purse, bag, or backpack to take with you when you are on the go.

I do worry about losing the cards though, especially if we take them out of the house. I think it would help to have a way to keep them altogether. I will probably punch a hole in mine and put them on a small plastic or metal ring.

To see what other crew mates had to say click here.

I received a complimentary set of Virtue Clues for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Mid America Science Museum

2012-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Nick and I both had birthdays in the last week, so my mom and dad came down for the week-end to celebrate. Since we had to miss out on Homeschool days at the Mid America Science Museum since Christian was sick, we decided to surprise the children and go on Saturday. We had a wonderful time! A few things had changed since we were there 4 years ago. The Tessla experiment has been moved into a separate room and costs extra (we skipped it.) Where it used to be are stations with different building materials that you can build things with. The aquarium is gone (disappointing.) The children's favorite parts were the Underground Arkansas which is a cave where you go across, up, and under things. I think they went through that like 10 times (even Lily wasn't scared and went through several times with Chelsea holding her of course.) Their other favorite was the worm tunnel (I lost track of how many times they went through that.) It was a great time and they already want to go back. If you are ever in the Hot Springs Arkansas area and are looking for something fun and educational to do, you should stop by the Mid America Science Museum.

Christian 1/14/12

Christian 2/8/08 (last time we went in front of the same mirror)

Beef Stew Recipe

2012-01-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

I have always made Beef Stew in the Crock pot using beef gravy, carrots, potatoes, and onion. But, I was looking for some new recipes that I could use our deer meat in and came across this beef stew recipe. It was delicious and so easy to make! The leftovers were great too.

I doubled everything except the meat

2 lb boneless roast cut into one inch chunks (I used venison tenderloin steaks)
2 cups water
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
6 carrots peeled and cut unto 1 in pieces (I used baby carrots)
3 baking potatoes peeled and sliced
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup steak sauce

Bring meat, water, barbecue sauce to a boil in a dutch oven or large skillet. Cover and simmer for one hour on med low heat. Stir in all of your vegetables cover and simmer for another hour til veggies are tender stirring occasionally. Add in steak sauce, cook 2 minutes, and serve.

Review: Learn Our History

2012-01-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Learn Our History desires to teach American History in a fun and unbiased way. It is important for children o understand, appreciate, and remember the history of our great country. They have developed a series of videos that follow the TimeCycle Academy, a group of school kids who develop a time machine and learn history by traveling back in time to watch it happen. Five videos are currently available with several more planned to be released this year. Available titles include: Columbus and the Great Discovery, The Birth of A Revolution, 9/11 & The War on Terror, Origins of WW II, and The Reagan Revolution. Click here for more information on these titles and future titles and their release dates.

At the time of this writing, the current offer is as follows:

Order Columbus and the Great Discovery for $9.95 (plus $3.95 shipping) and get the Birth of A Revolution Free plus free streaming to all of your online devices. If you are not satisfied, you have 30 days to return it for a full refund. Then once a month you will get an email telling you the next DVD that is scheduled to ship for $11.95 plus $3.95 shipping. You have 10 days to call in and let them know you don't want that selection. If you don't call in, the title will be shipped and your credit card billed. You will continue to receive your monthly mailing unless you decide to call in and cancel your subscription.

I was very excited to be able to review Learn Our History. I thought that the concept of teaching American History using animated DVD's with characters going back in time to see the actual events would be something that my children would enjoy. That kind of product would be a great supplement for homeschoolers, private, or public school children to go along with their American History curriculum. But, I have to admit that I was very disappointed in the product. The animation was not very well done. When the children travel back in time, the interactions with the people in the past are very strange. They don't notice that the kids are "strangers" and do not speak appropriately or wear correct clothing. The conversations do not seem natural and are a little forced. I could look past most of those things and still see the educational value in the DVD's, but the biggest problem I have with this series is the way the characters talk and interact with each other. They are rude and nasty to each other. Every time Connor opened his mouth, I cringed. He is a bully and the way he treats the others is just awful. There is a very strange scene at the beginning of the Birth of A Revolution DVD where one of the boys comes running in and the other characters make fun of him for what he is wearing and that he smells bad from working outside. One of the girls actually sniffs him and tells him he should have taken a bath. These characters are not something I would want any of my children to imitate and if this is stereotypical of "normal" teenagers today, it just makes me very glad to have abnormal children.

I think Learn Our History has great potential and could be a wonderful learning tool if there are a few changes made to the videos.

I received a complimentary DVD copy of Birth of A Revolution and access to stream 9/11 & The War on Terror for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Review: World of Science

2012-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

Science is not one of my favorite subjects, but I am very impressed with World of Science. From the back cover, " World of Science explores God's creation all around us from the furthest star in the Universe to the smallest atom under our feet." This hard cover book contains over 800 illustrations and photographs and includes over 60 science experiments. The book contains an introduction, 7 sections, glossary, scientific units, and an Index within its 240 pages. The sections are:

Matter and Chemicals
Energy, Motion, and Machines
Electricity and Magnetism
Light and Sound
Earth and Life
Space and Time
Science Experiments

I thought the introduction answered the question Why Do Science? so well. It states, " Science can help us see the intricacies of God's creation allowing for enormous advancements in our world." Later it says, "Without restraint or godly wisdom, science can become a tool of devastation." There have been many scientists who have seen God's handiwork in the world around them. That's why I think it is important to teach science to our children, to show them God's handiwork is in all things and to raise up a generation that will come at science from a Christian perspective in whatever field they are working in.

The layout of World of Science is very easy to read through or find exactly what you are looking for. Each page Each page is full of illustrations, photographs, charts, and a science discovery on the topic. The book is engaging and interesting for children to read. Younger siblings who cannot yet read can enjoy looking at the pictures. My children love studying space and the planets. Here's a peek inside what we were looking at:

One of the best things about this book is the experiments included in the back of the book. There are over 60 experiments listed. Each one is written out in an easy to understand format with pictures to show you what it should look like. Each experiment has a list of what you will need and anything you need to be cautious of like, "Be careful with the mold. If you touch it wash your hands afterwards." Here is a picture of one of the experiment pages (which by the way my boys want to do all of them)

The World of Science would make a wonderful elementary science curriculum or great addition to your homeschool library.

I received a complimentary copy of World of Science from New Leaf Publications for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Breastfeeding In Public

2012-01-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, we were out having lunch at the Olive Garden. We were sitting at a table off to the side of the rest of the room, and my back was to the rest of the restaurant. Before our entrees were served, Emelia decided that she needed her lunch too. I flipped her blanket up over my shoulder, settled her in and started nursing her. The only thing you could see was one part of her foot sticking out of the blanket that she was kicking up and down. The woman behind us (who again could only see my back and the baby's foot) started talking very loudly to the other woman at her table and just couldn't believe that I had the nerve to be nursing my baby in the middle of a restaurant. She kept going on about it loud enough for me to hear. After I finished feeding Emelia and handed her back to her daddy, I had to take one of the children to the restroom. I had to walk past the lady that was so outraged at me feeding my baby discreetly under a blanket, and she was wearing a very tight fitting low cut shirt that showed more of her breasts than I have ever bared feeding any of my children in public.

I have been seeing and reading more and more lately about the "controversy" of breast feeding in public, and I have to say, I really don't understand why this is such a "controversy." It is a well known and proven fact. Breastfeeding is absolutely best for babies. Breastfed babies are healthier and happier than formula fed babies. There is absolutely NO formula that can even compare to breast milk. God made women so we could feed our babies, and man will never be able to copy that formula. Why then does this have to be such an issue? The world has no problem with string bikinis or low cut revealing clothing, but we are going to look down upon and embarrass woman who are providing nutrition for their babies? What is wrong with this picture?

For the last 10 years, I have been either pregnant, breastfeeding, or both. I have nursed my babies just about every place you can possibly imagine. I don't think that because I am nursing a baby that I should stay at home, or be separated from the rest of my family when we are out in public. Not that the "nursing rooms" are a bad idea. It can be convenient when there is no other place to sit down, but I am not going to go out of my way to walk halfway across the mall without the rest of my family with a screaming baby that could have been fed and happy by the time I got there. Breastfeeding can be done in a very discreet manner and if you don't want to see a woman breastfeeding her baby in public, all you have to do is look away. If seeing a baby's feet sticking out of her blanket or even a nursing baby not covered by a blanket so upsets your sensibilities, don't look at them.

Instead of making nursing moms feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about nursing in public, we should be going out of our way to educate women on the benefits of breastfeeding and encourage them to nurse their babies. Breastfeeding is a healthy and natural way to feed your baby and whether or not people want to admit it, that's what breasts were made for.

Read my blog post here for more information on why breastfeeding is the right choice.

A Little Disappointment

2012-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today we were supposed to be heading to Mid America Science Museum in Hot Springs AR for Homeschool Days. We have visited the museum once before (4 years ago) and it is wonderful! It has over 100 hands on exhibits to see, touch, and explore. My older children remember it from before and have been asking to go back. For Homeschool Days, the admission was almost half of what it normally is and they were going to have special demonstrations and experiments set up. My children have been looking forward to it for weeks. Last night we even got on the website again so they could see the kind of things we would be able to do. Well, in the middle of the night last night. Christian got sick. It seems he has the stomach bug that has been going around. So needless to say we were unable to go and had to miss out on the museum today. The children were very disappointed! I hate that we missed it, but sometimes you don't have any choice. Instead, we dove into our regular ordinary schoolwork and had a normal day. I told the children that we will still get to go to the museum. We may just get up in the morning one day and I will surprise them and tell them we are going.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

I did not write out a menu plan last week. Can you believe it? I had an idea of what I had on hand and what I would/could probably make. Last Wednesday rolled around and I lost track of time, forgot to take meat out of the freezer, and soon it was 4:45, hubby would be home in 15 minutes and I had no idea what was for dinner! I ended up making homemade mac n cheese, but didn't get in on the table until 5:30. I write all this to say that I could've avoided the stress of figuring out what was for supper and had it ready on time if I would've made out a menu plan.

This week's plan:

Friday 1/6- pizza
Saturday 1/7- beef stew (I used a new recipe and it was delicious! Will be posted later this week) dinner rolls
Sunday 1/8- grilled cheese, chips
Monday 1/9- burgers, french fries, applesause
Tuesday 1/10- ham pot pie
Wednesday 1/11 taco pasta, biscuits
Thursday 1/12- breakfast

For great menu inspiration visit www.orgjunkie.com.

Book Review: Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt

2012-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

Carly Westlake is living the dream. She spends her days at a spa (okay, so she owns the place), she's dating a hunk, and she's surrounded by chocolate—milk chocolate, her favorite—that she uses for the chocolate facials that made her spa famous.
But when long buried secrets threaten Carley's business and her friendship with business-partner Tom, she fights like crazy to keep the dream—and the illusions—afloat.
It takes a miracle of grace to get Carley to finally make that bittersweet surrender to love and real life.

I enjoyed reading Bittersweet Surrender. The story had some great elements to it. The characters were well developed and the descriptions were very good. The story had originality. I honestly don't think I have read another book that is set in a chocolate spa. The book had some very serious, heavy, elements to it but at the same time made me laugh out loud.

The story was predictable. At times it seems like it went on and on about one particular part of the story, but then there were others that I didn't feel like were resolved as much as they should of been. All in all in was a very enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary copy of Bittersweet Surrender from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Review: Big Book of History

2012-01-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Big Book of History is a fold out 15 ft timeline from the first day of Creation to the present day. In this book your child (recommended ages 7-12) will discover:

the birthdates of conquerors, kings, inventors, scientists, and famous men of God
wars and wonders of ancient and modern worlds
the 969 year old man who shared the true history of the world with Noah
the first ancient inventions and discoveries of chocolate, yo yo's, batteries, movies and so much more

Through a color coded timeline with yellow marking Biblical/Christianity, orange marking word events, red marking civilizations/empires and green marking inventions/technology, plus interesting facts and photos, your child will love using this book just for fun or as an educational resource.

"The Big Book of History is a really cool book!" That's according to my son Nicholas (9.) As soon as we opened the box he had to open it up and start exploring. And of course we had to unfold the whole thing to see how long it really was.

I couldn't get the whole thing in the picture!

Here are some closer pictures of the inside:

The Big Book of History is right up my son's alley. He loves history and loves timelines. This book presents a lot of fun and interesting facts and figures many of which you wouldn't find on a regular history timeline or even in most history textbooks. You do not have to unfold the entire book in order to read it. It opens in such a way as you can unfold it or read it like a regular book. The Big Book of History is a wonderful addition to any home or homeschool library.

I received a complimentary copy of The Big Book of History from New Leaf Publications for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

TOS Review: Maestro Classics The Story of Swan Lake

2012-01-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Maestro Classics mission is to, " cultivate a love of music through education and joyful performances." Their Stories in Music series which can be enjoyed and appreciated by people of all ages introduces great music, classic stories, and helps develop listening skills. Both entertaining and educational, this series has won 45 national awards. Available titles include: Peter and the Wolf, The Soldier's Tale, The Story of Swan Lake, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, My Name is Handel; The Story of Water Music, The Tortoise and the Hare, Casey at the Bat, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Juanita the Spanish Lobster. We recently had the opportunity to enjoy The Story of Swan Lake from Maestro Classics.

From the website: "The Story of Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet score, is the tale of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess. The princess, however, has been turned into a swan by an evil magician, and only the prince’s love can break the spell. This narrated version of the classic tale for children is sure to delight all who love ballet and enchanting storytelling.

A 24-page activity book included with the CD contains a biography of Tchaikovsky, information on acoustic and electric guitars, sheet music and words for a sing-along song, explanation of major and minor keys, puzzles and more"

There are seven different tracks on the CD including: The Story of Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky's Life, Speed Metal Swan, About the Music, Tchaikovsky Wrote A Great Ballet, Want to Have Some Fun, Prepare to Perform, and Tchaikovsky Wrote A Great Ballet Sing Along. Total running time for the CD 54:02 minutes.

Also included on the website are Homeschool Curriculum Plans to go along with the CD completely free! Find activities and ideas in the areas of History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music and Math to turn listening to The Story of Swan Lake into a Unit Study. You can find Curriculum Plans for all the available CD's by clicking here. Also available on the website are lesson plans for Music Teachers and Home Projects.

You can purchase The Story of Swan Lake and other available titles as a CD (including the 24 page activity book) for $16.98 or as an Mp3 Download (with a pdf download of activity book) for $9.98. There are samples of each of the CD's on the website to listen to before you buy. Click here to order or listen to the samples.

Christian 4 and Lily 2 Christian is really concentrating hard on the music!

We loved the Story of Swan Lake! The CD is both educational and enjoyable, not just for the children, but for me also. It is wonderful for listening to in the car on long trips or for enjoying on a rainy day. I love that it is really teaching my children to recognize and appreciate classical music. I clicked on the sample as I was writing this review and as soon as the intro started to play my 2 year old said, "Mom, that's Swan Lake!" I think it is wonderful that Maestro Classics has added the Homeschool Curriculum Guides to go along with the CD! My boys especially liked the activities and discussions we had about cross bows. They also love the activity booklet. I have to admit that the Speed Metal Swan track was not my cup of tea, but my boys thought it was really cool and played the "air guitar" along with the music.

To see what other crew mates had to say click here.

I received a complimentary copy of Swan Lake for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Favorite Recipes: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

2012-01-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Chelsea and I made this and the whole family loved it! Quick and easy to prepare and it tasted delicious! I have never been a big Fettuccine Alfredo fan but I loved it with chicken and broccoli.

1 box uncooked fettuccine
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
4 oz cream cheese cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 2/3 cups milk

Cook pasta according to directions adding in broccoli in the last 2 minutes of boiling. In the meantime add Italian Dressing and chicken to a nonstick skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink (5 minutes or so) stirring occasionally. Add in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Drain pasta/broccoli add sauce and toss pasta. Serve.

TOS Review: Z Guide to the Movies

2012-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

Zeezok Publishing believes, "It is better to build children than to repair men." They work to provide quality literature and educational books for teaching the next generation. They have products in categories such as American Government, Character Building, Curriculum, Great Musician Series, Presidential Series, and Z Guide to the Movies. We had the opportunity to use and review one of their new products Z Guide to the Movies.

What exactly is a Z Guide? A Z Guide is an easy way for you to incorporate movies into your curriculum. Each Z guide falls within a specific time period in history and contains 10 activities that build around the movie. The guides are specific to a certain version of the movie but the guide tells you which version was used and most can be found on Netflix or through your local library. Each Z Guide will begin with a topic overview and movie synopsis. The first activity is a series of review questions. The other activities can vary depending on the guide but each one will contain at least one hands on activity, world view activity, and a Film Maker's Art activity. The answers are included with the Guide. They recommend completing 2 activities per day to complete the Z Guide in a week, although you can adjust that to suit your own family or choose not to complete all of the activities. Z Guides are intended as a supplement not as a core curriculum. To see a sample Z Guide click here.

Z Guides are available for elementary, middle and high school age with the majority of them being for high school age students. Each Z Guide is $12.99 for single use or $49.99 as a classroom license. You can choose to purchase as an ebook download or as a CD to be shipped. If you are interested in purchasing the movie to go along with it, many are for sale on the Zeezok website. To see the list of available Z Guides click here.

Chelsea (14) and I had the opportunity to review the Z Guide for Jason and the Argonauts.

We borrowed the movie from Netflix and dove right in to the activities in the Z Guide (35 pages.) Day 1's activities were to answer 25 review questions about the movie (we did that orally) and complete a worksheet learning more about the Greek Gods. Day 2's activities were to complete a creative writing assignment about the Knights of the Round Table meeting Jason and the Argonauts and planning a modern day expedition to obtain the Golden Fleece. Day 3 had a crossword puzzle and a What If activity. Day 4 was a "brains and brawn" set of scenarios to figure out and an activity to design a recruitment poster for the Argonauts (we skipped this as Chelsea had no interest in it.) Day 5 had a worldview activity and the Film Maker's Art activity. The guide finished up with a series of family discussion questions and additional resources for further study and then of course, the answer key.

I think the Z Guides are a great way to use some wonderful educational films to further your studies. There is a lot of freedom in how much of it you use and when you as a family decide to complete the activities. Even though it is set up to be completed in a week, you could draw it out much longer if you chose. You do not have to complete all of the activities as they stand alone and do not build upon each other. The student is not told what to think but allows for their own well researched and thought out opinions.

I would love to see more Z Guides added in for the younger ages or that would allow for more muti age learning.

To see what other crew members had to say click here.

Ireceived a complimentary copy of the Jason and the Argonauts Z Guide for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Libraries

2012-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

The first year that I homeschooled, we lived in an area that had an awesome library system. The size, selection, programs, ability to request things for free from other libraries, online card catalog, and ability to request books from home and pick them up at the desk were a homeschoolers dream. The next year we moved back to a small town with a teeny tiny library, no online card catalog, no programs, and interlibrary loan costs money. They are trying to do better and add to their selection, but it is a small town library and does not have the same resources as one in the "big city."

One thing that may be helpful to those like me in a small town is that in addition to using your small town library, most larger libraries will allow you to purchase an out of town resident card. If you head into the "big city" every couple of weeks you could visit the library and check out books regularly. Also, many bigger libraries have ebooks, audiobooks, music, and even movies to stream available that you can check out from home! Our "big city" library card allows you to check out 5 digital items at a time. This has been wonderful for me. I check out some of the newer audiobooks for Alex so he can listen to the same books that Nick reads. I also have been able to read many books on my Nook that I would have never been able to buy. If you are in a small town, or just haven't visited your library lately, it may be worth checking in to.

New Pictures With A New Camera

2012-01-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Back when Chelsea was a baby, I couldn't wait for her to hurry up and do things. I couldn't wait for her to reach the next milestone whether it was rolling over, crawling, walking, potty training etc...I didn't take the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the present. Now, 15 years later, I look at all of my children and want to freeze them right where they are. Even though I am much better at relaxing and enjoying my children, time is going way too fast! I cannot believe that this year I will have a 15 year old! Sometimes I wish I could just make time slow down and be able to hold on to it just a little bit longer.

Anyway, I got a new camera for Christmas this year (yay!), so I thought I would post the first pictures of the children in 2012.

Chelsea (almost 15)

Nick (10 next week) and Alex ( 8)

Anthony( 6)

Christian ( 4 1/2) and Lillian (2 1/2)

Emelia 10 months( walking with her new toy)

Emelia 10 months (I posted 2 pics of her cause this outfit is too cute not to)

TOS Review: R.E.A.L . Homeschool Spanish

2011-12-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

The idea for R.E.A.L Homeschool Spanish came from Dr. Williamson-Coria's frustration that she was unable even as a french professor to find time in her own day to teach her children French. After investing in computer based programs she discovered that her children could not self direct their own learning or communicate what they had just learned. While giving Spanish classes to homeschoolers at the same time, she was inspired by how quickly they learned and how conducive homeschooling was to learning a language, but most materials that were available to teach with was geared towards large classrooms not a homeschooling environment. She decided to develop a program that could develop speaking abilities and incorporate language into daily routine.

REAL Homeschool Spanish is for grades 5-13 and was made specifically for the home educator and home learning environment. The program makes it possible for you and your child to learn Spanish together in fun and interesting ways not just during the lesson but throughout your week. Tips to the Home Educator is full of ideas to help you accomplish this and is included in each section. Each unit is made up of vocabulary clusters. There are 33 vocabulary clusters and 15 Idea Sections each with 3-4 activity sections along with audio files of native speakers from Mexico using the vocabulary. A Daily Curriculum Guide with lesson plans is also available. You can view the Table of Contents by clicking here. There are also Free Culture Links are also available on the website.

You can purchase REAL Homeschool Spanish as a download or hard copy.

Book Bundle Download including book, activity book, answer book and audio files is $49.95
All of the above as a download plus the Daily Curriculum Guide is $59.95

The Book Bundle as a hard copy (book plus 2 cd's including activity book, answer key and audio files) is $89.95 (free shipping U.S. only).
The Book Bundle Hard Copy plus Curriculum Guide is $99.95 (free shipping U.S. only).

To order to click here.

Even if you had zero experience in teaching a language and knew nothing at all about Spanish, you could teach your children (and yourself) with this curriculum. I like that it does not have a heavy emphasis on grammar but is more focused on teaching through real life every day situations and conversations. There is a wealth of activities and ideas to choose from for each unit so you ca pick and choose your activities based on what your child likes best. The audio files are included which is especially helpful if you are unsure about pronunciation. We are not on big on worksheets, but I thought the worksheets that went along with the lessons were fun and helped reinforce the lesson. We decided to work on them as a family and my boys actually argued over who was going to fill them out!

One thing I did want to mention is that it is very confusing to try and use this program without having the pages printed out. I started out trying to save some money on ink and only print out the activity sheets, but it didn't make much since to me until I had it all printed out and in front of me. You will have to consider the added cost of printing the curriculum out. Also, I wanted to remind you if you didn't see it mentioned up above, that this curriculum uses Spanish spoken from Central and South America, not Spain like most Spanish curriculum I have seen.

To see what other crew members had to say click here.

I received a complimentary download of REAL Homeschool Spanish for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Book Review: The World of Animals

2011-12-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

I love it when a book impresses you from the moment you pull it out of the package. As soon as I opened up this beautiful book from New Leaf Publications, I knew it was going to be a big hit with our family, and I was right! The Wold of Animals is a sturdy hard cover 256 page book with glossy pages. It is full of beautiful illustrations, photographs, and fascinating facts about animals.

From the back of the book, "The World of Animals investigates and describes the anatomy, behavior, and habitats of over 1000 animals. From microscopic worms and insects to reptiles, birds, and mammals, this book will provide children with an insight into the incredible range of life in God's wonderful world."

Some pictures of the inside:

The introduction starts off , "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...."(Genesis 1:1) Then it goes on to talk about the flood and the fossil record, what animals are, God's design for animals, variety and grouping. Then it goes on to the seven different sections in this book: Simple Animals, Worms, Snails, and Starfish, Insects and Other Arthropods, Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals. Also included in the back of the book is a glossary and index. The arrangement of the book makes it easy to find information about a specific animal, or just browse as you like. The book is very engaging to children. Even though some of the vocabulary is difficult for younger children (my 4th grader could read it just fine) younger children can still benefit and enjoy the book just by looking at the pictures. My 6, 4, and 2 year olds love sitting in my lap and asking me questions about the animals and pictures. I have learned quite a bit by reading to the children. There is so much information contained in World of Animals! It is also so nice to have a beautiful book about animals without having to worry about evolutionary references! Truly a book that can be used by the whole family and will last a long time.

I received a complimentary copy of World of Animals from New Leaf Publications for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Book Review: An Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

2011-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

When a wedding reenactment turns real, this cowgirl suddenly finds she’s an accidental bride.
Shay Brandenberger is raising her daughter in Moose Creek, Montana on her childhood ranch, nestled against the Yellowstone River. Despite her hard work, she can’t seem to keep her head above water—and now the bank is threatening to foreclose. She prays for a miracle, but the answer she receives is anything but.
Having agreed to play the bride in the Founders Day wedding reenactment, Shay is mortified to be greeted at the end of the aisle by none other than Travis McCoy, her high school sweetheart—the man who left her high and dry for fame and fortune on the Texas rodeo circuit.
Then the unthinkable happens. Thanks to a well-meaning busy body and an absent minded preacher, the wedding reenactment results in a legal marriage. But before Shay can say annulment, Travis comes up with a crazy proposal. If she refuses his offer, she’ll lose her home. But if she accepts, she may lose her heart.
Shay isn’t sure if the recent events are God’s will or just a preacher’s blunder. Will trusting her heart to the man who once shattered it be the worst mistake of her life? Or could their marriage be the best accident that ever happened?

I really enjoyed reading this story. It was a quick and easy read. The characters were believable although the storyline was a bit of a stretch. The story had a great message that I think we all at sometime in our life deal with. Shay spends too much of her time focusing all of her time and energy worrying about what other people think. Instead of focusing her life pleasing God, she is always trying to please man. That message ends up being carried on to her daughter. Ultimately, Shay realizes what she is doing and starts to work on it and it makes a big difference in her life and her daughters.

I received a complimentary copy of An Accidental Bride from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

An Uplifting Story

2011-12-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

I had read the article on Yahoo News the other day about the Christmas Angels that are paying off layaways at K-Mart. It was such a touching story and showed that there are many people in the world who will go out and do what they can to help others. It doesn't take a lot to make a huge difference in someone's life. Beyond the actual gift of the money paying off the layaway, these people were also given a huge gift of knowing that someone in this world loves and cares about them. A good friend of mine had a similar experience the other day that I wanted to share with you. It was a story that really touched my heart.

My friend is having a lot of difficulties this year. She received a gift in the mail from one of her family members. It was a pre paid American Express card and she decided she was going to use it to buy some baking supplies to bring some holiday cheer into her house for her two little boys. She loaded her 3 and 2 year olds up in the car and headed towards Walmart to get what they needed only to find the car was almost completely out of gas. She barely made it to the gas station and slid her card into the pay at the pump slot. It wouldn't take it. She took both boys out of their seats and into the gas station. The attendant told her that they don't accept American Express. My friend was very worried now. She was almost completely out of gas and no way to pay for it. She didn't even think she could make it the two miles back to the house to see if there was any cash at home. She walked out and started to buckle the children back in. The attendant came running out to tell her that a lady in the store had pre paid $10 worth of gas for her. Merry Christmas! It seems she saw the lady who did it as she was pulling out and the same lady was in Walmart when she was cashing out. She had the opportunity to thank her. The lady told her that earlier in the week when she had been low on cash and was in a similar situation, someone had done the same for her. My friend said she did not deserve someone's kindness like that, and I told her of course she did! She was in a situation that she was in need and provided someone an opportunity to serve her. Someday she will be in a position to do the same for someone else.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4 :10

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

When Your Dy Doesn't Go As Planned......Bake Cookies

2011-12-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

This week, instead of doing our "regular" school work, I had planned on working on a review item for the rest of the week. We needed to watch a movie and then do several activities to go along with the movie. We got the movie from Netflix on Saturday. Yesterday when we took it out of the envelope, we discovered it had red marker all over the back of it. We tried to play it anyway, but of course it kept skipping. All of my plans for school for the week went out the window without the movie. We have requested a new one from Netflix but who knows when it will get here and we have planned to take next week off.

With nothing planned for our school day, I decided we would head to the kitchen and make cookies. You can cover a lot of different subjects in the kitchen:

Health-hand washing, kitchen safety
Reading-reading,following directions
Math-fractions, counting
Science-baking powder reactions

I even got some Latin in by turning Adeste Fideles on the radio while we were mixing the cookies. Our Peanut Butter Blossoms were delicious, we had fun, and we got in a little bit of "school" after all.

Our Gingerbread House 2011

2011-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Every year, the children look forward to decorating a Gingerbread House. Usually, I buy the kit that has the house already put together and all you have to do is decorate it. This year, Walmart did not have any of those. So, we bought the only one they had which luckily came with a tray with slits for the walls to stand up in. Chelsea helped me put the house together and then decided to occupy Emelia and let the "little kids" do all the decorating. You are supposed to wait 15 minutes after putting it together before decorating. It was the longest 15 minutes of my children's lives! They were so impatient to start putting candy on. Even after waiting the 15 minutes, we had some trouble with the roof sliding down several times but we managed to get it decorated without it collapsing. This kit also did not come with any decorating tips, so you couldn't get very fancy with the icing. It did come with a little gingerbread man and a Christmas tree though and the little ones loved that!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

Chelsea, Emelia, and I went shopping Friday for the first time in two weeks. I was very glad when grocery day rolled around because by then we were out of almost everything! Here's my menu plan for this week:

Fri 12/16-Pizza
Sat 12/17- Chicken Parmesan,Spaghetti, Mozzarella Sticks
Sun 12/18-Carolina Baked Pork Chops. Noodles, Applesauce
Mon 12/19- Chicken Enchiladas, Rice
Tues 12/20- Homemade Sloppy Joes, Tator Tots
Wed 12/21- Broccoli Cheese Soup, Bread
Thursday 12/22-Breakfast

See some great menu plans at www.orgjunkie.com.

Favorite Recipes: Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

2011-12-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Anytime we go out to eat, my children always want to order mozzarella sticks. They love them! So I thought it would be fun to make them at home. I made some yesterday to go with our Chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and they told me they were better than what we get from the restaurant and that I need to make them again!

8 cheese sticks cut in half
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
spaghetti sauce for dipping

Beat egg and milk together in a bowl. Place flour in another bowl and bread crumbs in another. Set up an assembly line with flour first, then egg mixture, and bread crumbs last. Roll each stick in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Put on a plate and freeze 30 minutes. Heat up oil in a deep fryer. Drop sticks into hot oil (I did 5 at a time) for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Place on paper towels to drain grease and serve with spaghetti sauce.

Favorite Recipes: Oreo Cookie Balls

2011-12-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

Chelsea had to make a dessert for a Christmas Party and wanted to try something new. We decided to try these Oreo Cookie Balls. Christian and Lily were very willing assistants. We made a test batch and tried them out the day before she had to make them for the party. This recipe requires few ingredients and is easy to make. The trickiest part is keeping the chocolate melted long enough to roll all the balls in it without letting it get hot enough to burn.

You need:
1 pkg. Oreo Cookies (we bought Great Value)
8 oz cream cheese
2 pkg semi sweet baking squares melted

Crush oreos and mix with cream cheese. Roll into 1 in balls. Freeze 10 minutes. Dip into melted chocolate coating all sides. Place into pan lined with wax paper. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Another idea would be to use white chocolate and decorate with chocolate to make a snowman face. These were delicious and didn't last long in our house!

TOS Review: World's Greatest Stories

2011-12-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

From the website: " The World's Greatest Stories are an award winning series of Bible stories that make the actual words of Scripture leap off the page and into the hearts of children of all ages. Children love the stories and listen to them over and over again often memorizing the entire CD."

The texts of all the Bible stories are taken word for word from the Bible and brought to life by the voice of dramatic storyteller George W. Sarris. Carefully chosen music and sound effects are also added in making the end result a very exciting story that comes straight from the words of Scripture.

The current audio series contains 23 different stories on 6 different CDs or Cassettes with a listening time of approximately 1 hour for each one. Each volume is available in either NIV or KJV. The cost of each volume is $7.95. Shipping is free if you order 6 or more items. To order click here.

Volume 1 The Prophets: The Blazing Furnace, The Handwriting on the Wall, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, The Prophecy of Jonah

Volume 2 The Life of Christ: The Real Story of Christmas, The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus, The Healing of the Blind Man, Things Jesus Said and Did, The Real Story of Easter

Volume 3 Beginnings: In the Beginning, A Lame Man in Lystra, A Jailor in Philippi, The Story of Ruth, The Raising of Lazarus

Volume 4 Joshua and Esther: The Battle of Jericho, The Book of Esther

Volume 5 Joseph and His Brothers

Volume 6 Defeating Giants: David and Goliath, Namaan the Leper, Micaiah the Prophet and Jehosaphat the King, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Gideon and His 300 Men

We received a complimentary copy of the NIV version of The Prophets on CD to use and review. I was very impressed that instead of being another interpreted Bible Story, these stories come directly from the Bible. Mr. Sarris is a very powerful story teller and brings the words from the pages of your Bible directly into your living room. The music and sound effects were an excellent compliment to the storytelling.The timing of receiving this CD was very good for us because we were studying Elijah in History and the CD made a great addition to our study.

On the website it mentions that appropriate ages for these stories is 4 and up. I did want to mention that the storytelling is a little intense on the CD that we received (if you know any of the stories you know what I mean) and may be scary for little ones. You can listen to a sample audio clip of any of the CDs by clicking here and selecting which version you would like to listen to.

To see what other crew mates had to say click here.

I received a complimentary copy of Volume 1 of World's Greatest Stories for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Our Christmas Traditions

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Many families have special Christmas Traditions that they do every year. I thought I would share with you some of ours.

Every year we go to the Christmas Tree Farm to pick out and cit down our tree. We have a family picture taken in front of the tree and put it up and decorate it as soon as we get home.

One of the fun things the children like to do is decorate a gingerbread house. I buy one that is already put together and has the icing and candy already in the box. The children look forward to this every year, and I don't have the stress of the walls falling down while we are trying to decorate.

A few years ago we went to the three gift rule for Christmas. Each of our children get three gifts for Christmas symbolizing the three gifts that Jesus received. Not only does it have symbolic meaning, but I think it helps the children appreciate the gifts they do get more. I would much rather have them enjoy three gifts then rip open and never play with (or break within a day) a whole pile of toys they don't care about. It also makes it easier for me when buying their gifts. I just need to make sure they each get three. They also get candy and a few small items for their stockings.

Every year we go to the candle light service on Christmas Eve (weather permitting.) It is my most favorite church service of the entire year. After we get home the children get to drink some hot cocoa, eat a cookie and head to bed. Then Art and I get to wrap all the gifts and put them under the tree.

Breakfast on Christmas morning is bagels, muffins, and donuts. That way the children can go and grab themselves something to eat when they get hungry. When I used to make a big breakfast, it never got eaten because they were too busy playing with their toys.

We do a traditional ham, mashed potatoes, corn , and rolls for the afternoon meal every year. Supper is leftovers or sandwiches.

Dessert on Christmas Day is always a birthday cake for Jesus. Christmas is Jesus' birthday so we make and decorate a birthday cake. It is not incredibly fancy, just a simple cake decorated for Jesus. It helps the children to remember why we have Christmas.

TOS Review: Vintage Remedies for Kids

2011-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Vintage Remedies was established in the summer of 2005 to be part hobby/job of founder and homeschooling mom Jessie Hawkins who was eager to share her knowledge that she had collected through the years. From the website, "Vintage Remedies was established primarily to fill the gap in natural wellness options. We stand squarely in the middle of the medicine wars, believing that prevention is the key to health and that natural options are usually the best first steps to regain wellness. However, we also appreciate the advancements of modern medicine and the life saving techniques that are available for extreme situations. We seek to empower mothers, wives and parents across the globe that strive for excellence in their calling. Our basic programs are designed to enable individuals everywhere to relearn the basic techniques and skills that were so commonplace decades ago. Our advanced programs are suitable for current or aspiring professionals that seek to include wellness initiatives and natural options in their services." We have had the opportunity to use and review Vintage Remedies For Kids over the last several weeks.

Vintage Remedies for Kids was written to help parents teach boys and girls ages 2-6 healthy and natural living. The book is spiral bound and contains 202 black and white pages. There are three sections: Food and Drink, Health and Wellness, and Healthy Lifestyles covering a total of 18 different topics. Each topic has a section for the parent to read, a section for the parent to read to the child, additional comments, discussion questions, a lead by example section, a featured project, and additional projects. There are free coloring sheets available to go along with the book on the website for your children to color while you are reading to them or setting up the project.

You can purchase Vintage Remedies For Kids for $25.00 by clicking here.

Vintage Remedies offers a wide variety of programs and products for a variety of ages and interests. Click here to see all of the different products they have to offer.

From the moment I received the package I was very impressed with this product. The cover of the book is adorable. The spiral binding makes frees mom's hands from holding the book open which is a big blessing when you are juggling a wiggly baby while reading and also when you are working in the kitchen on the projects. The layout of the book is fantastic. The separate readings for parents to read themselves and to read to the children make it so easy for the parents to learn along with the child (and I am learning a lot!) Each section has a featured project, but there are also additional projects listed if you are not interested in making the main project or just want to do more. Necessary supplies to complete the project are listed clearly listed so you can look in advance and see what you need to purchase.

Vintage Remedies for Kids is both educational and fun without being overwhelming for mom to implement. Although it is geared for ages 2-6 I used it with my 2,4,6,8,and 10 year olds (I just didn't tell the older two boys it was for ages 2-6 ;) I did change the wording a bit when I read from the Read to Me section. They would have frowned a bit hearing the term "owie." Children learn best by doing, and we have had a lot of fun doing the hands on projects.

Here we are making and enjoying smoothies

You do need to make sure that you plan ahead so you can purchase what you will need for the projects. We have been doing one topic and project a week and I have been adding the supplies we don't already have to my grocery list on Friday to use on Monday.

I am very impressed with Vintage Remedies For Kids and look forward to all of the fun and educational projects we will have coming up. As a thank you for reviewing their product, they also sent me The Kitchen Herbel which is full of wonderful information and delicious recipes!

To see what other crew members had to say click here. In addition to Vintage Remedies For Kids, other crew members reviewed Vintage Remedies For Guys or Vintage Remedies For Girls.

I received a complimentary copy of Vintage Remedies For Kids for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Shopping for 2 weeks at a time has been working out really well for me. have been writing a 2 week menu plan for supper and doing a big shopping trip every other week with a small trip for fruit, milk, bread, and lunch meat in between. Having 14 days of suppers planned at a time also makes it wasy to change things around if we have something come up at the last minute and lowers the temptation to eat out.

Friday 12/9-pizza
Saturday 12/10-baked potato soup
Sunday 12/11- chicken and rice casserole, bread and butter, applesauce
Monday 12/12- pork chops, oven roasted potatoes, cauliflower
Tuesday 12/13- spaghetti
Wednesday 12/14- deer steaks, baked potatoes, broccoli
Thursday 12/15- breakfast

Go to www.orgjunkie.com to see some other great menu plans.

What To Do About Math?

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

The subject that I have the hardest time finding curriculum for is Math. I did very well in Math when I was in school, although I admit I didn't like it very much, but I struggle with finding the "perfect" Math curriculum. I don't even mean for my family as a whole, but for each individual child. I started out using Math U See and I really liked it, but I did feel like it left quite a few things out in the younger years that I thought were important and I had to add on my own. I switched and went to Horizons after a recommendation, but it was too distracting for my younger children and was full of busy work that we never were going to do. Then, we switched to Abeka. It is affordable and my 9 year old likes it, but it is written for a classroom not a homeschool, and again is full of busywork that we will never do.

Recently I reviewed Math Mammoth with my 2nd grader and really like it so far. I am thinking I will be using it for all of my boys next year, but that still doesn't solve my Math trouble with Chelsea (14). She is having a terrible time with Algebra. I think most of her problem lies in the fact that she never "got" a lot of the concepts from PreAlgebra. She became very good at guessing which multiple choice questions were the correct answer, but when it comes to solving the equations, she can't remember which steps go first.

So now we have decided to revisit PreAlgebra, but we will not be using Abeka. I really think with Math especially you should stick with a curriculum if it works for your child, even if it has some short comings. Chelsea was very successful when we were using Math U See. She is an independent learner and likes watching the video lessons without having to wait for me to teach. Right after the holidays she will be starting PreAlgebra, and then we will move on to Algebra after she has proven to be proficient in all off the basic concepts.

What about you? Have you found the perfect Math curriculum for your child?

Favorite Recipes: Baked Potato Soup

2011-12-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love soup in the winter! It's warm, cheap, and really hard to mess up. You can throw just about anything into it and it will still taste good. Soup also makes great baby food! Tonight I tried a Baked Potato Soup Recipe and it was really good (although Alex and Christian still like my Broccoli Cheese Soup better.)

I doubled this recipe for my large crew.

2 lrg baking potatoes
3 TBSP chopped green onions
4 TBSP butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups of milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Chopped green onions. crumbled bacon (I used turkey bacon), shredded cheese for garnish.

Bake potatoes in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. Make sure you pierce them with a fork before putting them in the oven, or you can bake them in the microwave. Scoop out insides of potatoes and set aside. Add butter and onions to a stock pan and cook until onions are soft (I left the onions out since my children do not like them.) Add flour to stock pan and stir until well combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick and creamy. Be careful not to let the milk scald. Add in potato insides, cheese, and sour cream stirring until well combined and cheese is melted. If the soup is thicker than you like, you can thin it out with milk or water until you get the desired consistency. Garnish and serve.

Book Review: The Christmas Siniging by Cindy Woodsmall

2011-12-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Mattie thinks she is happy with her life three years after Gideon coldly broke her heart. She has found a nice, safe man that she will marry one day and has been running a successful business that she truly loves. Mattie pours her heart and soul into Mattie Cakes. Even though she is a bit scatterbrained and forgetful, she has a gift for designing cakes and keeps all of her designs and notes in a notebook that has been years in the making. When the unexpected happens, she is forced to return home and work in close proximity to the man who broke her heart. Will she find out the truth about why Gideon broke up with her, and if she does will it enable her to heal or cause her more heartache?

The Christmas Singing was a wonderful book! I loved the main characters, Mattie, Gideon, and Sol. The author writes about them in a way you can really identify with them and their situation. You can feel the sadness, heartbreak, and joy that the characters are facing. Even though what Gideon did was wrong, he felt he did it for the right reasons. Forgiveness isn't always easy especially when the hurt comes from someone you love so much. I loved the story. It was a little different from your "typical" Amish romance and had some interesting elements. The descriptions of the people and places make you feel as if you are a part of the story. I loved the ending! The Christmas Singing is a wonderful story of romance, heartache, and restoration. A wonderful Amish romance and a heartwarming read.

You can read the first chapter of the book by clicking here.

Order The Christmas Singing (and any other title) before December 20th and get 30 % off and free shipping by using promo code CHRISTMAS11 at checkout when ordering from WaterBrookMutnomah.com.

I received a complimentary ebook copy of The Christmas Singing from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

And The Winner Is......

2011-12-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

The winner of my Cooper and Me and The Winter Adventure is

Kristi! Thanks for those who entered!

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

So often when we are going through difficult or trying times we focus on all the bad and don't believe that we have anything to be thankful for. But, there is always something to be thankful for in every situation. Garden of Learning is hosting a meme called Thankful Thursdays to help keep the focus on all the things w have to be thankful for. Won't you join in?

I have been sick all week and really have not been able to get off the couch. It has been pretty rough! But I am so thankful that it was not worse. I am also thankful for my daughter making lunch and dinner all week long and for the children chasing after their baby sister and bringing me drinks and toast. I am thankful for my sweet husband who has gone to Walmart every day this week, tried to keep the children out of my hair in the evenings, and trying to console a crying baby in the middle of the night even though he is "not the mama." I am also thankful to be feeling a little better and that none of the children have gotten sick!

Homeschooling When the Teacher is Sick

2011-12-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Thankfully I don't get sick very often (not counting of course all the many months of morning sickness with my last 3 children.) But, for the last several days I have had a nasty bug complete with tummy troubles, fever, chills, and body aches. Not fun to say the least. My children have done a pretty good job helping out by making their own meals and feeding the younger children, chasing after Emelia, and bringing me cans of 7 up. I have been on the couch since Sunday with the exception of the little bit of cleaning I made myself get up and do on Monday. Really praying no one else in the house catches this.

We still have gotten our schoolwork done, just a little different than we normally would. I have done all of our Bible, History, and Science readings from the couch and we did not do any experiments or projects to go along with the reading. We did skip our read aloud because I was just not up for it. We also listened to World's Greatest Stories (review coming soon) that went along with our History lesson about Elijah the fiery prophet. Another review that we have coming up is Swan Lake from Maestro Music and it was the perfect opportunity to pop it in and listen to it while I was not feeling well. We did take a break from languages this week but will get back to it next week.

The children have been doing their afternoon Math and Writing the same as always (we were reviewing and I didn't have to teach). I will admit that Alex has missed two days of Spelling, but instead he read 4 stories out of his reader all by himself during spelling time! That is a huge accomplishment! He also wrote a story all by himself. Some of the letters are backwards and words are spelled wrong but you can read and understand his story and just that he even tried to write it is a big deal.

The best advice I have for homeschooling when the teacher is sick is that it is ok to get out of your regular routine for a few days. Pop in an audiobook, turn on an educational DVD (getting ready to do that right now), postpone the Science project. Keep it simple and easy until the teacher is back on her feet.

How do you homeschool when the teacher is sick?

Kregel Blog Tour: Baby's Little Bible

2011-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

160 pages $9.99 each

Baby's Little Bible, by Sarah Toulmin; illustrated by Kristina Stephenson

About the Book: Baby's Little Bible was written by new mom Sarah Toulmin as a way of sharing the stories she so loved with her own little ones. Her ultra-simple retellings of twenty favorite stories, from Creation to Resurrection, are filled with a sense of wonder, expressing God's love for creation. Featuring Kristina Stephenson's heartwarming, baby-friendly illustrations, this little Bible offers lots to look at and point to while parent and child share this delightful book together. Now available in a small format with a padded cover in either pink or blue, or as a gift edition with gilt edges and a ribbon marker, Baby's Little Bible is a perfect starter Bible to share with a much-loved child.

When we signed up for this tour, we were told that they were sending out the different colors at random and you couldn't pick pink or blue. I was very excited when the package came and we got the pink one because I have a sweet little 2 year old daughter that I knew would love it. She did! The book is very sturdy with a padded hard cover and the perfect size for small hands to carry. The stories are short enough for little ones to pay attention to and the illustrations are adorable. She loves having her own Bible to read and carry around with her.

You can take a peek inside by clicking here.

I thought it was an adorable Little Bible that would make a great gift for the little ones in your life. There was one thing that I did not like. The Bible begins with, "Once upon a time" I think we need to be careful to set the Bible which is real and true apart from fairy tales or it could become confusing for children.

I received a complimentary copy of Baby's Little Bible from Kregel for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

15 Years Ago Today.....

2011-12-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

I just have to say I can't believe it's been 15 years! I am getting old. Some people don't believe that miracles happen any more, but they do happen everyday. Here is the short version of my story:

I was 28 weeks pregnant with Chelsea and woke up in the morning feeling not quite right. I had not been sick at all during my pregnancy and thought it was odd that I was feeling so sick at this stage. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse. I was achy, nauseous, and vomiting. By late that evening I also had pain that had settled in my right side. After heading to the ER and having blood drawn I also had a very elevated white blood cell count. My doctor thought it was probably a kidney infection, but shortly it was discovered that I had appendicitis. I was told I had 2 choices. I could not have surgery and the baby and I would both die, or I could have the surgery and I would probably go into labor and the baby could die. My OB (who had delivered me) had never had a pregnant patient with appendicitis and my surgeon had never taken an appendix out of a pregnant woman. Needless to say I chose to have the surgery. They gave me spinal anesthesia because it was less dangerous for the baby so I was awake during the surgery. At first, I was terrified. I was not worried about myself at all, but I did not want my baby to die. I remember laying on the table while Christmas music was playing, watching the clock tick, and praying. After a few minutes, a wave of peace came over me and I knew that everything was going to be all right. Even though I was not living my life anywhere near the way I should, even though I had not been to church or even prayed in a very long time, I felt the presence of God as I laid on that operating table and my prayers were answered. I never even had one contraction and the baby's heart rate stayed strong. I recovered my my surgery and 12 weeks later delivered an 8 lb 8 oz very healthy little miracle who changed my life forever.

Book Review: Smitten By Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, & Diann Hunt

2011-12-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Four friends devise a plan to turn Smitten, Vermont, into the country's premier romantic getaway-and each finds her own true love along the way.
With Smitten Lumber closing, residents wonder if their town can stay afloat. Then four friends and local business owners-Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese--decide the town is worth saving. How will they do it? They'll turn Smitten into a honeymoon destination!
As Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese work to save the town, each discovers romance in her own life. Meanwhile, the faith of a little child reminds the whole town what it means to have real faith in the God who is the always and forever Love.
Discover a novel written by four of Christian fiction's most popular romance novelists- friends in real life who've drawn an amazing story of four friends! Includes a Reading Group Guide as well as "Conversation over Coffee with the Authors"

The idea of a collaboration of 4 authors into a book containing 4 stories about 4 friends was a good one. The story behind it of a town that is dying due to the economy and a plan to save it using it's name and beautiful setting to change it to a tourist location made for a great story. The flow of one story to the next was very good. I enjoyed reading Natalie and Reese's stories the most even though they were full of mistrust and misunderstanding of the men in their lives. Julia's story quite honestly offended me a bit because of the light in which she sees and presents her mother as a housewife and I had a hard time getting past that. Shelby's story bothered me a little too. Shelby has a traumatic secret from her past that at one point she says she has asked for and received her Savior's forgiveness. Later on she accepts no responsibility for her actions and lays all the blame on her father. She does forgive him for what the part he played, but still does not accept responsibility for her choices. Overall even though I really wanted to like it, I found the book to be disappointing.

I received a complimentary ebook copy of Smitten from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

A Visit to the Christmas Tree Farm and a Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-12-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today we headed into the "big city." We enjoyed lunch at Olive Garden and then went to the Christmas Tree Farm to pick out and cut down our tree. This is our 5th year to pick out and cut down our own tree and the children love it! We usually go on Sunday after church, but it is supposed to be rainy and nasty tomorrow, so we decided to go today instead. It was cloudy, but in the 60's, so the weather was beautiful. We picked out a nice 6 ft tree, some of the children rode the hay ride, and we got some hot cocoa. When we got home we decorated the tree and only broke 4 ornaments. Keeping the baby and the cat out of the tree may prove to be challenging.

A trip down memory lane. Christmas pictures with our trees in the past.

December 2008


December 2009

December 2010

December 4 H Cloverbud Meeting

2011-12-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Last night was our December Cloverbud meeting for 4 H. I did it early on the month because we missed November and before it got too crazy because of the holidays. The children wanted to have a pizza party, so we used some of club money to buy pizzas and some of the parents brought some snacks. We had a great turnout with 12 4 Hers (ages 5-10) and 5 younger siblings. For our community service project, we made decorations to take to the nursing home.

In addition to markers, we got really brave and got out some glue and glitter to sprinkle on (even after vacuuming you could still see some sparkles in the carpet.)

Then, we did two edible craft projects. We made and decorated trees using: ice cream cones, frosting, M&M's, Andie's crushed mints, and red licorice.

The trees didn't last very long because they were eaten as soon as they were completed. After that, we made Snowman Soup. We mixed 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 cups dry milk, and 1 cup cocoa into a bowl. Then, each child got 1/4 cup of mix, 5 marshmallow, 2 Hershey Kisses, and a small peppermint candy cane to put into a Ziplock bag. I found these cute tags to go along with it. My children drunk theirs after lunch today and said it was delicious. It would also make a great inexpensive gift along with a snowman mug.

All in all it was a good meeting. I think the children enjoyed it. It was a bit chaotic, but we were trying to get a lot done with a lot of children in a short period of time. I am not the most organized person in the world and I forgot a couple of things which added to the chaos (including a change of clothes for the baby who of course leaked through her diaper luckily there was a prepared mom there.) Also, Emelia was demanding to be fed halfway through the meeting so I had to step out for a few minutes and feed her. I am very thankful to have parents who are so wiling to step in and help during the meetings and to have Chelsea as a youth helper. Hopefully I will become better in a leadership role as time goes on.

Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure Review and Giveaway!

2011-12-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the next book in the Cooper and Me series, Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure by Monique and Alexa Peters. Cooper is a fun loving black Labrador whose adventures help children navigate challenges and emotions of real life everyday happenings. More than just a great children's book, the Cooper and Me series of books provides teaching opportunities and conversations for adults to have with their children.

Book description: Cooper and Bella can't wait to go sledding, but what happens when they wander a little too far from home and a snowstorm makes it difficult to find their way back?

Also included with the book are: A Special Memory Creation page, Life Lessons paragraph on what to do if you get lost, Connections taking about emotions, and Learning Together questions and answers.

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.cooperandme.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooper-and-Me-Inc/214695101924101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cooper_and_me

Other Books in the Cooper and Me series include: Cooper and Me, Cooper and Me and the First Halloween, and Cooper and Me and the Military. You can purchase any of the books for $12.99 by clicking here. There are other items available for purchase including a plush Cooper stuffed animal and music CDs to go along with the books. $1 of every Winter Adventure book sold will go to advance research & treatment of pancreatic cancer, via the Lustgarten Foundation (http://www.lustgarten.org/)

Make any purchase of $25 or more at CooperandMe.com and get FREE SHIPPING now through December 15. MUST USE THIS CODE @ Check Out: COOPERBLOG.

We really enjoyed reading Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure. The children (6,4,2) love animal stories and really liked the rhyming story and the delightful illustrations. My children especially love stories about winter and snow (probably because we don't see very much of it.) The book is hard cover with a very strong binding which means it will hold up for many, many readings. In addition to the sweet story, I thought the Learning Together questions and answers in the back of the book were a great compliment to the story and helpful when teaching children how to avoid being in the situation and what they should do if they are. A great children's story doesn't just entertain, but also educates in a fun way and Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure does both of those things.

Now for the Giveaway!

Interested in winning a copy? All you have to do is leave me a comment with an email contact. For an extra entry, follow with GFC or tell me that you already do in a second comment. Giveaway will close on 12/07/2011 at 11:59 pm. Good Luck!

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Homeschooling Preschool

2011-12-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

What kind of curriculum do you use for preschool?

There is a big push in our country to start schooling our children at younger and younger ages because it will make them "smarter." Not just in public school, but also in private schools and homeschools too. Parents are spending hundreds of dollars to send their children to preschool by the time they are three. Homeschoolers are spending hundreds of dollars on curriculum for their 3 and 4 year olds. Does anyone remember when preschool was for playing?

I have shocked people before with my answer, but I do not use curriculum with my preschoolers and its not because I don't want to spend the money either. I think that preschool (and kindergarten) is a time where children should be learning through play, through reading, and real life experiences. I spend a lot of time reading at my house. I read history and science aloud, I read from the Bible, and I read chapter books and the little ones are playing close by. Every afternoon I read picture books to the younger children and we will do activities related to the books. Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row is a great resource for picture books and activities related to them. A great website for lapbooks and activities related to FIAR is www.homeschoolshare.com. We sing songs when we clean up or to the baby. We count and do colors by using blocks, buttons, toys, or my favorite M and M's. We have plenty of art supplies available and ready for drawing, cutting, gluing, and painting. One of my favorite craft sites for younger children is www.dltk-kids.com Any project that the older children are doing that the little ones want to participate in , they can. We spend lots of time in the kitchen together. We have toys to inspire imaginative play: kitchen, blocks, dollhouse, knights and castle, cars, costumes, etc...They are learning through play all day long.

Now sometimes preschoolers want a math book or workbook because their older siblings have one. I usually get an inexpensive preschool workbook to pull out during school time. If we are making a craft or working on a map I always print enough for the little ones too so they can do it if they want to. For those times when an educational DVD would come in handy, I pull out one of our Leap Frog DVD's. The children love those.

You can successfully and inexpensively teach your preschooler at home. And have lots of fun doing it!

Day 30 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-30T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of the Gratitude Challenge 2011 and today I am thankful for the challenge and for Brenda for hosting it. I think if we all remembered every day to keep our focus on all the good things in our life that we have to be thankful for, we will have much happier lives!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus 1Thesallonians 5:18.

Chelsea's Sew With Cotton Contest Entry

2011-11-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Every year, the Arkansas Farm Bureau sponsors a Sew With Cotton competition to promote the use of cotton by requiring 100 percent cotton in all materials used. There are 3 divisions, youth 14-19 and adult (no professionals allowed) and special. The entrant must construct all of their garment and model it themselves. There is prize money for the top 5 placements in each category and the sweepstakes winner can also win a portable serger.

Chelsea is the only youth in our county that entered. She has been working for months on her dress along with the help of our county extension agent and our 4 H program assistant. She has been spending 8 hours every week in the office working on the dress. It has been so good for her to work with the 4 H ladies especially since my sewing skills are no where near theirs (or even Chelsea's now.) I am so proud of how much work and effort she put into her entry and how well it turned out. She headed off to Little Rock today and the competition is in the morning. She is excited but also a bit nervous so say a prayer for her. She doesn't expect to win anything, she said she was doing it to gain the experience and at 14 will be one of the youngest entrants. Here is her dress:

Didn't she do a great job? (Sigh) My baby is growing up way to fast! We will know tomorrow afternoon how it went.

Day 29 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today's school day some how started with a conversation about what I did, did not have when I was a kid. One of the boys wanted to know if there were telephones when I was little. I explained that yes there were but they were attached to the wall and had a rotary dial (I showed them Emelia's play phone so they would know what that was.) The conversation went on to cover whether or not I had other things too. It made me think about how thankful I am for the technology we have today. Information is literally at the tips of my fingers when ever I need it. When the children ask me a question I do not know like what a peanut plant looks like or what kind of spider is more venomous a black widow or brown recluse. When studying birds we can hop on the web and watch different kind of birds hatching and map their migration route. If we forget where to find information on the Bible, we google it. I can access audiobooks and download them in moments for my son to listen to (the one he downloaded today made him so happy!) Technology is truly an amazing thing.

All About Reading Level One!

2011-11-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know I am using and having great success with All About Learning's All About Spelling program and corresponding readers. All About Learning Press has now created All About Reading, a program designed to teach reading in the most effective way possible. The readers used in this program are the same readers that go along with the All About Spelling Program that we use for level one and I can't recommend them highly enough! They are beautiful hard covered readers with adorable illustrations that my 8 year old is so proud to read! They are sturdy enough to last a long, long time.

To celebrate the newly released All About Reading Level One, from now until December 6th all Reading Level One products are 10 % off and any orders of All About Reading Level One that includes a Teacher's Manual will get free A Taste For Outer Space ($8 value.) Click here for more information and to order.

Looking for a reading program for preschool or Kindergarten? Check out All About Reading's Pre Level One here.

Links used in this post are my affiliate links.

Day 27 and 28 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

Day 27- I am so thankful for our country and the freedoms we have here that we take for granted everyday. Sometimes I think we forget how good we have it.

Day 28- Pancakes. I am thankful for pancakes on a day when I completely forgot to take meat out of the freezer for supper. The children love breakfast for supper and they enjoyed it even more with the leftover whipped cream and strawberry pie topping!

Review: His Mighty Warrier by Sheri Rose Shepherd

2011-11-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

How Do You Captivate the Heart of a Boy?

With words from a loving God about the courageous man of honor he will one day be. Little boys love to play pretend and imagine they are daring knights slaying dragons and searching for mighty adventures. The truth is they are really the child of a real King and an important part of a real kingdom. His Mighty Warrior is written as a two way conversation between that King and his warrior-child.

The book covers very important areas that our sons need to face: having good character, keeping promises, powering up with prayer, being courageous, a protector, being loving to your family, always being your best, fighting the good fight, honoring others, money, being a leader, dealing with disappointment and anger, greed, telling the truth, not to seek revenge, and many more. Each page is written as a letter from the King on a particular topic and followed by scripture backing up the perspective on the letter. The next page has a prayer that the child can pray about that specific topic. For example When Anger Happens a short letter is written telling the child to call out to God in anger and He will change your heart and help you through it. The scripture reference is Psalm 4:4 In your anger do not sin: when you are in your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Then there is a prayer: Dear God, Thank you for not getting mad at me for how I feel. I like having a Father in heaven who understands my heart. When I feel angry help me to still do the right thing. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

His Mighty Warrior is a beautiful (in a manly way) book. I loved the illustrations that go along with each page, although the same ones appear over and over again. The book is hard covered and sturdy enough to last a young man for a long time. The book is written in a very conversational easy to relate to tone and covers very important areas of a boy's life. This book would make an excellent gift for the young man in your life.

I received a complimentary copy of His Mighty Warrior from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Day 26 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful all of the good desserts are gone! Birthday cake, pie, fudge, and birthday cake again was just a little too much of the sweet stuff this year. I need to stock up on fruits and veggies tomorrow. Holidays are a terrible time to loose those last few pounds of baby weight, but I will admit the fudge was delicious!

Day 24 and 25 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that after posting every day so far, I forgot to post on Thanksgiving! I don't even really have an excuse except I forgot until almost 11:00 last night, and by then was way too tired to string a thoughtful sentence together, so I am combining yesterday and today into one post.

Day 24- I am so thankful to have had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family! We had the best fried turkey ever and a mountain of other foods for our afternoon meal, and then a light supper with lots of different pies and fudge for dessert. It was a great day of food, family, and of course football!

Day 25- I have finished my Christmas shopping and did not have to fight one single crowd! I really did all of my shopping online this year. Besides Walmart, Target and Kohls, I also got some fantastic deals yesterday and today at Vision Forum and Bass Pro. Although it technically wasn't a Christmas gift, I even got a fabulous deal (what's better than free) on a cell phone upgrade for my husband. I am hoping he will love his new Droid 2 when he gets it this week.

Day 23 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

We got to pick up our checks today from the 4 H Livestock auction. I am so thankful for the members of the community that donate money to the children to help them pay for and raise livestock. Any amount of money helps pay expenses and encourages the children (who are our future farmers.) The price of chicken feed has gone up so much this year, I cannot imagine the cost of raising some of the larger animals. I am thankful that the money the children received this year will pay their expenses for next year.

Book Review: An Amish Wedding by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long

2011-11-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Three Amish women yearn for the perfect wedding.

"A Perfect Plan" by Beth Wiseman

Priscilla King has been planning to marry Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old, and when Chester proposes on Priscilla’s nineteenth birthday, wedding plans begin immediately. What wasn't planned was all the problems the couple encounters as their big day approaches. A house disaster, a ruined wedding dress, and a sick attendant all make the couple wonder if God's sending them signs to call things off.

"The Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller

Naomi Fisher has had great success at matchmaking her family members and friends. Now with her sister’s wedding right around the corner, Naomi wonders why she’s able to find husbands for her friends and family, but not one for herself.

"The Perfect Secret" by Kelly Long

Rose Bender has recently become engaged to handsome but somber Luke Raber. She agrees out of a sense of duty and a willingness to settle for solid friendship as a basis for the engagement. But as she watches her friend's excitement over her soon-to-be wedding, Rose wonders if there shouldn’t be more to her relationship with Luke. She begins to examine Luke and his life more closely and is amazed when she stumbles upon an exciting, secret side of him that engages her mind and heart

What's better than a great Amish story? Three stories in one book. Even though this collection of novellas are written by three different authors, the characters and stories intersect which I enjoyed better than a collection of similar stories thrown into the same book. Each of the three stories have similarities but are also very different. I loved the characters and their stories. I love that their happy endings didn't come with a perfect problem free life. An Amish Wedding was a great quick and easy read that made me smile.

If there was one thing I wish was different it is that I would have like to read more about Naomi's story. We don't get to see as much of her "happy ending" as the other two. I would have liked there to have been another chapter finishing off her story.

I received a complimentary e book copy of An Amish Wedding from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

No Black Friday Shopping For Me This Year

2011-11-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

For a long, long, time it has been a tradition. Get the paper on Thanksgiving, go through all of the ads, and plan a strategy for getting the most out of the Black Friday shopping experience. I have always loved Black Friday shopping and we have had some fun times! But, 5 am on Friday was moved back to 12 am last year, and now 10 pm on Thursday this year. It is no longer Black Friday, it is Thanksgiving Thursday, and maybe it is just me but I don't want to end my Thanksgiving holiday early and I am sure that many working in retail would rather be home with their families. Not to mention that I am not willing to hang out in Walmart for several hours waiting for the next sale to start (some items go on at 10, 12 and then 5 am) nor am I able to shop the whole day toting a nursing baby that would much rather be in bed.

So this year, The Happy Homeschool Mom is doing all of her Christmas shopping online. Many retailers are offering special online deals and free shipping. Some Black Friday deals will be available online, although Walmart is limiting most of its really good deals this year to in store only :(. Kohls (my favorite store!) has some great deals for this weekend and I have a 15% off coupon and free shipping! Cyber Monday is another day to stock up on some really good online sales and free shipping offers.

Since the children are so used to getting packages in the mail from reviews, they don't even bat an eye when the UPS man comes up our driveway. This year instead of fighting crowds, I am shopping in my jammies!

Day 22 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for our house. When we were house hunting 5 years ago, it seemed like we would never find a house that suited us that we were willing to pay for after not getting our first choice. Then in God's perfect timing we were shown this house that actually suited us better than the one we had wanted! It is not perfect and there is always something that needs work but it is the perfect house for us. Not only did I get a schoolroom inside, we got a large shop for all of Art's tools, and plenty of space for the children to grow and play outside. We can raise our chickens (and bigger livestock if we chose), observe all kinds of deer and other small wildlife, and the children can play outdoors without having to be concerned about who is walking by. I am so thankful for our home!

Favorite Recipes: Oven Fried Chicken

2011-11-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe over the summer when we were going to the lake for the day. Art and I were discussing whether to take sandwiches or bring something to cook on the grill. He said he wanted cold fried chicken. I didn't want to spend all night frying chicken so I searched for an oven fried chicken recipe and found this one. It was delicious! Great recipe for eating hot or refrigerating and taking on a picnic or camping. I used dru sticks, but you could use any kind of chicken adjusting the cook time if it is boneless.

2 beaten eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
chicken
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine bread crumbs and flour. Dip chicken in egg then bread crumb mixture coating completely. Place in a 13x9 baking dish with 1/2 cup vegetable oil in the bottom. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min, turn chicken over and bake another 30 minutes. Place chicken on paper towels to drain excess oil. Enjoy!

Tip- Do not use disposable aluminum pans. The chicken will not be crunchy and will be soggy instead. I discovered this trying to save myself the trouble of cleaning up the pans after.

TOS Review: The Reading Game

2011-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Anthony (6), Christian (4), and I have spent the last couple of weeks trying out a new game called The Reading Game. From the author of Wordly Wise, Kenneth Hodkinson, The Reading Game was designed for children just learning to read or having trouble learning to read. The Reading Game teaches your child 180 vocabulary words using a fast action memory game and 6 beautifully illustrated storybooks.

Game Contents:
6 Illustrated Storybooks
6 decks of matching cards (30 cards in each deck)
Teacher and Parents Guide
$24.95 each
15% off orders of 8 or more

Each of the 6 stories is told using just 30 words that are broken down into 6 sets of 5 words. The student learns to read each set of words using an easy word matching game. After the student has mastered the words in each set, you move on to the next set of words. The student is able to read the book after they have learned all of the words in the set.

For example, the first 5 words in game one book one are can,cat,not, is, and me. After playing the 2 player memory matching game with these words and showing mastery of the words you move on to the next 5 words (game 2 book one) which are: sad, she, stay, this, with. You can then test your child's knowledge of these words by using a few practice sentences. After showing mastery of the words in game 6 book one, the child is ready to read on their own, book one, The Skunk Book, a 32 page illustrated rhyming book. The process is the same for the rest of the books: Snake, Bear, Penguins, Unicorns, and Zebra. After completing all 6 books, your child will have learned to read 180 words.

The Reading Game is supplemental curriculum material that compliments most reading curriculum and meets the criteria of Common Core State Standards for Language Arts and Reading and Foundational Skills for kindergarten and first grade. A pre and post assessment is available to test sight word recognition before and after playing each of the 6 card games. The Test Sentence Assessment Worksheets can be used to track a student's progress as you work through the games in each set.

I have been playing The Reading Game with my six year old son Anthony who has developed an interest in learning how to read. Anthony really liked playing the game and was able to read the first two rounds of words very quickly. The rest of the words took much longer to master, but after several weeks of playing, Anthony is able to read book one, The Skunk.

Anthony loved playing the game and loved the story. Any kind of teaching in the form of a game makes it more interesting to children. The game can be played in just minutes a day. Needing to learn only 30 words to read an entire book did help build his confidence and his desire to go on to the next book. There were times that he did show some frustration at not being able to remember the words as we were playing and not being able to go to the next set of cards, but with some practice and some patience he did very well learning all of the words.

I wish that the cards were a bit sturdier. After Anthony, I have at least 3 more children that will be learning to read and would like them to be able to use The Reading Game. The cards are just like a deck of playing cards and bend and rip easily. I love the black and white illustrations, but some of them did not come out as clear as the others in the books.

The Reading Game does not teach how to decode or sound out words. It is teaching memorization of the words needed in order to read the books. From the website, " By the time students come to the end of the zebra story, 180 words are hard-wired into memory. Phonics can then be incorporated into the game by using the cards to develop links to similar words and sounds."

Overall, we have really enjoyed using The Reading Game and will continue on with the next book today.

To see what other crew members had to say click here.

I received a complimentary copy of The Reading Game for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

And The Winner Is......

2011-11-22T05:54:00.001-08:00

The winner of The Grace Effect is Beverly! Thanks so much to all that entered!

Making Smoothies

2011-11-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

We are reviewing a product, Vintage Remedies for Kids (read my review on Dec 12th) that teaches healthy and natural living for kids 2-6 and includes a lot of fun hands on projects. Today, the children and I had fun making an experimenting with some fruit smoothies. The smoothies were very easy to make and only need 1 cup of fruit, 1/3 cup orange juice, and either a whole banana or 1/3 cup yogurt for one serving. We made some with strawberries, some with bananas, and some with both. Most of the children liked the one with banana and yogurt the best.

Alex chopping strawberries

Lily eating a strawberry

Nick measured the orange juice

And then added everything to the blender

Christian loved the strawberry one best!

Emelia even got to have some and she loved it!

Day 21 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

Warning (in case you'd rather not see)! There are photos of deer and deer meat in this post!

I had written a blog post recently about trying to gain control of my grocery budget. A day or two later, Art was out hunting and got his first deer of the season, a seven point buck. Having the deer meat will make a big difference in our grocery bill, so today I am thankful for deer meat, and also for Art teaching the children about being a responsible, safe hunter and taking the time to teach them how to process the meat.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-21T09:47:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to a great week with my hubby home for a couple of days and family coming for Thanksgiving. I am excited too because Art got a deer the other day which will help a lot in my goal to lower my grocery budget! Here is what I am cooking up this week:

Fri 11/18-pizza
Sat 11/19 oven fried chicken (recipe coming soon) cheesy potatoes, corn
Sun 11/20- mac and cheese with birthday cake for dessert (Alex's birthday)
Mon 11/21- tacos, rice
Tues 11/22- spaghetti, dinner rolls
Wed 11/23- french dip sandwiches, carrot sticks, applesause
Thurs 11/24- Fried Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce and fudge and pie for dessert

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Be sure to visit www.orgjunkie.com to see some great menu plans!

Day 20 Gatitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

My sweet Alexander is 8 today! I am so thankful for 8 year old boys and their birthday smiles!


Alexander Adolphus 11/20/03 8 lbs 7 oz


Alexander Adolphus 11/20/11

For his birthday meal, Alex chose take out pizza, so we ordered it while we were leaving church and ate in for lunch. His cake will be strawberry with vanilla icing (Walmart didn't have strawberry.) He really wanted a new bow he could practice with. He was so happy to get this one and that it looks like his dad's complete with a whisker biscuit. Alex is such a sweet boy and so easy to please. I am so thankful for him and his birthday smiles!

4 H Holiday Craft Workshop 2011

2011-11-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Every year in November, our county 4 H does a Holiday Craft workshop. This is one of the children's favorite workshops to go to. There are several different crafts available to make and the children rotate from table to table. This year they made a gingerbread ornament, a ribbon ornament, a foam doorknob decoration, a place mat, a stocking ornament, a reindeer headband, a stained glass pumpkin, a decorated candy cane, elf shoe magnets, and a decoupage ornament. They also were able to make ornaments that were leftover from last year to donate to a local nursing home. Nick, Alex, and Anthony signed up to participate in the workshop and Chelsea volunteered to be a helper. There was not very many others signed up and a few that were didn't show up. Lily and Christian wanted to make a couple of the crafts and were excited that they were able to since there were plenty of materials to go around. The children had a wonderful time!

Day 19 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for our county 4 H program. My children have had so many fun and educational opportunities through being involved with 4 H. One of the best things about it is that most activities are free or low cost and 4 H is something the whole family can participate in together.

Day 18 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my blog readers! I read and appreciate all of your comments. One of the reasons I write this blog is to be an encouragement to others, but those of you who read and comment are a huge encouragement to me! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!

Day 17 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my Nook. I love to read and being able to read on my Nook (especially while nursing) is so much easier than balancing a book. It is much easier than taking a stack of books with you and I can read my favorites over and over again without damaging the binding or bending pages. I have read a ton of books on it, but have never bought any of them. It is the my most favorite gift ever!

Potty Training ! (again)

2011-11-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am not one to push potty training at a young age. If your child is not ready it ends up back firing, and will be a lot more work. How do you know when they are ready? Well, every child is different and there is no magic age for readiness. Some signs your child may be ready are: going for long periods of time without wetting, complaining when their diaper is wet or dirty, interest in sitting on the potty, and ability to dress themselves. For the boys, I didn't even attempt potty training until they were three. That seemed to be their magic number that they showed they were ready and it only took a couple of weeks until they were daytime trained. The exception was Anthony who we began potty training right before his 3rd birthday, but had his tonsils out the week after his 3rd birthday. The surgery put potty training on hold until several weeks later when he was completely recovered and back to normal.

Lily won't be 3 until March, but she really wants to use the potty. She has never liked having a wet or dirty diaper and as soon as she could talk would ask to be changed. She can dress and undress herself with very little help and she has a strong desire to wear pretty panties. We bought some Disney Princess ones when she saw them at the store and she couldn't wait to put them on. Yesterday we starting working on potty training. It's been about 12 years since I have potty trained a girl, but I was successful with the last one and all the boys in between.

My tips for potty training (when your child shows readiness)

Don't start potty training before a big change in a child's life (move, new baby, illness, siblings starting school, parent job change etc..)
Pull ups are a huge waste of money and don't really teach the child to be potty trained. We go straight from diapers to underwear and only use pull ups at night once a child is day trained.
Keep books or other small toys in the bathroom to encourage your child to sit on the potty.
Make a routine for the child-potty as soon as she gets up in the morning and at nap time and try sitting on the potty every 30 min or so for a few minutes (some children will not need to go this often)
Make it fun! My children love coming out of the potty and having the older children clap and cheer for them. We also do a small reward (sticker/candy) every time they go.
Make sure they are wearing clothes (or not wearing any sometimes) that they will be able to get on and off easily.
Don't make a big deal if they have an accident. Clean it and them up and move on.
Be ok with backing off if it is not going well, the child resists, or is not feeling well. Forcing the issue will not be good for you or them.
Don't be concerned if your child has to wear pull ups at night for a long time. Children's bladders are small and they can be deep sleepers. It is quite common for children who are trained during the day to still wet at night.

Day 16 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my brother holding baby Alex the last time I saw him, Thanksgiving 2003. I am thankful for all of the time I had with my big brother and the memories I still have to cherish.

Getting Control of the Budget

2011-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

For the longest time I was doing so well at coming in or under our monthly grocery budget. Food/household items are our second biggest expense every month. Ever since I was pregnant (and so sick) with Emelia, I started not paying so close attention. It was much easier to buy frozen foods then to make from scratch. Menu planning and couponing moved lower on my priority list. Running through a drive thru on our way to various activities just became easier (which is not cheap when you have a big family even if you order off the dollar menu.) Then, the cost of groceries has been steadily creeping up. I raised our budget after Emelia was born to account for the extra diapers we would have to buy. Soccer season soon came around and we were spending an outrageous amount of money on gas and snacks. Even with the raised grocery budget, I have still been consistently going over every week.

I had to go over our finances and with the extra money at the grocery store, extra gas money, and occasional take out food, our monthly spending has been way over what it should be! Even the chicken feed went up. It is time to take control of the budget once again. Avoiding take out and lowering our gas money should be fairly easy especially now that soccer is over. I will have to avoid the temptation of eating out, and commit to only eating out for special occasions. I will have to be more diligent in my menu planning/price matching/couponing to try and pay the lowest price possible for the food we buy. The frozen/convenience foods that we have gotten used to in the last year since I was pregnant with Emelia will have to be replaced by foods made from scratch. I will go back to shopping for 2 weeks or a month at a time with a smaller weekly shopping for milk, lunch meat, and produce. I have found in the past that shopping/meal planning for a month saves me the most money, but requires a lot of extra planning and patience at the grocery store (hard to maintain with the crowd.) Shopping for two weeks will probably work out best for us right now. I am committed to lowering our expenses so we can stay on budget, pay off our debt sooner, and become debt free.

Book Review: The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

2011-11-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is mankind’s last chance. Centuries of greed, pride, and hate have sent humanity hurtling toward disaster, and far from its original purpose. There is only one solution that can reset the compass and right the ship, and it consists of only two words.
With time running out, it is up to David Ponder and a cast of history’s best and brightest minds to uncover this solution before it is too late. The catch? They are allowed only five tries to discover the answer.
Readers first encountered David Ponder in The Traveler's Gift. Now, in The Final Summit, Andrews combines a riveting narrative with astounding history in order to show us the one thing we must do when we don’t know what to do.

I chose to review this book because The Heart Mender by the same author remains one of my most favorite books that I have had the opportunity to review. I chose this book knowing it was the sequel to The Traveler's Gift which I have not read but plan to do so. I had no trouble understanding The Final Summit, but I do think that it would be beneficial to the reader to read them in order if possible.

Andy Andrews did not disappoint me with this story. It was a wonderful read that both entertained and educated me about people and events in history that I knew nothing about. Although the book is fiction, there is quite a bit of interesting factual information about famous (and not so famous) people that I found fascinating. There is a problem to be solved and all of humanity depends on whether or not David and his team of Travelers can solve it. They believe they can solve the answer fairly quickly and easily, which I believe says quite a bit about man and his arrogance. They learn rather quickly that it is not as easy as they believe and they must work together to come up with a solution. The ending in itself was not predictable like I thought it would be. The book has a positive message (which I am not going to tell you and ruin it for you) and was truly an enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary e book copy of The Final Summit from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Day 15 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for the rain. After being so dry for so long we are finally getting some much needed rain. The children were so excited to see it raining, they wanted to go out and play in it this morning. When the big boys were out feeding chickens, I found Christian (4) outside in the pouring down rain wearing shorts and a tank top and splashing in a mud puddle. He was having a great time! I did make him come in though since it was not that warm and we started getting some thunder and lightning.

TOS Review: Math Mammoth

2011-11-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

Math. It is one of those subjects we all have to teach but we as homeschoolers (at least I do) struggle with choosing and sticking to a curriculum that is just the right fit for our family or even just a particular student. I was excited to have an opportunity to choose one of the many available products from Math Mammoth to use and review. I was not in love with the curriculum that I was using for my second grader, so I chose the Light Blue Series, Grade 2.

Marie Miller, the author of Math Mammoth, wanted to create products that would teach Math so both the students and teachers would really understand what was going on. The curriculum does not have a separate scripted teacher's manual. Instead, the "teaching" portion is contained in the workbook making it possible for the student to self teach, and requiring very little preparation from the teacher.

Math Mammoth recognizes that Math is a case of "one size fits all" and offers a variety of different products for you to choose from including:

Light Blue Series-full curriculum for grades 1-6
Blue Series- worktexts by topic for grades 1-6 (7)
Golden Series-worksheets by grade grades 3-8
Green Series-worksheets by topic grades 3-7
Make it Real Learning Workbooks-in depth activities taken from real life grades 3-12
States by the Numbers Workbooks-one workbook for each state grades 3-6

Math Mammoth offers a 7 day virtual tour giving you time to digest the information on the website and even ask the Maria which product would be best for your child. During the tour you will receive a package of 300 worksheets and sample pages, 7 emails (one per day) answering FAQ's about Math Mammoth, and Math Mammoth Math newsletters.

Math Mammoth strives to offer their products at affordable prices. Products are available as both download or print versions. Prices will vary depending on the product with workbooks ranging from $2-$7 a piece for the electronic versions and the electronic versions of the full curriculum being priced around $34 for the electronic versions.

We are loving Math Mammoth! One of the very first things I noticed about Math Mammoth is that it is very straight forward with no distractions on the page. That is a big deal if you have a child (like mine) who is distracted by a lot of pictures or bright colors on pages. I had to do no advance preparation. I printed off the pages, went over the teaching part, and we worked on the problems. Although it is written so it is possible for some children to self teach, my so is not a good reader and I need to sit with him to explain the problems to him. I was a little worried at first because some of the areas in the "review" section for 2nd grade were not things we had covered yet, but my second grader picked up on it very quickly and we have moved on with no problems. I like the way Math is taught with Math Mammoth, very understandable for student and the teacher, and does not keep doing the same problems over and over again. You have the ability to go in and make more worksheets on a specific topic if your student needs more practice. With the Light Blue Series, it is a full curriculum with cumulative reviews, tests,and an answer key (haven't had to use it yet thank goodness), so there isn't anything else I have to buy. She does recommend having an abacus (optional though I do plan on getting one) and a few common household items (rulers, measuring cup, alarm clock) to help teach the lessons. The most important thing is that Alex and I both love it!

I did not think at first that I would like using a download for Math (even though print books are available we were given a download for review.) I am a bit of a scrooge when it comes to using printer ink and though a print version would be better. But, the license for the download version says that a teacher can print for as many of their own students as necessary. I didn't find that they used a ton of ink (although some of it is in color) and I wouldn't have to buy it again for the younger students in my house. I found it very easy to print it out, punch holes in it, and slip it in a notebook.

You may be interested to know that the chapter on money (chapter 5) is included in five currencies: US, Canadian, British, European, and Australian money. You will automatically get all five versions when you buy the Grade 2 Complete Curriculum or the 2-A part.

One thing to keep in mind is that Math Mammoth is more of a mastery based curriculum rather than a spiral step by step curriculum. Math Mammoth focuses on studying in depth a few major topics at one time. There are not a lot of review problems from previous topics. If your child needs extra review you can use the worksheet generator to use for review.

To see what other crew members have to say click here.

I received a complimentary download of the Light Blue Series Grade 2 for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

And The Winner Is......

2011-11-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

The winner of The Imagination Station Books 5 and 6 is....

Athena!

Congratulations and look for an email from me.

Thank you to all who entered!

Book Review and Giveaway: The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Tauton

2011-11-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

About The Grace Effect:

"Simply defined, the ‘grace effect’ is an observable phenomenon—that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes.”

What does Christianity give us beyond televangelists, potlucks, and bad basketball leagues? Not much, according to the secular Left. The world, they say, would be a better place without it.

Historian and Christian apologist Larry Taunton has spent much of his career refuting just this sort of thinking, but when he encounters Sasha, a golden-haired orphan girl whose life has been shaped by atheistic theorists, he discovers an unlikely champion for the transforming power of grace.

Through the narrative of Sasha’s redemption, we see the false promises of socialism; the soul-destroying influence of unbelief; and how a society cultivates its own demise when it rejects the ultimate source of grace. We see, in short, the kind of world the atheists would give us: a world without Christianity—cold, pitiless, and graceless.

And yet, as Sasha shows us, it is a world that is not beyond the healing power of “the grace effect.” Occasionally infuriating, often amusing, but always inspiring, The Grace Effect will have you cheering for the courageous little girl who shamed the academic elitists of our day.

The Grace Effect

Website: http://www.fixed-point.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fixedpoint?ref=nf

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/fixedpoint

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Effect-Reverse-Corruption-Unbelief/dp/1595554408

I can honestly say that reading this book changed my thinking. As a Christian living in the free United States of America I had never given much thought to how much of an influence Christianity has had on our culture and on the non believers around us besides the obvious Christian holidays. It is so hard for me to imagine what it would be like because I have never experienced a society without grace. Reading the Grace Effect both broke and warmed my heart. My heart breaks for all those who have to live an experience life without grace. It breaks for those like Sasha that are living in such deplorable conditions and the corruption that surrounds and hinders them from getting out of those conditions. The Grace Effect warmed my heart because Sasha is a living testimony to both sides of the equation. We see what her life was like in a society without Christianity and what a difference the power of grace had on her life. The Grace Effect is an inspiring story that will leave a lasting impression on how you see the power of grace on the world.

And Now For the Giveaway:

If you are interested in winning a copy of The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Tauton, leave me a comment with a way to contact you. For an extra entry, follow with GFC or Networked Blogs and leave another comment telling me you do. Giveaway will close om 11/21 at 11:59 pm. Open to US/Canadian mailing addresses.

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on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Day 14 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

I am very thankful for my handy husband's ability to fix things! I am so glad to have my computer back!

Day 13 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful today for those who see a need and step up to fill it! Children's Church was much less stressful for me today thanks to someone helping out even though it wasn't "her turn." It made my day much easier and was very helpful to a new volunteer.

Day 12 Gratitude Challenge 2011

2011-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for nice relaxing days I can stay at home with my family. It is so nice to be able to be at home without rushing around to get everyone ready to go somewhere. I even managed to take a 15 minute nap today while the little girls were napping and the boys were watching Cars 2!