Random thoughts from the Homeschool Princess

Imagination Nation at the Playhouse This Weekend

2012-03-08T22:46:00.002-08:00

My son and his friend were able to land roles in the fun production put on by our local playhouse. I can't wait to see the performances.

Kelly Moore Camera Bag Giveaway!!

2011-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

This giveaway was way too cool for me to keep for myself, so I thought I would share with all of my friends. I would absolutely love to have one of these for my camera and camera gear. Also the site MP Actions that is hosting this incredible giveaway has tons of incredible actions that are perfect for all your photo editing needs.

The Cleaning War!! Will It Ever End??

2010-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Private I Do Not Like to Work, Private I Demolish It, and Private They Did It Mom. If you know my boys and can put the name with the personality......you know our household very well.

Sergeant Homeschool Princess left the house on a Girl Time Mission and left the three privates and General What Is Going On at home for the day. General What Is Going On got an important phone call from President I Got the Answer. They had important business to discuss and the two young privates were actively engaged in a televised Spongebob Training Mission. Private They Did It Mom was working hard on his Achievement Medal by working on a electronic virtual training mission.

Private I Demolish It was looking for a specific toy weapon in the Edwards armory (i.e. playroom). Said weapon was at the bottom of the box, so over it went piling the toys on the floor. Private I Do Not Like to Work was in the middle of his latest and greatest creations and had K-Nex from one end of the living room to the next. Private I Demolish It got bored with his first toy and wanted to build a great fort with his blocks. He created a masterpiece that any proud momma would want to display to the world, unfortunately this great masterpiece was karate kicked by a soldier guy and pummeled to the ground. The rubble remained as Private I Demolish It looked for his next project.

Private I Demolish It and Private I Do Not Like to Work decided that they wanted a snack. They ran down to the Edwards Camp Mess Hall and found microwave popcorn rations. One ration was not enough so they prepared two bags and ran up to the living room. Unfortunately for the boys the popcorn bags had grenades in them as they exploded all over the living room floor. Not an inch was spared in the Edwards Living Room as popcorn pieces and seeds were found everywhere.

Sergeant Homeschool Princess arrived at the war zone and engaged Operation Cleanup. Unfortunately for the Sergeant, the three privates had formed the Non-Cleaning Coalition and were not going to clean up the war zone at any cost.

The first battle was lost as Sergeant Homeschool Princess nicely asked (well actually yelled at) the three privates to clean up the mess. Private They Did it Mom insisted that it was not his mess as he was actively working on his electronic mission to conquer the Electronic Enemy Forces and he did not see them make the mess. He was sent downstairs to work on his Written Mission Work (homework). Private I Do Not Like to Work suddenly had to go to the bathroom, was hungry, and was thirsty. Private I Demolish It told Sergeant Homeschool Princess that he would work, but when she left the room he found a box of toy bugs and snakes and hurled them unto the floor.

Sergeant Homeschool Princess asked for a special meeting with General What Is Going On. She explained the details of the situation and showed him ground zero. General What Is Going on ordered that the privates lose computer and electronic game station privileges until the living room and armory (toy room) were back in order. TV privileges were not revoked yet as the Non-Cleaning Coalition had made a treaty with the Sergeant and General that they would clean as they watched TV. The young privates broke the treaty and were told that new sanctions would begin in the morning.

The privates were then told the next morning that their television privileges were now revoked. This didn't phase the young privates as it was nice outside so they made a covert operation and snuck outside to play. General What Is Going On caught the young privates and ordered them back to ground zero to clean. Sergeant Homeschool Princess then supervised every move of the young privates refusing to back down Parental Forces and eventually the Non-Cleaning Coalition surrendered to Parental Forces and ground zero was cleaned. However in a retaliatory mission the Non-Cleaning Coalition rejoined forces and again attacked the Edwards Household again!!!

Lobster Network - Share your stuff!!!

2010-05-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Crew was asked to review Lobster Network, a site that allows you to share your items for sale, trade or borrowing. Homeschool networks and friends can set up networks to easily exchange items between each other.

I think this site has a lot of potential to be a great place for families to exchange their homeschool and other items. I think that once there are more users on this site and more of us list their items for sale that the benefits to this site will be absolutely incredible. I do wish that within the communities that there were chat boards or a main chat board to interact with each other.

Today when I was searching on the site, I was able to find a few items that would work for my two boys and I believe that as the word spreads about this site that I will be able to find even more great buys!!

Go to http://www.lobsternetwork.com/ to sign up for your FREE account.

There are more videos about this site here.

Kregel Publications - Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure

2010-05-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Author: Susan K. Marlow Binding: Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8254-3352-8 Price: $7.99
When innocent horseplay temporarily lands Andi and her friends in jail, they decide that a trip into the mountains will leave their troubles far behind. Accompanied by big brother Mitch and armed with a map showing old gold diggings, they can’t wait to strike it rich. What could be better than two weeks of camping and horseback riding? But instead of gold they find heaps of trouble—trouble that leaves Mitch gravely wounded. Andi needs help fast. But who can she trust? And what good is a bag of gold when her beloved brother lies near death in the middle of nowhere?

The Crew had the privilege to review Andrea Carter and the Trouble With Treasure. It was fun to join Andi and her friends in all their misadventures and to see how they would get themselves out of trouble in whatever situation they found themselves in. I was especially excited about how they handled things when they were held captive by the mean deputy Hugh Baker.

I think any young girl would love this book and probably the entire series. I find myself wanting to read the other books in the series because this was such a fun book to read. I also loved the character Jenny in this book. She reminded me of a childhood friend of mine that was always wanting to do wild and crazy things that most girls wouldn't even think of doing. It's perfect for the girl that is not into all the typical girly girl fiction books.

Visit the Kregel Publications to get your copy of this fun novel as well as other amazing books that this publisher has to offer.

This book was provided free to me by the publisher as part of my membership in the TOS Homeschool Review team, the opinions are mine after I have reviewed this product with my family.

Beeyoutiful - Review of Berry Well

2010-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Our Crew was asked to review various products from Beeyoutiful. Our family was asked to review Berry Well.

Berry Well is a pleasant fruit-flavored syrup designed to boost an individual’s immune system function through elderberry juice, raw honey, bee propolis, echinacea and raw apple cider vinegar.

I had used elderberry with my middle child Jonathan when he was around 9 months old and was having colds/fevers every time he was getting a new tooth. She suggested I try the extract and I was actually surpised how well it worked in relieving the symptoms. I haven't been able to find it anywhere and was thrilled when this bottle arrived in the mail.

The taste is absolutely amazing and it's perfect for little ones that do not like the harsh taste of over-the-counter cough syrups. While I still am an advocate of going to the doctor if you have a sick child who isn't responding to normal at home remedies and medicines, I highly recommend trying Berry Well.

You can purchase Berry Well on the Beeyoutiful website for $18.00.

This product was provided to me as part of my membership in the TOS Homeschool Review team, the opinions are mine after I have reviewed it with my family.

Ideal Curriculum

2010-05-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I was asked as part of my membership in the TOS Homeschool Crew to review a kit the first unit - Transportation from Ideal Curriculum. This site has created a preschool curriculum that covers Literacy, Math/Calendar, and Science/Social Studies.

I absolutely love this curriculum and wish I would have had something like this when Josiah was in preschool. The books are absolutely amazing filled with gorgeous colorful photographs that capture your child's attention. I'm a photographer and found myself going through each of the pages admiring the photographs and know that any parent or preschooler would love them too.

I especially loved the printouts and was thrilled with the assessment sheets. It's a perfect way to see where your child is and what they still need to learn. Even though my youngest is a Kindergartner, I plan to incorporate some of these items into his lessons next year.

I highly recommend this for any parent that is looking for something for their preschooler. Preschoolers love unit studies and this curriculum does an excellent job of incorporating everything so that learning is not only effective but fun for your preschooler!

Units are available for $30 (download) or $55 (print version), and it is also possible to purchase portions of the curriculum. In May, Ideal Curriculum is offering TOS Homeschool Crew followers a 10% discount on a first purchase by using the code: welovekids Visit the Ideal Curriculum website to purchase your kit and get started today!! Your Preschooler Will Thank You!!

This item was provided to me as part of my membership in the TOS Homeschool Review team, the opinions are mine after I have reviewed this product with my family.

Cerebellum Corporation/Standard Deviants - Chemistry

2010-05-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Crew members were asked to review Advanced Placement Program DVDs from their Light Speed video learning program. Each video includes a digital workbook with a course outline, notes, practice questions, games, and quizzes. Our family was asked to review the Chemistry DVD from this series.

Even though my oldest homeschool student is only in the 3rd grade, I immediately saw the benefits that this DVD has for them in the future. All three of my boys including my oldest who is in 8th grade public school are very scientifically and mathematically oriented and will probably need to take the AP tests in the future. The video was very detailed and informative on how to prepare for the AP Test as well as going through the various elements of Chemistry. I would also recommend it for your high school student who is not taking the AP exam and is taking Chemistry in a public school or at home. It's a great way to review the various concepts to prepare for a final exam.

These Advanced Placement DVDs are available for the regular price for $14.98 each.

This DVD was provided to me as part of my membership in the TOS Homeschool Review team, the opinions are mine after I have reviewed this product with my family.

Math Galaxy - A Fun Way to Do Math!

2010-04-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

The homeschool crew was asked to review Math Galaxy. Our family had an opportunity to review the workbooks, worksheet generators and programs that are provided by this amazing website.

Our favorite was the The Math Galaxy Whole Number Riddles eBook. It is an eBook in pdf format that contains 130 of the printable riddles that are in the Whole Numbers Worksheet Generator software plus standard worksheets for those who would prefer an eBook. It sells for $12.95 on the website. My middle guy loves to solve puzzles so this was the perfect math format for him.

The worksheet generators and programs are also excellent and perfect for supplementing any math curriculum. What I loved the most is that they are challenging and address higher math levels which is sometimes really hard to find as your children get older. Many of the programs I reviewed on this website are just a bit to high for my 3rd grader, but I know that we will definitely be using them as soon as he gets to that level in math. The programs and worksheet generators run $24.95.

I am a big advocate of making learning fun and so this website and the programs are perfect for making math fun especially for older elementary students.

Visit the Math Galaxy Website to see even more information and get started on making math fun and challenging for your children.

This review was done after our family was given workbooks, worksheet generators and programs as part of our membership in The Old Schoolhouse review team. The opinions are ours after we had a chance to try out the various products and implement them in our daily homeschool activities.

Time 4 Learning - Preschool

2010-04-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Crew was asked to review the Pre-K online program by Time 4 Learning. This is a really fun site for any preschooler and is perfect for teaching the basics in a fun way that will have your little guy or gal running to the computer every morning to do their lessons. Even though my youngest is a Kindergartener, he loved playing the games and exploring the sites. He even was finding out things that he didn't know in some of the sections and it kept him entertained for over an hour.

Here are some of the screenshots of the website:

The navigation of the website is very easy for a young child and the graphics and games are high quality. My boys have watched a lot of education television programs and DVDs so its important for any computer program to grab their attention, otherwise they get bored quickly. It wasn't the case with this website even though most of the material was review to Josiah.

Time 4 Learning offers access to their pre-K to 8th grade programs on a month-to-month basis. The first child is $19.95 per month and each additional child is $14.95 per month.

The review is mine after my five-year old had a chance to review the site with me. The service was offered to my family as part of our membership in The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team.

All About Reading - What Am I?

2010-04-06T08:00:00.001-07:00

My youngest loved the first book that we reviewed from this series and was even more excited to see another one arrive for review. He is still a beginning reader, so I reviewed the book and also had my 3rd grader read the book as well. Once again the reader has very exciting stories that grab a child's attention and get them into the book.

I also am becoming quite fond of the black and white illustrations as well as the boys seem to get into the story rather than getting wrapped up into the pictures. Before this series, I had always purchased our borrowed books from the library that were colorful and bright to try to get Josiah into the story. Now I will be a little more careful about judging a book by it's cover or illustrations.

Check All About Spelling's website and purchase your copy of this amazing reader for $19.95.

This book was provided to our family as part of our membership in the Crew. The review is mine after my boys and I have had a chance to review the book during our daily lesson plans.

Children's Bible Hour Ministries

2010-04-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

We absolutely loved this series that was provided to us as part of our Crew membership!! The stories are so captivating and relevant today's children.

My favorite was the Braving the Storm story. It was really relevant to our family who has also been going through a hard time with my husband's railroad furlough and how we had to struggle with our finances and had to give up a lot of things to be able to stay in our house and make it month by month.

My son's favorite, was Seventy Times Seven. He liked how it talks about forgiveness and thought it was a very important thing to learn about. He said it is important to ask for forgiveness when you do something wrong like the boys did when they broke the window.

The books come with an audio CD which makes them even more entertaining for younger children. I really loved this series and it will be something that will be cherished for a long time in my family.

The Seasons of Faith series have been adapted from the classic Children's Bible hour radio scripts. I had never heard of the Children's Bible Hour so these were absolutely new and exciting to our family

The softcover books retail for $10. When you use the code FREESHIPAPR15 between March 17 and April 15, 2010, you can receive free standard shipping with the purchase of the 4 book set. There are also free study questions available for parents and teachers.

Here is a little bit more information about each of the books from the back covers:

The Seasons of Faith illustrated books encourage children to learn about their faith in God. Based on CBH Ministries' treasure trove of radio scripts, these stories teach core truths of the Bible so that kids can easily apply them to their lives. Each book focuses on a season of faith-development.

Spring: This is a time when people experience new life in Christ. Faith develops and Christians begin to share the Salvation message.

Summer: The season when faith grows under God's love and care. Fruit is witnessed and triumps are gained through applying His Word and striving to be the best we can be in Christ.

Autumn: Times of struggle and temptation, peer pressure, making mistakes, and scary transitions happen in this season. Even though it might seem like nothing good can come from this time, God has promised us He will be there. He will teach us how to forgive.

Winter: This season is the most difficult. Deep struggles, mourning, trying to make it through difficult times, or the death of a loved one can pull us away from God. He teaches us to lean on Him for comfort and peace.

It's a great way to teach values to your children in a fun and illustrative way. I recommend you add them to your home library.

This series was provided to our family for review as part of our Crew membership. The review is mine after having a chance to enjoy these books with my sons.

Homeschool in the Woods - Olde World Style United States & World Maps

2010-03-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

While many of my crew mates had heard of Homeschool In the Woods, I was a newcomer to the amazing resources available to homeschoolers through this company. Our family was asked to review the Olde World Style United States & World Maps for the Crew. I am absolutely blown away at the quality and depth of these maps. As many of my readers know, I'm all about printing in black & white to save on color ink, so these maps were absolutely perfect for my family. We have been studying the United States as a whole and next year will be studying each state individually, so these maps will absolutely be instrumental in supplementing our lessons.

I highly recommend these for any homeschool family as I have been looking for something like this for quite some time and now have all of the maps together in one convenient place.

You can order these sets individually in a download from the Homeschool in the Woods website for $18.95 each or you can order them together in a Combo-Pak download for $28.95.

And they are now available CD! Each set on CD is $19.95 or you can get both sets on one CD as a combo for $29.95
VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION

These maps were provided to our family as part of the Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. The opinions expressed here are mine, after our family has had a chance to review the materials.

Critical Thinking Co. - Balance Benders

2010-03-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

Our family reviewed the Balance Benders book from the Critical Thinking Company. At first I was a little confused by the book, since I'm not exactly a math whiz, but my math savvy husband explained the concept to me and we let our middle guy Jonathan give the book a try. It was a little difficult for him to grasp the concept, but once he did he kind of like the book too. The purpose of the book is to introduce your child to pre-algebraic skills, which is probably why it was a little more difficult for me since algebra was never one of my best subjects.

The Balance Bender book is $9.99.

Find out More Information Here as well as see other books they have to offer!

This book was provided to our family as part of being a member of The Old Schoolhouse review team, the opinions expressed here are ours after we have had a chance to review the book as a family.

Artistic Pursuits - The Elements of Art Composition

2010-03-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Our family reviewed Grades 4-6 Book One - The Elements of Art and Composition by Brenda Ellis for the Old Schoolhouse Crew. My middle guy Jonathan is a budding artist and was absolutely giddy when this book came the mail. He has absolutely love doing the lessons in the book and I have seen a vast improvement in his artistic skills since we have received the book.

The books are $42.95 and the best part about them is each book lists the materials that you will need so that you can have all the right things to do the lessons. Visit the Artistic Pursuits website, where you can find more information on each of these products.

Here are some quick links to each of the grade levels of this series:

This book was provided to our family as part of being a member of the Old Schoolhouse Crew the opinion expressed in this review are mine after reviewing this book with my family.

The Terrestria Chronicles by Ed Dunlop Review

2010-03-26T13:47:00.001-07:00

Our family was asked to review two books for in The Terrestria Chronicles series by Ed Dunlop. I have to say if your children like the Chronicles of Narnia, then they are really going to like this series as well. Josiah is an absolute lovable character and the parody of our walk with Christ in this book is very captivating and helps put you into the books. You can see yourself as young Josiah removed from your burdens of sin and guilt by salvation and how it feels to be free from all of that once you become one in the Kingdom of God. I found myself pouring into the book trying to find out what was going to happen to Josiah next.

Here are some summaries of the two books that our family read.

Book One: The Sword, The Ring, The Parchment

In book one, readers are introduced to the Kingdom of Terrestria and its inhabitants, meet Argamor, an evil blacksmith, and Josiah, his slave, and follow Josiah as he is freed from slavery and becomes Prince Josiah, son of King Emmanuel. Readers will be drawn into the Kingdom of Terrestria and into young Josiah's quest to truly understand what it means to be a child of the King. Book one includes a glossary, a castle facts guide, and an ABC guide to salvation.

Book Two: The Quest for Seven Castles

Book two begins one year after Josiah was freed from slavery by King Emmanuel. Josiah has grown considerably during his time at the Castle of Faith. King Emmanuel has decided that it is time for Prince Josiah to go on a quest. His quest will take him to seven different castles: The Castle of Virtue, The Castle of Knowledge, The Castle of Temperance, The Castle of Patience, The Castle of Godliness, The Castle of Brotherly Kindness, and The Castle of Charity. Along the way, Josiah faces many dangers and trials. King Emmanuel has provided everything Josiah needs for the journey. Josiah only needs to use the tools that have been given him...

The Terrestria Chronicles series is available for purchase from the website for $47.99. If you prefer, you can also purchase each book individually for $7.99. I recommend getting the entire series for your family as once you have read one, you will want them all. There is also a spiral bound study guide that is available for $5.99. If the children are active learners like my boys are, they can use the free coloring pages from the website as well.

This review is my opinion after our family has reviewed the books for The Old Schoolhouse Crew.

Super Star Speech - Review of Inventor Game

2010-03-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

My family loves playing games and is always looking for educational games to help suppliment the boys education. We were so excited when we were asked to review Super Star Games for the Old Schoolhouse Crew. I will be doing seperate blogs for each of the games that we tried in order to give the boys more time to enjoy each game and to see the growth in their memory and retention of facts from each of the games.

The first game we are reviewing is The Inventors Game. This game was outstanding and the best part was that it was simple enough that even my five year old was able to play. I had so much fun with my eight year old playing this game. Rather than doing two piles like the game suggested, we did a huge memory game with the invention (with the inventors name) and the inventors and then tried to match them. It was so fun watching Jonathan get excited when he knew what invention went with an inventor and where it was on the floor. My five year old isn't quite ready for the game since he is just starting to read, but since we used the invention cards with the inventors name, he was able to "match" and remember the matching name.

I highly recommend this game as it is perfect for teaching your children about inventors and their amazing inventions. It also created quite a dialog with each other as we were discussing some of the inventors that were new to us.

The downloads for the games are only $3.50 and do not have a lot of pages for printing. I also like the graphics and that it was very easy to print them in black and white since we do not use our color cartridge.

VISIT THE SUPER STAR GAMES SITE

This game was provided to our family for the purpose of reviewing it for The Old Schoolhouse Review team the opinions are mine after having a chance to review the product with my children.

Graphics Toolbox by Great Software Tools

2010-03-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Crew was asked to review Graphics Toolbox by Great Software Tools.

When I first opened up the program, I was a bit confused because it wasn't like my current graphic design programs. The tools are not at the top and so it took me awhile to figure out what each graphic on the side was and how to use the tools.

I admit I'm not very good about reading manuals, so I just tried to wing it first off and found out that sometimes it's very important to go through the manual first. We also had the amazing opportunity to have a class with the designers (the tutorials are now on the website for everyone to see). I have to say that it was at that session that I finally started realizing the potential of this program.

While this program will not do everything that my current graphic and photo editing program can, it has features that I absolutely fell in love with. I especially love the frames and ribbon features on this program. As you can see from the two examples I did below, You can make fun edges on your photos like you would with scrapbooking scissors. by making the background the same color as your "frame". This is something I will definitely be using as I get into digital scrapbooking. I also loved the extra large work area and how you could drag elements to your main graphic. Another amazing feature is the capability of changing the colors in your backgrounds and elements with the click of the mouse. Once you get used to the graphics on the side, it's actually a very easy program to use.

There were some things that didn't work for me. I was unable to get the font as large as I wanted as it only let you get up to 72 point. I'm used to being able to make my fonts any size I want and manipulating them a little more so it was a little limiting for me. I also didn't like the history part and the fact that you couldn't undo all the way to the beginning of a project. I had to start he same project over and over and finally decided that what I was trying to do was not going to work for this particular program as what I was trying to do needed to be done in a vector program.

If you are wanting to do digital scrapbooking, fun photography projects and worksheets for your children, this program is perfect for you. It's also perfect for making brochures, business cards and fliers for your home based business. Not only is it easy once you get the hang of all the features, it creates amazing items. I'm definitely going to use it to supplement my digital scrapbooking and business documents as there is no program that I have found out there so far that does the framing that this program can do.

You can purchase a one-user license to this amazing program for only $149.00. Better yet, you can try this program out for 30 days for absolutely free. There are tutorials as well on the website and the designers of this program are incredibly helpful and very willing to answer any questions that you have about how to use the program.

Visit the
Great Software Tools Website to learn more and try out this program today!

I was given a licence to this program in exchange for my honest opinion of this program after I had reviewed it with my family.

Pandia Press - R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey - Life

2010-03-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

Our family was asked to review R.E.A.L. Science Life Science Curriculum by Pandia Press. Science is one of my boys favorite classes so it was easy to dive in and enjoy this amazing book.

The worksheets and lab sheets are all right in the book and ready to copy and hand out to your children. I really love the labs in this book as they are very easy and cost efficient to do and they help your child to discover their world by exploring it hands on rather than feeding them with the answers. Each lab gives you a list of everything that you need and most of the items are things that you have already on hand at home or can get at any craft store or larger department store like Walmart.

The book comes in a packet like package and you just need to get a three ring binder for storing the pages. This is especially handy for copying and handing out the pages to your children. I have pointed this out with other curriculums, but once again these pages are in black and white so it's very easy to print and you do not have to waste color ribbon or worry about things being blacked out when you photocopy them.

If you are looking for a fun science curriculum that will not break the bank but will educate your children far beyond what you ever imagined, I highly recommend that you look into the R.E.A.L. Science series. There are currently three different options in Level One:

Life (Grade Levels 1-4)
Chemistry (Grade Levels 2-5)
Earth and Space (Grade Levels 1-4)

There will be additional levels available soon for your older students. You can find out more information about this series and their other curriculum by visiting the Pandia Press website.

The print version of these amazing books are available at Rainbow Resource for $38.50 (retails for $48.00) or as a download directly as a PDF from Pandia Press for $38.99.

This book was provided to our family for review from Pandia Press as part of our Crew membership. The review is my opinion after our family had a chance to review the materials during our daily lessons.

Math Mammoth - Grade 1

2010-03-04T08:02:00.001-08:00

Our family reviewed Math Mammoth Grade 1 for the Old Schoolhouse Crew. Although my 5 year old is still in Kindergarten, he is advanced in math and we were looking for something to challenge him. This e-book was perfect for him and we are thankful we had an opportunity to try the books. I especially like the fact that the graphics and pages are simple so it doesn't take a lot of ink to print them out and also that you can print out pages as you need them.

I have mentioned before that the one thing that I do like about e-books that allow you to print one or two pages at a time is that it allows you to budget your ink cartridge cost. It also helps to keep away the clutter around the house and with three boys and two of them homeschooling, e-books help keep down the extra books and paper laying around in baskets and on shelves.

My little boy absolutely loved Math Mammoth and continues to work through the workbook.
The Light Blue Series is $29.70 for the full set or $15.50 to purchase the books separately. You can also purchase supportive materials for only $14.00 which includes answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak. There is also the option to purchase printed copies which is great for families that do not have access to a printer or who like having books rather than e-books for homeschool materials.

Math Mammoth has FOUR options for workbooks (from the Math Mammoth website):

WORKTEXTS BY TOPICS
The Blue Series
Worktexts with both explanations and problems.

Each book is on a particular topic, such as clock, multiplication, or geometry.
Cover topics in grades 1-6.

The Blue Series books contain explanations of the topics and are like a textbook & workbook in the same book. They can thus be used for many situations: for initial teaching, remedial teaching, or for review.

Each book in the Blue Series concentrates on a few topics only, such as addition & subtraction, multiplication, clock, fractions, division, geometry, etc.

THE FULL CURRICULUM
Light Blue Series
Covers grades 1-5.
Mastery-oriented.
Emphasizes conceptual development in a logical sequence.

Practically self-teaching - only a little teacher involvement needed

Math Mammoth Light Blue books constitute a complete mathematics curriculum for grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Just like the Blue books, they contain explanations of the topics and are like a textbook & workbook in the same book.

The Light Blue series covers all topics for a given grade level. Each grade level includes two parts of a worktext (A and B), tests, cumulative reviews, answer keys, and a worksheet maker.

WORKSHEETS BY GRADE
The Golden Series
For grades 3-8, organized by grade.

Contain problems only

The Golden Series books are worksheet collections by grade-level (from grade 3 through Algebra 1), and provide variable problems in a convenient one-topic per sheet format.

The Golden Series books do not teach the topics, and thus suit best teachers or tutors. They are great for classwork or homework, for general review, reinforcement, or practice material.
WORKSHEETS BY TOPIC
The Green Series
For grades 3-7, organized by topic.

Contain problems only

These are worksheet collections by topic, and provide very variable problems in a convenient one-topic per sheet format.

The Green Series books do not teach the topics, and thus suit best teachers or tutors. They are great for classwork or homework, for general review, reinforcement, or practice material.

There are not very many math series that give you these four amazing options to fit your families needs and at the price, you get an amazing curriculum that not only challenges, but creatively teaches your children math concepts.

VISIT THE MATH MAMMOTH WEBSITE

Family Mint

2010-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Crew was asked to review the Family Mint website and set up a family account. Within a few minutes of setting up our account and playing with the service, I knew that it wasn't going to work for our family right now.

Our family is still recovering financially from my husband's railroad furlough so our boys are not given a weekly allowance. When they are given their own birthday money they manage their money by themselves. Our oldest last year asked to open his own savings account to save for a car. I imagine as the younger two reach their teens, they will want to do the same. If we are able to start giving our boys an allowance, this program would actually be perfect for us to show them how a bank works and how to keep track of their spending. I think however I would let the boys open their own "banks" and manage their own money.

The program basically sets your family up as the bank with each of your children being "patrons" and setting up their own accounts to make deposits and withdrawals. The children can set goals and you can set up interest rates for them. It's a really neat program and I think if you have a really big family where you need to keep track of each child's allowance or if you manage your children's money, this program would be perfect for you.

It's the most creative way that I have seen to teach your children how the banking system works and it keeps track of their available balance the way a bank would do which I thought was really a neat feature. I even tried to "withdraw" more than my balance to see what would happen and just like a personal bank account it told me that I did not have enough funds.

The best part about this service, is that it is free to everyone. I encourage my readers to try it out and see if this program will work for you.

VISIT THE FAMILY MINT and set up your family's account.

Homeschool Library Builder

2010-02-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a great site that has an abundance of homeschool materials, but is small and run by homeschooling families like mine, Homeschool Library Builder is the perfect site for you. There are tons of books in all categories that are perfect for building up your home library.
In February there is a 20% discount on all purchases!!

Some benefits that this site offers from the site owners are:

· Books. We offer new and gently used books for all ages at affordable prices, giving others an opportunity to build their own home library. We stock titles used in literature-based curricula (Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, Ambleside, Five in a Row, Beautiful Feet, and others) as well as those useful for unit studies for all interests and grade levels.

· Book Search. If a customer needs an out-of-stock book or a title we’ve not previously carried, we are happy to search for it.

· Product Marketing. Wow! Marketing is expensive! For a small company like HSLB or others who want to launch a newly-created product or service, purchasing ad space in magazines or on the internet oftentimes just isn’t an option. The HSLB Market Place offers the opportunity to get the word out about a “homegrown” product or service through our website as well as our monthly online newsletter. This is a free service offered to our HSLB members.

· Spotlight on the Season. Throughout the year we preview and select sites for the current season or holiday, so our customers can eliminate searching and filtering, and enjoy that special time of year with their children. We also provide links to some of our favorite homeschool resources.

· Helping Hand. Through the Helping Hand program we have had the opportunity to raise money for those in need, such as a young autistic boy living near the Alaskan wilderness who needed a service dog, Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child or the victims from the Chinese earthquakes or the Gulf hurricanes. Currently our Helping Hand program is focusing on Haiti. We have a specially designated category of books whereby all money goes to helping others. Oftentimes HSLB matches the amount raised for a particular cause.

· Frequent Buyer Program. When a customer becomes an HSLB member (free of charge, of course!) we offer incentive programs through our book points program. Fifteen book points equals one dollar for use toward future purchases. These points never expire. Points can be earned a number of ways:

Purchasing Books (one book point is earned for every dollar spent on books)
Referring friends to HSLB
Linking HSLB’s Website from the Customer’s Website or Blog

Start building up your library for next years homeschooling season, visit the Homeschool Library Builder Website

Wordtoons!! You will never see Words the same again!

2010-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Our family was asked by the Wordtoons creators to review their new book. The author takes ordinary words like the word dog and turns it into art. This was a perfect item for our family to review as my two youngest sons love to draw.

The boys had so much fun with this book and even started doing their own wordtoon characters!! They would draw the wordtoon and then add backgrounds and other items to their drawings. The directions are so completely easy to follow that even my five-year old was making wordtoons right away!

The e-book is $17.00 and can be purchased on the
Webtoons Website

Our family was contacted by the publisher to review this product. The opinions expressed in this review are mine after our family has reviewed this item.

Zezok Publishing - Stephen Foster/Edward McDowell

2010-02-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Often when one thinks of famous composers, they think of Beethoven, Chopin, and Handel. We do not realize that even in America's history, we have some amazing composers that wrote songs that we have sang over and over and never even thought of the person that wrote them.

The Crew was asked to review several different composers and when I received a set about Stephen Foster and Edwards McDowell, I have to admit I had no idea what they had composed or who they were. Once I started reviewing the materials, I was excited to learn that these two were American composers.

Stephen Foster grew up in the South and started showing interest in music at the age of two years old. One of the things that I loved about his story was that he played the flute like I do. He wrote songs such as Camptown Races and Oh Susanna.

Edward McDowell grew up in the North and also showed a profound interest in music at a very young age. He was taught and mentored by some of the most famous musicians of the time. He wrote songs such as Duet from Hamlet and Ophelia and Visit of the Bears.

I received two storybooks and review guides for each of them. I also received a CD with music from the two composers as well. I love the way that the author tells each of the young men's stories. The books are so captivating and put you right into the time period.

The set of two books, two study guides and CD is $35.80. You can purchase the items separately, but I would strongly recommend getting the entire group as you will not be disappointed.

See the Great Musicians Series at the Zeezok Publishing Website

This product was provided to my family as part of my membership in The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. The opinions expressed in this review are mine after our family has had a chance to review this product together.

All About Spelling - Beehive Reader

2010-02-11T06:15:00.000-08:00

Our family received the Beehive Reader by Marie Rippel from All About Spelling.

My five year old son, who has just started reading, was in seventh heaven with this book. The stories are exciting and fun and perfect for a beginning reader. What excited him the most was that it had several different stories in the same book and that it was the same size as his older brothers' chapter books.

The illustrations in this book are amazing and bring the stories to life. This was the perfect addition to our children's library and I highly recommend it to any family that has a young reader.

The book is $19.95 at the All About Spelling Website

This book was provided to our family as part of The Old Schoolhouse Review team. The opinions expressed in this review are mine after our family reviewed the book and implemented it in our daily homeschooling activities.

Math Tutor DVDs

2010-02-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

The members of the Crew had an opportuntity to review to wonderful math DVDs this month.

The first DVD was The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor. It basically gives your homeschool student the opportunity to learn how to do word problems with an instructor who breaks the problems down piece by piece and then shows them how to solve them. It's not filled with a whole bunch of graphics, music or hype which helps the student focus more on math rather than on being entertained. My middle child viewed this with me and since he's very good at math like the rest of the males in my family, he was kind of bored when we reviewed the lessons that covered what he is learning in 3rd grade math. I think as his math gets more difficult though, this program will be helpful to guide him through the more complex story problems that are covered in this 8 hour program. It's a great way to help your student who is struggling with story problems like I did as a student! The DVD is $26.99.

The second DVD was my favorite of the two!! Oh how I wish I still had a young toddler in the house as this DVD is absolutely perfect for children from birth to age 5! As a photographer, I was absolutely captivated with the stunning photography in this DVD!! It makes me want a DSLR and a bazillion lenses even more! I also like the use of classical music in the DVD as well. I would have definitely used this video when my children were infants and toddlers. The DVD is $24.99 and is a perfect addition to your DVD library if you have small children. If you have seen Baby Einstein videos and love them, you are going to absolutely adore this video!

Math Tutor DVD Website

factsfirst

2010-02-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

If your children are working on learning their facts through flash cards or other programs, they are going to absolutely LOVE this website! Factsfirst is a fun website that not only teaches your children addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts, but drills them to learn how to answer them quickly.

The program starts out by explaining to them the facts and the answers and then runs them through a series of drills of the problems.

It is progressive and as your child masters the facts it moves on in difficulty. My five year old absolutely loves trying to beat the speed!

Visual learners will like the chart to the right as it shows them what they need to learn and whether or not they have mastered the fact. If they have red, it is a fact they are having trouble yet. If they have yellow they know the fact but are slow to answer. If they have green (which my five year old loves to see) they have mastered the fact. A full green screen means that your child has master all the facts.

One of the most exciting features is the avatar creation part of the website. Your child gets to create an avatar that is their player for all the activities!! They get to choose hair, eye, and clothing color as well as choosing fun accessories to personalize their player. I think it really gives this site a personal touch that really grabs your child's interest and puts them into the game!

Then after your child has been drilling, they get to go to an "arcade" for five minutes. Even though the games are "fun" they still work on the facts that your child has just been working on to help reinforce their learning.

The crew was given a free 90 day trial to try out this website. A yearly membership is $49.

VISIT THE FACTSFIRST WEBSITE

Keyboarding for the Christian School - Elementary Version

2010-01-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

With the increasing use of the computer in today's world. It's even more important that our children learn how to use the keyboard quickly and accurately without finger picking. There are all sorts of programs out there to teach your children some with big fancy programs and others that are down to earth like Keyboarding for the Christian School.

Our family reviewed this product for the author Leanne Beitel and was very impressed with how amazing this book was. I especially loved the use of Bible verses in the lessons. To me that made this book even more valuable as not only would my children be learning how to type, they would be meditating on God's word as they were learning!!

This amazing e-book can be yours for only $12.95 and is designed for children K-5 grade. She also has other e-books for older children as well.

VISIT THE CHRISTIAN KEYBOARDING WEBSITE

Kinderbach is Music to My Ears!!

2010-01-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Bang, Bang, Bang went the piano and up went the mom's frustration as she tried to show joy in her child's interest in music. She wanted to teach the child to play the piano, but most of the piano books just were too difficult for her budding musician to understand. She searched and she searched until an e-mail came in from the Crew that saved her aching ears and set her little boy into the start of his musical journey.

Our Crew had the amazing opportunity to review Kinderbach an online keyboarding lesson program. I have to say that this is absolutely the best piano/keyboarding program that I have ever found.

I took piano lessons as a very young child and even then, the books were boring and the notes and where they were on the keyboard were really difficult to understand. Kinderbach takes those hard to grasp topics and puts them in terms and visual pictures that children can understand. I absolutely love the associating the keys on the keyboard with animal friends!!

In addition to the great workbooks above, Kinderbach has fun and exciting videos for your children to enjoy. Fun characters and bright graphics draw your child's attention into the screen and the best part is you can hook your keyboard right up beside the computer and let your little musican learn at his heart's content.

Online lessons are available for $7.99 per month when you purchase a year’s subscription in one payment of $95.88 for the year. Or, $19.99 per month when billed monthly for a year. You can try this amazing program out for two weeks for absolutely FREE! I highly recommend it if you are like me and would like the pounding on the keyboard to become music to your ears!

VISIT THE KINDERBACH WEBSITE

Apologia - Review of The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling

2010-01-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

If ever there was a need for a how-to-manual, it would be for homeschooling. Every day it seems that an issue arises that you didn't think about and when you want to make your children's homeschooling education more fun and stiumulating it's very time consuming to do internet searches to find all the answers. That's where The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling can be an absolute life saver!

Our Crew had the amazing opportunity to review this absolutely outstanding homeschooling guide. I was thrilled with the amount of information that is in this book. Almost every issue that you could possibly think of is addressed whether it is homeschooling highschoolers or how to select curriculum. The author, Debra Bell, has an amazing writing style that not only informs you, but is down to earth and friendly. It's like talking to your best homeschooling mentor when you open this book.

The resource guide at the end of the book is absolute phenomenal! There is everything from homeschool curriculum publishers to lists and contact information of homeschooling associations by state. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is thinking about homeschooling or for families like myself who have been homeschooling for awhile but are always looking for new and creative ways to make your children's education even better.

This book can be yours for only $20.00 from the Apologia website. It's a very reasonable price considering the abundance of information that is in the guide.

Get Your Copy of This Book Here

This book was provided to my family as part of my membership in The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. The opinions expressed in this review are mine after our family has had a chance to review this together.

What About Socialization?

2010-01-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

One of the most dreaded and most often asked questions to homeschool families is how our children are taught socialization if they are not in public schools. It amazes me that people actually believe that teaching your children at home hinders them from being productive and active members of society.

Do they not think that we talk to our children or that they do not play with other children? Do they think we lock our children up for 18 years only to throw them out into society unprepared for all the things that the world will challenge them with? I'm sure there are thousands of questions that pop up in the head of the inquisitor.

The first thing that most people do not understand is that one of the primary reasons that most of us choose to homeschool our children is to keep them from being socialized into the negative aspects of a public school education. Public school may teach raising your hand before you speak or how to get in a straight line to go to lunch, but it also opens the door for foul language, bullying, and peer pressure that often begins in the 1st grade.

My oldest was in public school in Kindergarten and 1st Grade. He was constantly bullied and the teachers and staff did absolutely nothing to stop it. I repeatedly was called to the office because they said he "talked to much" in class. They would tell me that he had trouble engaging with the other children. He was so educationally advanced above his peers that he was bored. He was behind in socializing with others and this was a child that had been in a daycare and preschool prior to going to public school. We finally decided to homeschool him hoping to give him not only a Christian Education, but also wanting to challenge him.

When we first took him out of school, everyone was so worried that he wouldn't have friends and that he wouldn't develop proper social skills. We lived in a neighborhood filled with children and he played with them daily. Some of them were even jealous that he got to stay home and do his work. He participated in sports and Awana. Now that he is older, he is in Youth Group and sports. No matter where we moved or where we went to church, he always had a group of friends.

This year we enrolled him into 8th grade so that he could prepare for high school. He wants to play football and unfortunately in our community and state you can't play sports or participate in extra-curricular activities, if you are not an enrolled student. We had a lot of reservations remembering how many times we had to go to the school to discuss his "talking" issues, however we gave it to God and asked him to help us through it.

I have to say that when we had our first parent/teacher conference that the teachers all raved about how respectful and articulate he is. They said that one of the most impressive things about him is that he treats all peers and teachers with respect. He opens doors for people, he shakes with a firm handshake, and he knows that there is a time and a place to be quiet and listen to your teachers. These things were not taught in a public school, they were taught at home.

We still worry about the poor influences that he has at school, but because we have spent several years building his faith and knowledge of God's word, it has made this transition very easy for us. Our youngest two are still at home and we will homeschool them until they graduate or decide at 8th grade that they want to go to high school. While it is not popular among most homeschool families, we have asked God to help us individually make that decision for each one of our children.

The one thing that I do know whether you send your children to public school, homeschool for a few years or homeschool from birth to 12th grade, home is the best place to teach socialization. It is the parent's job to teach children how to respect and honor others. It is a parent's job to teach children how to listen and to ask questions when you do not understand something. It is a parent's job to teach children what kinds of things are and are not acceptable when selecting friends. I think that if more parents took this responsibility more seriously and didn't lay it on burden of teachers, that our society would be in much better shape.

When homeschooling parents are involved in their community and church it's no wonder that their children turn out to be strong Christian members of society. These children have grown up in a loving and secure environment, safe from the pressures of dating, alcohol and drugs. They have been able to learn without the fear of being picked on in the lunch room or playground. They have made friends with families that share the same values whether through homeschool groups, sports activities or church membership. They have been allowed to learn at their own pace and explore things that they wouldn't have been able to do in public school.

Our family looks at homeschooling and having a Christian home like building a house. If you do not lay a strong foundation, the structure is going to topple when it goes through a strong storm. When we educate our children in a loving and supportive environment built on the love of Jesus Christ, we will help them stand when the world gets tough.

I am hoping that God helps me to build the foundations in my children's lives and that no matter how many times I have to ask the "socialization" question, that I can handle it with grace and love. I'm not against my friends and family that have children in public or private schools, because I know that is the decision that they have made that is best for them.

I also know how hard it is to have a child who you have homeschooled and to let them venture on to public school. It also has been hard for us within our homeschool peers because many believe that we have caved into the sports thing and should have just said no.

I think the "socialization" thing has become such a controversy amongst parents that it is right up there with stay-at-home moms verses working moms and the whole bottle or breastfeeding controversy. We need to support and love each other not judge each other's choices on how we choose to raise our children. God wants us to pray for each other, spend time learning from each other and also "socializing" with each other. God Bless my friends!! Have a Great Week!

Math Score/Accurate Learning

2010-01-19T07:13:00.000-08:00

Our family reviewed Math Score/Accurate Learning for the Crew this month. I really like this website and would recommend it to any parent that has a child in school and wants to supplement their child's math eduction or for those who are homeschooling and are looking for a full online curriculum. While it does not have all the graphic hype that a lot of online math sites do, it stimulates a child to learn through worksheets and assessments.

I love the calculator and the fact that the mouse can be used to enter the numbers. My boys are still learning typing skills so this proved to be quite beneficial for us. The best part about this program is the fact that you receive an e-mail of your child's daily progress.

Math Score is $14.95 per month and provides all the lessons and assessments necessary for an entire years worth of Math. It is set up for Grades 1 through Algebra 1. The website gives you a free trial so that you can try the product and see how beneficial it will be for your children's math education.

VISIT THE MATH SCORE WEBSITE

Jonathan's Exploration into Architectural Design

2010-01-13T11:38:00.001-08:00

My middle child is absolutely certain that he wants to be an architect when he grows up. My mom and dad bought K-Nex for him and since that time, he was been continually using their books as well as his own imagination to create some of the most amazing things. This particular design is a double-ferris wheel that comes as a "kit". He's put this together twice and the last time it only took him a day with the help of his willing assistant "Grandma".

Worship Guitar Class for Kids

2010-01-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

If you are wanting to teach your children guitar, but are having a hard time teaching at their level or getting them interested. Worship Guitar Class for Kids is absolutely perfect for you. Jean Welles takes your child step by step through the process of learning to play the guitar with her amazing DVD series. Our children were absolutely thrilled with this series. I have been wanting to learn guitar myself and so this was a great way to for my children and I to learn to play together at the same time.

We reviewed the online streaming class as well as well as the e-book with all the music and lessons to review. I highly recommend it for any musical family like ours!! The only mistake that we made is trying to teach with the adult sized guitar. We will be getting a smaller guitar so that our youngest can learn and finger the chords better.

The Worship Guitar Class for Kids is $29.97. There are also packages available to purchase child-sized guitars and other materials that will help with your child's music eduction.

VISIT THE WORSHIP GUITAR CLASS WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ray's Arithmetic Review for Dollar Homeschool

2010-01-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Our family received the Ray's Arithmetic lessons from the Dollar Homeschool website to review. Ray's Arithmetic provides lessons for mathematics from beginning counting all the way to calculus. This series includes a total of 28 books. Which includes 12 core math textbooks complete with answer keys, teacher's editions, and even math books that have specialized interests such as astronomy or bookkeeping.

This is the perfect purchase for that family that wants to give their children a quality math eduction but who is on a limited budget. I particularly like the fact that I received the e-book version of this series so that I can easily store and print pages for my children right at my computer. While my boys are partial to their bright textbooks, I like the fact that these are in black and white which saves my color ink cartridge for other things besides workbook pages.

You can get this entire series for only $59.00!! I can't think of any textbook type series where you can get this much core math material for all grades. In fact for many of the series that we have used the textbook and teacher's edition for each grade are much more than the price of this amazing CD.

While my boys are very satisfied with the series that we are using, these workbooks provide excellent supplementary activities for my family as well as the higher math books that will be able to be used to challenge their math skills as they get older.

I encourage you to visit the entire Dollar Homeschool website to see the other amazing items they have available. As I mentioned earlier, if you are trying to pinch pennies but want to give your children a quality eduction, this website is perfect for your family.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT RAY'S ARITHMETIC AND OTHER DOLLAR HOMESCHOOL OFFERINGS

Getting Back Up....When "Life" Hurts!!

2010-01-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

What do you do when life hurts and it's incredibly hard to eat or even get out of bed in the morning? What do you do when you feel like you are all alone and the world around you is just crushing every dream that you ever had? What do you do when even the pastor at your church rejects you because you are going through a hardship?

I know the easy answer seems....give it all to God. He will provide right? He will comfort, guide and make the boo-boo all better right?

It just seems so simple and while my family spent the entire year of 2009 going through financial struggles, I kept trying to rely on my faith and relationship with Jesus to keep me on solid ground. We were one of the many families that have been going through hardships due to the economic recession. When your friends or family are going through it...you pray you help where you can...but when you are the ones going through the hardship it is a totally different story.

When you are going through the hardship, you see a different side of people especially in the Christian church. It was even harder when after we questioned the actions of certain members in our church and were "called" out in a pre-collection message that if you were going through a hardship that you were not tithing or praying enough. Then there was a pastor who was thought to be a friend who rather than gave a hug or said how can I help said "Bear your cross brother!". Then after we objected to something that happened at a children's night along with some other issues, and wanted to take a break, we were called unforgiving.

I have grown up in the "Christian" world all of my life. I was saved at a very young age and really can't even imagine my life without Christ. I know full well that Christians especially pastors are not perfect and make mistakes. I also know that sometimes you have to just walk away and let God lead you to a safer place for your family to fellowship and worship. I've spent so many hours crying and praying and asking God why this? Why our family? I know that God didn't do this to us because of anything that we did or didn't do. What I do know is that God is the method by which we get through hard times. I know that God loves all his children deeply even those that do not even accept him.

My family took a break from attending church for awhile and during that time we evaluated what Christianity and church really is and should be about. I actually had a really deep debate and conversation with several unbelievers to find out why they are so against Christianity and Christians as a whole. One of the biggest misconceptions they had is that the Bible says that Christians are supposed to be perfect. We aren't supposed to lie, cheat, steal or do anything wrong. Those of us who know full well the story of David from the Old Testament know that there really is no such thing as a perfect Christian.

You can live your whole life from birth to death and never break a law or do something that mainstream Christianity considers "sinful" and still will be a sinner. You also can be a sinner all your life, have no interest in God's word or plan and if you accept Jesus before you die and ask for his forgiveness, you will get to sit right by me and my Christian brothers and sisters in heaven. It's such a hard concept for non-believers (and some believers) to grasp.

When you accept Jesus Christ into your life it doesn't mean that you automatically have to be perfect and never do anything wrong. The difference is when you do (and you will screw up) is that you have a GPS (God Positioning System) that will set you back on the right path when you start steering the wrong direction.

My family turned our GPS systems on full speed and we are headed back where God is leading us and can't wait to see what he has for us at the end of our travels this year. God has showed me new ways to help bring in a little more income for our family as well as how to educate and guide our two younger children who we are currently homeschooling. He's also helped me to deal with my teenager who is in public school and how to continue to be the programmer for his GPS system that will hopefully lead him into a life of being a strong Christian example for his peers and a strong husband and father in the future!

Things in 2010 are looking up as God is providing and restoring our finances and little by little. God is healing the hurts that we have been through in 2009 and in our past. He's restoring us in ways that I never even imagined. When I look back through the days when we didn't even know our future and didn't want to get out of bed, I have one very fond memory. My husband and I sat together every day during his furlough and read the Bible, and prayed together. It wasn't always easy to do, because sometimes I was just so down and depressed that I didn't even want to move out of bed let alone have a cup of coffee. Once the caffiene hit my veins and God's word poured into my heart, it made the day much easier to get through. It's a little harder now to have all that free time together now that he's working again, but we still do what we can to keep our marriage strong and healthy. My husband rocks and I'm so glad to be married to someone who is not only strong in the Lord but is my best friend!!

I'm so thankful for my friends and family and even new homeschooling friends that have embraced our family through our hardships. I'm thankful to God who has opened my eyes, my heart and my spirit to his awesome power!! Happy 2010 Friends!! May God Bless all of You!!

Maestro Classics - Review of The Tortoise and the Hare

2010-01-02T07:14:00.001-08:00

As a enormous fan of classical music, I was absolutely thrilled to receive this CD to review for Maestro Classics. Each member of the Crew was given various titles to review. Our family reviewed The Tortoise and the Hare. This is one of my favorite fables and so it was great to have it animated with music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra!! It reminded me of the joy and excitement I had the first time that I had heard Peter and the Wolf animated in the same manner. I think my favorite part of the CD is where Stephen Simon talks about how an instrument and tune was picked for each character in the story. It made listening to the story even more fun as the children were listening for the various animals and their tunes. I would recommend this CD for any family!

They have several titles available:

The Tortoise and the Hare (the title we reviewed)
Peter and the Wolf (a favorite of mine)
The Story of Swan Lake (would be perfect for the little girl in your family)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (a classic that would be perfect for any family)
Casey at the Bat (would love to hear this one with all the boys in my house)
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (love the book would be perfect for any boy!)
Juanita the Spanish Lobster
Juanita la langosta española (the above title in Spanish)

Each CD is $16.98 a very great price for something that your family will want to listen to over and over again. Even better you can get THREE CD's for $45.00 using the coupon code MAESTRO 45. I highly recommend any of the above titles for your family. If you travel a lot like we do, this is the perfect thing to plug into the DVD or CD player for the children to listen to.

VISIT THE WEBSITE TODAY!!

Our family was given this CD to review as part of our participation in The Old Schoolhouse review team. The opinions are mine after reviewing this product with my family.

Kregel Publications - Review of Bertie's War

2010-01-02T07:12:00.001-08:00

In the fall of 1961, the world goes crazy-and takes a young girl with it Bertie wants to be a good kid, but her fear keeps tripping her up and she finds herself tumbling into embarrassing, and sometimes dangerous, situations. By the time Bertie enters seventh grade in the fall of 1961, it seems like the whole world has gone crazy-and taken Bertie along with it. As news of the Cuban Missile Crisis throws the nation into a panic, Bertie will be forced to confront her fears face-to-face, both at school and at home.

The Crew had the amazing priviledge of reviewing Bertie's War by Barbara Blakely. This book was about the time period in which my mother was a young girl so it was great to kind of see what it would have been like to had a childhood during the Cuban Missile Crisis and all that was going on during that time. Roberta, Aaron and Tami and their parents are captivating characters in this book and you want to keep reading to find out what exciting adventure is next in Roberta's world.

This book was provided to our family for review in participation with the Old Schoolhouse review team. The opinions are mine after reading this book.

The book was provided to us by Kregel Publications and can be purchased for $7.99. I encourage you to browse the website for more books as well as there are books for everyone in your family!!

GET YOUR COPY OF BERTIE'S WAR HERE!!

All About Spelling - Levels 1 and 2

2009-12-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

We received Level 1 and Level 2 of All about Spelling to review for The Crew. This is absolutely the best program ever for my five-year old!! We tried out Level 1 for him and I was surprised how well he did. The methods used in this program have caused him to absolutely thrive not only in spelling, but in reading as well.

Josiah liked being able to spell words with his letter tiles. The tiles are very durable and perfect for small clumsy hands. He also really liked the reward chart that shows your child's progress through the lessons. We use rewards and stickers a lot with him for chores and behavior, so this was a perfect compliment to our daily homeschooling.

I received Level 2 to review as well, and did try it out with my 8-year old, but it was way too easy for him. However, as soon as Josiah is done with Level 1, we are going to run him through Level 2 of the program to enhance his spelling and reading success even more.

Here's a little bit from the All About Spelling website that tells a bit more about how and why the program works so well:

All About Spelling is an excellent program if you are just beginning to teach your child spelling, or if your child needs remedial help. Here’s why it works:

All About Spelling is multi sensory. The lessons involve sight, sound, and touch. Children learn best when they are physically involved in the learning process, so we take advantage of that fact with this hands-on approach to learning and teaching spelling.

All About Spelling is logical. Spelling concepts are taught in a logical, understandable order. Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson. The sequence has been carefully tested to produce long-term results. And this is as much a benefit to you as it is to your student—especially if you’ve been struggling with how to teach spelling.
No gaps. This is something that you can trust with the All About Spelling program: your child won’t be left with gaps or holes in his or her understanding of spelling. If there is a reliable rule that will help your child out, we teach it. If there is a tip that will help your child master a certain spelling pattern, it’s in there. And it’s all presented in a very logical order.
The program is mastery-based, not grade-level based, so when students master a specific concept, they move on. If a child needs more practice in a certain area, we allow for that so the child can really master each concept. There’s no sense building on a shaky foundation, because that will cause spelling difficulties down the road when the spelling words get harder. At All About Spelling, we’ve identified the concepts that are most important for your child to master, and we’ve weeded out any busy work.
All About Spelling has continual review. As the child learns new material, he or she also constantly reviews previously-taught concepts. We don’t just “teach it and forget it”…we make sure that it really sticks.
Finally, the program is clear. This means that children are taught what they need to know in a direct manner. They don’t have to guess or come to their own conclusions about the English language.

If you have a young child like mine that wants to learn spelling but isn't quite reading or writing independently yet, this program is absolutely for you. This program also is perfect for the struggling speller as well!!

The Starter Kit for this program is $26.95. That includes the letter tiles, CD and magnets that will be used for all levels of the program. Level 1 is $29.95 which includes the teacher's manual and one student packet. Additional packets can be purchased for $14.95. The other Levels have kits for $39.95 and additional packets for $19.95.

VISIT THE ALL ABOUT SPELLING WEBSITE

GyMathtics DVD

2009-11-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

In today's world where it's extremely hard to get your children to exercise, it's hard to find something that grabs their interest and gets them excited about working out. We had the incredible opportunity to review GyMathtics by Explormania. The 30 Minute video gets your children pumped up using math concepts to not only make the workout fun, but very educational as well. My five-year old especially liked this video as he likes math and is at the age where television or videos have to be exciting to grab his interest.

The video is $29.95 (free shipping and handling with a current promotion). There is also a second video available.

Find out More About the Video Here

AVKO - Educational Resource Foundation

2009-11-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

AVKO Educational Resource Foundation is a non-profit organization that has been helping parents, teachers and researchers since 1974. The Crew was given a year membership to review all the various resources on this website.

For $25 a year, AVKO basic membership includes the following benefits:

Discounts on AVKO printed materials
Hundreds of dollars worth of FREE e-books (PDF)
The Patterns of English Spelling (All 10 Volumes) with Word Families in Sentence Context
To Teach a Dyslexic
Starting at Square One
The Teaching of Reading & Spelling: a Continuum from Kindergarten through College.
The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words
Access to the Member Only section
AVKO Newsletter with freebies, discounts, resources, and promotions
Access to Don McCabe's most popular workshop recordings in MP3 format.
Supplemental Curriculum Materials including word games, worksheets, activities, and more!
Access to Pretests and Placement Tests
Access to the Answer Keys for the Unscramblers and Family Reunion exercises of the Engaging Language Kits
And More!!

I would have to say that my favorite part would be The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words because of the current spelling curriculum that we use. Most of the other items currently do not work for our family because of age and/or the curriculum that we are currently using, but would most definitely work for other families looking for creative and successful ways of teaching their children.

VISIT THE AVKO WEBSITE FOR MORE!!

Tektoma

2009-11-10T16:32:00.001-08:00

The Crew was asked to review Tektoma which is a site that teaches kids how to make their own computer games. This is an absolutely outstanding website for anyone that has a child that is remotely interested in computer programing or video game designing. While my oldest child (who is in public school) would have loved this site, my eight-year old who is a more artsy guy did not take interest in it at all. It was a little above his head right now, however when he gets a little older I am thinking it is something we might try in the future.

Tektoma offers you this:

Engaging video tutorials for ages 7-17
Tutorials of varying skill levels and topics
Learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home
Natural progression helps develop technical skills
Customize your learning experience
Low monthly membership fee gives access to all our resources
New curriculum available monthly

Price: Just $14.95 per month or $140 per year gets you access to all the tutorials as well as online help via the forums.

Free Membership Opportunities:
• Free 14-day trial
• Earn free membership time by telling your friends

VISIT THE WEBSITE TODAY

Mathletics -- An absolutely fun way to practice math!

2009-11-10T16:30:00.001-08:00

We had the extreme privilege to review Mathletics by 3P Learning for 45 days. My son Jonathan was absolutely thrilled with this website. He said it was so much fun playing the math games and said it was the best math website ever. The website service is only about $2.00 a week in cost and provides a fun math education for children in Kindergarten all the way up to the 8th grade.

Mathletics also has a yearly competition called the American Math Challenge. We just missed the deadline for the American Math Challenge so he was kind of bummed. My oldest had participated in the event before and thought it was so much fun. Children get to compete with other students from all over the world and solve as many math problems as they can.

The annual subscription per student to this service is $59.00 per year. If you have children that love to learn their subjects on the computer, this curriculum and website is perfect for your family.

VISIT THE MATHLETICS WEBSITE TODAY

Our family was provided this free trial as a part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. The opinions are ours after having a chance to try out the service.

American Heritage Foundation

2009-11-10T16:27:00.001-08:00

We received a CD from the American Heritage Foundation which had an abundance of history materials for homeschoolers from Kindergarten all the way up to High School. I was absolutely amazed with the content and worksheets on this CD and my boys loved playing with the cutout words to learn the Pledge of Allegiance. We used the elementary version of the curriculum. I took time to also review the middle and highschool versions as well and have to say that I was very impressed. The most impressive part of this curriculum....is that it is FREE!!

Visit The American Heritage Foundation Website Here

ABC Teach - A Homeschool Worksheet Heaven!!

2009-11-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

When you are a homeschooler it's sometimes hard to find a worksheet for unit studies or to supplement your children's curriculum. You spend hours searching the internet trying to find that perfect worksheet or diagram to fit the lesson. ABC Teach is the perfect website for moms like me who want a one stop shop to find all the worksheets that we need.

While I have been using the FREE worksheets from the website for years, I had an opportunity to try out a full membership as a part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. I was absolutely amazed at how many worksheets and resources were available at my fingertips!!

There are worksheets for every grade level and subject. I even found worksheets for reading books that we were doing this year which was extremely helpful as I was not going to have to sit down and write out my own worksheets. The ABC Tools section is even more helpful as you can use their customized worksheet generators to make your own personalized worksheets.

A yearly membership to this site is $40.00. A big savings from having to buy several workbooks to supplement your child's education.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

ACT, Inc. - College Readiness Standards Packets

2009-11-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

We received the EXPLORE and PLAN test packets from ACT Advantage to review as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew team. We were absolutely thrilled to get these materials.

The EXPLORE program is designed for 8th graders for assessing their academic progress and preparing for the ACT exam. The PLAN program is for students in the 10th grade to also access where they are academically and to have enough time to prepare for college or the workforce. It also helps them to learn very essential test taking skills that are needed for taking the ACT. I participated in a similar program in public school in the 8th grade and was very happy to see that the same materials are available to homeschooling families.

It's so important for students to prepare for college entrance exams and the ACT. The higher the score the more likely that your student will qualify for scholarships and get into the top schools in the country. Starting at the 8th grade gives you and your children plenty of time to fill in the learning gaps and practice for the real ACT exam. It also serves as a very big indicator of where your child stands academically with other students in the same grade.

The EXPLORE for Homeschool packet includes the following items:

Testing booklet titled Sample Test Booklet and Answer Sheet
Using Your EXPLORE Results brochure—a brief overview of score results and the process
College Readiness Standards handbook—a handbook that provides ideas for progress in each subject to prepare students for college or the workforce

Price: $22.95 each

The PLAN for Homeschool packet includes the following items:

Testing booklet titled Sample Test Booklet and Answer Sheet
Using Your PLAN Results brochure—a brief overview of score results and the process
College Readiness Standards handbook—a handbook that provides ideas for progress in each subject to prepare students for college or the workforce

Price: $22.95 each

VISIT THE WEBSITE TODAY to start giving your children the college advantage!!

Virginia Soaps & Scents

2009-11-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

Our Crew had the opportunity to review the products of an amazing home based family business. The awesome part about this family business is that it was started by a fellow home school family and everyone in the family works together to make this business venture so successful.

We received the following to try out in our home:

Handcrafted Olive Oil Soap

in 3 different scents (Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, Coconut Lemongrass, and Fresh Orange )

Shampoo Bar

Ginger Lime scent

Laundry Soap Kit

Handcrafted Olive Oil Soap

I absolutely loved these soaps!! I had never tried handmade soaps before and so this was a new adventure for our family. The way that the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey bar made my skin feel after using it was absolutely amazing! I also loved the scents of these bars and am hoping to try even more of the different fragrances that they have available. We received the 1.75 ounce Bed and Breakfast sized bars the normal sized bars are 4.5 ounces. They are only $4.50 per bar. They even have a cookies and cream gourmet bar that I would love to try!!

Shampoo Bar

I was so excited about the concept of having shampoo in a bar and was excited to try it. Unfortunately after several tries, it wouldn't work for my hair. I have really fine and often oily hair and it left my hair feeling like it had residue on it. I tried to use it several different ways and just could not get it to work. They do have a shampoo bar for oily hair and I think it would be interesting to try that to see if it worked in my hair. The shampoo bars are 5.5 ounces and are $5.50 each.

Laundry Soap Kit

This was my second favorite item in the trial package that our family received. It was so much fun and because we received the smaller kit, I made it a little differently than recommended. I mixed it up as directed and then poured it into an empty laundry detergent bottle. I then shook it as it cooled and then shook it before each use. I absolutely loved this soap and so no difference in the way it washed our laundry. I also have extreme allergies to certain types of laundry detergent and had no reaction to this product. If you get the larger size kit, I recommend doing what I did and using empty laundry detergent bottles. It was great for storage and I already had my "measuring" cup on the lid saving me time and space in my small laundry room.
I could go on and on about this amazing company and all the products that they have available. Other than the shampoo bar, our family was absolutely impressed with the quality of this product.

Visit the Website

Bright Ideas Press - Mystery of History II

2009-11-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

If you ever wanted to find a history curriculum that takes the Bible and Christian history and melds it with historical facts and information, The Mystery of History Series is perfect for you!

Last year we went through The Mystery of History I by Linda Lacour Hobar. This book covered Creation through the Resurrection and my three sons absolutely loved it. We made clay animal creations and learned so much about cultural and Biblical history.

This year as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew, we had the opportunity to review The Mystery of History II which covers The Early Church up to the Middle Ages. While I loved the first volume, this one was even more exciting for our family as we learned what happened to the Christian world after Jesus was resurrected into Heaven.

In this volume your family will learn about the beginnings of Islam, the Crusades, and the Dark Ages. They will travel the globe learning about the history and culture of various civilizations during this time period.

The nice thing about this particular curriculum is that it works as an individual or group history curriculum. Activities are divided into three different grade levels. At the beginning of each section the students take a Pre-Test to see what they know about the upcoming lesson. It was neat to see what my children have picked up from watching the History Channel and from their previous history classes.

The supplementary section in this particular volume was absolutely outstanding. There were so many activities, worksheets, maps and other materials to enhance the lessons. The one thing I like about this curriculum is how the activities draw the children into the lesson and allow them to take what they have read and explore the lesson even more.

Volume II is currently offered on the Bright Ideas website for $49.95. There are currently three different volumes in this series and there are numerous options for resources and supplemental books and CDs available for purchase as well. I strongly recommend this to any family that would like to explore World History in a fun and exciting manner that will have your children running to the table for History class.

Find more about The Mystery of History Here!!

The Mystery of History was given to our family to review as part of being a member of The Old Schoolhouse Crew. The opinions expressed here are my own after my family has had a chance to review this product together. To get more perspectives of this curriculum, please click on the Crew button at the top left of this blog to see what other members thought.

The Bread Machine Rocks!!!

2009-10-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm so totally addicted to my new bread machine!! My mom had one and I even borrowed it once but never actually tried to make anything with it. I went to a church fundraiser and found one that was like new so decided to try one more time to see if I would get the bread making maching bug.

Who would have thought this little mechanical box could bring so much happiness in our home. It actually sat on the shelf for a month before I got the courage to pull it out and search the Internet for a recipe. That coupled with the fact that there were some ripened bananas on the counter just screaming to be cooked into banana bread.

I searched the web and found a recipe for chocolate chip banana bread. Poured all the ingredients in...clicked all the special little buttons and watched the glob of ingredients turn into a masterpiece. The bread was such a hit with the family, that I decided to make a few more loaves. I especially liked throwing all the ingredients in before church and coming home to a fresh baked loaf of bread.

So feeling totally confident in my "bread making" skills, I decided to try a new recipe and picked a chili bread. I tweaked the ingredients a bit and as the bread was mixing, rising and baking the scent filled the air of our home. I think this particular bread is going to be our favorite as it has a bit of spicy taste to it and will be perfect with a little cream cheese spread on a slice.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System

2009-10-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

The one size fits all statement isn't always true in the home school world. Some families have systems already in place that are highly effective and get the job done. Other families struggle for organization and can't seem to find a way to get everything done in a day.

Our family happens to be one of those families that DOES have a system in place that works for us. I have mentioned before that the way that we home school tends to make my boys more independent in their learning than the traditional style of education. In addition to homeschooling our boys for religious reasons, we have found that our style of homeschooling has fostered a love of learning in our boys. That is something I would never want to compromise.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System is for the families that are struggling to find a way to get their children to finish all their work. It is also for families looking for a way to organize their day to day activities. It is for the families that have an autistic child that are scrambling for ideas on how to create an environment that he/she can thrive in.

One of Sue Patrick's reasoning behind her system is that it will create independent learning. Her program also outlines a structured organized way to get your children through the day very similar to what you would have in a public school. However because of the box system that she recommends and that the children are told which classes to do and in what order, it wasn't going to work for our family from the inception.

She also states that in order for the system to work to its best potential that you have to do things exactly the way that the manual describes them. Homeschoolers like our family hardly ever fully use a curriculum exactly like it was designed by the author. We tend to tweak things to fit our particular child or family. Some of the ideas will be continued to use in our home, however, many of the things like the workboxes will not be used. We also do not have the room nor the finances to set up the desks and workboxes exactly the way that she recommends which also was a stumbling block for our family.

Had my oldest child been home schooled this year, this system would have worked for him. He is one of those children that thrives on structure and complete scheduling. He likes to know exactly what he is supposed to do and in what order. He thrives on it...which is why he is doing well in a public middle school. This system is for a child that needs structure, scheduling and directed organization in order to thrive in his/her education.

My middle child and youngest child, like the flexibility of home school. While we do have a "schedule" and they have a set amount of work that they have to get done each day, they like being able to "mix-it-up" and do their classes in the order that they want to. Having boxes all over the place all the time for us would create more chaos and clutter.

If you have a child that is like my oldest and needs a visual picture of what they need to do and what order, I highly recommend this program for you. It is also highly recommended for families with children with autism as well.

The book for this program is only $19.95. You can also purchase this book with four months of personalized consulting with Sue Patrick for only $119.95.

Sue Patrick's Website is HERE if you would like more information.

The Workbox System manual was given to our family to review as part of being a member of The Old Schoolhouse Crew. The opinions expressed her are my own after my family has had a chance to review this product together. To get more perspectives of this curriculum, please click on the Crew button at the top left of this blog to see what other members thought.

Where did fall go?

2009-10-22T06:10:00.001-07:00

As I'm driving my oldest son to school today, I am wondering....where did fall go? We have had two snow storms already. One just 13 days ago and again one today. I was also thinking how spoiled I was last year not having to wake up every morning and drive in bad weather.

I'm also bummed because I wanted to get some fall photo shoots in this week! These pictures are from last year because it has been too wet to get any pictures. For those of you who have seen the pictures from last year before, you know how our back yard, drive way and front yard is just filled with leaves this time of year. Well now our driveway not only has a "leaf" storm of leaves 1 inch high (that we hoped to get cleaned up this week)...it's now snowing on top of them which will be really interesting when we go to clean the driveway later today!!

Amazing Bible World History Timeline

2009-10-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to see a timeline of the earth from time of Adam to the present? You can with the Amazing Bible World History Timeline from Bible Maps and Charts, LLC.

This was sent to our family as part of The Old Schoolhouse Crew review team. My husband I think was the most excited to see this timeline as he is an avid history buff. I love the way that everything is laid out on the chart so that you can visually see our Biblical history. I love the size and colorfulness of the map. Even my five year old was fascinated with this amazing Bible resource.

The map comes to you safely shipped to you for only $29.97 plus $6.00 shipping and handling. We plan to frame ours and display it in our family room. You also get two free digital downloads with the purchase of this map and if you would like to purchase a second one for a friend or for a gift to your church, you can purchase two for $49.97 and still only pay $6.00 for shipping and handling.

Click Here to get your copy of this amazing Bible history reference for your family.

These books were provided at no cost to our family as a part of being a member of the review team for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. The opinions are mine after reviewing the products with my children and husband.

Sarah Books - Sarah's Wish

2009-10-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Take a journey into the world of the Underground Railroad with Sarah's Wish. The Author Jim Baumgardner had me absolutely captivated with the story of Sarah and her plight to find a new family as well as talking about a part of the Underground Railroad that had not been in a lot of the historical fiction books that I have read. I had read many books about the southern plantation owners or books that talked about things from the slaves perspective before, but this book shows you a child's perspective of helping to hide slaves on their way to freedom. I can't wait to read the next two books to find out what happens next to little Sarah and the amazing other loveable characters in this series.

Sarah's Wish, is currently on sale for the amazing price of $9.99 and this includes a special autograph from the author for the recipient. What a very special birthday or Christmas gift for the young girl in your life. You can also get all three books in the series for $39.95.

Visit the Website Here

This book was given to me by the author to review for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Review Crew. The opinions expressed in this article are my own after reviewing this book with my husband and children.

Goodnews Express from Passkeys Foundation - Thanks, But No Thanks

2009-10-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

We recently reviewed The Good News Express - Thanks, But No Thanks by Tony Salnerno. Your child goes on an adventure with Finney who learns that being thankful is very important when he goes into a land where everyone does not say "thank you". It's a great way to get across the point of being thankful to your children in a fun and creative way.

Just one look at the book and my boys were scrambling to the computer to get the disk in to listen to this book. My eight year old loved the songs and especially liked the fact that he could read along with the book while the CD was playing.

There are four books in this series:

The Birthday Gift - This book emphasizes the importance of giving and sharing.
The Special Wish - This book teaches children to value people more than things.
Thanks, But No Thanks - This book as mentioned above talks about thankfulness.
The Cheerful Grump - This book teaches about having a good attitude.

You can get all four of the books with cd's for $20.00 or an individual book and cd for $7.50.

Visit The Website for More Information

You can also find out what other TOS Crew Members thought of these books by visiting The Old School House Crew Blog. Just click on the button at the top left of the blog to see reviews of this book as well as many other great homeschooling products. This book was provided to my family at no cost as part of my membership of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine review Crew. The opinions expressed in this article are mine after reviewing this product with my children and husband.

Guardian Angel Publishing

2009-10-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

We received free e-books to review for Guardian Angel Publishing. I actually am coming to like the concept of e-books especially with our overflow of books throughout our house. I have started organizing my e-books and worksheets by subject on my computer which makes my "computer library" much more organized than the shelves and crates of hard copy books in my home. The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It by Bill Kirk, had a lot of facts that were fun for my boys, however the graphics and drawings in this book were not impressive and pretty simplistic.

Stubby's Destiny by Dixie Phillips was my favorite of all the e-books that we reviewed. Follow the story and his dream to carry a king...little does he know that God has a very special plan for him.

Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair by Mary Jean Kelso was an outstanding book teaching children about how even someone in a wheelchair can achieve their dreams. Andy is a lovable character in this book and I loved how he persevered and won the event even through the taunting and laughing of members of the audience.

Hamster Holidays by Cynthia Reeg was a great book that goes through the year and uses color coded words to emphasize nouns and adjectives. I particularly liked this book as sometimes it's hard to fully explain to your child the difference between a noun and an adjective. This visual tool is perfect for a child that is struggling with that particular concept.

Earthquake by Susan Berger was once again a very factual book about earthquakes. While the graphics and illustrations were much better the the book about bones, it was still hard to compete against the other science books in our family library.

The books are very reasonable on this site. You can download a PDF file of a book for $5.00. A CD of a book runs around $9,95 plus shipping. If you are wanting a printed copy of a book, they run around $10.95 plus shipping and handling.

Visit the Guardian Angel Publishing Site!

These books were provided at no cost to our family as a part of being a member of the review team for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. The opinions are mine after reviewing the products with my children and husband.

Journey Through Learning

2009-09-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would get into the lapbook craze. All my friends talked about it and lamented about how much fun they were and how their children got so much more out of unit studies. I clung onto my textbook theory and kept doing things the "traditional" way.

Then my mom who is a public school teacher joined a "teacher share group" and started copying all these amazing things for these folder book things and I thought wow these are kind of neat. Then I received an opportunity through The Old Schoolhouse Crew to review Lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning and my eyes were opened to a new world of teaching.

I have a child that is a very strong visual and active learner so these books were perfect for sparking his interest in learning. They came as e-books which for us is very convenient as we do not have a lot of storage in our house.

The first e-book that we reviewed was Parables of A King. This was the boys all time favorite as they love to dive into the Bible and learn more about God's word. I love how the book breaks each parable down into segments and each parable gets it's own "section" in the lapbook.

Autumn is the perfect lapbook for the beginning of the year. As the leaves start to change color and weather starts to change my children start to ask all the "why" questions. This lapbook helps them to understand all the changes of the season.

What boy does not go crazy about crocodiles and snakes!! My oldest was a big huge Crocodile Hunter fan and he was excited about this book that had so many fun and amazing facts about the reptile kingdom.

Amphibians was my favorite lapbook. I love frogs and thought this was a fun study for children of all ages. It brought back memories of my brother and I collecting a bunch of tadpoles in a bucket and watching them change to frogs. There is something about the life cycle of a frog that totally captivates the interest of children.

The Desert is a really fun lapbook that explores the fascinating world of deserts. Explore the animals and people of the deserts. I loved the Camel section!! My brother was stationed in Iraq twice and shared all kinds of facts about camels that were fun to add to the unit.

The amazing thing about these books is that takes learning to a whole new level. Rather than just reading a book (as I have normally done with my boys), you take an active learning approach. It also gives your child the opportunity to share what they have learned with Grandma and Grandpa as well.

You can instantly download these books from the website for only $13.00. If you want a CD they are $14.00. Do not have a printer? You can get the printed version for $21.00. I know this family will definitely be getting more of these amazing books!

Visit the Journey Through Learning Website!!

My Car and Tractor Bootie Pattern is Finally Available for Sale!!

2009-09-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

By popular request from crocheters around the world, I am now offering my tractor and car baby bootie pattern in PDF format. I designed these in 2005 and have been making these booties for 4 years now.

This pattern will allow you to make my famous tractor and car baby booties in two different sizes 0-6 months and 6-9 months.

Visit My Etsy Store For Your Copy of the Pattern

Nature's Friend Magazine

2009-09-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Nature's Friend is the perfect magazine for any Christian or home school family. Through amazing photography, graphics and stories, this periodical gives you a Christian perspective to all the wonders of God's amazing creation.

My children have learned about owls, woodpeckers and swamps. There is a drawing challenge each month and your child can send in submissions of their photography, drawings and poetry to the magazine for publication.

We have been receiving Nature's Friend for a couple of years so we were excited to have the opportunity to review a new feature to the magazine. Nature's Friend is now offering a new Study Guide with the magazine.

This supplement has more articles, activities and more for your children. This Study Guide is perfect for families that like to do unit studies or for checking your child's reading comprehension. There is a special feature to enhance creative writing. Children can also submit their photographs and learn new photography tips from professional photographers.

The best part about the Study Guide is that if you add it to your subscription, it's already placed in the center of the magazine!! I especially like that as you do not have to figure out a way how to keep the two together when storing them.

A subscription to the magazine is only $36.00 a year. You can add the Study Guide for only $2.00 per issue (or $24.00 per year).

Visit the Nature's Friend Website

Growing Healthy Homes

2009-09-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am one of those people that when I hear the words "nutrition" or "healthy", I initially want to run for the hills as I'm afraid it means that I will have to eliminate my beloved coffee and Pepsi from my diet. I want to work on improving my health and exercising more, but sometimes I just get wrapped up in life and forget about the importance of keeping my body healthy for my children and for myself.

Nutrition 101: Choose Life was a wake up call for my family. Due to my husband's railroad schedule and our church and children's activities, we have gotten quite lazy in the healthy food part of our diet. This manual helps busy families like ours see that a healthy lifestyle is not as time consuming or hard as it seems.

This book has fun activities, amazing illustrations, and awesome recipes to help healthy habits in your family to become an exciting adventure. I especially liked the way that the book broke down the parts of the body and how things like carbohydrates and fats affect your various body systems. My children absolutely LOVE science and so being able to see colorful illustrations of their "insides" especially intrigued them.

Growing Healthy Homes offers this book in two different formats, CD rom (for $79.95) or book format (for $99,95). It's a great investment into your family's healthy future and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Visit the Healthy Homes Website!!

Studypod

2009-09-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had pinched nerves in your neck from studying all night? Do you absolutely hate bending your head down to read at the table? Studypod is the solution!! We had an opportunity to review this amazing product and I have to say that I'm really impressed.

The first benefit of this product is the storage. It folds together like a book which makes it excellent for storing on a bookshelf or in a backpack. It also has storage pockets inside for a cell phone or i-Pod.

My family absolutely loved this product. It is the perfect gift for any student whether in public school or home schooled. As I mentioned it easily folds together to fit in a backpack, so an older student in public school or college can take it out and set it up for proper reading posture while studying in study hall or in the library.

The Studypod is only $19,95 and the website. If you purchase two you can get them for $16.95 each.

Visit the Website

College Prep Genius

2009-09-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to review College Prep Genius. This set comes with a manual, DVD set and a workbook for your aspiring college student. As one who has taken the SAT and PSAT, I know how hard it is to take these tests without properly preparing.

College Prep Genius walks you through every aspect of taking the SAT. It teaches you how to prepare for the test. It breaks apart the test into sections and teaches you the art of taking the SAT. Using the manual, workbook and DVDs, your child will soar through the test.

Why learn how to take the SAT? Many colleges require a minimum score for entry into their institution. Not only that, a high score puts your child in line for some of the top scholarships. You could possibly qualify for FREE tuition. Preparing for a college entry exam is something that all students should do. Many people believe that the SAT is an intelligence test, however that is not entirely the case. The SAT primarly focuses on a the ability of logic and critical thinking.

There are many strategies to taking a test like the SAT and College Prep Genius uses the 4 DVD set, manual, and workbook to teach them all to you. I have seen many college preparatory materials before, but this one totally blew me away. I could not believe how thoroughly this program goes through the different aspects of the exam.

This program normally costs $115.85, however you can now get this program for only $79 which is 30% off the retail price. When you consider the fact that by excelling at the SAT test your child could possibly obtain the top scholarships, this program is an extremely wise investment into your child's future!

VISIT THE WEBSITE TODAY!!!

Awesome Video!!

2009-08-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

This song and video is so awesome and powerful! The video is a dramatic representation of the opening of the seven seals as described in the book of Revelation. God's word and love is amazing!! No matter what trials or hardships you may be going through, no matter how many people want to tear you down because of who you are and where you have been, the Holy Spirit is there to guide you direct you and walk you through the incredibly difficult and trying things in your life.

Quarter Mile Math - We Are Racing Our Way to Math Success!!

2009-08-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

We have found an amazing math program that is perfect for all three of my boys. Quarter Mile Math is a computer based math program for grades K-9. The students get to choose between horses or cars that race each other. As your child solves the problem his car or horse progresses down the track. The faster he solves the problem the faster they move.

This program covers:

Numbers and Letters (keyboarding instruction...which I absolutely love!)
Whole Numbers
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Fractions
Decimals
Percents
Estimation
Integers
Equations
and so much more....

There two major options for this program. The first is the Deluxe version which is only $2.95 per month for your entire family. $2.95 per family per month, $19.95 per family for one year (save $15.45 over one year) and $34.95 per family for two years (save $35.85 over two years). That is less that a math textbook!! This version, has all 323 topics in their entire product line which contains over 70,000 problems. The student's progress is tracked with a screen that shows all the topics which your child has practiced as well as the number of races they have completed, and their scores for each topic.

This version allows your children to participate in real-time tournaments with other people in your family. Children can play with their cousins or friends in other states!! This version does require an Internet connection, but your children are never actually on the web. You can download this program directly from the website and order a backup CD if you so choose.

The other option for families is the Standard program. These disks are $39.95 to $89.95 depending on the grades that you select. This is perfect for families like ours where we have multiple computers and two of them that do not have Internet connection. You can install the program on all your computers, but you need the disk to play the game so only one student can play at a time.

My little one absolutely loves this program. He is very competitive and was loving that he could "beat" the other cars by hitting the correct numbers on the screen. This program is perfect for him as he likes loud noises and activity and this program definitely kept his interest. I also notice a lot of improvement in his keyboarding skills as he has continued to play the game.

My middle child Jonathan loved this program as well as he liked the fact that it was a game and not just online problems. He still likes workbooks better, but wanted to play this game because it was so much fun.

My oldest son Brandon has the computer with the Internet connection so he reviewed the Deluxe version. I really liked the progress chart with this program and how quickly it tracks their scores. The other perk for him is being able to play tournaments with other family members.

I really like this program. It is very easy to install and add new players. It also captures a child's attention with the racing and the fun sounds. My only wish for programs like these is that they would progressively move children through the lessons. My boys often will play the same activity over and over rather than keep moving on to harder subjects. They tend to do that will all computer learning games so it wasn't just unique to this particular program. I will say however, that it was really easy to move from topic to topic on this program and we will be using this throughout our children's home eduction!!

For my readers, Quarter Mile Math is offering $5.00 either the Standard or Deluxe versions. The code for this discount is 7M7Z7. There is a place for this on the order form! This offer is good until September 30th.

Visit The Website to Get Started Today!!

Tractor Baby Bootie Design Challenge!!

2009-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

So I've made my tractor bootie design in red, pink, blue, green, lime-green, and orange. This month I had two interesting design challenges. One was to make the booties to match a beloved family tractor and the second one was to make a camoflauge tractor. I have to say it was so much fun doing them in a different color!! You can get these booties in my Etsy Store. If you do not see the size or color that you want, please contact me through Etsy or at agapebebe@hotmail.com.

Agape Bebe Etsy Store

The Jungle Room Needs a Haircut!!!

2009-08-21T15:03:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have seen pictures or have visited our "Jungle Room" you will be surprised to see how much the fig tree has overtaken the room this summer. We have been so busy with the kiddos and other things in our lives, that I haven't kept the tree trimmed down to size like I have in the past. The room seriously looks like a jungle room this summer.

View looking at the deck stairs to the "river" basin. Notice how you can't even see the stairs? This tree has decided to even climb the steps.

My son sitting on the steps to show how big the leaves are. I hoped to get more pictures of the other boys before I trim the trees, but he was the only one available so I made him be my model!

The orange tree to the left has tripled in size since we first moved into this house. In the spring when it blooms, our whole house smells like orange blossoms. For some reason this year, we did not get any fruit from the tree.

Here is a picture to show how tall the tree has gotten in such a short time! The branches have completely reached the ceiling after being completely trimmed down in May.

As you can see from the limbs on the deck...I have started the "haircut" process. One of the hardest parts about trimming this tree is that it "bleeds" this itchy sap when the branches are cut so you have to cut quickly and from bottom to top to avoid a head and arms covered in sap. I also wear a shirt with sleeves which when the room averages 100 to 110 degrees in the summer is not a fun task!! ...I will post update pictures when I get this all done.

ALEKS Math

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

We recently reviewed the ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces Math program with my older two boys. ALEKS offers online courses in a variety of subjects for grades K-12, higher education and continuing education. While most of the courses are math related, there are also business, behavioral science, and higher education science programs available.

While it took awhile to get the program to work with all of our Internet security software, once the program was started it was very easy to get the boys started on their math lessons. You first start out with an evaluation for each child to see where their strengths and weaknesses are.

Once that is done, there is a pie chart that outlines the different lessons and where your child needs to improve or practice. I particularly like this part as sometimes I tend to drill my children in areas that they have already mastered. This program helps to to focus on the areas that your child needs improvement.

My boys stated that liked playing games more than just doing problems on the computer. Jonathan, my 3rd grader said that he likes workbooks and manipulatives much better. He is my more creative and hands on guy so I wasn't surprised that sitting at a computer was not fun for him. My oldest is more of a computer guru and I think that if he had the choice over math on the computer or on a workbook, he would definitely choose this program.

A subscription to ALEKS for an individual student is $19.95 per month. You can also save by subscribing for 6 months for $99.95 or a year for only $179.95. ALEKS gives you a month to try out their program for FREE!

Visit Their Website for More Information!

Web Design for Kids (...And Curious Grownups)

2009-08-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get this DVD in the mail as I had beeen talking about teach the boys basic HTML so that they could design their own websites. In addition to my clothing design, I also dabble in web and graphic design so this DVD was absolutely perfect for our family. Sometimes because Java Script and HTML language comes easy to me it's hard to describe to someone how to do their own website without just grabbing the mouse and doing it myself.

The thing that I liked most about this program was that it took the process of making a basic website and broke it down piece by piece and slowly went through the process of building your own site. Brian Richardson, a middle-school computer literacy teacher, incorporated screen shots which helps visual learners to see exactly what was going on as Mr. Richardson was describing the process of creating a website.

If you have a computer lab like we do, I would suggest that you get a small DVD player and play it at the same time that your children are sitting at their computers. If you have active learners like I do, it's the best way for them to see for themselves the process.

Currently for a limited time on their website, they have the DVD for only $19.99 which is 50% off their retail price.

Visit Their Website for More Information!!

We Have Fallen In Love With A Dog!!!

2009-08-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that a simple book about a dog on the ranch would bring so much fun and joy into our home. My boys fell in love with Hank and all of his wild and crazy antics.

Hank the Cowdog is a children's book series written by John R. Erickson. Erickson began his literary career in 1967 while working on ranches in Texas an Oklahoma. Hank and Drover are the actual names of dogs that he worked with while working as a cowboy, farmhand and ranch manager. In 1982 he quit his ranching career and launched his publishing company Maverick Books.

His stories definitely reflect the atmosphere and fun that happens on any farm or ranch. It brought back a lot of memories for me of my grandfather's farm and all the fun times that my brother and I had. Farm or ranching life is never boring and Erickson's books reflect a lifestyle that many children never have an opportunity to experience.

The boys absolutely loved the book The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse and how even after he was in so much trouble after accidentally tripping Sally May, he ended up being the hero in the end. They especially loved how a cat named Pete is incorporated into the story. Some of the things that Pete did reminded the boys of our cat Sophia. I had boys rushing to get ready for bed so that they could hear the next chapter of this fun and exciting story. These books sell for $4.95 on the Hank the Cowdog Website.

We also reviewed the Tornado Race and Chase game which is very similar to the childhood game Sorry. My five-year old absolutely loved this game and wanted me to play with him every day.

The only trouble that a younger child might have with this game, is the spinner. To fix this, all we did was add a die to the game and allowed players to either roll the die or spin. This worked out very well for younger players.

This game fold up into its own box which makes it absolutely perfect for taking on trips. I hope to take this with us the next time we go on vacation to entertain my boys who often whine that they have nothing to do. It also comes with a cassette tape which has an audio recording of The Case of the Swirling Tornado. This game can be purchased on the website for $12.99. I highly recommend it if you travel a lot or have children that love to play board games.

The last item we reviewed was a fun CD "Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog". It had Story excerpts from 10 of the books and 9 original songs. Our favorite song was a song called "It's Not Smart to Show Your Hiney to a Bear". This CD is perfect for playing on long trips or when your children need time to settle down between classes and is available on the website for $3.00.

Visit the Hank the Cowdog Website today and play games, meet the author and shop the store for games, cds, books and so much more.

Stick Figuring Through the Bible with GrapeVine Studies

2009-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

The boys and I just recently reviewed the New Testament Bible Study curriculum from GrapeVine Studies. We had so much fun together and because the stick drawings aren't complicated, my five year old had a blast "drawing the Bible". We did the timeline part of the curriculum together and I was suprised that he was able to remember as much information as he did. This will definitely be a part of our daily school work!!

The only thing that I would have done differently is get the actual hard copies of the books for the boys as they were impatient waiting for the printer to print out the pages. However, getting the e-book allows you to use the study over and over and with the various levels available, it is something you can use from Preschool all the way through Highschool.

The student books for this series can be purchased as a book or e-book for $19.95. The teacher books can be purchased as a book for $29.95 or e-book for $15.95. There are also smaller studies available, but I personally recommend the Old Testament or New Testament ones as they are filled with an abundance of facts and information perfect for all ages.

I especially liked all the Bible references and how the symbolism in each drawing was used to easily illusrate the various events and principles of the Bible. My 13-year old is a fact man and thought it was fun memorizing all the various facts from the study. My 8-year old is a budding artist and this study was right up his alley!!

GrapeVine Studies is offering all of my readers a 30% discount off their orders until August 30. Just use the code acrew when placing your order!! Visit the GrapeVine Studies website!!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine....A Guide for All Homeschoolers

2009-07-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

About a year or so ago while I was checking out some books at the library, I came across a magazine that should be in every homeschooling home. I was trying to find some ideas on how to do unit studies and was looking for how to manage home life with homeschooling life. This magazine was an answer to my prayers and now that I'm a subscriber, I make sure to tell all my homeschooling friends that they need to have this magazine!!! Just yesterday, I went fishing with my husband. I usually sit and crochet the entire time. I had just received the new issue in the mail and thought I would "scan" through it to see what was in it and then go back to crocheting. I literally read the magazine from cover to cover. Every article had something that I could use in my homeschooling, family and spiritual life!! There was even an article on all the cleaning benefits of vinegar. The last issue addressed how do deal with being unhappy with your life and was filled with Bible verses to help you deal with the various stresses in your life. I also love to go through the advertisements and see what other resources are available to the homeschooling family. This month they have a special promotion where they are giving away 19 gifts to the first 5,000 subscribers!! Click on the image above to get all the details!!

The Old Schoolhouse Planner - I'm in Love!!

2009-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

I just had the opportunity to review one of the most amazing planning tools available for the homeschooling family. This e-book is absolutely phenomenal!! It comes in PDF format and if you have the most recent upgrade from Adobe you can actually type in the forms and print them out for each of your children. There are monthly featured themes with recipes and articles. There are links to resources for each monthly topic for additional worksheets and information to enhance your unit studies. There are charts that help you with measurement conversion, the fifty states, the presidents and even the branches of government.

My favorite forms would have to be:

Shopping Lists
Chore Charts
Yearly Goal Sheet
Curriculum Planning Form (perfect for the eclectic homeschooler)
High School Transcript
Report Card Forms
Bible Memorization Record
Assignment and Due Date Sheet
Attendance Chart
Housekeeping Weekly Schedule
Grocery Lists
Monthly Menu Planner
Vacation Planner
Party Planner
Chore Charts (several different types to fit ANY family)

There are just so many amazing and practical forms in this that any home, homeschool or not would greatly benefit from them. I would also recommend this planner for the public school teacher as there are several form that would help in preparing lesson plans, quick reference and also in organizing work and home life. I actually have never seen anything like this and for me it was like a child in a candy store. I used to search all over the Internet and spent hours obtaining all the forms and information that I needed and now it is all in ONE 375 page e-book!!! I know once I spent an hour just trying to find a printable multiplication chart, which also happens to be in this book. I also couldn't find a kitchen conversion chart and had to go online to find one and once again this chart is easily accessible in this book!!

The planner is only $39.00 and will provide every homeschooling family with the opportunity for total home organization. I recommend every family has one of these as you will not be disappointed!!

Get Your Planner Today!!

Designs for all the Dorks out there!

2009-06-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

Daughter of the Risen King!!!

Are you a D.O.R.K. - Daughter of the Risen King? Then these designs are just for you!! I have just designed ten different D.O.R.K. or DORK designs and have added them to my t-shirt shop with more to come!! These designs are available on onesies, t-shirts, tote bags and so much more.
GET YOUR D.O.R.K. T-SHIRTS AND MORE HERE!!

WASP-UP!!!

2009-06-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Okay so we go out for lunch today and I come home to check if the mail is delivered. I get ready to open the door and noticed that we had a few friends on the front porch. There are hundreds of newly hatched wasps on our front porch!! What a lovely thing to come home too. Those of you who know me know I absolutely hate wasps and bees!! I'm totally bugging!!! LITERALLY!!! I wish there was better lighting because they are even crawling on the floor of the porch!!!

How I Hope to Generate the Love of Learning

2009-05-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

I am beyond no means an expert when it comes to the art of homeschooling. I've tried different curriculum and learning techniques throughout the years to see if there was anything that would be the magic formula. The one thing that I have found that works the best is to not "over" teach my children. I give them their books and let them explore their assignments and if they need help they know they can immediately come to me, my husband or research for answers at the library, Internet or books in our own personal library. It kind of happened accidentally as I stepped away to do some dishes one morning while they were working and found that they actually learned MORE when I wasn't hovering over them explaining the lesson to them. I also caught my oldest child "teaching" his brother mathematical equation tricks....his face glowed as he was able to show his brother something that he knew to help him.

Once a child can read, the world is an open book for them to explore. The coolest part of this accidental discovery is that my boys do not expect me to know the answers to everything. If we are watching a program and they want to explore something further, they know how to use the library computer index and the Internet to find the answers they are looking for. I can't ask for a better venue for them to discover more than what their textbooks tell them. If they are learning about tigers and have a question about a specific tiger...they can easily find what they want.

What my dream would be is that this freedom to explore and find the answers for themselves will assist them in higher education as well as throughout their lives. Rather than being spoon fed puppets, they have turned into constant seekers of facts and information. If they do not understand something, they research it more. If they want to know the Chicago Cub player with the highest batting average, they can find it!! What more could a mom or teacher ask for.

My preschooler has just started reading and it's amazing that the more words that he learns the more that he can share in the fun with his older brothers. He is my most inquisitive one, so it's going to be fun to see what kind of researcher he's going to be.

The best way that I can tell you to start this with your homeschooler is to first teach them how to read. Once they are reading, let them read the instructions to their homework and try to figure out the concepts. I'm not saying just let them do everything themselves and not help them, I'm saying be that eagle momma watching over the babies in the nest and only jumping in when they need help. Next show them how to use Google, Yahoo and MSN to search for answers to their questions. This is something you absolutely have to supervise if you do not have a profanity filter on your browser as you should never give a child free reign on the Internet. Take them to the library and show them how to use the card catalog (computer or the original card files depending on your library). I also show them how to use a dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus to find answers as well. Finally, if they ask you something that you know that they can find from one of these resources, tell them to "look it up". My mom always did this too me and I am actually glad she did because it is that very activity that has fostered this new learning style with my children.

And May's Winner Is.............

2009-05-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

Momma Miller!!!

Thanks so much for your participation in the drawing!! Please contact me so we can get your free t-shirt too you!

You Can Do It Mom!!

2009-05-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in a homeschooling parent's teaching career, they wonder if they are doing everything they need to and get overwhelmed with teaching, housework and parenting. If you operate a home-based buisness, it adds more to the stress of maintaining a peaceful and balanced home. As laundry piles up and dishes fill the sink while you spend half your time being a parent/homeschooler and then hit the computer or craft room to earn those extra dollars for your families income with the rest of your spare time, you wonder how can I make time for myself, for prayer time and for all those other things that I want to get done. What about those pictures that I need to get scrapbooked, or what about that idea I had for bringing more income to the family? Later this month I will be sharing some of the websites I have started using to bring some organization into my home, but in the meantime, I wanted to share an exciting e-book that I discovered.

The Old Schoolhouse has just came out with the most amazing e-book that helps homeschooling families to figure out how to work from home and still keep up with their main goal of homeschooling their children. The book is called Home Work - Juggling Home, Work and School Without Losing Your Balance. Several authors have teamed together to give you ideas on managing your home, homeschooling and home-based business and to not falter in your goal in raising Godly and well-educated children. Whether it's a crafting business or an online based business, this e-book has tons of ideas on how you can bring extra income into the family and even gives you ideas on how to make your current crafting business into something more. I strongly encourage you to get this book as you will not be disappointed. There is absolutely an idea for every mom and there were job ideas that I had not even thought of!! With my husband recently being laid off at the railroad, this book is a lifesaver on getting ideas how to get by until the economy picks up again!!

Click on the picture at the top of this review or HERE to find out what kinds of home-based business options are available for your homeschooling family.

The Creation vs. Evolution Debate

2009-05-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

One of the most fascinating things about homeschooling my children, is that they do not really question whether or not we were created by God or if we evolved from a ball of gas. Even after watching several documentaries on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic, my boys use what they know about God's word to discredit those that adhere to the Theory of Evolution.

The Old Schoolhouse Creation vs. Evolution - Interpreting the Evidence WeE-Book gives you even more resources and ideas on how to refute and make a strong argument against the Theory of Evolution. Authors Dr. Carl Wieland and Darren Nelson help parents use historical facts and the Bible to help prove the existence of Creation. In addition to all kind of facts and historical comparisons, Wieland and Nelson also list many resources for furthering a unit study on the Creation vs. Evolution Argument. This is the perfect resource for your older child headed to public high school or to college to be prepared to factually present the case for creation.

WeE-Books has all kinds of e-books for homeschooling families to download for the low price of $1.95. Please click on the graphic below to visit the website or click on the graphic at the top of this review to get started on teaching your children how to effectively debate the creation vs. evolution argument.

Riding Along With the Iditarod

2009-05-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

When I was in college, I had the priviledge of meeting Jeff King one of the most well known mushers in Iditarod history. I worked for Cabela's Jeff King's sponsor and we followed the race every day to see where he was and what position he was in. When I became a homeschooling mom, we again took on that tradition and my son and I both picked our mushers and checked the website to see who's dog sled team was ahead of the others. There is so much to learn from studying the Iditarod, and today I came across an amazing resource that I can use with all three of my homeschoolers next year during Iditarod racing time.

The Old Schoolhouse Following the Iditarod We-E Book is the perfect resource for a unit study on Dog Sledding and the Iditarod. Author Dena Wood gives you all the resources and ideas to put together and fun and exciting unit study for your homeschooling family. In addition to lots of facts, history and resources, there are even pre-made worksheets ready for printing to enhance the study even more. It is the perfect way for a family to have fun together and to learn about a very interesting and dangerous sport that involves planning, practice and a lot of heart.

WeE-Books has all kinds of e-books for homeschooling families to download for the low price of $1.95. Please click on the graphic below to visit the website or click on the graphic at the top of this review to get started on planning your Iditarod/Dog Sledding unit.

Host a Writer's Workshop!

2009-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Writing is one of the most important things in a child's education. Writing is something that a child will use throughout his or her lifetime. Sometimes you have a child that just doesn't take any interest in writing at all. They may stare at their notebook for hours in frustration just trying to write a simple paragraph. I had one of those and after trying several different techniques, I now have a productive writer.

The best way to cure a reluctant writer is to make writing fun an exciting. Find out what your child is interested in and assign creative writing prompts that focus on your child's favorite things. If he's into Space, give him writing prompts such as "Jonathan the astronaut had a special mission...what plant did he visit, what was it like, and who went with him."

My most reluctant writer is into football and is such a fact based child, that he couldn't come up with creative ideas for a writing project. I then came up with the idea of him creating a football team. I had him take notes on who was going to be on his team, what the uniforms looked like, what the mascot of the team was, etc. After he finished jotting down all the "facts", I told him to now write about the team using all the facts and I ended up getting a four page paper on his football team.

Another great way to get your children excited about writing is to host or attend a writing workshop. Through this workshop you and other homeschooling families get together once a week or on a special weekend to celebrate writing in a fun and exciting way. Children get to share their writing as well as listen to their peers. Parents have a chance to share and exchange ideas with one another.

I just found the most amazing e-book to help you get started in setting up a Writing Workshop for the homeschooling families in your community. The Old Schoolhouse Writer's Workshop - Getting Children Excited About Writing e-book has all the resources and ideas to get you started. Author Maggie Hogan tells you all the steps you need to take to set up workshop and gives you ideas on how to make the workshop fun for all involved. This e-book has me wanting to get a workshop set up for my homeschooling group next year!!

WeE-Books has all kinds of e-books for homeschooling families to download for the low price of $1.95. Please click on the graphic below to visit the website or click on the graphic at the top of this review to get started on planning your community's Writing Workshop.

HOMESCHOOL PRINCESS MONTHLY DRAWING

2009-04-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

WANT TO WIN ONE OF THESE

T-SHIRTS FOR YOUR CHILD

LADYBUG HOMESCHOOL T-SHIRT

OR
SMILEMASTER T-SHIRT

THE HOMESCHOOL PRINCESS IS HOSTING A DRAWING FOR ONE OF THE FUN DESIGNS ABOVE PRINTED ON A CHILD'S T-SHIRT FROM AGAPE BEBE PERSONALI-TEES. HERE'S HOW TO QUALIFY:

From Today to May 15th:
Post on the blog get 1 entry.
Become a follower of the blog post about it and get 3 entries!
Talk about this promotion on your own blog, come back and post about it with a link and get 5 entries.
Try the program out and tell me one thing you liked or didn't like about the program and get another 5 entries.

Remember in order to win you to have an id where I can get in touch with you or leave an e-mail address in your post if you are just posting for the one entry into the drawing!!

HERE'S MY REVIEW OF THIS AMAZING PRODUCT

I was searching for chore charts for my boys the other day and found the most amazing reward chart program ever!!! The program is called My Reward Board. You enter your children's names and how many points they can earn per week. There are individual charts for each child with pictures for those that can not read yet. There are chores cleaning rooms, feeding pets, just about anything a child might have to do around the house. There are also health related chores such as brushing teeth and taking a bath. There are behavior "chores" such as no back talking and no fighting. Each child gets their own "room" that has all kinds of activities as well as their chart, scoreboard, and even a dresser to keep their reward coupons and certificates of achievement. The chart is so much fun that even my 13 year old runs downstairs every night to get his points in. There are four different animated "stickers" that whoop and cheer when the child puts them on the board. This is especially entertaining to my four year old. My seven year old absolutely loves the point system and that you get a special reward for a perfect day when you do all your chores.

Here is a picture of the chart below:

There is an additional chart that is for goal setting for things such as potty training or grades. This program has so many features and activities that I haven't even had a chance to play with them all. There is an allowance piggy bank feature that I haven't even had a chance to fully investigate yet. At the end of the week they get to "cash" in all their points and there is even a feature to remove undeserved "smileys" and another to give demerits or take away points. There is a treasure box in each child's room, when they click on the treasure box the reward coupons move across the screen and play fun music that pumps up your child's adrenaline. These coupons are already set up for you, however, you can add your own special coupons, delete existing coupons and you can change the point requirements on the default coupons. I am absolutely in love with this program and my middle child who used to whine about doing chores, now whines if he has trouble getting them all done so he can have a "perfect" day!! What a change from over a week ago when I couldn't get him to even pick up his dirty clothing. Their rooms are cleaned, they complete all their daily grooming without being asked, and I have not had to yell at them once to get them done!!

You get a free 15 day trial to the program and I recommend every one of my readers try this program. You will not regret it and for only $19.99 after the trial it is pennies to relieve me of the stress of nagging and grounding for chores not done!! Thanks My Reward Board!! Click on the logo below so you too can start your children on this amazing reward program!!

Interview With a True Nebraska Homeschool Pioneer

2009-04-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

My first homeschooling interview was with Janna Ryan. I have known Janna through our local homeschooling group and was thrilled to have a chance to find out more about her family and their homeschooling life.

HP: How long have you been homeschooling and what grades do you teach?

JR: I was homeschooled myself starting the year it became legal in Nebraska, we were one of the original families. I was in 4th grade and homeschooled all the way through high school. I have 6 children of my own now, the oldest is 12 and they have never schooled anywhere but at home with me.

HP: Janna, since you were homeschooled as a child how has that affected how you homeschool? What do you do differently? What methods that your mother used do you currently use with your children?

JR: The biggest thing it did for me personally I think is that it blew the argument "What about socialization?" out of the water for me as far as my own kids were concerned. I learned first hand that socialization is all up to you, if you don't want your child to socialize - they won't. If you want them to socialize - you will find ways for them to do so. My siblings and I were some of the most socialized people I knew when I was in high school.

I strongly encourage reading to my kids and I lead by example just like my mom did with us. My 3 oldest (12, 10, 9) are all very good readers and nothing makes me smile more than waking up in the morning to find my 10 year old son sitting at the dining room table reading a book because he has finished his worksheets for the day (he's a morning person :-)

Good or bad, I'm not quite as stringent with the curriculum as my mom was. That may change over the next couple years.

HP: What is your all-time favorite curriculum or homeschool book that you have used in teaching your children?

JR: Abeka's 3rd and 4th grade history books are the best history books of all time. The 3rd grade is biographies of great Americans which helps build a love for learning about people's lives and the 4th grade is a fantastic American history book.

HP: What is a curriculum/book that you tried but were not happy with or did not work with your children and their learning styles.

JR: My Father's World is a great program that works wonderful for many families - it was so not right for me! The 3rd grade math book did NOT work for my oldest daughter when she was that age - the format of the book was very unfriendly to her mind - I think we got through 12 pages of math in 2 months, amid many tears and much screaming. I changed math curriculum and life went on. Now my 2nd daughter comes along and picks up that same book (minus the 12 pages) and zips right along no problem. Just goes to show that it is not a particular book as much as a particular child.

HP: If you could give a first time homeschooler or a mom thinking about homeschooling one tip or resource to get started what you tell them.

JR: My #1 tip: You are not teaching in a public school - don't run it like a public school. You don't have to teach from 8-3 and make them sit in a desk all day and flexibility is the biggest advantage homeschoolers have - so be flexible!

HP: Do you operate a home business or work outside of the home?

JR: I own a Christian Dance Studio that is actually connected to our home (or vice versa). I teach classes 3 days a week from 4-9, but I get to have my 5 oldest children in class with me periodically through the days so that is fun and I love what I do. I am fortunate that I can supplement our income doing something I love without ever really leaving home.

HP: I know like many homeschoolers you get the socialization question. How do you respond to those questions?

JR: I kind of answered this at the beginning of the interview, but to elaborate... I have 6 kids - they are each others best friends, if we never left home they would still be socialized beyond what many children are. But they also go to Children's Church on Sundays and Wednesday nights, dance classes with many other children 2-3 days a week, 2 of them are in gymnastics, my oldest babysits, they have many friends (homeschooled and public schooled) that they spend the night with (our house or theirs) and they make friends everywhere they go. I simply don't see that as a problem in our lives :-)

HP: Anything else you would like to tell other homeschoolers or those that are thinking about homeschooling? ;-)

JR: If you are even considering homeschooling then chances are high that God is putting it on your heart. Who better to teach your children than their mother - the person who knows them better than anyone? Don't underestimate yourself or your kids!

Janna Ryan is an excellent mother and homeschooler and is one of the many families that inspired me to start homeschooling my children. She is well known for her wonderful dance instruction and I absolutely love her blog. She features various authors throughout the year and has amazing book giveaways!!

Visit Janna's Sites Below:

Another Amazing Spelling Program

2009-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

I had the extraordinary privilege to try out another spelling program this week. It is called SpellQuizzer. SpellQuizzer is a product of TedCo Software which was founded by Daniel Hite. This program will work with ANY curriculum that you are currently using and is so user friendly that even your children can input their own spelling lists. It's like a paperless flashcard system that your child can do over and over until they master their spelling lists. By using a simple microphone which can be purchased at Walmart or Radioshack, you can dictate the words and sentences right into the computer so that your child can hear them. If you do not have a microphone you can still use this program by putting in "hint" messages to help your child recognize the word. I really found this feature to have multiple purposes. Not only is this an excellent spelling program, you can use it to enhance your child's vocabulary!! Just simply put the meaning of the word in and have your child type the word!! It's that simple!! You could also drill math facts and one word or small phrase answers to almost EVERY class!! Below is the main screen to the program. Simple and to the point without having to have an instruction manual to operate the program.

Next is the main Quiz Screen. This is void of distracting graphics and allows the child to focus completely on the task at hand. There are also fun sound when the child masters or misses the word.
SpellQuizzer is a spelling program for helping children learn their spelling words. SpellQuizzer is spelling software that helps students practice their vocabulary. As I mentioned the program can also be used for drilling facts such as one word answers to your child's history tests, multiplication facts, and much, much more!! Plus did I mention that you get a free trial to the program!! What could be better than that!

Crazy about Veggietales!!

2009-04-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Okay who doesn't know Veggietales and hasn't seen at least one of their cartoons. We are all huge fans of the Veggietales series and love absolutely EVERY one!! My favorites would have to be Madame Blueberry and Esther. Veggietales is produced by Big Idea which also produces 3-2-1 Penguins. My children absolutely love those videos as well!! If you click on the graphic above so you can have even more fun!! Big Idea has created a website with games, information and even a store where you can purchase videos and products. There is even a section for parents!! Check it out today!!! Don't forget to play Flight over Bumblyberg while you are at it!! It's a great break from homeschooling when it's too cold to send them outside!!

Our Favorite Spelling Program

2009-04-13T16:15:00.001-07:00

This year we decided to go with something a little different that our usual Abeka Spelling program. My amazing homeschool friend and neighbor brought this book over to my house for me to review. I absolutely fell in love with it at first site. The program, Spelling Power, was written by Beverly L. Adams-Gordon, who left her job as a teacher at a private school to homeschool her daughters. One of her daughters had trouble with spelling like she had as a child so she began to research and experiment wtih methods that would help her daughter. I will briefly sum up how this curriculum works. First of all you pretest your child to see what their spelling level is. There are two tests, and once those are finished you are directed where to start your child for the year. Unlike most spelling programs, you take a test at the BEGINNING. When you purchase the edition that we did you get a disk that has all the forms, worksheets, etc. to print out for your children. If you have an older version, you can find the disk online or you can workbooks that have the forms for you. You start testing your child and through this testing process you go word by word. Once your child has missed three words, you stop the test and then there is another worksheet for their mispelled words. This worksheet helps them through the process of studying the mispelled words. There are other fun activities that can be done to help them with spelling such as painting the words or drawing the words in sand to help an active learner. These can be found on the disk or there is a card set that can be purchased separately if you purchase the older edition that does not come with the CD's. The next day, you start the testing process again and you start with the mispelled words and continue after the third mispelled word. The child is not tested on the words they spell correctly. Our set came with the computer game. this is especially fun with my boys as once I key in their lists and then dictate the words through the prompting of the program through my microphone, I can let them test and retest at their hearts content until they get the words. My computer loving boys are thrilled to do spelling now and even fight over who gets to do their spelling on the computer first. We also recieved a DVD in which the author takes you step by step through the process and thoroughly explains the program to you. It's like taking a teaching seminar and once you have watched it, you are ready to jump into the program!! The best part about this program is that it works for about 2nd Grade - College or Adult level spelling. What a bargain when we were spending a lot more for yearly curriculum through Abeka or Saxon! You can get these books on Christian Book Distributors or new and used on E-Bay. I would love to hear from those of you who have also tried this program to see what your experiences have been with it.

He Has Risen!!!!

2009-04-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is by far one of the best videos using clips from the Passion of the Christ that I have ever scene. The song is New Again featuring Brad Paisley and Sara Evans and is done with Brad being the voice of Jesus and Sara being the voice and thoughts of Mary. It's a tear jerker and I hope it touches you all as it did me. God Bless You This Easter!!

Farming is For the Birds??

2009-03-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my husband and I were driving over the bridge to our house and looked over at the heap of corn that had just been brought in during corn harvest. Now normally, this would be no big deal except for this time the entire "corn mountain" was covered with little birds. I mean completely covered!! Hundreds and Hundreds of little birds covered this entire huge pile of corn. There were hundreds of birds flying in the air trying to get their turn as well. My first thought was...ooh gross, hope that isn't the corn that is going to be used for cornflakes!! But as we were driving away I thought...oh man God's word is so cool...he's using man's hands to feed the birds. So farming really is "for the birds"...but more from a provision standpoint. I wish I would have had a camera with me that day so I could fully illustrate this point.

Farming corn takes a lot of work. My grandfather was a farmer and so I have first hand knowledge at all the time, work and preparations that go into producing an acre of corn. I rode with my grandfather as we plowed the field getting it ready for planting. I got to watch the planter put the corn into the ground and rode with my grandfather as he turned the irrigation sprinklers on and off. I watched tiny grains of corn turn into huge giants. I used to get out sometimes when we were checking the fields and walk into the forest of corn...until a dumb horror movie came out about Nebraska and cornfields and I never entered a cornfield again! I also have ridden in a combine and watched the huge stalks of corn turn into a huge truckload of golden grains of profit!! I have watched as the corn was taken from the truck and loaded into the grain bins for drying and/or feeding to the cattle. I rode in the truck when we took it to the Coop to sell it as well. I know full well how much work goes into it. As an adult, even though I do not live or work on a farm, I look at what it costs to farm as well because the cost eventually trickles down to the final product sitting on my table.

So knowing the work that goes into corn made me realize how God uses the hard work of the farmer to feed even the birds. As the economic crisis pours into the midst of my own family, I have to continually meditate on God's word:

Matthew 6:25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to to his life?"

So why worry....if God will feed the birds...he will take care of EVERY one of my needs!!

Saw this really cool video that kind of went with my blog entry today:

The Red Tab, Disk Backup & God's Camcorder

2009-03-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

When we got back from vacation, I decided to start to do some work on my graphics and noticed that I was missing FOUR of my graphics/photo disks. I have absolutely no idea what happened to them, just that I can't find them!! lol!! The sad part is that in total if I was to estimate the total market value of them it is unbelieveable! I cried, I stomped and fretted, but there's nothing that I can do. One of them wasn't a big deal because it was a backup disk when our computer crashed of PSP tubes that I used to play with when I was learning how to play with my new program. My husband thinks that is one the disks that we had thrown away when the boys crushed it with the desk chair. The good news is most of the graphics that were on my original graphic disk are my name t-shirt graphics that are uploaded already to my t-shirt printer and my base graphics are backed up...sigh a breath of relief. I guess one would probably be initially worried about someone getting a hold of them, but I'm not. Working for a trademarking/copyright attorney was probably the best thing I could have ever done, because I protect every single one of my graphics, original writings, and designs which I encourage all starting graphic artists, writers, and designers to do. The point is, I got a little careless and should have had several copies of them like I've always done with my original photos!! I need to get a zip drive or portable drive....next major purchase on my business shopping list.

So that wasn't it...after that...I thought...oh man what about all of our videos that we've taken on the camcorder...I really need to get them put on DVDs!! So I pull out the camcorder...eagerly searching for Josiah's precious baby video. On this video we had baby Josiah about 10 months old in his crib raising his hand and saying "Paayyze Jesus!", as well as just after his birth, his first few months and the first time that his paternal grandfather met him. When Ray Sr. saw Raymond "Josiah" for the first time he cried tears of joy and that moment was all caught on tape now forever lost in erased video land. We had Josiah's first year on that tape and I was just dying to see all those short clips. So I start one of the videos and it's a tape of Brandon's football games a year ago...I run it forward to the end of the games and see this clip of the boys playing with leaves in our first house here that we were renting. Josiah is about 18 months or so in this video. Then it totally hits me....oh my goodness we taped over it!!! Not to mention the fact that I still can't find the video of Hannah's Front Street show either and I'm thinking that became a victim too!! Well I remembered, right about the time Brandon had football I was trying to figure out how to get the videos to the computer and had re-wound the tape and probably had it either in the bag or in the camera itself and well...you know the rest of the story. So in researching this week, just found out there is a little red tab thing that you click over and it prevents it from being recorded over!! Oh Gee where was that article almost two years ago.

Well the thing is...a tape is a tape and a graphic cd is a graphic cd. They have no life they have no spirit and they are just man-made things that will eventually turn to rubble, break or get lost...by a very disorganized mom!! I have the memories hidden in my heart and I plan to write a book (and hoping to recruit the hubby) for each of my children with all the special memories that I have of them and putting their pictures in them for them to keep. I am hoping that these memories in my words (and hopefully their dad's) will be something more significant that 50 short clips of their childhood. I know I have video clips of me as a very young child that were taken by my grandfather, but the memories that I have hidden in my heart, are 10 times more significant that the videos.

God has a video camera in his heart that he takes "videos" of everything I've said, done, and thought. They are forever transcribed into the Book of Life. He knows what you've done...good or bad. He knows every good and hurtful thing you have done to others. He knows every word you've said and every lie you have told, EVERYTHING!! It's kind of like a scrapbook or a baby book that a mother keeps of her children's milestones, except God does a better job and he does it for all his children from birth-death. When I think about that, I want to be more careful about what I say and what I do. It's also like a surveillance camera that can't be obstructed or shut down and sees EVERYWHERE!!

I want to spend more time with my husband and children, rather than sitting in front of a computer wasting time on message boards and networking sites. While I still need to design graphics and clothing, I still want to make sure that I give my husband and each of the boys a special moment alone every day.

This morning Josiah crawled up on the couch and snuggled me. I kissed him on the forehead and he kissed me back and said "I love you mommy! You are the best mommy ever!" I melted and my anger about the lost video subsided because I had the present and the future of this little boy to look forward to! Tonight rather than sit and finish a client order, I grabbed the big stack of books my four year old brought to me and read them all to him. When my seven year old needed help on something I immediately stopped what I was doing and took the time to help him rather than make him wait until I finished what I was doing. I took the time to pack a lunch for my hubby, chat with him and give him a huge hug as he headed out the door for work. THESE are the memories I want in my children's "mommy scrapbook" and God's Book of Life.

I don't want to be remembered as the mom who sits in front of the computer designing graphic after graphic, or networking, or crocheting. I want to be the mom who read that book, played that game, or sang that song with my child. They grow up way to fast and it just seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with Jonathan...working my last few weeks of the job...wondering what staying at home with my children would be like. God has truthfully blessed Ray and I and even though things are very tough for us right now, he gives us signs every day that we are special in his heart and that he will take care of us!! What is going to be on your "Life Video" when you die?

Pineapple, Cookies and Grandparents!

2009-03-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today Jonathan was digging in the food cupboard and pulled out a can of pineapple. He was talking about how this was one of his favorite foods. He said "I know how I got to like pineapple. Grandma Edwards used to give it to me every time we went to see her. I used to call her Pineapple Grandma." Brandon chimed in and said "Yep and you used to call Grandpa Edwards "Cookie Papa" because he gave you cookies when we saw him in Florida." My father in law has since passed away and is waiting for us in heaven. When he was alive however, he would make sure that he gave the boys his full love and attention when we saw him. Jonathan was only 18 months when we went to Florida to see my father-in-law and because he was so shy Grandpa bribed him with cookies to get him to come and sit in his lap. It was the perfect bond between them and for years after Ray Sr. passed away, my little boy would look up at me with his beautiful blue eyes and say "I miss cookie papa so much." I guess the way to Jonathan's heart is his stomach and Grandma Edwards followed suit and would give him pineapple chunks as a treat. That little boy I think would eat an entire can by himself when we were there. Like the cookies, it was something he identified with her and made her special in his heart. When they talk about my brother they identify the fact that he is the army and served our country. My children get to see my parents more often so it's hard to pinpoint that one memory that they identify them with. My mom is always doing some kind of project with the boys whether it's painting or baking. She also loves to read with the boys, something they enjoy very much. My dad is known for taking them out in the yard and letting them ride on the riding lawn mower with him, he also has an antique John Deere tractor that he often lights up at Christmas time, something they always love. My kids and I love to talk about all the good things that have happened in our lives, especially those family members that we do not get to see as often. I think it's so important with children to focus on the happy things of the past, especially when you have a situation like ours when the present isn't exactly cheery with some family relationships. I want my kiddos to remember the good times that they have had with these family members so that if they never see them again, that they will cherish THOSE memories. I have always tried to see the good in people no matter what they have done or said to me. I think it's just maybe a gift that God gave me to not dwell on bitterness and unforgiveness. God forgives us too for all the sins that we do against him. God sees us as the "apple of his eye", I think it's so cool that when God thinks of me, he thinks of the happy things that I have done and not the silly mistakes that I have made throughout my life. The other day my husband called me when he was on the train. He had been praying because there was a real possibility of being laid off from work that would put our family in a tremendous financial crisis. As the economy continues to decline they cut more and more positions from the railroad. It's something that we have been praying about daily. Ray told me in this phone conversation, that God had woke him up in the middle of the night and spoke to him in a small still voice and told him that he would rather cast the stars away which he knows by name then to ever let our dear family fall from his hands. In these trying economic times it's so important that we fix our eyes on our father who reminds us that we are the apple of his eye and he will not forget us.

Looks Like Just a Big Kitty to Me!!!

2009-02-25T16:48:00.001-08:00

This white tiger at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo is by far one of my favorite animals. Watching it lick itself was just absolutely amazing!!

Get Chores Done Without Nagging!!!

2009-02-21T10:01:00.001-08:00

You Know You Want One of These!!!!

2009-02-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

PB&J Creations one of my favorite designers is featuring a giveaway by Priddy Creations. The winner will get a free camera strap!! Her items are amazing and so gorgeous! Any photographer would love one of these!
Find out all the Details Here!!!

A Miracle From God That Still Amazes Me!!

2009-02-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Two years ago we had the most amazing thing happen at our house. The boys went outside to play and all of the sudden Jonathan came running in and told me that there was a baby cardinal in the yard to come see it. I went outside and saw this red bird on the lawn. I laughed and told him that it was the plastic bird from the solarium silly boy. He insisted that it was a "real" bird to come see. Sure enough just as I got near to him he moved a bit. I think he must have just been stunned or cold or something because he didn't look seriously injured or anything. The boys sat by him for a very long time and just oohed and awed over him. He barely moved. Jonathan told me that before I came out that Josiah actually had held him for a second. This bird was so beautiful and so peaceful, it was absolutely amazing. He finally must have warmed up sitting between the two boys as he eventually hopped away, flew to the mulberry tree and then after sitting there for awhile flew away. It was if God sent a special little angel to visit us for awhile. God is so amazing!! His creation is so amazing!! This is a memory that the boys and I will cherish forever!!

Boys & Basketball

2009-02-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

Brandon is playing middle school basketball this year. It's so fun to watch these fresh sports faces awkwardly moving across the court. I love watching them mimic the professionals only to have their ball fly off the backboard or wall!! I know, terrible momma!! What I also noticed is how awkward and kind of goofy looking boys are at that age. I thought man...when I was that age I thought boys were amazing!! I thought if just one of the boys talked to me, I was in heaven!! Then I grew up and became of mom of three boys...one of which is now an awkward 7th grader who could care less about girls!! Shows you what I knew!! Hopefully next week I will have pictures of him playing basketball!!

Math In the Kitchen

2009-02-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite activities with the boys is to let them help me bake in the kitchen. They love to get out the bowls and the measuring cups and often fight over who is going to do what. Like most homeschooling mommies, I try to make everything an educational lesson when I can. Cooking is such an excellent way to teach kiddos about fractions. Jonathan was having a hard time understanding what the numbers meant so I pulled out a 1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 Cup. I then asked him how many of the 1/8 cups it would take to fill the Cup..he wasn't sure, so I told him to fill the 1/8 cup with water, dump it into the 1 Cup and see how many it took. He was fascinated that it took EIGHT cups to do that so we said that this cup equals 1/8 of a full cup. We repeated this exercise with the remaining cups and when it came time to measure 3/4 of milk for the biscuits for the pigs in the blanket, he was ready to go and knew what the numbers meant!! I also use our cooking time to teach vocabulary, reading and of course home economics!! Yes...I mean..we had a lot of fun baking boys...now we need to clean it all up!! Have a Blessed Day!!

Evolution of a Repentant Sinner

2009-02-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

EVOLUTION OF A REPENTANT SINNER

SINNER
Hated, Slandered, Shunned
Mocked, Scorned, Repentant
JESUS
Salvation, Loved, Cleansed
Restored, Healed, Renewed
FORGIVEN

by Sherlyn Edwards 2009

I love this video that I found several months ago

and kind of thought it went with this poem!

If Only Losing Weight Was This Easy!!!!

2009-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

I totally am PMS-ing, bloated and feeling like the fish in this video!!! lol!!! Have a great Thursday!!!

Funny Video that Makes You Think!!

2009-01-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

My husband came across this video the other night and while absolutely hilarious we saw an underlying meaning in it. It's so easy to judge and laugh at others and to look at their weaknesses and mock them and point out their sins. It's quite another when your judging, mocking and choices expose you to your "nakedness"!! The birds in this clip are fighting amongst themselves until an outsider comes by. The outsider wants to be accepted into the group, however the little birds make fun of him and start "gossiping" about him with each other. The bird oblivious to their behavior jumps in between them trying to befriend them. The birds then proceed to vigorously attack the outsider until he is ready to let go of the line. Little do the the birds know that the entire time that they are spending attacking him, they put themselves in the line of fire and when he finally lets go they go flying into the air and come falling down without their feathers. A very cute little short by Pixar!!

While I know that this is just a simple cartoon, I feel that this can teach us so much about focusing on the sin of others. Sometimes it's so easy to look at the other guy or gal and point out how bad they are to everyone. It's not so fun when you are the one that gets exposed to your sin. God knows EVERYTHING you do, say, type or read. He knows your thoughts, your plans, and your dreams. He knew you even before you were born.

In Psalm 139:1-18, the great Psalmist writes:"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you."

It's amazing how even in our world of technology where every keystroke and website visit can be monitored by the government, website service, or web designer; that we completely forget that there is someone even bigger that knows even your thoughts even if you never let them be known to others. When you remember that you are always "exposed" to your sin by the one who created you; it makes it a little less more appealing to do what grieves him.

In Galatians 5:19-23, God tells us what he wants us to rid from our lives. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Does that mean that if you do bad things, you will not get to go to heaven. Absolutely not!!

God gave us his son Jesus Christ who bore the burden of all of your sins. In John 3:16-18 we are told, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." If you confess your sin to Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, you WILL inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Even if you screw up after accepting Him into your heart and life.

If you have accepted Jesus into your life, like I have but still find yourself falling into the same sins and temptations use this great prayer from the the Bible "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24. I've been saved since I was three and I'm still not perfect either and I have to pray daily for God's guidance.

God loves you so much and he wants to be with you and fellowship with you. Let him into your heart and life and you will see the difference he can make in your life. Does that mean you will be perfect and never do anything wrong again? Does it mean that everything will go well for you? Absolutely not!! But if you do sin, you can take that sin to the one who ALREADY knows what you have done, ask for forgiveness, and ask for his guidance on how to not fall into temptation again. If you go through hard times, you can lay your burdens upon him. He will help you, guide you and restore you. He will heal you, comfort you and bless you.

The text of this message is copyrighted by Sherlyn J. Edwards 2009.
Video by Pixar Studios and apparently a voice over was done by the You Tube poster.

Football, Friends & Prayer!!

2009-01-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday. It started out with church and worship where we did one of my favorite songs "You Raise Me Up". I absolutely love that song and being able to play the flute on that song makes it even better! I then had my Sunday school middle school class. They always seem to give me a new perspective on God and the world around us. We then were invited to a friends to watch football but thanks to the wonders of the cable company the game was halted for a bit. Ray asked me to go to our house and check if we had cable and we did so, we invited everyone to our house, so I quickly did a quick clean up of our weekend mess and within a few minutes Ray and his friends were watching football upstairs. After football they engaged in guy conversation and we all ended the evening in group prayer!! God is so amazing and Ray and I are so thankful for our Worship Team and friends. What an amazing end to a great weekend.

SATAN BITE THE DUST!!!!

2009-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I completely forget when I'm being attacked or hurt by someone, or when someone gets an unexpected illness, that we do not war against flesh and blood. This video by Carmen brought it back into prospective!!! TAAWWANNNDAA! Sword of the Spirit Coming at Ya!!!!

I LOVE JESUS!!! HOW ABOUT YOU!!!

2009-01-13T19:28:00.001-08:00

I totally love this video!!! ;-) God Loves You!!!!