Cummins Life

Happy 9th Birthday G

2025-08-07T12:02:00.006-05:00

Birthday Boy

G turned 9 on Sunday! We had his party over the weekend and it was so fun. He wanted a "panda playing baseball" party theme. David and I found the shirt above and it fit the theme perfectly!

G's 3 layered chocolate cake, it turned out so cute

some panda and baseball cupcakes

G with his cake!

Thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate!

Happy National Lighthouse Day

2025-08-07T11:50:00.002-05:00

National Donut Day

2025-06-06T22:11:00.001-05:00

Hope you were able to enjoy a sweet treat!

B graduated

2025-05-13T12:33:00.004-05:00

Miss B

We are so proud of B! She received her 1 year Bible Certificate over the weekend. I had a lovely time visiting her in Iowa and driving home the weather was absolutely beautiful.

Homemake Cookie Cake!

We had a nice Mother's Day celebration on my return :). Hope you had an amazing Mother's Day Weekend.

Show Me Your Glory Movie Review & Giveaway

2025-05-13T08:48:00.004-05:00

I have a new movie to share with you today, Show Me Your Glory! This just released in theaters today, May 13 so you can buy your tickets now.

Movie Synopsis: How do you explain ... the unexplainable? When does the impossible ... become possible? Why are some prayers for healing answered and others ... never are? Through true stories of the supernatural crashing into human
suffering, a compelling new documentary arrives in theaters this spring—unlocking
the possibility that the impossible still happens in our world. Meet experts who have studied miracles and suffering, discover true stories of the seemingly unbelievable, and be reminded that prayers can be answered in ways that we could never expect or imagine. If you or someone you love has ever pondered life’s deepest question—

“If there is a loving God, why is there so much suffering and evil in the world?”

David and I were able to watch a pre-screening of this powerful film. We saw hope, encouragement and awe as we watched many true stories of God intervening in people's lives. God uses real and everyday ordinary people from all walks of life. I love that He meets us where we are - whether that's a forest, a jail cell, a hospital room, a church...you get the idea. This film does a great job showing some of the ways that God works in miraculous ways and even some ways that He still works when miracles are not seen. We definitely recommend watching this thought-provoking and inspiring film!

Check out the trailer below!

Time for a giveaway! Want to win a $10 Amazon giftcard? Just comment on this blog post letting me know if you have ever had a supernatural experience, that's it! (This is limited to US winners only. Giveaway ends on May 18th at midnight.)

Disclosure: Many thanks to Abba Heart Ministries for providing a pre-screening for Show Me Your Glory. Opinions are 100% my own.

Happy Easter

2025-04-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

Graphic Design 101 Review

2025-03-28T13:10:00.004-05:00

I want to share with you an online graphic design course from Timberdoodle for middle school and high school students, Graphic Design 101. This course is published by Film School 4 Teens and is geared for students ages 12 and up or 6th-12th grade. This course has 12 Modules and will earn you a semester credit or 1/2 credit on your transcript. While the bulk of the course is online there is also a consumable workbook. You will have access to the pdf of the entire workbook with your online course so you can easily print from there. We printed all the necessary pages and put them in a class binder.

Above you can see inside our binder and The Table of Contents.

It is recommended to complete one module a week for 12 weeks. If this pace is too much you could also break each module into 3 parts - lesson, assignment, and workshop and complete one part every week. If you choose this route it will take you longer to complete. And likewise, you could speed it up - ultimately you decide. I love that you can pick your pace and what suits your needs.

Above you can see Lesson 1. There's an 8 minute introduction video which gives you an assignment to complete before watching the 16 minute workshop video, followed by some bonus content and a 5 question quiz.

When you watch the video, there is a corresponding fill-in the blank worksheet that you will complete. I like that the answers are a unique color and underlined on-screen for you.

Above you can see the fill-in the blank worksheet for Lesson 1.

And there are assignment pages that help you organize everything. You can see our pages above.

A close-up of some of the ads we chose

After completing the assignment you will watch the workshop video. You will watch 3 students go through the course with you and get feedback both from their peers and instructors. I really enjoyed having this aspect as it really helps you think and process your ideas.

Lastly, you will then complete the quiz for the lesson that usually references your fill-in-the-blank worksheets. You need to score a 70% or above to move on in the course. Notice, you have a course completion bar at the top left of your course so you can easily track your progress.

It was fun to get into applications in Lesson 2 and really dive into using CANVA.

I have really enjoyed talking through this class and completing it with D and E. It's been a really fun course and I have really enjoyed watching it myself.

We are currently on Lesson 4 and have completed 31% of the course so almost 1/3.

We just completed an assignment finding all the elements of design including line, shape, color, value, texture and space and recognizing these in the real world. One of the ads we found can be seen above. The chicken coming out of the race car is pretty phenomenal.

This course has been a great introduction to Graphic Design. It is well-designed, user friendly and fun. By learning fundamental concepts and gaining skills along the way, it helps you truly enter the realm of visual storytelling and design and not feel overwhelmed. I'm really looking forward to the final project and who knows, I just might have to create my very own logo! If you want to dip your toes into the Graphic Design world or are looking for a fun elective credit in Fine Art or Technology, this course is definitely worth looking into.

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received Graphic Design 101 in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

C's Senior Pics

2025-03-21T16:10:00.003-05:00

I can't believe C is about to graduate! He has been accepted at multiple colleges but is in the final stages of deciding where he wants to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, stay tuned. He recently took his senior pictures and I love how they turned out. Enjoy!

Timberdoodle's 52 Essential Social Skills Review

2025-03-21T15:54:00.003-05:00

I want to share with you a set of cards from Timberdoodle on social skills, 52 Essential Social Skills. These cards are geared for kids 5-9 years old or K-3rd grade and are manufactured by Mind Brain Parenting. It is suggested to use one or two cards a week to complete the deck within a typical school year; however, you can choose the best pace for your situation.

Our set includes the deck and a sturdy tin box

While this can be used as a typical deck of cards for games, this set has a bigger purpose. Each card contains a social conversation to help increase your child's social and emotional skills.

G is 8 years old and in 3rd grade so these have been fun to use with him!

Each suit in our deck has a specific focus area. The heart cards are focused on self-awareness, the diamond cards are focused on self management, the spade cards are focused on social awareness and the club cards are focused on relationship skills.

Above you can see an example from each suit

These cards seem to be geared towards kids in a traditional school setting.

Your friend told your teacher that you took her cookie from her lunchbox. You didn't take the cookie but saw someone else do it. How would you respond? How do you get them to believe you?
You bring a fancy pencil to class, and it falls on the floor. Another student picks it up and says it's their pencil. What would you do? What would you say?
You're playing soccer, but some students aren't playing fair. The teacher on duty stops the game and says no one can play soccer for the rest of the week. What would you do? Why do you need to respect this decision even when you did nothing wrong?
Your class is split into two teams to play a trivia game. Your team loses. Your friend from the winning team comes over to talk to you after the game. What would you say to your friend? Can you feel good and bad emotions at the same time?

We attend a weekly homeschool Co-Op and multiple sports and these settings present similar situations so it's been fairly easy to apply them to ourselves without any issue! These ready-to-use cards are both practical and valuable for parents to use both at home or on the go. I really like that these communication starter cards help kids learn valuable social skills like empathy, communication, self-awareness, relationship strengthening and so much more. It's been fun to see how G thinks and talk about numerous life situations with him in a relaxed environment. He is a very intelligent young boy with a great awareness for others! Our family also absolutely loves playing card games so having another deck is a bonus.

There are additional card sets available as well. You can also purchase the 52 Essential Interview Skills from Timberdoodle - we definitely need to check these out!

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received 52 Essential Social Skills in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2025-03-17T13:23:00.006-05:00

I hope you are wearing green!

Happy Pi Day

2025-03-14T20:32:00.005-05:00

Hope you had a chance to have a slice of pie today! We had cherry, pecan and chocolate silk for everyone to choose from.

Timberdoodle LogiBugs Review

2025-03-13T19:20:00.000-05:00

I have had the pleasure of sharing so many games with you recently. And they have been Smart Games, some of my absolute favorites. I want to share with you one more from Timberdoodle, LogiBugs! LogiBugs is a one player game recommended for kids 6 and older or 1st grade and up manufactured by Smart Games. It's target range is 1st-4th grade. If your child is less familiar with Smart Games this is a great introductory one.

Above you can see how our metal game board and magnetic ladybugs work together.

What's included in our game?

Our set includes one metal game, 12 magnetic ladybugs (5 red ladybugs with 1-5 dots, 4 orange ladybugs with 1-4 dots and 3 yellow ladybugs with 1-3 dots) and a booklet containing 48 challenges and their solutions. The 48 challenges increase in difficulty from Starter, Junior, Expert, and Master with each grouping containing 12 challenges.

Our Game

How do you play?

Players will choose a challenge. The various challenges give hints about the location of some of the ladybugs. A rectangle with a color means that a player must put a ladybug with that specific color in that location, the dot number does not matter. A rectangle with a white ladybug with a certain number of dots means that a player must put a ladybug with the specific number of dots shown in that location, the color does not matter. And lastly, a rectangle with a colored ladybug and certain number of dots means that a player must put a ladybug at that location that is that color and contains that specific number of dots as well.

Players will then figure out how to place the remaining ladybugs on the game board so that all the bugs of the same color family form a chain either horizontally or vertically. The ladybug with one dot will also be next to the ladybug with two dots, which will be next to the ladybug with three dots and so on. Get it? Each challenge has one unique solution, which can be found at the back of the challenge booklet.

Challenge 1: On the top left you can see the set-up for Challenge 1 and under it you can see the solution. On the top right, you can see our board set-up and under it you can see that we completed the solution correctly! The ladybugs are in order of dots and stay in their color chains. Easy Peasy.

G working through a challenge

F working through a challenge while G watches

I love that LogiBugs is hands-on and great for both visual and kinesthetic learners as is all our Smart Games! And I'm a huge fan of the travel aspect of this particular game. Our metal tin is compact and thin and easy to take along or place in a backpack. The magnetic factor on both sides of the tin with the ladybugs makes it easier for the pieces to stay together and we are less likely to lose them - a win-win in my book.

I think this would be a phenomenal game to include in a Unit Study on ladybugs! Have you ever raised ladybugs? Years ago we ordered ladybug larvae from Insect Lore and it was so fun. The kids really enjoyed watching the larvae go through the process of becoming adult ladybugs. I need to do this again with the younger boys! This would also be great to have for a ladybug Unit Study. And on that note, I created a ladybug word search for you to use. Enjoy!

LogiBugs is another great one player game from Smart Games. Like its counterparts, it encourages concentration, planning, problem solving and flexible thinking. And if you have a ladybug lover or want to do a fun unit study, you will absolutely want to check it out!

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received LogiBugs in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy National Cereal Day

2025-03-07T14:48:00.002-06:00

Hope you get to enjoy a bowl (or two) today!

Timberdoodle Smart Dog Game Review

2025-02-28T15:25:00.004-06:00

I want to share with you today a fun game from Timberdoodle, Smart Dog. Smart Dog is a one player game recommended for kids 7 and older or 2nd grade and up manufactured by Smart Games.

Game Contents

What's included in our game?

Our set includes the compact game board with transparent lid, 1 dog trainer, 1 dog, 6 obstacle puzzle pieces and a booklet containing 60 challenges and their solutions. The 60 challenges increase in difficulty from Starter, Junior, Expert, Master, and Wizard.

How do you play?

Some dogs tackle obstacle courses easily, showcasing both their agility and intelligence, while for others it can be more of a learning curve. If you have ever watched dogs run agility courses you know they can be fun and impressive! With Smart Dog, your child can create a path for their "smart dog" to run through its own agility course. Smart Dog is visually appealing with it's various bright colors and the obstacles are fun (bridge, tubes, hoop). Your dog travels in a straight line until an obstacle changes its direction. As your child creates each obstacle course for their pup, they'll not only be entertained but also be incrementally challenged. The 60 various challenges increase in difficulty from easy to difficult with five levels - Starter, Junior, Expert, Master, and Wizard.

Above, you can see the first 8 challenges at the Starter level

These easier challenges show the positions of some of the obstacles.

Above, you can see the last 4 challenges at the Wizard level

These harder challenges only show you the positions of the dog and the trainer.

So a player will choose a challenge from the booklet. They will place the dog and the trainer on the indicated positions on the game board. Then, they will place the obstacles on the game board to create a path from the dog to the trainer. They will use every obstacle only once. The dog can only move horizontally or vertically from square to square, not diagonally. The dog's path will follow a straight line until the path is changed by a curved obstacle. The dog's path can go over empty squares in any direction horizontally or vertically and sometimes it will cross the same square on the board twice but from a differing direction. The path goes underneath the dark blue bridge. Each challenge has one unique solution.

The unique solutions for each challenge can be found at the back on your challenge booklet.

Above, you can see the solutions for the first four challenges.

It takes a little getting used to the pieces as you place them on the game board. I love that Smart Dogs is hands-on and great for both visual and kinesthetic learners!

G setting up Challenge 30

Finished! G solved this one in under 20 minutes :)

Smart Dogs is another one player gem from Smart Games. Smart Dog encourages concentration, planning, problem solving and flexible thinking and this one has become a fan favorite with the younger boys. They absolutely love the idea of training their own dog. If you are looking for a creative single player logic game, we highly recommend Smart Dog. It's fun and makes you think and works for a variety of ages.

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received Smart Dog in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy National Floral Design Day

2025-02-28T15:00:00.001-06:00

Timberdoodle Know Your Body Set 2 Review

2025-02-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

I want to share with you a book set from Timberdoodle, Know Your Body Set 2. As the name implies there is a set 1 of these books as well which cover the circulatory system, respiratory system and nervous system. This set consists of 3 books that cover the digestive system, renal system and skeletal system.

The Contents of our books

These worktexts are filled with comics and games to help your student learn and enjoy the journey of health. Each book is 64 pages and helps present science in a fun and age-appropriate way for younger learners! These books are recommended for kids 10 and older or 5th grade and up and are published by Know Yourself. We attend a weekly CoOp and one of F's classes this year is Anatomy. This book set has been a fun way to dive a bit deeper into a few of the bodies systems and learn more about them. We started with the Skeletal System Book.

F with our Skeletal System Book

(next to a skeleton he made)

Above, you can see F working on a Word Search activity

I really like the information pages. They are colorful, fun and F enjoys them a lot.

A bone matching activity

We are now moving onto the Digestive System book!

F learning about the pancreas

(next to a body we are working on with all his organs)

It is suggested to complete 8 pages a week for this 3 book series to finish this curriculum in ~ 24 weeks; however, these books are self-pace so you can work through them as best fits your needs. If you are planning to study anatomy or are looking for a fun science series for your student, we definitely recommend this set!

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received Know Your Body Set 2 in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy Valentine's Day

2025-02-14T09:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you know how much you are loved.

Happy 21st A

2025-01-22T12:17:00.000-06:00

I just want to give a shout-out to A, Happy 21st! Dad and I are beyond proud of you. Hope you have a fantastic day and an even better year.

Happy 11th Birthday F

2025-01-05T15:59:00.003-06:00

This guy turned 11 yesterday! Super late last night to be exact. We love him to pieces :).

Blowing out his candles!

A close up of his cake - decorated with chocolate rocks.

Merry Christmas 2024

2024-12-31T12:39:00.006-06:00

Our Tree Christmas Morning

I'm a little late to post but I hope you had a fabulous Christmas! It has been fun to see the kids bake, decorate cookies, play games and just hang out as a family.

Birthday Cake for Jesus looked like a present this year

I love how the kids Christmas PJs turned out - they have Sarge on them!

And a silly one for fun!

In progress decorating, the kids are getting good at this.

I can't believe 2024 is almost at an end! We are headed to a movie in just a bit. Hope 2025 is phenomenal for everyone!

Happy 1st Birthday Sarge

2024-12-21T22:19:00.000-06:00

So, we did a thing in March - we got a rescue puppy! And today he turns 1. We just love him. Happy Birthday Sarge!

CursiveLogic Speeches and Writings in American History

2024-12-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

I have another Timberdoodle product to share with you today! This time it's CursiveLogic Speeches and Wiritings in American History. This spiral bound book is geared for ages 11-18 or 5th-12th grade. I am currently using it with F (who is 10 years old in 5th grade). He is a little on the young side but I love that it pairs with our curriculum so nicely. We are studying American History this year and it fits in perfectly.

If you are unfamiliar with CursiveLogic, it is made to be a faster way to learn cursive because rather than teaching the alphabet letter by letter as in most cursive programs, CursiveLogic's method focuses on four basic letter shapes - oval, loop, swing and mound. This idea is for students to master cursive handwriting at a much faster pace. This workbook is designed for students who are already familiar in the CursiveLogic method. It is perfect for honing handwriting skills while enhancing U.S. History studies. Those unfamiliar with cursive can also benefit from this workbook, but there will probably be a small adjustment period.

Table of Contents

This book is split into 2 main sections. The first section contains 12 review lessons (tracing, practicing the strokes, letter strings, capitals letters, form, etc.) while the second part includes 18 weeks of work, designed to be used 3 days a week. Students will begin to develop cursive proficiency through tracing exercises and guided writing or good old fashion copywork. It is suggested to complete 2 assignments a week to finish within a school year. Of course, you can choose your child's pace and what works best within your homeschool and for your particular child. I love that students explore distinguished Americans from Patrick Henry to George Washington and many more! These work sections begin with a brief biography, portrait with a narrative for students to copy.

George Washington

It has been super fun to line this up with F's reading books. He is currently reading about George Washington so he is also doing this section in his CursiveLogic! I really enjoy when subjects come together in this way.

CursiveLogic Speeches is part of Timberdoodle's 5th Grade Curriculum Kit.

I like how friendly this curriculum is to use. It is spiral bound at the side so it stays together nicely and remains flat, which is a huge plus for a handwriting program. If you are looking for a cursive program and you are planning on studying American history this is a great find.

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. Timberdoodle sent my family CursiveLogic Speeches and Writings in American History in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are my own.

CSB Grace Bible For Kids Review & Giveaway

2024-12-05T11:48:00.001-06:00

I want to share with you today the CSB Grace Bible for Kids! This unique Bible was created in partnership with Holman Bibles, 2K/DENMARK and Cambridge University. It is designed to specifically enhance readability for children with all levels and varieties of dyslexia and other reading challenges. We received the blue LeatherTouch edition and it's beautiful. I love the vibrancy of the blue and simplicity of the front cover.

Inside our Bible, The Ten Commandments

How does it do this? The CSB Grace Bible for Kids features innovative typeface, layout and design principles. These principles include added space between letters, words, lines and paragraphs as well as distinct letter forms. I love that this Bible version helps include and encourage children with reading challenges to dive into God's word. And while, my kids do not personally have reading challenges, I still appreciate this design and approach and I'm excited to add it into our Bible time.

Another sneak peek inside

It has some great visual maps as well!

Want to order your own CSB Grace Bible for Kids - check it out at CSBGraceBibles.com and order today! Grace Bibles for adults are also available. These would be fantastic Bibles for kids and make for a unique gift as well.

Giveaway: Enter to win a CSB Grace Bible for Kids blue LeatherTouch edition! Limited to US winners only. And sorry guys, this giveaway is a quick one. It ends 12/10. Simply comment on this blog post and let me know who this Bible would be for, that's it!

And for the perfect gift for everyone on your list, be sure and check out the Holman Gift Guide.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Lifeway Christian Resources for providing a Grace Bible for Kids for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Upcoming Film from Angel Studios: Homestead

2024-11-20T15:36:00.003-06:00

I have an upcoming movie to share with you, Homestead! David and I were so blessed to watch an advanced screening.

About the film: Based on the best-selling book series Black Autumn, Homestead: The Movie launches an epic post-apocalyptic journey, hitting theaters on December 20th. This intense family survival drama follows Jeff Ericksson, an ex-Green Beret, who takes on the role of head of security at “The Homestead”—a fortified compound designed for survival in a world teetering on the edge of collapse. As society unravels, Jeff’s resilience and leadership are put to the ultimate test, anchoring the gripping story that unfolds. Don’t miss your chance to experience this powerful tale.

You will definitely want to keep this movie on your radar to see! And good news - even though Homestead doesn't hit theaters until December 20th, you can purchase advanced tickets! And did I mention there is a 300K Homestead giveaway for early ticket buyers, don't miss your chance to win that as well!

Enjoy the trailer below!

Also, get to know some of the actors as they explain more about the contest. I always love getting to see people in the real world.

Disclosure: Huge thanks to Angel Studios for sending me an advanced screener of Homestead. All opinions are my own. For Giveaway *** LIMIT OF FOURTEEN THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED (14,100) ENTRIES PER PERSON/EMAIL ADDRESS. *** NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE OR PAYMENT DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. The 300K Instant Homestead Giveaway is open only to legal residents of the 48 Contiguous U.S. States (VOID in AK and HI) & DC, 21 or older. Void elsewhere and where prohibited.. Promotion starts 10/17/24 and ends 12/22/24. To enter, visit https://angel.com/homesteadgiveaway . Sponsor: Angel Studios, 295 W Center Street, Provo, UT 84601. Subject to complete Official Rules at https://bit.ly/HomesteadSweeps.

Timberdoodle IQ Gears

2024-11-15T12:34:00.003-06:00

I want to share with you today a fun game from Timberdoodle, IQ Gears. IQ Gears is a one player game recommended for kids 7 and older or 3rd grade and up. Even adults will enjoy getting their brain in gear!

What's included in our game?

Our set includes the compact game board with transparent lid, 7 puzzle pieces with gears and a booklet containing 120 challenges and their solutions. The 120 challenges increase in difficulty from Starter, Junior, Expert, Master, and Wizard.

Above you can see the 7 different colored gears pieces and their various shapes. Also notice the big wheels on the side of our game board, these are important.

How do you play?

Simply try to fit all the gears on the game board. When the solution is correct, the pieces will connect and the big wheels on the side of the game board will spin together! That's it. Challenges begin easy and progressively get harder as there are five levels: Starter, Junior, Expert, Master and Wizard.

First 8 challenges at the Starter level

You can see that these challenges are easier as they give you the outline shapes of every piece in the puzzle.

So a player will choose a challenge from the booklet. The challenge will show them which puzzle pieces to place on the game board and where to place them. Players will continue to play pieces on the game board.

They are finished when all pieces fit and they have created a connection between the big gears (wheels) on the right and left of the game board (see above diagram).

A player needs to pay special attention to the placement of the gears in some of the challenges, especially when setting up the board to begin. This can be seen in the Expert challenges above. This does not apply in the Starter challenges.

The Master challenges only show the position of all the gears, you have to figure out the position of the full puzzle pieces.

F was my first to play IQ Gears

F double checking to see that he has the solution correct!

G was next to play.

G is trying various combinations in the photo above as he works one of the Expert challenges.

If you have previously read my blog you know that we really enjoy Smart Games and own a plethora of them. Smart Games encourage concentration, planning, problem solving and flexible thinking and we 💕 them. It's so great to have a selection of creative and quality single player games in our home and IQ Gears fits right into the mix. I also love that they are relatively inexpensive and make great gifts! If you are looking for a new single player logic game, we highly recommend IQ Gears. It's fun and makes you think!

Disclosure: Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger. I received IQ Gears in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.