Health, Beauty, Children & Family

Beyond the Classroom: Our 2026 "Low-Tox" Family Reset

2026-01-04T03:11:00.002-06:00

It’s been a little while since I’ve sat down to write, but if there is one thing that has been consuming my heart and my "research brain" lately, it’s Environmental Wellness. When I first started this blog, I focused heavily on homeschooling and product reviews. As my family has grown and evolved, so has my focus. I’ve realized that the environment we create inside our homes is just as important as the education we provide.

In 2026, we are bombarded with news about microplastics and "forever chemicals" (PFAS). It can feel overwhelming, but I’ve found that a "Low-Tox" Reset isn't about being perfect—it’s about making better swaps that protect our kids' developing systems and our own long-term health.

Here are the four high-impact, low-tox swaps we’ve made this year that are actually worth the hype.

1. The Art Supply Audit (Homeschoolers, Take Note!)

If you’re still using traditional paraffin-based crayons or scented markers, this is the easiest place to start.

The Swap: Trade paraffin crayons for 100% Beeswax or Soy-based crayons.
Why? Paraffin is a byproduct of petroleum. When kids (especially little ones) get it on their skin or—let's be honest—in their mouths, they are absorbing those chemicals.
My Pick: Honeysticks or Filana beeswax crayons. The pigment is richer, and they smell incredible.

2. Ditching the "Fragrance" in the Laundry Room

"Fragrance" or "Parfum" is often a loophole for thousands of undisclosed chemicals, including phthalates which can disrupt hormones.

The Swap: Switch to Wool Dryer Balls instead of dryer sheets, and look for "Fragrance-Free" or "EWG-Verified" detergents.
The Result: If your children struggle with eczema or "mystery" skin sensitivities, this is often the culprit. Since we switched, our "laundry itch" has completely vanished.

3. Smart Kitchen Swaps: Moving Away from Plastic

We’ve known about BPA for years, but 2026 research is showing that even "BPA-free" plastics can leach chemicals when heated (or even when worn down).

The Swap: Stainless Steel or Glass. For homeschool lunches on the go, I’ve moved entirely to stainless steel bento boxes.
Pro-Tip: If you aren't ready to buy all new Tupperware, simply stop putting your plastic containers in the dishwasher. The high heat accelerates the breakdown of the material.

4. Supporting the Nervous System (The "Internal" Low-Tox)

Toxins aren't just physical; stress hormones are toxic to our health too! As a family, we’ve introduced "Sensory Minutes."

The Routine: We use weighted lap pads during reading time and have replaced bright overhead lights with "warm" or amber-toned lamps in the evening.
The Beauty Connection: Mom, this helps you too! Lowering your cortisol (stress hormone) is the #1 way to prevent premature aging and "inflammaging."

Final Thoughts: Progress Over Perfection

Starting a low-tox journey can feel like an all-or-nothing mission, but I promise it’s not. Pick one category this month, maybe it’s your cleaning supplies or your kids' art bin, and make the switch when your current products run out. I switched over to as much glass in my kitchen as possible and using plastic as a last resort. It cost me a little bit more but was worth it. I also aim to purchase glass products from Anchor since it's made in the USA.

I’m so curious: Have you made any non-toxic swaps lately that you’ve fallen in love with? Let’s chat in the comments!

Returning to Blogging: Finding Balance in Health, Beauty, and Homeschooling

2025-11-12T06:34:00.002-06:00

After taking a much-needed break, I’m finally back — and more inspired than ever. Stepping away from blogging gave me perspective. It reminded me that sometimes we all need to pause, breathe, and realign with what truly matters: family, faith, and the way we care for our minds, bodies, and homes.

Why I Took a Break

Life has a way of piling up — lessons to plan, meals to prep, kids to teach, and a never-ending cycle of responsibilities that make self-care feel optional. But over time, I realized that my creative energy, health, and even patience as a homeschooling parent were all connected.

That’s when I decided to take a step back, recharge, and rebuild my daily rhythm — one rooted in wellness, grace, and creativity.

Reconnecting with Health and Beauty

During my time away, I revisited the basics: nourishing food, gentle movement, skincare that feels good, and routines that nurture instead of drain. Beauty, I’ve learned, isn’t about perfection — it’s about showing up each day feeling grounded and grateful.

In this new chapter of the blog, I’ll be sharing:

Simple, holistic health tips that actually fit into busy homeschooling days.
Clean beauty finds that support radiant skin and peace of mind.
Mindful moments that remind us that self-care isn’t selfish — it’s essential.

Homeschooling with Heart

Homeschooling has always been a big part of my life — equal parts joy and challenge. Returning to blogging gives me space to share not only the lesson plans and resources but also the laughter, messes, and life lessons that happen between subjects.

Expect posts about:

Creative, low-stress lesson ideas that encourage curiosity.
Organization tips to bring calm to the chaos.
The spiritual side of learning — helping kids grow in wisdom and wonder.
Hobbies such as hobby gardening, grape vine management, genealogy and Daughters of the American Revolution/War of 1812 and more!

What’s Next

This space will once again be my journal, classroom, and creative corner. I’ll be blending health, beauty, and homeschooling with personal reflections on faith, family, and balance.

If you’re someone who’s juggling it all and still trying to make time for yourself — you’re in the right place.

Who knows what else might be discussed and if you have any ideas, please leave a comment!

The Ten Commandments for Children by author Ron Cammenga

2023-05-09T06:10:00.003-05:00

This book was provided as a review. No other compensation was provided.

The The Ten Commandments for Children by author Ron Cammenga is a lovely book geared towards children to help teach them the importance of the Ten Commandments. The table of contents is broken into 28 easy to read sections to help provide a manageable way to teach each commandment to young minds. The book is also filled with additional Bible versus, discussion questions, and songs to aid in the entertainment and learning aspects. Mr. Cammenga wrote the book not only to serve as an instructional but as a devotional. Another nice feature are QR codes that will link to the 1912 United Presbyterian Psalter for those that enjoy seeing the Psalms.

The book provides each topic or chapter in a two page colorful spread. First is the notation to which Bible verse and then a "Let's Learn a Bible verse." The amount of text present is just enough to not overwhelm the children while still captivating their attention. Each two page spread provides a colorful illustration that correlates with the theme along with a "Let's talk it over" series of questions such as "What is God's law?" I think this is a great way to ensure the child understood what he or she just heard or read as well as to answer any questions they might have had. The last feature of each topic includes a "Let's sing" notation of a Psalm.

Mr. Cammenga does an excellent job explaining different aspects of the Ten Commandments. Such as in the beginning, he explains the importance of the number ten by utilizing key sentences from the Bible as well as further explaining how we have ten fingers and toes and how it wouldn't be good of we were missing some of those nor if we had extra fingers and toes. Ten is the perfect number he explains. I think the words used throughout the book makes it easy to understand.

The foundations of living a good life are contained in the Ten Commandments. It's the ultimate addition to the Bible itself in being Godly and an excellent beginning to ensuring our children are living the best that they can. My grandsons enjoyed the book and the questions. It was enjoyable to see my older grandson respond to the questions and listen to his thought processes. The illustrations reminded me of books when I was young.

You can pre-order now:

The Ten Commandments for Children

Also, read what is available online about what this book teaches children...

what God’s law is: his ten words to his people
how we obey God's law: by loving him and our neighbor
why we keep God's law: to thank him for delivering us from our sin, to be assured that he has made us his children, and more

When we teach children about God’s law, we teach them about Jesus Christ. Jesus obeyed perfectly each one of the commandments in God’s law and died for all the times we have not kept God’s law.

This book explains and applies each commandment in two to three chapters, covering both what God forbids and requires. Chapters include discussion questions, a Bible memory verse, and a related psalm to be sung.

-

Ronald L. Cammenga is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament Studies at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary in Wyoming, Michigan. He is a former pastor, and he and his wife, Rhonda, have eleven children and many grandchildren living in four states.

Ana Sebastián is a digital illustrator and visual development artist based in Madrid, Spain. Ana also likes to work with colored pencils and watercolors and enjoys reading and traveling in her free time.

Cloud Nine Villas is Truly a Cloud Nine Experience in Florida

2021-11-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

*Disclaimer: I did not receive anything in exchange for this post.

We recently stayed around 10 days in sunny Florida which is something we do often. When we do venture out to the sunshine state, we rent a home typically from VRBO. We have had some repeat stays at some homes but due to a previous stay, the usual home had deteriorated so it was time to find a new one. I spend weeks trying to find the perfect home with a pool. The home is important as I want a clean updated one that will provide enough room for everyone. The most important aspect for me, is the pool. I want privacy but that goes pretty much hand in hand with the ability to have pool heat. I don't mind having to pay for pool heat but it needs to be functional. That was why the last house lost a customer as the pool heat was non-existent. There were owner claims made time and time again but when you have to brace yourself to submerge into the artic blast, it's not making for a very fun outing. With all that said, I will share how wonderful this newest rental, Cloud Nine Villas was.

First, the owners are simply amazing and have the very best communication. I did not need to communicate with them rather it was just in the process of prepping for the trip, and they were very proactive along with the property management group. Everything worked as planned upon arrival. At the last rental home, we had to phone the property manager and the owner to get in because the code didn't work. We were able to gain entry on the first attempt at our new found rental home of our dreams.

Second, the home was beautifully decorated in expensive furnishings. No money was spared to make this home appear as a five-star dream vacation. The appliances were modern and clean and every bathroom was stocked with extra supplies of soap and toilet paper to which I've not experienced before. The kitchen was fully equipped allowing vacationers to cook and enjoy family time even more. There was an abundance of smart televisions which allowed us to log in to our Amazon Prime account to experience the comforts at home. In the upstairs family room, there was a Playstation 3 with some games and movies. Downstairs, there were music CDs and books to read. Everything was clean too! It's also nice to be able to return home with clean clothes and the washer and dryer set allowed that! They even had a small game room with a pool table along with a couple of bikes to ride within the beautiful community. Every morning, we would take walks throughout the neighborhood and around the golf course. They were conveniently close to the best grocery store ever, Publix, and many food eateries.

Third, the pool. The pool was absolutely amazing and the best we've ever experienced in all the years of renting homes. It had a small splash area for little children, an amazing waterfall on one corner, and in the other corner, a hot tub. The water was the perfect temperature as well. Another issue with previous rentals was a lack of pool furniture and space to lay out. This home was perfect. The sun would move around the pool area around 10:00 am and stayed until sundown. The pool overlooked a golf course so there was a rogue golf cart here and there that might elicit a friendly wave from one of the golfers. On either side of the home are neighbors but I think they might have been rental homes as no one was ever there. There was a huge shrub barrier that provided privacy even if someone had been home. Even the pool cleaner was exceptionally nice and efficient. There are lights that can be controlled to different colors and there was nothing more wonderful than to watch the vibrant sunsets each night either from the deck or inside.

It was really a cloud nine vacation and couldn't have been more pleased with the rental home. We have not stayed in Florida during the month of October and would return as we had sunny days with the exception of a day or a few hours on some days. It's also close enough to Disney and Universal to enjoy them without a long drive. If a pool is top of your list along with privacy, this is the home for you. We definitely plan to return! Next time if you are planning a trip, check out Cloud Nine Villas as you won't regret it!

Eagle Ridge Ranch in Idaho is a Must Visit Western #Travel Destination

2021-06-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

We just returned from a whirlwind vacation that started in El Paso, Texas and took us through Westminster, Colorado to see the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park being built to Mt. Rushmore, over to Yellowstone with a stop at Eagle Ridge Ranch in Island Park, Idaho. We stayed at many places along the way with the worse being a Holiday Inn in Cody, Wyoming but the very best place was Eagle Ridge. We found them via a brochure at the visitor center for Yellowstone and what caught our eye were the activities. It was a one stop fun fulled vacation stay over for everyone. What started out with giving the girls a trail ride turned into an overnight relaxing stay.

The area was beyond beautiful and the owners and staff were very pleasant and accommodating. Our primary decision for staying other than the beauty was in fact the niceness of everyone there. Our stop first included purchasing the trail ride which is set for certain times but you can pay extra for a private tour guide which we did because of the number of other visitors who showed up. 30 isn't an unmanageable amount but we wanted to ensure the girls would get more personalized attention. After seeing the cowboys (aka guides) split up the groups into smaller sizes, I realized it wouldn't have been a problem but I still liked the idea of us having our own cowboy guide. The ride was longer than expected and too long for an inexperienced little six year old. Our cowboy's name (have to call him that because it sounds better - wink) was Tyler and I can tell you that my six year old really liked him. I never saw her talk to anyone as much as she did him. He was very gracious and good with her as she started to get a bit whiny wanting to know 'how many more hours we had.' He played along with her and even noticed she needed some water so made sure she took a drink.

The scenic trail ride was full of such beauty and we took in many different views of the ranch since they had over 2000 acres. Our guide answered all of our questions and exhibited such professionalism and kind manners. He was very patient with my little ones and even offered to stop and take photographs of us experiencing this memorable trip.

Later, we tried our hands at fishing eventually retiring for the night in the cabin that was loaded with everything one would need. It was rustic yet modern and had a microwave, refrigerator, stove, coffee maker and toaster along with linens and dishes. It even had Direct TV, a VCR/DVD player and your phone would actually work. I mention this as we stayed at a cabin the night before and we had no phone service or TV. You couldn't ask for a better place than this and the price is right. There are hot tubs on each porch and a grill for a fun filled night of dinner and s'mores. Much to our surprise, we also enjoyed complimentary paddle boats, regular fishing boats, canoes, fishing poles and another area to swim that included more paddle boats and a giant inner tube looking thing that looked like it could fit around 20 people to sit, lay on or to jump off into the lake to swim. While fishing, you get the beauty of seeing free roaming horses who might even greet you as a delightful experience to my children.

Everything about Eagle Ridge is breath taking and beautiful! I've already told my friends and family that this IS the place to plan your next vacation. I have no complaints other than we had to return home as this was a stopping point on the return back. We went a little down the road to eat at a lodge and the people there were also very nice and the food was delicious with no wait. This was the perfect vacation spot and they have activities for summer and winter!

Check out Eagle Ridge in Idaho here by clicking the link.

Best Anti-Aging Vitamins: 5 Supplements to Help Turn Back the Clock

2021-03-31T14:30:00.003-05:00

Source

While aging may not be the most pleasant experience, the memories, experiences, and life lessons we learn along the way are invaluable. But what if someone told you there are ways to stop, or at least limit, the symptoms of aging. With help from specific vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, we can help rewind our body’s biological clock by replenishing valuable nutrients that we lose with age. That being said, aging is inevitable, and symptoms are almost impossible to avoid altogether. If anything, utilizing this collection of nutrients can help improve quality of life and raise bodily optimization.

What Happens When We Age?

As we age, our body stops producing certain chemical compounds previously in excess when we were younger. Additionally, our telomeres shorten with age. Telomeres help protect the ends of our chromosomes from deteriorating. When our telomeres shorten, our body’s cells go through a negative transformation that drastically affects an individual’s health and lifespan.

Shorter telomeres have been associated with an increased risk of disease and lower survival rates. Most of the symptoms related to aging are cognitive. Yes, our hair turns grey, and we start to get wrinkles, but the slow cognitive decline is the most reported and impactful result of aging. So let’s take a look at some supplements that can help reduce these effects.

1. Curcumin

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. Turmeric is a spice that comes from the turmeric root and is used mostly in Asian dishes. Curcumin is rated highly for its powerful anti-aging effects due to its antioxidant properties.

Antioxidants are substances that help protect your cells against free radicals, which may play a role in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

Additionally, this antioxidant protects our cells from cellular senescence. Cellular senescence occurs when cells stop dividing, and as we age, these cells accumulate, accelerating aging and the progression of age-related diseases.

You can easily increase your curcumin intake by incorporating turmeric in dishes or by taking curcumin supplements!

2. CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is another antioxidant that is self-produced by your body. It is responsible for energy production and protecting cells from damage. As we age, our levels of CoQ10 begin to decline, and symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog become more and more apparent.

In 2015, researchers ran an experiment to test the effects of supplemented CoQ10 in 443 older adults. The study found that supplementing CoQ10 and selenium (an element that aids metabolism) over four years improved their overall quality of life, reduced hospital visits, and slowed the deterioration of mental performance.

Though CoQ10 shows the potential to be a powerful anti-aging supplement, there still needs to be more research and definitive evidence before it can be recommended as a natural way to prevent aging. Make sure to talk to a health care professional before trying it out.

3. Vitamin B12

Ah, yes, trusty vitamin B12. This keystone vitamin aids our body in numerous ways, like keeping our nerve and blood cells healthy. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia that makes people tired and weak.

Aside from its “inner body benefits,” such as added energy and cognitive clarity, B12 can also aid our bodies cosmetically. It can help improve our appearance by reducing skin redness, inflammation, and dryness. It can also reduce hair breakage and help nails become stronger.

Our bodies don’t produce B12 naturally, but we can obtain it through various foods like fish, eggs, and chicken. Different types of vegetables, such as mushrooms, are high in B12 as well. B12 is also available as a daily supplement and can be found at your local pharmacy or natural food store.

4. Vitamin D

Weakening immune systems are a sure sign of aging. At some point, catching a common cold will have a much more significant impact than it did when we were younger. Thankfully, a new UK research study has found that Vitamin D can have a positive effect on the immune system and help offset some age-related health issues.

It is also widely accepted throughout the scientific community that vitamin D compounds protect the skin against the hazardous effects of many skin aging-inducing agents, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

You absorb vitamin D naturally through the sun’s rays, but vitamin D supplements are widely accessible at any pharmacy or vitamin shop if you want an extra boost.

5. NAD+ Treatment

And last, but certainly not least, NAD+ treatment. Yes, we know this isn’t a vitamin or antioxidant, but its potential is something we cannot overlook. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is one of the most potent anti-aging molecules you can put into your body. In short, NAD+ keeps your cells “young” and helps to rewind your biological clock.

NAD+ treatment is relatively new on the scene. As of right now, the FDA has only given the green light for oral NAD+ supplements. However, injecting NAD+ intravenously is a very efficient way to receive the nutrient, as it allows for almost 100% bioavailability.

NAD+ treatment can last anywhere from two to six hours and has been reported by some as being quite uncomfortable. Some patients have reported nausea, chest tightness, and lightheadedness. Fortunately, these symptoms are short-lived and pretty much counteracted by the treatment’s lasting impact on energy levels, mental clarity, and overall sense of rekindled youth.

Conclusion

Aging is inevitable, we all know that. As we age our body slowly stops performing at maximum efficiency and there is no way around that. These supplements and treatments are in no way the “end all be all” for aging symptoms, but what they do provide is a higher quality of life and, at the very least, help to manage current and future symptoms of aging.

This article was originally published at iveeapp.com.

$50 Best Western Gift Card Giveaway - Ends 3/25/2021 - Must Use by 3/31

2021-03-22T14:41:00.007-05:00

This is a quick giveaway for two $25 gift cards ($50 total) to Best Western Hotels. Must be used by 3/31/2021 so please make sure you have the time to book before they expire.

Entering is easy via the Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Turn Up Your Glow: Top 10 Vitamins for Beauty

2021-03-19T12:21:00.001-05:00

Source

Getting the perfect amount of glow and radiant skin might seem achievable only through spending a pretty penny on every beauty product ad served to you…but it doesn’t have to be that way. Almost all vitamins A through D hold some cosmetic value. So ditch the overstocked beauty product shelf and try some of these inexpensive (and healthy) alternatives!

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is responsible for protecting and healing skin. Today, a key ingredient in beauty products called retinoid is a derivative of Vitamin A and helps prevent wrinkles, cure brown spots, and smooth rough skin. Retinoid is also used in many acne treatments, adding to its reputation as both a protector and preventer.

2. Vitamin B-Complex

B-complex vitamins, in general, are essential for overall beauty health. B-complex vitamins are also known as antioxidants, beneficial for hair, skin, and nail health. B vitamins improve keratin levels in the body, which is essential for promoting healthy, hydrated skin. B-complex vitamins are available in many different foods, such as red meat, poultry, and other dairy products. B-complex vitamins are arguably the best vitamins for beauty.

3. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is vital for healthy, youthful, radiant skin. Like vitamin B-complex, vitamin C boosts collagen production, giving you firmer, clearer skin. Vitamin C can also provide surface defense against harmful UV damage. It also helps prevent the spread of free radicals in cells, which cause illnesses and other chronic conditions. In general, vitamin C is vital for providing a healthy lifestyle.

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a vitamin we typically receive just by going outside. Exposure to sunlight is one of the main ways vitamin D enters our body. In terms of beauty, vitamin D can help save skin from acne and reduce wrinkles associated with aging and UV exposure, keeping your skin soft and smooth.

5. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in a variety of food sources. It helps improve skin health by boosting collagen production in the body while simultaneously combating free radicals. Vitamin E is proven to be more effective when taken in unison with vitamin C. Vitamin E is most effective when taken as a topical skin condition.

6. Glutathione

Glutathione is a tiny protein molecule found in all protein-rich foods. They include fish, eggs, and poultry, to name a few. As far as we know, Glutathione is one of the most efficient antioxidants to fight the physiological symptoms of aging and oxidative stress.

7. Lycopene

Lycopene helps adjust skin texture. Assisting in the formation of collagen, Lycopene is exceptionally effective at preventing wrinkly skin. Few foods like watermelon and apricots contain Lycopene. Still, tomatoes are the largest natural source of the antioxidant. Beauty care products also offer Lycopene in topical creams and moisturizers.

8. Protein

Our bodies take the protein we eat and turn them into amino acids, creating more proteins such as collagen and keratin, which help structure our skin. Amino acids also help rid of old dying skin.

9. Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are what you think they are: fats that are healthy (what a concept). This how and why your skin gives off a “glow.” Not enough dietary fat can make skin wrinkled and dried out. Good sources of healthy fats include nuts, seeds, and fish. These fats differ from saturated fats because they are easier for your body to break down.

10. Zinc

Zinc is one of the many essential nutrients your body needs to function properly. It helps protect your immune system by combating free radicals. Zinc is fantastic for fighting acne due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc can also help treat and prevent certain skin conditions such as melasma, rosacea, dermatitis, and eczema.

Conclusion

Vitamins and minerals aren’t just crucial for sustaining a healthy lifestyle; they can help promote a beautiful one as well. These vitamins and antioxidants, along with a healthy diet, can greatly help enhance already radiant skin, long and healthy hair, and robust nails, letting you show off your best you. There isn’t an “end all be all” for beauty products, but this is a good start.

This article was originally published at iveeapp.com.

Any Minecraft Fans Interested in Reviewing New Fan Fiction for Children?

2021-01-16T10:13:00.001-06:00

Any Minecraft Fans Interested in Reviewing New Fan Fiction for Children? Send a message to me and let me know. This is a new published book by a 13 year old that has already been receiving great reviews but is interested in furthering her reach to others that might be Minecraft fans.

Click Unofficial Minecraft Nomads and Pillagers to read more and if interested, send an e-mail to: staying_younger@yahoo.com.

Ms. Joyce is an aspiring 13 year old author who was inspired by her mother and grandfather to write. This first book in a series details the adventure of Dani and Ellie along with some adorable sidekicks as Nomads and Pillagers fight it out to the finish.

To purchase, click here.

Hurry as only so many copies will be available for review.

PHOTOWALL'S Victorian Wars is Perfection for the Star Wars Fan Review + 25% Discount

2020-12-21T21:54:00.002-06:00

*Sponsored Review from PHOTOWALL

This was a fun review as we are avid Star Wars fans and never had the opportunity to try out canvas prints that were not based on a personal photo. This was a new concept to me and I had no idea products like this existed along with the ability to order just about any size wanted. This was also a great feature to me in that it replaces a huge section of a wall to give it whatever feel one would want. PHOTOWALL has many items from wallpaper to canvas prints as well as framed prints and posters. For this review, I chose the Victorian Wars canvas which I could say that I was even more pleased with the product than I was with ordering it!

I was amazed at the speed of delivery for starters. It was received well protected with no damage due to the expert packaging. The product delivery had me puzzled at first until I opened the packaging and found the framing material all neatly and protected inside. The online tutorial was definitely a plus to watch to ensure that I put it together correctly. It may sound difficult but it was not. It was actually fun for my Star Wars fanatical daughter to help me. We managed to, quite easily, create the masterpiece you see above. Part of my family are into steam punk so the Victorian style really added to the absolutely have to have it ascertion.

The 100% cotton canvas itself is of high quality and was available in sizes from 15.75" x 15.75" all the way up to 59.06" x 39.37" to fit nearly everyone's needs. As noted above, the canvas does arrive unmounted but includes the frame and extremely easy hardware to assemble. The other neat thing about PHOTOWALL is the ability to have your image edited whether it's to switch colors, add objects, or change dimensions, their photo experts are up to the task.

There is also a 100% guarantee to be satisfied otherwise return the product within 30 days and receive a refund.

Whether you have your own image or choose to select one that they offer, you won't be dissatisfied as we LOVE our canvas print and highly recommend them.

For a 25% discount, use code hbcf25 and expires January 2021.

Homeschool and Elections: An Excellent Lesson

2020-11-09T07:23:00.000-06:00

It seems every election introduces a new learning point in how our system is suppose to work and how the founding fathers had such a keen astute knowledge to prepare for the future. It is ashame that the public school systems have deviated from instructing with a classical approach and much to my pleasure, I have found that classical schools are springing up nationwide. This is wonderful for the parent(s) that wants their children to be taught to ethics, morals, values and to be cultivated to have independent thought. One of the other key subjects not being taught is civics as well. We have a country half filled with very angry, disenchanted folks sprinkled with a voluminous number wishing to cause anarchy and violence if one does not bend to their way of thinking. On the other side, is a band of people who want religion brought back in to our daily lives including schools. These same people believe in the flag, the Constitution, our military, and the electoral system. The 2020 election will probably go into history being compared to the Bush-Gore election given it wasn't a cut and dry victory. This election is one full of learning points for my children as we watch how it unfolds. The difference, however, is I'm not just going to watch.

I am adamant with my students that what just unfolded over quite a long time that really goes back from the last century if not earlier. People evolve and when society and technology introduces changes, we change. We grow. We expect things as our intellect grows or perhaps even our boldness. It's how women fought to vote or how black people were freed, were given a Constitutional right to be citizens, and vote. We continue to progress and with that, comes new demands, expectations, and a desire for different rights. Many changes have been for the positive and although it seems they should have been inherently present without any fight, it is for history and for us to remember.

We just spent several years with new demands for what some think our civil rights laws such as transgenders to children and it continues growing. There will always be pro and opposing views and we should allow those thoughts. This is an excellent time to teach our children what is occurring and how we can guide them into the righteous thought but a cohabitating way of living. The beauty of America is the ability to live and respect each other even if different. There is a systematic shift in those that hold vehemently one way of thought demanding the other side adopts the same way of thinking and attitude. This just didn't happen overnight rather it has culminated mostly from the 1960s to where those left to teach at the college levels which trickled down all the way to pre-school. The reason to provide the above talking points is it is directly related to education and elections.

I've been watching a lot of information on the 2020 elections with my students. I'm quite frankly confused as to why everyone would not want to have an election full of integrity and value. If one garners their news from legacy media, one view is hammered continuously without regard for truth and honesty. We do have a system of election rules that must be followed otherwise who dictates when rules can be broken or bent? It is in every American's best interest to demand the rules are followed. Imagine the tables turned and the Republicans are in control of a state's entire political system and decide to alter rules for whatever reason that appears reasonable. This entire scenario could be playing out in the reverse with President Trump being proclaimed the projected winner and thus, chaos, anarchy, and more would be pursued.

It is vital to our Constitutional Republic that we follow the rules, and if we change the rules, they were done legally. If there are reports, valid reports, of computer glitches from software programs or even reported updates the day prior to the election, we must examine the programs. If there are systematic reports of irregularities, we must verify they were not. It is every American's responsibility to demand an honest election. I've not spoken to one President Trump supporter that would be gracious in accepting defeat if it's fair. We all should be screaming from the roof tops, 'as long as it's fair.'

But, we're not. The legacy media continues to be the major disrupter of life in the United States. The media is irresponsible and reports lies, reports in continued bias manners, and fuels the flame of emotion. Since I homeschool, I encourage and provide alternate sources to allow my students to learn independent thought. Nationwide, common core was introduced and the loss of thinking ensued. We, as parents, need to spend more time understanding what our children are being taught. We also need to teach events from both sides. We need to nurture the ability for our children to think for themselves, question what they hear or read, and to form conclusions. We need to ensure they aren't jumping on board to erase the past as it might be uncomfortable, horrying, or unpleasant. History is always repeating itself and we must not wipe it away. This election is full of teaching moments that are profound in many subjects. Our children must learn about the Constitution, the electoral process, and how we should behave from a civility standpoint.

We can be different. We can want different things. We must follow the rules, the laws, and we must return to civility, morality, and accountability. We do have a voice and that is why I'm going to be writing my congressmen and senators as well as each Supreme Court justice to convey my thoughts as this election is for the American voter.

Earthly for a Homeopathic Way to Live

2020-09-25T09:47:00.000-05:00

Note: I am an affiliate and may earn a portion of proceeds.

Earthly has a motto: We’re on a mission: to change the way the world sees health care. We’re doing our part by creating clean, pure products to support that journey. Learn more about who we are, and what we have to offer

I discovered Earthly on Facebook and after reading numerous posts that were in alignment to my beliefs and thoughts, I decided to try the immune support collection along with some other products for sinuses, leg cramps, and better sleep. I will give an update on how I feel about them soon but in the interim, with cold and flu season fast upon us, give them a look as they might have something you want.

Curriculum For The Whole Family: SchoolhouseTeachers.com

2020-01-08T13:57:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Note: this post has affiliate links.

Homeschooling is not an easy task once you first decide to take the lead in your child's education. I started homeschooling many years ago to curtail germs as my youngest was prone to severe asthmatic episodes when sick with a cold. Throughout the years, I have tried many curriculum, both in book form and online classes, to no avail. I truly believe the best system is one made of different mediums which is why I gravitated towards SchoolhouseTeachers.com. We have had the Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership for over three years and enjoy all it offers. One of the features I like is the flexibility. I like that I can build my own curriculum for each of my children and to date, it has served us well.

The ability to access online classes and video components as well as access to downloadable and printables with over 360 courses for all ages and levels in every subject, really was what impressed me. The online electives are vast and full of great topics to those that are already interested in those subjects or to some that may not even realize they might love that direction such as drama. The best part for me is the ability to plan my children's schedules as to how I feel meets their individual needs. The fact that it's self-paced was critical as having one child with learning disabilities, I found online schools were too rigid with timelines and due dates. I have another child that is advanced, so she's not bored with waiting for these due dates to pass. This is perfect and I'm very happy to find non-common core resources.

Navigation: As I first became aware of SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I found the ability to navigate between subjects and class levels effortless which cut down on the learning curve and allowed more time to dive into what was being offered and how I wanted to plan the new school year.
Course Information: Upon selecting a course(s), information is readily available that discusses the course introduction, length of course, age and grade recommendations, an outline of the course, introductory video, certificate of completion as what child doesn't like to see progress achieved on paper? There are other features to each course when a student first begins but those are just a few.
Video Library: Hundreds of videos are available to stream and most videos are available worldwide and are accessible immediately from the site.
Planning Resources: There are an array of resources ranging from weekly schedules to even sample 9-week schedules to aid in helping you build a custom schedule. There are schoolhouse homeschool planners, ready-made calendars, printable information charts such as sign language, branches of the government, types of clouds and so much more.
Resources: This is another great feature full of many options to choose from whether it's topics such as High School Help, Special Needs, Literacy Center, Just for Parents and much much more.
World Book Resource Library: This resource is separated by Library, Grade and Subjects for a total of 10 libraries that holds an amazing amount of resources to aid in educating children.

Whether you are new to homeschooling or not, the resources, the set-up of SchoolhouseTeachers.com is nothing like I've used before. I would recommend this particularly to the new homeschooling parent in breaking through the nervous barrier on the decision to homeschool. I would also recommend it to the experienced homeschooling parent as it truly is a one stop website for educating all your children.

Mini Course Review

I wanted to provide an example of how robust the courses can be by providing a mini review of 250 Years of Exploration, Settlement, and Reformation: World History. This course is intended for those in 11th and 12th grade, is text based and covers 36 weeks of learning material. It's a world history course focusing on the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the time period of the 1500s through the 1700s. The course provides an intro for what will be required such as a notebook for note taking and research and there is a check off on the lesson plan.

It's a very comprehensive course that will not bog down your learner with too much information. I'm looking forward to completing the course with my student over the next several months.

I'm hoping by reading my review, you will be able to learn about the many resources available for homeschooling your child or children. After trying too many different curriculum's and spending a lot of money, my only regret was I didn't find SchoolhouseTeachers.com before I found them years ago. The 'where to start' resource page is extremely helpful for those new to the online site. I initially felt I would need to really spend a solid month getting absorbed with everything that is offered but after jumping in, I realized that it's all very intuitive and easy to use. Since one of my children has difficulty with reading, I sought the information available at the Literacy Center. Again, I was extremely pleased with all the resources:

Downloadable books for K-4th grade.
Trek's Travels series of 12 early readers for PK/K which will be a great asset to my pre-K grandson.
Welcome to Reading collection of four series of early readers for K-2nd grade. This will work perfect for my granddaughter in kindergarten.
The Classics is a collection of nursery rhymes, songs and stories for Pre-K-2nd grade.
Strategies in working with your child(ren).
A Getting Started section.
Comprehensive Skills to include a link to fun comprehensive games in World Book Early World of Learning Library.

Overall, SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a great membership filled with downloadable, printable elements as well as online classes and video components. It's a great opportunity if you are already homeschooling or if you are on the fence and are thinking about starting. It covers Elementary Homeschool Courses, Middle School Homeschool Courses and High School Homeschool Courses.

Now through January 31, 2020, there is a sale going on! The Ultimate Annual Membership is only $99 or $12 a month. If you renew, you are locked into that pricing! Use code ONLY99 for the annual membership discount or ONLY12 for the monthly discount. New members only.

Check out what the others on The Crew thought by clicking the link below:

Jim Henson: Heroes of the Resistance: A Guide to the Characters of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance; Aughra’s Wisdom of Thra; and Shadows of the Dark Crystal - Giveaway - Ends 12/20/2019

2019-12-17T19:29:00.003-06:00

I'm excited to offer the following as a giveaway:

Jim Henson: Heroes of the Resistance: A Guide to the Characters of The Dark Crystal (hardcover): Age of Resistance; Aughra’s Wisdom of Thra (hardcover); and Shadows of the Dark Crystal (paperback)!

I previously wrote about the trio of books and will include it below as well.

Lore, legends, heroes and villains just in time to gift to yourself or someone else for Christmas. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will not disappoint. As a prequel to the 1980's cult classic, The Dark Crystal, author J.M. Lee dives in deeper to provide a thrilling tale. The Heroes of the Resistance is a comprehensive guide to the characters on the Netflix show for Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. The characters are revealed with a goal for each one, a story to provide more information on each character, a personality description and a physical description. It's a great companion if you watch it on Netflix. My brother saw it and immediately began to read it after exclaiming how cool!

Aughra'sWisdom of Thra is another hardcover book is a collection of quotes from The Dark Crystal. It's a nice companion book as well. It also has beautiful illustrations as does Heroes of the Resistance.

Shadows of the Dark Crystal is a paperback encompassing 282 action filled pages of adventure. There are many exciting illustrations throughout the novel to add to the storyline by J.M. Lee. The readers gets to dive in and follow the three Gelflings as they venture out in this mystical and mythical world of Thra. If you like fantasy type novels, you will love this one! If you haven't had a chance to check out the series on Netflix, it will be fun to watch after you read the novel and the two other books. The prequel involves Gelfling, Naia, leaving her home searching for her brother who has been accused by another clan of stealing.

The Giveaway:

One reader will receive the same set as I received of three books.

To Enter:

Complete the entries on Rafflecopter and a winner will be chosen on 12/21.

U.S. only please

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BACKGROUND:

We have an exciting giveaway coming soon straight from The Jim Henson Company as they celebrate the broad critical acclaim for their epic fantasy adventure, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Not only do they get the rewards of the exciting reviews and interest but you will also have an opportunity to enter to win a collection of these sensational new books and comics. These are available just in time for Christmas so if you won't want to wait to see if you can win a set, they are available now.

Background Details:

Called a “perfect revival” (The Washington Post), “a whimsical, fun and entertaining series” (The Hollywood Reporter), and “a prime example of how television can do fantasy right” (Variety), the Netflix Original series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, is a 10-episode puppet-filled prequel to the 1982 classic cult film.

And now, fans of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance can become further immersed in the lore, legends, heroes and villains of the expansive world of Thra with all of these new books! New fans can learn more about their favorite characters from the series, while longtime fans can delve further into the rich canon of this pop culture phenomenon, and everyone can discover the behind-the-scenes magic that brought the many creatures of Thra to life.

Giveaway Details:

Our upcoming giveaway will include a 3-book package from Penguin Random House: Heroes of the Resistance: A Guide to the Characters of The Dark Crystal (hardcover): Age of Resistance; Aughra’s Wisdom of Thra (hardcover); and Shadows of the Dark Crystal (paperback) - (Value: $32.97).

Again, these are available now: IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

In the interim, follow to stay up to date on the following social media:

Follow The Jim Henson Company:

www.facebook.com/hensoncompany
www.twitter.com/hensoncompany
www.instagram.com/hensoncompany

Follow the Dark Crystal

https://www.facebook.com/darkcrystal

https://twitter.com/darkcrystal

https://www.instagram.com/darkcrystalofficial/

Additional Information:

And for comic book fans, from Boom! Studios is Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a 12-issue official prequel to the Netflix series. Return to another world, another time, Before the Age of Wonder. The Skeksis rein over Thra, but there are distant echoes of rebellion. Gelfling and unlikely heroes emerge to champion what is good and just, but their paths to legend started long ago. Epic tales of adventure, magic, and mystery send us back in time to the Age of Resistance to witness the untold histories that forged these protectors of Thra. Based on a story by The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series writers, Will Matthews & Jeffery Addiss, writer Nicole Andelfinger (Lumberjanes) and Matias Basla ( Sparrowhawk ) tell the tale of the mighty Ordon and a young Fara on an impossible quest. An all-new arc from writer Adam Cesare and artist French Carlomagno spotlighting Hup, the heroic Podling, debuts on January 15, 2020.

Availability: Print copies available at local comic book shops (comicshoplocator.com) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies available from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire. Individual issues MSRP $3.99; Ages 12+

More about the Netflix Original series!

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a 10-episode puppet-filled prequel to the 1982 classic film that follows three Gelfling who discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power and set out on an epic journey to reignite the fires of rebellion and save their world. Directed by Louis Leterrier and executive produced by Leterrier, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, the series stars an ensemble of fantastical, state-of-the-art characters and creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ and designed by Brian Froud, the original feature’s conceptual designer. Taron Egerton, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Anya Taylor-Joy lead a stellar voice cast including Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, Mark Hamill, Lena Heady, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Toby Jones, Keegan-Michael Key, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Simon Pegg, Mark Strong, Alicia Vikander, and Benedict Wong.

I Love My Toyota Highlander

2019-12-12T08:58:00.002-06:00

I haven't written a post on brand loyalty in some time. As I was driving yesterday, I happened to hit the button to see what my mileage was on my 2013 Toyota Highlander. I hadn't looked in some time as I'm not the one that gets the oil changed and I rely on the alert reminders that it's time to change the oil so that's my excuse for having no idea what it would read. 94,790! I was astonished and I'll tell you why.

This SUV was purchased in El Paso, Texas after it was briefly used by Air Force pilots to drive during an air show at Ft. Gordon. This SUV has been around the block and then some! It went a couple of times from El Paso to Augusta, Georgia as my oldest found out she had ovarian cancer and needed to surgery. It has went numerous times to Indiana to see my family, namely my father. It was also present for my father's funeral a couple of years later.

It also has seen a lot of fun and participated in making memories on many different road trips. Our biggest road trip outside of back and forth to Augusta, was starting in Texas, moving up through New Mexico to Colorado as I had to stop and see where Peyton Manning played given how much I love that man! No, I'm not a stalker! I also wanted to see the playground built in memory of a sweet little girl who was murdered. Her name was Jessica Ridgeway. After Colorado, it was onward to see the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. From there, we went to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and eventually stayed at a ranch in Idaho. On our way home, we continued down Utah and Arizona until back again in Texas.

This Toyota also went from El Paso to Virginia a couple of times crossing many more states. Another time, it visited Gettysburg, PA to pay our respects to the men of the Civil War. It also visited many many Civil War battlegrounds. It's been to Florida several times and visited cool places like Ft. King George and many more.

Needless to say, this Toyota Highlander has probably seen more states than many people in our country. Obviously with 97,000+ miles! The big deal about this is that this vehicle has NEVER been in the shop. I've never had any issues with it with the exception of maybe a minor recall for a part. It's now nearing the time where it needs a visit as it sounds like I'm almost driving a diesel now. The brakes are starting to get a little loose but stop on a dime. It won't be long though. I did replace the tires once. I've owned quite a few new cars throughout my life and none have ever had such a great driving history as this Toyota. I'm amazed and couldn't be happier!

My son-in-law works at a Toyota plant which I'm pretty proud of because Toyota is about quality. Last weekend, I was able to see the new Toyota Highlander in our local parade and it looks amazing! I don't hear much about people giving others grief about buying American but I can tell you living in a town that has a big facility, buying a Toyota does support America. I see the vast number of employees parked at their facility and I see all the feeder businesses that cater to them. Buying a Toyota is buying American. What can I say other than I love my Toyota!

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance from The Jim Henson Company Giveaway Coming Soon

2019-11-30T14:05:00.000-06:00

Background Details:

Giveaway Details:

Again, these are available now: IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

In the interim, follow to stay up to date on the following social media:

Follow The Jim Henson Company:

www.facebook.com/hensoncompany
www.twitter.com/hensoncompany
www.instagram.com/hensoncompany

Follow the Dark Crystal

https://www.facebook.com/darkcrystal

https://twitter.com/darkcrystal

https://www.instagram.com/darkcrystalofficial/

Additional Information:

More about the Netflix Original series!

Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books: Horses in History Series Review

2019-11-11T20:50:00.001-06:00

My girls really like horses and my middle one LOVES them which is why I thought it was a great match to review Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series by Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books. Turns out that Ms. Richardson is a fellow redhead which also appealed to my middle one who also has red hair. The series, recommended for ages 8-14, includes four paperback books: Appaloosy, Dusty's Trail, Golden Sunrise, and Day and Night. Ms. Richardson even signed each one making it more special for them when they received the series. We also received the brand new Day and Night Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book in PDF format.

What makes the books even more interesting is the historical nature they take on. Each book takes place during a different historical time point so one is not required to read before the next.

The first book, Appaloosy, has a few black and white illustrations that compliment the story. It is told by Storm, an Appaloosa of course! The book has a table of contents and begins with native Nez Perce words and their meanings since they are incorporated into the story. The main character, Storm, a young stallion desires nothing else but to be free. Unfortunately for him, he is owned by the Nez Perce tribe. Try as he might, he attempts to not be domesticated and wins out until his luck runs out. After being too persistent in not getting broke, the Indian handed Storm on to his son, White Feather. White Feather was different and he ended up surrendering to him and became his loyal warrior. Time proves that things always change and now, after a turn of events, he was in the hands of the white man. As the story continues, he faces trials and tribulations as a horse on the western front and eventually becomes the horse of a girl named Faith. He finally learns to trust again and although he has a chance to finally be free, he will have to decide but you'll have to read to find out what he chose!

Near the end of the book is a section titled Blast from the past that provides additional background information with historical facts.

The end of the book provides a little about the author, Mattie Richardson, and the illustrator. Ms Richardson was only thirteen years old when she wrote Appaloosy and published it when she was sixteen! To me, that's pretty amazing as the books are so well written, researched and entertaining. Clarissa Richardson drew the illustrations when she was only thirteen as well. Both are quite accomplished and great role models! Ms. Richardson has other books and has a new one titled The Secret of the Hemlock Forest.

My daughter read Appaloosy and enjoyed how history was told from the horse's perspective. My other daughter read Day and Night. She likes how the perspectives were changed from chapter to chapter. She thought it was a unique way to tell a story. Both of my girls are always writing and hope to be published too so she provided them with a push.

The Day and Night Enrichment Guide PDF has eight parts and includes work in reading comprehension, vocabulary, history, a soldier's life, the history, geography, horses and history, creating your own story and a biography. It's a wonderful addition in creating a more in-depth educational experience with the story and the Enrichment Guide.

There are numerous fun and educational activities on every page.

Day and Night

Day and Night The Story of Tucker and Shiloh in the Civil War is told by Tucker who was a horse in the U.S. Mounted Infantry and Shiloh who was a horse in the Confederate Volunteer Cavalry. This is an interesting and captivating story of two brothers, horses, get separated during the Civil War. Just as humans, some fought for the north and some for the south, Tucker is on the north side and Shiloh is on the Confederate side. This story dives into other aspects of the Civil War that not everyone has heard or thought about like women in the war and border wars.
The Civil War is one part of history that fascinates me and a couple of years ago, I took my girls to Gettysburg and other places like Manassas and Antebellum. This story was even more interesting to them. I liked how she wrote of the various states the men were from as well as their occupations such as doctors, farmers and railroad men and how no matter their backgrounds, they united for the common good. As I noted above, my other daughter liked how the chapters changed the voice from Tucker to Shiloh and back again. She thought it provided a different perspective on what life was like pending which side one was fighting for.

Dusty's Trail

Dusty's Trail is told by Dusty who was an American Quarter Horse. His story is about the Pony Express in the 1860's. Dusty being a Quarter Horse means he can run a quarter of a mile really fast but being fast for long distance is not their forte. Dusty prefers to take on the quiet life but his faithful human companion, Levi, has other plans for him. This is a great story to tell the readers more about the Pony Express as usually people just have images of mail delivery but there was much more to it. One excerpt details them being attacked by Indians with arrows shooting about. It's another tale that provides not just a story and adventure but provides an educational opportunity.

Golden Sunrise

Golden Sunrise is told by a Palomino horse named Cheyenne during the 1800s in Texas. Another story my girls can relate to as we used to live in Texas. Those that know history and Texas know of the fight to gain independence against Mexico. One of the biggest historical events in Texas happened during this time period. There have been many stories told about the Alamo but I've never read one in the voice of a horse. She once again set an adventurous story that was charming and delightful.

Overall, it's a fun entertaining series to read and to learn more about historical facts. She is a very talented author and has a way in engaging the reader into the stories while teaching a very important subject of history.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW:

Check out what others on the Homeschool Review Crew, a division of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, thought by clicking on the (photo) link below:

Your Amazing Name - Personalized Adventures for EVERY name! Review

2019-11-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

Children love videos especially ones that have are personalized which is why I wanted to review Your Amazing Name - Personalized Adventures for EVERY name! by CrossTimber - Name Meaning Gifts. It is a fun adventure filled video that makes for a nice gift for little ones especially because it's all about them ... their name that is! We had a chance to review it and had fun watching my grandson's reaction. The video is longer than I had expected at a little over 28 minutes but he watched with his eyes glued to the computer. It was delivered digitally making it easy to store and share.

I thought it was really neat to see his artwork on the screen and then they turned it into a rocket ship. He was excited to see his name flash on different screens.

The music is playful and the character illustrations are cute and whimsical. They name the child's name over and over to really see that the video was made for them. They don't miss an opportunity to have the child's name on something on the set to further personalize the video. There are even Biblical passages throughout the videos reinforcing the Christian connection that I love. The interaction with the child's drawing was pretty cool too.

At the end of the video, is the letter that is written to the child detailing how his or her name was chosen. It's a wonderful keepsake that the child can retain forever. He smiled big when he heard that part. It concludes with the meaning of the name and a certificate to include a personalized set of activity sheets too. The ending with the Biblical versus were the perfect ending!

Overall, it is a fun video for your kids to have and the ability to write a letter to have forever is a nice touch! The personalized activity sheets were a hit too.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW:

Check out what others on the Homeschool Review Crew, a division of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, thought by clicking on the (photo) link below:

Goldtown Beginnings Jem's Adventures by Kregel Publications Homeschool Review

2019-11-04T18:18:00.000-06:00

Finding good books for kids is fun for me as my whole family enjoys reading. We had an opportunity to read two books from the Goldtown Beginnings Series by Kregel Publications review. The books, Jem Strikes Gold and Jem's Frog Fiasco, were full of fun and adventure.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Set in 1859, the series by Susan K. Marlow, tells the imaginative tale of the series hero, Jem, and his adventures set in Goldtown, California. It's the height of the gold rush and 7 year old Jem and his family pan gold. Jem and his dog brings readers ages 6-9 an adventure to not forget.

JEM STRIKES GOLD

The 78 pages paperback is short and packed with words which is perfect for the young reader. The black and white illustrations are just right for the storyline offering no distractions. It's really a good book for the next stage reader. It is a cute story with a few main characters consisting of seven year old Jem, his younger sister Ellie, their parents, a bully named Will and a dog. The story provides the reader with a bit of history going back to the California gold rush and seeing what life was like for a child. The children back then did a lot of work and when he wasn't panning for gold, he was with his sister delivering pies and laundry. The siblings show empathy and care towards one another and face adversity against the bully child named Will. Along the way in the story, Jem meets a dog that will prove its weight in gold. The stories do note God and praying but it's not full of multiple references to Biblical versus or God. Both stories are clean and provide a lesson.

The end of the book includes two pages looking back in time and providing more history on California and gold.

Example of "New Words" to review.

JEM'S FROG FIASCO

This one is 80 pages and is also a paperback. It's book two in the series and Jem is now working for cafe owner, Mr. Sims, to help pay for dog food for the dog he found in the last book named Nugget. This story spans across the adventure of Jem's job responsibility of catching frogs for the menu. As Jem works, Nugget and his sister Ellie get in the way providing for a frustrating time for Jem as he learns it's not quite so easy to catch frogs. As Jem's anger elevates, Ellie becomes missing and the story line continues with finding Ellie and what happened. Of course, I don't want to give away the whole story.

The ending two pages include a factoid about coyote holes.

HOMESCHOOL EXPERIENCE WITH BOTH BOOKS

There are also some fun activities to go along with the books with a free Activity Guide. The guides include a daily schedule that coordinates with each chapter. Each book has a Guide that is 128 pages.

I first started by printing the Schedule for both books. I'm going to focus only on the Jem Strikes Gold book as my homeschool lessons. The book is broken into 24 days which can be any set of days you prefer.

For Day 1, for example, we read chapter 1, discussed the new words (11 new words) and completed activities on page 7 of the Guide.

As the days proceed, the activities increase. For Day 18, we read Chapter 9 and completed page 18, 9-12.

Overall, we enjoyed the books as part of our night time reading hour. The ability to incorporate some extra work was a bonus for me with the worksheets provided. The stories were short enough to not lose my granddaughter's attention yet exciting enough to keep her wanting more. We look forward to the next books in the series and recommend each one.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Follow Kregel Publications on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Circle C Adventures on Facebook.

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW:

Check out what others on the Homeschool Review Crew, a division of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, thought by clicking on the (photo) link below:

British Beef Tenderloin Pie - Modified

2019-10-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

I previously wrote and shared our British Pork Pie recipe since we started on a little road of discovery all about Britain. I'm a dual citizen (by descent) since my mom is from there thanks to a changed law that recognizes the maternal link. I'm also an ardent Jane Austen fan and that is slowly creeping into my daughter's interest. I instantly fell for a quirky movie based on the love of Austen titled Austenland. Low and behold, my younger who is a self-proclaimed 'mini-me', loves it too which has inspired all this new found interest in England. We previously had our first tea party with homemade strawberry scones followed by a luncheon with finger sandwiches which didn't go over well since they are not egg fans.

Our latest dish was a modified pork pie using beef tenderloin or filet mignon which was very tedious to make.

So, with only three dishes on hand, we proceeded to make our British modified pork pies. I called my mom since she's the resident expert in this area and when I told her what the recipe entailed, she proclaimed it wasn't like the pork pies she grew up with and that they ate them cold and they had a gel substance inside. I can honestly say I can do without the gel thank you very much! So here are our pictures of the long process but very condensed:

The dough is made after the beef and bacon mixture have been prepared and is cooling in the refrigerator. It was a basic flour and lard recipe and was simple to make.

I added small bits of potatoes this time.

The skillet included onions, garlic and green apple:

Half the beef and thick bacon mixture is pulsed in a food processor and returned with the other half. It does not look too appetizing!

My two girls are the pickiest eaters ever but they really enjoyed the filet mignon pot pies! It was a win!

Not quite like the recipe picture but it was still good! Want to try it? Here is the link for British Pork Pie recipe.

Our Calvert Homeschool Online Review: Making Homeschooling Easier

2019-10-30T09:56:00.002-05:00

As we move into a new semester, I wanted to try out another online homeschool curriculum to see how my children would adapt to it. I chose to review the Calvert Homeschool Online family plan by Calvert Homeschool. With this review, we had access to all the courses from grades 3-12. This was a nice feature because it allowed me flexibility when assigning courses to each of my children.

Signing up was easy and setting up both of my girls was equally easy. Whenever I sign on now, I see the following in the screen shot below. It's arranged really nice in an aesthetically pleasing flow. The dashboard provides a one stop area for managing my students, messages, the application, reports, and administration. The help feature is also an asset.

DASHBOARD

Once the courses are assigned, click on Calendar to see all the assignments that are due each day. If you have more than one student, it will list them. I like how I can view everything in one location. For this example, I'm going to use Little Women: Theme of Ambition as I click through the calendar.

By clicking on the link, it provides another window that provides objectives, vocabulary words and much more for each lesson.

There are many great features for the teacher/parent to access and to manage their students to include great reports.

STUDENT LOGIN - Geography 300

For my review, I will focus on History and Geography 300 with my older student. The course begins with an overview and an introductory and moves into lessons. First, the student reads the material and then answers the questions. For this course, she had a couple of assignments and then when complete, she had her first quiz. Once started, the quiz has to be completed.

In between assignments and quizzes are projects. After a few assignments, projects and quizzes, there are unit Review Activities which consists of multiple games the student can choose from. These games help the student retain what they learned and can be repeated as many times as one likes. The teacher/parent will be required to grade some questions or assignments.

As the student(s) progress, reports such as this one can be run to see how they are doing:

STUDENT LOGIN - SCIENCE 800

For the next part of the review, I'm going to focus on my younger student who utilized Science 800 - Our Atomic World. The course is set up just like the one my older student used. The videos are nice additions to the learning material and what she liked the most were the duration of each lesson. She is not always a huge fan of online curriculum but didn't mind this one at all given the shortness of each one. She liked how they mixed up reading material with videos and other exercises.

The course assignments started with core objectives. For Safety First, she was able to read the rules of safety and had the option to print off the rules to reference later. As noted above, Calvert does embed videos to compliment the lessons and they also provide a transcript of the video. After each page, they have the option to continue reading or they can proceed with answering the graded questions. Sometimes, Calvert even throws in a pop quiz to keep the students on their toes. Once they move to the question section, they can choose to enter any notes that might want to remember and they have have three attempts at answering them. Once they complete them all, they will get a final confirmation that they are done and then they can mark the lesson complete and move forward.

Overall, both girls liked the length of each section. They thought it was a nice compliment of different ways to teach each lesson from reading to video to projects and quizzes. The only improvement I would have is to return to the course the student was in when an assignment or quiz is complete. I'm suspecting the reason it does not do that is the expectation is once an assignment is complete, the student would move to another subject. Nonetheless, it wasn't a big deal and I really liked how Calvert Homeschool has set up each subject and the curriculum. I think each assignment's length is just right and the projects are pretty cool too. We recommend.

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Our Homeschool Lesson: Making Scones for Our British Theme

2019-10-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

I love Jane Austin mostly because I was introduced backwards via movies instead of books first. Maybe it's because I'm a dual citizen by descent or not but all things British have an enormous appeal to me. My mom and dad were married there while my dad was in the Air Force and I've been there a few times thanks to work (picture above). I adore Austenland, a quirky movie about Jane and Mr. Darcy with a modern spin. My youngest, who is proud to be a junior version of myself, enjoys it too. As part of understanding how learning is picked up better when it interests children, I couldn't ignore exploring the British route to teach. As a spur of the moment idea, I decided we would bake scones, have a high noon tea (chocolate milk) and printed off some educational sheets.

I believe they had fun and they even liked the scones!

Jehovah's Mighty Acts Bible Stories from Reformed Free Publishing Review

2019-10-25T18:28:00.000-05:00

This post is a review and we were provided a free copy of the book. Our opinions are our own.

We love books in our house from ages 4 through 50 something. We are also a Christian homeschooling family so we love to include biblical based books in our library. Recently, we had a chance to review Jehovah's Mighty Acts Bible Stories Book from Reformed Free Publishing. This is the first book of what will be part of a series of books to read aloud to children or to have them read by themselves as the recommended ages are 7-10. The series will be not in chronological order, rather by theme. Jehovah's Mighty Acts Bible Stories, by Nathan J. Langerak, is about the Old Testament and God's mighty acts. The next book, Old Testament friends and servants, is to be released in the fall of 2010.

About the Book

Hardcover book
100 pages
Beautiful old world appearing illustrations by Michael Welply
31 chapters
Book one, Jehovah's Mighty Acts, is part of a series entitled Tell His Wonders.

It begins with the beginning, the creation of the world (GENESIS 1-2). It's not words and sentences taken from the Bible rather it's a story that provokes the child(ren) to think about the Bible. It's a great introduction to make the words from the Bible easier to understand to little minds. Each chapter is short enough to be a great night time treat before bed.

Chapter 2: God's Friends (GENESIS 2)

Adam, Eve and the garden are introduced. The stories are in alignment with the Bible but are told in such a way, it's so easy for children to understand.

"Do you remember that God made the heavens and the earth? God made the world and everything in it in six days. On that sixth day God made the first man, Adam. He formed Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life."

Chapter 9: Abraham Sacrifices Isaac (GENESIS 18, 21-22, HEBREWS 1)

"Abraham was God's friend. That means that God made his covenant with Abraham. In his covenant God promises to be the God of his people, to save them from their sings by Jesus Christ, and to take them to heavenly glory."

Chapter 18: Across Jordan (NUMBERS 20, DEUTERONOMY 34, JOSHUA 3-4)

"In Moses' place God chose Joshua. Joshua was one of the two good spies, and he had been Moses' helper. He would lead Israel into Canaan. God told Joshua that he would work a mighty miracle so that the people would see that God was with Joshua as God had been with Moses. God would also work this miracle so that all Israel would know that God was with them."

My daughter said she really liked how the stories made the Bible more understandable and she liked how there were definitions that followed more difficult words. She also said she liked how synonyms were utilize to help reinforce the word.

Overall, we really enjoyed the book and I foresee it being a classic in our family library for many years to come.

To purchase, just click on the book link: Jehovah's Mighty Acts Bible Stories

Excelerate SPANISH Streaming by Excelerate SPANISH Review

2019-10-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

Learning another language has been essential for having more options in our smaller world. Generations ago, the need wasn't there but now with everything being global and online, knowing another language can increase chances for certain jobs while enhancing traveling options. I never learned another language and regretted it. My oldest did learn German which made me envious. This is why I wanted to review Excelerate SPANISH Streaming by Excelerate SPANISH. As the program name implies, it is an online program. For this review, it will focus on the Level 1 and Level 2 curriculum for both myself and my youngest daughter.

There are physical books which we did not review and I suspect they would be an asset to this program. There are free items available, however, such as vocabulary review and practice on Quizlet that correlate with the Excelerate SPANISH Streaming program. I found the free resources really helpful and allowed us to further our practicing of Spanish. It is expected to complete a lesson a week which seemed reasonable to us as it allows more opportunity to practice and learn.

For Spanish 1, there are 24 lessons and the lessons are in a classroom setting. Each lesson averages around 45 minutes in length. It not just an audio program as the teacher utilizes a white board to write words to reinforce the verbal component. She speaks in a clear manner making it easy to follow. She also makes it engaging and not just a teacher who stands up in the front of the room to record.

As noted above, the extra freebies really helped to reinforce the videos. The online flashcards were of tremendous help to my daughters along with some of the other features to this website.

There are students in the classroom to show participation that again, reinforces the learning aspect of the program. They helped act out the words/sentences thus further allowing one to absorb the lessons.

Each lesson (lesson 8 shown above) continues in the same format and builds on each lesson.

Moving towards Spanish 2, it definitely picks up with utilizing Spanish more frequently and forming sentences. There are a lot more interactive classroom participation from the students.

Each lesson included the teacher writing each vocabulary word and phrase on the white board. She will utilize a physical action to accompany the word to further emphasis the learning ability.

Overall, the lessons are taught with humor and a lot of physical movement to include student participation. There are no continued repetitive grammar exercises or drills, rather it is taught in real situations...an immersion so to speak. It really resembles teaching a young child to speak English with all the hand and body gestures and repeating of words and pointing. It's a different way of teaching than what I've seen and I think it works quite well. The program would be also be good for adults and families.

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Online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece Review

2019-10-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

We received a one year subscription to the online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece which I really looked forward to given I have a house full of young artist. Recently, I took up rock painting as a new hobby and I even learned a few things. Our access included a variety of lessons such as: Beginning Drawing, Drawing 1, Drawing 2, and Drawing 3. Each section included instruction in drawing using pencil, colored pencil and charcoal. We created many masterpieces but for this review, I'm going to focus on a couple of different projects. The drawing above was done by one of my daughters after taking a few lessons and utilizing the techniques taught.

FIRST PROJECT

Lessons in Pencil: Tuckered out Turtle.

Each project provides a button to see what supplies are needed and as a nice feature, there is a chart that provides how much supply is needed based on the number of students working on the project. Another nice feature is Sharon provides the products she recommends via purchase supplies link. You are not required to purchase from that link but it does provide you with what supplies you will need to purchase on your own. Below is example screen shots for the information I just mentioned:

RECOMMENDATION

I recommend reviewing each project ahead of time to obtain the supplies needed and to check out the videos if you won't be sitting with the student just to have an idea on how to guide and help if needed. There is a Helpful Tips section for each project that really is helpful. Sharon explains techniques and provides suggestions that are worth ensuring your student reads.

VIDEO LESSONS

The projects have videos that teach the corresponding lesson. For Tuckered out Turtle, there were eight sections. The videos are just right in duration.

The FINAL MASTERPIECE:

SECOND PROJECT

Lessons in Pencil: Drawing the Egg

This was a project that seemed like it was easy and required little instruction. However, Sharon provides all the necessary techniques and suggestions that allows the student to not only draw but to understand different techniques such as why you might hold a pencil a certain way. The videos are taught in a manner that are easy to follow and clear to understand. They are broken into segments that allows the student to continue forward in one sitting or to stop pending each student's needs.

"Creating a Masterpiece lessons were easy to follow. I learned different drawing techniques and the teacher was easy to understand," ~Jamie.

"The lessons were short and didn't require a long time to get through each one," ~Danielle

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I think the online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece is a very good program to teach children and even adults how to draw using different mediums. The videos are paced just right to not be overwhelming and versatile to allow each student to proceed through each lesson. Sharon teaches in a manner which is not intimidating and uses encouragement and great tips on how to get the masterpiece you want.

We recommend the curriculum.

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DASHBOARD

STUDENT LOGIN - Geography 300

STUDENT LOGIN - SCIENCE 800

SOCIAL MEDIA:

HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW:

Our Homeschool Lesson: Making Scones for Our British Theme

Jehovah's Mighty Acts Bible Stories from Reformed Free Publishing Review

About the Book

Table of Contents

Chapter 2: God's Friends (GENESIS 2)

Chapter 9: Abraham Sacrifices Isaac (GENESIS 18, 21-22, HEBREWS 1)

Chapter 18: Across Jordan (NUMBERS 20, DEUTERONOMY 34, JOSHUA 3-4)

Excelerate SPANISH Streaming by Excelerate SPANISH Review

Online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece Review