Our Best Daze

TOS Review: Crossbow

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Our most recent review product came from Crossbow Education. We received their set of Reading Rulers.

I had heard about these types of color overlays in the past and wanted to give them a try. My son is dyslexic and supposedly they are beneficial for dyslexia and vision issues.

In my opinion dyslexia and visual weaknesses are two separate issues. My son doesn’t have any visual weaknesses, to my knowledge. But, being a mom who would do anything to help her son read better, I wanted to give these a try.We used them a few times but, they seemed to distract him more than anything so we had to set them aside. I really wish they had worked better for his reading issues but they just didn’t. I believe these would work well for a child or adult who had eye teaming or visual strain issues but not necessarily for the child with dyslexia.

If you feel that your child may have trouble focusing or suffer from eye strain, perhaps these could work wonders for him. They come in a pack of ten different colors and, according to their website, their purpose is to reduce page glare and dancing or blurring text.

They are made of hard plastic and offer a narrow window at the top or a wider window at the bottom. The narrow window would help the older child or adult who is reading books with smaller print while the wider window works with larger print.

The cost for all 10 rulers is $16.95 or you can choose a pack of 5 for $9.95. They come in the following colors: pink, celery, sky, magenta, grass, yellow, aqua, purple, orange, and jade.

In addition to the Reading Rulers, Crossbow also has a selection of other learning aids such as Phonics Games and Junior Learning Products. Also on their website you can try their Virtual Color Overlay for free.

If you’d like to see what other members of the Crew thought of this product, you can read more reviews on this Schoolhouse Review Post.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. All opinions are mine. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew website.

Molly Crew Review: Everyday Homemaking

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 14:35:00 +0000

The Schoolhouse Review Crew has a new review team known as the Molly Crew. As a part of this crew I will be trying out products that aren’t necessarily home school related, but rather home life related. Want to learn more? Visit this Molly Blog post.

The first product I was given to review was from Everyday Homemaking. They offered our crew two items to choose from, both were books. The Everyday Family Chore System (spiral bound 19.99) or Everyday Cooking (spiral bound 100pages, 17.99 or eBook 14.99) or you can purchase both for $34.98 (this is a sale so I’m not sure how long they’ll offer this price). There are samples on the website so you can check it out before you buy (I ALWAYS take advantage of the samples), there are even some sample recipes!

I chose Everyday Cooking. I love cookbooks, probably because I struggle to find something my kids will eat. My husband and my children are simple eaters. They like meat and potatoes. They don’t care for any veggies and they absolutely hate casseroles. They prefer to have their food not touching so it’s best not to “throw everything in a dish and pop it in the oven.” I feel like I cook the same 7-8 meals all the time, over and over. They like it that way, I don’t. I like trying new things, but since it’s 5 of them and only 1 of me, it doesn’t usually go over well when I try. Therefore I always welcome a new cookbook to help me find something to add to my repertoire. Everyday Cooking did not disappoint.

Everyday Cooking is more than a cookbook. I would describe it as a cooking manual. There are lots of instructions on things other than just cooking. Such as, shopping, storing food, and multi-tasking in the kitchen. Things that you would teach your daughter (or son) as she works alongside you in the kitchen. Some examples are: how to cook beans by soaking them overnight and how to cook them if you forgot to soak, ideas on freezing meat to make it easy to pull it out of the freezer and have it ready for the meal, substitutions when you don’t have what you need, lots of breakfast ideas to give you a healthy breakfast with little effort, and much more.

I found a couple recipes that were easy and my family actually liked (Porcupine Meatballs was one) but what I liked most about the book wasn’t the recipes. It was the tips. There are hundreds of tips scattered throughout the book that teach you things that, if you grew up in the kitchen you probably already know. But if you didn’t grow up in the kitchen, these are basic how to’s that will make your cooking experience so much better. I loved those tips!!

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the tips! Didn’t I just say that's what I loved about this book? Yelp! It was a love hate kind of thing. What I didn’t like about the tips was, they weren’t listed in the index. As I stated before, there are tips scattered throughout the book and they’re usually placed close to a particular recipe where they are most applicable. That’s great. But I had a hard time finding some of the tips later. I’m probably being picky but, I encountered this problem several times. When I first got the book I started reading through it and later when I was ready to cook and wanted to go back and find something I had read, I couldn’t. It was hard to find it because the tips are just scattered here and there. I think they need to be listed in the index so we can find them more easily when we’re not looking at the recipe they’re dealing with. I will say this, they have them in a shaded box so that did help me as I was scanning for a particular tip.

Okay so now you know how I felt about Everyday Cooking. If you want to see what others thought of it and Everyday Family Chore System visit the Crew's blog.

My Mom Voxbox Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 22:53:00 +0000

With our school year being so hectic I chose to step down from TOS Crew this year so I could focus more on the subjects we enjoy and need to succeed in, without having to add in the review products (oh how I love some of those products. I will miss it).

So in an effort to fulfill my desire to try new products, I decided to join the Influenster team. I had no idea I would be chosen so quickly (I feel blessed), but I was and I received my very first Voxbox this week.

A little about Influenster, straight from their website:

What is an Influenster?

Community of trendsetters invited to share their lifestyles and show off their influence to qualify for personalized product shipments, special rewards and exclusive deals from the brands they love. Members love testing the latest products, giving insightful feedback, and spreading the word on their favorite finds!

If you’d like to know more or if you’re interested in registering, click here. Be sure to tell them mom244now sent you

My Mom voxbox included:

Language Learning video

Stash Tea

Nektar Honey Crystals

Dentek for Kids

Dentek for Adults

Ivory Soap

Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookie

imPRESS nails

There were also a couple coupons included, that always makes me

So over the next few weeks Ill be trying this out and posting my opinion and reading to see what others thought of their items.

Homeschool items For Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:10:00 +0000

I've been cleaning out my school material and have added some additional items for sale. If you don't see what you want here, check out TIME TO SALE I have more listed there.

ALL PRICES ARE NEGOTIABLE (I really want to get rid of it all)

Lots & Lots of Fire Trucks DVD & Book $12.00 + shipping

George Washington Carver DVD $12.00 + shipping

~~See the Light Art Class~~ ~~DVD VOL 1 $7.00+ shipping ( I also have a DVD with preview clips that I'll let you have with this)~~

Super Star Speech R&L $10.00 + shipping

~~Go Science VOL 3~~ ~~Magnetism, Engineering, Electricity, & Design $5 + shipping~~
~~Go Science VOL 4~~ ~~Chemistry, Life Science, & States of Matter $5 + shipping~~

I also have a brain training curriculum from Learning Links If you have a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia etc and you'd like to give brain training a try just make me an offer. This has 4 CD-Rom/DVD's that contain instructions, copies off all the print offs and videos to show you how to do the exercises. have printed off the pages and have them in a binder with plastic covers (they use a dry erase pen to do the exercises).

I accept PayPal

Please email me at mom244now@gmail.com if you're interested in any of these.

TOS Review: Go Science DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:37:00 +0000

Go Science is a DVD series with 6 volumes:

Volume 1: Motion & the Laws of Gravity

Volume 2: Simple Machines, Sound, Weather,

Volume 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, and Design

Volume 4: Chemistry, States of Matter, Life Sciences

Volume 5: Air, Flight

Volume 6: Water, Space, Solar System

These video’s are recommended for ages 6-14 years (see my opinion below) and last approximately 1 hour each. If you purchase from Library and Education’s website you can purchase them for $8.97 per video or you can purchase all 6 for $47.95 (this is a substantial savings off the original price of $14.95 per DVD and $79.95 for the set).

Library and Education is a company I’ve used in the past and value greatly because of the wonderful savings they offer. They have tons of items at a fraction of the cost you’d pay from the original retailers.

The DVD’s that we received were Volume 3 and Volume 4. They were definitely fun videos to watch and required no parental involvement, unless we wanted to duplicate an experiment, which in this case my children never requested. The host of these video’s is Ben Roy and his goal is to teach teach the children about God through Science, in fact after each lesson he says “Every time we learn something about SCIENCE, we learn something about our CREATOR GOD!”

The suggested age range for these video’s is 6-14 years old but I must say I think 4-10 years old would be more appropriate. My oldest son age 12 didn’t enjoy these at all. My 10 year old was a little more interested but still not truly engaged due to the childlike manner in which they were presented. If you notice the cover of the video, you’ll get an idea of what I mean. Everyone is dressed alike with this cheesy backdrop, almost like Captain Kangaroo from day’s gone by. It’s important to look past these things in order to get the meat offered in these videos. It was just a little harder for my older kids to do that. If you’re kids aren’t used to watching shows like Man, Woman, Wild (one of my kids favorite shows and a far cry from Go Science) then they may really love these. But for us, it was just slightly more juvenile than what they’re accustomed to at ages 10 and 12. My 5 & 6 year olds seemed to enjoy them a little more.

We used these DVD’s as a simple way to expose ALL of my children to some basic Science information. With the younger kids we typically learn Science by following our interests and just picking up facts here and there as we go. This fit in to that way of learning greatly. My expectations were not particularly high so I was not disappointed. The experiments Mr. Roy shared were very neat and he was wonderful at explaining the Science involved.

If you want to read more reviews for Go Science and Library Education, visit this TOS Blog Post.

Tyndale Review: Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Tyndale and Focus on the Family have teamed up to bring us another “Busy Mom’s Guide” this time it’s all about Food and Family (two things I personally LOVE).

This is a 192 page paperback book with only 6 chapters, making it a quick and easy read or a nice little handy dandy resource guide.

Chapter 1 Nutritional Basics (Read the 1st Chapter HERE)
Chapter 2 How to Make Healthy Food Choices
Chapter 3 Vitamins and Minerals
Chapter 4 A Weighty Problem
Chapter 5 What about Diets, Medications, or Surgery?
Chapter 6 Help for the Overweight Child or Teenager

This book was most helpful to me because it was put in simple to understand terms and, instead of offering an excerpt from every study available, the information was presented quickly and to the point. I learned the importance of reading labels and also what makes foods healthy/unhealthy. I’ve always struggled in the area of nutrition (and I’m sure I will continue to struggle to a point because this just isn’t top priority in our lives right now) but this book has made it a little easier to make the right choices.

The cost of this book is $12.99 and can be purchased HERE

**I received this book free of charge from Tyndale, in exchange for my honest opinion.

TOS Review: Amazing Science

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Science and Math.com sent us Volume 1 of their Amazing Science program. There are 23 science experiments that my boys found to be truly AMAZING. You have two options for purchasing the program: 1) You can download it for $17.99 or 2) You can receive the two DVD set for $19.95

The boys enjoyed all of the experiments they watched and they also tried many of them with no difficulty at all. I love that they were able to do most of them with little to no assistance from me (they actually allowed their younger brother and sister be their ‘assistants’). They were quite impressed with what they could do with ordinary items from our house. Our favorites so far are Lift an Ice Cube with a String, Matchstick Speedboat, and Cloud in a Bottle.

Jason Gibson is the Science teacher in these videos and he shows you step by step what to do and explains the science behind why it works. You can then do the experiment yourself if you wish, but it isn’t required. By watching the video you will have learned all you need to understand the science, but my kids weren’t happy with just watching, they wanted to actually do the experiment themselves. The video’s are pretty short, about 10-15 min each, as you can see from their demo HERE.

Science and Math.com also offers video’s for Basic Math, Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus as well as Chemistry and Physics.

I would suggest Amazing Science as a great supplement for any Science program and even a stand alone program for the younger children who really don’t require a lot of science instruction.

Visit Amazing Science and sign up for a free experiment delivered to your inbox. You can also find a list of all the experiments on these DVD’s.

If you would like to hear what other TOS Reviewers thought of Amazing Science please visit the blog here.

TOS Review: Christian Kids Explore Biology

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:38:00 +0000

Our family has been slowly working through a new Science program by Bright Ideas Press, and so far it is passing the Pickrel test for ease of use. With me, Science must come easily or…well, it just doesn’t come at all.

There are several Christian Kids Explore Science choices to choose from: Chemistry, Earth & Space, Physics, and Biology. We received Biology.

Christian Kids Explore Biology is a 291 page, paperback text. It is laid out very simply for the parent OR the child to read a small amount on a particular topic (“Teaching Time”) and then do a hands on activity that ranges from a full blown experiment to a simple diagraming assignment (“Hands-On Time).

It is broken into 8 Units and each Unit has 3-6 lessons for a total of 35 lessons. The lessons are broken into Teaching Time and Hands-On Time. It really is as easy as it seems. Our homeschool is very busy these days and I really can’t do anything overly complicated, but we have very easily been able to do this. And we’ve ALL enjoyed it. It’s written for 3rd-6th graders but even my kindergartners have sat in on some of the lessons and enjoyed the coloring pages. There are lots of extra’s in this books that you can use to make this more in-depth. The coloring pages are part of that option.

Everything you need is in this one book for $34.95, but if you would like a digital of all the reproducible pages you can order that here for $ 7.95. There are plenty of instructions to help you get the most from your text, including instructions on creating a Science Notebook and examples of how to schedule your day/lesson, and material lists for each Unit. Although there are plenty of instructions, I want to say there aren’t TOO MANY instructions. Sometimes, when I open a book and see pages and pages of instructions I just want to close that book and leave it on the shelf. I need quick and precise. That’s what you get with Christian Kids Explore. I LOVE it.

If you would like more information about this program or any of the other Science programs mentioned above, just visit their site here. You can view samples, which are always helpful in giving you an idea of what is covered and how a lesson looks.

The quick and to the point version:

Paperback (291 pages)
Christian Kids Explore offers Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Earth and Space,
$34.95 (for Biology)
35 Lessons, makes it easy to complete in a year
Simple to do lessons and hands on activities
WE LOVE IT

Want to know what other homeschoolers thought of Christian Kids Explore Biology? Visit our TOS Blog post.

Time to Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:27:00 +0000

ALL PRICES ARE NEGOTIABLE (I really want to get rid of all this)

-Phonic's Pathway $10 + shipping

-Sylvan Learning Reading Skills Builder 1st & 2nd Grade (1st grade has 21 lessons and we used 11 of them 2nd grade has not bee used) $6 for both + shipping

-This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall $20 + shipping(I believe this is a suggested spine for Truth Quest)

-Exploring American History by McHugh and Montgomery $8 + shipping (I believe this is a suggested spine for Truth Quest)

-Little Pilgrims Progress (by Moody Bible Institute) $5 + shipping

-The World at Her Fingertips the story of Helen Keller $5 + shipping

-Abeka’s Pilgrim’s Progress, simplified $3 + shipping

-Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers (Books 2 & 3) includes answer key for book 3 $5 + shipping

-Cocoa and Company: A Civil War Classic $5 + shipping

Christian Light Grade 3 Reading $10 + shippingTeacher's Guidebook
Doors to Discovery (hardback)
Light Unit 310

Christian Light Grade 3 Language Arts $5 + shipping
Teacher's Guidebook
Light Unit 310

-Preschool or Kindergarten Kit $99 + $8 Shipping

Included in this sale: Explode the Code items:Teachers book for books A,B, & C, Phonics letters with pic, letter, and pic/letter combo, and ETC Wall Hanger with activity book. Wiki Stix activity set, Phonogram cards that help you teach the letters as well as phonograms, Phonics activity kit, molding clay, dry erase sentence strips, Alphabet match game, numerous letter and number cards, Winnie the Pooh numbers with words and objects offers a puzzle to help learn numbers and counting, Mother Goose activity book, Alphabet Art, Weather chart, days of the week and month, mini incentive charts, books include: God Made Everything Weird & Wacky, Sometimes I share, Choice Stories for Children, Did you Know devotions, Andi's Scary School Days, One Day in the Alpine Tundra, I can Read Golden Book, Eyewitness Explorers Weather Book, The Night Sky, Read Aloud Treasury, What is a Bird, Things that Go Trains & Planes, Sunflower Life Cycle, What is an Insect, Liz Looks for a Home, Treasury of Literature "Hold on Tight" and "Blue Waters" I have also included some wall charts to go along with this.

You can contact me by leaving a comment or email me directly at mom244now@gmail.com
I accept PayPal

TOS Review: Write with World

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:38:00 +0000

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Crew, my family was given an opportunity to review Write with World created by God’s World Publications, publishers of God’s World News and WORLD Magazine.
I was given year one of a two year program, it included a student manual and a teacher’s manual. The teacher’s manual was an exact copy of the student text with a side margin listing some extra details and hints. There are 16 Lessons (4 Units) and each lesson is broken into 5 sections (called Capsules) making it easy to complete a capsule per day usually. Here’s a Sample Lesson to give you a better idea.
This program was designed for middle schoolers but can actually be used with 6-9th graders. While Write with World is loosely linked with it’s magazines and can be used very well with either one or both of them, but according to the publishers, it is not necessary to have the magazines in order to use this program.

The publishers list several reasons for creating this program on their website, including the need for “Christian’s to be heard in this era of conflicting worldviews.” I found this very interesting because, just today I was talking with my son about how difficult it is to get the actual truth from any media outlet. Our family enjoyed a membership to two of the God’s World News magazines last year and I really enjoyed hearing current news from a Christian perspective. If we can get our children interested in writing, while teaching them current news, we’ll be accomplishing so much more than just preparing them to write well for college. Not only that, they will be equipped to discern what they are reading in all media outlets. I think it’s a wonderful idea and my son loves the program!
When I asked my 11 year old his thoughts on the program, this is what he had to say: “Write with World helps you see the potential of a story in everything around you. I really like it.”
He has been used to using a pretty complex writing program so this seemed like a breeze to him, I guess. My problem with it was, yes it was fun and interesting, but it didn’t translate well. In other words, I saw very little actual writing. Perhaps I wasn’t monitoring him closely enough or we didn’t get far enough in the program. Another problem I had was being able to easily glance at the book and know what was going on. It’s written in paragraph form so you really have to read to get the jest of the lesson. There isn’t a bullet list or a “What You Will Learn In Lesson _” to give you an overview of what to expect. There is a “General Overview” and a “Detailed Overview” in the teachers manual, but even the ”General Overview” is just paragraphs. I need short and to the point.
These are just personal preferences and shouldn’t stop you from checking out this program. There are plenty of good things about Write with World that I hope will encourage you to give it a try such as, your child learning current events from a Christian perspective while applying these to writing. Also, unlike what I grew up with, the variety this course offers in each lesson is fun and keeps them interested. Write with World doesn’t toss out a thought/topic and expect your child to write a couple paragraphs about it, which is exactly how I was first introduced to writing, in 7th grade. We had a journal and the first 5-10 minutes of class we wrote about whatever topic the teacher had on the board. For example “This weekend I plan to…” It was very dull and ineffective.
The cost of this program is $95 for one year or $165 for two years (you receive a teacher and student manual for each year). Also, Write with World is in the process of creating an online site that should be ready in September. This site will have 3 primary functions: 1) provide additional prompts and subject matter for the child to work with, 2) allow students to submit their writings for publication, and 3) offer a place for students and teachers to discuss what their learning and provide feedback to Write with World.
If you are interested in reading more reviews on Write with World, please check out this post.
**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. All opinions are mine. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Crew: Amazing Animals by Design

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Amazing Animals by Design was written by one of our fellow homeschool moms when she discovered there were very few intelligent design books written for younger children. Not only is Debra Haagen a fellow homeschooler she is also a crewmate with TOS! I was so delighted to hear about and receive her PDF e-book. (You can choose PDF 7.99 or paperback for 8.99)
I downloaded the book three times on my nook color but each time it disappeared, I’m sure it was probably something I’m doing wrong. She has tried to convert it to e-Pub and MOBI for nook and Kindle but she didn’t like the format after the conversion.
The book takes you to the zoo with John, Sarah and their parents. As they visit each animal the zookeeper informs them of the animals ‘special features’ that must have been created just for them.

This book was written for Pre-K through 3rd grade, but in my home this book was way over simplified for my 4 (almost 5 ) and 6 yr olds. They already knew what a Caracal was, they understood why elephants had trunks, and ostriches hide their heads in the sand, none of this was new to them. There was only one animal, the Barbary that they’d never heard of and thus was able to learn how the creator designed him special.
But if you have a child that hasn’t spent much time learning about the hand of God in the animal world, this will be a very good place to start. A very good place! And, Debra plans to write more in this series, so stay tuned!

links to help you

Purchase Amazing Animals by Design at: http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61862-233-4

Website: http://debrahaagen.tateauthor.com/
Blog: http://www.amazingbydesign.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazing-Animals-by-Design/212074542163386
If you would like to read more Amazing Animals by Design reviews, visit our TOS Blog Post.
**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. All opinions are mine. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

Review: The Woodcarver DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:05:00 +0000

I was blessed with a copy of The Woodcarver, a family friendly Christian film from Christian Cinema.com

ABOUT THE WOODCARVER (taking from the Christian Cinema site)

Matthew Stevenson is a troubled kid from a broken home. When he vandalizes the local church to get back at his parents, Matthew has to repair the damage to the church to avoid criminal charges. While working at the church, he meets Ernest, an accomplished wood carver who created the intricate woodwork decoration that Matthew destroyed. Ernest has become something of a hermit, but reluctantly comes out of reclusion to help repair the church. Now Ernest and Matthew must work together to preserve the church's beautiful antiquity, and along the way, they also manage to restore their faith in God and in life

You can purchase the DVD today for $10.92, just click here

Disclosure: I received one of the products mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

TOS Review: Action Alert

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:02:00 +0000

We’ve all heard of the dangers allowing children to ‘play’ unsupervised on the internet. Action Alert is an organization that is working hard to help parents protect their children. They have used feedback and knowledge from parents, children’s and family psychologists, law enforcement, internet security experts, and educators to come up with a program known as Action Alert. They have received quite a lot of attention recently from some pretty big names. I was lucky to be given a chance to review for them.

What impressed me was that they offer a Free Version for those who really want to protect their children but aren’t able to spend the money for the Maximum Protection version ($29.99). This convinced me that they weren’t out to simply make money, they really had our children’s safety in mind when offering this program.

There seems to be very little difference in the Maximum Protection and the Free Version. From what I’ve learned, Action Alert seem to want their customers to try the FREE version and then if need be, upgrade. Some kids will need more supervision and protection.

To get a better idea about the difference between the two versions I’ve listed what I know about them below:

The Free Version sends a message or text to your phone when an alert occurs, offers a web filter to ensure safe searches, website blocking that prevents access to a constantly updated list of websites (you can even add your own list of sites), time controls to ensure your child doesn’t linger too long on the internet, and free tech support.

The Maximum Version offers everything the Free version offers with added tools to help trace your child’s steps and/or a wrong doer who may be targeting your child. One of these tools is something like a DVR so it’s sort of like watching a recording of what your child has done while online.

So if you don’t have a protection in place, head to Action Alert and try their Free Version today. I will caution that this is a fairly new program so there may be a few kinks but remember they offer free tech support so make use of it.

If you’d like to read more reviews of Action Alert from my fellow TOS Crew members visit the review blog.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: Progeny Press

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Do you love to read to your children but worry that reading them that wonderful novel, so rich in history and insights into the human soul, just isn’t enough? Do you ever get up from your family reading time and feel like there needs to be more, something’s missing, but what?

Progeny Press has the answer. They offer study guides for all kinds of wonderful literature and they cover grades K-12, so there’s something for everyone. When I first heard about them I thought they would just offer some questions to prompt discussion (which would’ve been great) but I was wrong, very wrong. They offer so much more.

The study guide I received was for the novel Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. I read this book to my children at the beginning of this school year, before I had heard of Progeny Press unfortunately. This novel turned out to be one of our favorites this year (so far, we still have three or four to go) so doing this review has been a real joy, reminding me of all the laughter and sorrow we shared while being absorbed in this book.

That brings me to my first opinion (meaning you may disagree but this is how I feel about it) concerning Progeny Press. I’ve been looking over their online catalog and from what I’m seeing the books they choose are all very literature rich without a lot of fluff and puff. I like a book that doesn’t leave my heart and mind when I put it back on the shelf. The books we read are not one sided and I truly don’t want them to be. I want my children to view the world from all angles in order to discover error in worldviews that go against our truth measuring stick (The BIBLE) thus allowing the Holy Spirit through the truth in His Word to guide them to the path they should take (with their mom prodding them along ever so gently…gently? yeah right, lol) This is not to say that Progeny Press doesn’t promote a Christian worldview, it does, but Progeny Press teaches them how to think and come up with these truths on their own.. They explain it this way:

“At Progeny Press we are committed to teaching good cultural literature, examined from a Christian perspective. We believe in the equation "Biblical Truth + Cultural Relevancy = Effective Christians." Take away biblical truth and Christians become no more than a religious subculture-- salt without saltiness. Take away cultural relevancy and Christians become isolationists with no impact on the world-- lights hidden under bushels. We believe in looking at the world clearly and openly with the Bible firmly in hand.”

So what is a Progeny Press study guide? It is a list of questions to go with each chapter, as you would assume, but it also includes background information on the author, activities for the child to do while reading the book (they recommend reading the book the first week then diving into the guide), vocabulary, introduction and use of literary techniques, Bible study, creative writing assignments, history study, geography and map work, and so much more. As I said, I was truly amazed at all that was included.

If you enjoy doing Unit Studies, than you will love Progeny Press because to me, it’s like a literature unit study. I love it. I’m not sure how/if I’ll be able to incorporate Progeny Press into my homeschool schedule next year, but I’m seriously considering it as my history curriculum as well as a supplement for several of my other subjects, including creative writing and grammar. The money it will save me is astounding! Plus we’ll become much more involved in the subjects we’re studying. I’m not 100% sure I have enough faith in myself to drop the curriculum I’m using now, but as I said, I am considering it.

A few things you need to know:

In addition to the study guide students will need a good dictionary, thesaurus, Bible, concordance
Typically it will take 8-10 weeks to do one guide (elementary level is shorter) which would give you time to complete 3-4 study guides per year
There are options available for testing
Most Christian high schools have assigned a value of one-fourth credit per study guide and this also seems to be acceptable to colleges assessing homeschool transcripts
If your child would rather type than write, order the PDF version. It’s interactive and they can type their answers right in

I received, through email, a PDF version of Across Five Aprils study guide and it included a total of three files: a read me file, the actual study guide, and an answer key. (It did not include the actual novel).

They offer most of their guides in the following formats:

--> Paperbound booklet (reproducible) $18.99
--> PDF file on CD (opens with Adobe Reader, interactive files can be completed on computer or printed)$16.99
--> PDF file emailed directly to you (opens with Adobe Reader, interactive file can be completed on computer or printed)$16.99
All formats include full student text and complete answer key.
--> A booklet/CD combo set gives you both the booklet and CD formats of the guide for classroom use. Print what you need when you need it. Refer to your booklet copy at any time. Substantial price savings buying both formats together! $23.99

Progeny Press offers many guides to choose from and the TOS Crew reviewed these six:

Across Five Aprils
The Cay
The Bronze Bow
The Screwtape Letters
Pride and Prejudice
Julius Caesar

Visit the Crew to read reviews on each of these study guides.

TOS Review: K-5 Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:56:00 +0000

We’ve been using an online program as a supplement to my 4th grade son’s reading. It’s called K5 Learning and I was introduced to it through the the TOS Homeschool Crew.

K5 Learning isn’t an all inclusive program, it is meant to be a supplemental program that helps children who are struggling in the areas of reading, math, or spelling. It’s just a way to give them a little extra boost by helping them focus on the area(s) in which they’re struggling. Kind of like an afterschool tutor, only cheaper and more convenient. Since it’s web based it’s available whenever your child has the time or desire to spend working on it. Also, It’s fun, so they’ll enjoy it while learning, instead of just feeling like they’re doing more school!

The cost for K5 Learning is $25 monthly ($15 for each additional child) or $199 yearly ($129 each additional child). I would recommend that you take advantage of their 14 day trial just to see if this will benefit your child.

K5 offers four reading and math programs

K5 Reading covers phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension

K5 Spelling is an advanced vocabulary program with a database of over 150,000 words

K5 Math aids student in learning math concepts in multiple areas including time, money, algebra, data analysis, and geometry

K5 Math Facts uses mastery to help child retain all the important facts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

(All four of these are all included with your single subscription)

In my opinion this program is perfect for busy parents because it’s 100% independent and its safe. No chat, ads, or external links. My son worked with K5 Learning but not nearly as much as I would have liked. He is really working hard with reading these days and he felt like this was just more work. However, I’m not giving up on K5 Learning. I will still encourage him to log in and work as often as possible, especially on days that I can’t invest a full amount of work on his reading program. I think K5 is a good option for any child needing a little extra work in one of the above mentioned areas.

If you would like to see what other TOS Crew members thought of this program, click here.

TOS Review: Reading Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:55:00 +0000

My kids have been spending quite a bit of time on the computer lately. In fact, lately, they are choosing the computer over the TV more often than not. So what’s got my kids situated at the computer with mom happy to have them there? Reading Eggs!

Reading Eggs is an online reading program designed to help children ages 3-13 on their reading journey. They do this through many activities which include songs, games, and rewards.

There are several pricing options available for Reading Eggs but the best value is $75.00 for 12 months. You can check out the other options available including a month by month plan, by visiting the pricing page.

My children were able to complete two maps which means they advanced past 20 lessons. Each map has 10 lessons and offers different areas to explore and learn in each. In all there are 120 reading lessons and 96 spelling lessons. These lessons are designed to be played more than once, since repetition builds fluency.

Reading Eggs begins with learning/reviewing a few of the letter sounds while building words, and practicing them until they become automatic. They also learn to put the words into sentences and by the time they finish the second map (20 lessons) they have covered several sentences and even a couple site words. Below is a screen shot of the ‘test’ they are given before advancing to the next map.

I really like the method Reading Eggs uses to teach reading because they break the words down by sound and have the child build the word(s) using different methods which engage the child's eyes, ears, and hands (I don’t know if this is considered an Orton-Gillingham based program but it definitely incorporates portions of it.)

So I’ve already mentioned that my children LOVE Reading Eggs. They BEG to play it daily, hourly even. In fact when I opened it to begin writing my review, they came running. However, that in and of itself, isn’t enough for me to put my badge of approval on it. But, I found nothing offensive about this program and thought they did an excellent job teaching and reviewing the concepts. I give it a thumbs up!

All of that being said, I will now give the ugly part of my review. Reading Eggs, for some reason was not very effective with helping my children learn to read. In a way I feel like it’s more my kids than the program itself. I didn’t use it as a stand alone program, instead I used it as a supplement to their reading lessons. My daughter is only 4 years old so I don’t really expect her to take off and start reading right now. I know some do, but mine probably won’t. My son is 6 years old but is really struggling to blend those letters into sounds into words. I’m not pushing him too hard, and am really hoping eventually Reading Eggs will be the fun nudge that moves him into the land of reading. And although they still aren’t sounding out cvc words with ease, they are able to sound out some and they can actually spell more than they sound out.

After all the time they spent on Reading Eggs and with me doing their regular reading lessons the only word they seem to get (without sounding it out) is c-a-t spells cat! They can read it and spell it. It’s a little disheartening but I know every child learns at their own pace. Well, I take that back, they both know *at* and *am* pretty well too. We’ve only been at it about 3-4 weeks so I’m hoping things will improve with time. I know Reading Eggs can’t hurt them and I’m hoping it’ll work it’s magic and every thing will click into place soon. The key will turn, the light will come on, and BOOM they’ll be reading chapter books! I’m probably a little dreamy but I prefer that to reality sometimes

Would you like to try before you buy? Click for a FREE TRIAL.

Would you like to read some of the other reviews? CLICK HERE.

TOS Review: All About Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Recently my family was lucky enough to be chosen to review two All About Learning products: All About Reading Level 1 and the Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit. These two products actually go together but the Deluxe kit isn’t necessary to complete the program. This is All About Learning's brand new program designed to help children, with or without reading struggles, learn to read easily and effectively. I used this program with my six year old son and my four year old daughter.

The Deluxe Reading Kit I received came with everything you see below.

I feel really blessed to have been given an opportunity to look over this program and try it out with my children for two reasons. First, we had just completed a pre-reading program that introduced the letter sounds, so the next obvious step for us would be to begin blending. Second, this program teaches the way I believe my children need to be taught, using multi-sensory methods that are straight to the point, with lots of review, and not overshadowed by flash and bling. You know what I mean by that, lots of distracting colors and busy worksheets that take away from the real task at hand, learning to read.
Learning to read is such a vital, yet difficult task for many children that, in my opinion, every program should be taught with the idea that the child learning, may not fit the cookie cutter mold. In other words, you may have a struggling reader on your hands and not know it until you’ve been using the typical phonics program, that only 80% of the students are able to learn to read with, for quite awhile. By then you’ve wasted valuable time with the child and, unfortunately, you may have to go back to square one.
The All About Reading program uses all five of the key components of reading:

Phonological Awareness
Phonics and Decoding
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension

---> The Level 1 Kit is $99.95 and consists of a teacher’s manual, student packet and three hardback readers
--->The Interactive Reading Deluxe Kit for Level 1 is $48.95 and it includes the Letter Tiles and magnets, a cute Tote, Phonogram CD, Reading Divider Cards, Star Stickers, and Reading Review Box (**Note I love all the bells and whistles that come with a deluxe anything but if money is an issue, there are other options available besides this deluxe kit, such as the Basic Reading Interactive Kit ($28.95) or getting just the Letter Tiles ($11.95). This program is worth the investment, but you don’t have to get everything).

Before you Begin

There is a little bit of time involved initially because you have to pop out all the cards and letters and even put magnet's on the backs (We purchased a magnetic dry erase board for $15 and we keep our letters on this board, this was the company’s recommendation). I did my prep work while watching TV and riding in the van so it wasn’t too bad. After that the prep work is basically over. You open the book and go each day. It’s laid out in a very easy to understand and follow plan. I LOVE that about this program!

How it’s Supposed to Work

The All About Reading Level 1 program has 49 lessons. The first two lessons are slightly different but after those are complete you will follow this basic 5 step plan:

Before You Begin: This is your prep work. Usually not much here to do.
Review: You review what you’ve taught thus far
New Teaching: Using the letter tiles, activity sheets, fluency exercises and/or reader you will teach the new concepts. (By lesson 5 your child will be reading out of their cool hardback reader, “Run Bug, Run!”) The activity sheets are kind of fun without being overwhelming. My kids enjoy the variety and we use them over and over for review purposes. (You can see a picture of one of these activities below “Feed the Monster”)
Read-Aloud Time: Spend 20 min reading to your child (So important! I love that they schedule this in!)
Track Your Progress: The easiest part, and my kids favorite part, adding a star to their progress chart for completing a lesson

Feed the Monster

A cute review game that uses bones with words for the kids to read and ‘feed the monster’

The author of this program, Marie Rippel, suggests doing five short lessons each week. Let your child determine the length of the lesson. If after 10 minutes they seem to not be paying attention or showing much interest, find a good stopping point and end your lesson for the day. If your child is older you may want to do two 20 min sessions per day. Another idea, for little kids especially, is to set a timer for 15-20 minutes and get as much done as you can in that amount of time. Always begin your day with 2-3 minutes of reviewing their cards, then move on to where you left off.

Making it Work for Us

So that’s how it was designed to work and it really does work that way, but I thought I’d add more detail and share some of the changes I had to make to suite my kids.
If you notice in the top picture there is a yellow box, this is for storing the phonogram and word cards. Each day we review about 10 of these and once they can read the word or say the sound without hesitation, the card is moved to the mastered pile (we haven’t moved many of the words but they know their phonograms really well). The magnetic board is where the kids use the tiles to build words, this is part of the Orton-Gillingham method of using multisensory (sound, sight, and touch) tools to teach reading and spelling.
One of the main purposes of Orton-Gillingham or multi-sensory learning is to engage the three main pathways of learning, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. In doing so the child is taught in the way they were created to learn best (whether it be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) and they are more likely to retain what they learn when they learn it all three ways simultaneously.
Since the blending wasn’t really ‘clicking’ with my kids I sort of paused after a few lessons and worked on practicing our blending using the multi-sensory approach. This is what we are doing:
I will choose one of the words in their word stack and decide whether I want them to spell it or read it, then we follow these steps for each:
-For spelling a word I will say the word and have them repeat it after me. Then they will build the word by saying each sound and pulling down the corresponding letter tile. I then have them touch and say each letter sound and then blend the sounds to see if they spelled the correct word.
-For reading a word I will build the word with the tiles and have them touch each individual tile while saying it’s sound and then run their finger under the word and blend it together.
We also had M&M drills. They took turns drawing a card from their word stack and if they could read it correctly they received a reward

The reward for a correct answer…

This worked amazingly well!!!

As I stated earlier, the blending process has proven to be really difficult for my kids so we are just going at our own pace. I know some will be able to complete a lesson in one day (it’s definitely doable if your child can blend easily), but I didn’t think it was the best for us, so we decided to take several days for each lesson. I want blending to be easier for them before we continue adding more and more words for them to recognize. We already have a pretty hefty stack and they have to sound out each of these (with difficulty).
**Update: 5 days after writing this review I was working with my 6 yr. old son and as we worked through his fluency chart, he began sounding and blending almost effortlessly. He was able to correctly blend the majority of the words, phrases, and sentences on the page. This is the first time he’s been able to have a long reading lesson with no frustration (he is easily frustrated with anything that is the least bit challenging for him). This is truly amazing because we have dyslexia on both sides of our family and I have seen several early signs of it in him. Praise the Lord! This is more than wonderful! My 4 yr. old is doing okay but it hasn’t really clicked like that for her…yet If I could just get her to read the words from left to right I think it would happen for her too.

The Highlights of My Review

What you will get with All About Reading is a very easy to follow plan to teach even the struggling reader how to read without becoming discouraged (that means you too!). By starting with Level 1 or even Pre-Level 1 your child will get everything he or she needs in order to become an avid reader, there are no gaps in this program.
As a parent I couldn’t ask for a better program to teach my child to read. The Teachers Manual was laid out beautifully without a lot of extra details that would cause me to want to shut it and put it away. It has just the basics that I need to achieve my lesson for that day. I could simply glance at it and go. After doing a couple lessons you kind of get an idea of what’s happening next and it becomes even easier. Love it!

We really enjoyed the fun, simple activities that can be carried out easily without a lot of pre-planning. This is a picture of one of my older boys helping his younger siblings with phonogram and word BINGO. We’ve already made some nice memories. Thank you All About Learning!

I really felt like All About Learning was committed to seeing my children and me succeed. I spoke with them on several different occasions about my children’s individual weaknesses and needs and each and every time they responded in a quick and helpful manner.
Make sure you visit the All About Reading website, there are tons of downloads, samples, and useful information to help you determine whether this program will work for your family. And I will say they offer a sweet guarantee:

When you purchase through us, you get our "Go Ahead and Use It" one-year guarantee. You have one full year to try out our programs. If you find that any of the curriculums do not meet your needs, simply return the materials at any time within one year of purchase for a full refund of your purchase price.
In addition, you'll get lifetime support, so if you ever have a question, we're here to help!

If that doesn’t make you want to give this company a try I don’t know what will
So if you didn’t get all the info you wanted from my review head on over to the crew blog for more reviews.
**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: Beeyoutiful

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Beeyoutiful has given me the opportunity to review a couple of their products and I must say, I have been very pleased with these natural alternatives. This is an overview of what they believe, straight from the ABOUT US tab on their site:

At Beeyoutiful.com, we believe that each individual is responsible for their own health. It is not a doctor's responsibility to keep you in good health. Instead they are a tremendous resource, especially for those times when urgent care is required. But, they are only one of many resources. And the tools they use, while powerful, are not the only tools available. But a tool is worthless unless one knows how to use it.
We have found a lot a tools that have worked very well for our families, and made Beeyoutiful a repository for those tools, as well as the information to effectively use them. As we learn more, we share more. Our goal is to eventually carry every natural product that we use. We're not there yet. We may never be as we are constantly being exposed to new and great products. As much as is in our power, we want to aid others in obtaining and maintaining good health.
Our mission is to do good to all men. Please let us know how we're doing!

The two products that I have been using daily since I received them a month ago, are the Milk and Honey Facial Bar and B.A.L.M. lip moisturizer.

Milk and Honey Facial Bar

This was a cute little beehive bar of soap that lasts a long time. In fact I’ve used it twice daily for weeks and it looks like it’s been barely used at all. It’s made from bee products (honey, propolis, pollen, and wax) along with goat milk. I still enjoy washing my face with this cute little bee hive each day, it just feels good. It has little speckles that work as an exfoliate. My skin feels really soft and clean after washing with this.

The website claims this product will repair sores, fight acne, soothe chapping, and balance uneven or oily skin. I had a few small pimples pop up when I first started using it, but they eventually cleared up. As for clearing up oily skin, it most definitely did help with that. It’s nice to use something that I know is natural and good for my skin.

The cost for this bar is $10, but if you purchase in bulk you can receive discounts up to 20%

B.A.L.M.

I received the peppermint version of B.A.L.M. (Beeyoutiful All-natural Lip Moisturizer) and I am in love! Anyone who knows me, knows that I always have a lip moisturizer within reach. I have them in my purse, coat pockets, and all over the house. Since receiving B.A.L.M. none of the others stack up (and believe me, I have ALL the brands, thanks to my couponing) I will go out of my way to find my B.A.L.M. instead of using the stick that’s within my reach. If I’d been given the choice I probably would have taken the orange flavor, but after trying the peppermint I am glad to have it instead of orange! It’s so refreshing!

B.A.L.M. is made from these natural ingredients: grape seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils.The cost for B.A.L.M. is $3 or 3 for $2.70 each.

A variety of Beeyoutiful products were reviewed by the TOS Crew so be sure to visit the crew blog post for more reviews.

Spring, Winter, or Both??

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Yesterday we worked in the yard almost as if preparing for spring. It was 60 degrees and sunny. A fun day for sure!

And then there’s today…

…we’re at 2 inches and it’s still falling

The kids couldn’t wait until morning so they’re having a nighttime snowball fight

We’ve been waiting all year for a good snow and it came on the eve of our snow tubing trip…hope we’re still able to go

Picker Alert!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:07:00 +0000

Shiloh announced during lunch (of all times) that she no longer picks her nose. I responded “Great, you’ve now accomplished something your brothers have yet to accomplish.” One brother say’s “I have accomplished it” and another “I have too, starting right now!” Her other brother honestly just sat quietly and listened (he knew he couldn’t add to the conversation since he’d been called on this just an hour earlier!)

So the conversation, unfortunately went from bad to eewww and I had to change the topic. But before that happened we all agreed to proclaim “Picker Alert” if ANYone is caught with their finger inside the nasal canal (yes we actually had to clarify the difference between a scratch and a pick )

So What’s New?

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:59:00 +0000

My nook that’s what!! I had a regular nook but after 6 months of issues one of the customer service rep’s offered to send me a new one or I could upgrade to the color. Obviously I paid the difference and took the upgrade. Oh.My.Word am I glad I did.

This is a whole new experience for me. I’ve never had a touch anything so this little baby has really impressed the socks off me. Not only is reading fun (it was before the nook color came into my life so yeah, it still is) but it’s also easier.

The other day I finished a book and was looking for another to read (without having to buy one) and found one of my friends on Facebook, who lent me a nook book, and within minutes (maybe even seconds) there it was on my nook, ready for me to read. UH, really? So awesome!

I can sit down and in just a few minutes be up to date on the blogs I want to be up to date on (I have hundreds on Google reader and it’s so hard to sort through them, so lately I haven’t even bothered), I can catch the latest national, world, AND local headlines, and even check my weather for snow. All of this with just ONE of my new apps (PULSE). I also have a new calendar app for all my review info. I’m just trying this out for the first time today, so the verdict is still out on this one. I may or may not stick with it. These are freebies too, I can’t even imagine how nice the ones you have to pay for would be. There are tons of these things and remind me, how did I ever get by before apps?

So lately I’ve been wondering, are we living in the technical revolution? What will the future call this point in history? It’s definitely more than just the computer age now, wouldn’t you say?

So, what’s new with you?

H.E.A.R.T. Chapter 2

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:08:00 +0000

Chapter 2 E.-Enrich your Marriage

Okay this week was a bit convicting at times. Especially when she talked about serving our husbands, and trying to ease the enormous load they must shoulder. I know many husbands who are far less busy than mine so I should jump at the chance to help him when he asks. Instead I grumble (usually it’s to myself but I’m sure he knows I’m not overjoyed by having him add something else to my ‘to do’ list).

In this chapter she points out the fact that children are more secure when they see their parents living out a ‘healthy’ example of marriage. They need to feel there is something in their lives that is for sure, stable, consistent, etc. But they don’t need fake. They need to know it’s okay to disagree---it doesn’t mean you don’t still love each other. Something's they will learn by watching their parents (as listed on pages 66-67) are:

Trust
Sacrifice
Loyalty
Teamwork
Forgiveness
Cooperation
Communication
Responsibility
Perseverance
Joy
Diligence
Kindness
Gentleness
Grace

They need that ‘healthy’ example of what a marriage should look like. What we are living in front of them is going to impact how they view marriage in general.

“We need to point our kids toward the values of sacrifice and selflessness as seen on the cross of Calvary. This is the standard of ultimate love defined by dying to oneself and living for the lord. Now that is something worth living for.” (page 68)

One final thought, I love that she doesn’t follow the belief that we need to make our kids happiness a priority. Not that we need to make them miserable but there are so many kids in the world today that never (or rarely) have to deal with disappointment or struggle all because their parents want them to be ‘happy.’ Well, the sad part is they are going to be some very unhappy adults when they leave mom and dad and enter the real world of disappointments and struggles. A very wise friend once told me that God is more concerned with my holiness than with my happiness. I belief there is so much truth in those words!

I’m not the only one talking about this book…check out The Pelsers to see what others had to say.

Get yourself a copy of H.E.A.R.T.

H.E.A.R.T. Chapter 1

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:51:00 +0000

H.E.A.R.T. by Rachel Carman

H: Have a Heart for the Things of God

Last week I shared my thoughts on the intro to this book and this week I’ll be sharing on Chapter 1. As you’ll soon see each chapter will be a part of the acronym H.E.A.R.T. So this week is H: Have a Heart for the Things of God.

A few things she stresses are the importance of intentional parenting. We shouldn’t react, but instead we need to respond. This means instead of panicking over big or little things, try praying. Instead of giving a sermon when you catch your child exhibiting un-Christ like characteristics/behaviors, share scripture and let the Lord penetrate that heart with His Word (it’s stronger than a two edged sword and will do more than any words you could put together on your own).

Another point she makes is to show our children what it looks like (in everyday life) to put God first. Let them see what a strong faith is. Be a living testimony in your home. Learn to truly worship Him because that’s where His glory is revealed.

As we walk with Him and grow in our knowledge of Him we begin to desire to worship Him. This is described on pages 54-56. She points out that God gave us our emotions but we are to rule over them—keeping them under control (this would include ALL of them). In the book she didn’t focus on this point but it spoke clearly to me. I’ve become more emotional as I’ve gotten older and I need to remember to “stay in control.” I am responsible for my actions and my emotions are not a scapegoat for me to use when I lose control.

She ends this chapter with the following piece of advice:

“Memorize His word all you want, but without the heart change, without true worship, it’s empty.”

Head on over to The Pelsers for the Chapter 1 links.

A Dose of our Daily Life

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:51:00 +0000

What does a typical day look like at our homeschool? That just depends on what day it is. Really! We do a little different each day depending on what we have going on outside the home (among other diversions). But on a day when we are home all day (with minimal interruptions) this is how we roll:
---> I usually get up between 6-7am have my coffee and time with Jesus.
---> Lucas is the first up after me. God wakes him up with His gorgeous sunlight.
---> Around 7:30-8:00 (depending on what time they went to bed the night before) I wake the rest of the family up.
---> Breakfast is usually pretty quick then everyone is sent to get dressed, make their beds, and brush their teeth. I throw a load of clothes in the wash and then we get started.
---> School is underway by or before 9am. This is where our schedule has recently changed. We were doing things like THIS up until the last couple weeks. I felt we needed to tweak things a bit because I felt rushed with the little ones.
---> The first few hours of school the little ones spend playing alone or with one another. This is the first year they haven’t been underfoot and it’s been great.
----> So our first hour is spent on Reading, individual Bible/AWANA, and Spelling. Jordan works on his alone while Josiah and I work together.
---> Once this is complete everyone grabs a snack, I put the laundry in the dryer or hang them up to dry, and we head to the living room for our favorite time of the day. SONLIGHT. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, these books. I am so glad I tried them, we will be using them again!! So in addition to reading the Sonlight history and read aloud's, we spend part of our time praying for each other’s ‘weaknesses’ and reading from Apologia’s book Who is God and Can I Really Know Him. This usually takes an hour or more.
---> Next the boys do their Winston Grammar with my help and/or IEW (creative writing). We love IEW but I haven’t been doing it as diligently as I should have. It’s so easy to just skip this if we’re running behind. I’m really hoping to work this in a lot more often in the coming months. It’s not a real burden to finish it in one year so I’m not too worried. These two subjects can take 15 min to one hour, depending on whether we do both subjects or just Winston, and also it depends on what the assignments are for that particular day.
---> At this point I’m done with the older boys and it’s usually lunch time. We don’t do fancy lunches around here (well, occasionally I’ll fix a real meal, but it’s rare). We usually have chicken nuggets, hotdogs with mac-n-cheese, sandwiches, pizza, leftovers, spaghetti and meatballs, or corndogs. I know most of my homeschool friends would cringe at this but, hey, food isn’t our top priority these days. I have picky kids (got it honest from their dad) and I’m not stressing over it now.
---> After lunch the older boys do their Apologia Science and Math-U-See. They have individual Math of course but they do their science together. They are studying Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day.
---> This is when I start the little kids with their school. We have a morning board that we have been doing immediately following breakfast but since Christmas we haven’t really done it at all. I’m not sure if it’ll fall in the afternoon now or if I’ll try to do it at breakfast. I’m thinking it’d be best to just continue to do it after breakfast. For math they are also doing Math-U-See and we work through their sheets together using the blocks to help where needed.
Last week they finished learning the last of the consonants so we will be starting a new program this week. I’m super excited too because it’s a program that I was chosen to review from TOS. I know God was in this because it’s perfect for our family. PERFECT! So perfect I would have probably chosen it above all others if money wasn’t an issue (not that it’s an expensive program, I just didn’t have any money to spend right now). I just got it in the mail today (timing was spot on, thank you Lord). The program we’ll be starting this week is All About Reading Level 1. Look for my review February 22!
So that’s a typical day in our life…not too exciting but we all love spending our days together. The only way it could be any more perfect would be to have our Daddy here with us.

Head over to the Blog Cruise and see how other homeschoolers spend their days.

“How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids” INTRO

noreply@blogger.com (Marie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:07:00 +0000

I have joined a book study with other moms and we will be reading and discussing “How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids” by Rachael Carman. I’ve read this book before and loved it. In fact you can read my review here. I felt it would be nice to run through it again since this time of year I usually need to refocus and remember what my REAL purpose for homeschooling is.
So this week I’m on the Introduction to the book. Once again, this book came at the perfect time. Sunday we sang one of my favorite hymns, “Come Thou Fount of Many Blessings.” I love this song so much that I had it played in my wedding as the bridesmaids walked up the isle. At church, as I sang the last verse “Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love” I remember thinking, ‘Well that no longer applies, I have finally made it—I am sold out!---I will never leave my precious Jesus.’ I didn’t even realize I had wandered off course, again.
My morning quiet time had become a rush simply because I wasn’t getting up early enough (i.e.: before Lucas and the sun come up). Amazing what that does to me. The night before reading this I felt God telling me I needed to make changes --- I was spending too much time on myself (reading online). I felt so empty and unfulfilled. This is what ALWAYS happens when we put too much other ‘stuff’ in and not enough Jesus in. I knew what was missing---I had wandered.
So I got up early the next morning dove into the intro and the tears began to burn my eyes as she described the new heart God had given her (check it out on pages 28 &29) . That’s how I felt at that moment. God is so patient with me. My desire is to show that same grace and patience to others in my life.
I’m not the only one reading this book…head on over to The Pelsers to see what others are saying. You can also click here to read the authors thoughts. Yes! she’s joining the book study.
Want your own copy of this book…here you go.