The Johns Family

Kinderbach (TOS Review)

2012-01-28T16:50:00.000-06:00

I grew up playing piano since age 7, was a total "band geek" in middle and high school and went on to study voice and piano on full-scholarships. Music is a very important part of my life and we are trying to instill that same love of music with our children. Kinderbach is an online piano instruction that uses kid-friendly tunes and characters to make learning music fundamentals fun and engaging for young children.

Best of all, you don't have to own a piano so you can make sure your child is going to enjoy it and stick with it before investing thousands of dollars in a piano. A small keyboard or even one of those cheap plastic keyboards from places like Target work great with this program. The program is geared for children ages 3-7. This curriculum is designed to meet MENC National Standards for Pre-K. Through the lessons, the child is taught music vocabulary, note reading and notations, rhythm, physical techniques, vocal training, music composition and much more. There is a series of videos online that feature four sessions per week. There are currently 6 levels, with a 7th level in the making.

There are also PDF books you can download that are packed with learning activities and worksheets to reinforce skills as well as containing further instructions for learning. Each level has a workbook and there are two coloring books that you can download and print too. There is a kid-friendly music instructor on the videos who I must say is very excited to be teaching your child and her enthusiasm can be contagious.

There was only one thing we found that we wished was different. In several of the videos, you cannot hear the instructor's voice well because the piano recording is so loud it overpowers the voice. This made it hard to hear what was being taught or what you should do. Honestly, our 6 year old was just not really into this program (but I have been teaching them music for several years so this program seemed "babyish" to him as he had learned a lot of these concepts already). However, I could totally see the benefits of this program for a child who has never learned about music, a young (preschool age) child or even a child with special needs.

Kinderbach starts at $7.99 per month for the online lessons. DVD's are available too starting at $40.45. Best of all, you can check out Kinderbach for yourself with their free trial. We got to enjoy a 3 month subscription to Kinderbach as part of being a member of the TOS Crew and you can read what other TOS crewmates thought about this program too on the Crew blog.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned product for free usage for 3 months as a member of the TOS Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

"Yes to VBS"

2012-01-28T09:56:00.000-06:00

We've said "YES to VBS" and we're ready for take-off on an

"Amazing Wonders Aviation" adventure!

Thursday & Friday I had the privilege of attending Lifeway's 2012 VBS Preview Conference in downtown Nashville, TN at the Lifeway Headquarters. This year, our church is doing "Amazing Wonders Aviation" VBS through Lifeway and this was a fun-filled but very busy conference to get you familiar with the materials, decorating ideas, get the material in your hands and best of all, have the opportunity to take lots of different classes geared toward specific aspects of VBS. We took the following classes and gained lots of valuable information and insight through them: 10 Best Kept Secrets of VBS, VBS Director's class, Children's Crafts, Music and Motion, Safety and Security, Getting a Handle on Enlistment, After ABC....There's DEF, Decorating Ideas for 1st-4th grades, Building & Nurturing Relationships with our Team of Teachers, Preschool/Children's Overview, Preschool Decorations, "The Race" (Student VBS) Overview and of course, I took VBS on Missions to learn how to make this material work in an overseas setting! Not to mention there were several very fun group sessions too....

On Thursday night, we got to see the Children's Choir from The People's Church in Franklin, TN perform the VBS Musical and they performed all the songs for this year's VBS with motions. It was awesome! There are some great songs on this year's CD and if the kids have as much fun with them as we did then we will all be having a good time this year at VBS!

Jeff Slaughter is the man who has written all the lyrics and music for Lifeway's VBS materials the past 16 years. This year is the last year he will be working with writing for Lifeway VBS and they did a special presentation to honor him for his dedication and service through VBS. Don't worry...he's not leaving Lifeway he is just moving on to working the Lifeway Kids summer camps each year!

I had the honor of getting to meet him first hand and thank him for all his hard work and amazing songs. We got to tell him about our churches "Praise Peeps" and how they use his songs each year in VBS too. He loved it and of course, he signed one of the VBS t-shirts I got too. :)

David & I are going to be leading the 5th & 6th graders this year. We are actually combining the "VBX" materials (written for 5th & 6th graders) and "The Race" materials (written for student ministries) into one program that will work for us to use the week of VBS. The Amazing Race is one of my favorite shows and we are actually going to put a lot of emphasis on missions throughout the world with it too. We will have "challenges" each day, team-building games (instead of recreation) each day, crafts, a time of focusing on missions in different parts of the world, intense Bible study & prayer time and of course, we serve dinner! So please pray for David & I as we begin working on this material in the next few weeks. We want these kids to not see us in any of it during VBS but to only see God, the love He has for them, the need they have for Him and for their hearts to be drawn to desire a closer walk with Him and be His hands and feet in today's world.

And one of my favorite things about VBS.....this year's Bible verse!

After the conference ended Friday, we were all hungry so we stopped at Famous Dave's BBQ. Alison and I had never eaten there before so it was a treat for us. We got "The Feast" to share and y'all it was served on a trash can lid! Seriously....but it was oh so good....like finger-lickin' good! There was brisket, pulled pork, cornbread muffins, corn, baked beans, cole slaw, ribs, BBQ chicken and texas toast. We loved every bite of it. They had lots of different types of BBQ sauce too and I loved the "Devil's Spit". I think I am actually going to have to buy me a bottle of it online so David can try it. We both love "hot and spicy" things and this one was incredibly hot but the perfect combination of sweet and spicy too.

So let's share ideas....what are your plans for VBS this year?

Are you helping with VBS? What materials is your church using?

We Choose Virtues (TOS Review)

2012-01-22T16:58:00.000-06:00

As parents, it is very important to us that we instill virtues into our children at young ages. Topics like self-control, forgiveness, contentment, attentive, etc. are areas we need to be teaching our children now and not trying to teach them later in life. With We Choose Virtues, we are able to teach our children these virtues using the visual aid of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

As a member of the TOS Crew, we were given the Virtue Clue Cards, a downloadable Teacher's handbook, a downloadable coloring book, Core Values Behavior Chart & Bible Verses and a family character assessment. The mission behind We Choose Virtues is to equip parents with the proper tools to help their children develop Christ-like characteristics.

We found the easiest way to use We Choose Virtues was to choose one card a week to focus on. That way, could really put the virtue and how to use it to heart and to practice. We also colored the coordinating color sheet that went along with it and hung it as a visual reminder of what virtue we were striving to put to practice and learn to model that particular week. The Teacher's Handbook provides tons of great ideas and suggestions to help you thoroughly teach on each individual virtue. The Family Character Assessment allows you to see what areas need a little more work and helps you set goals for future usage.

We Choose Virtues is highly affordable as some materials (downloadable) are FREE and prices range all the way up to $200 for a deluxe classroom kit. Church kits, community and Christian school kits are all also available. This would make a great addition to any area where you want to teach children an easy way to learn to be more Christ-like in their everyday lives. You can also read what my other crewmates thought about We Choose Virtues or visit the We Choose Virtues online store for more information on their products.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned products for review purposes only as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. No monetary compensation was received and these opinions reflect only how the products were used with my family's experiences.

Petit Jean Meats "Tailgate Prize Pack" GIVEAWAY

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000-06:00

You can win a "Official Tailgate Prize Pack" from Petit Jean Meats on The Waiting Womb's blog giveaway. This awesome pack includes the following delicious items and would make great Super Bowl Party foods.

1 - EZ Carve Sliced Peppered Ham (16 oz.)

1 - EZ Carve Sliced Smoked Ham (16 oz.)

2 - Jumbo Hot Dog Grillers (2--14 oz. pkgs.)

1 - Cracker Bologna (12 oz.)

1 - Pork & Beef Summer Sausage (8 oz.)

Best of all, you can enter once a day for the next 8 days to win this great prize pack so make sure you head over to The Waiting Womb and enter this great giveaway!

A Mile in His Shoes Movie Review and GIVEAWAY

2012-01-17T11:41:00.000-06:00

At least twice a week, we all pile up in the living room, make popcorn and have "family movie night". Most of you know we don't have cable or satellite television and we try to limit the kids entertainment choices to wholesome, educational movies. We were really excited to have the opportunity to review "A Mile In His Shoes" because not only is it a family-friendly movie but it is about a boy with Aspergers.

Only a miracle can help baseball coach Arthur ‘Murph’ Murphy (Dean Cain) and his losing minor league baseball team. As Murph sets out to recruit new talent for the team, he stumbles upon Mickey (Luke Schroder), a young farmer with an incredible pitcher’s arm. However, Mickey’s parents are reluctant in allowing him to join the team because he has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. Murph convinces Mickey’s parents that life in the minor league will benefit their unique son, but he doesn’t realize just how much his new recruit will help the team’s game and, more importantly, their spirit. Based on a true story. A Mile in His Shoes is an inspirational film that celebrates faith, determination and the power of friendship. (Amazon Movie description)

Our family really enjoyed this movie. It is based on a true story and this movie was very accurate in portraying that in life there will always be good and bad things we encounter (even our children). Our 10 year old said it showed her that when you really try at something you can do it and be successful. Our 8 year old said she loved how it showed her that people with differences can still do things like she can but she did feel sorry for him when bad things happened to him. Our 6 year old said he just wants to play baseball like Mickey did! As a parent, I like how there was nothing morally inappropriate, no cuss words, no scenes they couldn't watch, etc. The movie is rated PG and there are 2 scenes where things are inferred but not shown (one is drinking and one is where Mickey gets beat-up). Overall, our family really enjoyed this movie and we have shared it with some friends already. Thanks to Propeller you can win your own copy of this movie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Menu Plan Monday {Linky}

2012-01-16T16:11:00.000-06:00

Several months ago, I had stopped planning my meals each week. I quickly found we were spending more money at the grocery store and coming home with less items to make meals because of that. So I am back to planning meals each week and it works great. Of course Pinterest, blogs and websites are a great source of new recipes and cooking ideas too so I don't have to make the same old things every week. Here is our menu plan for this week:

(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

MONDAY:

B - Stuffed Strawberry French Toast

L - Soup & crackers

D - Parmesan Chicken, broccoli & boiled potatoes

TUESDAY:

B - Whole Grain Waffles (homemade)

L - Sandwiches & fruit

D - Shrimp & Grits

WEDNESDAY:

B - Toast & eggs

L - Ravioli

D - Homemade Pizza Rolls with dipping sauce & Garlic Bread

THURSDAY:

B - Whole grain Pancakes (homemade)

L - Sandwich & fruit

D - Mexican Casserole

FRIDAY:

B - Whole Grain Blueberry & Banana Muffins (homemade)

L - Soup & crackers

D - Chicken Fried Rice

**I'm linking with I'm An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday! Come see other menus and be inspired to plan meals for your own family.

2012 Word of the Year

2012-01-16T13:18:00.001-06:00

Word of the Year is a concept Ali Edwards shared recently on The Lettered Cottage. I love how she explains the creation and meaning behind Word of the Year. Here is what she wrote:

In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January – a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. I invite it into my life. I live with it. I let it speak to me. I might even follow where it leads.

Choosing a word each year came about as an alternative to a list of resolutions. I wanted something I could hold close and actually develop a relationship with over the course of the year.

Some years my word has made a major difference, and other years it’s been a more silent companion through the challenges and celebrations in my life.

The action of choosing a word (or having a word find you) is full of potential and possibility. And here’s one thing that’s totally interesting: sometimes a word pops into your brain and it doesn’t make any sense right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe it’s a word you need to hear, but you just aren’t ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

Your word can be tangible or intangible. It can be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. It might be silly or serious. It might be something you want to bring to your life. It might be something you want or need to change.

A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting, or rich and soft and slow. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother’s word, or your spouse’s word, or your child’s word – this is YOUR word.

With those thoughts in mind and after thinking about 2012 and all the things I hope to accomplish personally and the things David & I hope to accomplish together in this new year, one word kept coming to mind over and over again.......

By definition it means, to make great efforts to achieve or obtain something and to struggle or fight vigorously. I love this word because it is an action word that means I have to actively participate in things to make them happen. In 2012, I will strive to be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter and a better friend. I will strive to spend more time in God's Word, to be a better listener, to accomplish what God sets before me in 2012 and to be His hands and feet with every opportunity He puts in my path. None of these things will just "happen"....they each require me to actively work to accomplish them!

I will keep this word posted where I can see it often to remind me of what I am "striving" to accomplish in this new year that God has blessed me with. Yes, in 2012, I will STRIVE.....

WHAT IS YOUR WORD FOR 2012?????

Princess Stories Book Review

2012-01-12T12:58:00.000-06:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who was the very first princess of all?

A long time ago, before your birth,

Eve was the very first woman on earth.

And so begins the beautiful book, Princess Stories: Real Bible Stories of God's Princesses. What girl doesn't dream of being a Princess or reading about princesses and fairy tales? Now your daughter can read about God's princesses thanks to this new book from Tyndale Kids.

Little princesses will love reading about the women of the Bible. They will learn about the loyalty of Ruth, the wisdom of Deborah, the courage of Esther and many more. Most important, girls will discover that they too, are princesses - daughters of the King! As they look into these stories, they'll learn to love God and to follow His Word. This book also helps them discover the value and purpose of living as God's little princesses.

Our son had recently got the book Heroes and Villians of the Bible and our 8 year old was thrilled to have a book similar to her brothers that was written specifically for girls. Each night, part of her bedtime routine is to read a story out of this book and for us to discuss it with her. Each story introduces them to a particular woman found in the Bible and gives the corresponding Biblical passage where they can read the story in the Bible. Then that character's story is presented in a way that is written to the child helping make the story real and personal to them. There is a Bible verse at the end of the story. Then there are "Princess Ponderings" which are questions that allow you to discuss the story with your child and help them make a modern day application from the woman they have just read about.

I love how our daughter keeps this book with her Bible right beside her pillow in her bed. She loves reading it every night and as parents, we love how she is learning about Godly women of the Bible and understanding what she can learn from them and their stories. While we haven't finished the book yet, I did notice that the very last story in the book features Psalm 139:1-24 and shows how the child is a special princess! You can purchase Princess Stories from Tyndale Kids and it would make a great addition for that special girl in your life.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the above mentioned book for review purposes only from Tyndale. No monetary compensation was received.

Rafflecopter Launch Party & GIVEAWAY

2012-01-10T13:01:00.001-06:00

While there are mixed reviews on Rafflecopter, I personally love using Rafflecopter to host my blog giveaways. It is extremely easy to set-up and maintain and super easy when it comes to choosing a winner for my giveaways as Rafflecopter takes care of that for me! They are currently having a "Launch Party Giveaway" to celebrate their newest version of Rafflecopter. You can win a 16GB Apple Ipad2 as well as several Kindle Fires! You can read more about their giveaway and enter to win below! Just don't forget to tell them THE JOHNS FAMILY referred you! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zeezok: Z-Guide to the Movies (TOS Review)

2012-01-09T16:23:00.000-06:00

A few years ago we got rid of our "pay" television (satellite, cable, etc) and now we strictly watch movies mostly from Netflix and our local library. We wanted to be able to give the kids more wholesome entertainment choices and have more control over what they were watching. As homeschoolers, I wanted more documentary (don't roll your eyes!) choices for them too and Netflix was the perfect solution.

The kids were really excited when we had the opportunity to review "My Side of the Mountain" Z-Guide to the Movies by Zeezok Publishing. So you may be asking what exactly is a Z-Guide to the Movies and I think the President of Zeezok explains it the best when he said:

While watching the film the first time through, students answer the movie review questions. This assignment forces the viewer to become an active learner rather than a passive observer. Nine additional activities provide interdisciplinary educational opportunities built around the movie’s themes. Creative and critical writing assignments nurture the student’s confidence in putting their thoughts on paper. Every guide contains a “hands-on” activity for the kinesthetic learner, designed to develop the student’s artistic talents. The “Worldview Activity” goes to the heart of critical thinking by asking the student to evaluate the actors’ attitudes and actions. “The Filmmaker’s Art” activity focuses on movie-making techniques and their effect on the viewer. Parents and siblings can contribute their thoughts with the “For Family Discussion” section at the end of each guide. Many of these discussion questions relate to moral or philosophical dilemmas present in the movie.

I was given several movies to choose from and I choose My Side of the Mountain because it was a movie I had not seen either. It was also a movie I knew all 3 kids would enjoy as it tells the adventures of a boy and his one year outdoor adventures. I have to tell you that this particular Z-Guide is a middle school level title but I felt confident I could tailor the materials to work for our children who all love the outdoors.

The Z-Guide arrived in PDF form and containing 32 pages with 3 topics: Natural Science, Henry David Thoreau & Survival Skills. Activities included movie review questions (narration), life of Thoreau, how to survive in the wilderness, design a wilderness home, learn about Peregrine falcons, create an alternative ending to the movie, spelling/grammar work, nature walk, memorization passages and more! The Z-Guide suggest 2 activities per day which would allow you a full week of fun.

The kids enjoyed learning about Peregrine falcons & their habitats and daily lives. They weren't as impressed with Thoreau but they endured learning about him and his life as well. Their favorite part.....survival skills!! We talked about basic first aid, different ways you can catch/find water to drink if you are lost & how to mark your trail as you are walking through the woods. This Z-Guide to the Movies made watching a movie not only fun for our family but highly educational and memorable as well. I would love to see Zeezok possibly offer a book of all their Z-Guides to have in one place in the future!

Z-Guides to the Movies sell for $12.99 each and can be found for all different age levels from elementary to high school. You can pretty easily find the movie titles at your local library, Netflix or movie rental company such as Blockbuster. Zeezok Publishing also offers other great products such as penmanship, studies of musicians, history, American government, character building and more.

You can also read about other great movie titles offered in Z-Guides on the TOS Crew Blog.

CampusBookRentals.com ~

2012-01-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

I was recently contacted by a company called CampusBookRentals.com that allows you to rent textbooks rather than purchase them. Whether you are a college student, homeschooling family or somehow furthering your education, you know expensive textbooks can be and how quickly their prices can kill a budget. CampusBookRentals.com has taken that expense out by allowing you to simply rent the textbook for the length of time you need it! At first, I was like "well, none of us are in college so this doesn't apply to me" but then I realized they have ALL kinds of textbooks...including homeschool materials! I found Math U See, Apologia, Charlotte Mason, Vision Forum & many others on this site. You can find virtually any textbook you need here.

Rental is fast, simple and very cost-effective. You simply search for the textbook you are needing using the title, author, ISBN number or keyword. Once you find the book, you simply choose the rental time period you will need for the book and the pricing varies depending upon how long you need the book. Best of all, you don't have to pay shipping as they provide free shipping both ways...both coming to you & returning the book to them!

Worried about the hassle of returning a book? There is NO hassle! They provide you with the return envelope that has a prepaid and preaddressed USPS shipping label already attached. Simply open the envelope, place the book inside, and drop it off at your nearest post office. If you find that the book is one you wish you could just keep for future usage, they even offer a "Buy & Keep My Book" option so you can do just that.

One of my favorite things about CampusBookRentals.com has teamed up with Operation Smile and with every textbook rented, they are donating a small portion of those proceeds to help provide life changing cleft lip surgeries on children whose families could not afford it otherwise. In fact, CampusBookRentals.com has committed to donating enough money to cover a minimum of 1,000 life-changing surgeries for children. This organization is near and dear to my heart as I was born with a cleft palate that was repaired at age 2 and then completely repaired again in December 2008. So, this company is more than just a financial benefit to us ~ it is also helping change the lives of children with each textbook you rent!

So whether you are in college, furthering your education online, homeschooling or simply need a textbook for something make sure you check out CampusBookRentals.com for all your textbook needs. It will not only save you money but will help save the life of a child as well.

R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish (TOS Review)

2012-01-06T08:03:00.001-06:00

We will be moving to an area in July where Spanish is the most common language spoken so I was very happy to have the opportunity to review R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish. The acronym R.E.A.L. stands for Relax, Enjoy, Aspire, Learn Spanish.

I received a .zip file that contained the ebook. Included in the ebook are: 105 page color/black & white book, 179 page black & white activity book, 45 page answer book, 50 page (48 week) curriculum guide as well as 2 additional audio files. One of the audio files introduces the vocabulary from the book and the other introduces the vocabulary from both the book and the activity book.

This program is an immersion program and designed specifically for homeschoolers. It is written so that the entire family can learn the language together and instead of limiting that usage to the classroom setting (or learning time) they can incorporate it into their daily lives as well. Everyone learns together and speaks it with each other allowing children and parents to obtain real-life conversation in Spanish.

From our experience, overall I did like this program. It is written in a format that our children (ages 6, 8 & 10) can easily understand and put to use in a conversational way. We moved at a slow pace though so the kids didn't get overwhelmed with new vocabulary and so that they could put the words and phrases to memory before moving on. The Daily Curriculum Guide is a huge blessing because you don't have to spend hours planning and preparing. All the prep work has been done for you by Dr. Williamson. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of downloads & PDF files (although many companies are going this route now) so I would have preferred to have the hardback copy but we worked with what we were given. This is a great multi-level foreign language learning system that allows you to put a new language into everyday conversational learning.

Pricing:

$49.95 for download version of the Book, Activity Book, Answer Book, and audio files
$59.95 for all of the above plus Daily Curriculum Guide
Hard copies (with audio Cd’s) of above are available for $89.95
$99.95 with the Daily Curriculum Guide with free shipping

For more details on this program you can read the Frequently Asked Questions or find out how this program worked for other homeschooling families by reading what other TOS Crew Members thought of R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this curriculum as a member of the TOS Review Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

Share Your Story Fridays {Link-Up}

2012-01-05T22:04:00.000-06:00

Hall of Fame Moms is hosting the "Share Your Story Fridays" Link-Up & I decided to share my personal testimony with you this week. You can join the fun and share your story too! I have blogged my testimony before back in 2009 but for those of you that have followed since then I thought I'd let you read a little more about me.

When I was born, I was given up for adoption at birth due to numerous congenital birth defects. I had a team of doctors that directed my care due to my numerous problems at birth. I was immediately placed for adoption with AGAPE of North Alabama which is a Christian foster care/adoption agency. When my adopting parents met with my team of doctors they were told I would never walk, I would never talk without major speech therapy and I would require constant 24/7 care.

They were advised they did not want to adopt me & that they should wait on a "healthy baby" considering how long they had been waiting to adopt. (On a side note, when I say parents from here on out, I am referring to the wonderful husband & wife who adopted me & became my parents. They are the best parents a girl could ever have and the people God knew I needed for Mom & Dad). Despite these overwhelming odds, my parents chose to adopt me. Had they NOT chosen to adopt me, I was going to be placed in a state institution for crippled children. I had a cleft palate, bilateral club feet, underdeveloped lungs, ears that were a huge mess & eardrums that were not functioning. At age 5, I had to undergo an emergency tracheotomy due to acute epiglotittis. I started Kindergarten on crutches and had to be pulled to recess in a little red wagon because of a cast that went from my thigh to the tips of my toes. I have had more surgeries than I can count and there have been so many times in my life when doctors would tell my parents they didn't know if I'd live after the surgery. Through it all, God took care of me & my parents and despite a few scars, you would never know what all I have been through. I've had several surgeries on my feet to repair the club feet. I had to wear corrective shoes with a metal brace in between them. I learned to crawl & walk wearing those corrective shoes & brace. I even had a complete TURCO release of my left foot at age 5. I can walk normally and I can even run now. Ok, so I'm not great at running...but at least I can run! I had my cleft palate repaired at age 2 and again in December 2008 (to read about that, click on Older Posts).

I've never had one day of speech therapy in my life and everyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I can talk just fine. In fact, my nickname is "Little Miss Chatterbox". I've had numerous ear surgeries and various types of tubes placed in my ears. In fact, my left ear has been completely cut off, the eardrum & canal reconstructed and the ear sewed back on. I do have some hearing loss, but I can still hear and do not require hearing aids at this point. I've played piano since I was 5 years old, was in the marching band, concert band, jazz band & indoor drum line in high school. I sang soprano in a quartet that traveled & sang through Alabama. I have been privileged to be able to go to Russia & Siberia on mission trips and today, I am a wife & a mother and have been thoroughly blessed beyond belief by God. I am also a spokesperson for AGAPE of North Alabama and an advocate for adoption and pro-life. I speak at churches sharing my testimony, speak at womens events/retreats and am currently writing a book about my life (the manuscript was submitted to the Women of Faith 2011 Writing Contest so will you pray if it's God's will for me to publish my story that I will win this). God blessed me with an amazing husband, David who loved me despite my scars and birth defects and with full knowledge that I may have to have some more surgeries even in adulthood. Despite what doctors thought, God showed His power again & grew our family as I became a Mom to 3 beautiful children, Abbey, Sidney & Wyatt over the course of 5 years!

God literally took an "unadoptable" child and gave me hope, a life and a future. According to doctors, I shouldn't be here today and if I was going to be here, I should be incapable of taking care of myself, unable to walk, unable to talk correctly and relying on help 24/7. But just like Jeremiah 29:11, God knows the plans He has for me and He could say way beyond the hopeless medical situation I was faced with at birth and knew He wasn't through writing my story just yet and for that I am so thankful. Today, I am a stay at home Mom who homeschools our children and we are very active with our local church family. Our family was recently accepted into the mission field as a full-time missionary family and we will be moving to Los Fresnos, TX in July 2012 to begin our 2 years of missionary training and language studies. I am so thankful for the beautiful story God has written in my life and despite all the pain, surgeries and hardships I've endured, they have only served to make me stronger, closer to the Lord and grow my faith.

World of Animals Review & Twitter Party

2012-01-04T15:41:00.001-06:00

Would you like to learn about over 1,000 of God's most extraordinary creatures? Investigate their anatomy, behaviors and habitats? See pictures of animals you may never have seen before and discover the incredible range of life in God's wonderful world? Well now you can thanks to MasterBooks new book "The World of Animals" in this 256 full-color book. You will examine the diverse anatomy, behavior and habitats of all types of animals. It includes information about the smallest microscopic worms to the largest animals God ever created, the whales. Filled with fascinating facts and intriguing animal records this book will teach you and your child all about the amazing animals God created.

Our children love to learn about animals and are fascinated by their behaviors, habitats and lives. We often found the kids sitting in the floor reading this book together. This book covers simple animals, worms/snails/starfish, insects & other anthropods, fish, amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals. The kids learned interesting things about animals like: The giant clam, tridacna, lives in Pacific Ocean and its shell can be over 4 feet in length and it can weigh as much as 725 pounds! Our 6 year old loved the Giant Anteater information as that is currently his favorite animal. This book also shares information on endangered species and environments that is current and up to date so our children can understand what is happening to the animal life in our world today.

One particular picture in this book was so intriguing to our children that we actually spent a couple of days studying about it and researching more about it just because of the picture they saw in the book. Can you guess what it was? A Gulpher Eel ~ I highly recommend you Google that one and show it to your kids. It can even swallow prey larger than itself into its stretchy stomach and the kids loved the shape of its mouth. Hey, it was even interesting for me to learn about. This book isn't just for kids! Best of all, you can win this amazing book at our monthly #TeachtheTruth Twitter Party. Get all the party details below......

When: January 17th at 8PM CST

Hashtag: #TeachtheTruth

Follow: @masterbooks4u & @mamahall

Prizes: Copies of The World of Animals book

You can also check what other reviewers on the Moms of MasterBooks Review Team have to say about this fantastic book by clicking here and reading their blogs. You can also follow MasterBooks on Facebook, the MOMS Review Team on Facebook and check out & follow our Pinterest board too! Make sure you join us on January 17th for a great Twitter party for your chance to win this incredible book.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the above mentioned book for review purposes only as a member of the MOMS of MasterBooks Review Team. No monetary compensation was received.

12 Years Ago Today....

2012-01-01T17:47:00.000-06:00

12 Years Ago Today......

I said "I DO" to the man God had prepared for me

I am thankful for the ups and downs we've gone through the past 12 years and I wouldn't trade them for the world. Each of them taught us something and we grew closer to each other through them. I've heard it said that the couples who are meant to be are the ones who go through everything that is designed to tear them apart and come out even stronger than they were before. David & I have said that describes our relationship perfectly!

I'm so thankful for David...for the wonderful, Godly husband he is and the amazing, loving father he is to our precious children. I thank God for giving him to me and I look forward to (Lord willing) many, many more years together with him enjoying life and serving the Lord together!

Christmas 2011 Pictures

2011-12-29T15:34:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd share a few "highlights" with you from our Christmas this year! We were blessed, the kids were spoiled by everyone and we were able to teach our children about keeping CHRIST in Christmas again this year too.

My cousin made us this beautiful new kitchen table and even made 4 upholstered chairs with it. Not only do I love the saying but the top of our old table had got messed up when we moved and you had to be careful where you sat drinks, where the kids put paper to write, etc. We are loving having a beautiful and usable table again.

On Christmas Eve, we let the kids open presents from each other & their clothes from us. Abbey was so excited about her gift to Wyatt this year. She wanted to do her own gifts this year and wouldn't let us help her at all. She had crocheted him (all by herself) a necktie and she couldn't wait for him to open it and wear it. He wasn't quite as excited as she was but I loved the thoughtfulness and creativity she had used in her gift giving this year!

I was excited about my gift for David. When we were in Peru back in July he loved the bag the missionary Josh was using. We looked at buying one while we were there but Josh said he knew a guy personally in Lima that handmade them and they were much higher quality and would last for many years. David was disappointed he couldn't get one and has talked about how he wish he would have just bought one ever since we got home. I secretly contacted Josh after we left and he asked his Peruvian friend to make one especially for David. He brought it home when they came home for furlough in Nov. and I paid him then. It is a handmade leather satchel from Lima, Peru. I saved it to give to David on Christmas Eve and I wish you could have seen his face when he opened it. He loves it and it will be very useful with him going on the mission field himself now too!

Christmas Day we went to supper at my grandparents house. I feel so blessed that I still have both of my Dad's parents (who are in their 80's) here to enjoy life with. They are especially head over heels in love with our kids and they love having them around to entertain them too. My Papa was a Southern Baptist preacher for many years and in bluegrass gospel groups too so he and David love talking music and Bible together as well. We loved being with them on Christmas Day.

The big surprise for our girls came in the form of American Girl dolls from my parents. David & I refused to buy them because I personally think they are outrageously expensive but the girls have "oohed" and "aahed" over them for a couple of years now and begged for one. My Mom decided they just needed to have one special doll each and so my parents got them both one for Christmas. The girls had no idea and they were so excited! I have to admit, the girls love them and play with them everyday and change their clothes, pretend with them, etc. so maybe the interest will last more than a few weeks!

Mom got me a cake pop/donut hole maker and the Bakerella Cake Pops cookbook. I already make cake pops by hand but had asked for the cookbook for inspiration. My sister had been wanting the cake pop maker so Mom got me and her both one. It will certainly be used and enjoyed as I love to be creative with food.

My sister got me this beautiful necklace from Word. Custom Hand-Stamped Jewelry. I love it!

My parents also knew how much David & I will be traveling in 2012 preparing to become full-time missionaries so they got us the tri-fold expandable rolling suitcase and my sister & brother-in-law bought us the 3-in1 Travel Tote System from ThirtyOne! Both will be very handy in the months to come.

Our little nephew Marshall's 1st Christmas ~ It is so much fun having a little one in the family again. David & I just love being with him and we "argue" over whose turn it is to hold him, feed him, rock him, etc. On Christmas Day, our family & my sister, brother-in-law & Marshall all spent the night at my parents house & Marshall slept in the bed with me & David. Even though it was a lot of up & down and not sleep like we are used to, we loved every minute of it. We are head-over-heels in love with our little nephew!

Christmas is Over...Now What???

2011-12-26T22:34:00.002-06:00

Christmas is over, now what........

Favorite Christmas Ornaments/Decoration {Link-Up}

2011-12-24T10:37:00.000-06:00

One of my parts of Christmas is putting up our Christmas tree and filling it full of ornaments and getting to enjoy it for several weeks. Our Christmas tree isn't just a tree...it's a memory tree! Each year growing up, my parents, my Gran-Dot, my Aunt Pat and my Aunt Charlotte would give me a Christmas ornament ever year. I have to admit that as a child, they didn't mean much but when I got married, they became special treasures. The 1st Christmas David and I were married, we filled a 6 1/2 ft. Christmas tree with nothing but those ornaments from over the years and our tree was overflowing and oh so pretty.

Each ornament is written on with the year and the person who gave it to me so I will always remember. That tradition continues even to this day and now that we have children, the tradition has continued with them and they now get ornaments from these people as well as from us. It is my hope that one day they can fill their own trees with these special ornaments from people that love them. Today, I am linking up with Meghan at Tuckers Take Tennessee for her Favorite Christmas Ornaments/Decoration Link-Up and am going to show you some of my special ornaments from over the years! I encourage you to start this tradition in your own family...it's never too late!

This is a dough ornament that was handmade for me in 1977 (the year I was born) by my first cousin Kim.

My Mom handpainted these ceramic ornaments in 1978. I have 3 different ones of these on our tree.

This is the last Christmas ornament I have from my Gran-Dot where she handwrote the tag before she got Alzheimer's and could no longer do it. This is one of my most treasured ornaments because she and I were extremely close and shared a very special bond. I miss her very much but rejoice that she is in Heaven.

This is a handpainted egg ornament that was bought in Voronezh, Russia and reminds me of my mission work in Russia and Siberia in 1996 and 1997.

This is mine and David's "Our First Christmas" ornament back in 2000. This ornament symbolizes the beginning of "OUR" ornaments for our tree.

My Mother-in-law used to give me beautiful mercury glass ornaments each Christmas and I loved them! I have a few of them on our tree and I love how they sparkle amidst the lights of the tree.

David gave me this ornament last year for Christmas. It is a handcarved wooden cross that shows the story of the birth of Christ in miniature detail. We have several spiritual ornaments on our tree as well from over the years and they are a great reminder of what Christmas is really all about.

And what Christmas tree would be complete with one of those awesome Trolls Doll ornaments from the late 1980's?! I was the "cool kid" that got one of these that year....ha!

Twas the Week Before Christmas

2011-12-22T07:42:00.000-06:00

This week is really busy for us. Tuesday I went to town and bought the kids some clothes, new shoes/boots, socks, underwear and all that ~~fun~~ boring stuff they like to open up at Christmas. Yesterday, our 8 year old had surgery on both ears at Children's Hospital so we were up at 5am and home late that afternoon. She is in quite a bit of pain and running a fever so David stayed up with her until 3am and I took the 3am and on shift. She slept better on the couch but was just restless, fussy, whiny, etc. all night. So I'm pretty tired this morning.

At some point in the next 2 days, I need to go to the grocery store and get all my baking/cooking supplies for the items I'm making for our 2 holiday gatherings. Sweet potato Casserole is something I am requested to bring to almost every gathering we go to. Everyone really loves it and it just an understood that I will be bringing that to any gathering that requires food...ha!

Not to mention, I need to go to town again and buy the kids Lego sets and stocking stuffers to be done with "Santa" presents. Yes, we "do" Santa at our house & I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. We do teach our children about the birth of Christ (all year long, not just on Christmas Day) and do focus on Christ at Christmas but Christ is the focus of our home everyday...not just Christmas so we have no problem with "Santa". I'm trying to figure out how to avoid Walmart at all costs this close to Christmas but seeing as it is the only big store in our town I fear I may find myself there within the next 2 days....ugh!

Saturday night we will have our traditional roast and veggies dinner and then the kids will open gifts from us. Then we will read the birth of Jesus from the Bible and put out Santa's goodies and go to bed. Sunday morning, we will be up early for them to rip into their Santa gifts while David & I sit on the couch sleepy-eyed nodding, smiling, watching them enjoy Christmas morning. Sunday afternoon we are going to up to my grandparents house to spend Christmas with my Dad's side of the family. Mamaw & Papa are the only grandparents I have left and they are in their late 80's and both so, so precious and we can't wait to spend some time with them on Christmas Day.

Sunday night, our family and my sister, brother in law and nephew are all having a Christmas slumber party at my parents house. We are all going to spend the night with them! Best of all, our 1 month old nephew Marshall gets to sleep with me & David in our room. He will be in his bassinet but we get to take care of him that night and we are so excited. Can you tell it's been a few years since we've had a little one since we are excited to be getting up & down all night feeding him, changing him, rocking/burping him, etc?! Then Monday morning, we will go eat breakfast at Cracker Barrell and then go back to my parents house and all exchange Christmas presents. It is going to be a very fun Christmas weekend.

Our Big Announcement....

2011-12-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

For several years, our family has been praying about our calling to go into ministry. The past year, our direction has become very clear and God has really shown us what He wanted us to do with our lives and for Him as a family. David & I want to work with the unreached people groups in the world who have never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. 2.1% of the world's population falls into this category! Often, these people have never even seen white people and sometimes these areas are considered hostile regions. In fact, some portions of Papau New Guinea are still head-hunter tribes. However, our hearts are heavily burdened for these people groups and they deserve to hear about the hope of salvation, the love and sacrifice of Christ and learn how to have that personal relationship with him just as much as anyone else in the world. We want to be part of taking that message into these areas. Therefore, it is with much excitement and great anticipation that we share with you today that we have been accepted as a full-time missionary family with To Every Tribe!

To Every Tribe is a mission agency with an intense two-year training program called the Center for Pioneer Church Planting (CPCP). Our family will be moving to their campus in Los Fresnos, Texas (near Brownsville) in July 2012 to begin our missionary training. While about 60% of our training will be done in a classroom setting, we are very excited that approximately 40% of our training will be done through hands-on, on the job training in Mexico and Papau New Guinea where we will be able to put our classroom knowledge into first-hand use.

While we embark on this call to missions in our life, we want you to come along with us! There are several ways you can help us and we would love for you to prayerfully consider them.

#1: We need your prayers! This is a life-changing journey for us and especially our children. Transitioning to a new state (Alabama has always been our home even for David & I growing up), a new culture, a new house (as we will be living in a 700 sq. ft. 2BR, 1 BA apartment on campus), etc. will be huge steps for us. Not to mention, the emotional, physical and spiritual rigors of attending classes while participating in community and short-term mission trips that we would never undertake without lots of prayers. So, first and foremost we are asking you to keep us and our children in your daily prayers as we begin to fulfill the call God has placed upon our lives.

#2: The tuition for our missionary training at the CPCP is $12,500. We will also have a monthly housing bill of $650 and basic living expenses around $700. In total, we are asking for a support base to help pay for the $12,500 tuition and monthly living cost totaling $1,350. Would you prayerfully consider being one of those people to help support our family as full-time missionaries?? Also, if your local church would be willing to have us come and share our vision and passion for what God has called us to do, we would love to come visit and share in person about what we will be doing starting in July 2012 as a full-time missionary family. We hope to be traveling all over the US in Jan. - May 2012 sharing our call to missions and our passion and vision with churches.

#3: Whether you choose to pray for us or help support us monetarily, we would love to include you in the monthly updates we will be sending out. As we learn, study, plan, prepare, pray and reach out to the unreached people groups who have never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ, we want to keep you informed and on the front lines with us!

If you have any further questions or

would like to partner with us in anyway,

please contact me via email.

My email address is: Bamagv@aol.com

AND....check out www.jesusisworthit.com

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-12-16T12:05:00.000-06:00

In My Life This Week: It has been an awesome but super busy week for me. I am singing in our candlelight Christmas service at church and we have had practice several nights this week which makes my schedule super packed...but fun! The kids are also preparing for their Christmas program that is Sunday morning too. We also got some VERY exciting news for our family this week and I will share that Monday on my blog so check back then! Not to mention, our 8 year old is having yet another ear surgery at Children's Hospital next Wednesday so I've been making plans for that and for caring for her afterwards so she will feel well enough to actually enjoy Christmas next weekend.

In Our Homeschool This Week: We are preparing for a short homeschool week next week due to Sidney's surgery and have tried to get ahead a little this week. Also, a local friend who decided not to homeschool blessed our family by giving us a huge box of homeschool books. These 2 books in particular we began using immediately alongside our current Science & Geography curriculum and the kids are just loving them.

I'm Grateful For: This week I have been especially grateful for the husband God gave me. There are just not words enough to describe what he means to me and how much I love him. He is a blessing to me on so many levels and I praise God that He chose David for me. We are about to embark on the most wonderful journey together and I am just constantly amazed at the man of God, the husband, the father and the friend that God placed in my life through marriage.

I am Cooking: I love cooking and baking and the holiday season let's me do plenty of both. I love trying new recipes and being creative with food and have done both of that this week. Tuesday night, I made a really simple Pizza Crescent recipe that I had never tried before. The kids loved it and David (my "meat & potatoes man") even liked it too. It was so easy, quick and simple yet delicious. I also made Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats last night and we had some family over and the pan was empty by the end of the night. They were delicious!

A Photo, Video, Link or Quote to Share..... When we moved 2 years ago, we had a nice kitchen table that we loved but after it sat in storage for 5 months while we gutted & remodeled our house, the heat had messed up the top of the table. You had to be careful where you sat your drink because it would tip over and spill, the kids couldn't even do school work on it because the table was so bumpy and uneven, etc. We still used it anyway though and would just tell people where to sit their drinks, not to write on it, etc. Well, last night, when I got home from music rehearsal at church, David's cousin and his wife and their 2 girls were at our house. They had come to surprise me with my Christmas present so when I walked in the door from church I saw........a new kitchen table & 4 black chairs with beautiful red upholstered seats!

I'm Linking Up with The Homeschool Chick!

A Pinterest Christmas

2011-12-15T05:17:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I love Pinterest. I love being able to bookmark all the things I discover online that I like and keep them neatly organized and stored in one location. With Christmas just days away, I thought I would share some fun Christmas ideas I have on my "Creative Christmas" Pinterest board with you. Hopefully, if you are still working on Christmas gifts/ideas (like I am!) you will find some inspiration. You can also follow my Pinterest boards by clicking the red button in the right sidebar if you would like to.

A great stocking stuffer idea

Want your Christmas tree to really sparkle?

FREE Advent Book by Ann Voskamp

DIY Glitter Ornaments

Ugly Christmas Sweater FREE Party Kit

Decorate Packages Without Bows

Keepsake Child's Christmas Tree Canvas Art

Handmade Gifts from Your Kitchen

DIY Glitter Pillow

Make your own Stockings

DIY Mod-Podge Ornaments

Button Wreath Ornaments

Handmade Wrapping Paper

Radical Together (Book Review)

2011-12-15T04:36:00.000-06:00

After reading David Platt's book "Radical", I was super excited to have the opportunity to read "Radical Together" as well. In Radical, David Platt’s plea for Christians to take back their faith from the American Dream resonated with readers everywhere and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. Now in Radical Together, the author broadens his call, challenging us to unite around a gospel-centered vision.

While the goal of this book is to teach you to how to take what you learned by reading Platt's first book, "Radical" and actually live those principles out in our everyday lives. I have to admit, a large portion of this book was just more details about what I had read in Radical. Not that it was a bad thing, it just made for quite a bit of repetitive reading. It did offer more details and insights in these places but I was not a huge fan of the large amount of repetition found throughout this book.

The book did have some wonderful key points though despite the repetition and I was again challenged by Platt's writings. I loved his challenge to our churches today to get rid of the "mega-church" mentality and go back to the grass roots foundations of small home church type settings that provide more intimate discipleship settings. A large portion of the writing in this book is geared toward churches today and I love how Platt points out that one or two believers in a church are not much of a threat to Satan and his schemes but that an entire church of believers that are committed to joining together to take the Word of God and the glory of God to every person on the planet IS a serious threat! Through Radical Together, Platt is teaching us to be a church of believers that are drawn into a Biblical gospel that is measured more by self-denial than self-fulfillment. I would still highly encourage anyone to read both Radical and Radical Together as both of these books speak powerful words that will revolutionize and transform your thinking, your view of life and ultimately how you are fulfilling the Great Commission.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned book for review purposes only from Blogging for Books. No monetary compensation was received.

A Woman's Guide to Fasting (Book Review)

2011-12-15T04:17:00.000-06:00

Growing up, I always read about fasting and praying in the Bible and knew that during fasting it was a time of intense and purposeful prayer but honestly, I didn't quite understand the importance of it, or even how to really "fast" and so it was not something I did in my life. I heard others talk about it and when I married my husband, he is one who fasts for certain things and during certain seasons of life but I still wasn't totally on board with fasting and didn't have a good understanding of what true fasting meant.

Lisa Nelson has written a wonderful book called "A Woman's Guide to Fasting" and in it, she does a beautiful job of explaining what fasting means spiritually, how to fast the way the Bible teaches and what to expect before, during and after a time of fasting. She writes in a way that is easy to understand and relate to and it really makes Biblical fasting come alive. She talks about the different lengths of fast (did you know fasting can simply be giving up one meal?), teaches you how to safely end a time of fasting and even encourages you along the way. Most importantly from this book, I learned that during a time of fasting, my goal is not to abstain from physical foods but my goal in fasting is to receive a spiritual breakthrough in my walk with Christ. Lisa puts it so simply when she says " “True biblical fasting is not about the external act of not eating; it is about the internal work of the heart seeking hard after God.” This book is one that I know will be beneficial both now and in times to come. I highly recommend that you read "A Woman's Guide to Fasting" if you are unsure about Biblical fasting, considering a fast or simply want to know more about how to fast safely and get the most from it spiritually.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned product for review purposes only from Bethaney House. No monetary compensation was received.

Fractazmic Card Game (TOS Review)

2011-12-15T03:57:00.000-06:00

It can be very challenging to find ways to make learning Math "fun" but thanks to I See Cards, learning about fractions can be both fun and exciting. Fractazmic is a card game that helps children learn to convert and add fractions. It is a card game that contains 60 brightly colored cards and is a wonderful educational game for 2-4 players that is geared toward grades 1-8. Best of all, it is extremely affordable and retails for just $6.95!

From the website:

Fractazmic is a 2-4 player game that uses math and language skills. The object of Fractazmic trap is to gather as many hands as possible before the first player runs out of cards. Hands are captured by either (1) playing a card that brings the sum of all cards thrown to 1 or (2) forcing the next player to throw a card that brings the sum to greater than 1. If any of these events occur – the player captures the round and is the first to start the next round.

This game was way above Wyatt's (1st grade) learning level but he liked to "help" his sister's while they played it. Our 3rd grader has not yet covered fractions much so it was a complete learning lesson for her all the way around and our 5th grader has a basic introduction to fractions. She has dyscalculia so we aren't quite up to learning level when it comes to Mathematics but that is o.k. too. We work at her own pace so she retains and fully understands Math concepts before moving on. I have to admit that despite them not being real familiar with fractions, they gave it their all in trying to understand it and learn from it. I do believe that they will enjoy it even more a little further down their educational road but they still ask to play it occasionally and so we do. The only negative thing I can say about the product itself is that while the cards are nice and sturdy and hold up well with usage, the box ripped down the side the 2nd time the kids opened it. It is not a very sturdy box and with kids opening and closing it, it did not hold up well. However, we just put the Fractazmic cards in a ziploc bag for storage and that works great.

I See Cards also has other great educational games such as Pyramath, Prime Bomb & more so make sure you check out all their other learning tools as well. You can also read what other TOS Crewmates have to say about I See Cards and Fractazmic too!

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned products for review purposes only as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

Not Me Monday

2011-12-12T14:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday, where you and I can share a few of our secrets from the week, revealing some things we’d rather forget. Why? Because it’s therapeutic and makes us all feel less alone. (from McMama's blog)

I did ~~not~~ wake up Saturday morning in a complete panic because David and I both forgot to move "Nicholas" (our Elf on the Shelf) into a new location the night before. I made a mad dash to the kids room to make sure they were still asleep (which thankfully they were) and quickly moved him to a new location in our home. About that time, I heard rustling in the girls room so I rushed back to our bedroom, jumped in bed, pretended to be asleep and then woke up all excited when Sidney came rushing in to tell me where she had found the elf that morning (that I had placed about 5 minutes prior to her discovery!).

During our practice for the Preschool Christmas program at church Wednesday night, I would never have let a child go the bathroom without me and the other teacher noticing so that when the child's mother came in to pick her up, we thought we had completely lost her and then proceed to make a mad-dash through the children's building looking for her only to discover she was in the bathroom of our classroom the entire time taking care of her "business". Yeah, I'm sure her Mom wanted to give us the ~~"Teacher of the Year"~~ awards that night!

After enjoying a most wonderful Sunday morning at church and then spending the afternoon with David's grandmother and aunt, we would never arrive back at the church that night for our annual Christmas banquet and as we get out, I see everyone bringing in their dessert dishes and remember, "Oh crud, I signed up to bring a dessert tonight too!". No, I would never forget something that I signed up for a month ago and they even reminded us Sunday morning about...me, forget?! Well......

Come join the fun & share in our "fails" this week with MckMama

on her "Not Me Monday" blog post.

Elf on the Shelf Adventures

2011-12-09T09:25:00.000-06:00

This was our 1st year to do the Elf on the Shelf with the kids. One night after dinner we were all sitting in the living room and the doorbell rang. Sidney ran to answer it and there was nobody there...just an elf & a book! There was a note that said "Love Santa" on the book. We gathered around and read the book and learned that Santa had sent them an Elf on the Shelf to report to Santa each night about their behavior. They decided to name him Nicholas. However, the 1st night they were not too sure about him and Wyatt was so nervous he wanted to sleep with us. After much reassurance, the next morning they woke up excited about Nicholas and now they love him. So here are some pictures of the many adventures "Nicholas" has gotten into at our house so far.

Hanging out on the piano

Checking out David's guitar corner

Nestled in the Christmas tree

Plotting a course with Santa

Napping on the couch

Turned our gallon of milk green

Trying to open the Torani syrup bottles

Chillin' with Santa

Playing in Wyatt's room with Ring Caps

Snowball fight with the Littlest Pet Shop animals

Rolled our tree with toilet paper

He & Rudolph painted their noses red while they slept

The Pine Tree Parable Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-12-08T14:15:00.000-06:00

Looking for a wonderful book for children of all ages that teaches them the true spirit of Christmas....giving, thinking of others, selfless acts, etc? Tommy Nelson has a wonderful book that tells a beautiful story that teaches about generous giving. It is called The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs.

It tells the story of a family who begins a Christmas tree farm and how over the years they watch their seedlings (and their children) grow and mature. Each year the farmer carefully nurtures them into fragrant Christmas trees that bless homes each Christmas season. His wife always keeps the most beautiful pine tree on the farm for her family, until one snowy Christmas Day when a family of 3 arrives in a rusty old truck with patched up clothing and tired looks on their face. Want to know what happens??? You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out!

I loved this book and we have read it several times in our family since receiving it. We keep it under the Christmas tree in our "Christmas book" basket and it has become one of the kids favorites this Christmas season. I have to admit, at the end of the story my eyes were even a little teary because the story is so beautiful and not only teaches our children to think of others but reminds us as adults as well. Best of all, thanks to Tommy Nelson, I am able to give one of you your very own copy of The Pine Tree Parable!

Diamond Candles Company ~ Bloggers Needed!

2011-12-05T11:09:00.000-06:00

On Celebrate Woman Today check out the latest news about Diamond Candles Company. Diamond Candles Company is currently seeking fabulous review and giveaway bloggers to host reviews and giveaways for their aromatic, precious soy candles.

Each candle harbors a ring valued anywhere from $10-$100-$500-$5000 each!

For more info, or to find out how to qualify for this amazing opportunity, check out Celebrate Woman Todayand fill out the form in her post.

Disclosure: The opinions posted here are my own . No monitory compensation was received. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .

Great Commission Language: Easy Spanish Jr. (TOS Review)

2011-12-04T14:22:00.000-06:00

Great Commission Languages is a wonderful company whose are committed to providing quality language products to both the homeschooling and general education communities. Their products are written from a Christian perspective and share extensive cultural information, as well as scripture verses in the foreign language in order to assist those in carrying out the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).

Our family was given the opportunity to review their Easy Spanish Junior Level curriculum as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. Our family has applied to go on the mission field as a full-time missionary family and if we are accepted, one of the places we could potentially go serve is in Mexico. Knowing that, we thought it would be a good idea to begin teaching our children some basic Spanish. Even if we don't go on the mission field, knowing Spanish is a very valuable resource even here in America.

The Easy Spanish! Junior level is written towards Kindergarten to 3rd grade students. There is a spiral-bound Teacher/Student workbook (171 pages) and a 2 CD set of enhanced audio so you can play it in your stereo or print out activity sheets. Each audio lesson has 2 tracks. One is the vocabulary lists and the other is a conversational track. The speakers on the audio CD are native Spanish speakers so you get correct dialect and inflections in the words spoken. The lessons are geared around a girl named Belicia and her talking dog. The book contains storylines, coloring pages and vocabulary lists as well.

I liked how the audio CD's not only have the language spoken in native tongue but also there is a slight "echo" it back in English in a very natural sound. We have not completed the book yet but looking ahead to other lessons, I have noticed that there are songs, native recipes, lapbooking instructions and more. Our kids have quickly caught on to basic Spanish using this material. Our son loves the color pages and the talking dog and our older girls enjoy seeing if they can learn the entire vocabulary lists each week. As a "teacher", it is very easy to navigate and figure out how to use the materials to produce optimum memorization and learning. You can view sample lessons from Easy Spanish Jr! as well.

Easy Spanish Junior Level retails for $69.95 and Great Commission Languages also offers Spanish Level 1, French Jr., and French Level 1 materials as well. You can read more about all these programs on the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: We received the above mentioned products as part of being a member of the TOS Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

A is for Adam Review and Twitter Party GIVEAWAY

2011-12-03T21:16:00.001-06:00

A is for Adam is a wonderful book from Masterbooks that leads you on a journey through Scripture using Biblical lessons from A-Z. Each letter of the alphabet is visited and gives a Biblical lesson featuring each letter so you have 26 Bible based lessons to work through together. This new & improved edition of A is for Adam is designed in a flip-chart format which makes lessons a breeze.

Written by Ken & Mally Ham, A is for Adam teaches the Gospel through rhyming text and vibrant illustrations that are appropriate for children of all ages. The lessons establish a solid Biblical foundation for children and present the very important question of salvation. The book ends with the question "Is your name written in the Lamb's book of life?"

Our children have loved reading through this flip-chart book together every night. It has been fun for our older children to read it to their younger brother and as they have read, my husband and I have been able to answer any questions they may have from what they are learning. Best of all, if I want to teach it to them myself, the easy to use flip-chart format keeps their attention while I am teaching as well. My husband and I also work with the Preschool & Children's ministries at church and this would be a wonderful resource to use when we are teaching their classes as well. This wonderful book also encourages learning by providing Core Truth Takeaways, Quick Reviews for Kids, memorization aids and much more. There are even FREE downloadable versions of the artwork that you enjoy in this book.

Q is for Quiet, Adam and Eve must have been,

When God spoke the words, of Genesis three verse fifteen.

God's Son came to die and be raised from the dead,

So to Hell we'd not go, but to Heaven instead.

Wyatt is not only excited by the awesome illustrations and stories found in this book but he is excited for you too because you can WIN your very own copy of A is for Adam with our MasterBooks #TeachtheTruth Twitter Party happening December 13, 2011!

MasterBooks December #TeachtheTruth Twitter Party Details:

When: December 13, 2011

Time: 3:00 PM EST

Hashtag: #TeachtheTruth

Prizes: 5 people will win their own copy of A is for Adam

Make sure you are following all these people on Twitter for the party:

@MasterBooks4U

@Mamahall

& the entire Moms of MasterBooks Review Team

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes only as part of being a Mom of Masterbooks Reviewer. No monetary compensation was received.

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Processing Center

2011-12-02T17:19:00.000-06:00

Back in October, I blogged about how our family was participating in Operation Christmas Child. Then I blogged about our church hosting a "Packing Party" for Operation Christmas Child and yesterday, a group of 50 people from our church went to Atlanta, Georgia to work at the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Processing Center. That is where they take all the donated shoeboxes and get them ready to ship to children all throughout the world. I am so excited to share experience there...

We went through volunteer training with Sheryl Terryl and she was awesome! We watched a short video about OCC and then she told us step by step how the stations were set up and what each job entailed and how to correctly do each particular job.

Then we moved out into the warehouse where we were assigned to "stations" and each had specific jobs. Each person's job is very important and there are no jobs more important than another one. There is a pre-inspector (who looks for donations in each box & put them in the donation trunks), an inspector (who goes through each item to make sure it is an approved item & if not, removes it from the box & replaces it with an appropriate item), a taper (who securely tapes each box), a carton sorter (who makes sure each box is in the correct age/gender carton), a cartonizer (who gets at least 14 cartons into each box) and there are a couple of people who are runners for anything you might need (tape, fillers, boxes, etc.)

My job was "Pre-Inspector" (or 'moneygrubber' as Sheryl called us...ha!). Everytime we found a donation in a box we would yell "MONEY!" as we dropped it into the box. It was SO much fun. One of my friends went to the bathroom and came back and said "Hey Gretta, did you know that I could hear you screaming "Money!" all the way in the bathroom?!"

Pictures like these were hanging all over the warehouse so every time you looked up, you saw the faces of children whose lives had been changed by these simple gifts. It made it all worth it.

At various times, the chaplain would tell everyone to stop and take a break for a few minutes. He would give a short informative talk about Samaritan's Purse and OCC and then he shared some personal stories of people who had received shoeboxes. The most awesome part of our "break" was how he asked us to grab a shoebox and hold it in our arms like we were hugging that child. Check out the gender and then the age (my box was a 10-14 yr old girl which reminded me of our daughter Abbey). Then we prayed over that specific box, that the contents of the box would be exactly what that child needed, for their hearts to be open to the Gospel and for their lives and the lives of their families to be changed by this simple shoebox. It was incredible...I have chills just writing this to you! By the time he ended the prayer, I was in tears as were most others in the room.

Being a "Pre-Inspector", part of my job was to check every letter in the box as well to make sure there was no money in the letters. I saw so many precious cards, pictures and letters that were just heart-warming. The letter above really stuck out to me in particular because I loved the spelling, the wording and the heart of one child...to another.

Our group was split among several different stations and it was so much fun to work together, to build unity among us through teambuilding, to laugh together, tease each other, work together and all of it being done to the glory of God.

At the end of the day, we took a group picture and then Samaritan's Purse gave each of us a free Operation Christmas Child t-shirt. You know how much I love t-shirts! We had a fantastic time working with Samaritan's Purse and playing a very small role in making a difference in the life of these children who will receive shoeboxes.

Boxes of shoeboxes ready to ship all over the world

Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

2011-12-02T16:34:00.000-06:00

Back in October, I shared how our family was going to be participating in Samaritan's Purse "Operation Christmas Child" 2011. Our church family was also participating in OCC. Each week, they had an "item of the week" and they were collecting items to be packed into shoeboxes for children throughout the world. In November, we had a "Operation Christmas Child Packing Party" and invited anyone to come help pack shoeboxes to send to Operation Christmas Child. Here are some pictures from our evening of fun!

Our set-up for packing shoeboxes

Instructions for how to pack a shoebox

It was great to see the kids excited & participating

Sidney & Wyatt working on a label for their boxes

Each box we packed included a handwritten letter for the child

Boxes packed & ready to be sent to the processing center

Our goal was to make 300 boxes....and we didn't get 300

WE MADE 320+ !!!!!!

Some of the awesome folks who came to pack shoeboxes!

Quote from Samaritan's Purse on their Facebook page:

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered across the globe. People of all ages can be involved in this simple, hands-on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ. These shoe boxes truly do make a difference in a child’s life!!

Simon Flash Game

2011-12-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

Remember the classic game "Simon" where the game played a series of tones and colored buttons and you had to repeat exactly what the computer did in. The game progressed by adding a new tone or colored button to the sequence every turn and you had to repeat it without missing a sequence in order to win? Hasbro Games has a brand new version of that game called "Simon Flash".

With Simon Flash, you still get the original classic version of the game along with 3 new versions of the game meaning you get 4 games in 1! Simon Flash does not require a board and it has 4 free moving cubes to touch one another to begin playing the game. There are 4 different games you can play with Simon Flash:

The Green Game – Classic Simon Play

The green game is a remake of the classic game, follow the light pattern as it gets faster and harder. It does not offer a difficulty level.

The Yellow game- Lights Out

In lights out, you have to solve the puzzle by lining up the 4 color in the right order. Once you get it right, all the lights go out.

The Red Game – Simon Shuffle

In the red game, you are given an order for the cubes, and you have to match it to win.

The Blue Game – Simon Secret Color

In the blue game, players have 2 minutes to figure out the secret color. As you select the correct one, the color stays, and you need the correct sequence to get it ~ this one may be the most challenging.

Best of all, the pieces store easily inside a carrying case making the game great for traveling or playing in the car. It runs on 3 AAA batteries and is ideal for ages 8 & up. You can purchase Simon Flash for just $16.99 and give your family hours of family-fun together while enjoying a classic game.

The Barber Who Wanted to Pray (Book Review)

2011-11-28T16:53:00.000-06:00

The Barber Who Wanted to Pray is an imaginative tale based on a true story. One evening as Mr. McFarland leads his family devotional his daughter asks him how she should pray. He proceeds to share a 500 year old story about a barber and his famous customer. Master Peter is a barber well known to all in his village. One day, when Martin Luther the Reformer walks into his shop, the barber musters up the courage to ask the outlawed monk how to pray. Dr. Luther responds by writing a letter to the barber (a letter we know today as the book, A Simple Way to Pray). The barber's life is changed as he encounters a model for prayer by using the 10 Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostle's Creed.

R.C. Sproul's book comes to life through the beautiful illustrations of T. Lively Fluharty. This simple children's book teaches our children the correct way to pray according to the model presented within the context of the Bible. This book not only teaches the importance and the power of prayer but also covers church history and reminds us how important family devotion time is in our busy lives we lead. This book is an excellent family resource and one I think all families should read to their children as its captivating story is also a great lesson learned. The Barber Who Wanted to Pray is available through Crossway books and would make an excellent Christmas gift as well.

Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes only. No monetary compensation was received.

Heroes & Villains of the Bible (Book Review)

2011-11-28T14:30:00.000-06:00

Looking for a great way to teach your child about making wise choices? Do they like learning about heroes and villians? Want a new and unique way to teach your child that heroes are more than capes, masks and superpowers? Thomas Nelson has the book for you.....

50 true-life adventures of real people from the Bible-stories of good versus evil, right versus wrong, and heroes versus villains-and their life-shaping lessons that point children to God-the greatest hero of all!

The Bible is packed with stories of courageous people who loved and served God, and how He used them to do great things in the world. It is also filled with villainous people who disobeyed God and did horrible things. Heroes and Villains of the Bible encourages its readers to aspire to become great, courageous, and heroic servants of God, and reject all that is evil in the world.

With Heroes and Villains of the Bible, children will realize some of their favorite heroes aren't from the movies, but are real people from the Bible.

While we got the book with our son in mind, we quickly discovered the girls loved it too. This 242 page book is filled with beautiful full-color illustrations as well as stories that come straight out of Scripture. I love how the stories are told in a format that kids can easily understand and relate to and it ends with them figuring out if that Bible character was a hero or a villain based upon what they read. There is also a little box for discussion or further application to teach the kids how and why that story is so important and how they can apply the lesson learned from it to their everyday lives. We are currently using this at the beginning of our homeschool lessons each day and the kids are really enjoying it. This book would be perfect for children, make a great homeschool resource, a wonderful addition to a church library or even as a Christmas gift!

Disclaimer: I was given this book for review purposes only from Thomas Nelson. No monetary compensation was received.

The Expanded Bible (book review)

2011-11-28T13:41:00.000-06:00

Thomas Nelson released an awesome new Bible called "The Expanded Bible". This hardcover Bible reflects the latest scholarship, current English and the needs of contemporary students of the Bible. It includes a multitude of study aids right in line with the text. Expanded translations and other helps make it easy for you to study the Bible while you read the Bible. This Bible includes the following:

Expanded translations bring out the meaning of words and offer alternatives.

Literal meanings of terms from the original languages are included where they can provide more understanding.

Traditional wordings assist recollection of familiar terms and expressions.

Comments explain passages that can be understood better with a brief remark.

Useful references supply rewarding opportunities for comparing other Scriptures.

Variants display additional wording in some of the original language texts

I am a huge fan of the New King James Version of the Bible and my 2nd favorite would be the Amplified Bible. I love how The Expanded Bible puts translation notes right within the text of each verse making it easier to use one Bible for studying and reading. The Expanded Bible is also in single column paragraph format which is one of my favorite and hard to find in a lot of Bibles. Verse numbers are in dark print and chapter numbers are in large print. Best of all, there is a 1 1/2 inch margin for easy note taking or reference points on each page. I am one of those people that love to write in their Bible and write down things I don't want to forget in my Bible so I was thrilled to see the extra margin space designed specifically for note taking.

There is no concordance in this Bible but honestly, I rarely use a concordance anyway. However, I do miss there not being any timelines or maps. I have always been a huge fan of having full-color timelines and maps in my Bible for reference. The Expanded Bible is available through Thomas Nelson for $29.99 and is an excellent study tool and gives readers an easy and quick way to have a fuller, richer meaning of Scriptures by using only one book.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this Bible for review purposes only from Thomas Nelson. No monetary compensation was received.

Passages Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-28T13:03:00.001-06:00

From the Publisher: Many Christians feel guilty when they think of reading the Bible. Though they want to love reading Scripture, they rarely have time for more than a few verses on the run. But the Bible is not meant to be a burden. It is the story of God’s passionate love for His children. It is also not a book of mystical incantations. It is a best friend offering counsel and companionship. And it is not a distant relic, but something very near. Near enough, in fact, to be every reader’s story. So how do Christians delight in this story rather than see it as a source of failure? The founder of the immensely popular Daily Audio Bible, Brian Hardin shows readers how reading through the Bible in a year will change their life and the lives of others. Passages shows readers how to read the Bible and offers practical ideas for immersing themselves in God’s life-giving words. Here readers will discover that reading the Bible can be a breathtaking adventure.

I have to admit, reading the Bible everyday is part of my day. I have done the Bible in 365 days several times and most recently, I completed the Bible in 90 Days (#B90Days). I love how I can do a "random flip" in the Bible somedays and that particular passage will speak to me perfectly in that season of life. However, a staggering statistic is that 93% of professing Christians don't have a relationship with the Bible. In Brian Hardin's book "Passages" he shows us that the Bible is not just a rule book or guide book for our lives but he explains how as Christians it is "our story" filled with examples to help us be the people God created us to be in our everyday lives.

He points out reasons we don't read (and some of those I have even been guilty of), shows the benefits and blessings of reading scripture, how to live out the Bible in our families (this chapter spoke big time to me!) and even shows how we can find our own place in God's Story. It is filled with personal narratives from Brian's own experiences as well as countless stories from people throughout the world. I also loved how the back of the book contained The Daily Audio Bible Reading Plan that allows you to go through both the Old & New Testament simultaneously in one year.

This book was wonderful and very inspiring. It would be a great gift to a new Christian to teach them the importance of being in the Word daily, to a seasoned Christian to remind us of the breathtaking adventure that awaits us when we spend time in God's Word or even to someone who doubts the relevance of the Bible. You can read more about Brian Hardin on his blog or find out more information about The Daily Audio Bible.

Passages is also available through Zondervan for just $14.99 per book.

Disclaimer: I was given the book Passages for review purposes only. No monetary compensation was received.

The Reading Game (TOS Review)

2011-11-27T20:04:00.000-06:00

As part of being a member of the TOS Crew, I had the chance to review a new educational game, The Reading Game. Our 6 year old is learning to read and he is not the most motivated learner. However, penguins are one of his favorite animals so when I saw the box I had high hopes he might be interested in this game!

About the Game: The Reading Game is a fast-action memory card game that was created by the author of "Wordly Wise". It includes a series of 6 beautifully illustrated color-coded storybooks and color-coded sight word cards for each level. Each book and its corresponding set of memory playing cards is linked to a specific animal. The Reading Game teaches 54% of the words on the Pre-K, K and 1st Dolch sight word list!

How to Play: You can watch a video of how the game is played here. Ideally the game is intended to be played in level order from 1-6. However, our kids seemed to play it more based on what animal book they wanted to read. Each book has a corresponding deck of cards that will introduce your child to 30 new words. In Level 1, there are ten #1 cards that teach your child basic sight words such as me, my, can, etc. You shuffle the cards and then lay out them out in traditional memory game style picture side up. If your child is younger, you will need someone to play alongside them or sit with them to help teach them new words they may not know. If you have older children, they can help the younger ones with the words also. After they have matched and can say all the words in the game, they are ready to read the corresponding book.

Level 1 book "Skunk" begins with the 30 words they have been introduced to while matching cards in the memory game. From there, each level builds upon the words they have learned as well as introduction to the new words for that level's memory game. I loved the brightly colored covers of the storybooks as well as the fact that the actual pages of the book were in black and white and did not have lots of words on each page making it easy for beginning readers to stay on track and not get overwhelmed. The overall goal of the game is that by the time your child has completed all 6 levels of matching games and reading the storybooks, your child will be able to recognize and read 180 words. The only thing I found that I did not like about this product was that there is no punctuation or capitalization in the storybooks at all. Our kids are used to seeing grammatically correct books and they all 3 mentioned that the first time they read one of the storybooks. However, the author suggests that you can use that as a learning tool for your children to go back and tell you what words should be capitalized and what ending punctuation should be found.

Our kids LOVE this game. All 3 of them like to play it and everyday our 6 year old asks me to play it with him at least once a day. While we aren't always diligent to do the books in "order", I am just happy that he is excited to play and learning the sight words even if he is not necessarily doing them in order! As a former Pre-K teacher, I love how this game also meets many of the Common Core Standards making it a true learning game. The Reading Game retails for $24.95 and is geared for ages 4 and up. You can also read what other crewmates thought about this game by visiting the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this educational game for review purposes only as part of the TOS Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:23:00.000-06:00

TODAY (and everyday!) I AM THANKFUL FOR.....

My family ~ I'm blessed with an amazing husband & 3 awesome kids!

Mine & David's parents

My sister, brother-in-law and our nephew Marshall.

My IRL & Blog Friends ~ they all bring me such joy & fun times

Our incredible church family ~ where we can grow & share our passion for Christ!

Our home and all the blessings we enjoy each day that so many others throughout the world do not get to enjoy on a daily basis.

The many mission opportunities God has presented to our family this year both locally and internationally.

The opportunity to homeschool our children and teach them ourselves.

Most importantly...Jesus Christ for without Him, I am nothing!

From Our Family to Yours....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

FFH Christmas CD: One Silent Night Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-22T00:33:00.000-06:00

The countdown is on....Christmas is just a little over 4 weeks away! That means, the sounds of the season will begin emerging on radio, in malls/stores and Christmas plays and pageants will be hosted. This holiday season you can enjoy a great new Christmas selection right in your own home.

FFH has released their very first Christmas album "One Silent Night". This album is a beautiful blend of traditional Christmas songs with a few Christmas praise songs mixed in. One of my favorites from this CD was the beautiful song "Glorious Impossible". Not only are the words so meaningful at Christmastime but the music is a soothing, soft almost lullaby-ish tune. This is a CD your entire family will enjoy and even your co-workers might enjoy listening to it with you too. The songs on the CD include:

Baby It's Cold Outside
Jingle Bell Rock
One Silent Night
I'll Be Home for Christmas
The Birthday of the King
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Winter Wonderland
Glorious Impossible
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Heaven and Nature Sing

If you have enjoyed previous works from FFH, you will love this Christmas album. You can preview songs from their new album on ITunes as well as purchase individual songs or the entire album. You can also find more about FFH by visiting their website as well. One lucky reader will win their very own copy of the new FFH album "One Silent Night" by entering the giveaway below!

God Knows Just What We Need

2011-11-21T00:01:00.000-06:00

My parents graciously agreed to keep all 3 kids for us all weekend so that David & I could have a day of fun Saturday. So, Friday morning the kids and I loaded up and drove to my sister's house and spent the day with her and little Marshall. My brother in law had to go back to work for the first time and Marcy wanted a little company while he was gone. We had a great time hanging out with them and I especially loved cuddling with little Marshall. He even had on a "My Aunt Rocks" outfit which was so appropriate. Then Friday night, I took the kids to my parents to spend the weekend with them. When I got back home, David & I went and ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Let me just tell you...when you are eating for 2 instead of 5 it is SO much cheaper. We couldn't believe we ate for less than $20!

Saturday morning, we got up bright & early because a family friend had given us their "Tide Pride" game day tickets to go see Alabama vs. Georgia Southern at Bryant Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama. We were so excited because this was the first game David & I had ever been to together since we've been married. Our friends have awesome season tickets and we were just 20 rows from the field! It was great!

Entering the Stadium for the game!

Our awesome seats!

Alabama played a great game and won 45-21 in the end. We even had cushioned seatbacks to sit in during the game. The people around us were so nice and friendly and we had a great time cheering on the Crimson Tide live and in person for a change....ROLL TIDE!!!!

We left the game with 3 minutes left till the end of the game because we had got tickets to the Chris Tomlin concert in Birmingham that same night....Yes, we are crazy! David's cousin Joe & his wife Jessica were meeting us there and we were all going to sit together and enjoy the concert. So we fought horrible post game traffic to try to get back to Birmingham in time for the concert. Thankfully, we made it with about 30 minutes to spare before the concert started. Here's a pic of us in the concert:

What an amazing concert! It was a total worship experience instead of a concert. Chris Tomlin said it was like a huge night of Chris Tomlin Karaoke. It was wonderful. Best of all, Christy Nockels (one of my favorites) was touring with him and we got to hear Louie Giglio preach live and in person too! We are huge Giglio fans and loved getting to see him preach in person. He did an amazing job as always. David surprised me and bought me Christy Nockels new CD while we were at the concert too so I am enjoying her music at home now too. We made it home about 11:30pm after a long, long day but such a fun day. I loved our day of fun just me and David. We had lots of time to talk, laugh, enjoy time with just each other and it was refreshing and renewing.

I have to tell you, that God certainly knows what we need because David & I were on a spiritual "high" after our wonderful day together and enjoying a 3 hour worship experience with Chris Tomlin live. On Sunday morning, my uncle Shag passed away. He had quadruple bypass surgery a few weeks ago and had really fought to recover fully ever since. He was an amazing, Godly man and one of those "silent giants". I actually lived with him & Aunt Pat a few years while I was in college and they gave me their basement apartment to be all mine while I went to school. Uncle Shag & I used to eat breakfast together every morning and he always hugged me as I left for college each day and reminded me to "study hard". I have many, many wonderful memories with him and while I and the rest of our family are going to miss him terribly, I know the angels in Heaven are rejoicing at his entrance to his Heavenly home. I would ask you to please pray for our family in the next few days as we say goodbye to him here on this earth and celebrate the amazing man we loved. We are going to have a busy week but through the sadness, we still have SO many things to be thankful for.

But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

~ Psalm 71:14 (NASB)

One Minute Reader from Read Naturally (TOS Review)

2011-11-20T20:34:00.000-06:00

One Minute Reader is a home reading program from Read Naturally that uses the same research-based strategy as Read Naturally classroom programs. Students develop fluency through modeling (Read Along step), repeated reading (Read Alone step), and progress monitoring (Marking Hot & Cold Scores step). Students work in One Minute Reader for 15-30 minutes a day, three to five times a week. One Minute Reader is a fun and effective way to give students extra reading practice at home.

As part of the TOS Crew, I received the Ready, Set, Orange: Level 1 Starter Kit and the Level 3 BookCD set "Disasters". There is an included "How To" DVD in the Level 1 Starter Kit and I would highly advise you to take time to watch it before you begin using the program with your child. Then you pick a story for your child to read from the material. Abbey loved the story of the Nile River in the Level 1 set and "An Unquenchable Fire" from the Level 3 book. You have them read to you from the selected story and as they read the story the first time, you use the enclosed hot/cold pencil to mark any words they don't know with a blue mark giving them their "cold" score. Then they listen to the audio CD and take a short quiz to see what they have been able to comprehend from what they read. Then they read the story to an adult and mark their progress with a red mark to give them their "hot" score that shows how they have improved.

I liked the overall concept of the program and love how it includes oral reading, listening to it on audio, re-reading, testing for comprehension, etc. I liked how the child can visually see the progress and improvement they are making because of their work and dedicated time in using the program. The one minute timer that comes with the program has actually came in handy for other things in homeschooling as well and not just this program. However, there were several stories in both books that were not interesting to Abbey and she had a hard time giving it her all on those stories. I liked the glossary at the end of each book that helped your child learn the meaning behind words that were unfamiliar to them and it taught them early dictionary skills too. To be honest, I can see how this program would greatly improve fluency and comprehension this particular program is not one that we will purchase additional materials from.

There are 6 levels of One Minute Reader and there is a starter kit for each level. These starter kits cost $24.95 and include 1 book with audio CD, a one minute timer, hot/cold pencil, instructional DVD and a nice sturdy album to keep the materials in. Each additional book/CD set is $13.95. There are also level bundles for $99.95 that include all the given materials for one entire level of One Minute Reader. If you purchase a bundle, you will save 14% compared to purchasing the materials individually.

You can read more about One Minute Reader as well as Read Live, another Read Naturally program on the TOS Homeschool Review Blog.

Disclaimer: We were given the above mentioned materials for review purposes only and no monetary compensation was received.

Let's Get Cookin' Y'all

2011-11-17T19:15:00.000-06:00

No matter which one of these ladies you tend to be like the most, we could all use a few new cooking ideas for the holiday season. I personally love to bake/cook but I am far, far from Martha Stewart. I'm more of a "I cook because I enjoy it" kind of gal and tend to stick to recipes. I'm not good with these "a little of this" and "a pinch of that" recipes. So with Thanksgiving next week and Christmas rapidly coming, I thought I'd share a few recipes you might want to try out.

For those of you who have kids, if you are like us we try to do something special with our kids for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. This year, you could invite them to "The Crazy Cafe". It is something we did with our kids last year and they loved it. We have it in the plans to do during the 12 days of Christmas fun and I know they will be so excited. You could always make it Christmas themed too! Now on to the recipes...

APPETIZERS & DRINKS:

Baked Spinach Dip in Mini Bread Bowls

Homemade Apple Chips

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

Sweet Strawberry-Pineapple Spa Water

Purple Cow Drink

MAIN DISHES

Chick-Fil-A Nuggets at Home (perfect for kids!)

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole with no cream soup

Pizza Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Amazing Mac & Cheese

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts

DESSERTS:

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Apple Nachos

Homemade Coffee Creamers (many flavors)

Heavenly Pineapple Pie

Chocolate Sea Salt Truffles

The Grace Effect Book Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-16T10:42:00.000-06:00

THE GRACE EFFECT

Author: Larry Taunton

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

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

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

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

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

I have done mission work in both Russia and Siberia and have seen the orphanages where these children live. I was also adopted myself at just 3 weeks old and know the blessing of adoption in my life so Sasha's story in The Grace Effect had very deep, personal meaning for me. I understood the environment and world she came from because I had seen it myself, lived in it while on the mission field and heard story after story from people there about growing up in the former Soviet Union. I related to the adoption issues/emotions within the story through my own adoption. Most importantly, the underlying message of God's unconditional grace means more to me than anything because as a Christian I am so undeserving of this true "grace" that He pours out into my life.

Taunton paints a very vivid description of the Ukraine and walks you through some of its history and why the country is what it is today based on its cultural and political past. The story of the adoption of Sasha is not only a real and personal story but also shows you how grace is very much alive and active in all of our lives today. Sasha's story alone will leave you laughing, crying and at times, almost breathless. You can read more about Larry Taunton and his unique ministry here. I was really excited to discover that his ministry is located about 30 minutes from my house! I am also excited to be able to give one of you your very own copy of The Grace Effect. It would also make a wonderful Christmas gift for you to share with someone too!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-11-14T11:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the 2011 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Churches throughout the world. Even if you missed it yesterday, you can still pray today! Pray for boldness of the believers in these regions that despite persecution they will continue taking the Gospel to people in their areas. Pray for the families of martyrs and those in prison that they will find strength and comfort despite persecution and they will still give God glory. Pray for the missionaries (men, women and children) who are selflessly serving in these regions that God's hand of protection will be upon them and they will reach many souls with the Gospel. You can find out other ways to get involved with The Voice of the Martyrs as well.

Friday morning, our kids were in the local newspaper, The Cullman Times! They ran an article about the FallFest Halloween event that was held in our community on Halloween night. Our church, Crosshaven Church, was one of the 7 sponsoring churches. I have no clue how they even got our kids pictures but it sure thrilled 3 little kids to see their pictures in the newspaper.

We finished another painting and it was our 1st Christmas painting of this season! David & I have been painting canvas for fun and we've been selling a few of them too. We also donated a large canvas to a local Holiday Auction as well. This piece is currently for sale for $35. Sunday afternoon, we headed up to my parents house to celebrate my Mom's birthday. I would love to show you pictures of us celebrating with her but she had taken quite a fall at the post office on Saturday and had a huge knot on her forehead and two black eyes. So she wasn't really in the picture taking mood. Thankfully, she checked out o.k. after going to the ER other than some bruising and sore muscles. We wrote "Happy Birthday Blackeyed Mama" on her birthday card envelope....hey, you have to have a little fun with it, right?! So instead of a picture of my blackeyed Mama, I'll show you this......

Oh yeah.....our little nephew Marshall was there to celebrate to (and my sister & brother in law too of course!). We loved holding him, feeding him, changing his diaper, cuddling him, burping him and having a little 2 week old in our arms. Isn't he precious...we think so!!

Check out my "early" Christmas present! Yep, my sweet husband bought me these for Christmas but was nice enough to let me have them early so I could go ahead and enjoy them now. I've never had a pair of tall brown boots (all my brown boots are short ones). I was so excited!!! Ladies, they came from Academy Outdoors so don't ever complain about going in a sporting goods store with your man because you never know what goodies you will find! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and don't forget that I have 3 great giveaways going on right now:

ENDS TONIGHT ~ World of Animals Book

Torani Flavored Syrups (2 winners)

Young American Patriot's Bible

Meet The Rizers: Rise Up! CD

2011-11-14T09:39:00.001-06:00

You may remember at the beginning of 2011 when I blogged about my commitment to put more Bible scripture to memory and then in February, I told you how the kids were going to be joining me in doing that as well. While that has been going great this year, I recently was introduced to a very fun way to help them learn even more Bible scriptures.

Let me introduce you to: THE RIZERS!!! The Rizers (which is short for "Memorizers") are brought to you by family media group, Super Big Robot, LLC. based in Seattle, WA. They are a group of animated characters that each have a fun personality. There is Gracie (lead vocals), Matty C. (gutiars/vocals), Mei Mei (keytar), A-Yo (drums) and Johnny Danger (bass). They meet in Matty C's garage to make a joyful noise in their town of Rizing Springs. The Rizers present culturally relevant music that instills a love for Jesus Christ and His Word through scripture memory and praise and worship. Their CD's feature upbeat scripture songs to teach kids God's Word while having fun rocking to the tunes. They were a Dove nominee, their first album peaked to No. 1 on AmazonMP3.com and No. 4 on Itunes (Kids Music).

They have recently released their second CD, Rise Up and our family was given the opportunity to check it out for ourselves. This CD features 10 brand new, fast paced and totally rocking Scripture songs.

1. Psalm 100:1-2 (Make A Joyful Noise!)

2. Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust In The Lord!)

3. 2 Peter 3:18 (Glory Glory Glory!)

4. 2 Timothy 3:16 (All Scripture!)

5. Philippians 2:3-4 (Do Nothing Out Of Selfish Ambition!)

6. Philippians 4:13 (I Can Do Everything!)

7. Psalm 136:2-4 (His Love Endures Forever!)

8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (A New Creation!)

9. John 14:27 (Do Not Be Afraid!)

10. Luke 18:16 (Let The Children Come To Me!)

The first thing I noticed about this CD is that it is not your typical scripture CD. Come on, let's face it....most Scripture memorization CD's have pretty slow music, tons of repetition and are not real "exciting". This CD is pumping, rocking music that your kids are all into from the very first beat. There is repetition (because that's how they learn, right?) but it is done in such a sneaky way the kids don't even realize it! Our kids (ages 6, 8 & 10) quickly caught on to the tunes and lyrics and were soon singing away at the top of their lungs with The Rizers. They were also clapping, stomping their feet and just having a good ol' time learning Scriptures through song. In fact, they love this CD so much that when we get in the car to go somewhere, one of them makes sure to grab it out of the CD player and bring it with us so they can listen to it in the car too! And don't think this CD is just for little kids, our 10 year old loves it because it does not sound like "baby music". David & I have noticed that sometimes when they are playing in their rooms we will hear them sitting in there singing one of the songs without the CD even being played.

Ok, ok......yeah, you guessed it...David & I love it too! As parents, there are often CD's that your kids love but you can't stand. Well, let me just tell you...this ain't one of those!! I think we love listening to it as much as the kids do. In fact, on the way home last night we were listening to it in the car with the kids and David said "that's my favorite song on the CD (track #4 by the way). We work with the preschool and children's ministries at church also and this is one CD that we will be taking to let them listen to and enjoy as well.

So, if you have children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, work with children's ministries or just want to bless a child....give them one of The Rizers CD's! They also have some super cute t-shirts for guys & girls (sizes 2 - adults) that you can purchase as well as their CD's. But, hey Rizers....I wanted to buy a "Big Letter T-shirt" but I don't think a child's size 8 will fit me. Bummer...because those are SO cute..adult sizes, maybe?? Oh, and you can also follow The Rizers on Facebook and on Twitter.

Disclaimer: We were given a copy of this CD for review purposes only and no monetary compensation was received.

Math Mammoth (TOS Review)

2011-11-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, we are very, very happy with our current Math curriculum. However, there are always areas in Math that the kids could use a little more reinforcement and some supplemental materials. As a member of the TOS Crew, I was given the opportunity to experience Math Mammoth.

Math Mammoth offers affordable, yet quality math worktexts and workbooks for grades 1-8, available as both downloads and printed books. These books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math. The directions in the worktexts are written directly to the student, and are often self-teaching, thus requiring little preparation and involvement from the teacher.

I was able to email the author, Maria Miller (a homeschooling Mother herself), and together we decided which portion of Math Mammoth would be best for our family to review. As a Mom to 3 children (ages 6, 8 & 10) and taking into consideration that our 10 year old has several learning difficulties, it can be hard to choose just one particular Math area that would work for all three of them. Maria was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful and after communicating back and forth a few times, she suggested trying the Blue Series Package for Grades 1-3 for them. There is a placement test you can take as well to determine which book would work best for your child.

The Blue Series covers topics in grades first through sixth/seventh. Each book in the Blue Series concentrates on a few topics only, such as addition/subtraction, multiplication, clock, fractions, division, geometry, money, etc. Our son (6) loved working with worksheets on addition facts and "Adding on a Number Line" was one of his favorites. Our 8 year old has been working on telling time so the worksheets on reading and understanding a clock were of great benefit to her. Our 10 year old is working on multiplication tables so it was nice to be able to let her do supplemental pages of multiplication work from Math Mammoth. While we will stick with our current Math curriculum, I will most certainly use Math Mammoth for supplemental materials and during times when they need a bit more reinforcement on certain concepts. I love the easy download and print format too. We printed out each worksheet and put them in a 3-ring binder with dividers so I can easily access worksheets anytime they need them. We are considering purchasing other materials from Math Mammoth as well.

Math Mammoth is also very reasonably priced. The complete curriculum package costs just $32 a grade (per download) and the Blue Series books (the electronic versions) cost just $2 - $7 each! Want to check it out for yourself for FREE? They offer a package of over 300 free sample worksheets. You can also visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what other families had to see about Math Mammoth. Most of us reviewed different parts of Math Mammoth and you can get a great overall view of this program by reading what other families had to say about it also.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned products for review purposes only as part of the TOS Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

Young American Patriots Bible Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-12T20:36:00.000-06:00

We've been celebrating Veterans Day this weekend and Thomas Nelson has a new Bible "Young American Patriot's Bible" that goes along perfectly with celebrating patriotism and freedom. This Bible features the history of American heroes who helped to shape our Christian nation. It is written in New King James Version text with the words of Christ in red and also includes a concordance. It is a wonderful study Bible for children.

This Bible includes 64 full-color pages that are packed with articles about the true American heroes who contributed to making this nation great. Young patriots (children) can learn about God's Word and how our country's early leaders used God's wisdom to make the country we live in today. It includes biographies of past leaders such as George Washington, Lewis & Clark and Francis Scott Key to modern day patriots such as Buzz Aldrin, Dr. Billy Graham and George Bush. There are also important historical documents featured that teach children an overall view of these documents and how they helped shaped our country. From the Declaration of Independence to modern day acts such as "See You At the Pole", your child will learn how each plays an intricate part in our country's foundations.

Our children are really enjoying this Bible and have enjoyed reading about various people throughout history. The NKJV is a language they can pretty easily understand and this Bible has given us the opportunity to show our children how America was established and how things have changed over time to where we are today. Tommy Mommy wants to give one of you a copy of this great bible for children.

Keyboard Town Pals Review (TOS Review)

2011-11-12T12:51:00.000-06:00

I grew up learning to type on the traditional Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing CD's. Even in middle school, our typing teacher was using those programs. While they aren't bad, they aren't very kid-friendly for younger ages. I can type almost 100 wpm so it is very important to me that our children be able to type well also...especially in the age of technology. I was so thankful to discover Keyboard Town Pals, a wonderful new typing program designed specifically for children.

Keyboard Town Pals is a wonderful program that can take your child from typing with just one finger to typing with both hands in just one hour. It is a Learn to Type program for children. It is designed with a gentle learning approach rather than mistakes and timing. There are 8 videos and each video is around 7 minutes long so your child can complete the entire course in about an hour.

Keyboard Town Pals gets is name from the videos. In each video, the keyboard letters are introduced as characters that reside on Main Street, Downtown or Uptown (depending upon which row of the keyboard they are on). Each letter character has a unique story that blends in with other letter characters to create a "town" of friends, thus the name "Keyboard Town Pals". Each video progresses a little more in typing skills as students type the letters that appear underneath the videos. Your child learns letters, letter placements, punctuations and how to use the space bar through this series of videos. You can watch a sample lesson here.

I had mixed feelings about this program. Let me tell you the things I liked first. I love that my children were given a basic introduction to typing correctly. It taught them to familiarize themselves with the letter placement on a keyboard, spacing, etc. I like that it teaches those concepts in just over an hour so the kids aren't bored with it and it isn't dragged out over several days where they could easily forget what they had learned. Some of the videos were funny and we would her the kids laughing or snickering because of the characters in the videos. As a Mom, I liked that they could not use the backspace or delete button if they made a mistake. There were several issues I didn't like as well. Since they couldn't use the backspace or delete button when they made a mistake, this program also does not point out when the child does make a mistake. It allows them to just keep typing (and they could be typing entire phrases wrong) without ever knowing it was wrong. While I believe mistakes should be gently corrected, I would have liked to have seen some acknowledgement for the child's errors. There is also no interaction at all in these videos and I would have liked to have seen a way to manage their work or skills through this program. Overall, I would say this is a great typing game for preschoolers to lower elementary grade levels. Our 6 year old loved it and the 8 year old did at times but the 10 year old said it was to "babyish and reminded her of Sesame Street".

Keyboard Town Pals is priced at $39.95 which I felt was very expensive considering the entire program can be completed in just over an hour and there is no additional material once they have finished the video series. You can read more about it on their website and you can read here to find out what other TOS members have to say about this program as well.

Taming the Tongue

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

We've been studying how to "tame our tongues" on Wednesday night in our ladies Bible study. First let me share some general "fun" facts about our tongue. Every person has a unique tongue print. Close to 50% of the bacteria in the mouth lives on the surface of our tongue. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body.

With the most powerful muscle in our body, we can either say negative things, degrade someone, cut someone down, etc. or we can build up, edify, encourage and uplift someone. Words do have power and those words come from our tongues. We have the ability to control how that muscle is used whether it will be for good or bad but often we let it move unrestrained and without much thought. I want to share 4 types of "tongues" that we should avoid and show you how often these particular types of tongues pop up in our everyday lives...sometimes even without realizing it.

The Self-Depricating Tongue : Self-depricating is defined as "to express earnest disapproval or to belittle yourself." Moses gives us an example of a self-depricating tongue in Exodus 4:10: "Moses said to the Lord, Pardon your servant Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." If we truly believed we were children of God who were made in His image, would we belittle ourselves or others? We need to guard ourselves against placing negative labels upon ourselves. We need to be conscientiousness not to let experiences define who we are. Our goal should be to avoid thinking or speaking about ourselves as being of little or no worth because when we do, it only minimizes the value of what we have to offer and what God has given us. Remember, we cannot change what we do until we learn to change how we think.

The Meddling Tongue : Now don't instantly think of your mother in law here...ha! How often do we pry into others lives seeking just a little more information or maybe we just ask too many questions when most of those questions aren't our business to begin with. Would your picture come to mind if your friends were asked to name someone who meddles in other people's business? I love how Proverbs 26:17 warns against such behavior. It reads "Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears, is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own." Meddling is common in our workplaces, within society and sadly, even within our churches. The best way to prevent meddling is to stay busy taking care of our lives and we shouldn't have time to meddle in the lives of others.

The Betraying Tongue: What Bible character comes to mind when you think of the ultimate act of betrayal? Judas with his kiss to identify Jesus to the multitude while he was praying (Matthew 26:47-50). Now you're probably thinking oh I would never do something like that to someone I loved or to a friend. To put it in modern day terms, we have done just that. Betrayal is much more blatant than gossiping. It violates the trust someone has placed in us. It usually results in hurt or disadvantage on the part of the one we violated. For example, how many times has someone told you something and then you repeated it to someone else but added "but don't tell anyone I told you that." Why not?! Because you knew it was a betrayal of trust on your part. A friend told you that in confidence, in trust and you had just violated it by sharing it with another party. Proverbs 11:13 says "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret." We need to remember how it felt to know our confidence had been betrayed and I'm sure it has happened to all of us. So knowing first hand how that feels, we should strive to be less apt to betray someone else with the use of our tongue.

The Belittling Tongue: The word belittle implies that someone is unimportant or little. When we belittle others, our goal in doing so is to make them seem less impressive than they actually appear or feel. We have to realize there will always be someone cuter, more successful, smarter, richer, classier, healthier, etc. than we are but even those people still don't have a perfect life and that is why it is vital that we not compare ourselves with others in life. Often times when we belittle others we aren't hurting them as much as we are hurting ourselves and our own images. Ephesians 4:29 says "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." We need to constantly ask ourselves "Do others feel better about themselves after they spend time with me?" and if not, we need to guard our tongues against belittling others.

Let me assure you that I struggle with taming my tongue as much as anyone else. I am known for my "sassiness" and "tell it like it is" speech more than I would like. I often have a tendency to choose the wrong words (especially when I'm mad or hurting) and this study on taming our tongues has been a huge eyeopener for me as well as a blessing. It has made me more aware of how often I use my tongue for negativity rather than positive speech. I can't tell you how many times I have found myself saying "oh that was a belittling tongue" or "if I ask that am I not meddling", etc. throughout this week. Deborah Pegues has written a fantastic book called "30 Days to Taming Your Tongue" and there is an accompanying workbook you can also purchase if you would like to study the different types of ways we use our tongues. I highly encourage you to pray this weekend and to ask God to help you guard your tongue so that we use the strongest muscle in our body for good and not evil.

Torani Flavored Syrups Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-09T10:18:00.001-06:00

How many times have you gone to a coffeehouse and seen their selection of flavored syrups and wished you had that nice selection in the comfort of your own home? Well, thanks to Torani, the original Italian Syrup, you can bring those same amazing flavored syrups right into your own home to enjoy. Thanks to SheSpeaks, our family was able to try two of their incredible flavored syrups.

Torani is the #1 brand of flavored syrups in America, offering over 100 delicious flavors to choose from. Made with the highest-quality ingredients, like pure cane sugar and coffeehouse inspired flavors, their syrups make it easy to create delicious drinks at home. Now you can enjoy the "secret ingredients" of great coffeehouses at home. We received the Sugar-Free Vanilla syrup and the seasonal, Pumpkin Pie syrup. These bottles are 750ml and will certainly last quite awhile even with daily usage. I have to admit, if you didn't see it on the label, you would never know the Vanilla syrup was sugar-free. The sugar-free syrups also have no calories! It taste amazing and doesn't have any after taste like some sugar-free products do. I'm not a huge fan of the Pumpkin Pie syrup but my husband loved this one. He said to him it was delicious and not only reminded him of pumpkin but he discovered that if you mixed it with the vanilla syrup, you even got a slight ginger taste!

Torani flavored syrups allow you the freedom to experiment, play and have fun making delicious flavored drinks right in your own kitchen. They can be used for much more than coffee drinks too. Check out some of these simple but delicious recipes you can make using Torani flavored syrups.

Torani Cream Soda

2 tbsp. Torani Orange syrup

2 tbsp. cream or half & half

1 cup sparkling water

Pour sparkling water into a tall glass & fill with ice. Add syrup and slowly top with cream. Stir well.

Torani Pomegranate Sparkler

1 tbsp. Torani Pomegranate syrup

3/4 cup champagne or sparkling wine

Combine syrup and champagne/wine in a fluted glass. Stir gently

Torani Strawberry Lemonade

2 tbsp. Torani Strawberry syrup

1 cup lemonade

Combine lemonade and syrup in a glass filled with ice & stir well.

See how versatile Torani flavored syrups are? The possibilities are endless! I'm going to try using them in some baking recipes as well. With the holiday season approaching, what better time to try out Torani flavored syrups and introduce your family and friends to delicious flavored drinks and coffees. Torani is available at a wide variety of stores. Thanks to SheSpeaks, you can save 10% on the purchase of any Torani Flavored Syrups if you purchase it online by simply using code: shespeaks. I also get to bless TWO of my readers. Two people will each receive a coupon for a FREE bottle of Torani Flavored Syrup of their choice!

Happy Haulidays from Chronicle Books (GIVEAWAY)

2011-11-08T22:29:00.003-06:00

Chronicle Books is hosting their 2nd Annual "Happy Haul-idays" event where you can win $500 worth of book from Chronicle for yourself, a friend and best of all...your favorite charity! If I could win $500 worth of books from Chronicle I would choose the following books:

KIDS BOOKS:

Lots of Dots

Creature ABC

Penguins, Penguins Everywhere

Children's Miscellany

Spartacus the Spider: Creative Editions

A Zeal of Zebras

The Worst Case Scenario: Survive-O-Pedia Junior Ed.

The Kid Who Named Pluto

Seeing Stars: An Intro. to the Night Sky

Ivy & Bean Secret Treasure Box

Ivy & Bean What's the Big Idea

Ivy & Bean Boxed Set 2

My Big Book of Trucks & Diggers

Press Here

Treasured Classics

MoMA My Museum

The Eyes of Grey Wolf

City by the Bay

The Conductor

Day & Night

Knights and Castles

Never Forget A Number or Date

The World Almanac for Kids: K Workbook

BrainJuice: American History Fresh Squeezed

Spot 7 School

FOR BABY:

Julius! I Love Color!

Peek-A-Whoo Board Book

Grow Up

In My Meadow

In My Tree

Little Mouse

Wake Up: A Magic Picture Book

CRAFTING:

Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones

Amy Butler's In Stitches

COOKBOOK:

Whoopie Pies

PAPER GOODS:

Gratitude: A Journal

Moleskin Sketchbook Large

You can win this list above too! If my blog is chosen as the winner of the "Happy Haulidays" event then one person who comments on this blog post will also win my "wish list". So if you'd like to win all the books mentioned above, simply leave me a comment telling me which book on my list looks most interesting to you!

You'll notice my list is mostly children's books and there is a reason for that. What really excites me about this year's event is that if I win, one charity will also get my wish list! The charity I would choose is AGAPE of North Alabama located in Huntsville, Alabama. This organization is near and dear to my heart because I was adopted from there back in 1977 as a special needs child. Not only do they do adoptions but they do lots of foster work placing children of all ages in foster homes. I'd love to win this for them so they would have a collection of books to share with these foster children. Often these children leave homes with just the clothes on their backs and it would be awesome for AGAPE to be able to send each foster child to their new home with a couple of new books to enjoy to help ease the transition for them.

So don't forget to leave a blog comment so you have a chance to win my "wish list" too and go create your own blog post with your very own "wish list" so you will have double the chances to win A huge THANK YOU to Chronicle Books for hosting this event again this year also!

World of Science and World of Animals Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-07T11:02:00.002-06:00

MasterBooks, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, has released two new educational resources entitled: World of Science and World of Animals. These books will give you and your children incredible knowledge of both science and animals while never having to worry about evolution theories popping up in the text. These titles do not compromise God's Word and in fact, they stand firm on the truth of creation. These would make great supplemental material in homeschooling, are a wonderful reference book and children from elementary to high school students can use them and enjoy them.

WORLD OF SCIENCE BOOK: This 248 page full-color book features over 800 illustrations and photographs. It highlights Science facts, discoveries and those who have been at the forefront of innovation. It also contains over 60 activities and experiments to show your children how Science can be applied to everyday life. It covers these Science topics in great depth: Matter & Chemicals, Energy, Motion & Machines, Electricity & Magnetism, Light & Sound, Earth and Life, Space & Time and more! It is a real-world, hands-on Science book that will inspire, inform and bring honor to the Lord!

What We Learned: This book made it easy to take sometimes confusing Science concepts and make them understandable for our children. Concepts like force and motion, how the earth is magnetic and light became understandable through the easy to comprehend text and beautiful illustrations and photographs. Our kids also discovered lots of fun facts such as: A rocket must reach a speed of 17,360 mph to enter space and orbit earth! They loved learning why an ant bite hurts/itches. It bites with its strong pincer-like jaws and then squirts a spray that contains formic acid into the wound to cause discomfort and pain.

WORLD OF ANIMALS BOOK: You will explore over 1,000 of God's most extraordinary creatures in this 256 full-color book. You will examine the diverse anatomy, behavior and habitats of all types of animals. It includes information about the smallest microscopic worms to the largest animals God ever created, the whales. Filled with fascinating facts and intriguing animal records this book will teach you and your child all about the amazing animals God created.

What We Learned: Our children love to learn about animals and are fascinated by their behaviors, habitats and lives. We often found the kids sitting in the floor reading this book together. This book covers simple animals, worms/snails/starfish, insects & other anthropods, fish, amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals. The kids learned interesting things about animals like: The giant clam, tridacna, lives in Pacific Ocean and its shell can be over 4 feet in length and it can weigh as much as 725 pounds! Our 6 year old loved the Giant Anteater information as that is currently his favorite animal. And want to know which animal our kids were most intrigued by so far? Look up "Gulper Eel" ~ The picture of it in this book was so fascinating to them we actually spent a whole afternoon looking up more about it online! MasterBooks wants to share this awesome book with one of my readers and they want to give one of you the World of Animals book to enjoy in your own home!

I've Been Nominated ~ Homeschool Blog Awards

2011-11-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

My blog has been nominated for the "Best Homeschool Variety Blog" on The Homeschool Post 7th Annual Homeschool Blog Awards! Would you please take a minute to vote for me? It is very simple....click this link, then choose "The Johns Family" and hit Vote! Thanks so much!!

Also, I realize many of you may also be nominated under the same category or a different one. If you are a nominee too, please leave me a comment with your blog name and nominated category and I will gladly vote for you also! This is all for fun anyway but I sure would love to win because it is an awesome homeschool prize package to the winners! :)

4 Days to a Forever Marriage (Twitter Party!)

2011-11-06T23:40:00.000-06:00

We all want a healthy marriage and want a relationship with our spouse that is an intimate and loving relationship that not only honors each other but God as well. However, in the day to day aspect of our busy lives, this type dynamic often fails to exist in marriages today. Gary and Norma Smalley want to help you have that type of marriage and relationship and they have written a new book "4 Days to a Forever Marriage" to do just that.

Everyday in our relationships we are given the choice to love or have anger. This practical step by step manual shows you how in just 4 short days you can transform your relationship by the power of loving words/actions, better communication and resolving anger, connection through intimacy and affection and finding treasure in the trials. By investing just a little time over the course of 4 days, you will help get your relationship in balance and start reaping emotional and spiritual benefits.

This book is written from a "dialogue" perspective so you get to hear both sides (both Gary and Norma's) on each and every issue/topic. At the end of each day's reading there are personal questions to help you reflect on what you have read and apply it to your everyday relationship. Scripture is used all throughout this book to show the important Biblical convictions in our marriages. It covers various "seasons" of marriage and David and I found ourselves in the "Little Feet and Chips on the Couch" stage. The book is also filled with additional resources and recommended readings as well. In the end, the Smalley's share several awesome helps for us to have "forever marriages" including: "fighting rules", "12 ways to engage your spouse", "romance on a shredded shoestring budget" and the thought provoking "Have you become your parents". This book is a must read for anyone who is in a relationship that they want to last forever and be centered on God alone.

You can connect with 4 Days to a Forever Marriage on Facebook and Twitter. MasterBooks is also hosting a Twitter party with this book on Tuesday, November 15 at 9pm EST. You simply follow @MasterBooks4U on Twitter and use the hashtag #4days2forever to join in the Twitter party fun! You will not want to miss out on this awesome evening of enriching and blessing our marriages and relationships.

Gratitude Challenge and Secret Church

2011-11-06T14:54:00.000-06:00

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! (Psalm 101:5) Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Thes. 5:18) As we enter into the month of November, we also enter into the season of thankfulness. Each day in November, we have been challenged to write what we are grateful for each day (whether big or small).

November 1 ~ The birth of our nephew Marshall. There was no better way to start a month than holding that precious little fellow!

November 2 ~ Homeschooling: Being able to teach our children ourselves, using the Bible and giving them more than academic book knowledge is such a blessing.

November 3 ~ That I was adopted. November is also "National Adoption Month" and there is no telling where I would be (or even if I would still be alive) had I not been adopted by wonderful parents, showered with love and raised to love the Lord.

November 4 ~ Freedoms we enjoy in America. Look around us at persecuted Christians, freedoms that we enjoy that so many other countries do not and realize we are more than blessed!

November 5 ~ My husband, David ~ To have a Godly husband who puts God first in all he does makes me truly thankful. He leads our home, raises our children to love the Lord and has his priorities in line (God, family, job, etc) and shows me how much he loves me on a constant basis.

November 6 ~ Our children. They bring me such joy, happiness, love, laughter and sometimes tears. They are filled with compassion, tender hearts and so much more. They are gifts from God and I am so thankful He entrusted them to us to raise and love.

Friday night we were blessed to spend from 6pm - after 1am as part of "Secret Church 2011". David Platt (author of the incredible book, Radical) and pastor of Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, AL led this great event. Our church hosted a simulcast of the evening and it was great! We all piled up in the youth area (called "The Attic") and listened to David preach for over 7 hours!! Through his church and the churches all over the world gathering by simulcast, there were 50,000+ people attending Secret Church together. Let me just tell y'all that his message was so awesome and engaging that it didn't seem like that long. It was entitled "Marriage, Family, Sex and the Gospel". He joked that anytime you preach about Sex or the End of Times people flock to the church doors...ha! He covered topics like marriage, parenting, orphans, singleness, care for widows, divorce, homoseuxality, pornography, abortion, polygamy and more! He addressed what the Bible has to say about sex, modesty (for both youth and adults!) and let me tell you on my little soapbox here....more women needed to hear that message! Parents, we need to be teaching our children about Biblically modesty too. I'm not saying they should wear long dresses, etc. but we need to teach them that they need to save it for their future spouse and not flaunt it for everyone to "oogle" over! We covered 155 pages of notes in that time period and absorbed so much Scripture too. It was awesome!! I highly encourage you that if you ever have the chance to participate in Secret Church (whether live in Birmingham or through a simulcast) that you do it. It is well worth it. Our kids even with us and did great through the whole thing. One of the neatest parts was at the very end when the worship leader led "It Is Well" and you lifted your voice in song to the Lord with 50,000+ Christians (at well after 1am our time). It was so moving and a wonderful way to end Secret Church. If you haven't read his book "Radical"...it is a MUST read!

Ooka Island (TOS Review)

2011-11-06T13:52:00.000-06:00

Ooka Island....What's That? The Ooka Island Adventure is a downloadable hero-mission in 3D designed to teach young children how to read fluently and well. The Ooka Island Adventure combines the highly engaging components of a state-of-the-art virtual world with the scientifically proven OokaMethod that builds literacy skills. Carefully embedded within the Ooka Island Adventure are dozens of interactive instructional activities that captivate the child and motivate them as they learn essential pre-reading, reading, spelling, and writing skills. After completing the Ooka Island Adventure, children will be on their way to reading fluently and well for life.

This early literacy computer program is designed for ages preschool to grade 2 students. It includes 24 levels of guided play reading adventures and 85 leveled books for your child to enjoy reading. With the OokaMethod, children progress to the most sophisticated phonological level. First, they must understand that words are made up of individual sounds (or phonemes) that they can hear and manipulate. Second, they learn to associate these sounds with letters and blend them together to make words, thus breaking the code that speeds them through the foundational levels of reading development and beyond.The OokaMethod includes the language-rich Ooka Island Book Series with comprehension and vocabulary activities.

Things I Liked (PROS):

The levels build on each other there is quite a bit of repetition found in the reading books. This helps make sure the material is thoroughly ingrained in your child's understanding.
The games are not only fun but they are visually stimulating and pleasing as well. The characters are colorful, interactive and fun
The student can customize their own avatar for the game! They also loved earning money as they completed games that they could spend on purchases. With fun, kid-friendly games such as "clumsy wacky moving company", "alphabet mountain", "bubbly trubbly" and more this program keeps your child excited & engaged while comprehensively covering the necessary skills to learn.

Things I Wasn't Crazy About (CONS):

Downloading the program! The download file is huge (over 2 GB) and even with high speed internet it still took quite a while to download.
Some of the games offer an optional voice recognition but we found that you may have to set up the microphone on your computer to accommodate this game and for it to recognize your child's voice.
We had a few "glitches" during the game but we realize that Ooka Island is a very new program and they are still working out all the kinks that come with launching a new program!

So What Does Ooka Island Cost?

Ooka Island also offers a 14 day FREE trial of their reading program. Right now, as a newly launched program, they are offering discounts on all their product so make sure you check those out as well.

Ooka Island website also gives you downloadable songs and a link to their YouTube channel as well. Other extremely helpful resources are the downloadable Guidebook or the FAQ section. You can also purchase their books in print, enjoy free coloring pages or follow their blog for the latest news and updates. Since all families experiences vary, you can read what other TOS crew members have to say about Ooka Island as well.

Disclaimer: I was given this program for review purposes only as part of being a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. No monetary compensation was received.

The Jesus Experiment Book Review

2011-11-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

Most of us are familiar with the coined phrase "WWJD?" which stands for What Would Jesus Do? This particular phrase took on lots of popularity a few years ago and while it helped teach us to think about how Jesus would react to everyday situations and feelings we encounter in life. Bill Perkins' book The Jesus Experiment: What Happens When You Follow in His Footsteps?" is much more than an answer to the WWJD question.

Bill Perkins gives us an incredible opportunity to discover for ourselves whether Christ's simple promise is true...that Jesus Christ gives a rich and satisfying life to those who follow Him (John 10:10). He gives us the simple tools that will help us discover how to become more like Jesus in our faith, character and relationships in this beautifully written book. This book and accompanying 12 week study will take us on a journey to the abundant life we've always wanted.

Through the course of the 12 week study you will discover what Jesus did in private (prayer, facing fears, overcoming evil), what He did in public (mission-minded, activities, unexpectedly helping others) and what He did with people (served status seekers, gave hope, blessed children, loved difficult people). At the end of each chapter, you are challenged to "live out" the Jesus experiment in your everyday life through self-evaluating exercises and thought-provoking questions. I have to admit, that I thought a couple of the chapters were a little too drawn out (long-winded) but overall the content and material are presented in wonderful ways. This book would also be excellent to do with your spouse, Sunday school class or small group Bible study. Lots of extra materials and resources can be found here including sermons, coaching tips, power point presentations and more.

The Jesus Experiment from Jesus Experiment on Vimeo.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for review purposes only from Tyndale. No monetary compensation was received.

Memoria Press Classical Phonics and First Start Reading (TOS Review)

2011-11-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

We are teaching reading in our home to our six year old son and we were really excited to have the opportunity to be introduced to Memoria Press First Start Reading and Classical Phonics curriculum. Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy to use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. Cheryl Lowe, the founder, named Memoria Press after the Latin word memoria which means "memory", an important element in classical education.

First Start Reading is comprised of a set of

Teacher Guide–256 pages
Book A–25 lessons plus review and assessments (68 pages)
Book B–26 lessons plus review and assessments (76 pages)
Book C–33 lessons plus review and assessments (106 pages)

This awesome set is geared toward 3 major areas: writing, phonics and reading. While it is aimed at Kindergarten students it could easily be adapted for younger ages if your child is ready. In true Memoria Press affordability, it is only $29.95 and you can download sample lessons too. I loved how from the very first lesson Wyatt was learning to read. There were also drawing pages for every letter so Wyatt could use his creativity as he thought about that particular letter and sound. The Teacher's Guide included information about how to conduct a daily phonics recitation, teach correct pencil grip and conduct pencil checks and how to demonstrate letter formation on a board.

Classical Phonics: A Child's Guide to Word Mastery is based upon a 1913 classic, Word Mastery by Florence Akin. This book is very kid-friendly and has many more graphics and illustrations than the 1913 version did. The first lesson starts with the letter "M" and shows pictures of words that begin with the letter "M" so your child can make the phonetic connection of each letter. The book progresses lesson by lesson until they are learning entire word families, consonant blends, vowel teams and more. This paperback is only $14.95 and is designed to go alongside the First Start Reading materials. This book is one that can be used for several years as your child further develops their reading skills and reading comprehension.

Memoria Press also has great curriculum packages, Latin, Greek & French Language studies and many more Classical Education learning materials. Because every homeschool families experiences are varied, you can also read how other TOS families used Memoria Press materials.

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned materials as part of the TOS Homsechool Crew for review purposes only. No monetary compensation was received.

The Christmas Lodge DVD Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-11-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

Synopsis: Thomas Kinkade, the painter of Light, presents Christmas Lodge: a place where a heart-warming past and loving future meet for one remarkable group of people. During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary finds herself at the now-dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack, a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does. Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love.

Our Thoughts: I love Christmas movies and was really excited to get to review this one by Thomas Kinkade. This extremely heart-warming story is one that our entire family enjoyed. In fact, our kids (ages 10, 8 & 6) have watched it several times since "family movie night". There were several things I really liked about the movie. There are no cuss words or situations you have to "explain" to your children. In fact, in one scene Mary & Jack go out of town together and spent the night in a lodge in separate rooms. The affection is very conservative and showed a Biblical sense of love and respect in a relationship. The Bible is presented in several ways as the grandfather is shown frequently reading his Bible and this movie teaches how every action and choice we make should be based upon God's Word. This is a movie we will enjoy for years to come and one that I don't mind the children watching too! We want to share this great Christmas movie with you too and you can win your very own copy of The Christmas Lodge.

Celebrate Christmas with the Dallas Cowboys Contest

2011-11-01T20:33:00.000-05:00

In case you've missed my previous posts about the awesome Petit Jean Meats you can read them here and here. With Thanksgiving less than 4 weeks away and Christmas rapidly approaching, Petit Jean Meats would make a great choice for all your holiday food needs.

Let me just tell you that last year, we were blessed to enjoy one of their delicious holiday hams on our Christmas dinner table and it was by far the best ham I have ever eaten in my entire life. In fact, my husband agreed also that he had never had a ham that moist and delicious in all the years he could remember either. One of my 2nd favorite items is their amazing summer sausage with jalapeno and cheddar cheese. Oh my word that stuff is delicious! Most recently, Petit Jean Meats became the official ham and bacon of the Dallas Cowboys!

They are currently hosting a HUGE giveaway through December 10, 2011. You can win 4 tickets, 4 pre-game sideline passes and a parking pass to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game on December 24, 2011. All you have to do to enter is visit www.dallascowboys.com/kountryspecialties to win! Get ready to celebrate Christmas with the Cowboys and head over for your chance to win. Don't forget to check out Petit Jean Meats great line of products and stock up for the holidays while your at it too.

Fall Fest, Our New Nephew & SSMT Verse #21

2011-11-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

Last night for Halloween, our church partnered with 6 other churches and the city of Hanceville for Fall Fest 2011. They blocked off the streets downtown and we had trunk or treat cars, inflatables, entertainment, carnival games and more. David & I hosted a trunk or treat car and were pirates. It was so much fun and the kids got a ton of candy. Best of all, everything downtown was free. I saw today where they said over 6500 people came through last night to enjoy the fun. Here's some pictures from our fun night:

This morning we got up at 5:30am to get ready to go to Decatur for the birth of our nephew Marshall. The arrival of this precious boy meant David & I officially become an Uncle & Aunt. We are SO excited. The c-section (he was breech) went great and Marcy (my sister) is doing well aftewards so far. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long and just pure perfection to us. Here's some pictures from this morning:

First Family Picture of Mark, Marcy & Marshall

Love this picture of Marshall

Uncle David, Aunt Gretta & Marshall

Check out that yawn!

I think he's trying to tell me "Aunt Gretta you're my favorite!"

Welcome to our family Marshall

We are so in love with you!

It's time for verse #21 of Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2011. My chosen verse for this time is Psalm 139: 17-18 which reads: "How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You." (NKJV)

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-10-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

In My Life This Week: We finally unpacked all the moving boxes (ok, so we technically moved here 16 months ago) and our bedroom now is a bedroom instead of a bedroom/mini storage unit. We still have some work to do in our bedroom like painting, putting up shelving, etc. but it looks like a bedroom finally and we are officially completely unpacked & moved in!

In Our Homeschool This Week: If you missed my post last week about our homeschooling chaos, you can read it here. Thankfully, I have everything I need now (including a new mindset) and am ready to tackle our new of schooling starting Monday. The kids are super excited, I'm hopeful too and we have charted a new course in our homeschool lives and hope it is full speed ahead from here on out for the rest of this year!

My Favorite Thing This Week Was: That I finally have our new homeschool plan ready to initiate and that everyone (including me) is excited!

Also, I won a Sylvania Touch-Screen GPS on a giveaway this week and I am so excited. I don't have a "smartphone" (I still have a pay per minute plan with no text messages, camera, web access, etc) and I live in an area where I don't know much about the town/streets. I'm so excited because now when I need to go to someone's house or go somewhere I can just type it in & drive. I'm hoping it gets me there correctly every time...have you guys heard about people whose GPS sent them on wrong directions?! Scary.....

Homeschool Questions/Thoughts I Have: I was talking to a homeschool friend recently about Language Arts for our kids and she said "I don't think we should be teaching our kids English grammar when they can't even read fluently and haven't obtained good reading comprehension skills yet." The more I thought about it, the more I agreed and that thought made perfect sense.

So now my question is: At what age do you start teaching English grammar (sentences, subject/verbs, parts of speech, etc) to your children?

I'm Cooking: Well, I'll be cooking again soon! We've been having to use the oven, crockpot and microwave to cook for the past 3 months. The day after we got home from our mission trip to Peru, we were excited to eat a homecooked meal only to discover my stove had completely broken. It took us 3 months to get a new one but we got it this week. David is installing it this weekend and we can't wait to eat bacon, eggs, make hamburger meat, etc. again! While we've had good meals anyway using other cooking methods, I'm so excited to have a stove again because I find it much easier to cook when you have 4 burners to cook on.

A Photo/Video/Link or Quote to Share:

I'm Linking with The Homeschool Chick

& you can too or just come read more homeschool inspiration & fun!

Marshall Publishing (TOS Review)

2011-10-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

Looking for a fun, exciting way to teach your child about fire safety and prevention? Does your child love the lights, sounds and excitement of fire trucks? Then look no further than Marshall Publishing's "Lots & Lots of Firetrucks & Firefighters" and the accompanying "Lots & Lots of Fire Songs & Safety Tips".

The book contains 124 pages of brightly colored photographs as well as black and white photos to give children a life-like view of all things related to fires and fire safety. Not only is a great book to read but it is a wonderful reference book and great tool to educate children. Topics discussed in the book include rescue vehicles, firefighters in action, firefighting timeline, fire science basics and much, much more. The DVD is a 2 part DVD. There is a 30 minute learning section that teaches children about how and when to call 911, stop/drop/roll, It's an Emergency and more. There is even a classroom section that features a short 12 minute episode to give children the basics of fire safety and fire prevention.

Our kids enjoyed the DVD the best and have watched it several times. I was pretty amazed one night when my husband got home from work and Wyatt met him at the door and showed him how to tell if a door is hot before you open it, what to do if your room is filled with smoke and told him how and when you could call 911. The best part was the next afternoon, Wyatt came in the kitchen and said "Mom, you need to teach me how to open my window." I laughed and told him no because he was too young to start sneaking out. He kind of got mad and said "No Mom, you have to teach me how to my window in case there was a fire and I couldn't get out of my room. I'd have to go out the window or I'd burn up!" Smart boy!!! The book has been something they have enjoyed looking at the pictures and seeing how fire safety has changed over the years.

You can purchase the book and DVD combo for only $29.95 if you purchase through this web page. That is a huge savings as the regular retail price is $49.90! This combo set would make an excellent addition to a homeschool library, school library, teacher's gift, gift for a special child and more. Marshall Publishing is offering a generous discount for TOS review readers by entering coupon code: TOSF1 at checkout making your final price $19.95! Order by clicking here, or calling 888-300-3455 between 9 and 7 CST.

Marshall Publishing also blessed our family with a 2nd review item called "George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work". This 30 minute DVD is geared for ages 4th grade through adults and tells the story of George W. Carver's life and legacy. While Carver is most famous for being associated with peanuts, this DVD tells much more about his life including agricultural achievements, his character and the humility of which he lived his life. This is a wonderful supplement to US History, American History or famous biographies. This DVD retails for $24.95 but is currently on sale for just $19.95!

You can also read what other crewmates have to say about products from Marshall Publishing!

Disclaimer: I was given the above mentioned products for review purposes only as part of the TOS Crew. No monetary compensation was received.