Thursday, April 6, 2006
Product Review---Jesus Doll
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
This review is long overdue, and for that I apologize. As my readers know, this month has been crazy for our family, and not much time was left for extra writing.
Last month, JenIg had one of her infamous contests over at her blog, Jeneric Jeneralities. The prize was a Bible character doll from Messengers of Faith. This company makes many different dolls, including Queen Esther, Moses, Mary, David, and others. The one that I received to review was the Jesus doll.
Although I LOVE the concept of these dolls, and the fact that they recite scripture with the simple push of a button on the doll's back, my family and friends were not impressed with the Jesus doll itself. I believe that if we had received any of the other dolls in the series, this review would be quite different, because we truly believe that acting out the Bible stories, and learning the scriptures in such a fun and unique way, are both invaluable teaching aids for our children and Sunday School students.
The Jesus doll, however, left us with very mixed feelings. First of all, as soon as we saw the doll, the first thing that struck each person was the fact that Jesus has these piercing blue eyes and huge pectoral muscles. People that I showed the doll to were upset to see the blue eyes due to the fact that Jesus was a Jew from the Mideast. He most definitely would not have had blue eyes. The muscular build also bothered nearly everyone that saw the doll. The muscles were huge, and very noticeable, which everyone felt sidetracked the purpose of the doll, which is to learn the Bible stories by acting them out with the dolls. Most felt that Jesus would be used as a superhero doll in all the wrong ways---more like the Incredible Hulk or GI Joe, and would be used for fight scenes due to his incredible build.
We did like the realistic clothing, which can be taken on and off. The Bible verses were another plus, although many felt that the doll should be offered in both the NIV and the KJV for the verses. We all felt that children would easily learn the verses from hearing them repeated by the doll as they played with it. The story of Jesus' life that was included, the map, and the ABC Gospel presentation card were also definite pluses. The company's website offers teaching plans for parents or Sunday School teachers to use along with the dolls. I am almost certain that the people I showed the Jesus doll to would have loved any of the other dolls in the line, but the Jesus doll in particular led to the following problems:
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What about idolatry? Is it right to have a doll in the form of Jesus, the Son of God? Just the idea of Jesus in molded plastic didn't sit well with many.
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How do you explain accidentally sitting on Jesus, or stepping on him?
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What do you do if your children mix their dolls together, and Jesus is used as another character, such as Barbie's boyfriend?
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Jesus probably was in pretty good physical condition, but do we really want his chest and shoulder muscles to be the main focus when you first see the doll? (Nearly everyone laughed when they saw his muscles...)
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How realistic are those big, blue eyes, light skin, and brown hair? Shouldn't Jesus be portrayed as a MidEastern Jew?
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Do we really want to risk our children getting into a toybox tussle and breaking Jesus?
I do want to emphasize that the doll is very well-made, and should hold up well for lots of play. The price, at $25, seems to be very reasonable for a toy that will promote Christian values, and help our children to understand Bible stories better. The voice-chip feature will really help in scripture memorization.
Overall, our only reservation is that of the whole idea of the Jesus doll, with the above points in particular being disturbing to most folks I shared the doll with. We do believe that the other dolls would have been ones that we could have whole-heartedly endorsed. Perhaps the Jesus doll would not have been such a problem if the above points were addressed.
Thanks to JenIg, and to Josh at Messengers of Faith for giving me the opportunity to review this doll. Although our family won't be using the Jesus doll from this collection, we will certainly consider using the others in the series, and feel they would be a better fit for our family, friends, and customers.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Neat Things to Review!!!
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I'll have lots of neat things to blog about in a few days. Today the mailman brought Gena and Paul's new book! For anyone who doesn't know, Gena and Paul are the publishers of The Old Schoolhouse magazine. I will be reviewing it as soon as I have time to sit and read it. It looks SO GOOD!!! I can't wait to read it and tell the rest of you all about it.
Then the FedEx truck came, and brought me a doll! JenIg had a contest on her site, (she's always having cool contests!) and I was chosen to review a Messengers of Faith doll. The one I was sent is the Jesus doll. I can't wait to see how my granddaughter likes it, and let you know. It is so cool---Jesus recites tons of scriptures, and I know my kids would have loved it when they were younger, and would have loved learning scriptures as they played with this doll.
So keep coming back to visit, and you'll see my reviews on these 2 new products! [Gena Suarez] [Paul Suarez] [Homeschooling Methods] [Jesus doll] [Messengers of Faith]
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
IEW TWSS and SWI Sets---A Product Review
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I was really excited to see that the new issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine has a product review in the "Learning Lab" section on IEW's writing materials. This is one of Family Bookshelf's specialty products, and we as a family think these programs are worth their weight in gold because they have helped us so much. Please read over the review in TOS, and add to it the information that I have written up on our business site, that I have copied below. Armed with the information you have from both sources, why not think about IEW's writing programs for your own family? We also carry all other IEW products, such as their Poetry Memorization course and their Literature course that are both new this school year. Remember that since IEW is a product that cannot be discounted, your best deal is found at Family Bookshelf. We offer free shipping on orders of over $50, and also include at least one free surprise gift with your order, valued at $5.95. Often we include other freebies, too!
IEW---Institute for Excellence in Writing
Teaching your child to write does not have to be difficult with all the wonderful programs on the market today. The programs we offer walk you step-by-step through the writing process with your child, and teach you, as the parent/teacher, exactly how to teach and evaluate each students' work. In all my years of teacher's training in college, I never learned precisely how to teach a child to write. When our family ran across this program, for the very first time I learned some really solid principles for teaching and evaluating writing. This information made a tremendous difference in our homeschool!
The basic seminar DVD's are aimed at teaching you, the parent/teacher, how to teach. They are not intended for the children to view, or for use as an actual curriculum. Rather, you view the DVD's as an educational experience for you. After watching each DVD in the series, you will be able to apply the methods you have learned to teaching your child to write, not just in "writing" class, but in all writing assignments across the curriculum areas. You will also have gained all the necessary skills to evaluate your child's writing and grade his assignments.
If you would like the convenience of having Mr. Pudewa work with your child directly, there are also sets of DVD's aimed directly at the student. These intensive writing workshops and continuation courses are the same as those taught across the country by Mr. Pudewa. Your child will learn the fundamentals of each of the areas of writing taught in IEW. IEW also offers worktexts for those who prefer this format.
IEW also now offers programs in spelling, literature, and poetry. Let IEW help you in all areas of your language arts program!
Student materials are reproducible for one teacher for the students in their own classroom.
Please note that the IEW company, its author, and publisher, have requested that retailers not discount their product. So no need to shop around for better prices---the best price is right here at Family Bookshelf!
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Seminar (TWSS)
This is the main component of the IEW program. These DVD's will teach you, the parent/teacher exactly how to teach your child to write. The following items are components of this great program:
IEW TWSS Seminar Syllabus---This course syllabus will take you through the course unit by unit, and will become your teacher's manual as you teach your children each new thing you learn. The text of the syllabus is full of information from the lectures, and includes many checklists and sample writing exercises for you to use with your child. 122 pages. This is included in the IEW TWSS set, but can also be purchased separately.
Priced at $22.00
IEW TWSS DVD Set---The full course includes the syllabus described above, and the following DVD's.
Teaching DVD One---Unit I: Notetaking and Unit II: Summarizing from Notes
Teaching DVD Two---Stylistic Techniques: "Dress-ups" and Unit III: Summarizing Narrative Stories
Teaching DVD Three---Stylistic Techniques: Sentence Openers, Unit IV: Summarizing References, Reports
Teaching DVD Four---Unit V: Writing from Pictures, Stylistic Techniques: Advanced Dress-ups, Decorations, and Triples
Teaching DVD Five---Unit VI: Writing Reports with Multiple Sources, Unit VII: Creative Writing with Structure
Teaching DVD Six---Unit VIII: Essays: Basic, Extended and Super, Unit IX: Critiques, Conclusion
Set includes DVD's of Mr. Pudewa teaching a classroom of students at all three levels: Elementary, Intermediate, and High School.
Price is $159.
Student Writing Intensive Workshops (IEW SWI):
These ten-hour DVD classes are available at three different grade/ability levels. You do NOT need to complete these workshops in order; simply start with the grade level your child is at. Students view the presentation, and then turn off the tape to complete the assignment independently or with minimal help from the parent/teacher. You may also use the SWI DVD's after you have used the teacher training seminars, either independently or as additional reinforcement material, as each DVD presents a lesson using a different structural model taught in the TWSS Seminars. The contents for each grade level are listed below.
These seminars were originally given over the course of 4 days, but they can easily be used over a much longer period of time. You can easily stop after each section and add more writing practice in this area before proceeding on. You will be amazed at how quickly your child will become a skilled writer!
Level A (Grades 4-5)
Day 1---Outlines, Summary (Units 1 and 2) and Dress-ups (120 minutes)
Day 2---Story Summary (Unit III), Dress-up (92 minutes)
Day 3---Reference Summary (Unit IV) and Paragraph Structure (114 minutes)
Day 4---Creative Writing (Unit VII) (84 minutes)
Level B (Grades 6-7)
Day 1---Outlines, Summary (Units 1 and 2) and Dress-ups (120 minutes)
Day 2---Story Summary (Unit 3), Dress-up (106 minutes)
Day 3---Multiple Reference Summary (Unit VI) and Openers (113 minutes)
Day 4---Creative Writing (Unit VII) and Sentence Openers (101 minutes)
Level C (Grades 8-10+)
Day 1---Notetaking, Story Summary (Unit III) and Dress-up (115 minutes)
Day 2---Summarizing a Reference (Unit IV) and Openers (119 minutes)
Day 3---Multiple Reference Summary (Unit VI and Openers (118 minutes)
Day 4---Formal Essay (Unit VIII and Decorations (111 minutes)
The sets are $99 each, which includes 4 DVD lessons and accompanying materials. Please specify level A, B, or C.
Teaching Writing with Structure & Style/Student Writing Intensive Workshop DVD Combo Package (TWSS/SWI Combo)---This set is the best value for teaching both you and your student. Includes syllabus, teaching DVD's 1-6, all three student classroom discs, and your choice of Level A, B, or C Student Writing Intensive Workshop Sets. A total of 13 DVD discs and printed materials. Price is only $229. Please specify level A, B, or C.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Wordly Wise 3000---A Product Review
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
Wordly Wise 3000 is the newest thing added to the Family Bookshelf business website. Below is the product review that I wrote for it. If you are interested in purchasing WW3000 items, we offer them at a 10% discount, and shipping is always free on orders of over $50 at Family Bookshelf. AND you will always receive a wonderful surprise or two in your order, absolutely free of charge! How's that for a great deal?
Wordly Wise 3000
This popular series has become a homeschool favorite; our family has learned and benefited from it, as have many others. Your students will learn over 3,000 words that have been taken from works of literature, standardized tests, and from the SAT. They will learn words that will benefit them in their daily life and in their schooling, and also help with the standardized tests that are mandatory in many states for homeschoolers, and for the SAT or ACT which will be needed for most college admissions.
Levels A-C are for primary students (gifted readers in first grade are able to use the program, but it is normally recommended for grades 2-4). They will learn 300 words through many different and varied activities. The lessons begin with a list of ten words, and the words are used in context to give the definitions, many of which have multiple definitions. Pictures also help visualize the meaning of the new words. Then the words are used in word exercises, comprehension questions, and in reading passages. There are teacher guides available for use with the student worktexts.
Level 1-9 are for grade 4-12. The numbering can be a bit confusing, so let me explain it for you. Level 1 is for 4th grade, 2 is for 5th grade, etc. So to order the proper grade level for you student, simply subtract 3 from whatever grade your child is in. If you have a 10th grader, subtract 3, and you find that you need level 7.
Now that you know how to find the proper level, let's talk about the program itself for the older students. It features 3,000 words that were selected from literature, school textbooks in varying subject areas, and from the SAT. The work is a bit more challenging than in the primary series, as each list consists of 15 words. The lists on this level give pronunciation, part of speech, and a clear, concise definition for each meaning of the word. Each word is also used in a sentence so that the student can see the word in context. Your student will then engage in a series of exercises that will teach him to think critically, learn word relationships, and how to apply the meanings of the newly learned words in context. Writing opportunities are given after a narrative at the end of each lesson, and reviews are fun to do, as they are in a puzzle format.
There are teacher guides available for use with the student workbooks, one for levels 1-5, and another for levels 6-9, as well as answer keys for each individual level. EPS has listened to the needs of homeschoolers and come out with reasonably priced individual student test books! (Previously, if you wanted test books, you had to purchase the high-priced classroom version.) These test books will assess the students understanding of every word in the series, and are presented in the format your student will be most likely to see on standardized testing.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Imitation in Writing Series---Product Review
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
The Imitation in Writing Series by Logos School
Have you ever wondered how the great writers learned their craft? Matt Whittling of Logos School did, and as a result wrote this wonderful series of worktexts that will help to teach your child to write both prose and poetry. He found that down through the ages, most of education was taught by imitation, including learning how to write. I personally first heard of this method of instruction when reading about Ben Frankin, one of our own country's famous authors. Listen to what he has to say, and you will realize why the Imitation in Writing method works!
Franklin had been reading a series of essays called The Spectator, which was a collection of the best in writing of his day, and meant to raise the "cultural literacy" of the readers. The essays were well crafted, and Franklin wanted to be able to write as well as these authors.
He said:
With that in view, I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the sentiments in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should occur to me. Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them.
Therefore I took some of the tales in the Spectator, and turned them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again. I also sometimes jumbled my collection of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the sentences and complete the subject. This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my work with the original, I discovered many faults and corrected them; but I sometimes had the pleasure to fancy that, in particulars of small consequence, I had been fortunate enough to improve the method of the language, and this encouraged me to think that I might in time become to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.
When you purchase either Imitation in Writing or the IEW materials from Family Bookshelf, you will be using a method that has truly stood the test of time! We recommend this program on it's own merits, and also recommend it for supplemental use with the IEW program that you will also find sold on our site.
Please note that the Logos School company, who publishes the Imitation in Writing series, has requested that retailers not discount their products. So no need to shop around for better prices---the best price is right here at Family Bookshelf!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Analytical Grammar & Junior Analytical Grammar---Product Reviews
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
This past year we purchased Analytical Grammar to use with BJ, and it has been a great investment for us. Here is the review I wrote for our new and updated business website. If you are interested in AG or JAG, please feel free to let me know, or hop on over to the Family Bookshelf website. You'll find lots of other great things there besides the AG, and we are adding more items each and every day. You'll want to be sure to check our Clearance Sale page each day, too!
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR
Analytical Grammar is a challenging yet thorough grammar program. It covers everything you will ever need to know about parts of speech, usage, diagramming, as well as punctuation. We have been VERY pleased with this program, and highly recommend it. AG teaches each concept completely and thoroughly. It is complete, yet concise....no overkill, but definitely enough practice and review to make for great retention. As each new concept is introduced, all of the past ones are still in play, so your student will not forget them. Each lesson builds upon and expands upon the previous one. The program is sequential and incremental, and "made sense" to my son. (And to me, too!) Punctuation is taught last of all, so that students will understand, from what they have learned in the grammar section of the program, exactly why various punctuation is necessary.
For those studying grammar for the first time in junior or senior high school, an advantage in using Analytical Grammar is that the sentences have vocabulary and interest levels that are appropriate for older students, and not those of a "little kid." It is hard to find a program of this quality that is geared for older students, and that does not assume prior knowledge of the subject, but AG has done just that. For us, one of the biggest factors in deciding that this program was "a keeper" was that it was not a book for younger kids that "could be used" by a highschooler trying to "catch up" or learn the basics of grammar for the first time, and thus make our son feel like he was really behind on things. We also thought that the manner in which it taught grammar---the sequential and incremental approach, coupled with the thoroughness/conciseness of the program---made this a program that we felt confident in passing along to our customers.
It is recommended that for greatest learning and retention, that this program be broken up over a three year time span, but can be done in one if necessary, as it was in our case. For those using AG for several years, we strongly recommend that you purchase the Review and Reinforcement Booklet to review the concepts learned previously in the school year. You will also do one review page periodically for the remainder of the year. A week of review from this book is also done at the beginning of the next school year, before proceeding on to the new concepts for that year. This Review and Reinforcement Booklet also comes in handy when reviewing for the ACT!
Another advantage of Analytical Grammar is that your student's worktext will become a Grammar Handbook after the course is over. You simply tear out the lesson worksheets and tests, and you will have all the Note pages, and your will have a personal grammar handbook that can be kept and used for years to come! It will come in handy in future writing assignments, and for studying for standardized tests.
The Teacher's Manuals not only give you the answers, but also give you an easy method of grading the grammar worksheets and tests. I had always struggled over how to grade grammar, as I didn't want to mark off things that were marked incorrectly, but were things my child had not studied yet in the course.
Although we have not personally used Junior Analytical Grammar ourselves, it is of the same quality as AG itself. While AG is for approximately grades 6 and up, JAG is for grades 4 or 5. It covers all 8 parts of speech, as well as their uses in a sentence, and classical sentence diagramming in an easy to learn, step-by-step manner. The reading and interest level of the sentences is appropriate for the younger learners. The font is larger, and there are activities that are geared to younger learners. I know that had this been around when my kids were younger, we would have used it and loved it as much as we love the original version! And just as in AG, each unit in JAG builds upon the previously learned material. JAG takes 11 weeks to complete.
For both programs, each student will need his own student book. The AG materials are not reproducible.
Please note that the Analytical Grammar company, its author and publisher, have requested that retailers not discount their product. So no need to shop around for better prices---the best price is right here at Family Bookshelf!
Friday, January 13, 2006
WriteShop---Product Review
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I've added several more pages to our Family Bookshelf website, and one of them is WriteShop. This program is written by two homeschool moms, and they have come up with a winner. Even Cathy Duffy agrees with me, as she has named it in her Top 100 Picks for homeschool curriculum. There is even Cathy Duffy's little red apple sticker on the shrinkwrap of each volume to vouch for this wonderful writing program.
WriteShop was developed as an incremental composition instructional program for grades 6-12. The program is very easy to use, and parents with little background in teaching writing should be able to use it successfully. The step-by-step process, and the incremental review, make this one of the easiest, yet most thorough, writing courses available. Review is constant, so that your student will not forget the concepts learned early on. Your teacher's manual will become your best friend as you use the checklists, sample student writings, methods of helping encourage your reluctant writer, and so many other helpful bits of information that are included in its pages. And best of all, the teacher's manual is a one-time purchase, as it is used for both WriteShop I and II!
One thing I really like about WriteShop is that it was developed, written, and field-tested by two homeschool moms! They know exactly what type of program will work with homeschoolers, because they have "been there." They realized the value of a strong foundation in fundamental writing skills that are taught from the beginning lessons on, and of the incremental approach, which emphasizes constant review of material already taught. I know that you will love WriteShop and highly recommend it to our customers.
WriteShop I:
Descriptive, narrative, and informative writing skills are taught, as well as stylistic techniques and editing skills. Students are encouraged to work toward a strong paragraph, and to include various sentence structures to make their writing interesting. The 16 lessons will typically take one year to complete, and contain varied types of lessons, skill-builders, and supplemental activities to reinforce the lesson. This level is best for grades 6-10, although older students who do not have a strong background in these skills are encouraged to use level I prior to proceeding into level II. You will need the teacher's manual to make this program a success, so we encourage you to purchase a set which includes both items. You will find the sets at the bottom of this page. You may order additional student workbooks separately. 298 pages.
WriteShop II:
Your student will now learn descriptive narration, voice, and point of view in their writing assignments. In addition, this level adds essay writing, including timed essays, to prepare your student for the many standardized tests they will be facing in preparation for college or career training. It can be used by students who have completed WriteShop I, or students in grades 8-12 that have a strong background in the basics. The composition and essay evaluation forms will be helpful for your student for years to come. You will need the teacher's manual to make this program a success, so we encourage you to purchase a set which includes both items. You will find the sets at the bottom of this page. 276 pages.
WriteShop Teacher's Manual:
This is not your typical teacher's manual! Yes, it has lesson plans, and they are extremely well done. But the most important asset to owning this book is the TONS of information on how to edit and evaluate your student's writing. The reproducible checklists and forms are something you can't do without, and the supplemental activities section is worth its weight in gold. This one TM will carry you through both WriteShop I and II. 280 pages.
Please note that the WriteShop company, its authors and publishers, have requested that retailers not discount their product. So no need to shop around for better prices---the best price is at Family Bookshelf!
Saturday, January 7, 2006
I Did It!!!
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
My new website is FINALLY online! I can't believe that it took so long to figure out how to do this---talk about being a computer illiterate :-( But with a little help from my sweet husband, I have the brand new Family Bookshelf website up and officially running as of about ten minutes ago! I have the homepage, and a page each for services we offer and our product line. Now that I at long last know what I am doing, I'll be adding new products on a nearly daily basis, until I get them all added. The first product page we put on is IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing). They have such awesome products, and their writing and spelling programs were the only things we found that worked with our youngest son, who has a processing disorder. Until we tried IEW's writing and the Phonetic Zoo program for spelling, he was terrified of paper and pencil! What was in that brilliant mind of his simply would not translate into the written word. But you should have heard him do public speaking. WOW! Talk about an impressive mind chock full of wonderful ideas. It was at a homeschool convention that we were exhibiting at that we were fortunate enough to meet Andrew Pudewa, the author of most of the IEW materials. This was several years ago, when BJ first realized that the inability to write and spell were a serious problem, and after we had tried nearly everything on the market to try to solve the problems he was having. Being vendors, it was easy to find out about all the products and get them at great prices, so we literally did try everything available at the time. Since BJ was an extremely gifted student in all other areas, we simply could not comprehend why he could not write or spell. Mr. Pudewa saw him struggling with writing a paper in our booth at the convention, and asked if he could talk to him and look at his work. Then he talked to us about how the IEW products could help, and why. We took them home, and are we glad we did! This young man, who in junior high could spell only at a late 2nd grade level, and couldn't write a decent paragraph, let alone an entire paper, suddenly found out that with some work, he COULD succeed in these areas. In a year, he had advanced over 3 grade levels!!! I was one excited Momma, and have been singing IEW's praises ever since. I was so excited when Mr. Pudewa allowed us to carry his complete product line to share with our customers. Since the original writing and spelling programs, IEW has added several student workshops on DVD, and also a terrific poetry memorization program, along with a course to teach parents the proper method to teach classic literature. Both programs are geared for all ages. That is another thing I really love about IEW---it is expensive, but can be used by the entire family over and over again. Also, IEW offers a full money-back guarantee that can't be beat. There is not one IEW product that I cannot wholeheartedly recommend! I sure would love it if some of you would drop into our new online storefront! If you see any spelling or grammar errors, or if any links don't work, I'd really appreciate it if you would let me know so I can fix it. And please keep dropping back in, because as you will see on our product line page, I have lots of things to add as the days roll by. And the best thing is, now at long last, I know how to add them! Our site is Family Bookshelf. Drop in anytime and make yourself at home. If I can help you with any of your homeschool needs, I would love to meet you over the internet, by email, or by phone and help get some of our wonderful products into your hands. I'm still doing a happy dance about this after weeks of being ready to bash in my computer screen in utter frustration. It really feels good to have finally mastered something that seemed so impossible yet just a couple days ago! I guess that now I know how our kids feel when they have an educational breakthrough, huh?
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Website Frustrations
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I have been working frantically, long and hard hours, to get our new business website up and running. I promised customers it would be ready to roll the 3rd. But even though it looks great on Firefox Composer, and all the pictures, links, and paypal shopping cart buttons are there when I preview the site, once we upload it to the web, many things just *poof* and disappear. It is SO FRUSTRATING! I need to have this site working so that I can increase our sales. We need so badly to work on marketing through our website, and until there IS a website, that remains impossible. Please pray that we figure out what the problem is very soon, and can get the site operational for our customers. It was so much easier, and much more fun, to just hop in the station wagon with the trailer behind, and travel the country going to the various homeschool conventions. It was fun, educational, and I enjoyed the personal contact with the customers so much, too. And seeing the beautiful USA was an added bonus. I MISS IT SO MUCH!!! With Mike's job situation, we can't do that anymore, so I need to stop coveting something that I cannot have, at least for a season. I need to learn to be content with serving customers in a new way---through catalog and internet. Which brings me right back to the website problems!!! UTTER FRUSTRATION is setting in more and more. God knows that we need this additional source of income badly right now, so I hope that He will open our eyes to understand what dumb little thing we are missing in all this. It just doesn't look that hard with Mozilla Firefox Composer, and you should see how beautiful the pages of the site that I have completed look here on my computer. How badly I want to show them to everyone! Pray that I keep my patience, which is something that is not one of my strong points. And also that three pretty smart people are able to figure out this mess.
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Pilgrim's Progress---A Book Review
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I recently ordered a copy of the Master Books/New Leaf Press reprint of an antique printing of Pilgrim's Progress from the year 1876. What a beautiful version of one of my all-time favorite books! This 960 page volume includes not only the beloved Pilgrim's Progress, but eight other books as well, and is well worth the price of $59.99. It will be sure to be a valued family heirloom for our family just as it was for many of our Christian ancestors through the ages. Did you know that in the early days of our country, most homes had a copy of the Bible and a copy of Pilgrim's Progress? Many owned no other books at all, but next to the Bible, Bunyan's classic was the next most sought after book for our forefathers. No other book has been printed as many times through history, other than the Bible itself. I personally like Part 2 of Pilgrim's Progress, the story of Christian's wife, Christiana, even better than Part 1. It is exciting to see her and all four boys start off on their own pilgrimage. It always amazes me that most people aren't aware that this was originally part of the book. Many copies now only include Part 1. If you haven't read this section, you have only read half of the tale! Also included are The Holy War, which is another great allegorical tale about how Diabolus tries to regain control of the Metropolis of the World, and take back the city of Man Soul. It is an exciting adventure, just as is Pilgrim's Progress. You will also have the opportunity to read Bunyan's own personal memoir, his last sermon, his own account of his life before accepting Christ, all about his time in prison, and so much more. I have found it to be a truly fascinating book. Add to this the dozen original etchings, and you have everything the original 1876 printing had except for the smell of an old book, which I personally love...lol. Master Books has done a magnificent job on this reprint of an old treasure. You will even love the embossed cover, which identical to the original volume. This is a wonderful book that you will want to add to your family library. I now have our copy on the shelf beside our family Bible, just as my great-great grandparents would have done. How I treasure the old books that were printed at the turn of the century and before. They have such great moral lessons to teach, as well as respect for God and one's elders, and also emphasize the Christian work ethic. I value my collection of Lamplighter Book reprints of some of these old treasures, and also my own collection of "the real thing" from antique book stores and flea markets. Along with the obvious moral quality of most of these books, you can't beat them for teaching your child vocabulary skills. Most people today would shrink from the complex wording in these old books that were written for just common people. It shows how much our educational system today has lost over its counterpart of the 18th and 19th centuries. Thank goodness homeschoolers have rediscovered these gems and are preserving so many of them! If you would like to order your own copy from Family Bookshelf, contact me by email at mkin@udata.com, or you can click on the link on the sidebar for Family Bookshelf.
With every order from Family Bookshelf of over $50, you will receive free shipping as well as a very nice surprise valued at $6! I'd love to help you surprise someone with this beautiful book for Christmas!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Focus on the Family Radio Theater
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
I was going to write a great review of one of the curriculum products we sell through Family Bookshelf, our family's home-based business. But I have not been feeling well---Monday "Wicked Dog" bit me, and I have had my arm iced off and on since then, and yesterday a nasty sinus infection and or flu bug has hit me with a vengeance. Headache, fever, chills, and just in general feeling very icky. So instead of curriculum review day, this has become FOF Radio Theater review night. While lying there in bed, I decided to get out some of the Focus on the Family Radio Theater sets that I haven't had time to listen to yet. I have loved all the previous ones, and so expected the same with these new sets. I am happy to report that I wasn't a bit disappointed! "Little Women" and "Anne of Green Gables" are every bit as well done as the previous sets we have listened to over and over. I am ready to listen to all the "Chronicles of Narnia" sets again. We purchased ours individually before the BIG set that included all of them came out. And I can't wait for the new one about Christmas comes in my next shipment of goodies! For those who have not yet listened to these fantastic radio theater dramas, you have really missed out on a treat. There are so many titles now, that I am afraid I would miss some if I started listing them all. There are ones based on the Bible, others on classic fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and history. There is even one on Squanto, which would be great for you with Thanksgiving just around the corner. They are all very professionally done, and if done from a book, are very true to the original story line. The acting is superb! I'm sorry that it took being sick to open these newest additions to our collection. It *almost* makes being sick worth it! lol Family Bookshelf sells both the FOF Radio Theater, and our family's beloved "Adventures in Odyssey." I LOVE the new set that just came out where Eugene finally returned to town. How we have missed him! And did you know Eugene has his own Christmas song album that was just released? Yes, I have it ordered in my next shipment of goodies, too. To order any of these wonderful programs for the next time YOU are lying in bed sick and with a dog bite, just click on my little email *thingie* over on the side-bar. I'll be happy to tell you how to order from us, and to send you a full listing of both available titles and descriptions. Well, back to bed...to toss and turn, and cough and sneeze, and throw the blankets on and off depending on if I am chilling or feverish, all the while trying not to hurt the arm that "Wicked Dog" bit.... Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!
Friday, November 4, 2005
Drowning in Books
Posted in News from Family Bookshelf, including Product Reviews
Those of you who already know us know that we traveled all over the US as homeschool vendors for quite a few years, first working for a curriculum publisher and selling a few things of our own on the side, and then on our own as Family Bookshelf. Quite a few of you have mentioned that you remember seeing us or hearing me speak at a convention near you. ~~~sigh~~~ I miss those days SO BADLY. We had to quit traveling as much 2 years ago because our huge monster car died, and then this past year, we had to completely stop doing business, even by catalog and internet, while I spent the year with my daughter Chelle during her pregnancy, and through the birth and death of her daughter, Ellora. This fall, just about exactly 2 months ago, we decided to try to build our business back up from scratch. I LOVE BOOKS, and I LOVE TO HELP PEOPLE AND TALK TO THEM! These two things made trying to rebuild our homeschool consulting and curriculum selling business make a whole lot of sense. Now couple that with the very strong feeling that the Lord Himself is saying, "Kathy, get up and start helping your fellow homeschoolers again," and you can understand why I feel so motivated to do this again. And did I mention that I LOVE TO TRAVEL??? LOL Ah...to go to the North and South Dakota state conventions again would be as close to dying and going to heaven as I can get on this earth! I've been sorting through the tubs of books that we have left from "before" and trying to figure out what we will continue to sell. I want to sell it all! (Did I tell you that I love books?) But we need to start back into this more slowly, and doing it from home without a neat trailer to haul everything in and to use as a rolling closet to store the books in, means that I have lots of things to eliminate. We can't use several rooms in our house right now, and can't walk through several others. I've already decided that since I love to write, I'll start out carrying the writing programs that we love best, and things that will help with writing. I've arranged with IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) to continue to carry their full product line, and will also carry WriteShop---the two best writing programs in the whole wide world. Also the Imitation in Writing Series by Logos School, since IEW recommends them. We have also picked up Analytical Grammar, which BJ has learned absolutely EVERYTHING about grammar, usage, and punctuation with. And to write, you need to be able to spell, right? Or should I say you need to be able to spell right....hmmm... So we carry IEW's Phonetic Zoo, and just for fun IEW's new Poetry and Lit programs, cause they are cool new things, and I LOVE COOL NEW BOOKS! Oh, yes, I am working on carrying Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings, too, as it is another of our family favorites! Even Daddy Mike loves to sit and listen while we do those lessons. Then there is Total Health, because I know that all homeschoolers want a really good health book that they don't have to censor, right? And, oh, yes, we are carrying logic programs, because that is not my strong point and I need logic things much more than most people do...and I love to read (did I mention that I LOVE BOOKS?) so I figured we might as well carry the most wonderful books of all time, the Lamplighter series of historical reprints of incredibly good books that will help build character in you and your children. (I am certain that I forgot to mention that I love OLD books even better than new books!) I will be adding my own very insightful reviews of these materials in the days to come, so you will most certainly want to stop back to read all about them and why I think they are the absolute most bestest books in the world. All that being said, I have TONS of things here that do not fit into the above categories that I have to find a new home for. We do not have room to live in this house. Little Bear Wheeler once told me that our problem was NOT too many books, just a lack of funds to build more rooms to hold more bookshelves. Perhaps some of you can relate to that! If any one sells large quantities of discounted books that have been in huge tubs for nearly 2 years, but are still very nice, so nice that I will cry when I part with them, and would be interested in taking these from my grubby little hands, please contact me with the nifty little email link on my sidebar. Or if you are a "just plain old homeschool mom" looking for some really great bargains on some really good books, you can click on the same cute little email link over there on the right, and I will gladly email you a list of my clearance things.
AND I GIVE AWAY A FREEBIE SURPRISE WITH YOUR ORDER!!! But I can't tell what it is....it's a SURPRISE and I wouldn't want to spoil the huge amount of fun you will have opening your package and finding out what it is! Oh, my, look at the time. No wonder I am talking nonsense and not writing in my usual eloquent and sedate style.... Nightie Night...Kathy
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