At the time that the FIRST WIldcard blog tour for Debora Coty's book posted, I hadn't received a copy. I posted the first chapter, book summary, and author's biography in my blog tour post, but not a review. (You can click on that link to read the first chapter of the book.)
They sent me another copy of the book, since the first one was lost in the mail. I hadn't expected them to do so, but I am grateful they did. This little hardcover book is refreshing. To be honest, I hadn't known what to expect ... other than that it wasn't fiction.
Mom NEEDS Chocolate contains 60 short chapters with humorous anecdotes from the author's life which she uses to make a spiritual point. Each chapter begins with a Scripture verse and a quote. It ends with a prayer, and 3 Faith In Action questions to help you apply the spiritual lesson of the chapter. The short chapters both make me smile, and encourage me spiritually. Debora has been very real in writing this book, and I can relate to her stories like being the sugar-holic in the airport surrounded by healthy eaters.
The title of this book caught my attention when it was offered for review. What chocolate lover could resist that title? But this book is more encouraging and comforting than even dark chocolate could be. Debora has taken sixty different spiritual lessons and dipped them in the chocolate of humor to encourage us. The short chapters uplift better than a chocolate treat savored quickly in the laundry room while hiding from the kids. Although, you could probably enjoy your chocolate and a quick chapter before the kids need you to tie their shoes, wipe their noses, or answer a math question.
I was blessed by Mom NEEDS Chocolate.
Trusting In Him,
April
Yesterday, we attended our homeschool group's co-op meeting. Attendance was lower than usual, and in a small group like ours that is especially noticeable. But it enabled us to do everything in one group and forgo the rotations we have been using.
We had decided to set aside our usual studies in order to focus on Christmas. I confess that was a last minute change, but it all came together. One of our moms has been working on a Bible timeline presentation she's using with children in a church's after-school program. She started with that, taking the children from Creation to the birth of Christ. Then we used the Family Life Christmas In A Box set to talk about the individuals involved in Christmas, and the prophecies of the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus.
After that, we talked about the different names for Jesus, partially using the Family Life Adorenaments set. I had intended to go more in-depth with that study, and with the prophecy study, but when it came to the actual time ... it seemed better to keep moving more quickly.
We practiced our Christmas carols, since we're supposed to sing for the Senior Center during their holiday decorating on Friday. The kids did a good job, and I enjoyed watching them all sing heartily. Yeah, some of the kids don't carry a tune very well, but that's normal for the elementary ages.
My 3 year old and 5 year old got up there, too. 5 yo M didn't sing since he isn't reading yet and wasn't sure of the words. But he stood there very well, looking handsome and shy. LOL! 3 yo L didn't care if she knew the words ... she sang along with the tune in her ahhh-aaahhh style. She loves to sing and can follow a tune, even if she doesn't know the words. I'm looking forward to the caroling on Friday. We served a Thanksgiving meal at the Senior Center last week, and the children enjoyed it. I'm sure we'll enjoy caroling and decorating, too.
After our lunch break, which allowed the kids to spend some time visiting with their friends while they ate, we moved into crafts. Two of our Moms had prepared 4 separate crafts for the kids. The pre-teens and teens decorated dough ornaments for the whole group to take home. The preschool and kindergarten age made snow pictures with chalk, cotton balls, glue, and glitter glue. The young elementary students made coupon booklets they can give as gifts to their parents. Then they all were able to decorate 3 cookies one of the Moms had made with frosting and sprinkles.
A couple of us had printed out some Christmas word games the kids could do, thinking if we were having rotations there might be some time to fill. But the children didn't want to do those after their crafts. They just spent some more time playing together until it was time to leave. I think some of the Moms grabbed the worksheets to take home with them, though.
It was a nice relaxed co-op meeting ... an enjoyable time with friends. Our group moved to only having one meeting a month, instead of two this year. I know we needed to do that, due to gas costs for those who live more rurally. But I do miss having two chances to get together each month. The moms have added an evening together each month, though, and that is an encouraging time of fellowship.
Our homeschool group is a blessing to our family.
Trusting In Him,
April
This is a review of three separate books from Waterbrook Multnomah that would make wonderful Christmas gifts: Treasured by Leigh McLeroy, and Lisa Tawn Bergren's God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Christmas.
Treasured: Knowing God By The Things He Keeps by Leigh McLeroy
Cigar boxes. Refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks and sock drawers and top shelves. These are the places we store our treasures–the keepsakes that tell the story of whom and what we’ve loved, how we’ve lived, and what matters most to us. God is a collector, too, whose treasures are tucked securely into the pages of his book: a golden bell here, an olive leaf there, a scarlet thread, a blood-stained cloth, a few grains of barley. Each of these saved artifacts reveals a facet of his heart and tells the story of a Father whose most precious possession is…us. In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides us in discovering evidence in our own lives of his attentive love.
Leigh McLeroy is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary. An avid collector and recorder of everyday moments, words, and wonders, Leigh’s keen eye for God’s presence in ordinary life infuses her writing and living with a deep, insistent joy. A frequent conference and event speaker, the author makes her home in Houston, Texas, and posts often on www.leighmcleroy.com and www.wednesdaywords.com.
MY REVIEW: Leigh McLeroy has written an encouraging book that helps us know God better as we also gain a more personal understanding of His great love for us. Leigh helps us look into our own life stories and recognize the pivotal moments in our faith walk with Christ. Just this past month, my own pastor asked us to share with him any pivotal moments in our walk with God. My husband and I each retold our stories to our pastor as we discussed our personal testimony and our relationship with Jesus. Leigh helps others do the same, and to see the meaning within those moments.
Treasured would be an excellent book to give to young Christians, or those who are seeking God. It could be a blessing to someone who just needs to see the beauty in their difficult journey. Sometimes our lives are messy or sometimes just mundane. Yet, God treasures each of us and there are moments in our relationship with Him that we treasure as well. That is what Treasured celebrates.
God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren
As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable. In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because… “Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.” This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.”
God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
As Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear begins to wonder… “Who invented Christmas?” Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas. Along the way, they find signs that God is at work all around them. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns about the very first Christmas and discovers that… Jesus is the best present of all. This enchanting tale provides the perfect opportunity to help young children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and to discover how very much God loves them.
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Love follows in Lisa’s classic tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack. Her website can be found at http://www.lisatawnbergren.com/.
MY REVIEW: I had not previously read any of the God Gave Us books by Lisa Tawn Bergren. I was missing out on beautiful children's books. Now that I've read God Gave Us Love and God Gave Us Christmas, I'll be purchasing the remaining God Gave Us books for my children. Lisa's God Gave Us books are each tender, sweet, and charming. The artwork is beautiful and warm, and each story helps children understand how special they are in God's eyes.
God Gave Us Love teaches children about loving others, even when they're difficult to love. God Gave Us Christmas teaches children about the true meaning of Christmas -- not Santa, decorations, or presents. These are delightful books I will enjoy reading to my children for years to come.
These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
Would you like to blog for books, posting reviews for Waterbrook Multnomah? Find out more at this link: http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook/bloggingforbooks/.
Trusting In Him,
April
It seems like students often ask, "How am I going to use this math in the real world?" In other words, "Why do I have to learn this stuff I don't think I'm ever going to use?" For the reluctant math student, it can help to take math courses from the abstract to the more practical courses like personal finance, or business accounting.
Michael P. Licata, Ph.D. is a college professor who has designed an accounting course for homeschool high school students: Professor In A Box's Financial Accounting. Although the material is college-level, it is designed to serve as a math elective for high school students. Once the course is completed, a student could choose to take the Financial Accounting CLEP test to receive college credit for the course, as well. Any student planning to pursue a business degree, or hoping to own their own business, would benefit from the Financial Accounting course.
The Professor In A Box Financial Accounting course comes with an instructor disc, three student lesson discs, a syllabus/objectives pamphlet, a pencil, and a calculator. Tests and answer keys are included on the computer discs. All you'll need is a computer -- with Microsoft Excel or the free Open Office software installed on it.
The course is divided into 12 chapters with 28 lessons. This course can be taken as a semester course, or extended for a full year, taking it at a slower pace. First the student views the slide-show lecture, then they complete the assigned problems, check the answers, and take the test. This course can be accomplished by high school students who have already covered basic algebra. You can view the course syllabus HERE or download a sample chapter HERE.
The current special price for this Financial Accounting course is $134.99 (instead of $144.99) with free shipping. Professor In A Box offers a 30 day money back guarantee, if you aren't completely satisfied.
What did our family think?
My 14 year old is a bit young for this course, but we gave it a try. She found the lectures to be rather dry and uninspiring, but she's not fond of math ... period. It would take a lot of theatrics to make math exciting for her, I'm afraid.
The only other issue we had with this program are the problems inherent with computer-based curriculum: taking turns on the computer, and staying focused on the curriculum rather than other things on the computer. But, those relate more to our family dynamics and student personalities than the curriculum itself. When a curriculum is computer based it is somewhat less portable than a textbook would be, and you can't do your math during a power outage ... but it does eliminate the heavy textbooks and long chapters to read.
This curriculum is re-usable and non-consumable ... which is ALWAYS a big plus in my book. $140 seems high for a one-year high school math course, until I remember it can be used for future students as well. Unlike computer download courses, there does not seem to be any prohibition against selling the course when you're done with it, either.
Professor Licata does a good job of explaining the accounting concepts, and this is an excellent option for homeschool families looking for either a more practical math course, or a college-level course.
This item was provided free for our review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. We received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion. Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.
Trusting In Him,
April
1. I did NOT store my Christmas ornaments and nativities in a paper bag in the corner of my living room all year long. I would NOT have continually put off the process of packing them all up into their individual boxes in the totes that were waiting for them in the basement.
2. Decorating for Christmas did NOT mean telling the kids to untangle the bag full of ornaments and hang them on the pre-lit Christmas tree. No, it couldn't, because everyone knows that Mom has to unpack the ornaments and hand them to the kids one by one.
3. We did NOT find several broken ornaments in the process of untangling them from their rumpled paper bag.
4. I did NOT think to myself that this was the easiest tree decorating ever and I did NOT wonder why we complicate it with the tote full of boxes in the basement.
5. My 8 year old son did NOT just change the words of We Three Kings to be all about passing gas.
6. Last night on our first evening of Advent devotions, one of my children did NOT sit with their hands on their ears through the whole thing. And one of my other children did NOT act as if they were asleep through the whole thing.
7. This weekend, my son did NOT sleep walk into the bathroom, throw up all over the floor, then go back to bed and not remember a thing. And my sister's dog and my dog did NOT go in and lick most of it up before my 14 year old did NOT get up and discover the semi-mess. It did NOT take her and me several minutes to figure out what did NOT happen. We did NOT try to wake up the boys to figure out who did it, and we did NOT sniff them to determine which one smelled like vomit. We did NOT have to clean the sink, the floor, the trash can, the step stool, and gather up the floor mats at midnight. My 14 year old was NOT awake still at midnight, reading, when she should have been asleep ... like I had NOT been. Nope, not here.
8. My husband did NOT crack his head on the metal stanchions in the barn when gathering eggs yesterday afternoon. He did NOT come back and sit with ice on his head for half an hour before he could resume his plan of riding bikes with the kids.
9. I did NOT host a late Thanksgiving here for my sister with baskets of unfolded clothes all over the living room.
10. I did NOT buy a coat for one of my children on Black Friday, only to have them tell me they would NOT wear that coat. I did NOT tell them "tough cookies."
11. I am NOT writing this when I should be writing a review that is due today.
12. And finally, I did NOT just have a computer glitch that posted this as an empty post for several minutes before I came back to finish this post.
Nope ... none of that happened here.
To read more Not Me Monday entries from other moms who did NOT do anything like I did NOT do ... visit MckMama at My Charming Kids.Trusting In Him,
April
My sweet clingy little one year old boy has a curl at the back of his blonde head. I've seen that curl before, on older siblings. For the girls, it usually grows out into mostly straight, slightly wavy hair. For the boys, it gets cut off eventually. But it's so sweet, and I love playing with it for now.
Trusting In Him,
April
My kids love board games! They especially love board games involving money, although they have been known to start making up their own rules after awhile, and playing the game ElCloud style. I enjoy board games, because I know they are engaging my children's minds and teaching them things like strategy and math.
We were very happy to have a chance to review the Life On The Farm board game by We R Fun, Inc. It had been on our children's wish list for several months. This is a high-quality, well-designed board game with a colorful playing board. We received the original version, for players age 8 and up, but there is also a preschool version available which doesn't require any reading.
Life On The Farm was designed by Keith Gohl and his sister Ev Johnson, to help others understand what life on a farm is really like ... from a family business perspective. Each player rolls a dice, moves forward that number of spaces, and then follows the directions on the board. Players draw income cards and expense cards which require them to pay vet bills, taxes, or collect sale income. It's a game of chance, as my 12 year old daughter discovered last night. She was poised to win, until she had to pay taxes four times, when no one else paid taxes at all that game.
The goal of the game is to be the first to retire with 60 cows and the money you began farming with. As We R Fun states on their how to play page: "Life on the Farm is not about running other players out of business - it’s about managing money and making the most out of what happens to you - what life is really about on a family farm! It is a classic board game, fast-moving, easy to understand and fun to play, and it truly appeals to all ages."
While I agree that this game appeals to all ages, and the family can enjoy playing it together ... we didn't find it very fast-moving. Well, I suppose the plays happen quickly, but the process of playing the game itself can be long. The instructions do include a shorter version, and that is the only way we have played it so far. It's just the nature of this type of board game to take awhile.
My kids have enjoyed playing the game twice since we received it. They wanted to play it many more times, but we didn't always have enough time to fit a game in. In our opinion, Life On The Farm is a great board game, with educational entertainment value for the entire family. It's an excellent way to spend quality family time on a winter evening.
The original version of Life On The Farm (ages 8 - 108) retails for $25.00, and the preschool version retails for $20.00. The game can be bought from We R Fun, Inc, The Old Schoolhouse Store, Amazon.com, and also on Kmart.com.
This would make an excellent educational (and FUN!) Christmas gift for any children age 7 and up, or a family gift for those you love!
This item was provided free for our review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. We received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion. Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.
Trusting In Him,
April E.
On Saturday we attended a potluck dinner for our 4-H Achievement Banquet . Unfortunately, I was lacking inspiration on what to prepare. Just after lunch, I finally started flipping through cookbooks looking for ideas.
I settled on a cheesy scalloped potato recipe, but had to take shortcuts by microwaving the potatoes for awhile before putting them into the crockpot. (If you're curious it was Potluck Potatoes from the Fix-It And Forget-It Cookbook.)
But, I still needed a second dish. I started flipping through the desserts and salads in the cookbook my church put together. I found a Cranberry Jello salad that sounded good, but I didn't have fresh cranberries to boil into syrup, and didn't have time to mess with letting a jello set-up. BUT I decided to take some of the ingredients and improvise my own fruit salad. It was easy and delicious! (If you like the tartness of cranberries, that is.)
ElCloud's Easy Holiday Cran-Apple Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
2 (16 oz.) cans of whole-berry cranberry sauce
3-4 apples, cored and diced
1 cup mini-marshmallows
Directions:
1. Open both cans of whole-berry cranberry sauce and pour into a 2 qt. bowl
2. Use a spoon to break up the cranberry sauce.
3. Cut apples into wedges, removing the core. Skin can be left on, or peeled off.
4. Cut apple wedges into small pie shaped slivers.
5. Stir apples and mini-marshmallows into the cranberry sauce.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
That's it! It looks beautiful, and it's delicious!!
Enjoy!!
Trusting In Him,
April
We don't "do" Santa Claus at our house. We hang stockings, and we watch Santa movies ... but we don't tell kids he's real or give gifts from him. All gifts are from Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunts, etc.
But despite that, every one of our children at 3 years old has wanted to believe in Santa Claus. We have books that talk about how Christmas is about Jesus, and tell the true story of Saint Nicholas vs. the make-believe Santa ... but they still believe.
The older kids know he is fake, but occasionally present me with "Letters to Santa" anyway. I received four letters yesterday (to be posted later in this article), right before my children tried to convince 3 yo L that Santa wasn't real.
But they didn't stop at saying he was pretend. They tried to convince her he was dead ... complete with photos they found on the internet of the hunter who shot Santa, and Santa's grave. (these photos are not gory or inappropriate in any way)
I then had a distraught 3 yo. She was already upset that we kept saying there isn't a Santa Claus and that Christmas is about Jesus. She would say, "But Santa is in Christmas, too, right?" with a pleading look. But after these photos, she was almost in tears. Leave it to teens to torment a preschooler like that.
I told the children to drop the subject and stop arguing with her. Next year she'll be older and more able to understand the difference between what is pretend, and what is real. For now, it's not worth upsetting her.
And now ... the letters to Santa from my kids who all know Santa isn't real ... well, except for 3 yo L.
Dear Santa C,
For Christmas, I want Barbie clothes, Barbie stuff, Barbies,Kens, Kelly dolls, Girl coloring books, High School Musical. I was very very extremely good this year.
From 10 yo C
(she even included a map to her bedroom and our house from the North Pole)
Dear SC,
I need a Nerf Toy, and I want it to be a Nerf Build Your Own Blaster! Or a The Largest Full Auto Nerf Blaster.
PS I was very good.
Love, 8 yo J
(maybe we need to discuss needs vs. wants again)
Dear Saint Nick,
I was very good this year. For Christmas I want Build Your Own Blaster.
5 yo M
(he drew a picture of a wii, although he didn't list one)
Dear Santa,
For Christmas I want a bouncy ball, a doll, a teddy bear, toy dishes, a crown, a coloring book, crayons.
From 3 yo L
(no more crayons, please -- we have too many already)
Now, if you're a family member reading this, and you've already received a Christmas idea list ... just ignore these. These are not necessarily Mom and Dad-sanctioned gift ideas.
Just sharing the Santa-related activities at our house this week, from a family who doesn't even "do" Santa.
Trusting In Him,
April
The first thing my children did when the Exploracise Gymathtics DVD arrived in the mail, was to put it in the DVD player. They love exercise videos and were eager to test a new one. After their first test run, they were all worn-out. Only the 3 year old and 8 year old actually finished the 30 minute workout -- the 5 and 10 year olds both quit. My 8 year old son was intent on keeping up with the children on the DVD, and my 3 year old came to tell me how tired she was at the end. "And my head is weally tweating," she said. (sweating)
The Gymathtics DVD by Exploramania is more than just an exercise video. It also includes math concepts for 2nd - 5th grade students: basic geometry, counting, skip counting, and number patterns. As the children exercise, they learn about parallel lines, horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, polygons, skip counting, and patterns. You can see a more detailed list of the topics covered on the DVD HERE.
Combining math concepts with full-body movement provides a multi-sensory approach to learning that can be very helpful for the kinesthetic learner. The visual learners will also benefit from watching the DVD, and the auditory learner will benefit (to a lesser degree) from hearing and seeing the explanation. Exploramania has based their Exploracise program on scientific research.
I consider this to be more of an exercise video than a math lesson. The math is just a fun reinforcement of concepts already taught in your curriculum for most children. But for the kinesthetic learner, it can be very helpful understanding the concepts covered. The DVD appeals to younger children than 2nd grade, so it also serves as an introduction to concepts that will be taught later. Four of my kids (ages 3 - 10) enjoyed the DVD, although the 10 year old is already bordering on considering it silly. The four children who have used this DVD enjoy using it occasionally, but it isn't their favorite exercise DVD.
I was surprised by the voice-over of wellness thoughts in the stretching wind-down at the end of the DVD. It just reminded me of a New Age, pop psychology, positive thinking, meditation and relaxation recording.
In the future, I think we'll be turning the volume down for the wind-down segment. There isn't anything overtly inappropriate in there, it just annoys us all. As Christians, we do prefer to place our trust in God and follow His direction rather than believing in the supposed power of positive thinking.
- "Relax your body and open your mind to think about good health and well-being."
- "Be nice. Ride the "nice wave". "
- "Eat healthy super foods with lots of vitamins and minerals."
- "Be a dream stretch star. Stretch your dreams and reach for the stars. Stretch your mind to reach for your dreams with hard work and determination."
The Gymathtics DVD is available for $24.99, and they are currently offering free shipping. There is also a Gymathtics 2.0 DVD for 4th - 7th grade students. Exploramania has Exploracise Mats (educational yoga/exercise mats) and Exploracise Thumballs available to combine math with exercise.
Gymathtics DVD is a great way for young children to get the wiggles out and burn some energy on a rainy day ... and reinforce some math concepts at the same time.
This item was provided free for our review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. We received no other compensation, and this review is our honest opinion. Click the TOS Homeschool Crew banner at the top to read more reviews on this product by other Homeschool Crew members.
Trusting In Him,
April