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

Paul has been on vacation from work this week, and we have had such a wonderful time.
We are having a 'stay-cation.'

I'm still having the kids do morning school (MFW only - not the 3R's) but the afternoons have been filled with family fun.

Joseph has used a lot of his down time to work on projects.
He and Paul worked together to build a model ship. - His first one with glue! 
(We've used the snap-together kits up until this point.)  They did a great job!


Finished!  (although he still needs to paint it)


Joseph also decided to do a little woodworking.
First he measured and hammered some nails into a round board.

and then he started weaving colored string around them


He's still got a ways to go, but he's of to a great start!

His pattern came from this website 

The girls have also been busy.  They made darling little church ornaments, and helped decorate HUNDREDS of cookies, ( to give to local Army reserve units,) with their Pioneers troop.


I also feel like I've had a productive week.   Because we've been doing 1/2 days of school in the mornings, I am happy to report that....we'll be out of Rome by the end of the week!

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

Chanukah At Bubbe’s House

Over in the dining room the grandchildren are spinning dreidels. Would you like to play? You don't know how? Ahh...come along we will teach you.

What are they singing? Oh it is a song, "I have a Little Dreidel, I made it out of clay..." Why clay? Well it was easily accessible back in 165 BC, just dig in the ground a find a lump of clay to bake in the oven.

You see back in 165BC the Greeks were demanding that the Jews forsake their G-d, their temple, their way of life, even their language. Hedonistic Jews went along with these changes but many did not. So in secret they would meet together and teach the children their language and Alpha-bet. When the Greeks would pop in and check on them, they would pretend to be gambling, spinning tops and betting coins.

Today the Dreidle has four letters painted on its sides, outside of the land of Isreal the letters are;  Nun, Gimmel, Hay and Shin. Which stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Shom, "A Great Miracle Happened There". Inside Israel the Letters are different because "A Great Miracle Happened HERE" so the letters are Nun, Gimmel, Hay and Pay "Nes Gadol Hayah Po"  Now you have even had a Hebrew lesson today. Just like a Homeschooler, always making a lesson out of everything!

The children gather around and take turns spinning their dreidels hoping to win the Gelt in the center of the table. No Not GUILT, Gelt, chocolate coins covered in gold foil. The letter determines the amount he will win or loose. Like this...

Nun" means Nothing, you win nothing, you lose nothing.

"Gimmel" means you Get to take the whole kitty.

"Hay" means you win half of what's in the kitty.

"Shin" (or in Israel - "Pay") means "share" or "put in" - you lose, and must put one more into the kitty

Now that you know how to play would you like to make a paper dreidel? go here

Or for the BOYS who love Star Wars...a Droidel

And of course you can play with a virtual dreidel online here

So please come and play with us as we get ready to celebrate Chanukah for the next Eight Days Starting the EVENING of December Eleventh! We will light the Chanukiah (a Menorah with nine branches) have Latkes with dinner, tell stories about the brave Maccabees, Hannah and her Seven sons and play dreidel. We may even have a present or two!

Oh You have never seen a Chanukiah? Never eaten a Latke? and do not know about the Maccabees nor Hannah???? Oh dear we have much to talk about.  You better pour another cup of tea and seat here with me and I will tell you all about it.

The History Channel has a wonderful 4 minute video on Chanukah as well. Just incase you can't wait until then. http://www.history.com/video.do?name=culture&bcpid=1681694254&bclid=1675979339

 

In a few moments my home will be filled with Grandchildren with busy, very busy hands as we get ready for the Congregational Dinner and making lots of Latkes. Oh How I love Latkes!

 You see part of Chanukah has to do with Sacrifice and my favorite Chanukah Story is about Sacrifice as well. Chanukah is also about rising above oppression and defeating your enemies. So before I share about Chanukah lighting I would like to share my favorite story of Chanukah, a story about women and children Torture and Faith. Hannah (Chana in Hebrew) and her seven sons.

This first time I read this story to my children through tears I prayed Lord may I teach my children to have faith to die for you. Being saved in the late seventies and KNOWING Jesus was returning any day; I knew they had to be prepared. Very gently the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, not only do you have to teach them to die for me, you must teach them to live for me and to teach their children the same. At the time being a grandparent was no where in my realm of thinking, yet it immediately changed my way of teaching my children from just learning to teaching them to being able to infuse their children with Truth as well.

Hannah is the mother of Seven Jewish sons during the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus is determined to destroy the Jews faith in G-d by issuing edict after edict; you can not observe the Sabbath, you cannot read Torah, you cannot circumcise your sons, You must eat unclean meats. Everything G-d had commanded them to do, they were being commanded to not do. Can you imagine what this was like? You can't go to church, You can't read your Bible, You cannot pray. You can't baptize new believers, you cannot tell anyone about Jesus? What would you do?

For Hannah the price was so dear. It began with her eldest son. He would not obey the King He would not abandon Torah and eat the unclean meat set before him. The King ordered his tongue cut out, His hands and feet cut off and burned in the fire, as his mother and brothers watched. The King thought surely this will make them see I am serious and they will do as I command.

Each son was presented to the King and each deadly torture became worse than the next as Hannah watched each of Her sons shout their devotion to God and enter into His Presence. Finally her last and youngest son appear be for the Monster Antiochus. The Seven year old Showed the same courage and devotion as his other brothers had. The King Pleaded with Hannah, save this boy your last child, make him obey me! So Hannah asked to speak to her little boy and in Hebrew so the King could not understand this is what she said...

"My son, I carried you in my body for nine months, I nursed you for two years and I have fed you until today. I have taught you to fear G-d and uphold His Torah. See the heaven and the earth, the sea and the land, fire, water, wind and every other creation. Know that they were all created by G-d's word. He created man to serve Him and He will reward man for his deeds. The king knows he is condemned before G-d. He thinks that if he convinces you, G-d will have mercy on him. G-d controls your life's breath and can take your soul whenever He desires. If only I could see the greatness of your glorious place where we would be illuminated with G-d's light and rejoice and exult together."

and lastly when you see Abraham tell him your mother says "'You bound only one son upon an altar, but I bound seven."

With That the King ordered the littlest son to be tortured worse than all his brothers before him. Hannah surrounded by the bodies of her beloved sons Exalted her G-d in Prayer.

Hannah stood by the heaped bodies of her sons. She prayed for three things:

1)      for the souls of her children

2)      for the strength of the Jewish people

3)      to be taken by God rather than be killed by the Greeks

As Hannah finished her prayer, she breathed her last breath and fell dead beside her children.

 

A Child's version of this Story can be found here http://www.torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chana7.htm

Now This story may seem so far from your imaginings that it is hard for you to comprehend, yet there women and children are suffering the same evil today, some for their faith ,some for the pleasure of their tormentors. Daily they choose what is best for their families, their children, their souls. Many martyrs for Christ are in their numbers.

One year in Honor of Jesus’ and Hannah’s sacrifice the children decided to sacrifice (or fast) one of the days of Chanukkah and give all the money that would have been spent on the celebration and the presents to Voice of the Martyrs. Just one way for Chanukah to become real for their tender hearts.

As you hold your children in your arms, praying for them and singing to them, remember you are called to train them to Live for Jesus and each celebration and tradition you instill in their hearts is doing more than you imagine. Chanukah is one such Tradition.

And so we ask, did Jesus celebrate Chanukah? And if He did, should we? What does the Bible say on this subject?

John 10: 22-30 says this in the Living Bible Translation

22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah. 23 He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father. 26 But you don't believe me because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. 30 The Father and I are one."

 

This was a time to celebrate Miracles and Jesus is trying to explain “Plainly” that during this time of Miracles of G-d, He is the greatest Miracle of all. He says Yes I have told you, yes I am He but You do not listen. The Proof is in what I do in the Name of the Father. Many think Chanukah is about a great battle. And it is about a great battle. Not only the battle of the Maccabees and the Greeks, but also about a daily battle against Light and Darkness.  It is said many times if there is a Jewish Celebration it goes like this. “What are you celebrating now?” The replay is “They tried to Kill us, G-d defeated them, Let’s eat!” And very often that is true. The Maccabees did not save the people, G-d saved the People. G-d raised up these warriors against The Mighty Greek army and won. As we well know Our G-d loves to take the foolish things of the world and confound the wise.

The Temple that they rededicated is no less a temple than the one Jesus is now asking us to rededicate to God the same way. Just as the Miracle of the Oil came into the Temple, The Holy Spirit often symbolized as oil comes into you, the Temple of the Lord. Just as the prayers of Dedication were prayed, for Chanukah is the Feast of Dedication, we are asked to rededicate ourselves to the Lord as well. Jesus is tell them in John, Believe the Miracles, know who I am, Rededicate yourself to G-d. And still today many do not see it.

So we Light our Chanukiahs, shouting to the World, Jesus is the Messiah, come to the Light, rededicate your hearts and lives to Him.

 He is the “Light” of the Celebration. Jesus the Light of the World came as a Servant to light us ablaze with the Truth. Just as the Chanukiah has a servant candle, one set apart from the others to ignite the others, so Jesus is the Light set apart to ignite our souls. Jesus is the Light of the World and it is that Light He passes on to us to make us the Light burning brightly for all to see., A City of a Hill. Jesus, Himself said I did not come to be served but to serve. As the Shamash it is Jesus that kindles the Lights of Chanukah.

Lighting the servant candle you start from the Right to the Left (Just as Hebrew is read Right to Left) and light the first candle marking day One. The Next day still lighting on the right side you light the candle closest to the shamash first (left to right) and so on. Yes it can be confusing and causes many debates as to which candle was lit first. Thus we are Thankful for Grace! Each night a Candle is lit and Prayers are lifted up, songs and sung and laughter is heard in every home. The Servant candle shares His light with all the others until the blaze can be seen by passerby.

Prayers can be found here…. http://www.sbmessianic.net/Chanukah.shtml

My prayer is that you will see it, lighted candle by Lighted candle. Jesus is very visible in Chanukah; just as He is Visible in the Passover and every other Celebration. They are all designed to bring us to the Messiah, to train our Children and be set apart from the world.

When the parents forgot to tell their children about the Miracles of the Lord they fell away. The Bible says “they did what was right in their own eyes.” When we fail to teach the Children the depth of truth, past the presents, and good food, we fail to bring them to Messiah. Notice these next few weeks how many times you hear “Christmas is about getting together with family” and nothing about the Messiah it is honoring. When we remove the truth of the celebration whatever it is, the children are lost.

 

Does it Matter How You Spell Hanukkah?

How do you spell Hanukkah? Hanukkah is a Hebrew word; the Hebrew alphabet is different from the English one. In English, Hanukkah is spelled as it sounds when spoken. However the true beginning sound of the word is not used in English. It comes from the back of the throat - it sort of like clearing your throat when you say the word. So there are different ways to spell Hanukkah, take your pick.

At least it’s always the same in Hebrew: You will just have to trust me on this one, it is five letters long and looks nothing like the words Below! It does however look like this.

Hanukkah (rededication) has only five letters in the original Hebrew. In English there are at least 16 ways to spell it, including: Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka.

When typed into your spell check these are your most common spellings Chanukah, Hanukah, and Hanukkah. Now when you say it, it is not a soft “H” sound! The “CH” is not quite as hard as the “CH” in Christmas but not the “Ch” in Church. It is more like the “Caw” of a crow. Thus since most Americans say Hanukkah with a soft “H” they spell in that way.

The Importance is not in the spelling, it is in the heart. It means Rededication. This is a Rededication of the Temple, their rededication to worship, the rededication to Torah. They had fought the whole Greek Army and won! This was a time to Praise God who delivers His People against all odds.

 For the Believer in Messiah Jesus this is not just a moment to reflect on the Rededication of the Defiled Temple in The Time of the Maccabees, which is the central focus of Chanukah.  For us it is a time to look at 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17 more closely and rededicate ourselves to G-d as well. We also are a Miracle. We are to be set apart. Just as the Maccabees knew they could not conform to the world around them; we must be set apart as well. Just as the Jewish Household is to place their Chanukiah in a doorway or a window to let their light shine for all the world to see, our light is also to shine forth and call out those in darkness .

Does that sound familiar to you? The verse that rings out first in most Advent calendars is Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. This is a Messianic prophecy. This verse is immediately followed by verses 6 and 7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty G-d, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Oh how Holy is the Light of the World!

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

So know you know, it is not the spelling of Chanukah, it is in the heart that the difference is truly made.

Now the reason for Latkes….

Now the big question is why do we eat Latkes??? Well it has to do with the Miracle. What Miracle? Well the Miracle of the oil of course! The same Miracle that the letters on the Dreidel stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Shom..A great Miracle Happened there.

But back to the Miracle.... The Greeks said no Jew could be a Jew, they needed to be a Greek. That sounds so familiar even today doesn't it? Everyone is forcing everyone else to conform to what they think is right. Anyway after a while the Jews said no more and fought back. A little rag tag group of everyday people against the whole Greek Army (only G-d can bring victory) and He does. But when they return to their temple, the altar is covered with PIGS blood ( Can you even imagine such a horrific sight?)and statues of Antiochus filled the Holy of Holies! So they begin to scrub and clean so they could rededicate the temple, and themselves to the Lord. This is the same feast of Dedication Jesus celebrated. Here is where the tricky part comes, you see there is only one flask of oil to fill the menorah with and it will only burn one day. Once it is lit it must remain lit. It can’t go out and the priests refill it only once a week. It has to continuously burn for eight days. If it were up to me, I would have said, ”Hey let’s wait a week and make more oil first”, but G-d’s does things differently to show us He is there in our midst. The problem is there is NO MORE purified oil and whether it took eight days to purify it, or eight days to get some from somewhere else is debated (Jews love to debate thing). What is not debated it the Miracle! What only would have lasted one day lasted eight days! It just kept burning. Because it kept burning the Temple could become a Holy Place for G-d to abide once more. Oh how wonderful it is when the Lord enters His Holy temple and takes up residence there.

G-d loves replenishing Oil, remember the widow’s flask of oil that filled up as long as Elijah was in their home?

So now you know why OIL is so important to Chanukah.

Now I will tell you how to make the Latkes!

Here is our favorite recipe which we triple for the family and make at least ten times this for the congregation.

6 potatoes (I like Yukon gold)

1  yellow onion

2 eggs beaten

3 TBSP of flour or Matzo meal (I use both)

Salt and pepper

and schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) or oil (we used oil) for frying

Peel and grate potatoes and place them in a large bowl of ice water to keep them from graying (if you have the time with kid-lings underfoot!) because now you have to squeeze them dry! add onion (which I also grate but feel free to chop if you like) also add the beaten eggs the flour salt and pepper. mix well! heat the oil and drop large tablespoons full of the mixture into the skillet and flatten. Brown on both sides drain on paper towels and serve with....applesauce, sour cream and even caviar if you dare. Me, I like Sour cream and Crystal Hot Sauce!!!

That should be enough to get you started. I hope you find this Chanukah season to be a wonderful time of growing closer to your Messiah Jesus and to your children. Share some of “His” light with those around you. G-d bless you all.

 

Here are some great links

http://www.sbmessianic.net/Chanukah.shtml

http://biblicalholidays.com/hanukkah.htm

http://www.torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chanuk.htm

http://www.jewishmag.com/85mag/chanukaoil/chanukaoil.htm

 

Hag Sameach!

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

Time for our annual - 'day of torture' ...
also known as ....
"Try to get just ONE decent photo for a Christmas card day!"  

And here are some of this years options....

We have your garden-variety 'eyes closed' poses

Or "Mom's finger over the lens" is always a winner....


Then there's the 'distraction' shot...

Cat on the floor (AND bonus eyes closed) shot

Awkward pose (and glowing eyes of doom)

And then things really went south....

It started with one

And spread from there


So if you end up with a 'boxed' card this year.... now you know why.  

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

Happy birthday, Audrey!

Audrey is my sweet little sister who is now 4 years old.  My, time flies.

I have four brothers but she is my only sister.

I you Audrey!!

Have a great Thanksgiving!