joy in the everyday

TOS Crew Review : Math Rider

2012-02-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

Math facts drills are not a fun activity here at our home for my two daughters {ages 9 and 7}. I decided I needed to find something fun for the girls to work with other than math sheets with columns of math facts that my son absolutely loved doing.

I was so happy to be selected to review a fun math facts game called Math Rider. The software is a fun game where a horse gallops off on a quest - each obstacle it must leap is a math fact. The faster your child types an answer the faster the horse goes through the quest. The game takes place in a magical land called the Land of Ray and your child rides on a horse named Shadow. My girls loved this - I mean what girl doesn't want to own a horse. We also loved the interactive part of the game where each quest revolved around a story. Positive reinforcement occurs in the rewards that children earn during each quest for answering math facts correctly. I was also quiet pleased with the fact that getting an answer wrong did not lead to the game ending or "losing" which upsets my younger daughter - the horse just stops briefly and gives the correct answer to the math fact before galloping again to the next obstacle.

The part I love the most is that Math Rider is an intelligent game - meaning it learns what your child is struggling with, math fact wise, and drills those more than the ones your child easily knows the answer to. Here is a better explanation taken from Math Rider's website:

While the rider is playing, the game learns what the rider knows and what he or she still needs to practice. Every single response (or non-response) is stored in an internal database and statistically analysed by the software. In this way the program is able to custom-tailor to each rider, which questions are asked next. No repetitive drilling of random number facts the rider already knows – but real practice of what actually needs to be practiced!

Plenty of feedback is given on the rider’s mastery of each number fact and operation, including an innovative overview map of mastery for each number table. This is highly beneficial for both the rider and the parent/educator. You can see with one glance where your child is at and where he or she might need further assistance. Top challenges are also listed in a separate list box for further easy reference.

Clicking on a question brings up more information on it, including a visual representation as well as some detailed statistics.

My girls could not get enough of this game. Even my son, who has most of his math facts completely memorized enjoyed playing the game and seeing what quest he would be going on. I cannot think of a more fun way to practice math facts.

Math Rider is a good software game for ages 6 - 12 and retails for $47, though until February 15, 2012 you can purchase it for just $37 - directly from their website. The software is easily downloaded and installed {we downloaded and were on the game in a matter of minutes}. It supports multiple children - though each child is on their own quest, they do not play against each other, a plus in our house. :) And, I love companies that give you an opportunity to try before you buy ... Math Rider gives a free 7 day trial.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Math Rider? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a trial copy of Math Rider, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the software.

Weekend Crafting : Disney Autograph Books

2012-02-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

This weekend Michael's Craft Store had a $5 off a $5 purchase coupon - I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for the kids to pick up supplies and make autograph books for Disney. Both my girls and myself had a coupon so we each spent just a little over $5 and purchased enough supplies to make two autograph books and one mini-memory album. {Lexi really likes her autograph book she purchased two years ago and wanted to use it again this year.}

Michael's had spiral notebooks with black covers and different options for the pages - Ava Mae chose pink and we got Devin, blue. Then it was just a matter of picking out some stickers, ribbon, and other embellishments. Total out of pocket was around $3.30, that included the large pen Ava Mae bought {Characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse find it much easier to sign autograph books with an over sized pen}.

We had Disney themed scrapbook paper but, I did pick up a few more sheets. Here is our final product ...

You can tell from the pictures above Ava Mae's main mission is to get autographs of princesses while Devin's autograph book has a Disney/Baseball theme. Devin is planning to see the Atlanta Braves while at Disney World {they are at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports for Spring Training} and he is hoping for some players' autographs too.

And, here is my mini-album and Disney Travel Smash Album.

Valentine's Day Cupcake Recipe

2012-01-31T19:38:00.002-05:00

While my husband and son were at Spring Baseball tryouts on Saturday, the girls and I made some Valentine's themed cupcakes. I want to make these on Valentine's Day but, being it is a new recipe for us thought it best to have a test run first.

The cupcakes are super simple - just a strawberry cake mix with 1 1/2 cups of strawberry soda added to it {no eggs or oil needed}. Then just bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. We made 12 big cupcakes but, you can easily get 24 from the same mix.

They were yummy and very strawberry tasting ... next time I am going to add some real strawberries to the batter.

Week End Review - January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T22:46:00.002-05:00

This week we had our first field trip of 2012. The kids and I had been waiting patiently for this field trip since I booked it last summer. It was a reptile show that did not disappoint! I was blown away by the critters the reptile man, Mr. Greg, brought with him. It was a great follow up to our study on reptiles that we did last week in Science.

Science this week brought a science experiment - the kids are recording their results each day as we wait to see the affects of moisture on seeds. The kids were introduced to a control group in an experiment. They have enjoyed checking each day on the seeds to see what is happening.

Also, this week we began to study Walt Disney - his life and how Walt Disney World in Florida came to be. Our plan is to work through studying and learning as much as possible about Walt Disney leading up to our vacation. We will also do a study on all the countries in Epcot. That way when we visit each country the kids can interact with the cast members from those countries and will be able to ask some intelligent questions. All part of my plan to make our vacation one big field trip - don't tell the kids. :)

Walt Disney World Vacation Planning

2012-01-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

Just a month from now we will leave for our vacation to Walt Disney World. It is one of our favorite vacation spots as a family.

I grew up less than an hour from Disney World and we began taking our children to this amazing vacation destination from the time our son, Devin, was just 9 months old. Lots of great memories and the kids look forward to vacationing there at least once every two years.

In case you are planning or are thinking of planning a trip to Disney I wanted to share with you my number one planning tip ... use TourGuideMike.com. It has to be one of the best and most in depth planning spots on the web.

Yes there is a fee, $21.95 to be exact, worth every penny and then some. Mike Hewell, the creator of TourGuideMike.com, used to work as a VIP Guide at Walt Disney World. To get to that level at Walt Disney World, you have to be the best of the best. His information and insight is invaluable. Following Mike's customizable touring plans for all the parks we have never waited in a line. That's right - even when we were crazy enough to vacation at Disney during the week of the 4th of July {one of the busiest times of the year} we had no more than a 5 minute wait.

While asking your friends and family who have traveled to Disney questions is a great idea - remember nothing beats having a professional's advice. Walt Disney World crowd levels and seasons have a big impact on what experience you might have at the park. Taking the advice from someone who has traveled to Disney during the off-peak season is not going to help you plan a vacation during peak travel time.

And, if like me, you have been to Walt Disney World more times than you can count you will love Tour Guide Mike for all the great ideas about things to do and see that are not commonly known. Did you know that Disney offers many "Behind the Scenes" tours for each park or that you can rent a yacht to go out on and watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom?

It also really helps to know when your child's favorite ride is going to be closed for refurbishment while you are at Disney World ... trust me, you want to know that before you go.

Week End Wrap Up : January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T16:17:00.001-05:00

This week we continued our study of Early American History - we also studied Ohio. We learned how many settlers heading to Indiana would float down the Ohio River on what would be considered the first "house boats". The kids were quite interested in this unique way of travel for the settlers and I found a great book at the library with really good pictures to read to the kids. {Pictured above a sweet picture of our cat Tigger ... nothing to do with our school week but, cute none the less.}

Ava Mae found a horse crafting book while we were at the library and so this project was her art for the week. She sewed a purse she made out of a pair of old jeans and cut a horse out of felt and stitched it on with embroidery thread. She said she is going to carry the purse when she buys her first horse with her best friend, Maddie Bell. Inside the purse she will carry treats such as apples and carrots for their horse when they go to visit her. I told Ava Mae to start saving her money now ...

The kids each do a journal entry every week in their notebooks. It is a great way to see how they continue to improve in both handwriting and language skills. Devin had an interesting entry this week. He talked about our upcoming trip to Disney World and how it was a secret his sisters were not privy to yet. Of course, he told his sisters what he was writing about and they spent the rest of our writing time trying to see what he was writing about. That made for a fun 20 minutes at the school table.

Next week is our first field trip of 2012 and we will hit our 100 Day mark for schooling ... can't believe we are past the half way point.

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

Trying to get better at writing down all the gifts I am given each day ... here are a few highlights from my week:

Words with Friends ... my new favorite game!

Fun Valentine crafting materials

My friends ... Robyn, Tammy, and Danette or as they are now known my bible study posse. Thankful for another Priscilla Shirer study we can do together {Can We Talk?}

Getting some fun new products to review - delivered to my home this week ... can't wait to start using the products from Beeyoutiful and beginning our new bible study for this half of the school year - from Apologia "Who Am I". So thankful for being chosen to be on The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew!

A wonderful husband who always stands by me {Date Night tomorrow night woo hoo!}

Week End Wrap Up : January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T18:41:00.000-05:00

With all of our activities back in full swing this week life got a little crazy. Thankfully, I think we took it all in stride. {Pictured above the kids on the way out the door to Timothy - all bundled up, it was actually snowing and just 25 degrees.}

On the homeschool front, the kids are really enjoying listening to me read "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It goes along well with our American History and the kids are getting a really good glimpse into how hard life was back then. Their few chores are nothing compared to what was expected back in that time period.

We continued our study of Tchaikovsky by listening some more to a gret CD from Maestro Classics - The Story of Swan Lake. You can read all about it in my review I did earlier this week. To combine our art lesson and music. The girls listened to the music from Swan Lake while water-coloring their drawings of ballerinas taken from one of Degas' paintings.

In science, we learned all about Living and Non-Living Things. Then the kids each drew and diagrammed a cell after we made a large replica out of jello {in a plastic ziploc bag}, a piece of tangerine, and butterscotch chips. Devin took one look at what bacteria looks like under a microscope and announced he had enough of that and was moving on.

Another fun activity we like to do each Winter is to bird watch. Since moving our school room up to the front of our home we have a perfect view of our bird feeder. Lots of great birds spotted this week.

{Pictured above a few of the birds we spotted - Blue Jay, Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee and a Red Bellied Woodpecker. Also pictured above, Tigger, our number one bird spotter.}

Timothy was back in full swing this week also. The kids began their 2nd semester classes -

Devin - Advanced Chemistry, Spanish, and Guitar 3

Lexi - Eight Cinderellas (World History), Quilting, Combination Crafts

Ava Mae - Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain, Pretty Princesses (Bible), Combination Crafts

As always, the kids are super excited to be back in schools on Friday. They love being in classes with all their friends and having "lunch bunch" together. This semester my husband and I are both teaching one class at Timothy. I have a sweet group of 1st - 3rd grade students in my Georgia History class and, my husband, has a super smart group of 4th grade and up students (including some adults) in his Computer Animation and 3D Modeling class.

January is always a hard month for us ... just the dreariness and the post-holiday blahs. Thankfully, we have a big vacation {Walt Disney World} to look forward to at the end of February which is keeping us motivated. Only Devin knows at this point where we are going - the girls know it is something big and they are super excited.

TOS Crew Review : Maestro Classics

2012-01-11T08:48:00.007-05:00

This year our curriculum has us studying the classic composer Tchaikovsky. We studied The Nutcracker in the month of December and we're ready to move on to another one of Tchaikovsky's pieces when we were given the opportunity to review Maestro Classics - The Story of Swan Lake. My kids love classical music and we have enjoyed studying Tchaikovsky. We have been blessed, in the past, with the opportunity of seeing the ballet "Swan Lake" performed by the Atlanta Ballet.

The CD we received from Maestro Classics begins with the telling of the story of Swan Lake set to the beautiful music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In no time my girls were up dancing to each piece, while my son enjoyed pretending he was the conductor.

From the Maestro Classics website:

Our Mission: To cultivate a love of music through education and joyful performances.
Stories in Music™ is the award-winning audio CD series for family listening. These recordings for narrator and symphony orchestra introduce great music and classics stories and provide the opportunity to develop important listening skills.
Three Major Benefits:
Expand listening horizons.
Our goals are to expand musical horizons, develop listening skills, and encourage parents and children to listen to music together. Listening to the complex patterns of classical music has been shown to stimulate brain development. This series makes it fun!
Develop listening skills and accumulate musical memories.
These CDs highlight Stephen Simon’s unique ability to explain how to listen to music. His joyful music-making, his interest in a broad range of musical styles, and his compositional skills provide entertaining and educational middle tracks. Bonnie Ward Simon weaves background information on the composer, the work and its place in history, both on the CDs and in the program book.
Encourage adults and children to listen to music together.
Listening is becoming a lost art. We encourage you to take the time to develop this crucial skill and delight in a world of wonderful music.

What I loved about Maestro Classics is that it is so much more than just listening to classical music. This is what was included on our CD, along with a 24 page booklet - with discussion topics and fun activities.

1. The Story of Swan Lake
The story is set to the most famous music from this great ballet.

2. Tchaikovsky's Life
Learn about the life of Tchaikovsky, the most loved of all Russian composers.

3. Speed Metal Swan
World-famous guitarist Joe Stump transforms Tchaikovsky’s theme.

4. About the Music
Discover about the different popular dance music that the composer included.

5. "Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet"
A funny song to help remember the theme.

6. Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform.
Time to get ready and sing.

7. "Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet" Sing-Along
A string quartet will accompany you.

And, after we had listened to the CD several times {and my girls had danced the ballet more times than I could count} I headed over to the Maestro Classics website and found many links to additional activities we could do which went along with our study. Today, the girls drew and then painted an excerpt from Degas' "Ballerina" painting, while listening to the "Swan Lake" ballet.

You can purchase Maestro Classics - The Story of Swan Lake directly from their website for $16.98 or as an mp3 download for $9.98. Also, head to their website to listen to excerpts from all of their CD's. Other titles include Peter and the Wolf, The Soldier's Tale, My Name is Handel: The Story of Water Music, The Tortoise and the Hare, Casey at the Bat, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Juanita the Spanish Lobster, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Maestro Classics? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of Maestro Classics - The Story of Swan Lake, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the app.

Back in the Saddle Again

2012-01-08T14:09:00.006-05:00

Back in the saddle again ... Last week was our first back at homeschooling for the New Year. Thankfully, we had a good and easy transition back into doing school each day. It feels good to be halfway through our school year!

{Pictured above our Yule Log, an Irish tradition, we burned it each night until the Epiphany. Pictured below, we had a fun lunch with some homeschool friends on Friday - this is a picture of their new adorable puppy. She looks just like the Target dog.}

I enjoyed taking a week off from blogging though I did take care of some housekeeping issues for my blog in my downtime. I also got my Etsy store up and running {more on that in another post}.

{Pictured above, some Valentine crafting for a project in my Etsy store. Pictured below, Ava Mae's dress designing fun.}

This week all of our activities begin back ... that is probably the one thing I am not looking forward to. Don't get me wrong I love all the extra-curricular activities we are involved in but, it means late nights Monday - Thursday. Plus, tutoring one day a week and Timothy school on Friday's. It's all good though, right.

Parting Shots {2011}

2012-01-01T11:52:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!! I hope y'all had a wonderful New Year's Eve ...

I am posting a few of our Parting Shots for 2011 before I take a week off from blogging. Need some downtime while we clean up from the holidays, slowly transition back into homeschooling, work on opening an Etsy store {a goal of mine from last year that I never got around to}, and enjoy another week off from all of our extra-curricular activities.

We celebrated the last day of the year by letting the kids spend a couple of hours at one of their favorite "jumpy" places.

Then we enjoyed an evening by the fire - watching movies, being silly with sparklers, snacking, and watching a 20 minute Year in Review DVD slideshow I had put together with around 200 of my favorite photographs from the past year.

The evening flew by and before we knew it ... Midnight was close at hand. Time to launch our sky lantern, toast with some bubbly, and sing "Auld Lang Syne".

Wishing you all the best in 2012! See ya back here in a week or so ...

Favorite Photos {2011}

2011-12-27T09:42:00.003-05:00

Joining in on this fun link up party ... I was just going through all my pictures this morning on my computer. {I am going to do a slide show for New Year's Eve to show the kids of our year in review.} I could not narrow down my favorite photograph of the year to just one - it was between these two. Both of them were moments of such joy - one on a boat on the Gulf of Mexico at sunset in August and the other, in January of this year in our front yard after a major snowstorm.

What picture or pictures are your favorite from 2011? Join in the fun over at Rachel's blog - Finding Joy and see what everyone else is sharing.

Glimpses of Christmas

2011-12-25T23:21:00.006-05:00

A wonderful day spent at home celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Dear sweet neighbors brought us breakfast - a nice and very welcome surprise.

Reading from the Bible and then opening gifts.

A restful afternoon followed by an evening spent with good friends here in our home. Enjoying a Christmas night smorgasbord and dessert table.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Go tell it on the mountain ... Jesus Christ is born!"

From our home to yours ... wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

1 Day : Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T20:07:00.004-05:00

Christmas Eve ... Ava Mae says it seems like it took forever to get here. Ahhh, to be a child again. :)

This day hold lots of traditions for us -

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

Delivering gifts to our Adopt-A-Grandma {today's Random Act of Christmas Kindness}.

Baking cookies for Santa Claus.

Candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church.

A beautiful sunset as we were heading home from church.

Christmas Eve dinner by candlelight.

2 Days : Remembering the True Meaning

2011-12-23T11:48:00.003-05:00

Love all the nativities we have around our home ... pointing us in each room toward remembering the true meaning of CHRISTmas.

3 Days : Our Christmas Card

2011-12-22T19:45:00.003-05:00

Our Christmas Card this year ...

"Wishing you the gift of faith,
the blessing of hope
and the peace of His love
at Christmas and always!"

4 Days : Some Baking and a New Ornament

2011-12-21T22:26:00.005-05:00

Today began the baking process ... two baked goods down, just one to go. Getting things ready to deliver to friends tomorrow.

Also, Lexi received a gift from Mr. Grinch today - a new ornament for our tree. Thank you Ted for a beautiful ornament that will grace our tree for years to come and will always be a sweet reminder of the special time in Lexi's life.

TOS Crew Review : Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting App - Letters Make Words

2011-12-21T12:31:00.004-05:00

I love my iPad2, not only is it a great resource for me personally but, we use it consistently in our homeschooling {looking up a period of time in history, using an app to locate a constellation in the night sky, finding out what bird is making a particular sound - to name just a few ways we are able to use it}. Now, I can add practicing handwriting to our list of uses. Recently we were given the chance to review a brand new app for the iPad called Letters Make Words from Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting.

This was the perfect app to use with my 7 year old, 1st grader. Ava Mae loves using my iPad but, is not a big fan of handwriting sheets. So, when I first asked her to try out Letters Make Words she was a little reluctant but, she immediately fell in love with the app. She even enjoyed the new style of writing she was learning {Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting}. She told me it looked a little like cursive - which she wanted to learn first before printing anyway.

Here is a little about how the app works, directly from their website:

"Learn and teach handwriting with phonics, an app designed by a Handwriting Specialist and an Early Childhood Specialist. The purpose of Letters Make Words is to help beginning writers develop good handwriting habits for all academic and adult needs, and to learn basic phonemes.

The first screens offer suggestions of how to use Letters Make Words. Then letters are presented. The user can select any letter. Each one comprises a complete unit of instruction for that letter, a warmup pattern, the letter and a word to trace and to sound out. When a letter has a different sound depending on its usage in words, choose from either of two words. The next screen has three words to sound out with a silly sentence for the child to write on paper."

The voice on the app is very easy to listen to and with my daughter she needed no instruction on how to use the app at all. I watched as she opened it for the first time, chose a letter, and dove into her first lesson.

Ava Mae's written work that went along with the app seems to be improving the more and more we use it. I think a great addition to the current app would be a way for the children to use their finger to print on the screen itself and be scored on how well they did but, this was the only area I could see some improvement being beneficial. Overall, we have really enjoyed using Letters Make Words.

The app is being offered on iTunes at a special introductory price of $2.99. It is intended to use for ages 4+.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of the Letters Make Words app? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free download of the app Letters Make Words, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the app.

5 Days : Give This Christmas Away

2011-12-20T20:03:00.004-05:00

My absolute favorite Christmas song this season ... "Give This Christmas Away" by Matthew West and Amy Grant.
This Christmas we have been making our focus as much outwardly as possible. Giving Christmas away, less about us and our presents, more about others and celebrating God's presence.

If you have not heard the song ... here it is:

"Give this Christmas away
If there’s love in your heart
Don’t let it stay there
Give this Christmas away
And your life will be changed
By the gift your receive
When you give this Christmas away!"

I hope you have had the opportunity this Christmas to give a little love to someone in need!

6 Days : A Christmas Party and Dinner with Mr. Grinch

2011-12-19T23:17:00.003-05:00

Today our friends hosted a wonderful Christmas party ... there was a delicious lunch, fun games, and gingerbread house making.

Tonight, we hosted Mr. Grinch from the production of "How the Grinch Found Christmas". Lexi's good friend, JK, who played the other Cindy Lou was here with her mom. It was a great evening. While the adults enjoyed sitting around and chatting after dinner - the girls choreographed a ballet dance set to "White Christmas".

Love this time of year - especially the extra time we have to spend with dear friends!

7 Days : Christmas Lights

2011-12-18T22:07:00.005-05:00

Another one of our favorite traditions, going to see the "Lights of Life" at Life University.

Then tonight, we came home and had our Advent devotion and lit all 4 candles on our Advent wreath.

8 Days : Smores

2011-12-17T21:42:00.002-05:00

Thankful our temps were heading back toward freezing tonight ... it meant we could have a fire and roast marshmallows for smores!

9 Days : A Visit with Santa and The Pink Pig

2011-12-16T22:02:00.005-05:00

We went in to Buckhead today to see Santa and ride "The Pink Pig". Love being able to do things while the mall is not yet completely crazy! No line to see Santa and less than a fifteen minute wait to buy tickets and ride "The Pig" {being the multi-tasker that I am - was able to purchase two Christmas gifts while my husband and kids waited in line}.
Our Random Act of Christmas Kindness today was to pay the toll on GA 400 for several of the cars behind us.
Tonight was date night with my husband. Finishing up gifts for the kids - glad I waited on a few of the items as I got some really good deals.

10 Days : Breathing a Long Sigh

2011-12-15T21:21:00.005-05:00

Wow ... only ten days until Christmas. We have had a jam packed advent already. I feel like we have crammed enough activities into the last 15+ days to cover a couple of Christmas seasons.

Today was our first day since November 27th that we have had nothing on the calendar other than a ballet party. I am looking forward to the slower pace over the next ten days. A party or two, some traditional Christmas season activities with the kids, and baking. My husband began his holiday leave today from work. We are so happy to have him home until after Christmas.

So thankful we homeschool and can do things with the kids, before Christmas, together as a family {our homeschool is officially on Christmas break}. The schools in our area go until December 23rd this year - it seems crazy to have such a long break after Christmas an no time before.

So today, I am breathing a long sigh and hoping your Christmas season is beginning to slow and you are enjoying time with family and friends, as we all prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

"Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing ..."

11 Days : We Are So Blessed

2011-12-14T13:36:00.006-05:00

We did not have to drive far ... just a little south of downtown Atlanta. That is all it took for our children to truly understand how blessed we are!

A few weeks ago my husband was approached by a co-worker asking if we would be able to help out with a Christmas Party for an inner city christian preschool. I knew this was the opportunity I had been praying for, even though at the time I could not imagine how we could fit it into our schedule, not to mention, how I felt about taking my children into one of the most dangerous areas of Atlanta.

We were able to purchase gifts for twenty of the children - more than likely the only gifts they will receive on Christmas morning.

We baked cookies for their modest party. {I think my kids were in culture shock for the first twenty minutes of the party.}

My husband, Devin, and Lexi played Christmas songs while Ava Mae and I sang.

Then we were able to enjoy just sitting, talking, and playing with the kids. They were all so curious about my husband and son's guitars. They all wanted a turn trying to play them.

Many of the young girls were enthralled with my girls' hair. In fact, one five year old came up to me and asked "why you not fix their hair this morning ... were you running late". Apparently, your hair is not fixed unless braided, beaded, or done up with clips. They decided to remedy that problem and took to braiding Lexi and Ava Mae's hair. It was absolutely precious.

It was with a heavy heart that I left the preschool center. I wish we could have stayed all day. Many of the preschoolers begged us not to leave and began to cry. It broke my heart. We promised to be back and I already have some ideas I have run by another dear friend - hoping we can do something for them for Valentine's Day.

Thanking God today for this opportunity we were given ... thankful for the bible study I did this fall that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and go where God is leading - no questions asked. Thankful for the precious children we were able to enjoy today. Thankful for the opportunity to remind myself and show our children how blessed we are!

12 Days : Stargazing

2011-12-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight our Genesis TEN:10 Group went on a stargazing fieldtrip to watch the Geminids Meteor Shower. It was a great turnout with perfect weather {clear skies and temps hovering around the 40's}.

It was nice sitting and talking with my friend, Tammy, while our younger girls slept and our older kids ran around - occasionally looking skyward to see if they could see anything. {I think our husbands may have been more into the stargazing. They even gave a great presentation later in the evening pointing out all the stars and constellations we could see in the sky.}

My friend, JJ, who organized the night picked a perfect location away from the lights of the city. Her son, gave a great talk about the Star of Bethlehem.

That makes 3 fieldtrips for this month.

Earlier today, our Random Act of Christmas Kindness was to pass a gift card, to our favorite fast-food place {Chick-Fil-A}, to a customer as they were walking into the restaurant. We are having so much fun with these acts of kindness. I was telling my friend tonight that though we thought we would be blessing others - it has truly been a blessing to us this holiday season.

13 Days : Cookie Decorating

2011-12-12T20:19:00.004-05:00

Today my friend, Jen, hosted a get together with a few of our homeschool friends for a cookie decorating party.
Two words ... sugar high! I know at least one of my children used approximately a cup of icing on one cookie alone and then there were sprinkles and mini-m&m's to add.
Pictured below ... my new friend, Sophia, isn't she just the most adorable little girl! Last week we enjoyed watching the Nutcracker together and today, I became her new best friend by feeding her a constant supply of sugar cookies with icing.

Today's Random Act of Christmas Kindness ... Ava Mae made a gift for a sweet but, very shy little girl in her ballet class. We hope it brightened her day.

14 Days : Christmas Dinner Showcase

2011-12-11T21:10:00.004-05:00

What a fun night ... we went as a family to see Lexi perform on her last night of the Christmas Dinner Showcase.
It was a beautiful program but, all the same I am really glad to see all the performing come to an end this month. Lexi does not agree she would have been happy for the show to go on and on ...

15 Days : Gingerbread House Making

2011-12-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Advent seems to be going by at such a fast clip ... hoping as our schedules become a little less busy that it will seem to slow down.
{Love the concentration on every one's face in this photograph - designing a gingerbread house is apparently intense work}
Today we made our traditional gingerbread house. Another fun activity we look forward to each year. Lexi and Ava Mae each drew out and planned their design for their side of the house while my husband and Devin just winged it. I think it turned our pretty cute and it smells so good ... we have had to shoo the cats away from it several times today.

This evening we wrapped all of our gifts for the kids at the daycare center where we are helping with their Christmas party on Wednesday. My husband and the kids all practiced the songs they will be performing - Lexi is playing piano while Devin and Daune will both play their guitars and Ava Mae will sing.
We received one of the sweetest responses today to one of our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness - after my daughter, Lexi, gave her the little gift and card the woman came over and gave Lexi a hug hug telling her how much that act had meant to her. So sweet!

16 Days : And The Show Goes On

2011-12-09T21:29:00.004-05:00

Lexi is now in her second night of a four night run of dancing in a Christmas Dinner Showcase. I have only gotten to see pieces but, it looks like a wonderful show. We are going as a family on her last night to see it in entirety.
The kids continue to enjoy passing out our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. As we grow closer to Christmas we have some bigger things planned but, for now, enjoying the smiles our small acts have brought to people.

17 Days : Better to Give

2011-12-08T17:26:00.003-05:00

As the kids get older it is easier for them to understand what our focus needs to be at Christmas. We are working hard at teaching them it is better to give than to receive. It is easier to say "no, you don't need another gaming system, if that means we can provide for those in need during Christmas". I loved the recent words I read in our Advent study this year {Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie} -

By putting our focus on giving to others and meeting their very real needs, we can battle the greed in our hearts. Christmas is a season not of getting, but of giving, because at Christmas we are celebrating that God is the most generous and outrageous Giver in the universe. After all he gave to us his Son. Proverbs says, "Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!" Proverbs 21:26

What really stood out to me in that paragraph was the words "meeting their real needs". The kids and I talked about how we should be providing for those less fortunate than us. We should not get caught up in the feelings of 'we need more'. We have a roof over our heads, closets overflowing with clothes and shoes, and cabinets and a refrigerator full of food - as do most of our friends and family. Do our children really need more toys, do I need another knick knack for the house?

So today, in that spirit, we went out and bought gifts for underprivileged children. We have been blessed with an opportunity to participate in giving a Christmas party next week for an at-risk early childhood development center in downtown Atlanta begun by a pastor who experienced the loss of one of her own children. It is in these moments or opportunities we are presented that I am reminded of the fact that this is what Christmas is about.

I have not always felt this way, trust me, I was one of those who had to buy extravagant gifts to feel like it was Christmas. I remind myself of that when I get caught up in conversations with friends droning on and on about the "hundreds or thousands they are spending this Christmas on their children and relatives {some of whom are well off and not in need of a thing}." Making a drastic change like we have can be hard but, I will share with you this, I have found it leads to a much more joyful spirit filled feeling at the end of the Christmas season.

18 Days : Census Time in Bethlehem

2011-12-07T20:49:00.004-05:00

Tonight the Wednesday Night Choir that Devin and Lexi attend performed their Christmas program. Devin was a shepherd and did a great job with his lines! He was also excited to get to wear a wireless mic.
Lexi performed a dance during the program with her friend JK. Then she had to race off the stage and on to another dress rehearsal at her ballet school. For the next 4 nights Lexi will be performing in a Christmas dinner showcase.

And our parting shot is of the 14 bags of candy we made today for all of our Wednesday night choir and mission leaders. So appreciate all of these great volunteers!

19 Days : Back to Bethlehem

2011-12-06T21:33:00.004-05:00

As I told a friend the other day, I am embracing the craziness of the holiday season. Only by doing that was I able to say "yes" to back to back field trips this week. Both were great opportunities we just did not want to miss and I keep reminding myself Christmas comes but once a year.

Today's field trip was "Back to Bethlehem". Another great Advent experience we look forward to every year. It is a great way to experience the reenactment of the town of Bethlehem around the time of Jesus' birth. Sampling food in the marketplace, seeing a demonstration of woodworking, petting a camel, visiting the Inn where Jesus was born, and paying our taxes - all fun activities we took part in today.
So glad the rain held off until we were on our way home!

TOS Crew Review : ARTistic Pursuits

2011-12-06T20:14:00.007-05:00

It is no secret that my daughters absolutely love art ... it is always the first subject they ask to do each day.

I was so excited to get a chance to review the curriculum from ARTistic Pursuits {Book 1 for Grades K - 3} and because my girls love art so much I already had all the supplies we needed for the lessons. Though if the thought of having to go to an art store and purchase supplies sends you into panic mode, no worries, ARTistic Pursuits actually offers art supplies for sale on their website.

I really love the fact that each lesson in this curriculum combines art appreciation with art instruction - simplifying things and making my life easier. Also, love the introduction of fine art materials to children.

Our second lesson in the book was about how artists use their imagination to create artwork. It had us studying a painting by Mac Chagall entitled "The Birthday". We closely looked at the painting then answered questions in the ARTistic Pursuits book. Then we moved on to creating our own imaginative art using watercolor crayons.

Here is what Lexi and Ava Mae came up with ...

Some of the best parts of ARTistic Pursuits is what is not in their curriculum.

What you WILL NOT find in ARTistic Pursuits:

NO formal exercises that make no connections to real world experiences. We will not ask your child to draw a page of straight lines, circles, cones, and cubes. The development of eye/hand coordination, which may improve with such exercises, happens more easily when children draw objects that they enjoy and are willing to draw.
NO single technique to learning. This is not a book of step-by-step copy exercises typical of How-to-Draw books. The technique of teaching kids to draw shapes copied from a book page does nothing to help them draw real objects. ARTistic Pursuits employs a variety of drawing techniques practiced by all artists when drawing from direct observation.
NO tiny boxes in which students are asked to sketch into. Artists don't work in 2" x 2" squares and we won't ask your students to do something that is physically uncomfortable. With a 9"x12" sketch book, they practice the type of whole hand and whole arm motion needed to make art. Art requires the use of the larger muscles of the hand (moving at the wrist), and arm (moving at the shoulder). Small muscle groups are used less often, therefore large sheets of paper are needed, 9"x12" or 11" x 14".
NO kids sitting in front of the TV or computer screen. Assignments guide children to work from life. The stillness of a natural setting revives our spirits. To be in nature helps us to become keen observers of our surroundings and active in our participation. Children benefit from time spent observing, and learn to "focus in" and "ponder" rather than "tuning out" to harsh sounds and fast paced visuals that TV and computer programs present to them. One mom wrote, "My son took his ARTistic Pursuits book and art tools out to the pasture. He's been sitting there with his dog for quite a long time, drawing something in the distance. I couldn't be happier!"

Prior to reviewing this product we were using another expensive art curriculum that was definitely frustrating at times for my girls - due to many of the reasons listed above.

ARTistic Pursuits, K - 3 Book 1 - An Introduction to the Visual Arts, is available to purchase directly from ARTistic Pursuits for $42.95. As are the other levels of this curriculum.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of ARTistic Pursuits? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of ARTistic Pursuits, K - 3 Book 1, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.

20 Days : The Nutcracker, a Special Visit, and RACK

2011-12-05T19:29:00.005-05:00

Today our fieldtrip was to see the Georgia Ballet perform, The Nutcracker. You would think my girls would be "balleted" out but, they are always up for seeing this Christmas ballet. And, it was a nice culmination to our study of Tchaikovsky.

{It is always fun to do things with friends!}

We are also enjoying a visit from my brother. He coaches college football out in Iowa and it is a rare treat to see him! He is in Atlanta with another coach from their college recruiting football players. When he is not working, Ava Mae our cruise director has planned out every minute of his visit. There are stories to read, games to play, and piggy back rides to get. She even insisted on missing ballet class today. So glad my brother is such a good sport and a wonderful Uncle!!

{The girls made posters before my brother arrived at our home - they wanted to greet the coaches with signs supporting their team}

Our Random Act of Christmas Kindness {RACK} today was to pass out candy canes to fellow patrons in a restaurant we ate lunch at. The kids enjoyed wishing others Merry Christmas and the sweet responses they received. We hope we brightened each persons day!

21 Days : Christmas Packages

2011-12-04T19:54:00.004-05:00

Tonight was our church's Christmas Packages event. With performances, reindeer, hot chocolate, a petting zoo, horse drawn carriage rides, live Nativity, and many more fun activities it is a can't miss event for us each year.
Ava Mae's choir performed along with all the other Preschool - 1st grade choirs. It was a sweet production.
Due to our absolute crazy schedule the last two days we put our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness on hold but, they will resume tomorrow. In fact, the kids insist we do three to make up for missing them on Saturday and today.

TOS Crew Review: ¡El Español Fácil!, Junior Level from Great Commission Languages

2011-12-04T12:21:00.004-05:00

My 1st grade daughter, Ava Mae, attends Timothy one day a week {a program for homeschoolers offering supplemental and extra-curricular classes each semester}. One of her classes this past semester was Spanish. I was looking for a program that we could use at home which would reinforce what she was learning in class so I was so happy to be chosen to review ¡El Español Fácil! from Great Commission Languages.

The lessons were quite simple and exactly what we were looking for - conversational Spanish, which was what my daughter was learning. Each lesson has a short story that the student listens to on CD. One huge benefit for me was the audio CD - Ava Mae's Spanish teacher at Timothy sent home many sheets we could use but, without someone to pronounce many of the words - I was lost. It was nice to be able to listen to the conversations in the story and hear the correct pronunciation of each word - most of the conversations the words are repeated in English which made it easy to follow along. The audio CD also has each lessons vocabulary words to listen to.

After listening to the story there are various activities which go along with each lesson {even some lapbooking which we love} - you can choose to complete one or all of them. For Ava Mae, being she is reading and writing at only a 1st grade level I chose to have her complete activities that did not require her to read something.

Ava Mae enjoyed the lessons and even likened some of them to one of her favorite shows since she was 2 years old "Dora the Explorer".

Wondering if this program is right for your family ... take a look at the sample lessons here.

I think one of the best testimonies I can give about this program is watching my daughter able to converse with a Spanish speaking family the other day while we were out shopping.

¡El Español Fácil!, Junior Level is available to purchase from Great Commission Languages for $69.95. A great value compared to some of the foreign language programs we have priced.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of The Great Commission Languages Program? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of ¡El Español Fácil!, Junior Level, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.

22 Days : The Performance

2011-12-03T22:56:00.005-05:00

Hours upon hours of classes, practices, and rehearsals over the last two months and it all came down to 2 1/2 minutes today on stage.

This was my view for today's performance {backstage} ... I just could not bring myself to watch from our front row seats.
Lexi was beautiful ... she danced an amazing pas de deux with the Grinch. I almost burst into tears when she came off the stage and into my arms.

Lexi told me this evening she can't believe it is over ... she has had a great time rehearsing with one of her best friends twice a week over the last few months{JK was just as amazing in the 2PM show}.
Ava Mae also did a wonderful job performing as an elf in the toy dance.

Both my girls were blessed with lots of friends who came to see them dance.

Lexi also has sweet ballet friends that came running up to her as soon as she was done performing her Cindy Lou part to hug her and tell her how proud they were of her. {Thankful again to be a part of such a wonderful ballet program}

Three Days into Advent and feeling the sweet love of Jesus in so many moments today!

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

23 Days : Dress Rehearsal

2011-12-02T21:43:00.006-05:00

Today was another busy day, lots of end of semester parties at Timothy followed by a long 5 hour dress rehearsal.
Looking forward to tomorrow's performances after a good night's rest!

And my parting shot ... today's RACK ... we purchased a small Altoid Tin and left it for one of the receptionists at our church along with a note.

24 Days : A New Way to Celebrate Advent

2011-12-01T14:48:00.005-05:00

We love Advent ... the anticipation of the celebration of Jesus' coming to earth. Each year I pick a fun study for us to do during the season.

Some years we have made fun crafts, other years we have put together a Playmobil Advent scene {1 piece a day}, this year I decided I really wanted our focus to be outward. So, in that spirit, I found an amazing idea one day a few months ago while on Pinterest {a major addiction of mine}.

Tracie who blogs over at TSJ Photography posted how last year for Advent each day their family performed a RACK , which stands for Random Act of Christmas Kindness, I knew immediately that is what I wanted us to do! The kids were so excited when I told them about the idea. I loved that Tracie posted some of the things they had done last year {passing out Starbucks gift cards, taping candy canes to ATM machines, etc.}.

So, today was our first day, we decided to buy a box of donuts and deliver them to our local police officers for a morning treat. We tied a red bow around the box and taped one of our RACK cards to the top. The police officer who greeted us did not look like she was having a good day but, if you could see the huge smile on her face once she realized we were there with a gift it was absolutely priceless. My kids left feeling they had shared Jesus with her. {I decided I won't be taking along my big camera to snap pics - many times I want our acts to truly be random and my camera is just too heavy to carry around all the time. So pics will be from my iPhone instead.}

If you want to join in on this Advent fun, Tracie has been so sweet to post RACK cards for you to download - what could be easier.

Also, this is the book I have chosen to use this year for our Advent Study. A study every day leading up to Christmas along with discussion questions.

Tis the Season

2011-11-30T20:51:00.005-05:00

It is here ... the Christmas season is upon us. Last night I enjoyed a wonderful time with some of my good friends. I hosted a table at our church's women's Christmas Celebration program - the program was so good {though I know I say that every year}, the food was amazing, and it was so nice spending time with some of my dearest friends.
Today was the Lottie Moon Bake sale at church ... the girls made 48 cookies {2 dozen white chocolate peppermint cookies and 2 dozen six layer cookies}.

Lexi continues with her Cindy Lou practices {pictured below the two Cindy Lou's} ... this Saturday is the big performance. Ava Mae and Lexi are both so excited about "How the Grinch Found Christmas".

Yes, the Christmas season is upon us ... we are enjoying each exciting day - even if our calendar is completely full until Christmas. Tomorrow I will post about our new way of celebrating Advent this year.

TOS Crew Review: The Reading Game

2011-11-27T14:38:00.005-05:00

My children love games so when I can combine that with teaching phonics it is a huge plus!!

We recently had the opportunity to review The Reading Game by the author of Wordly Wise. It is a fun and fast two player memory card game, for ages 4 and up, that teaches sight words. It was a great supplement to Ava Mae's phonics/reading program.

The game comes with 180 memory cards and six fun storybooks. Each storybook has 30 memory cards that go along with it. What I loved is that when Ava Mae had memorized the first 30 memory cards she was able to read the first storybook. I have found one of the biggest motivators when teaching reading is the ability for a child to be able to read a book by themselves. Ava Mae was so excited when she read her first book "Skunk". I found it really nice that the memory card game is played in six sets of five words. The smaller sets allow for your child to learn the words more quickly without being overwhelmed.

From The Reading Game website:
Frequent exposure through play hard-wires these words into long-term memory. The card game requires two players, the student and a tutor. When used in classrooms and reading centers, parent volunteers or student “reading buddies” can easily be shown how to play the matching card game. By transforming rote learning into a fast paced game where there is a winner every few seconds, learning to read becomes fun.

After completing stage six of the first game, the student has a reading vocabulary of thirty words.

The first story is told using just those thirty words. It tells of a skunk without a stripe who is rejected for being different but finds acceptance among a group of cats and becomes their defender. Each subsequent game in the series adds a further thirty words for a reading vocabulary of 180 words by the time the complete series is finished. Of the twenty-five most commonly used English words, twenty-two are on that list; of the forty most commonly used English words –thirty. The multi-sensory teaching approach – through the card game play and the storybooks - works well for retention and student enjoyment.

My son and daughter both enjoyed playing the role of "reading buddy" for Ava Mae. It is a game easily paired with an older sibling - another plus in our homeschool. I think this game would make a great Christmas gift for a new reader and a wonderful addition to any reading/phonics curriculum. It can be purchased directly from The Reading Game for just $24.95.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of The Reading Game? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of The Reading Game, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T19:00:00.003-05:00

Great food,

friends,

and fun!

Counting Our Blessings with a Thankful Chain

2011-11-23T17:37:00.003-05:00

This year, instead of a thankful tree, we made a thankful chain. Each morning, at the school table, I had the kids get a slip of paper that I had hand-stamped, Counting my Blessings, and write something they were thankful for.
We loved watching our chain grow and grow! We have so much to be thankful for {God, a roof over our head, food on the table, nice clothes to wear, friends, each other, our pets, gifts and talents that God has given us}!!

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." Psalm 100:4

Happy Thanksgiving ... what are you thankful for this year?

TOS Crew Review: Read Naturally - One Minute Reader

2011-11-18T19:39:00.005-05:00

Recently I had the opportunity to review a product called One Minute Reader from the company Read Naturally.

Read Naturally a company founded by Special Education teacher Candyce Ihnot and her husband, Tom. Its programs are based on a unique strategy for helping struggling readers that Mrs. Ihnot developed while working on her Master’s Degree.

I knew this program would be a great fit for my son. Though he reads constantly - reading aloud is not something we have practiced a lot. Many times he struggles with fluency when I ask him to read aloud from our history text or bible. I was not concerned with his comprehension at all as that has always been an area he excels in but, I knew he could increase the speed with which he reads.

So, after reviewing the DVD which comes with the program we began using One Minute Reader immediately after receiving it. Here is how the program works:

These are the principles that make One Minute Reader so effective. Students read each story several times, following a specific series of steps designed to make sure they learn to read correctly, read faster, and understand what they read.
Read Along

Students read the story aloud while listening to an audio CD of the story. This teaches them how to pronounce new words and reviews and reinforces words they already know.

Read Alone

After reading along, students read alone several times. By practicing the story, they master the story and many of the words in it.

Raise Your Score

Students time themselves before and after they read along and read alone. A graph of their growth motivates them to keep improving

We got the One Minute Reader Starter Kit Level 1 and the Level 3 Disasters Book and CD. We began with the Level 3 book because, of my son's reading level. Devin loved all of the stories in this book. We started each story by having him record his cold score after reading through the story once. He also underlined any words he did not know. Devin then practiced reading the story out loud with the CD, then by himself, and then with me. Each time he read the story by himself he would record the score. He loved seeing how quickly his speed went up with each run through the story.

There is a place to chart your scores in each book ... allowing the child to see progress. Also, each story has a Quick Quiz which the child can take to see their comprehension level.

My son can be a hard sell anytime I incorporate something new into our curriculum but, he took to this new addition and I found him reading the stories even when I did not ask.

I was really happy with my son's progress while using One Minute Reader. I plan on incorporating this program into my 1st grader's curriculum also.

Do you have a struggling reader or would you just like to increase your child's reading fluency or comprehension then give this program a try! A One Minute Reader starter kit retails for $24.95. It includes a Book, Audio CD, Instructional DVD, 1 minute timer, and a red and blue pencil to chart progress scores. I would suggest going to their website and taking a look at the sample stories to get a good idea of where your child would fall - level wise. After purchasing a starter kit you can also purchase individual books with CD for just $12.95.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Read Naturally and the One Minute Reader program? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free One Minute Reader program from Read Naturally, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.

Thanksgiving Party and Operation Christmas Child

2011-11-14T08:51:00.005-05:00

Each year our small homeschool group has a Thanksgiving Party. The main reason for the party is for the kids to come together and prepare their Operation Christmas Child boxes.

This year my friend, Jamie, hosted the party. The kids watched a video about Operation Christmas Child before they wrote out their "About Me" sheets to include inside their boxes.

After finishing up it was time for snacks and one of our groups favorite games ...

The Donut Game {which became a tradition several years ago as an alternative to bobbing for apples - which for us germ-a-phobe moms is a nightmare} We normally play the Donut Game at our Halloween Party but, we ran out of time this year so we moved this fun activity to the Thanksgiving Party.Yesterday we brought our packed boxes to church. My kids look forward to packing these boxes each year - we always pray for the child who will receive the box! It is great way to start the holiday season.

November Field Trip - "Holiday Etiquette Boot Camp"

2011-11-10T16:56:00.006-05:00

Our November Field Trip was to attend a "Holiday Etiquette Boot Camp". It was a great class, led by a fellow homeschool mom who has an Etiquette business where she teaches manners classes to children.
The kids learned many tips for the holiday party season - including the proper way to conduct yourself at a buffet, proper etiquette for the dinner table, the importance of making eye contact with adults when speaking to them, where our napkin goes, how to properly ask to be excused from a dinner table - just to name a few. My daughter, Lexi, who has gone to Etiquette School prior to today, told me it was really great to get a refresher course on everything. My son, who had to be bribed to attend the field trip, told me the class was a lot of fun and nothing like he thought it would be {boring}. Ava Mae was just so excited to finally be able to take an etiquette class - she has been begging to do this since Lexi went to Etiquette School last fall. {Pictured below: Ava Mae shows off her new found table setting skills}

The class concluded with an actual party buffet. The kids all enjoyed picking appetizers and desserts and then practicing their new skills at the table.

Thank you Elizabeth for taking time out of your busy schedule to teach this wonderful "Holiday Etiquette Boot Camp" and if you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in having your children take a manners class from Elizabeth, just let me know and I will get you her contact info.

Peak Leaves

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

The kids and I love this poem "Autumn Fires" by Robert Louis Stevenson. And though, Mr. Stevenson, was speaking of actual fires the kids and I felt like all the trees around us now appear to be on fire with their bright orange, yellow, and red leaves. Fall ... my favorite time of year!!

"In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!"
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Practice Makes Perfect ...

2011-11-08T08:38:00.004-05:00

Lexi has been working hard these past few weeks ... she was cast as "Cindy Loo" for her ballet school's performance of "How the Grinch found Christmas".

{Below: Lexi rehearses with "The Grinch"}

It has meant lots of extra rehearsals on top of her normal 4 hours a week in the ballet studio. Lexi has loved every minute of it! This year, for the first time, there will be 2 performances of the ballet. The great thing about that is one of Lexi's best friends was cast as "Cindy Loo" for the other performance - this has meant having a friend to do your rehearsals with.

Looking forward to seeing this fun production in just a few short weeks ... until then, practice makes perfect!

Happy 7th Birthday Ava Mae!

2011-11-04T21:04:00.004-04:00

A big week for Ava Mae ... her baptism this past Sunday and today, she turned 7 years old! Again, I must look at one of my children and ask ... where has the time gone?

We celebrated her birthday with a party at Chuck E Cheese, at 2pm right after classes were done at Timothy - so we had just homeschool friends in attendance. This really was a good thing as Ava Mae does not meet a stranger and her original guest list had over 30 names.

Everyone had fun playing games, eating pizza, and dancing with Chuck E Cheese.

Ava Mae even got into the ticket blaster ... though she needed some help from her brother.

Happy Birthday Ava Mae ... God blessed us with you seven years ago. May you always keep that bubbly - outgoing personality, adorable smile, and love for God! Just like your sister God has given you the beautiful gift of dance and a love for the stage and though there are days when I wish you would always stay our little baby I can't wait to see what God has in store for you in the coming years!! We love you so much ...

TOS Crew Review: First Start Reading and Classical Phonics

2011-11-03T13:06:00.004-04:00

As my homeschool friends all know I am always on the lookout for a great reading program. While one program worked great for my son, it was a horrible failure for my daughter Lexi, who has dyslexia. We have a great reading program for Lexi but, when trying to use it with Ava Mae she has found it boring at times. Enter Memoria Press' new First Start Reading and Classical Phonics program. I was so happy to test out something different with Ava Mae and being we do a mixture of Classical/Charlotte Mason curriculum I knew it would fit right in.

I have been so happy with First Start Reading and Classical Phonics - my daughter really took to the program immediately. The pages in First Start Reading are interesting and keep my daughter's attention. I love that we can combine her practice of handwriting with the phonics program. After just a few short lessons my daughter was reading and writing the words she had learned. The books are the perfect mixture of tracing, reading, drawing, and coloring for Ava Mae. I love the fact that the lessons are simple and direct but, very thorough. The teacher's manual is so easy to follow - anyone can easily use it to teach their child to read.

The only hiccup we had while using the program were the word lists in the Classical Phonics book. When I first opened the book to show my daughter without even looking she immediately said "I cannot read those words". After a few minutes of showing her how the word lists would work she was happily working through them. Classical Phonics has a very traditional way of teaching phonics - no pictures next to words cluing the child into what the letters spell - just phonetically arranged word lists {it was originally published in 1913 and was ahead of its time when it came out}.

Memoria Press' First Start Reading is a complete phonics, reading and printing program. There are three student books and one teacher's manual - all which retail for $29.95 {a great price!} and can be ordered directly from Memoria Press.

Memoria Press' Classical Phonics is a teacher and student guide all in one. It retails for $14.95 and can also be purchased directly from Memoria Press.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Memoria Press and the First Start Reading and Classical Phonics program? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free First Start Reading and Classical Phonics program from Memoria Press, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.

Ava Mae's Baptism

2011-11-02T20:41:00.005-04:00

On this past Sunday, Ava Mae was baptized in a beautiful service at our church.

She has been looking forward to this day for a very long time ...

{Pictured above ... Ava Mae on the big screen sharing her testimony. Below ... video clip from baptism.}

We are thankful to God for her decision to follow Him and for the heart He has given her for Him.
It was a very special day made more special by our dear friends who came out to celebrate this momentous occasion.

{Pictured above: Ava Mae with Coach JJ ... one of Ava Mae's favorite adults who came to pray over Ava Mae during her baptism.}

Your love for Jesus Christ

Shines through in all you do
For there are many that will see
The hope of Christ in you
We thank the Lord for you
For bringing you to this place
To be baptized in His precious name
And to walk on in His grace.

Halloween {2011}

2011-10-31T21:42:00.005-04:00

Another fun Halloween ... our good friends throw a wonderful party each year. There is lots of yummy food for dinner and then we all head out to trick-or-treat the neighborhood they live in.

Many of our closest friends attend each year and the kids have a blast!

The theme this year amongst my kids was to dress like one of their best friends ...

{Pictured above - Ava Mae with her best friend, Maddie Bell - they were Rockettes. Pictured below - Devin with one of his best buds, Clarke, as Boston Red Sox players}

This year Lexi won the costume contest for the girls ...

{Pictured above - Lexi with one of her best friends, JK. Trick or Treating. Pictured below - just some of the ten pounds of candy loot my kids brought home.}

Another Fall Baseball Season Comes to a Close

2011-10-29T20:30:00.005-04:00

Today was our last day of Fall ball for the season ... my husband and son both agree that it always ends too soon.

The players on the team decided it would be fun to end the game by dumping the cooler on the coaches ... though with temps in the 50's and a party at a restaurant right afterward we offered up another option ... silly string.

Our pizza party afterward was fun ... time for awards and to say goodbye until next season. This was another great team with super nice kids and parents. We hope to see them all back this Spring!

{And what would a baseball end of season party be without friends to be silly with}

Fall Nature Walk

2011-10-27T15:22:00.004-04:00

Thursdays are our day for Nature Journaling ... some weeks that means more than others. {Many times I just ask the kids to head into the back or front yard to observe nature and journal.}

Today, we headed to the creek at the end of our cul-de-sac. We always love to see the changes that each season brings.

{On our way back home, we stopped to observe this honey bee in a rose.}

TOS Crew Review: Northstar Game's ~ Wits & Wagers Family

2011-10-24T17:45:00.007-04:00

Our family has really enjoyed board games lately ... and, while I love games like Monopoly they can seem to drag on and on. Recently, we were given the opportunity to review a new game ~ "Wits & Wagers Family" by Northstar Games. We were immediately hooked! Even our youngest child, who was too young to play the game {game is best for 8 and up}, got into the action by keeping score.

The great thing about this game - not only is it fun, enjoyable, and easy to play for everyone, it is also fast paced.

Another bonus, being able to open a new game and have everyone playing within just a few short minutes. Here is how easy it is ...

1. Choose a card from the deck and ask a question from the card.

2. Have all players write down a numerical guess on the dry erase boards provided.

3. Players then reveals their guesses and each person bets on which answer is correct {many times I knew my kids would know answer to something I did not like "How many official Disney Princesses are there?"}.

4. Award points to the players who bet on the correct answer and the player who gave the correct answer.

Too simple ... we have played multiple games and they have never lasted more than 15 or 20 minutes.
Our family gives it 2 thumbs up ... in fact, when I told my son I was sitting down to write this review he wanted to make sure I included how "awesome" this game is. Wits & Wagers Family is best for 3 - 6 players and can be found at local retailers and online. We saw this game on the shelf at our Target store for $19.99. I think it would make a great Christmas gift!

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Wits & Wagers Family by Northstar Games? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free Wits & Wagers Family board game, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the game.

TOS Crew Review: Apologia's - Educating the WholeHearted Child

2011-10-22T14:07:00.003-04:00

Just starting out homeschooling or been in the trenches for awhile? This is the book I would point you to Apologia's ~ Educating the WholeHearted Child! In this newly updated 3rd edition {376 pages}, Clay and Sally Clarkson delve into the world of homeschooling - bestowing on us their knowledge from years and years of homeschooling.

This is a book that I just cannot put down every time I pick it up to read. So many great ideas and wonderful insight and while I may not agree 100% with everything the Clarkson's have written in the way they have chosen to homeschool I still walk away with some great tidbit or something new I want to give a try.

One of my favorite tools in the book is a section on how to decipher your child's learning style. You can make your homeschooling life so much more pleasant by knowing what style learner your children are. I also love all the forms in the back of the book - a great resource! {One thing I have definitely learned in the five short years we have been homeschooling - learn from those who have gone before me and do not try and reinvent the wheel.}

From the book cover:

Since 1994, Educating the WholeHearted Child has been a trusted guide for thousands of homeschooling families. This extensively revised and expanded third edition provides a solid biblical foundation for educating and nurturing your children's hearts, minds and souls.

You will discover how to:
Make your home and family the heart of your children's education
Train your children to become creative, self-directed learners
Enrich life and education with living books
Identify and work with each child's learning style
Help your children love to learn as naturally as they love to play
Gain confidence to teach with practical, commonsense methods.

I think every homeschool could benefit from having this book on their shelf! I know I will be referring to it for years to come. To purchase your own copy {Cost: $22.00} head on over to Apologia's site. You can even read a sample chapter or take a look at the table of contents.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Apologia's ~ Educating the WholeHearted Child? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free copy of Educating the Wholehearted Child, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the book.

Annual Halloween Party {2011}

2011-10-21T21:24:00.004-04:00

Today we hosted our small homeschool group for our annual Halloween Party. It was another beautiful fall day and the 25 kids had a great time playing, snacking, and participating in the costume contest.

{My friend, Jamie, getting all of our kids ready for the group shot ... so nice to have a professional photographer in our group!}

{The judging begins ... my friend, Christi, once again graciously agreed to be the judge.}

{Our winners ... Princess Leah and Erragon}

So blessed to have such great families that we get to do homeschool life with!

{Some of my dearest friends!!! Three of which are pregnant ... so excited to be having so many new babies in our group. My friend Rebecca is actually past her due date - hoping her new baby arrives soon!}

{Ava Mae and her best friend, Maddie Bell, are Rockettes this year!}

October Field Trip {Burt's Pumpkin Farm}

2011-10-20T19:33:00.005-04:00

Our field trip for October was to Burt's Pumpkin Farm ... it is located in the North Georgia Mountains and is a working pumpkin farm {not a farm where pumpkins are brought into and sold like another farm we have frequented each fall}. So worth the 1 1/2 drive ... it was so scenic and the leaves were just beautiful!
Three days ago the weather was warm ... not so much today. When we arrived at the farm temps were floating below the 40 degree mark. Thankfully, we were able to duck inside one of the buildings and get some warm popcorn while we waited for our field trip to start.
The kids enjoyed the hayride and picking out pumpkins. We brought home four sugar pumpkins, a grey pumpkin and a bright orange pumpkin.

{Above: Lexi posing with one of her good friends - JK}

{Below: kids posing with some of the gorgeous pumpkins ... Ava Mae had on an adorable Halloween outfit - unfortunately, she was too cold to remove any of the layers that were covering it.}

Timothy Service Project: Operation Write Home

2011-10-18T16:23:00.004-04:00

I love that Timothy requires a service project from each class every semester and I always look forward to having my kids participate or coming up with an idea for the class I am teaching.
This semester I chose Operation Write Home for my Rubberstamping Class. I felt the service project tied in well to what the class was about.

Operation Write Home is a wonderful non-profit organization that sends hand-made cards to military units serving overseas. {There are no card stores in Baghdad.} It allows the service people to choose a card to mail back to the States to their family and friends. Having a brother who served two tours in Iraq I know how appreciated these types of services are.

The deadline for Christmas Cards is October 31st so we decided to go with that type of card. The girls did a great job prepping and helping stamp the cards.

Hoping these cards bless some of our brave troops overseas!

Beautiful Fall Day at the Ballpark

2011-10-15T13:09:00.005-04:00

I love fall baseball ... especially when the weather cools off and our views around the ballpark look like this on a cool crisp Saturday morning!

Congrats to the Tigers for a great win today and to Devin for pitching an awesome 2 innings!!

Our Week In Review - October 14th

2011-10-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Six weeks done and behind us ... other than my medical issues things have been smooth sailing. On Sunday, Devin and Lexi helped lead worship in our church by singing with the Amen Choir. Just love hearing the kids sing in church. This week the kids and I studied New Amsterdam and we learned how the Dutch people brought cows over to America. We did a fun experiment and made butter from whipping cream.

{After about 15 minutes of shaking ... delicious homemade butter.}

Ava Mae finished memorization of her October poem "If I Knew" by Maud Wyman and she loves it when we record or video her ...

Lexi has lots of dancing to do this December. She was cast as Cindy Loo in her ballet school's performance of "How the Grinch Found Christmas". Along with her extra practices each week for her solo {yesterday it was 2 1/2 hours} she is learning five new dances she will perform with her classes. She is exhausted many days during the week but, loving every minute of her rehearsals and dance classes.

Devin has been my helper this year in homeschooling ... he loves tutoring the girls in math, a subject God has gifted him in. Devin also enjoys making lunch for all of us - he has opened his own sandwich shop in our kitchen and is getting pretty good at using the cooktop. On the medical front, my endoscopy went well and revealed the cause of the horrendous stomach pain - ulcers. Lots of them ... ugghh! Yesterday I found out that the main cause is an infection in my stomach lining - more than likely exacerbated by the raw foods and healthy smoothies I was doing for about two months. Glad to have a diagnosis ... not looking forward to the two week treatment - I will be pretty sick for those two weeks because of the drugs I have to take. Then a long road back to getting my digestive system healthy again.

So that was our week ... hard to believe our first six weeks are done. In another six weeks we will be at Thanksgiving.

TOS Crew Review: Always Ice Cream

2011-10-13T13:57:00.003-04:00

My daughter, Ava Mae, could not wait to help out with reviewing Always IceCream. A great website for girls ages 7 - 12 years old to play educational games {math, geography, bible, language arts, science and more}, interact with each other in a virtual community {with parent's approval}, watch educational videos, and much more.

So, how does Always IceCream work ...

"Always Icecream serves "virtual ice cream," or $coops, to girls in exchange for practicing basic math, advanced math, geography, language arts, science, typing, and more. Girls use $coops to play fun games, decorate their homes on Mini World, and feed their virtual pets on Pet World."

Here are just a few screen shots from the Always IceCream website:

Geography

Typing

Pet World

My 7 year old daughter really enjoyed playing the fun games on the site and the colors and cute graphics drew her in. The only draw back for our family was that most of the educational games were above her level {She did enjoy doing the math on her own as it did not require any help from us}. We solved the problem by having an older sibling or myself sit with her on the educational game part so that she could have help reading and earn scoops then to play the fun games by herself. We also chose not to allow our daughter to use the social side of this website, mainly because of her young age but, had we used this website for my 9 year old daughter we would have had no problem letting her interact with friends on the site.

I did really like the educational environment on this website. I also liked that parents can decide what content they allow their daughter to participate in and I can pull a report which shows me how she is doing on the educational games.

I think Always IceCream is perfect for an older girl or one who is reading. Why not give it a try for your family ... Always IceCream is offering a free trial. After your free trial is over the rates are very reasonable. Monthly memberships are $4.99, Annual memberships $29.99, and Lifetime memberships $99.99.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Always IceCream? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free membership, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the website.

Fall Rubberstamping Projects

2011-10-10T16:49:00.003-04:00

Pictured above are a few of the projects we made recently in the class I teach at Timothy. {From the left: A test tube holder with fall colored pretzel m&m's; a fall themed card; and a sour cream container we made from fall themed scrapbook paper - filled with caramel Hershey Kisses}

This is such a fun class to teach! I have some more fun projects planned in the coming weeks that I will be sure to share.

Fall is here ...

2011-10-06T08:37:00.005-04:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year ... cool mornings, warm afternoons, beautiful colors, pumpkins, apples, baking - I love it all! And, while I look ahead to our crazy busy December, I am enjoying the slower pace of October and November.

Just a few pictures from around our home ...

Molasses Cookies and a GIVEAWAY!

2011-10-04T07:58:00.005-04:00

Fall is here which in our house means lots of baking ... and if your family loves molasses cookies like we do, but could do without the preparation and mess - Betty Crocker to the rescue! This fall, Betty Crocker is introducing a molasses cookie mix, making this year-round favorite easy to bake in less than 20 minutes.

Ava Mae and I whipped up a batch yesterday afternoon and they were a huge hit! They had a soft chewy texture and the perfect blend of cinnamon and spices.

And the good news, I get to giveaway a Betty Crock Molasses Cookie Prize Pack - including everything in the picture below {Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie Mix, Betty Crocker apron, non-stick baking pan, and mixing spoon}.

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment below telling me your favorite occasion for baking spice cookies.

This giveaway will run through October 11, 2011 at 11:59 PM. Winner will be drawn via Random.org on or about October 12, 2011. Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to provide shipping information. Giveaway is limited to US residents only who are 18 and older. If winner fails to respond within the 48 hour time frame, I will choose a different winner. Be sure to leave your email in the comment or ensure that it's available in your public profile. If you win, I need to be able to reach you!

Edited to add ... Congratulations to Amanda Y for winning the giveaway! Your prize pack will be on its way soon ... enjoy!

Disclosure: The product, information and prize pack has been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins {Recipe}

2011-09-28T08:05:00.003-04:00

I found this super simple recipe on Pinterest for Pumpkin Muffins. It was a Weight Watcher's Recipe and I will say I was skeptical but, these muffins turned out super yummy. There are just three ingredients -

1 Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
1 15 ounce can of Pumpkin
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

All you do is place all three ingredients in a bowl and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Then bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I did decide to frost them with a light cream cheese frosting for the benefit of my family but, they did not need that at all. They were super yummy without the icing and I will skip it next time.

And That's What Healthy Eating Gets You ...

2011-09-24T08:08:00.005-04:00

This summer I watched a few documentaries on the whole foods trend. I saw studies of people who had amazing dieting results by cutting out all processed foods and eating more raw vegetables and juicing. I was having pretty good results on Weight Watchers but, I thought it would not hurt to eat even more healthy with the possible bonus of speeding up the weight loss. So I decided to give it a try ...

On Tuesday I ended up in the ER for a good portion of the day ... I had awoken at 3AM with horrendous stomach pain - nothing I had ever experienced before. I took 12 tums in the period of just 3 hours with no relief. Thankfully, we were seen quickly and within a few hours had a diagnosis - Gastritis. Apparently, all this healthy eating had eroded the lining of my stomach - the acid receptors were working overtime to digest all the veggies and nuts plus, the acidity of the spinach drinks were causing even more pain. What no one in any of these documentaries seemed to clue me in to was that apparently it is not good for your body to just jump into this way of eating. Of course, you would not think eating veggies, nuts, and drinking spinach drinks would hurt your body but, as my doctor and son reminded me, too much of a good thing is not always good.

So, for the next month, I am on a very bland diet - jello, bread with butter, potatoes, applesauce, bananas, water ... plus, a few medications that are supposed to help heal my stomach lining. I have a follow up with a specialist on Monday and hope to have a more definitive answer to how long this process will take. Right now, it hurts when I don't eat, it hurts when I do eat ... I am starving all the time but, can eat only small portions of approved foods. For now, no vegetables, no acidic fruits, very little protein and bread that is not whole grain. Crazy right???

So ironic, by eating healthy I end up in the ER. I am sure I will look back at this experience one day and laugh ... some day.

Happy 9th Birthday Lexi!

2011-09-22T12:37:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, our daughter Lexi turned 9 years old! I had a wonderful day planned but, you know what happens to best laid plans. I ended up in the ER for a better portion of the day {Thanks to all the healthy eating I have been doing over the last 2 months my stomach is now in bad shape but, that is a post for another day.} Lexi ended up spending her day with one of our good friends and then dancing until 7PM. My husband and the kids did take her out for ice cream after dance and Lexi handled it all maturely but, I still felt so bad. {Pictured above Lexi opening her gifts before being whisked off by a friend so that I could head to the ER}

Thankfully, we had already planned to let Lexi go with a friend and get her nails down on Friday so, today, we celebrated her birthday. After getting nails done we headed out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner and tonight Lexi's best friend, Grace gets to spend the night. A little belated but, still a nice birthday. Also, like Lexi and I discussed, a good lesson - sometimes our plans are not God's plans.

Lexi you are our sweet, artistic, talented daughter! We are so proud of the young woman you are growing into. We love watching you dance ... what a beautiful gift God has given you. Always stay strong in your beliefs, a good friend to everyone, and as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. We love you!!

A Touch of Sun {I Heart Faces - Photo Challenge}

2011-09-21T17:08:00.004-04:00

This week on I Heart Faces the photo challenge was "A Touch of Sun" ... I had the perfect entry from our photo shoot with the kids at the beach a few weeks ago.

First Grade Bible Presentation

2011-09-18T21:15:00.005-04:00

Ava Mae has been waiting for this day for awhile now ... 1st grade bible presentation at church. She really wanted a "big kid" bible after she realized that her picture bible did not have every book of the bible in it.

So, today was the big day. Our pastor presented each 1st grade child with their very own bible.
Ava Mae has been smiling and carrying the bible with her everywhere - she cannot wait to use it at the school table tomorrow.

September Field Trip: Turner Field

2011-09-15T23:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was our first field trip of the school year ... Turner Field's Weather Day followed by a Braves v. Marlins baseball game. We even got to walk the warning track prior to the start of the game and got up close with several of the Braves players as they warmed up.

I have to say this was probably Devin and my husband's favorite field trip. The girls and I were along for the ride. {Though I love watching baseball - I prefer it usually from a suite or at least the Casino Moon level where there is plenty of air conditioning directly behind you.} Our upper level seats yesterday were not that bad ... we ended up with a great view of the game and we were in the shade the whole time. The best part was that the field trip - including our seats for the game and lunch were only $8 a person. You can not beat that price!!

The weather classroom was hosted by a local television station and was quite informative. We even were able to see a weather balloon up close - something the kids and I recently talked about in Science.

The game had a slow start but, the Braves pulled it out for an exciting end. So glad Devin was able to see some of his favorite players down on the field when we walked the warning track. The players were super nice about waving and saying "hi" to the kids as they were down around the field.

Here are a few pictures of our day at the ball park.

TOS Crew Review: Big IQ Kids

2011-09-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Recently we were given the opportunity to review an educational website for students from Kindergarten on up called Big IQ Kids.

My 4th grader, Devin, and my 3rd grader, Lexi, both received a premium membership for the purpose of this review and neither could wait to dive right in and see what this site was all about. BigIQkids.com offers several areas for your students to utilize ...

Math

Spelling

Geography

My 4th grader loved every area of BigIQkids.com - he really enjoyed the math and US States sections. Also the fact that with the completion of each unit he received a game token he could use in the Game Area of BigIQkids.com. I liked the fact that parents could decide if the game tokens could be used immediately or had to be stored up for use on the weekends.

My 3rd grader enjoyed working in both the Math and US States sections but, found the Spelling area challenging due to the computerized voice that gave her the word. I have to add though that she has dyslexia and hearing the correct pronunciation of a word is very important for her to be able to spell correctly. I loved the Spelling area - it was one of my favorites on this site because, I could customize their spelling list to the one we were using each week in their curriculum. I think this part of the program would be a fantastic tool for any child to have who has weekly spelling tests.

The pricing for this site ranges from FREE to $149.99 for a premium classroom membership. So what is the difference between a FREE and Premium membership, I took this directly from Big IQ Kids website:

The primary differences between the BigIQkids FREE and PREMIUM programs are the ability of the PREMIUM program to monitor the progress of the student and advance that student only when mastery of the subject matter has been achieved. Additionally, PREMIUM members have their progress tracked, saved, problem areas identified and these findings are reported via email to parents and/or teachers. The PREMIUM program offers students customized buddies, full game page access and the ability to save game coins and gaming high scores. These functions help double the fun while mastering core academic subject matter. The PREMIUM program has very LIMITED advertisement an no ads are displayed during lesson interaction.

Overall, I am so excited to have this wonderful addition to our curriculum this year. It has given my two oldest children a way to drill both spelling and math in a fun way. I really like the emails I receive from Big IQ Kids with an update on my child's progress in their lessons. I feel the site can be a little hard to navigate at times, in the beginning, but, once you figure out your way around it was simple. For our family, this has been a great way for the kids to continue with spelling and math drills and have fun at the same time.

To purchase a membership for yourself or try out the free areas of Big IQ Kids head on over to their website. Trust me, you will be glad you did!!

Would you like to read what others thought of this website? Head on over to the TOS Crew Blog to read what other crew members thought.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than two free premium memberships, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the website.

Remebering ...

2011-09-11T18:00:00.003-04:00

Where were you ten years ago today? That seems to be the question everyone is asking today. I can still remember the events of that day, almost perfectly.

It was a beautiful morning here in Atlanta. My business partner at the time had blessed my husband and I by staying the night at our home and taking care of our newborn baby so that we could both get some sleep. I awoke feeling so refreshed ... I remember getting Devin from his bassinet and coming back into our bedroom and turning on the Today Show. Matt Lauer was talking about an incident that had just occurred at the World Trade Center - apparently, they believed, a small plane had flown into Tower 1.

I remember thinking how horrible of an accident. Then on live television I watched, while nursing our newborn son, as an airplane flew into the second tower. It was at that moment I began to panic. I called my husband - who thankfully was not traveling but, at an office just a few miles from our home. I called my business partner who was out scouting locations for an upcoming wedding for a client. I called my Mom - who normally always had the news on in the morning but, on this morning was refinishing the hardwood floors in their home and did not have any televisions on.

I remember asking my husband to come home ... I remember feeling horrible. I started thinking what an evil world we had brought our new son into. My thoughts immediately went to my brother-in-law who worked in New York City in the same area as the WTC and to my husband's co-workers who were consulting at a client at the WTC. I began to think about my brother who had just signed to go into the military and was waiting to be called up for boot camp. I felt like I was in a fog for days and weeks afterward.

A little over a year and a week later, I gave birth to our second child. Our lives moved forward but, we will never forget! Today our church had a beautiful remembrance service. My ten year old son sat next to us and cried along with us as we remembered all those who lost their lives and those brave men and women who gave their lives rescuing others that fateful day ten years ago. Though there is forgiveness - we will never forget.

Where were you ten years ago today?

Fall Baseball

2011-09-10T15:04:00.004-04:00

Today was opening day for the Fall season at our baseball park. The weather was perfect and our game was the "featured" one for the day so we had music and commentary to enjoy.

Devin had a great game! He pitched 2 almost perfect innings and then went on to hit a homerun {his first ever} - driving in 3 RBI's.

Looking forward to a great Fall baseball season ... Go Tigers!!