Week Ending 5/6/17

We've had a pretty decent week this week.  Our youngest turned 10 on Monday, so my mom was here to help celebrate his birthday. We don't do school on the kids birthdays, so Tuesday was our first school day this week. I'm feeling sluggish, so I had a hard time getting motivated to get started :) We had lots of fun things we were working on this past week.  Issac's been working on The Typing Coach as well as finishing up some art from ArtAchieve.  Brianna has loved the work we've done in ArtAchieve and she's been drawing nonstop for the last few weeks.  She's also gotten back into Latin with Second Form Latin by Memoria Press.  She's really enjoyed learning Latin over the last few years. I'm trying to convince her to move on to Spanish for her HS credits, but she's not very interested in doing that :( Issac has really been doing well with his ABeCeDarian Reading this year. I think this was really a great program for him! It seemed to line up well with what his speech therapist was helping him with over the years.

Issac really wanted a fish for his birthday, but I thought he might enjoy Grow a Frog. We haven't done this since our oldest was in Kindergarten and I love that they have the online option now. He opened his gift on Monday and Tuesday we went online and put in his certificate code. Bob arrived on Thursday! I did get a little worried when I saw they won't deliver in over 75 degree weather or so, but I guess we were lucky. He's really enjoying Bob so far.

We had our monthly 4-H meeting this week and the kids learned about hydroponics. They even got to make their own little growing station, so I'm excited to see how that goes! I was out in the lobby talking to a friend or I think I would have asked to make one myself :)

The last excitement this week was our final Crazy Crafter class for the year:( We have loved the lady running it. She's so wonderful with the kids and so very patient. They have gotten to try their hand at pottery, painting, art made from anything they found in the yard and many other things. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to do this again next year!

Review: The Secret Bridge

I have heard so many friends rave about the quality of the Lamplighter Publishing books.  I just recently read my first one, so I jumped at the chance to read The Secret Bridge  by Amy Le Feuvre.  Lamplighter books are "building Christ-like character...one story at a time."  All of their stories are edited with a biblical theological framework to ensure that each story reflects the character of God.  These books are full of wisdom and I love the footnotes.   When I first opened the package I could see right away why so many people are in love with these books.  The book looked like a classic with a beautifully embossed cover. The quality and beauty alone of the book grabbed my attention. There is something magical about holding a beautifully put together book!

In this book we meet Bridget Channing, who has just lost her father and is traveling to London to live with an uncle.  On her travels she meets Godfrey Bullingham who is currently serving in the navy.  They spend time together on their travel to London, but part ways when they arrive.  Bridget heads to her uncle's house only to find out that he has passed away and left everything to his landlady.  Godfrey happens by a short time later and jumps at the chance to help her.  He helps her to a hotel and even speaks to a lawyer on her behalf.  Within a day Godfrey has proposed marriage to Bridget, but she refuses. She doesn't believe they could know each other well enough to be married. Godfrey gives her space to make her way, but within days he has asked her to be his wife for a second time.  Godfrey is being shipped off for a year and has asked Bridget to keep their marriage a secret.  His family has other plans for him, but he knows if they get to know Bridget that they will love her as he does.  Bridget is left at a farmhouse to be cared for by Mr. and Mrs. Dent. They know who she is, but are to help her keep her secret while Godfrey is gone.  Over the course of the next months Bridget meets Godrey's family and finds it hard to pretend she doesn't know who he is.  She also meets the Fitzroys who have been at odds with the Bullinghams for years.  Bridget finds herself being pushed and pulled about who she can be friends with all the while discovering some secrets of her own.  One of the people Bridget meets is Mr. Jocelyn who is somewhat of the town parson.  Through their friendship he teaches her about God's love for her as well as wonderful biblical principals that she can use in her life.  Throughout the story Bridget is "working on her ladder" as Mr. Jocelyn has told her about. As Bridget's love for God grows she finds it harder and harder to keep her secrets.  Thankfully Godfrey comes home just in time as Bridget feels she can't lead the life she should if she's keeping secrets from everyone.  

It's so hard to find good quality books anymore. Most are full of bad character qualities and foul language.  I didn't have any of these issues with The Secret Bridge.  This book was full of biblical principals as well as wonderful teaching moments.  One verse that stood out to me at the end was "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act." Psalm 37.5 These beautiful nuggets from the Bible were intertwined throughout the entire book.  It was truly a wonderful engaging story.  

I would highly recommend this book to my friends.  The cover caught my daughter's eye, she's fifteen, but when I told her what it was about she wasn't interested. I think at her age she's not really interested in reading about a new marriage relationship.  I think many teens would find this book interesting if they were more interested in reading books from an older time. 

Check out their social media and what the other crew members thought.

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 #hsreviews #classicliterature #lamplighter

Review: ArtAchieve

We have recently found an art program that really works for all of us.  We've been using the Entire Level 1 by ArtAchieve and it's been wonderful.  These art lessons were really a big hit in our family.  Our middle, 15, and the youngest, 10, and I have been working through the first level.  Our daughter has been ASKING to do art almost every day and there have been NO tears from the youngest. Between the two of those makes this program a success in my book! I decided to start with Level 1 because of our youngest.  He's the youngest in the family and has struggled with fine motor skills his entire life, so I thought starting with the lowest level would be best.  I think it was the best decision because I've seen a few struggles with certain lines or shapes, but it didn't overwhelm him and that's what is important to me.

I like the way the level is set up having the warm-up, the powerpoint & video version of the drawing as well as the page that shows you what it should look like.  The warm-up is a great idea because it gives you a chance to practice some of the lines that you will encounter in your drawing. I thought this part of the program benefited our youngest the most.

I personally thought our kids would prefer the video version to draw with, but they both liked the powerpoint presentation.  They preferred it because any new section to be drawn was shown in red.  This was really helpful to our children and myself :) I like that both options are given, so that if one child preferred it one way and another the other way you would have both :)

 I liked that the author, John Hofland, has given us lots of extras beyond just a "drawing lesson." He has included, for each lesson, cross-curricular connections.  He's given us links for social studies, writing, literature and science that add an entirely new dimension to this art program.  For example in Level I-Lesson 3-The Hungarian Insect we can learn facts about Hungary such as it's history, geography and native insects.  We could read books on other insects and even write a story.  ArtAchieve can be an art program for your family or turn into wonderful unit studies!  

I think our daughter spent the most time on her drawings.  She really got into them and even though it says NOT to start over she did a few times. I could really tell how much she was enjoying this program and how at ease it made her with her artwork! I don't feel like I have any artistic ability, but I felt with the step-by-step instructions I did some decent work. It was nice to sit with the kids and just draw and color :) Here are some samples of the work the three of us did together.  

This last project I decided to use markers. Less than half-way through I realized I couldn't stand the marker lines, but what could I do? (LOL) At the end I wondered if I could use a wet brush to smooth the lines, but it made it look like my sun was crying :( My daughter said she liked it that way, so I figured I'd share. Even when it's not something you love it can still be enjoyed :)

There are 5 levels available and the age ranges vary. The age recommendations are as follows:

Level I-Ages 5 and up

Level II-Ages 7 and up

Level III-Ages 9 and up

Level IV-Ages 10 and up

That being said when we used it we had myself, 43, our 15 yo daughter and our 10 yo son.  I felt like Level I fit us just perfect.  The levels also vary in price and there are bundle option available HERE.  We didn't have to buy any special art supplies for the projects we used.  We owned everything we needed and a few times we used a different item just to see what it would look like.  This is an online subscription, so it's easy to access anywhere you are.  

If you want to get more information check out an introductory video or follow them on any of their social media sites.  

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Thankful Tuesday 5/2/2017

Today I'm thankful for my mom and an electrician!! We have had an issue with our dryer and I've been having to dry things in my bathroom or pay to have them dried.  My mom came for our youngest's birthday and said she was having an electrician come to check it out. SO THANKFUL that she did because we had two different breakers that had holes burned through them. The electrician told us he was surprised we hadn't had a fire! The breakers weren't even kicking off when they were hot:( I'm so thankful to my mom for pushing to do this while she was here and for the electrician that was able to come out on a SUNDAY afternoon! I've now had my dryer again for two days and I just can't express how NICE it is to be able to dry your clothing right after you fold it. I've done four loads today and I didn't feel like complaining once :)

Review: Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”

We have had so much fun watching Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” recently.  I have heard wonderful things over the years about Drive Thru History®, but I have to admit this was our first experience with it. Just opening the package got me excited because the quality of the items was so wonderful.  There's always something special about a quality item! The case that holds the cd's was nice and sturdy and the pages of the study guide were thick beautiful pages.  There are 3 dvd's that include 18-30 minute videos.  A study guide is included and it has wonderful pictures and very thought provoking questions. The study guide has a summary of the episode as well as the discussion questions.  The study guide alone is wonderful because of the information and pictures.  It's like a beautiful picture book! 

 The very first video had me hooked!  The quality of the pictures on the dvd's was just amazing.  Not many of us can travel all over the world, but through these videos we can almost experience what it's really like to be there.  We were able to "travel" to over 50 ancient cities in Israel to learn about the life and times of Jesus.  This series tells the story of Jesus from the locations in the the Gospels-Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.  Those that have read about the life of Jesus are already touched by what he's done for us. Watching these dvd's brings it all to life and really made me so much more appreciative for what Christ has done for us.   There's so much to learn about the time of Jesus. We were able to visit the Church of the Nativity as well as learn more about Herod and his Herodium.  We saw some amazingly beautiful flooring that were discovered as well as been able to learn more about the first miracle that was performed.  I've always had pictures in my mind of certain events and this helped me realize how I was wrong about some of them :) I've always thought of Jesus in a wooden manger, but I learned that it was probably more like stone.  There is SO MUCH covered in these 3 dvd's that it's hard to put it into words.  Dave Stotts is so engaging and is really a perfect fit for these dvd's.  He has amazing knowledge as well as a bit of a comedic aspect about him. The episodes break down as the following:

Episode 1: The Historical Landscape

Episode 2: The Announcements
Episode 3: Jesus is Born
Episode 4: Jesus Grows Up
Episode 5: Jesus Starts His Ministry
Episode 6: Jesus Returns to Galilee
Episode 7: Jesus Begins His Miracles
Episode 8: Jesus Teaches with Authority
Episode 9: The Sermon on the Mount
Episode 10: Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
Episode 11: Jesus Travels North
Episode 12: A Final Trip to Jerusalem
Episode 13: Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
Episode 14: The Last Supper
Episode 15: The Trial of Jesus
Episode 16: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Episode 17: The Resurrection of Jesus
Episode 18: Who is Jesus?

I think one of the reasons I haven't checked into Drive Thru History® is because of the price.  The price of $89.95 might seem pretty high if you are on one income like we are.  That said, this is one of those items that until you can experience it yourself you don't realize the value of it. Previously in my mind not much could be worth that price.  After watching these dvd's I've realized they are worth it.  The stories are AMAZING and the quality is fantastic. This is an item that you want to have in your home and would be well worth saving for or asking for a gift. The recommended age is fifth grade and up. Our youngest is in fourth and he was totally enthralled with the videos and would binge watch them. I think they are an all around quality item that everyone in the family will enjoy.  There is a quote on the back of the box that I think sums up the videos as well as really makes you stop and think.  "Who would you say is the most significant person who has ever lived....? That type of question that makes you stop and think is the way this entire series was for me.  

If you don't know about Drive Thru History®  or their newest Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” check them out on social media as well as read what other crew members thought.  

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/drivethruhistory/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/drivethruhistory
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drivethruhistory/

Review: Planet 316

I've recently found a new game that I'm enjoying playing every day! Daily Bible Jigsaw is a puzzle game by Planet 316 with beautiful pictures and Bible verses.  I think everyone remembers the fun days of doing puzzles when we were younger. What better way to do one than with a beautiful Bible verse attached.  You receive one free puzzle a day, but can purchase coins to play additional puzzles. It cost 3 coins to play each additional puzzle and there are also tools that you can use while doing the puzzle.  You can choose between rotate, guide, sweep, edges & magnet.  I used the guide most often, so that I could see what the puzzle was suppose to look like when I finished.  Rotate turns everything to the right, magnet puts two puzzle pieces together, sweep moves everything off the "board" and edges takes everything away except the edge pieces. I think most people do the edges first, so that was another "help" that I used.  I found myself playing several times a day because I enjoyed it so much.  I would do the daily puzzle and then go back and work on the previous puzzles that I've missed.  I have to admit that I'm not really great on the speed, but for me I just enjoy actually completing the puzzles (LOL) I received 500 coins free for reviewing this item, but I didn't want to use all my coins right away. I mainly used my coins to play additional puzzles after the free one of the day.  You can earn a few free coins here and there for completing a certain number of puzzles and speed. I try not to spend money on games, so I don't know that I would have purchased the coins if I hadn't been given them for free. I know many games give a "freebie" of the day, so I think that would be great in this app.  Maybe free coins each day, more than one free puzzle, or to be able to earn a higher number of coins when you achieve certain things.

There are several options to play Daily Bible Jigsaw.  

• Google Play (Android devices)
  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.planet316.dailybiblejigsaw
• Apple App Store (iOS devices)
  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daily-bible-jigsaw/id965945806
• Facebook (Mac or PC computer web browser...Chrome and Firefox work best)
  https://apps.facebook.com/dailybiblejigsaw
• Facebook Gameroom (PC computer . . . this is Facebook's new PC game platform similar to Steam)
  https://www.facebook.com/gameroom

What a wonderful way to jump into your Bible reading each day than through a puzzle from Daily Bible Jigsaw. I've enjoyed taking some of the daily verses and reading additional verses.  I've been playing on my phone and it's been easier than I thought to move the puzzle pieces around :) Normally I would prefer to play a game like this on the desktop computer, but I decided to try it on my phone and I've been pleased.    I've enjoyed sharing the pictures with friends on Facebook and also watching my times.  Like I said previously, I'm not very fast, but when I do get a "decent" time I'm pretty excited.  Here are a few pictures I took recently.  

You can also check out their social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Planet316/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/planet_316  @planet_316 

Week Ending 4/22/17

This week has really been a ROUGH week! Seems like everything in the house is falling apart (LOL) The dryer already wasn't working, the washer started leaking now, the keyboard messed up and then the printer (LOL) I switched the printer back out, but somehow turned in the cord to attach to the computer (LOL) It's suppose to connect wirelessly, but it's not (LOL) Seems like all the basics are falling apart (LOL) Trying to remember the saying about turning lemons into lemonade (LOL) I need to order out end of year testing and get that done. I usually do it mid-April, but it hasn't happened yet. We did have our Spring Formal Friday night. The first one we've done and it turned out fairly well. There were a few issues, but I'm taking notes (LOL) Issac's birthday is in a week, so that's on the schedule for this week :) Trying to figure out what to get him and to have a good school week :)