Happy Hanukkah!

WHEW, what a week! This was a fabulous Hanukkah! We were SO busy! Started off the events with some lovely nights at home, having dinner, reading the Hanukkah story and of course, eating! We had latkes several nights, they are just so yummy! On Friday night our home fellowship gathered at our house for a Mexican themed Hanukkah party! That was a blast! We had plenty of food, doughnuts included and lots of fun. Max, Jeff's puppet friend made a special appearance to tell us all about what happened to the Maccabees and how they overcame with Gods help. We had a trivia game where chocolate was thrown to the person with the correct answer. We learned how to memorize the 10 commandments as well. We then moved on to some serious dreidel playing and closed out the night watching a Tim Hawkins comedy video. It was a fantastic evening.

We had Grandma Sheila over on Sunday to share an evening with her, light hanukkiahs and then of course she always brings them gifts. As usual, they were totally spoiled.

The week was wonderful, memorable and blessed. It went way too fast...but now my thoughts move forward to the spring when the cycle renews and with it comes more of His wonderful feasts.

Aleks Review

(From the ALEKS website)

What is ALEKS? Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS then instructs the student on the topics she is most ready to learn. As a student works through a course, ALEKS periodically reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are also retained. ALEKS courses are very complete in their topic coverage and ALEKS avoids multiple-choice questions. A student who shows a high level of mastery of an ALEKS course will be successful in the actual course she is taking. ALEKS also provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction, 24/7, from virtually any Web-based computer for a fraction of the cost of a human tutor. Math is NOT my strong subject, I love history. I thrive when my children and I are learning about History and so do they. Math is a struggle for us. I was really excited to review ALEKS. I love the idea of someone/thing else teaching my kids math, assessing them and making sure there are no "gaps" in their learning. Gaps, scary word for a homeschool mom. Reality is, there will be gaps, no matter what you do. But thankfully, learning doesn't stop at 18 and they can work their entire lives to fill those beautiful brains with knowledge, and even closing some of those gaps. However, having a program that is so complete that it continually assesses for learning issues, moves them on when ready and keeps records of everything is incredibly appealing. I set my children to work on this program right away, with very high hopes. They both enjoyed the assessment portion, both were happy with this portion. They then saw their pie chart that showed them where they have mastered and what they have yet to learn. Very satisfying, at least for mommy, to see this breakdown. Now I know what needs to be tackled! Not to mention I love to check things off! Let's get that green pie piece filled in!! I feel so accomplished! They liked it too....at least the idea of it. As they got working away, they enjoyed the program, but did have a few hiccups which turned into frustrations as we continued. They understood how to receive instruction by clicking on the explain button. However when they were sent back to the problem they had been working, the problem would be a new one after the explanation was given, they both found this frustrating as they wanted the opportunity to finish the work they had begun. They both needed a fair amount of help from mom throughout the program. They would read the explanations, it was different than the current programs we use, and this caused confusion. And I have to admit, some of the processes they used in the math was different than I had seen. I could understand it, but it was a different and it just added to them not understanding the procedure. I love the idea of the program, I even really liked the program itself. I think for my family it was just not a great fit. ALEKS is available for a wide variety of uses. Homeschool, Public Schools and is available for K-12. They offer free trials, which I would highly recommend as this program could be an excellent fit for you and your children! A subscription to ALEKS is $19.95 per student, per month, or only $99.95 every 6 months, or only $179.95 every 12 months. They also offer family discounts. Wonderful program, user friendly, just like everything it is not a perfect fit for every family or situation. I really enjoyed getting review ALEKS and overall, I think my kids liked it to. Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Hanukkah thoughts

The Hanukkah story is about a group of people, all zealous for the One True God, who would not bow down to an evil king who would have them forsake the commandments of their God for the religion of the king. King Antiochus Epiphanes was a very powerful ruler, he commanded the greatest army known to man at that time, the Syrians. They were feared by all who knew of them. They were powerful.

The king had set his eyes on the holy city of Judea, as it was known at this time. He wanted the people of God to worship him, he saw the incredible love and devotion these people had for their God. He coveted their adoration and determined to have it be his own. He set forth some laws beginning with a conversion from being Hebrews to becoming Greeks. And this is some of what the laws entailed:

• worship statues of Antoichus
• speak Greek
• learn the way of the Greeks, customs and holidays etc.
  
• circumcision forbidden
• do not observe the Lord's Sabbath
• do not keep a kosher diet
• do not study the Torah
• do not keep the Festivals of the Lord
  

As the story continues, the Maccabees, meaning hammer, rose up and gathered others who were zealous for God and His ways, they were a regular group of people from everyday walks of life. They turned anything they had into weapons, they prayed, they trained and they took on the most formidable army in the world. And by the grace of God, they won.

When they had won, they restored the temple, replaced all of the defiled instruments, and re dedicated it back to the Lord. That is where we get the name Hanukkah, it means dedication. This feast is also called the "Feast of Dedication" and you will find Yeshua celebrating it in John 10:22-23. As the traditional Hanukkah story goes, the Israelites found a single cruse of oil and it burned in the menorah for 8 straight days until more oil could be pressed. Sadly, there is not written documentation of this miracle. So for me, it is a fun story, but traditional.

However there really was a miracle at this time that should be celebrated and remembered! This band of regular everyday people, just like you and I, overcame the most powerful army in the world! They had full faith in their God and with His mighty hand, they WON! This is a promise for us to hold onto for today as well as for the future.

Just as in the past, this story is destined to be relived. There is coming a time, when a ruler will require people to live by rules that are against God's ways. Antiochus is a picture of the future anti-christ, what he did, the future anti-christ will do again (and I am sure a great deal more) ....refer to the laws mentioned above. Another one will sit on the throne of God and proclaim himself deity, just as Antiochus did. Can you see a relation between this story and the prophecy in the book of Daniel? Read Daniel chapter 11.

God says in Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end out of the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

If we look to the past, we will better know how to be prepared for the future. We will have better discernment of what is God's way and what is man's way. We can walk boldly into this future, with confidence as we remember His awesome acts in the past as they are a promise and a reminder of a God who does not forsake His people.

During this season, it is a good time to rededicate your life to God and His ways. To discern between what is man's idea of loving God and with God's idea of loving Him. (Deut. 5:32, John 14:15, John 1) It is a good time to let go of the traditions of man and embrace the life giving path of the One True God.(Deut 30:19) Choose this day who you will serve, choose life.

Happy Hanukkah!

Master Ruler Review

Master innovations, LLC is a company offering homeschool families and classroom settings alike a wonderful new way to learn about units of measurement. I was looking forward to receiving this product for review, and my anticipation was nicely rewarded. The program I received "The Master Ruler" , was very easy to use, and my 10 year old daughter enjoyed the fun, quick projects to do in the workbook.

Items received for this review are: 1 workbook with 24 pages, 2 Master Rulers (which could be used for years to come), one for metric and one for standard measurement. We also received basic directions on how to use the product.



So, what makes these rulers special or different? Each ruler is layered, having clear plastic pages so to speak. Each layer giving a different measurement value such as inches on the inside layer, 1/2" on the next page, 1/4 inch on the next until you get down to 1/16 of an inch. This way he person using the ruler is able to see all the breakdowns in an inch at a glance, decreasing confusion in measurement.

The workbook is simple, black and white pages with different measuring projects to do on each page. Any given project never took our daughter more than 10 minutes to accomplish. It was a fun little addition to our homeschool day and she did enjoy her time learning.

Now, my only issue I have with this program is the price. The set I received retails for $41.25 (which does come with an additional teacher ruler, that I did not receive), but this is a bit steep for one minor subject in our homeschool life.

On the upside, on the back of the master ruler packaging, the creator has shared a wonderful testimony of how the Lord brought this idea about and what a blessing and encouragement to use a product inspired by the Lord.

Overall, I would say this is a fun product, a bit pricey, but also a blessing to help a local company and small business produce products that are meant to be a glorification to the Lord that inspired them.

You can find out more about Master Ruler and their variety of other products from Master Innovations though their website. It is filled with video testimonials and lots of wonderful information, check it out!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Fit Mommy Friday - Verse Update

“I am the Aleph and the Tav,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Love this...He is the aleph and the tav - teh beginning and the end, or in Greek He is the alpha and omega. However, He would never had said the Greek....His language is Hebrew. This word Aleph Tav in Hebrew is pronounced "et". It is the most commonly used word in the Hebrew scriptures, however it is never translated. The two letters themselves signify the Strong Covenant or Head of the Covenant. There is so much to these two little letters...and they are everywhere throughout scripture.

Here is a link to an interesting article by my favorite Hebrew researcher, Jeff Benner: http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/0_logo.html

Fit Mommy Friday

CHECK IN TIME!

So, this last week was pretty good...I am using SparkPeople App for Itouch, and I am really loving it! I am using it to keep track of my food intake as well as my calories burned from my workouts. It is fun to have a gadget to "play" with while working on this goal.

So, I don't think I met my water intake each day, sadly it seems like when I focus on one element another one gets lost. So, my goal for this week is to keep ALL my elements going strong, not dropping one to focus on another. I am sure I got close to my water intake, but just didn't quite make it.

I did great on not eating after dinner 5 nights out of 7. YAY!

I did all my workouts for the week. Which consisted of my pilates day, loving it still! Weights, cardio workouts combined with toning and today I went out and went for a walk/run. I am really enjoying the higher intensity of running in bursts throughout a strong walk.

I ate all my fruits and veggies each day...and I find it really helps make me more aware for my whole family. As of yesterday I decided I am going to work on getting lots of colors in our f/v intake as well. I can easily get stuck in a rut and I am trying to break out to get more great things in us! So, we bought pomegranates, yellow squash to go in salads, of course the usual suspects, such as green beans, peas, salads, etc.

Speaking of, here is a FABULOUS recipe for green beans...watch the fat in it, it can get a bit high if you are not careful.

Steam green beans in basket steamer until tender crisp. Meanwhile, chop up garlic cloves (as much as you like!) In a frying pan pour in a little olive oil and about a tablespoon of butter, warm these together. When green beans are done, add them to the frying pan along with the garlic, stir until garlic is tender. Season with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. OH MY YUM!

I did my no sugar day, it took two tries, but I accomplished it. I am becoming so aware of just how easy it is to eat sugar. I cannot believe how many things it is in. How do people do it that have no sugar at all??? I have to start looking at my menus and foods I am buying. But jeepers, it's in catsup too!?

So, I am not telling you all how my goal of weighing is going, I am going to give a final tally on that at the end of the challenge. But I will give you a heads up...the scale is moving in the right direction. I just really didn't want this to be all about weight...more about my health.

Thanksgiving is coming up, my goal for this next week is to maintain all my current goals, up 3 of my days working out to 45 minutes instead of just 30 and to not overdo it on Tday. I will let you all know how it goes on Friday. Do you have any goals lined up to help get you through without blowing all your hard work?

Ok, that's my check in! I pray you all have a fabulous week, be strong, this week is Thanksgiving! I will be thinking about you!!

Fit Mommy Friday

Update...well, this last week went OK. Here is the breakdown,
I ate all my required fruits and veggies each day. I also successfully checked off my no sugar day, YIPPEE!! That one is a HUGE challenge, so I was quite pleased when I got it out of the way early on.

I did all my workouts as planned and even bumped it up a notch. I have an app on my itouch that has workouts for the treadmill or walking outdoors on it. It is great, I set it for a harder routine, headed off to the gym and ended up running for about 15 minutes at different intervals, the other 15 minutes were spurts of walking intermixed with uphill climbs. It was GREAT!! I also have to say, I am LOVING doing the pilates thing once a week. What a difference in how I feel overall when I get that day in. I almost feeling like doing another after because I feel so good. Notice: I said almost.

I have been drinking my water! This one is not too hard, but I can forget when I am not focusing on it as part of a challenge. Really all I drink is water for every meal....but I do like an occasional treat such as my Zevia pop. If you don't know about it, google it, great stuff.

I did my bible verse as you all saw! I love having a new one up each week, they sit right at my kitchen window so I see it all throughout the day. What a blessing that has been.

Ok, here is where I fell down, skinned my knees and sat there crying about it for a while. Well, not literally, but I broke my no eating after dinner rule 3 days this week. ACK! I did great last night, which I am very happy to report, since I had no reason to get back on track other than I wanted to, but it had not "payoff" for me like helping me win this challenge. I did it because I knew I needed to and I am very glad today I did.

So, today was weights day, it was great! I am finding this change up in my workout schedule to be very refreshing.

So, I am hoping everyone else had a good week too!

Apple picking

Last year we went apple picking and it was such a fun family activity! I was so excited when we were invited to go again! This time we went to our local pumpkin farm where they have apple orchards and were able to pick a big bag of apples. It was a lovely afternoon for being outside and enjoying our friends as well as some delicious apples.

Birthday Moments

So, I turned the big 4 0 this year, how weird is that?! It was a wonderful birthday for me too. My family and friends all came together to make it a special and memorable time. I will start off with my birthday at my moms, which was a wonderful and very special evening. You will see the table set beautifully by my mom and my daughter. My mom made tacos, spanish rice and beans. It was delicious and brought back memories. It was such fun to sit around the table and just enjoy the company. There was also an incredible cake for dessert!

Scott & my mom went in on an Itouch for me...what a wonderful gift! I really was surprised, even if I did figure out what it was before opening it! That for me, is just part of the fun!

On Sunday, my sweet friends coordinated a surprise birthday tea luncheon!! What a wonderful surprise that was! We enjoyed a full tea service, and lots of fun together. And I was truly utterly surprised when I walked in that room and saw if full of family and friends.

My children also went out of their way to make me feel special this year. Atira, my sweet and very thoughtful daughter, gave me a beautiful red wallet that can double as a purse so I can carry it while shopping, hands free! Jordan, my wonderfully conscientious son bought me slippers, he knows how much I count on and love my slippers each fall and winter season.

It was a wonderful birthday and turning 40 was no big deal. I am thankful for this age, there are so many blessings that go along with this time in life....I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Fit Mommy Friday - Verse Update

I know it is really late...but at least it is here!!

The Write Foundation

The Write Foundation is a Christian company offering curriculum designed to help reluctant writers. They offer three levels of study in their program:

• Level 1, Sentence to Paragraph Writing; Suggested ages 11-13
• Level 2, Paragraph Writing; Suggested ages 12-15
• Level 3, Essay Writing; Suggested ages 14-17

I received Level 2, Paragraph Writing. I will start off by telling you about their amazing customer service. My package arrived badly damaged, however the materials inside were in tact. Even so, the company wanted to make sure I had the best quality in the materials and offered to replace them immediately if I desired. They also decided to make changes in their shipping envelope choice. Their heart truly appears to be in helping their customers have the best experience with their product. It is a joy to work with a company that cares.

Now to the nitty gritty. I have to be honest from the start here, this was not a curriculum for my family. As I read through the instructions on how to use this product, I found myself frequently confused, and I hate to say it, but a bit bored by the style in which the information is shared. And I am not sure if it is just me or not, but I had a difficult time understanding what I was supposed to do with this curriculum. I finally decided to just jump in and see if it would start to make some sense if I was in their "getting my hands dirty".

I am happy to report, it did help....some. We got in there and started the work, my son really enjoyed the "Mind Benders", a game that you play here and there throughout the curriculum. We then moved on to lessons, I noticed that the instructions frequently reference group activities, I feel this may have been written more for a co-op than focused on a home setting. I also want to mention, there are many abbreviations and key words used throughout the curriculum, which I needed to memorize, I found this made the curriculum a bit more difficult for me as my poor brain is just filled to the brim with things I am supposed to remember!

Now, for the upside, as we did get into this, I could see the light shining in the distance. I can see how this curriculum offered some wonderful ways of teaching writing, that really helped my son see the mechanics of a well written paragraph. I believe if I dedicated some serious time to wrapping my brain cells around this curriculum, it would be very beneficial. And the passion the author has in sharing the beauty of writing is evident.

For more information, check out their very well equipped website. You can see free samples there, find out more about the author as well as so much more.

The Write Foundation offers this curriculum and level 3 for $65 plus tax/shipping/handling. Level 1 is sold for $100 plus tax/shipping/handling.


Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Fit Mommy Friday

A day late...oh well.

So, it was a GREAT week!

Again, I met my goal of exercising 5x, but actually I went an extra day to the gym with my hubby! Amazing! I did my day of pilates, my day of weights and a I went one day in the middle of the week and did Zumba! That was a lot of fun, although one song the lady played was a bit disturbing....

I did not drink my 8 glasses of water everyday. Almost everyday, bummer.

I did my no sugar day! And that is a tuffy for me. I had one day where I started out doing it, then without thinking I popped a bit of banana bread in my mouth, one bite and it was over. Ugh. Don't worry though, I made up for it, I ate a few more sugary things before the day was through, heck, if I am gonna blow it, why not just keep going? I know stinky attitude, but it was all within my calorie goal for the day and it was not true junk food, just things like jelly (which has sugar added) and other such silly things.

I did not eat after dinner 5 out of 7 days...YAY! I think this is one of my biggest accomplishments. I struggled for a very long time with night time snacking. Thank God for challenges like these that help me avoid that! And I have to say, brushing my teeth right after dinner is a huge deterrent!

And of course, I posted my bible verse...will work on another for tomorrow!

Can't wait to see how all you ladies did!!

Fit Mommy Friday - Verse Update

Isaiah 43:18-19
Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
It will even make a roadway in the wilderness
Rivers in the desert.

Fit Mommy Friday

Checking in! Week 1 - I did GREAT!

Worked out 5 days, did 2 pilates days AND 2 days with weights in addition to a cardio day....and one pilates day I ALSO did weights/cardio workout! WOO HOO!

I ate my 5 fruits and veggies every day, it helped that I made a big ole batch of veggie soup at the beginning of the week, so I had a big ole bowl everyday for lunch...in addition to other things each day.

I chose Tuesday for my no sugar day, wanted to check it off early in the week. To often I have waited to the end, and then accidentally forgot I was not supposed to have sugar, eating it, then losing my challenge opportunity. So, I did good, no sugar day accomplished!

I did not eat after dinner 5 x per week! This is such a good challenge for me and I truly feel so much better when I do this.

And I reflected on my verse each day, it sits in my kitchen window. I will come up with a new one this weekend.

Not a bad start, feeling great! Thanks ladies for making this challenge possible!

PG Key Review

I would love it if my kids could surf around the internet without worry, but that is just not the world we live in. My children do a lot of digital scrapbooking as apart of their homeschooling, as such we find images from the internet to add to their pages. The problem is, I cannot allow them to surf through pictures without supervision. The general rule around here is, I look for a page of images, I scan it and after I let them look through. You never can tell what will pop up under a seemingly innocent search title.

When PG Key arrived for review both myself and my children were excited at the possibility that they would be able to do some hunting around for themselves, and from the reviews I read about this product prior to trying it, it seemed like a very real opportunity! Here is a little snippet from their site:

"Simply plugging PG Key into a child’s or teen’s computer allows parents to follow the advice so often given by law enforcement and parenting experts: 1) Control when and how long the computer is used, 2) Properly setup your system with filters and web site blocking, 3) Create the “over their shoulder” environment that encourages kids to act the same way “on line” as they do in every other part of their life.

Simply put - PG Key does NOT replace parenting with technology - It ENABLES parenting with technology.

PG Key is so easy to install, that any Parent or Grandparent, – no matter how “technically challenged” can plug it in, and within a few seconds have everything they need to apply their parenting skills and strategies, to their kid’s “online” world."

It seemed like something we could really use around our home. And SO simple to use. Sadly, this product did not work for us. There seems to have been some glitch between our computer and their product. However, since I am not able to give an adequate review on the product due to this glitch, I do want to take a moment to highlight their customer service.

Now, this is a good area for me to review, as I highly value good customer service. I feel the customer is the life blood of a retail establishment and as such there should be mutual respect between customer and representative. Let me just say for PG Key, their customer service was impeccable. They did everything they could to help me with this product and have asked me to further help them in working out this glitch so other customers never have to experience it. They were friendly, patient and kind. I am truly sorry this product did not work for us, but I am so glad I can give their customer service team a glowing review. And for informational purposes, when I would first call in I would never tell the rep I was a reviewer of their product, I wanted an unbiased representation of their service. They get an A+ for doing a great job in this area!

So, PG Key can be purchased for just $49.99, total price, no subscription needed. If you would like to try it before you buy it, check out this free trial they offer! You can also head on over the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine if you would like to read more reviews on this much needed product.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

10 Week Challenge!

It's not like I don't have enough things on my schedule...I do not suffer from boredom, yet here I sit taking on a challenge with some wonderful ladies. It is a good one and a goal I seem to be constantly working on; health. So, I have to write up my personal goals for a 10 week Fit Mommy Challenge. It begins today and ends December 31. What a great way to start the new year right? Have your "resolutions" checked off already? Love it. So here goes:

I am beginning this challenge in level Two: This level is for those who are already exercising at least 3 times per week on a regular basis. Goals here might include one additional 20-30 min workout each day/week, or incorporating a new exercise or tool (kettle bells, stability ball, bands, dumbbells) into your fitness routine, etc. It should also include some sort of nutritional goal.

1. Exercise 5 days per week, one day with weights and one day pilates, the other three days are cardio (which can be mixed with weights). I have a tendency to want to do all cardio forgetting that the other aspects are just as important. Each day I will exercise a minimum of 30 minutes.
   
2. Eating 5 fruits and veggies 5 days per week. I need a couple of days to not be perfect at it, but I will try. Doing it 5 out of 7 days is a good goal I think.
3. Drinking 8 oz of water a day. Water is my first choice of drink, I just don't always get enough if it is not laid out as a personal goal.
   
4. Lose 8 pounds by the end of this challenge. That would be wonderful!! :)
5. Each week I will have a no sugar day - sugar is in EVERYTHING, and I want to work on not consuming it so often.
6. No eating after dinner 5 days per week. I will brush my teeth after dinner and be done for the day! Nighttime snacking is a serious downfall for me.
7. I want to have a bible verse I can reflect on each week of this challenge. I will post my new verse each week on my blog.

Here is my verse for this week:

Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
1 Chronicles 22:13

I think that is it! So, let the fun begin!! I will be checking in this coming Friday and let you all know how it went!

Siritual Seasons

Recently a fellow brother in Messiah was sharing how he was feeling "spiritually unfit" lately. I thought that was a great way to put it. I know I have those experiences as well, times when I feel very connected spiritually and times when I am feeling rather lost, and unsure of where my connection went. Interestingly, I have been really digging into the principal of the seed from a biblical perspective and thinking a lot about seeds, how they produce like kind, which can be either good or bad. How so much in the world both spiritually and physically is rooted in this very basic principal. When I thought about my friends' comment, that they were not feeling so spiritually fit, the thought popped in my head it is like the seed again, sometimes the seed has grown and is in full bloom, sharing it's God given beauty with the world, then the season changes and the bloom dies off and it returns to seed again, where it is hidden in the earth being nourished by the soil waiting for the seasons to continue so it may again sprout forth through the earth and push up toward the sun, once again coming into bloom. God's cycles are amazing....and there is just so much to learn from there. I would say during those tougher times, when we feel more disconnected, we could possibly be in the part of the cycle where we are in the earth, being nourished by the rich soil....waiting for the season to change. It's not a bad place, it's just a part of the cycle. However, I can't wait to be blooming again though, because when we bloom for Him, it is quite magnificent! Shabbat Shalom.

Sukkot Moments

Last night was a wonderful celebration to end the festival of sukkot. We sat outside, the night could not have been more perfect, beautiful and warm. We enjoyed dinner out in our sukkah, a little singing, a little wine/grape juice (depending on your age in this scenario) and a wonderful time sitting out under the stars remembering God's amazing promises. After a delightful time outside, we moved this little family party inside where we put on some music, some good bumpin' music and had a dance party for about another hour or better! It was a total blast! Finally we were all pooped and ready for some couch time, we closed up the evening with an inspirational movie and some desert. Perfect evening, such fun memories, what a blessing.

Foundlings Review

Let me just start by saying how excited I was to be receiving this book for review. Both of my kids are voracious readers, they bring books on 10 minute errand runs. They always want books with them. The difficult part of that is finding literature that is both quality and appropriate. And today there seems to be a shortage of those qualities to be found in modern books. I loved flipping the book over and finding the words: "No Magic, No Evolution, and No Humanism" printed clearly on the back...."great start" ran through my mind.

Here is a brief synopsis from the website about Foundlings written by Matthew Christian Harding:

Foundlings, book one of The Peleg Chronicles
is Historical Fiction that takes place in the
time period of Peleg, soon after the tower of
Babel dispersion. In its pages we meet
dragons, giants, false priests, the death hunt,
an under-city of the Dwarven Brotherhood,
and many memorable characters.

The story begins with Lord McDougal and his
faithful shield-bearer, Fergus Leatherhead,
departing their lands with giants at their
backs, while before them lie in wait denizens of
the bog-land and forest.

Ever ready to protect and serve others, they
gather in tow an assortment of displaced
adventurers and find themselves embroiled in
a mysterious search for the foundlings:
orphaned Thiery with his companion Horatio
the white wolf, and Suzie who has been
deceitfully retained by the thieves Elvodug and
Flemup.

I decided to have my 15 year old son read this book and here are a few of his opinions:

"It's a good book, well written and kept me interested. The book was set in the time of Peleg, just after the flood of Noah, but there were elements that in actual history were centuries apart. For example they were wearing plate mail and that wasn't invented until the Roman empire. I believe it's better if the technology is time period accurate. But it is still a good book and I would be interested in reading the rest of the series."

My son is all about history, he loves it, reads about it for fun, not just homeschool. So for him, these kinds of details really matter. I would find him enjoying the book but then having moments of frustration at the inaccuracy of the time period and events happening that would never have gone together. He would also mention how the speech of the characters did not align with the time period as well...details, but like he said, it would not stop him from wanting to read more of the series.

From my personal perusal of the book, I found it to be fun and engaging. Personally I felt weaving together the Genesis account with another time period of chivalry and heroism was entertaining. I would recommend this book to my friends and family however I would definitely add in the thoughts my son has shared as well. The best written? Probably not, but overall a fun read. I am thankful for believing authors that are taking time to produce books for our kids to read. I look forward to future releases from this author and publishing company, I want to encourage a publisher working to bring better literature to the world.

In addition to the story in the end of the book there is a section entitled " The Gospel of Jesus Christ". This portion is filled with verses about coming into repentance and a relationship with the Lord. It includes verses on baptism as well. I like that there is no commentary offered in this portion, just a listing of verses. I might suggest, however, that there be guidance to the child reading this to talk to their parents if they have any questions about what is being shared here.


Foundlings is 239 pages long. It can be purchased from the Zoe & Sozo Publishing website for $11.95, the recommended age range for this book is ages 10 and up. Currently, books one and two are available for this series.


Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Salem Ridge Press

I love to get books...buy books, check books out of the library, borrow them from friends, receive them as gifts and especially have them sent to me for review! We just LOVE books in our home. There is one problem, in a world that seems to love vampires, magic and overly mature relationships for young people, finding good quality books can be quite difficult. So, I was very excited about receiving and reading books from Salem Ridge Press.

I had done a little look see over there website to get an idea of what we would be receiving. I was so excited about the prospects! Here is a little snippit from there site:

"Here at Salem Ridge Press we know how challenging it can sometimes be to find wholesome books for your family. Well-written books that teach godly character and high moral values are hard to come by. Many books written during the late 1800's and early 1900's fit this criteria, but it still takes time to search them out and preview their contents. We purchase many old books, often using leads from old catalogs, and carefully evaluate each one, republishing only the best of the best."

These are just the kinds of books we are looking for. And this is one of the books we read, cover to cover when it arrived...



Dearer Than Life, a story of the times of Wycliffe, by Emma Leslie. Wonderful story! The kids and I really enjoyed learning about the life of Dr. Wycliffe and the reality of life under a church that ruled all aspects of life. It gave us such a wonderful understanding of what Dr. Wycliffe and his "poor priests" endured as they tried to spread the truth of God's word to a people who only understood the church to be the final authority on all matters. It was certainly a time of revival.

As much as we learned and enjoyed this book, I would have to add, we did find the language difficult at times. Because of the Old English we would find ourselves lost in the story. However, with that aside, we still understood the overall story and enjoyed the language. One thing that we found very helpful as well, at the bottom of each page is a list of words from Old English and their translation into modern English. This was fun to learn some "old" vocabulary.

In addition to this book we received two books in e-book format:


Sign Above the Door - Story Synopsis
"Young Prince Martiesen is ruler of the land of Goshen in Egypt, where the Hebrews live. Eight plagues have already come upon Egypt and now Martiesen has been forced by Pharaoh to further increase the burden of the Hebrews. Martiesen, however, is in love with the beautiful Hebrew maiden, Elisheba, whom he is forbidden by Egyptian law to marry. As the nation despairs, the other nobles turn to Martiesen for leadership, but before he can decide what to do, Elisheba is kidnapped by the evil Peshala and terrifying darkness falls over the land. An exciting tale woven around the events of the Exodus from the Egyptian perspective!"

The Captives - Story Synopsis
"The Druid priests are as cold and cruel as the forest spirits they claim to represent, and Guntra, the chief of her tribe of Britons, must make a desperate deal with them to protect those she loves. Unaware of Guntra’s struggles, Jugurtha, her son, longs to drive the hated Roman conquerors from the land. When he encounters the Christian Centurion, Marcinius, Jugurtha mocks the idea of a God of love and kindness, but there comes a day when he is in need of love and kindness for himself and his beloved little sister. Will he allow Marcinius to help him? And will the gospel of Jesus Christ ever penetrate the brutal religion of the proud Britons?"

Salem Ridge Press offers a nice line of books, and I would have to say, using this book as an indicator of quality, we will be sure to return for other adventures. What they offer is quite extensive:

• Church History (historical fiction)
  
• American History (historical fiction)
  
• World History (historical fiction)
  
• Adventure Books
• Allegory
• Books for Young Readers

And within these there are many options. You can get many books in hardcover or soft cover, and books range in price from $12.95-$22.95. Their website is also very user friendly, you can search by subject, age range, author or alphabetical. And while you are there, don't forget to check out there "About Us" page, sweet photos of this family and a lovely testimony. This is a family committed to offering excellent literature for our children.

I would highly recommend taking a look at Salem Ridge Press . I know my family will be heading back for more wonderful books on subjects we will be studying in the future.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Our Crazy Cat

A couple of years ago I thought it would be fun to get another cat...it has been about a year since our beloved Critter had passed and I was thinking it would be nice to have a little fur ball around again. I asked Scott about it and he was quick to answer no way. He did not want the clean up of a litter box, clawing of furniture and all the other work that comes with cat ownership. So, with definitive no, I felt it was safe to go ahead and bug him now and then about getting one. To be honest, as much fun as I had in my head to get one, a large part of me also thought about the work of it all. So began my campaign, with the knowledge that the answer was a flat no, it was fun to dream and bug him about having a new pet. (It was a safe way to go...I could have the fun of dreaming but all the while knowing I was not really committing to anything!)

It was December on a Saturday night, we were driving home from services, Scott leans over and asks me a question, which I did not hear clearly, thinking he asked if I wanted to go and grab some food on the way home I said "Sure!". YAY! I don't have to cook!! HA! Well, to my utter surprise we pull up to the pet store! WHAT??!! I didn't say a word. We got out and went in looking at the cats, my brain is flying over the conversation we just had in the car....didn't he say go out to eat? Or did he say let's go get a CAT??!! SERIOUSLY? But he said no!? He can't just change his mind..I was having fun! (I should learn a lesson from things like this....let's all pray that I will, K?)

So, with that, we acquired Shaggy the cat. Easily the funniest cat we have ever owned. This one has some character, and is not shy about showing it. I have often tried to capture video of him playing with the dog, but it seems he always stops when he sees the camera rolling. So, I caught a break...and here it is. For whatever reason, he loves to torture Kayli, one of his favorite things to do. But on the other side of that, he loves her dearly. Whenever he comes in from outside, he gives her bumps and rubs and let's her do a full sniff down on him before he commences cleaning or pestering for food.

Thankfully this cat is fully entertaining, Lord knows we have spent enough on his furry little butt (literally). It's his way of paying his way around here! Oh, and we just plain love him. Enjoy the video!

New Monic Books - Vocabulary Cartoons

A few weeks ago I received notice that one of my upcoming review products was going to be a book called New Monics - I'm not sure I completely understood how you would learn vocabulary through cartoons, but I was anxious to give it a try!

When this book showed up in the mail, it was just a little before dinner time. I had been out running errands, so when we got in the house, I really had things to do, the book was opened and left sitting there until we sat down to dinner. I pulled the book over and started looking through it, I was completely delighted! Shortly after I showed off a couple of pages it was being passed around the table from kids to parents, everyone having a giggle and enjoying the short stories and hilarious cartoons!

That next day I was heading out to visit with some of my homeschool mommy friends and decided to bring this little gem along to see what they thought. Same thing! The book was passed about, giggles here and there and overall rave reviews!

So, I will tell you, I have not often seen a vocabulary book being passed around with laughter, usually it looks something more like reading an obituary. This was a great and most welcome surprise! Vocabulary Cartoons by New Monic Books is very well done! Engaging stories, cartoons that truly give you a giggle and best of all, it works! I gave the book to my 15 year old son to read through the first set of words, about 15 minutes later I sat down with him to go over the review section for those words and HE KNEW THEM ALL! And enjoyed the time he spent learning them. WOW! That is effective in my opinion! So, this little SAT vocabulary prep book delivers what it advertises, "Learn Hundreds of SAT words with easy memory techniques". And the technique is so simple! If you can read a comic strip, you can learn what this book has to teach you!

This 345 page book is designed for jr high and high school students grades 7-12. It is broken up into 29 sections each one learning 10 words. I would highly recommend this book to any student who enjoys a good laugh and I am really looking forward to continued use of this book in our homeschool day. You can find this book and a wide variety more for all age ranges from New Monic Books at http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/home/. This is a great investment at just $12.95, it is a book everyone in the house will enjoy!


Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

In His Word Wednesday

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

At the beginning of each school year the kids and I make up a cover sheet for our binders. For them it is either something that they are "in to" at the time, or it could reflect our course of study. For me, I try to put something inspiration, a bit of help on there as a reminder that I can do this whole homeschooling thing and as a reminder that my kids are doing great and flourishing at home. (Secret for all of you who don't know: we homeschool moms have freak out moments where we wonder if we are really just screwing our kids up or if what we are doing is good....our imperfections are all too frequently highlighted when trying to teach our children at home.) So, for this year I chose to put the Shema on the cover of my binder. Having a high school aged son can be a bit overwhelming and I wanted to be reminded daily of what my goal is in our education, God first, worldly education second. The Shema sums that up so beautifully, our reminder of the order of our priorities, loving God and loving others.

I also decided to put the verse from Proverbs on my binder, about raising your child in the way they should go. Great verse, so simple and to the point. As I looked around on the internet, I found some commentary on this verse by Rashi, ancient Jewish commentator, which I also believed summed up beautifully the other side of this verse that is often overlooked. He said: "Train a child: according to what you teach a child and train him in matters, either for good or bad, even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it." What a great reminder, not only am I to be teaching my children the word of God and living by it, but I need to also be watchful about the negative things I may be inadvertently training them in. Ouch. Well said, and such a great reminder for me each day as I set an example to them as not only their teacher but also as their mother who needs this reminder that they are learning even when I am not meaning to teach them.

In His Word Wednesday

This is a re-post from Rabbi Daniel Lapins Blog. You can find his blog here: Rabbi Daniel Lapin

I have always found the connection in Hebrew between words and bees to be quite interesting. There are many implications that can be made from this connection and I really enjoyed how Rabbi Daniel Lapin shared this particular experience. May all of our words be sweet as honey and pleasing to our King!

To Bee or Not to Bee

Have you ever had the experience of blithely saying something and then, as the words left your lips, instantly regretting them and wishing you could take them back? Unless you’ve been obeying a vow of silence for years, I know the answer. We’ve all had intense remorse over something that would have been better unsaid. It just happened again to me.

I appeared on the Glenn Beck television show this past Friday. Among many other questions, he asked how I relate to atheists. On the spot, I referred to atheists as parasites. Needless to say, I instantly knew that what I meant wasn’t going to be what people heard. But with the rapid tempo of television, we were already on the next topic with no opportunity to elaborate or retract.

With one word, I casually insulted who knows how many potential friends who were now gone forever. Men and women who pay their taxes, serve in the military, and support their communities were instantly dismissed as parasites. In retrospect, there are so many true, good and kind words I could have said. Instead, I stung.

In almost every interaction, we each have the opportunity to use words that soothe and sweeten. We can say things that build connections and nurture relationships. By being careless, literally by not caring enough, we can so easily use words that stab and sting.

Hebrew emphasizes this dual nature of words, their ability to sweeten or sting by using one word for both ‘bees’ and ‘word’: DeVaRiM - words and DeVoRiM - bees. In Hebrew Scripture vowels do not appear, so though the words are pronounced slightly differently, they are exactly the same.

In fact, the Hebrew name for the fifth of the Five Books of Moses, Deuteronomy, is actually Words, from its opening verse --“These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel…..”

At the end of Deuternonomy’s first chapter, we find the word DeVaRiM or bees used:

And the Emorites who live in the mountains came out

to confront you and they chased you as bees do…

(Deuteronomy 1:44)

By employing exactly the same word for bees and words, the Lord’s language teaches us that just as bees can both sweeten with their honey and sting with their barbs, so words can do exactly the same thing.

Though I am not excusing my mistake, what was I thinking? I was remembering the following words from the sermon given by Reverend George Docherty in February, 1954.

"This age has thrown up a new kind of man-we call him a ‘secular’. He does not believe in God, not because he is a wicked man but because he is dialectically honest… These men, and many I have known, are fine in character and in their obligations as citizens and good neighbors, quite excellent. But they really are ‘spiritual parasites’ and I mean no term of abuse in this. I’m simply classifying them…These excellent ethical seculars are living upon the accumulated spiritual capital of Judeo-Christian civilization and at the same time, deny the God who revealed the divine principles upon which the ethics of this country grow…"

These words, which persuaded President Eisenhower to add the words “Under God” to America’s Pledge of Allegiance, echoed in my mind, but trying to convey them in a 10 second television sound bite was not a good idea. All I did was hurt people and jeopardize relationships.

Success in both life and business comes from relationships and being careful about words is a vital part of nurturing relationships. It takes deliberate and purposeful practice to monitor the words we use; in this case I failed.