learning table

Giveaway winners!

2012-02-15T18:22:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Melanie and Stacy, winners of the ACT book giveaway, and thanks for your kind comments! I've emailed you with details for claiming your books.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:22:00.002-05:00

Record Keeping: School Log

2012-02-09T14:55:00.002-05:00

  When we started homeschooling, I used pre-made lesson plan books, but over the years my system has evolved to simplify the record-keeping process for me. Homeschooling is more challenging in some ways with my kids' grade levels spaced widely apart, but easier in that my oldest has become more independent. Since my oldest is transitioning to high school work, I have made some changes in the way I keep track of everything, and I keep a main notebook for my youngest two while my oldest has a planner of his own.

   Here is how my notebook is set up...

   I use an Avery durable binder with a storage pocket attached inside the front cover. I keep CDs, phonics games, and flash cards inside this pocket so everything is in one place = easy to find.

I have a CD of my boys' "school" portraits attached to the first page of the binder in a self-adhesive CD storage sleeve. When everything is filed for the year, I know where to find it. I have monthly calendar pages next, where I note all our activities and special events like music lessons, field trips, sports practices, birthdays, appointments, etc. There is also room on the side of each monthly page to write down notes or journal things I want to remember about our month.

My lesson plan section includes five tabbed dividers for each student, one for each subject. Behind those are copies of schedule pages or tables of contents from their school books. I just check each thing off as it is completed, but dates could be added in here as well. I also insert completed activity sheets in the appropriate sections.

Next, I have a section for our book list pages. I write down all of our read-alouds here and the date each one was completed. Each of my boys keeps a separate notebook with a booklist for books read independently. I make copies of these at the end of the school year and include them in my file with the rest of my planner pages.

After the book list section, I have a section for storing essays and other papers the boys complete. I save pretty much every essay or story, etc. Next, I have sections for field trips and activities such as music recitals. I use page protectors to save items in these sections--programs from recitals, brochures, etc.

I have found that having everything in one place and keeping it really simple works best for me. I can flip to a section to find out what page or lesson we are on, and checking things off as they are completed not only shows us how far we have to go but also how far we've been. At the end of the year, I sort everything out and file what I want to keep for safekeeping.

I'd love to hear about your record-keeping system!

Wonder-full Wednesday

2012-02-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

Giveaway and Review: ACT and College Preparation Course

2012-02-05T11:54:00.002-05:00

Win this book!

   ACT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student by Dr. James Stobaugh contains 50 lessons covering English, math, reading, science, vocabulary, and essay writing. Dr. Stobaugh's approach is to start preparations for the test in eleventh grade and follow the course over a period of either 50 weeks, completing one lesson a week, or 50 days, completing one lesson per day. Along with the book, a downloadable essay workbook is also available which covers the mechanics and style of writing an ACT essay. The appendix includes sections for vocabulary helps, book list, reading journal, devotional journal, and Greek and Latin morphemes. (The book list covers literature that would be useful to read beginning in ninth grade for preparation for both the SAT and ACT, as well as college itself.) Other highlights are the devotional format of the book and the useful test-taking insights and stress-reduction strategies.

   One really great thing about this book is that it is packed full of information, but in a manageable format. The body of knowledge required for college preparation seems overwhelming, but Dr. Stobaugh has
organized this book so that students can tackle the "elephant" one bite at a time.

   James P. Stobaugh's ACT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student is one of several resources available from Master Books for high school students and their families. They also have books like SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student, Already Compromised, Fish Out of Water, and Coming Soon – History Curriculum for 10th – 12th grade by Dr. James Stobaugh.

   For a chance to win ACT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student , "Like" Master Books on facebook, and come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me you did. One winner will receive a hard copy of this book, and one winner will receive a digital copy.

   ~~Comments close on February 14.~~
Comments are now closed--thanks for stopping by!

{The publisher has provided me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

DIY: Bridal Shower

2012-02-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

The scrabble letters spell out "FEATHER YOUR NEST."

My beautiful niece is getting married in June, and I threw her a bridal shower last week. She's in school out-of-state, so we have to fit all the wedding details in when she comes home on break. I had fun decorating with a bird's nest theme, and she got tons of gifts to help set up her first home. We kept the food simple, but it must have been good, because most of it was gone when it was all over.

I printed off some bird prints onto card stock, trimmed them
a little, and put them inside some thrifted clear vases.

Pepperoni Pinwheels and
Spinach Gruyere Puff Pastries were a big hit.

Happy Groundhog Day

2012-02-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

It's a rainy day here, so we won't see our shadows today, but apparently Punxutawney Phil saw his and predicted six more weeks of winter. At any rate, Groundhog Day is a goofy holiday, but who doesn't need an excuse to be a little goofy for a day? Two of our favorite Groundhog Day books are:

Gregory's Shadow is a classic book written by the author of Corduroy (my middle son's favorite book of all time.) Just before their appearance on Groundhog Day, Gregory and his shadow become separated. How will they find each other? Here's a short lesson plan with activities related to this book, including making shadow puppets and doing a science experiment with shadows.

Gail Gibbons' Groundhog Day explains the origins of the holiday and includes facts about groundhogs and hibernation. Gail Gibbons' books are favorites with us. Lots of learning packed into a picture book!

Wonder-full Wednesday

2012-02-01T01:54:00.002-05:00

Signs of spring!

Review: Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale

2012-01-30T06:01:00.002-05:00

When you combine Sylvan Dell's Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale by Pam Kapchinske, illustrated by Sherry Rogers with the online teaching activity downloads, you have a unit study which encompasses all subject areas. This book can be revisited time and time again, and will captivate young learners as they learn about food chains and food webs, herbivores and carnivores, predators and prey, animal classification, and animal adaptations. To stretch the learning even further, the online resources provide cross-curricular learning opportunities such as math activities, mapping, journaling, word families, sequencing, and so much more.

Hey Diddle Diddle reads like a song, with rhyming words and alliteration, and the illustrations show the animals and creatures in their natural surroundings. The animals are friendly-looking and "smiling" which helps make a subject that might be tough for tender-hearted readers a little less intense. Kids will like guessing what is coming on the next page. It's a great way to gently introduce the concept of food chains and food webs to a young audience. With all the companion resources, Hey Diddle Diddle will add so much to science learning in the homeschool or elementary school classroom.

{The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

We usually do something special for Chinese New Year. My boys love Chinese food and have studied China for our support group's International Festival. They have an uncle who lived in China for many years and has sent them photos and goodies like Chinese money and trinkets.

This year we went out for a special Chinese lunch and read two books: The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher, and Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The Great Wall of China is a concise history of the building of the Great Wall, and Ms. Frizzle's Adventures contains tons of facts about China as Ms. Frizzle and the gang travel back in time 1000 years and learn about Chinese culture and history.

For all ages--the history of the Great Wall.

This book is packed full of information.

We added a new critter to our growing menagerie: a teeny baby beta. The boys named him Small Noodle Big Bowl.

Small Noodle Big Bowl

And, I found a neat painting/collage thumbprint Chinese lantern activity on Let's Go Fly a Kite. Go check out this super-cute activity.

May the Force Be With You...

2012-01-26T21:45:00.000-05:00

All of my boys' experience with park day light saber battles has led to something new--homeschool fencing lessons. All ages and sizes in one class together, and the sword is the equalizer. (They all took to it like they were naturals.) This is the first season that nobody is playing baseball or football, so when looking into alternatives, I discovered this fencing class, and the boys had their first lesson this week. It seemed so graceful, almost like ballet at first when the instructor was teaching them the footwork and the parry positions. When the protective gear was strapped on, and the first blades sliced together, I knew they were hooked.

Review: Answers Book for Teens

2012-01-22T22:53:00.000-05:00

Presented in a teen-friendly format with "cool" fonts and graphics, Answers Book for Teens by Bodie Hodge, Tommy Mitchell, and Ken Ham will answer many questions posed by teens (and adults) about God's world. Aimed at ages 13-17, I think many kids may not be ready for some of the material until the older end of that spectrum--or at least the sections dealing with sex. Parents should read this book first to decide when to give it to their teen, and be ready to discuss the topics with their teen. This book would be a great jumping-off point for conversations.

All of the Answers books have been steady reference books in our home, and Answers Book for Teens will join them as a keeper on our shelves.

The book is written in an easy, conversational style, and is presented in short sections to hold your attention. Words are not minced, and the authors do an excellent job of getting to the point and providing Scripture references to back up their answers to the 15 faith questions covered in this book.

Highly recommended for high-schoolers and their parents!

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Review: World of Science

2012-01-22T22:26:00.001-05:00

What a great book! I was amazed at all the detailed information contained in World of Science by Master Books. Not only is this a comprehensive reference book for kids, but it would also make a wonderful science textbook for the homeschool. It is full of illustrations, photographs, biographies, and more. World of Science covers Matter and Chemicals, Energy, Motion, and Machines, Electricity and Magnetism, Light and Sound, Earth and Life, and Space and Time. The material is geared to appeal to kids, such as examples comparing atoms to legos.

Also included is an entire section of science experiments, 65 in all, which reference back to the sections in the book where the information is covered. The experiments are clearly explained and include photographs and lists of ingredients which are either commonly found in the home or easy to acquire. Because of the way the experiments are presented, most elementary-aged kids would be able to complete them with little help from parents. My only suggestion would be to reference the experiments throughout the text so you can perform them as you go through the book without having to search for them. This book is a joint edition with My Father's World curriculum, so it is possible that the lesson plans they provide do this for you. I would love to see an independent teacher's guide for this book, as I think it would make a very complete elementary science course.

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Curriculum Fair: Life Science

2012-01-20T21:16:00.003-05:00

Science is all around us, and we definitely take advantage of that. There are all sorts of opportunities to incorporate science learning into our days...

We go on field trips, many of them free, to places like fish hatcheries, wildlife parks, state parks, power plants, rock and gem stores, farms, recycling centers, museums, lakes, etc. etc. etc.

We explore our neighborhood nature trail.

We open our back door

and are amazed at who comes to visit,

then we search through our field guides to give them a name.

We watch the sky.

We peek in bushes.

We see amazing things growing in the woods.

We garden.

Our garden attracts wonderous creatures.

We look up at the moon.

We marvel at mushrooms.

We learn new things online, like electronics and soldering.

We play and build with legos.

We collect books and field guides.

We watch our lizards like they are television, and we keep nature journals (in the basket.)

We play with magnets.

We read about God's creation.

We babysit our microbe biosphere, which is almost a year old.

Curriculum Fair: Science Basics

2012-01-19T21:37:00.002-05:00

Apologia science

For science, we have always followed Sonlight's programs and added in a bunch of nature study. This year, my 8th grader is using Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science, text and companion multimedia cd, and Sonlight's schedule and science supply kit. The great thing about Sonlight's supply kits is that everything you need for experiments is included, except for basic household supplies.

The schedule lists what you will need each week and what you need to gather for the following week, as well as sectioning daily reading assignments. I can pretty much give my son the schedule sheet, and he can work independently from the book. I help him with experiments and studying for quizzes, but other than that, he is able to do most of it on his own. He is keeping a lab notebook which he journals in as he does experiments and the "On your own" sections in the book.

Sonlight science: Electricity, Magnetism, and Astronomy

My younger two boys are both using Sonlight's Electricity, Magnetism, and Astronomy program, which features several books and a dvd showing how to do the experiments. They have the supply kit as well, which is a real time saver. They especially loved reading Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane and getting a microscope this year to use with the Usborne Microscope book.

My First Lab Microscope

These programs make up the base of our science studies, but we add in many extras, which I'll talk about next time.

Encouragement for the January Blahs

2012-01-11T21:18:00.003-05:00

Blue skies smilin' at me
Nothin' but blue skies do I see
Bluebirds singin' a song
Nothin' but blue skies from now on

Never saw the sun shinin' so bright
Never saw things goin' so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days, all of them gone
Nothin' but blue skies from now on...

-CONTI, FEDERICO / BREW, GINGER
Sung by Willie Nelson

It seems to be a well-known phenomenon among homeschool moms that the "January blahs" settle in shortly after the holidays. Feelings of not being as far along as we wanted to be can become overwhelming, and the "shorter" days and yucky weather seem to add to the stress. My solution is to pare down to the basics: math, language arts, and science, and use read-aloud time to do a "living" history book for the month of January until we get back into our groove. We also try to get together with friends at least once a week. I take a little time out each day just to sort and organize books, records, papers, etc., and I purge what we aren't using or what hasn't worked for us.

These articles from some great sites are encouraging to me:

Narrow it Down

When the Day Falls Apart

Today is a New Day

Chopped

2012-01-08T16:39:00.000-05:00

My son is a writer, and my niece has caught the bug as well. When we visited my brother's family over Christmas, the two of them sat side-by-side with their laptops almost the whole time, working on a book and a script together. My brother had come up with an idea for a writing exercise, and we sat them down to try it out. A big fan of Food Network, my brother came up with an idea for writing, chopped-style, with three ingredients. The kids were given 30 minutes to write and had to incorporate three random "ingredients" in their stories:

1. Nalgene bottle

2. The President

3. Slot Machine

I thought this was a great idea for stretching creative muscles. Here's what my son came up with (it's unfinished because they had to stop at the end of 30 minutes--he's going to finish it up later.)

David sat on the park bench, reading a text on his phone when he felt a tap on the back of his neck.

He turned around, trying not to move his neck, which was still sore from last week.

No one was there, and on the ground sat a water bottle—Nalgene, made of slightly tinted plastic—with something inside. After last Wednesday, David’s eyesight hadn’t been the same, so he couldn’t tell what the thing inside was.

He reached down and retrieved it. It didn’t look like it could be dangerous—he knew what something like that would look like. There seemed to be some kind of bronze box inside—small, rectangular, like some kind of jewelry box.

He shook the contents around inside for a second, and after finding he was unable to tell exactly what the thing inside it was, he unscrewed the cap.

He shook the box out of the bottle, into his hand. He held it close to his nose, and panicked at first glance.

It looked like a circuit board of some kind. David’s first thought was the worst possible scenario: a bomb.

Maybe they didn’t catch him, David thought, thinking back to the terrorist he’d had to deal with last Wednesday. Guarding the President was never an easy job, generally always harder than anyone knew, but the terrorist had given him even more trouble.

For one, the man had actually gotten past the security guards, unlike the others. The President was giving a public speech that day, and was standing on a stage surrounded by guards.

The man climbed on stage, and before David had a chance to react, the man held up his hand. In his clenched fist was a jumble of wires.

The guards went for the man. Rookie mistake, David knew. Instead, he, one of the more seasoned guards, went for the President.

David knocked him out of the way just before the man had let the circuitry in his hand drop.

A few didn’t survive—others were seriously injured.

All except for David and the President. Even then, sitting on the par bench, David didn’t know how they’d done it. Maybe being behind the stage had blocked some of the force.

After that David had been given some time off. He’s been burned slightly by smoking debris that flied in all directions after the blast, and was also suffering from post-traumatic stress.

But back to now, David thought, coming back to reality. He probably should have reacted, but something was telling him to stay. For one, the piece of circuitry didn’t look like a bomb—he’d been trained to know what it should look like.

The turned the thing over in his hand. On the other side was a three-inch screen with a red button under it.

He reached for the button cautiously, not sure if he should push it. He had gone through years of training—he should know not to do this.

Before he decided on what to do, his phone rang. He closed out of the text message, and answered.

Before he could say anything, a gruff masculine voice on the other side spoke: “David Stein?”

“…Yes?”

“We need you for something.”

“Who is this?”

A slight pause, then:

“No one you know. I see you have the bottle.”

“Yeah, I—” David glanced around himself, looking for someone who could be watching him. No one was there—the park was eerily desolate.

“Press the button.”

“Who is this?”

“That doesn’t matter right now. Press it.”

“No.”

“We’ve got a sniper watching you right now. His scope is set—any time now.”

The man sounded dead-serious, so David wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or a very good actor.

David didn’t know what made him do it, but he pressed the button, anyway.

At first, nothing happened. Then a single word appeared on the screen: spin.

The man on the other end didn’t say anything. Not exactly sure what to do, David pushed the red button again.

Three columns of letters appeared on the screen, and spun around vertically like some kind of virtual slot machine.

The letters slowed and finally came to a stop. It said:

3-2-St.

“Go there,” the man on the other end said.

“What?”

“Thirty-Second Street.”

David spotted the sign outside the gates of the park. He stood, and walked to it, the Nalgene bottle under his arm, slot machine and phone in each hand.

He stopped at the street sign.

“Okay, Thirty-Second Street. I’m there,” David said.

“All right. Listen, because we don’t have time for me to repeat anything.”

“Got it,” David said.

“A bus is going to pass in exactly thirty seconds. I want to you toss the bottle into the road with the machine inside it.”

“What will happen?”

“No time,” the man said.

The bus was now visible in the distance. David had to react fast.

“Do it, David. Everything depends on you.”

What to do, what to do...

It was an early Sunday morning, and there weren’t many people around. Hardly any cars.

Review: Animalogy: Animal Analogies

2012-01-06T10:37:00.001-05:00

   Teaching critical thinking skills begins early, and Animalogy: Animal Analogies by Marianne Berkes, illustrated by Cathy Morrison, is a fun way to introduce analogies to young kids. Sylvan-Dell publishes some of the finest books on the market for both classroom and home reading. Animalogy will keep kids interested and intrigued as they study the beautifully detailed illustrations of animals, insects, fish, birds, and reptiles in their natural habitats.  Learning analogies will help teach them to think critically, compare and contrast, and classify.

   The back section of the book "For Creative Minds" explores analogies further and provides more practice working with them as well as more activities doing animal classification. Kids will learn about many animal features such as body parts, size, sounds, actions, and skin coverings. This book cleverly incorporates language arts, science, and nature study flawlessly. Lots of new vocabulary is introduced as well.

   One fun part of this book is that it is written in rhyme, which my youngest children really enjoy. Rhyming helps them memorize text, and this book would be great for dictation or recitation: "Robin is to wing, as goldfish is to fin. Beaver is to build as spider is to spin."

   To top it all off, Sylvan Dell offers free online activities at http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ to accompany this book and others (a home educator's favorite thing = freebies!) Sylvan Dell books pack in so much learning, that you will find yourself revisiting them again and again (we do.) I would have loved to have them for my classroom when I was teaching outside the home.

   Animalogy will be read many times in our homeschool. A+

{The publisher has generously provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review.}

Who, me?

2012-01-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

La-La's Home Daycare graciously bestowed this honor upon me--what a cool surprise!

Now on to the blog award rules...

1. Thank the person that nominated you with a link back to them. (Thanks Lori)

2. Tell 7 things about yourself. (see below)

3. Pass this award on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know that they’ve received an award!

Seven Things About Myself

1. I love to scrapbook, but I don't get to it often enough.
2. I could live without television.
3. My son has two pet lizards and a tree frog, but they are really my pets.
4. I am afraid of cockroaches, but no other bugs or spiders freak me out at all.
5. I hardly ever change out of my pajamas until lunchtime, unless I have to be somewhere.
6. I put my pajamas back on before I cook supper (does that make me a total slacker?)
7. My greatest accomplishments: I have been married for 25 years and I have three awesome sons.

Amazing blogs I love:

Confessions of a Fraidy Cat

An Oregon Cottage

Collecting the Moments

Easy Meals for Moms

Mama Pea Pod

River Girl

Paint on the Ceiling

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Jump Into a Book

Greening Sam and Avery

Adventurez in Child Rearing

Homeschool Creations

The Princess and the Tot

Piccalillipie

Uncommon Grace

Wonder-full Wednesday: Blue Hills

2012-01-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T10:38:00.001-05:00

My kids love to watch the ball drop in Times Square at midnight--it's become a tradition that they look forward to each year. We will start the evening off with a special supper and a special dessert (creme brulee,) and then we'll watch a classic movie. My kids are all night owls, so they have no problem staying up, but it will be a challenge to get them to go to bed after the new year rolls in tonight.

I'd love to hear what you do to celebrate the new year with your kids.

Review: A is for Adam

2011-12-30T12:23:00.000-05:00

A is for Adam is my new favorite resource for teaching the Bible to my youngest child. This edition is an easel book, with a sturdy back cover that folds out to stand the book upright. You can flip each page and position the easel so the child looks at the picture while you look at the back where the instructions and activities are listed for the parent/educator. Each letter of the alphabet has a full-page illustration featuring a rhyme and Bible lesson starting with creation and ending with the New Heavens and New Earth. Each lesson is presented in a child-friendly way with tons of activities and questions for discussion. There are extended activities in the back section of the book and the book's website offers free downloadable coloring pages and activities. My child loves the colorful illustrations and friendly characters which hold his attention while we are discussing the lesson. For kids who like to color or to be in constant motion, the coloring pages will keep them focused while you are reading to them. This book is perfect for homeschool Bible study or devotionals, and I think it would also work well in a group setting.

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Wonder-full Wednesday: Storm Clouds Rolling in

2011-12-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

We watched the sky as the storm blew in, until the clouds met the mountain-tops. It felt like a huge blanket being pulled over us. Living up high on a hill gives us the coolest views of the sky.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2011-12-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Party Food

2011-12-22T11:50:00.002-05:00

My kids love to help in the kitchen, especially at holiday time. These recipes are kid-friendly and yummy, and we're making them for our Christmas party:

Pepperoni Pinwheels

1 package crescent rolls
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded Italian/4 cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 package pepperoni

Use two crescent roll triangles to form a rectangle, and make 4 rectangles. Flatten out the dough. Mix the cheeses, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning together and spread onto the dough. Layer with pepperoni, then roll up the dough rectangles and cut into slices with serrated knife. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
(You can store the dough in the freezer and bake them later.)

Ginger Snaps and Pumpkin Dip

1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 can pumpkin
4 oz. cool whip
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store covered in fridge until ready to serve. Serve with ginger snaps or teddy grahams.

Keeping Kids Entertained in the Car: Guess the State

2011-12-20T09:45:00.001-05:00

We traveled to visit family last weekend, and the kids were getting squirrely after riding "forever," so we invented a game on the fly. All the grown-ups in the car pooled our quarters and I picked out all the "state" ones. I would cover the state name with my thumb and hold the quarter up so the kids could get a peek at it, and then I would read them clues from the quarter: "sailboat," "bridge," "ocean," etc. If nobody guessed it, I would give them more hints, like "northeast" or "New England." The first one to name the state got the quarter. We kept on until we ran out of change and found ourselves thirty minutes further down the road.

DIY: Recycled Gift Bags

2011-12-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Have you seen how much gift bags cost? If you save shopping bags, it's really easy to gussie them up and turn them into "homemade" gift bags. Just pull out some acrylic paint or ink pads, some stencils, and your imagination. Add some brightly colored tissue paper inside, and you're ready to wrap.

Review: God Gave Us Two

2011-12-14T10:01:00.000-05:00

This follow-up to God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren with illustrations by Laura J. Bryant is a delightful picture book about a little polar bear cub who is preparing to become a big sister. God Gave Us Two follows Little Cub through the last days of her mother's pregnancy. She asks both of her parents questions about what the new baby will look like and be like, and they patiently answer her questions and help her get ready to become a new sister. With a delightful surprise at the end, kids will be eagerly anticipating another sequel.

The text flows smoothly, making this a nice read-aloud choice, and the illustrations are colorful and engaging, giving kids lots of things to look at on each page. This is a nice choice for any child whose family is growing, and it would be a perfect gift for a brother- or sister-to-be.

{Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.}

Homemade Christmas: Sea Salt Scrub

2011-12-11T16:26:00.000-05:00

   This is easy to make, and much less expensive than the cosmetic counter brands. It's an easy gift that kids can mix up. We sniff-tested lots of different essential oils, and our choices came down to both what we thought smelled the best and what was the most reasonably priced. We found our oils at Whole Foods, but they are also sold at health-food stores. We had some dried lavender that we saved from the garden, but it is totally optional. This recipe made three large jars. You can use this in the tub, or put it beside the sink to use on your hands to sooth dry skin.

Lavender Rose Sea Salt Scrub

Mix in large bowl: 4 oz. almond oil
                             8 oz. grapeseed oil
                             24 oz. coarse sea salt
                             26 oz. fine sea salt
                             1/2 cup dried lavender
                             several drops lavender oil
                             several drops rose oil
Scoop into jars and add a pretty ribbon and tag.

Homemade Christmas: Russian Tea

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

I don't know why Russian Tea is called "Russian" Tea. There is a vast history of tea in Russia, but I haven't been able to find out how this recipe got its name. My sister-in-law always made this for Christmas gifts, and her recipe makes a yummy cold weather treat.

Angie's Russian Tea

2 cups unsweetened instant tea mix
2 cups Tang drink mix
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (optional--don't buy it if you don't have it on hand)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and portion out into jars. Combine 1 Tblsp. mix with 1 cup boiling water and stir until dissolved.

Giveaway: New Living Translation

2011-12-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

Tyndale is hosting a great giveaway on their New Living Translation Facebook page. This generous prize package includes the following:
One random person each day will win a Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (Guys Life Application Study Bible hc, Girls Life Application Study Bible hc, Student's Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible Large Print hc).

One Random person each week will win an Apple iPad 2!

Everyone that signs up gets a free download copy of the Life Application Bible Study – Book of Luke!

Head over to enter and win!

Homemade Christmas: Peppermint Bark

2011-12-07T00:41:00.001-05:00

This stuff is delicious, and it is my favorite holiday treat. Unfortunately, Williams Sonoma thinks it is worth a fortune. I have a simple recipe that the kids can help make, and even though we won't have the cute tin, the end result is yummy.

You need one bag chocolate chips

one bag white chocolate chips

1 tsp. peppermint extract

crushed peppermint candy (use all those broken candy canes)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a casserole dish with parchment paper coated with cooking spray (leave ends of parchment overlapping the ends of the dish.) Pour chocolate chips into prepared dish and turn down oven to 250 degrees. Heat chocolate chips for about 5 minutes, but check halfway and remove as soon as they are melted. Smooth top with rubber spatula, then put in refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until set. Melt white chocolate chips in double boiler or in a bowl in the microwave. Remove from heat, add peppermint extract, and stir until smooth. Pour over cooled chocolate and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy and chill in fridge for another 20 minutes or until set. Remove from dish by lifting parchment paper ends. Place another piece of parchment on top and break candy into pieces by snapping it with your hands or whacking it on the counter. It's good!

December Daily: Decking the Halls

2011-12-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

Book Review: Decision Points

2011-12-04T18:03:00.000-05:00

Regardless of your political views, it is fascinating to get a glimpse behind the scenes into the lives of historical people. In our homeschool, my boys have read about great leaders from the past, and they have learned that these people were more than just "characters," but were real people who made mistakes, did brave things, and influenced history in some way. I looked forward to getting some insight into President Bush's tenure in the White House in his book Decision Points, and I was not disappointed. Divided into fourteen chapters which chronicle Bush's major "decision points," the book also contains two sections of photographs and an index, making it easy to use for classroom discussion.

As president during one of the most defining times in the history of the United States, President Bush candidly discusses the "behind the scenes" happenings during 9/11 and its aftermath, Hurricane Katrina, and more. The style of this book makes it easily readable, and it is interesting to learn how President Bush's decisions were made when dealing with crises, diplomatic relations, and controversial issues. His father is a strong influence in his life, as is his faith.

I found it particularly interesting to learn about President Bush's relationship with Vladimir Putin--they actually went fishing together! When you read about people in the news, it isn't easy to get a clear picture of them as "regular" people. Although I enjoy reading history, I don't find politics interesting, but this book was not at all what I expected. Whether or not you agreed with President Bush's decisions during his terms, Decision Points is definitely a memoir worth reading.

Read an excerpt from Decision Points.

{I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.}

Friday Photo

2011-12-02T11:10:00.000-05:00

This garden visitor blended in well with all the crunchy leaves, but it still managed to find a flower amongst all the frost.

December Daily

2011-11-30T19:11:00.000-05:00

For the past few years, I have made a December Daily album. Each year, I have made my album ahead of time and created a page for each day in December. This is such a neat way to hold on to the memories of the season, and my kids love to look back on our past Christmas activities. This year, I only managed to make my cover, but I have all the supplies I need to make the pages as I go. I don't plan to document every single day of the month this time, but I'm going to see what I feel inspired to do. It seems to me like time is flying by, and I want to maintain the perspective that this is for fun, not work. Here's a peek at my front cover:

Now I just need to remember to get my camera out more often and start documenting our days. The countdown begins tomorrow!

DIY: Holiday Cheer

2011-11-25T10:01:00.001-05:00

Clove oranges

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:35:00.001-05:00

DIY: Thanksgiving for the Birds

2011-11-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

Taking advantage of our warm, sunny weather, we headed outside to make a Thanksgiving feast for the birds.

We used one of the small pumpkins the kids brought home from the pumpkin patch, cut off the top, and scooped out the seeds.

Then all we had to do was cut some holes in the side with an apple corer, string some twine through to make a hanger, and add some seeds. We'll be watching to see who discovers their feast.

Review: Bound for Glory

2011-11-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

Bound for Glory by Timothy Botts is a unique book which showcases a collection of his calligraphic paintings, visual interpretations of African American spiritual songs, along with reflective readings from Botts and African-American writer and speaker Patricia Raybon, lyrics from the spirituals, and Scripture verses from the New Living Translation. This hardbound book is perfect for holiday gift-giving for anyone who loves music, art, and history. It serves as both an art/history book and a meditative devotional.

I was immediately struck by the colorful artwork and the unique style of the paintings. Combining both words and pictures, Timothy Botts captures the essence of the verses he depicts. I found myself spending time studying each picture and flipping from one to the next the first time I picked up the book, before reading the accompanying text. Patricia Raybon's reflective readings give the reader even more to think about, and they enhance the artwork along with the Scripture verses and Botts' commentary on his inspiration for each picture. The book is divided into sections on "The Bible Story," "Times of Trouble," "True Testimony," and "Heaven Bound," and includes a Scripture Index at the end.

Appropriate for all ages, this book will be used in our homeschool as we study American history. My music lovers will appreciate that aspect of the book, the youngest will be struck by the colorful pictures, and all of us will learn more about our heritage. This is one book that you can definitely "judge by its cover," as it begs to be picked up, and once you do, you won't be disappointed by what you find inside.

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Review: Prairie Storms

2011-11-16T22:07:00.001-05:00

Today has been a stormy day here in our neck of the woods, so I pulled out Prairie Storms, and we read it together while we snuggled in and watched the weather from our window. Another valuable resource from Sylvan-Dell, Prairie Storms follows the changing weather in the prairie during the year. Each page highlights a month of the year and a weather pattern for that month, as the prairie animals prepare and adapt. Not only does this book have beautiful color illustrations, but it is packed full of learning opportunities as well. From drought to lightning, snow to hail, and tornadoes to flooding, this book covers the seasons. Kids will learn about animals, grassland habitats, weather, months of the year, and seasonal changes.

Fantastic teaching activities are included at the end of the book as well as on the Sylvan-Dell website (a 52-page full-color guide,) making this more than just a picture book. These resources provide activities in reading and language arts, science, math, and geography, and they offer quizzes, coloring pages, state standards, and links to additional website resources. Prairie Storms is available in both print and ebook format. We enjoyed it today while we learned about storms, and we will surely revisit it again and again.

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Nature Exchange Send-off

2011-11-15T11:47:00.000-05:00

We're sending our treasures off to Illinois today. We collected several things from our nature walks and were inspired to create a few things as well.

Guest-posting today

2011-11-14T12:40:00.000-05:00

I'm guest-posting at New Leaf Publishing Group Blogs today.

Friday Photo: Fall Visitors

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Nature Search

2011-11-10T11:25:00.000-05:00

We have joined the Nature Exchange at The Magnifying Glass, and we've almost collected everything we need for our swap buddies. It's been fun to hunt treasures with a purpose, and the boys have found some interesting specimens to share. So far, an abandoned wasp nest, a gall, goose feathers, a snail shell, a granite rock, and some pressed leaves. We're still collecting, and we're also going to include a couple of postcards.

The best part is taking time to enjoy the fall scenery where we live and taking advantage of the balmy weather.

Review: How Do We Know the Bible is True?

2011-11-09T18:35:00.000-05:00

How do we know the Bible is true? Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge have edited a wonderful volume that addresses this issue with Biblical authority to better equip Christians to face the culture we are living in. The essays in How Do We Know the Bible is True? address areas such as the reliability of scripture, miracles, salvation, poligamy, evolution, mythology, the age of the earth, and atheism. Many questions both Christians and non-Christians have about these subjects and more are answered in these essays. Popular culture topics such as The DaVinci Code are also addressed. Because this book is labeled as "Volume 1," I assume there will be much more subject matter to come.

My kids have learned so much from the "Answers" books by Ken Ham, and I was excited to get this one for myself. I especially enjoyed the essays dealing with evolution and the age of the earth, as these are two issues that I have struggled with. These notions are contradictory to everything I was taught in school, and I always felt an inner struggle with making what I was taught line up with what the Bible says is true. I appreciate books such as Ken Ham's for giving me a resource to answer my own questions, as well as the questions my kids often pose. If the Bible says that "God is the Creator of all things," then how could we have evolved over millions/billions of years? The essay "How Can We Stand on Scripture in an Evolution-Pushing Culture?" by Jim Gardner, tackles this issue head-on: "People need to understand that evolution is a worldview teaching that man got here without God being involved...Evolution is the foundation of humanism."

How Do We Know the Bible is True? is a reference book that I will return to many times, and I will look forward to the next volume.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Remember Veteran's Day

2011-11-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

http://www.va.gov/

Remember to thank a veteran this week!

Some things to do:

   Send a care package, letter, or postcard to a soldier. Check AnySoldier.com to get an address.
   Download a free Veteran's Day Teacher's Guide to learn more about what Veteran's Day means, and a Save Our History teacher's guide and timeline from the National WWII Memorial.

   Check out some books to share with your kids:

Strange Days Indeed

2011-11-06T22:55:00.000-05:00

A great thing about pets is the learning that happens along with having them. We have two green anoles, and the male has been through a mishap involving his tail, the lid of the tank, and our fat cat. His tail was hanging out the side of the roof, and he was on the bottom of the tank one morning. Eeeew!!

The amazing thing is that his tail is growing back, and he now has a little stubby stump. We watched him shed his skin the other day, which was quite a long process. We have a Green Anole guidebook, and any time anything happens, we look it up in the book. The kids have learned to do research when they have questions, and they have become really good green anole owners.

Book Review: Heaven is for Real for Kids

2011-11-02T16:50:00.001-04:00

Heaven is for Real for Kids is based on the New York Times bestseller Heaven is for Real, the story of Colton Burpo's miraculous journey to heaven and back at the age of three. This book for children presents Colton's message that heaven does exist, that God wants us all to go there one day, and that Jesus loves children. Each part of Colton's story is illustrated in soft, soothing colors, and Bible references are included alongside Colton's retelling of his experience. Parents will find answers in this book to questions often posed by young children about what heaven is like, and it provides a nice way to share heaven with children and open up lines to further discussions about what the Bible says is true. It is also a gentle reminder to adults to come to God with childlike faith. I think Heaven is for Real for Kids would be especially comforting to children who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Colton's journey reassures us that what might be considered a frightening event is really a time to feel the peace and love that is in God. It is best suited for preschool through early elementary ages.

{ The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®, but the honest opinions I have given are my own.}

My Favorite Part of Halloween

2011-10-31T15:47:00.000-04:00

The older my boys get, the more interesting (or gross) their jack-'o-lanterns get. The mummy took a good two hours of patient drawing and scooping, my youngest decided his needed "firey" eyes, and there appears to have been a murder (too much Alfred Hitchcock lately.)

The best part has to be the seeds...

Roasted with a little olive oil and coarse salt--the best part of Halloween.

Apple Butter

2011-10-29T09:58:00.001-04:00

Here is the perfect way to make your house smell delicious on a cold and wet fall day. We went on a field trip last week to a farm where the boys got to pick pumpkins and fill a small bag with apples. The apples were fine but looked like they had seen better days.

The boys each brought home some green ones and some red ones, and we ended up with so many, I decided to use them for apple butter. This recipe is easy, and the results are yummy:

Crockpot Apple Butter

Peel and slice apples (I used about 12-15 small to medium) into crockpot or slow-cooker

Sprinkle over top--1 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. apple pie spice

Pour 1/2 cup apple juice over top.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, then mash apples with potato masher, stir, re-cover, and cook for another hour or two.

Boil canning jars, rings, and lids, and then add apple butter mixture to hot jars, leaving about 1/2 inch at top. Put on lids and rings, and boil filled jars for 10 minutes to seal.

Curriculum Fair: Math--Take 2

2011-10-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

One of the greatest things about homeschooling is having the freedom to modify and re-vamp as needed. I usually take a look at where we are in the fall and do a little tweaking wherever it may be needed. I posted a while back about our math curriculum for this year, and we have recently incorporated another program into our math studies: Teaching Textbooks.

The main reason we decided to go with this is that the program is highly interactive and computer-based, and it is like having a math tutor in your home. As I mentioned earlier, math is not my strong point, so I felt I needed a program that could virtually "take over" for me in many ways. I am still able to assist my kids if they need it, but this program is really all-inclusive, and the boys are having fun using it. My oldest commented that his favorite part is knowing how much time it will take him to do a lesson. Each lesson is broken down so that you watch the lecture, do some practice exercises, and then complete the problems. If you miss one, you get immediate feedback, and then you can ask for an explanation for solving the problem. The student can master each concept before moving ahead. All the prep work is done for you, so all the student has to do is pop in the CD and start working. It even keeps a "gradebook" for you.

We are still using the other materials I mentioned before as supplements, but I felt like we needed to add more "meat" to our math curriculum, and this seems like a good fit for my older two. After taking the placement tests, we chose to start with Math 5 and Math 7, and if all goes well, we will add Math 3 for my youngest next year.

Nature Exchange

2011-10-26T00:49:00.000-04:00

The folks over at The Magnifying Glass are hosting a nature exchange. What a great excuse to go on some nature walks! We are signed up, and we've already begun collecting treasures to mail off to our exchange buddies. You can still sign up until November 2 and join the fun.

End of season cupcakes

2011-10-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

Fall baseball season just came to a close, and we made baseball cupcakes for the end-of-season trophy dinner. To decorate them, we used vanilla frosting and peel-apart cherry twizzlers to make "laces." They were a big "hit" (sorry, couldn't help it.)

Fall Nature Walk

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-04:00

DIY: Cereal Box Tents

2011-10-19T16:29:00.000-04:00

A few bounty hunters and ewoks wanted to go camping with us last weekend, so we made them some tents to bring along with their playmobil camping gear.

Using cardboard from a cereal box, we cut three rectangles, taped them together to form a triangle, and then used the end as a template to cut out a triangle piece for the back.

Then we painted the top two outside pieces with tacky glue, and added a piece of felt, overlapping it at the front. Once the glue adhered, we trimmed off the excess felt and cut it up the center front to form flaps. We also cut out a triangle to add to the outside back.

To make the flaps stay open, we cut out tiny tabs of stick-on velcro, using the scratchy side, and adhered them to the inside corners of the flaps. The velcro will cling to the felt when you roll the flaps back.

Camping weather

2011-10-17T21:26:00.001-04:00

It's camping weather in our neck of the woods--warm days, cool evenings, chilly mornings. We headed out to the state park, set up the tent, stocked firewood, told scary stories, toasted marshmallows, cooked hot dogs over the fire, and rented a canoe.

Everyone came home a little dirty and sleep-deprived, but all agreed that it made for a perfect weekend vacation.

Taking the day outside

2011-10-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

Some days are just meant for spending outside, putting away the books for awhile and exploring the world. The learning that takes place is a bonus, but the point is to refresh and wonder--building a beaver dam, looking for fish, making leaf boats, observing unusual plants and bugs, and maybe even bringing home a jar of creek water to view under the microscope.

How do you remove red-eye from a spider?

2011-10-12T19:07:00.000-04:00

It's nearly impossible for me to get a photo where you can actually see the web, but this was the best of the bunch, and you can see the spider "hiding" in the upper right corner. We've been reading about spiders in science, and my son came running inside to get me to come see this huge web over our back porch steps.

It looked right at the camera for this one, and then hid its head under its legs until we went back inside.

We weren't able to find one like this in our field guide, but we'd love to know what it is.

Review: Big Book of History

2011-10-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

Written for ages 7-12, Big Book of History is both a book and a fifteen foot pull out timeline. This large hardback book with heavy-stock full-color pages is full of photographs and facts spanning from 4004B. C. to 2010A. D. It is written in an engaging and friendly style, and kids will love scanning the pictures along the timeline and reading the accompanying facts. My boys love "fact" books, and this one is a nice addition to our history studies and bedtime reading. The publisher has provided a downloadable study guide for teachers and home educators which is chock full of ideas and activities to incorporate this book into a curriculum.

My boys have been using timeline books with their schooling from day one. As we learn about events, people, and places, they add figures to the timelines in their books. Big Book of History is more of an almanac of facts put together in a format that kids can revisit again and again. I particularly like the young earth creationist slant of this book and the abundance of Biblical facts alongside the other events from history. It is wonderful that publishers are finally starting to produce books like this for kids. You may want to use caution with younger kids with some of the scarier topics such as mummies, the lost city of Pompeii, and The Holocaust.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Review: Ten For Me

2011-10-07T11:58:00.001-04:00

As two friends set out with their butterfly field guide to capture, view, and release butterflies, a contest develops between them to see who can net the most, and the math adventure begins. Ten for Me by Barbara Mariconda, beautifully illustrated by Sherry Rogers, is a fun way to introduce math concepts and learn a little bit about butterflies in the process. Each time Rose and Ed capture butterflies, their total adds up to 10, but there are different pairs of numbers each time. Kids will learn what combinations add up to ten as well as how to count tally marks as Rose keeps track of their totals. My younger kids enjoyed counting up the tally marks, first by ones, and then practicing counting by fives--all the way to 55! I liked how these skills were introduced within the context of a fun story, and my kids were so immersed in the butterfly catching adventure that the math seemed effortless.

There is so much more to this story, too. There is a fun surprise at the end which made my kids want to go back and study the previous pictures, and the end of the book includes a bonus section (that can be photocopied) full of activities on numbers, patterns, and butterflies. The illustrations of the different types of butterflies are field-guide quality, and this led us to a review of the butterfly body parts and life cycle. An added bonus is a visit to the Sylvan-Dell website, which is loaded with resources for teachers and parents, for printable cross-curricular activities, teaching helps, and more.

Once again, Sylvan-Dell has produced a valuable teaching tool disguised as a quality children's book, a must-have for the home or classroom library.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Park days are for moms

2011-10-05T22:20:00.001-04:00

Park day is as refreshing for me as it is for my kids. Sitting around with other moms-- knitting, crocheting, sharing books, talking, griping, venting, comforting, laughing. I love the time spent with these "girls" while the kids run around, fight their light saber battles, play, and make new friends. Some days are much better spent when the schoolwork is set aside for a little while and recess calls. It is important to check in with this network of support and wisdom once in a while and make it a priority on the calendar, and we will definitely be doing it again next week.

Nature Journal: Garden Spider

2011-10-04T10:39:00.001-04:00

Some orb weavers add a zigzag across parts of the web
to help strengthen it.

Strewn across the rosemary, a series of webs glistens in the morning sunlight. We find three woven tapestries, but where is she? We keep searching and observing the patterns in her web and notice a small downy feather sticking to it, along with bits and pieces of leaves and needles. As we scan the lengths of the webs, we spot her in the back, hidden away in the shadows.

She crawls out to the center to claim ownership of her artistry, her bold yellow body like a lantern. "Look with caution," she demands. We observe her with respect and awe for the material she has woven, and we thank her for allowing us to visit her gallery.

Yellow Garden Spider
Argiope aurantia

Magic Mushroom Prints

2011-10-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

With a change in the weather, we are also suddenly seeing mushrooms everywhere. They are along the roadside, in fields, in the woods, and in our yard. This huge one was doomed to be run over with the lawnmower, so we pulled it up to examine it's parts and make some easy art to add to the nature journal. After carefully breaking off the stem, we placed the mushroom cap on a piece of orange paper. (We decided on a darker color of paper since the underside of the mushroom was light. Some mushrooms are darker underneath, and the print will show up better on light colored paper.) And then, we let it sit for an hour or so.

After slowly lifting the mushroom top straight up off the paper, we were left with a print!

How did that work? Mushrooms have spores, which is what they use to reproduce. The spores are inside the gills on the underside of the cap. If you let the cap sit for awhile, the spores will be left behind on the paper, leaving a print.

Review: Unveiling the Kings of Israel

2011-10-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

Unveiling the Kings of Israel by David Down is a beautiful hard-cover book which traces the archaeological evidence that proves the historical record of the Bible. With full-color photos, timelines, maps, research, and references, David Down takes the reader through the streets of the ancient cities and shares artifacts and other discoveries that reveal the history of the Bible in a compelling way. Perfect for students and teachers alike, this book will be a go-to when studying the Bible and ancient times.

The book begins with Genesis and the global flood and continues all the way through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Appendices include details about Tabernacle life, Solomon's temple, and the Dead Sea scrolls, as well as reference tables which students will find useful when studying these eras. The photos make this book appealing to younger students, and the text is suitable for middle grades and up. Unveiling the Kings of Israel would make a great addition to history and Bible studies and serves as a must-have reference book in the homeschool library. Did you know that when tested, the acoustics at Shechem are such that a human voice could have been heard across the valley (Deut. 27:15) when the Israelites were gathered? Or, that a discovery was made in the 1960's of over 100 plaster fragments, that when pieced together showed "the unusual name of Balaam and a prophecy he had made?" Any students needing material to supplement a report or presentation will find tons of fascinating information here.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Review: Life Application Study Bible Devotional

2011-10-01T11:41:00.001-04:00

I love devotionals, and this one does not disappoint. The Life Appplication Study Bible Devotional, Daily Wisdom from the Life of Jesus is arranged in 52 weekly sections containing six devotions: one for each weekday and one for the weekend. Each week focuses on an event from the life of Jesus, such as "Jesus is Born," "Jesus Describes Discipleship," and "Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit." Each daily reading (about a page or two long) includes "Reading the Word," "Setting the Scene," "Getting Personal," and "Talking to God." The Scripture passages "alternate among the New Living Translation, the New International Version, and the New King James Version. But the devotions can be used with any Bible." My only complaint is that there are no page numbers in the book, and though you can refer to Week ___, Day ___, I would like to have page numbers for referencing.

What I like most about this devotional is that it is really a teaching devotional. There is no fluff here--the sections take you deep into the passages, with background information, details, history, and analysis. Each devotional is personalized in the "Getting Personal" sections, but there is so much more here than is to be found in many devotionals. This one is perfect for anyone, from student to adult, who wants to grow in both his or her knowledge of the Gospels and in his or her personal relationship with Christ. Because of the format of this book, I will include this devotional as part of our homeschool Bible curriculum.

{I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review.}

Fall at our house

2011-09-30T01:00:00.001-04:00

Curriculum Fair: History

2011-09-29T15:39:00.000-04:00

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.

-Rudyard Kipling

We have been using Sonlight since we started homeschooling as the base for our curriculum, except for the year that we did the Prairie Primer unit study (it was fantastic!) This year, we are changing things up a bit for history, and I decided to go with Beautiful Feet for all of the boys. I've read the same read-alouds twice so far for my first two boys, and I wasn't very enthusiastic about doing them a third time. With Beautiful Feet, almost all of the read-alouds are new to us, so I am enjoying the journey with it.

We are using the Early American History for 2nd and 5th grade, with some modifications for each. This program relies heavily on the D'Aulaire books.

The books are appealing and interesting, and my boys are keeping notebooks with pictures, dictations, facts, and vocabulary words. There are also four one-hour Your Story Hour CDs with stories about Columbus, Lincoln, the pilgrims, and more. My youngest especially likes to listen to these. This program appeals to many different learning styles and seems to be a good fit for my elementary boys.

My 8th grader is using the Early American and World History Jr. High pack, and he is also keeping a notebook with drawings, maps, vocabulary, dates, and facts. I love the approach that includes world history along with American history. I think it is important to learn how all of history ties together, and the literature approach is right up our alley. This level relies heavily on the Genevieve Foster books.

Using Sonlight for so many years has given my boys a strong history foundation, and the "real book" approach of all the programs I have mentioned makes history so much more meaningful. I am enjoying learning right along with them.

Presto pesto!

2011-09-27T11:45:00.000-04:00

Though our garden has about fizzled out for the fall, we still have basil growing strong. I cut a bunch of it over the weekend and made my first-ever pesto to put in my freezer. It was easy (key for me,) and it tastes yummy. I used four cups of basil leaves, 2/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, 6 garlic cloves, and salt and pepper, mixed it all up in the food processor, and then put it in small jars for the freezer. After doing some research, I decided not to add parmesan cheese to it yet, because I understand that it doesn't freeze well. We have two kinds of basil in the garden: sweet basil and cinnamon basil. I used the sweet basil this time, but I'll try it with the cinnamon basil next time.

I got the best birthday present ever last weekend...

My boys said that I must be getting old if I get excited about getting a freezer, but I LOVE it!

Rainbow Leaves

2011-09-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

A hint of fall in the air calls us outside with some paints and paper. The kids searched for the biggest leaves they could find that were not too crispy, and then they dabbed and mixed untill they concocted a combination of colors they were happy with. It's best to paint it on thick, so it stays wet while you're finishing. Once the colors are applied, press leaves down on heavy paper. I punched two holes in the top of each one and strung them on some burlap twine to bring a little fall inside with a bunting for the schoolroom.

{Here's a free lesson plan on Leaves, Seeds, and Fruits.}

DIY: Pumpkin Pie Playdough

2011-09-22T11:59:00.002-04:00

My mom made playdough for my brother and me when we were kids, and I always liked it better than the store bought kind. It is softer, you can make it almost any color you want, and it is like heaven to play with when it is still warm. I've played around with her recipe to vary it for the seasons, and this one was a hit in our house:

Pumpkin Pie Playdough

{Smells good enough to eat, but don't!}

2 cups plain flour
2 cups water
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup salt
1 tsp. pumkin pie spice
a few drops orange food coloring

In large frying pan, mix all ingredients over medium/low heat until it thickens. Keep stirring until a soft ball forms. Remove from pan and let cool a bit, then knead until smooth. You can either add the food coloring straight in, or mix it with the water first to make it easier to blend. My kids like me to wait until it is cooked and then add a couple of drops of food coloring straight to the dough so they can knead it and watch it blend. Store in airtight containers in fridge.

---If you need a gluten-free homemade playdough alternative, try this recipe, and let me know how it turns out.

DIY: Punkin' Heads

2011-09-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

Feels Like Fall...

Supplies:

wooden fence post

orange latex paint

black and white acrylic craft paint

silk leaves, straw, pipe cleaners, or raffia

sawtooth hangers for back if you want to hang them

Saw fence post into pieces ranging from 6 to 12 inches. You can make a bunch of these with one fence post. If you aren't going to hang them, try to get at least one end pretty flat. Sand edges to get rid of spintery pieces, then paint with two coats of latex paint (paint bottoms too if hanging.) After paint dries, have kids paint faces with craft paints and then hot-glue leaves, straw, etc. on top.

We saw these several years ago in Gatlinburg, decorating our cabin entryway. I couldn't wait to try them myself, and they were super-easy to make.

Curriculum Fair: Filmmaking (Crafting curriculum to meet their interests)

2011-09-16T10:53:00.003-04:00

My eighth-grader has become passionate about filmmaking, from scriptwriting to directing to camera-operating. He started with a flip camera, then added a camcorder and a stop-motion animation program with a webcam. He's been working all summer cutting grass to save money for a "really nice" camera, and everything on his Christmas list is related to that (boom mic, lights, reflectors.) He now spends most of his free time writing scripts--pages and pages of scripts.

W. has already produced both live-action and stop-motion movies to the delight of all of our family members (grandparents make an especially appreciative audience.) The stop-motion animation kit has been a great jumping off point into the live action stuff that he really wants to do.

For part of his literature/language arts and elective studies this year, we are incorporating "film" into our curriculum. It hasn't been easy to find resources appropriate for teens, but I have managed to put together some things that are working so far.

We recently found out about the Homeschool Movie Club, and after signing up, we have found them to be a great resource both for filmmaking and for movie watching. They have teaching guides to go with some movies and a Future Filmmakers Club along with lots of links to other resources.

Educational guides and lesson plans for movies such as Because of Winn Dixie, Hoot, Where the Red Fern Grows, Bridge to Terabithia, Narnia, Holes, City of Ember, and more are available as free downloads from Walden Media. We have used these guides along with the novels and the movies as "going beyond the book" studies.

The Scriptfrenzy site features a young writer's program, where participants write a complete script in one month, and their site is also full of resources for writers and teachers--you can download workbooks and a writer's "bootcamp" for elementary, middle, or high school students.

After checking out and reviewing some books from the library, I ordered this book for us to have and use throughout the year:

I also found this literature curriculum from Design-a-Study:

   These will be the base for our coursework, with all the other above-listed resources as supplements to this course. The Movies as Literature course is an intensive study of movies as short stories. This program is not just about watching movies. Each movie studied includes 25 discussion questions, including topics for compositions and extended activities with either reading asignments, history research, or other movies related to the one being studied. Movies include both classic and modern selections, including Shane, The Quiet Man, Rear Window, The Maltese Falcon, E.T., The Philadelphia Story, and several more. For Shane, we are reading the novel before watching the movie, and the topics studied in this lesson will include:

Character development vs. stereotypes
Film techniques
Plot development
Character motivation
Foreshadowing
Setting
Mood
Symbolism
Underlying messages about: what makes a man, what makes a hero, whether or not the end justifies the means, whether 'A man who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,' the positive contributions of God-fearing families to settlements in new territories.

   The Student Workbook isn't required for the program, but I bought it so that I could make notes in my book and W. could have his own book to follow along in as we discuss the material. Although this is a high school level course, Language Arts is W.'s strongest subject, so we are using this for eighth grade.

   Above all, I want my kids to be excited about learning, and if I can incorporate their interests into our curriculum, a huge plus to homeschooling, they will be more enthusiastic and motivated. I love it when they ask me to "do school."

Review: George Washington Carver

2011-09-14T17:13:00.000-04:00

   Part of the Christian Encounters series, George Washington Carver by John Perry is the biography of a man born into slavery who went on to achieve what seemed impossible. A fascinating man, a well-written biography: this one is a keeper.

   When you mention George Washington Carver, most people immediately associate him with the peanut, but there was so much more to this great man. He was born into slavery, he was homeschooled, he was a botanist and a naturalist, he turned down a job offer from Thomas Edison, he was a devout Christian, he was a teacher. This Christian Encounters biography is so engaging, that older and younger readers will be drawn in and will hardly be able to put it down. This book is a great addition to our history studies, and unlike many other biographies, it is readable for younger readers without being "watered down." A bonus is that though it is in paperback, it is bound very nicely with heavy-stock paper and inside flaps.

   Besides documenting a historical figure, George Washington Carver also conveys the bigger lesson to be learned from this man, "...his greatest gift is a legacy of hope: a timeless message to black and white, rich and poor, farmer and factory owner, through word and deed, that God made us all and has given us everything we need to find our sunlit place in the Creator's world." This is certainly a message I want to convey to my kids, and I will be adding this to their reading lists.

{ The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®, but the honest opinions I have given are my own.}

Garden endings

2011-09-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

Our garden is winding down for the season. We planted some broccoli and lettuce, but the bunnies have found them, so we are wrapping it up until Spring. We let some of our okra grow really large, and we have them spread out to dry on the back porch. The kids think it's neat that they seem to pop open at the seams as they begin to dry out, and then they feel like balsa-wood airplanes when they dry completely. After seeing these cool vase fillers, I decided that some homemade oddities would make a thrifty substitute.

Review and Giveaway: JumpStart

2011-09-12T22:47:00.003-04:00

J-man is learning to control the mouse and use the keyboard.

What it is:

My kids have enjoyed learning and playing as we have explored the online worlds of JumpStart and MathBlaster to the point where they ask me if they can have a turn with it more often than they ask if they can watch television or play the wii. JumpStart learning offers a free limited membership or a paid membership for $7.99/month, $74.99/year, or $149.99/lifetime, and you can add up to six players in the account. The extras for the paid membership include:

Access to thousands of member-only learning games
Practice hundreds of additional skills for school
Download four PC games ($80 Value)
Hatch, raise and train mythical creatures
Bonus membership to MathBlaster.com

What we like:
JumpStart includes several areas for kids to explore. StoryLand is geared towards preschool age, AdventureLand and MarineLand are suited for early primary, and FutureLand is appropriate for later elementary. My kids' favorite "place" is the Enchanted Sanctuary, where they have hatched their own baby dragons which they feed and play with. Kids begin by creating and personalizing an avatar called a "Jumpee" by picking out hair color, clothes, and accessories and giving it a name. They can also adopt pets and furnish a house. My detail-oriented boys spent focused time getting theirs just right.

What they learn:

As kids navigate through the virtual world, they will practice reading, math, art, and critical thinking skills through the various missions and challenges. They will also hone their computer and keyboarding skills, which has been a real plus for my youngest. Although the play seems to outweigh the learning, there is learning involved, and because it is fun, kids will beg to do it.

MathBlaster, an outer-space adventure, is especially fun for my older elementary child, and it includes math concepts from 1st to 6th grade through training as a Blaster in the Intergalactic Space Patrol.

The JumpStart site is also loaded with extras for parents and teachers, such as crafts, science activities, and worksheets. There are parental controls as well, so kids can play freely in a controlled setting.

JumpStart is generouly giving away a free 3-month subscription to both JumpStart and MathBlaster to one lucky commenter on this post. Simply leave a comment for a chance to win!
This giveaway will remain open through September.

{I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.}

Record Keeping: Field Trips

2011-09-12T00:18:00.001-04:00

Whenever we go on field trips or attend classes, I document those days in my lesson planner. I use a binder for my record-keeping, and I have it organized into several sections. One section is devoted to field trips and classes. I use the same form for field trips and classes. My Field Trip form is simple, but it covers what I want to keep track of. I print them on cardstock and fill in the place we went or the name of the class we attended, the date, and resources I want to use to enrich the experience, such as books, videos, websites, etc. I also add in any follow-up activities such as nature journals, reading assignments, or further research that I want the kids to do. Then I write about what we did, what we learned, and what I want to remember about the field trip and attach tickets, brochures, pictures, etc. I also print out a few photos and either add them to the page or put them into page protectors and insert them behind the page.

If we receive any class handouts, I will usually put one in a page protector here as well, unless they get filed in my kids' notebooks. It's also nice to add in information on pricing, phone numbers, web addresses, etc. for future field trips to the same places. My style of documenting is to write a narrative of the experience and include things that stood out or that we might want to revisit later on. An example of this from our recent trip to a wildlife park is, "The presenter explained the difference between a tortoise and a turtle and identified their body parts. The kids all got a chance to touch the tortoise." The kids eagerly share what they learned with Daddy when he gets home, and I will be sure he asks them how you can tell a tortoise from a turtle.

My resource list for this field trip included: Answers in Genesis Zoo Book. In this section I might also include reading assignments, websites, movies to watch, or other subject-related assignments. When we visited a nuclear power plant, I included reference pages from my son's science book and a web address for an online video about nuclear energy. For follow-up activities to our wildlife park visit, the kids will document what they want to remember in their nature journals, either with drawings, words, things they collected on the field trip, or photos we print out at home. We found some peacock feathers which my youngest will put in the pocket of his journal.

At the end of the year, my planner ends up looking like a scrapbook because it is filled with so many memories. I've tried various ways of record keeping in our eight years of homeschooling, but for now, the binder method works best for me. I like being able to rearrange things, add pages as needed, and even move everything into a larger binder if needed as the year goes on.

Remember

2011-09-11T00:01:00.006-04:00

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream--

’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

-Francis Scott Key (1779-1843)

Review: Wondermaps

2011-09-10T11:09:00.000-04:00

Wondermaps

I recently installed WonderMaps on our computer, and we have been exploring all the cool features it has to offer. This is an interactive map set from Bright Ideas Press that is currently available at Timberdoodle.

WonderMaps includes 350 different customizable maps which you can personalize for your students' needs with a simple click. You can add or remove borders, cities, terrain, and colors, or simply use the basic outline of a country. The modern overlay feature lets you compare places "then and now," such as seeing the United States now and during the time of the early colonies. The program includes maps of the world, maps of the United States, thematic maps (including Biblical maps,) historical maps, and the complete map set for The Mystery of History. There is so much you can do with these maps, and they are appropriate for all ages. Another neat thing about them is that you can either work with them on-screen, or print them out for student activities:

We've been reading the book of Samuel, and I printed out this map for the boys to see the areas we are reading about when Saul was king and David was in hiding from him. We looked at our wall map of the world, pinpointed this area, and then studied this detailed map to see where all the kingdoms were. The boys will add some notes to these and then add them to their notebooks.

We have also been reading Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling, so I printed one of these maps for each of the boys so they can track Paddle's journey through the Great Lakes for their history notebooks.
They will use color pencils to mark Paddle's path.

First I pulled up the US map,

then I clicked on By Region,

and I chose Great Lakes to get to this map. I could then customize it
by adding or removing layers, which you can see in the screenshot
sidebar--Graticules, Graticule labels, Country borders, Country names,
State borders, State names, Capital locations, Capital names, City/Town locations,
City/Town names, Rivers, River names, Terrain text, Color overlay, BW overlay.

All of this is as simple as a click, even for this non-computer-savvy Mom. I really like the versatility of this product. We use Sonlight for our base curriculum, and I can see how this will fit in with it nicely. After several years with Sonlight, we have gotten used to pulling out maps and either labeling, or at least studying, areas to accompany both our History and Literature. We are also adding Beautiful Feet to the mix this year, and Wondermaps will fit in nicely with that as well. Being able to easily pull up a map, customize it within seconds, and either call everyone to the computer screen to look at it or printing it out for labeling and notebooking will make my teaching day so much easier, and it will enrich my kids' learning experiences. You can view the tutorial here to get a better feel for this program, or request a free Homeschool Catalog from Timberdoodle.

{As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of WonderMaps in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.}

Where we've been...

2011-09-07T19:22:00.002-04:00

Celebrating a birthday with 5 teenagers and 2 little brothers...

with 14 candles this year.

Building this, and discovering that we only had 599 of the pieces.

Dreaming up a lego neighborhood.

Getting ready for Fall with some new broccoli and lettuce plants.

Cheering for Fall ball.

Friday photo

2011-09-01T18:44:00.002-04:00

Light-bulb moment

Review: The Family Illustrated Bible

2011-08-31T00:45:00.000-04:00

The Family Illustrated Bible is a huge hardback full-color collection of Bible stories, timelines, facts and background information, a glossary of people of the Bible, an index, maps, and illustrations and photographs. Published by New Leaf Press and DK, this book resembles the DK Eyewitness books with its "encyclopedia" pages interspersed between the Bible story pages. These help to bring the stories to life and add much appeal to both young and older learners. For example, after the story of Jesus calling his disciples, there are pages of facts about Galilee, showing photographs of a coin from Jesus' time, the ruins of the bath house, the synagogue of Capernaum, and a landscape view of the area. A map is included as well as other facts about the region.

This book is visually stunning and will immediately appeal to kids, and it is suitable for younger elementary through middle-school aged kids. The history of the Bible is explored through the supplementary pages, and the beautifully illustrated stories will hold kids' interest as they listen to or read the stories. My kids enjoy being able to find out more about the places, architecture, artwork, people, weapons, modes of transportation, etc. they are hearing about in the stories. It is nice to have all this within the same volume. It truly is a "family" Bible, as everyone can gather around to listen and each will take away something valuable from it. We will be enjoying this book for years to come.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Happy Birthday, Dude!

2011-08-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

This was just yesterday wasn't it? You are growing into such a remarkable young man, and I am so proud of the person you are. After eight years of homeschooling, I still treasure each day with you.

Learning about hurricanes

2011-08-26T18:33:00.001-04:00

Ready, Set...WAIT!, a book about what animals do before a hurricane will be available free in ebook format for the next few days on the publisher's website. You can flip the interactive pages and read it with your child or listen to the audio version. The book includes a free educational section in the back and tons of teaching activities, quizzes, and related websites on the book’s homepage.

Butterfly time!

2011-08-25T14:57:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my son for teaching me how to use a focus setting on my camera, I was able to capture this butterfly taking a drink from a flower on our butterfly bush yesterday. To celebrate all the butterflies and moths (and skippers) we have been seeing around our garden, how about a giveaway?

Simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite thing about August for a chance to win this field guide to butterflies and moths. For an extra chance to win, blog or facebook about this giveaway, then come back and tell me you did in a separate comment. A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, September 1.

Giveaway is now closed--thanks for your comments!

Nature Journal: When is a moth not a moth?

2011-08-24T11:34:00.002-04:00

Sachem Skipper
(Atalopedes campestris)

Do you know the difference between a butterfly, a moth, and a skipper? According to our field guide, this is a female Sachem Skipper, characterized by "hindwings that are brown below, with pale band," and wings that are "brownish orange and brown above." Although there are several differences between butterflies and moths, an interesting thing that we learned is that butterflies' antenna tips are swollen, or clubbed. Moth antannae are feathery or threadlike, and the antenna tips of skippers are hooked. If you look closely, you can see the hooked end of the antenna on the right, above. Skippers seem to "skip" from flower to flower, and this one didn't sit still for long, but she enjoyed the purple flowers and didn't stray far.

Review: SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student

2011-08-22T16:23:00.001-04:00

SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student by James P. Stobaugh is a complete high school course to prepare students for the SAT. Included in this text are: Helps in building disciplined study skills, Development of an extensive vocabulary, Encouragement in the development of writing skills, Opportunities for writing practice essays, Advanced reading selections to enhance critical thinking skills for both verbal and math problems, and Answers to general questions about the PSAT, SAT, and NMSQT tests. Rather than being a "cram" crash-course, this book will lead students through a year or more of SAT preparation with a focus on building Godly character.

The recommended way to use this text is to incorporate the 150 lessons into a three-year high school course of SAT preparation beginning in ninth grade, but the course can also be used for a two- (beginning in 10th grade) or even one-year course (for juniors.) Each lesson involves a daily devotion, reading and vocabulary exercises, math and verbal exercises, and test taking strategies. Students will keep a reading journal, create vocabulary cards, practice test-taking techniques, keep a devotional journal, and write 300-400 word essays. Although SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student is a literature based program, there is enough math and critical thinking included to make this a truly comprehensive SAT preparation course.

The appendix includes a suggested book list for high school students, test-taking tips, resources for developing critical thinking skills, tips for writing (and samples of) college admission essays, and sample home education high school transcripts.

As the homeschool mom to an 8th-grader this year, this book has already proved to be a great resource for me in beginning to plan his high school course work. The author has done a thorough job with this book, and I appreciate all the extras it has to offer. I will cater my son's reading list to include many of the suggested resources mentioned in this book, and as the author also explains the value in learning a classical language in high school, we will be looking into options for studying Latin. I will use this book with my son beginning in ninth grade for an elective course and following the suggested three year schedule.

Highly recommended!

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Nature Journal: Garden Visitors

2011-08-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Can you see him?

There he is!

Our parsley is being munched away by this very hungry caterpillar which we think is a Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes.)

This looks like it's a Clouded/Common Sulpher Butterfly
(Colias philodice.)

Review: God Gave Us You

2011-08-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

Written by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Art by Laura J. Bryant

God Gave Us You is a beautifully illustrated board book that is equally beautifully written and just right for sharing with your kids, no matter their ages. Although intended for ages 0-3, I read this book during read-aloud time with all my boys, and they all thought it was well-written and had a valuable message. The cute pictures feature a polar bear family with a little cub who likes to ask questions, and as his mother tells him the story of how he came into the world, she explains that he was given to them by God. This book captures the feelings a new mom has when gazing into the eyes of her child and the awe and wonder of all that God can do. "Mama lowered her voice. "And then we took you home. And it was just us. Our family. We just stared and stared, wondering at the miracle of incredible you.'"

This is a quality book and, unlike some board books, it contains a substantial story. Little ones will love to hold it and study the pictures, and parents will love to read it and share special times with their little ones.

{Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.}

Produce basket round-up

2011-08-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

What's in the basket?

   We've joined a produce co-op run by a couple of homeschool moms in our area, and this week was our first pick up week--we get a laundry basket full of produce each week straight from the Farmer's Market. This week we got corn, carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, green kale, spinach, jalapenos, a beefy tomato, garlic, squash, potatoes, oranges, limes, and grapes. (I am facing the reality that our garden will not sustain us for the winter!)

   I cooked kale for the first time by sauteeing it with olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. My oldest liked it, I found it to be okay, but not my favorite thing, and the peewees wouldn't even taste it. My husband likes greens but didn't like the kale. I made corn on the cob and mashed potatoes to go with some bbq chicken, and the kids have been eating oranges and muching on peeled carrots (these carrots are really big, and the peeling is a bit bitter.)

    Last night I made veggie pizza with some of the spinach on top (delish! with a little cracked pepper added too.) This weekend, I'm going to make salsa with some of the jalapenos, cilantro, lime, and the tomato, and I'm going to roast and freeze the rest of the jalapenos. I'm also making philly cheese steaks this weekend with some of the red bell peppers--the rest of them I'll slice and freeze to use in *fajitas. The rest of the spinach will be used in a salad topped with some of my garden pear tomatoes and this:

Hidden Valley® Spinach Salad Kit
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, cranberry-almond clusters and toasted, salted sunflower seeds.

One of our favorite side dishes is sauteed veggies, and I'll slice some carrots and squash and sautee it with olive oil and a little parsley from the garden one night. I am looking forward to incorporating more veggies and variety into our meals, and I love the challenge of trying to use up what we get.

*My San Antonio Fajitas

Slice boneless chicken into thin strips (I use about 3 breasts to serve 5 people)
Slice one bell pepper into strips (any color)
Slice one large tomato
Slice one large sweet onion

Throw everything in a large pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle all over with fajita seasoning (I use Bolner's Fiesta Brand, salt-free kind. Since we can't get it locally where we live now, I order it from them.) Cook over medium-high heat until veggies start to carmelize and meat is thoroughly cooked. Keep stirring and scraping so veggies don't stick to pan. Serve with warm flour or corn tortilla, grated cheese, refried beans, and chips & salsa or guacamole. I learned how to make this when we lived in San Antonio, and the nice thing about it, besides it being delicious and easy, is that you can vary the recipe depending on what you like and what you have on hand. You can add more veggies, leave out the meat, substitute steak for the chicken...

Friday photo

2011-08-19T11:28:00.002-04:00

Empty nest

Review: Multiply on the Fly

2011-08-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Written by Suzanne Slade

Illustrated by Erin E. Hunter

Multiply on the Fly is so much more than a picture book. The story follows different insects through natural settings and incorporates multiplication facts with each insect serving as an example: 5 grasshoppers with 2 wings each = how many wings in all? Kids will see multiplication as a concrete activity as they count their way through the book. For kids who have not mastered the multiplication tables, the fun rhymes and beautiful illustrations will entice them, and for kids who understand the concept, this book will expand on their knowledge with its generous database of hands-on activities. The book includes several pages at the end with resources and activities for learning more about insects and math facts: from insect body parts and life cycles to insect math table activities. There is so much to learn and do here that this book will not be a one-time read.

The suggested age range for Multiply on the Fly is 4-8, but both older and younger kids will enjoy sitting in as this book is read aloud, as evidenced by my kids, and older kids will want to read the book on their own, spending time with the activities at the end. My youngest tried to count all the parts of the insects before his brothers could remember the answer, and they all tried to be the first to give the correct answers. For my nature lovers, the incorporation of insect facts in this story was right-on and made the math seem not so "mathy." My 5th grader commented that, "you know, math is everywhere."

This book would be a fantastic addition to the elementary or homeschool classroom, and it would be a nice inclusion in an insect unit study. The publisher's website also provides a free Teaching Activities download (fabulous!) for this book as well as a list of related websites and alignment to science and math state standards. You can view a sample of Multiply on the Fly here. The book is available in both print and ebook versions.

{The publisher has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}

Guitar Shop 101

2011-08-17T11:17:00.000-04:00

The guys' two-year guitar-making project is finally finished! My husband is a weekend woodworker, and he has made some beautiful things, but the biggest so far has been this guitar which he and the boys worked on together. It began with a large block of wood (which turned into a second block of wood when the cut piece did not line up exactly.) Through many weekends of trial-and-error, progress began, and everything came together beautifully. Not only did the guys have to work out plans and drawings, but beyond the actual cutting and finishing of the wood, they had to do the electronics and soldering. My oldest is a talented guitar player, and though he loves his Les Paul, he is now using this guitar much of the time. It has an really nice Blues sound, and because it was so lovingly and painstakingly crafted, he is especially proud to play it.

"Within every block of wood and stone, there dwells a spirit, waiting to be released."
-Hap Hagood

Whose nest is this?

2011-08-16T12:39:00.000-04:00

The last time I checked, there were two spotted eggs, and now this little guy is quietly waiting for its Mommy to come back. The nest is in a bush beside the water spigot we use to water the garden. Every time we get near the hose, the mommy bird flies out, fussing at us to hurry up and leave.

Garden Breakdown

2011-08-16T12:24:00.001-04:00

Week of August 15

Last weekend, I pulled up most of the remaining plants in the garden. The beans that were taking over the garden (scarlet runners) must have been purely decorative, because no actual beans ever showed up. Once the deer found the corn, they spread the word, and cantaloupes and tomatoes disappeared. Because it has been so hot here, nothing was really thriving, so I decided to clean out and plan for a late Summer/into Fall garden. I left one tomato (pear,) because it still has some green ones on it, but it looks like it's about over. There is only one cantaloupe still attached to the vine, but the vine is still stretching and blooming. I've harvested and dried lots and lots of basil, and they are still going strong.

Lone Cantaloupe

Monster Okra

The okra is growing like crazy--the plants are about 5 1/2 feet tall, and the okra get huge really fast. It's finally putting out enough at one time to be able to use.

Strawberries, the Sequel

The strawberries seem to have started all over, and we are picking some every day now. I'm not sure what to plant now, but I want to start some new things to have for Fall.

Easy-peasy Saturday Lunch

2011-08-14T11:16:00.001-04:00

Fiesta Pie

It is always a challenge for me to find something to fix for lunch--especially on the weekends. It seems like we have the same thing over and over, and we all get tired of sandwiches. Here is my variation on a recipe that Pampered Chef had in one of their cookbooks several years ago. It got a thumbs-up from all my guys, and it was really easy to make using just a few ingredients. I used two packs of crescent roll dough, 1 pound of ground beef, one packet of taco seasoning, one can of pinto beans (you could use black beans instead,) some grated cheddar cheese, and finally some lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa. I really just used stuff I already had on-hand, so this recipe could vary based on what you have.

First, brown 1 lb. of ground beef (or turkey,) drain, and add in
a packet of taco seasoning, stirring to coat well. I did
not add any water, because it makes the meat too
juicy and it will drip off the pan in the oven.

Spray a round pan with cooking spray, then lay the crescent rolls
around the pan, overlapping them slightly. Be sure to place them inside the edge
of the pan enough to allow for filling.

Scoop meat mixture onto the ring of dough, sprinkle on grated cheese,
fold over dough, and tuck in points.

Drain a can of beans and pour into center of pan, then bake at 375 until
golden brown (about 15 minutes.)

Sprinkle some more cheese on top of beans.

Add lettuce and tomato, and whatever else you like.
Cut into wedges, like you would cut a pie, and serve with salsa, sour cream or
spicy ranch dressing.

If you precook the meat and save it in the fridge, this would make a really quick ballgame- or after-practice-night supper to put together.

I had four triangles of crescent roll dough leftover,
so I rolled up four pigs-in-blankets using
leftover dogs from my freezer. The dough
freezes just fine, and we'll have these for lunch
during the school week.

Book Review: The Daughter's Walk

2011-08-12T21:19:00.001-04:00

The Daughter's Walk is the story of Clara Etsby, who in 1896 walked across America with her mother to try to win a $10,000 prize and save the family farm. Based on true events, this historical fiction novel traces Clara's journey both during and after this historic, but little-known walk. The walk itself is only part of the story, as the novel spans 46 years to describe Clara's exile from the family and ultimate reunion with them. Jane Kirkpatrick's obvious painstaking research is evident throughout this novel, and the reader is transported back to a time when a woman's world was much different than it is now; where independence was not a woman's right.

I enjoyed this story and was fascinated to learn about the walk that Clara and her mother took as well as how Clara was able to become an independent woman and make her way on her own at a time when it was unheard of for women to do so. I kept thinking about my ancestors--my great-grandmother would have been about Clara's age at that time, and how strong these women had to have been. Another theme in this story is that of family secrets. Every family has them, and this story inspired me to want to discover more about my family's stories. And-- how as family members feud and reconcile, it all boils down to love keeping family together generation after generation: "No one had said, 'I forgive you.' No one had asked. It wasn't needed. Love would rebuild like bricks raising a cathedral."

I think Jane Kirkpatrick did an excellent job of telling Clara's story, and anyone who enjoys historical fiction will be enriched by adding this book to their shelves. I'll be saving it to add to our high school reading list.

{Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.}

2011/2012 Schoolroom

2011-08-11T17:57:00.001-04:00

We have the luxury of a bonus room which has been designated as our schoolroom. After six years of homeschooling in our old house, having to share the kitchen table for school and meals and store everything in the pantry, it is so nice to have a designated room for all of our "school" stuff. We lined the walls with bookcases from Target, and all our books are somewhat organized by category. We usually sit at the table for schoolwork, but when the weather is nice, we take it outside, and big brother has his own desk this year as he is doing more independent work. We have one big window which gives us good natural light, and by positioning the fan in front of the a/c vent, the temperature is comfortable most days. July is the worst for the heat upstairs, but that is the month we usually take time off from school. The ceiling is too low for a ceiling fan. These photos were taken on a good day, but we try to keep the clutter under control.

Back porch visitor

2011-08-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Whenever our crickets get too big, we toss them out the back door, and it seems that the neighborhood reptiles have discovered that there's good eatin' at our house. This little guy hung out around the back porch all afternoon, and he was as quick as lightning. My kids kept seeing a flash of blue tail around the porch steps, and he finally came up on the porch long enough to have his picture taken. We identified it as a Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus,) according to our field guide.

Nature Journal: Maypops

2011-08-10T16:06:00.001-04:00

Passiflora incarnata

The little green pod is a fruit

The vine stretches along the ground and up a
neighboring plant.

The flowers look like they belong in a rain forest,
but the blooms don't last long.

Near our garden is a maypop plant growing wild. My mom told me what it was and said to tell the guys to keep the weedwacker away from it. We noticed right away that the bees love the maypop flowers, and they were seriously hard at work. The fruit of the maypop passionflower is edible, resembling the flavor of guava, and it is similar to the passionfruit used to flavor Hawaiin Punch but is hard to harvest because critters usually snag the fruits as soon as they get ripe enough to eat. The plant is also a larval plant for Zebra longwing, Julia, and Gulf fritillary butterflies.