Minivan Moments

When I was given access to Lesson Planet for the purposes of reviewing their website, I was certain this was an answer to prayer!  Who doesn't want the most information for the best price?  We know there is a ton of information 'out there' on the internet that is free (or just about), but it can be time-consuming to find it all... and let's face it, time does often equal money. That's where Lesson Planet comes in: they offer an ad-free zone full of lesson plans, worksheets, and links to educational information that is geared for educators.  At this point in the process, I was hooked... but I have to be honest: actually using the site didn't measure up to my expectations.  For some parents/educators, this site would offer a great variety of lesson plans, worksheets, and teaching topics in a short amount of time.  For me, a fairly accomplished "Googler" (is that a word??), Lesson Planet didn't really offer much more than I had already been findi...

When you watch someone you love struggling with his flesh, you can be pretty sure the breakdown is coming.  It is through the breakdown that people often have the breakthrough. However, watching someone you love have a breakdown can be heart-wrenching!  We women, especially, want to hold, comfort, reassure... but they don't need us.  They need God.  Sometimes, we get in God's way. My mission these days is to get out of God's way and let the breakdowns happen.  They might be small and many, or they might be big and few.  Whatever God requires.  And... i find... it begins... in childhood . Watching my son come to terms with his own breakdown in order to let him have his breakthrough is painful.  But... the goal is adulthood.... So, i have to ask myself, "is this current pain worth less pain later?"  The answer is a resounding "yes!" Madelyn Swift, author of Discipline for Life and speaker on the subject of behavior training, taught me ...

i am a bug. i'm on Life 's windshield. i have broken wings, but i am alive . i have been bruised, but i can move . Being able to move means i can make a decision. Possibly the biggest decision i will ever make.... Do i try to get off the windshield? Or do i hope Life doesn't turn on the wipers? i wish i could tell you which decision is the right one.  i cannot even tell that for myself right now. What i do know is this: ~ i am never alone, for God is with me . ~ i never suffer in vain, for God has a plan . ~ i will not be asked to do anything i cannot bear, though it may sometimes seem that way. ~ i will be alright... as long as i follow the sound of my Creator's voice. Are you one of the bugs on the windshield with me?  Do you need to hear from God? Father, in all that i am, in all that i have been, i surrender.  i am nothing without you, and i repent fully of all the days i thought i could rely upon myself.  i ask total forgiveness tonight fo...

When we found out we would have the opportunity to review something from Super Star Speech , I thought, "well, I guess we'll sit this one out." We have no speech problems or delays in our home (and 3 of us are even tongue-tied!).  Blessed, for sure!! Well, it turns out there are GAMES made by the same folks, so we got to try those instead!  Yay! We got a download of Super Star Games that contained 11 print-and-play games.  The topics were things like insects, continents, planets,  inventors, plus others. We played a couple of the games since some of them were above my kiddos' level (not that they couldn't be interesting and fun just because we didn't know the subject matter... I just didn't print those because I thought they would be too hard).  The kids really liked them!  They wanted to play again as soon as a game was over, and there was a lot of laughing and 'Oh, man!" to be heard.  My first-grader was really trying, even though he had ...

That's it... my brain has flown the coop! The lights are on, but no one's home! I've reached the end of my rope! I'm going to start climbing the walls! Hmmm, how many idioms can i recite to describe my current state??? Oh, forget it. I have lots to do, not enough time to do it, and everything is swirling in my head, bumping into each other and getting mixed up!!  Today, i planned a field trip for this week that is supposed to be for next week.  Oh-kay. I am going batty!! Which is not a good thing since i can't go into a cave!! Ah, well, it's okay... this, too, shall pass. {sigh}

Oh, i wondered the same thing initially! And i sent her to Uncle Sam's Public Brainwashing Academy instead for over 2 years because of that doubt.... oh, the guilt!!! Well, okay, so your kid doesn't always obey you, and we know kids are better-behaved with strangers, so it stands to reason you would ask this question. Alrighty, well, just beat 'em. Kidding. Seriously.  I'm kidding . You have a LOT more time to teach proper behavior when you don't ship your kid off to the Brainwashing Academy , so what may seem like a big deal after school will be much less so when your child is not overstimulated, overstressed, tired, hungry, and reeling from negative social influences all day. Junior gets to fold a LOT of laundry.  Scrub toilets.  Mop floors.  Pick up dog poop.  Whatever it takes to make Junior a productive member of the household and get his cooperation rather than his complaining. Okay, okay, oversimplifying, i know.  But seriously, if your...

We received a copy of the Alphabet Beats "lowercase (Letters)" DVD to use and review in our homeschool.  I was thrilled!  The Smallish Man-Child doesn't form all of his letters properly, and if you watch him write, he even goes about it all wrong!  Plus, the Littlest Drama Princess is learning about letters, so why not let her in on it, too? Alphabet Beats is a video for your children to watch (with you!) that teaches how to write the letters of the alphabet - each in 5-minute segments.  There are practice segments built right in for your child to write with Miss Marnie, and there are phonics lessons to supplement the writing portion of the program.  So, in essence, your child is learning the sound the letter makes (phonics), the letter's name, things that start with that letter, and how to form the letter with a pencil and paper... all in a television or computer video that is fun.  I don't think they'll even realize they are learning about writing!!...

So, we took the kids to Jellystone Mammoth Caves Campground this weekend, and it was so fun!  We tent camped the first night ( oh, it was so cold!! ), cabin camped the second night ( Thunderstorms?? On our camping vacation?? Is that legal?? ), and were in our own beds last night ( praise God! ). We looked at giant rocks, embarked on some Mammoth Cave tours, and walked through the prehistoric times of Dinosaur World - and we played around in the campground (mini golf, kids' playground, potty run, Frisbee, marshmallow roasting, potty run, golf-cart driving, campfire sitting, potty run).  We celebrated my son's best bud's 7th birthday, and we loved the excuse to take a family vacation! Great times were had, memories were made, and a better understanding of camping with kids was cemented. One piece of advice: do NOT take your 3-year-old camping when she is recovering from a urinary tract infection - this does not produce the calm, relaxing atmosphere you are striving for....

I recently received a month of access to Time 4 Learning 's online website - the preschoolers section.  Since this is likely the first thing we have received that is just for preschoolers, and since I seriously contemplated signing my family up for this last year, I was ecstatic! The Littlest Drama Princess and I got to click around the website, though not as much as I would have liked due to internet difficulties that lasted much of our month-long access.  Now, if I load the page, she happily hops up into the chair and says, "time for my 'kool, Mommy?" which is adorable all by itself! The site offers LOTS for little people to do: play games, watch videos, draw and color, be read to, and more!  There are topics galore for education: numbers, letters, seasons, bugs, pets, days of the week, space, tools, vehicles, and much more!  When you want a break from all that (yeah, right!), you can head over the Playground , which is full of, yup, you guessed it:  MORE...

You know, i often think we grouse about getting sick, and with good reason.  Getting sick stinks.  No one likes it.  It is, by definition, not fun. However, i recently became ill with strep throat and a bronchial infection in the same week, and i have to tell you how much God has done through those paired illnesses!  The strep throat came on hard, and with it, a loss of my voice.  This lasted about a week.  During this time of limited vocalization, God sent me a daily devotion, a sermon, and a book that told me that sometimes i need to "just shut up."  Message received.  Loud and clear.  Since regaining my voice, i am still practicing what i have learned.  So much peace when we obey the Lord!! The bronchial infection took me down... stairs, laundry, dishes... everything was a chore that sent me into coughing fits and breathing difficulties!  I had to rest more, do less, and take prednisone.  It is through the prednisone ( a...

Remember when I reviewed the All About Spelling Beehive Reader ?  My son's first question was, "do they have any more?" when he was done reading it.  Well, we were sent their second book before it was even available to the general public for purchase!  Oh, the excitement!! First of all, the Beehive Reader will be renamed Cobweb the Cat , so look for it by that name, too. Secondly, the book we just received is a slightly more advanced reading level book at level 2, and it is called What Am I? Again, a great collection of short stories with great drawings, likable characters, and an elusive kind of charm that wraps kids up in the book like no other book this size seems to do. Maybe it is because the book is comprised of shorter stories, so it isn't overwhelming...? Maybe it is the delightful, pencil-style sketches throughout the book that make the stories come alive...? Maybe it is having his first hard-back, non- Seuss book that he can actually read.... Wha...

... of nobody special doing something extraordinary.... Smiles Without Borders I always think it is worth discussing when someone ordinary, someone like me or you, does something out of the ordinary, and since i haven't anything poignant to say tonight (shocking, i know...), i am shining the light on a friend of mine's in-laws, who started a non-profit foundation to help people in developing countries receive dental care. Check them out... and spread the word!  Oh, and feel free to send some dinero their way!! :-) Smiles Without Borders

As members of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , the kids and I received two books from the Tales From Terrestria series of books by Ed Dunlop.  He also writes the Terrestria Chronicles books, which some Crew Members received to review.  We received books 1 and 4, and we read book 1 thus far. Book One, entitled The Quest for Thunder Mountain , was quite a good read.  There is a lot of imagery, a lot of adventure, and just the right amount of danger to make this book engaging for the whole family.  I especially liked talking with my children after each chapter about the symbolism in the book... much of which I would liken to our Christian faith, which is a bonus after the kids have been reading the Harry Potter series with Daddy! All in all, the kids weren't enthralled with the books, but I have struggled to get them to love anything after Harry Potter , so the fact that they paid attention and we had dialogue after each segment of The Quest fo...

Okay, you may remember that a few months ago we were given the opportunity to use and review some items from Virginia Soaps and Scents ( VS&S ).  One of the items was homemade laundry soap.  We loved it, in case you were wondering. Well, after that batch was over, i had decided that we would continue to make our own since i had already purchased the ingredients needed for such a project.  However, months into the new homemade soap, i feel the need to point out: it is not the same.  We purchased Fels-Naptha for our bar of soap because it is the commonly available bar of laundry soap that is in most recipes, and i am not nearly as satisfied with it as i was with the VS&S brand. So, last month, when the batch ran out, i purchased the bar of laundry soap from VS&S and made another batch, and i am already happier. (you can buy the prepackaged laundry kit or just the bar of soap to go with your supplies) It smells way better, it feels nicer, and it cle...

Easter arrived, and after our customary basket-dumping, pancake-eating, egg-dying, Jesus-praising, worshipping, and chocolate-eating, we discovered that we had no internet.  All day.  Coincidence?  I think not. So i am currently borrowing internet until tomorrow sometime when a new modem should arrive (thank you, AT&T!), and i am getting a lot done around the house and with the kids.  God speaks our language, doesn't He? Be blessed, everyone... i hope you all had a beautiful Resurrection Sunday, and that you have a wonderful week!

My children and I had the honor of reviewing a product from Critical Thinking Company . as part of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew .  The product we were sent was Balance Benders (Beginning) , the title of which told me very little about the product until I had it in my hand.  Wow.  It's neat! Balance Benders is a book of logic puzzles that are based on a balance scale, and we received the beginner level, which is geared for children from second to sixth grades.  Big gap, I know, but there is a wide range of difficulty from the first puzzle to the last in the book, so I can see how they make that claim! For only $9.99, it is a great resource!  While many people may look at the book and have their doubts that it has any value, I immediately knew it was a great fit for our family.  My husband and I are logical people, and I personally LOVE logic puzzles.  I was instantly immersed in the book myself!!  Then, I decided to see if...

Today at our home, we had the privilege of learning about Holy Week, the final week of Lent, and the culmination of Jesus' life on earth at what we call "Good Friday."  My kids have asked numerous times why we call it Good Friday.  It is easy enough to answer, but it is complicated because i see their point. So, we made Hot Cross Buns, studied the activities of Christ each day from Palm Sunday to Easter (mostly focused on the Crucifixion, though, since we still have Easter to talk about the Resurrection), completed a puzzle, and drew stick-figure timelines with GrapeVine Studies' Resurrection Study. We had a few friends join us for the day, and we feasted on pizza and played outside a lot. We are surely blessed.