Minivan Moments

This Memorial Day... ...offer a toast to an unseen soldier who is whiling away the hours in the sun... in full fatigues and loaded down with heavy artillery in the Middle East. ...say a prayer for a soldier headed out on a plane to an exotic location... to serve and protect far from hearth and home. ...give thanks to the men and women of yesteryear who dedicated themselves to the military in spite of homesickness, strenuous training, new births, heat and cold, family tragedies, little pay, daily risks, and losing friends to enemy fire. ...remember those who have served to keep us a free country... and got buried for their trouble. Memorial Day is not just a day to save money at the mall or get a better deal on a car... it is A Day of Remembrance... A Day of Honor... A Day of Prayer... A Day of Respect... and A Day of Thanks. For the countless members of the armed forces who train, equip, dispatch, salute, rescue, protect, risk, and sacrifice even their lives so that i can sit a...

My Final Crew Review.  Wow.  Who knows what the future holds, but for now, I am going to step back from homeschool reviews and concentrate on things around here.  Being a part of the Crew has been an amazing blessing, and I am so grateful to go out with a BANG! The second book we received from Kregel Publications was called Andrea Carter and the Trouble With Treasure by Susan Marlow. Here is the summary from the publishers: " When innocent horseplay temporarily lands Andi and her friends in jail, they decide that a trip into the mountains will leave their troubles far behind. Accompanied by big brother Mitch and armed with a map showing old gold diggings, they canít wait to strike it rich. What could be better than two weeks of camping and horseback riding? But instead of gold they find heaps of trouble — trouble that leaves Mitch gravely wounded. Andi needs help fast. But who can she trust? And what good is a bag of gold when her beloved brother lies near death in...

Yesterday, the kids and i made a solar oven and cooked hot dogs in it for lunch.  The oven got up to 175 degrees and cooked the hot dogs in one hour.  The Smallish Man-Child was VERY impressed and requested a second hot dot... then was joined by the others wanting another, too! Then we went to the store and bought our yearly blow-up pool (smaller this year, though, so we don't annoy Daddy). We picked up some popsicles and ice cream while we were at it, and added a couple of new water blasters to our collection.  Fun times! This morning was a beautiful morning, and our weekend was so crazy that it was nice to soak it up on the back patio with my coffee while the kiddos filled the small pool with water.  Then i got a wild hair and decided to mow the grass for my hubby.  Let me just tell you, that mower is not built for a 120-pound, just-over-5-foot-tall female.  Furthermore, you sure notice how lumpy and hilly your yard is when you're pushing a mower thro...

Okay, here's a fun review: LobsterNetwork .  The idea behind this is that you've got stuff, your friends have stuff, your extended family members have stuff, your local church members have stuff, and maybe, just maybe, you need something, like once .  Example: your Little Angel caught the latest stomach virus and, of course, she just had spaghetti for dinner... eww.  You can't go to the store to rent the Rug Doctor ( or whatever That Monstrosity is called ) because it's 10 o-clock at night and, well, you're coddling The Puking Princess .  You know someone was telling you that they just got a carpet cleaning thingy and you can't remember who it was, but you're sure they'd let you borrow it if they knew you needed it.... So, you hop onto the ( Wonderfully Wicked ) World Wide Web and log into your LobsterNetwork account while The Puking Princess naps on the floor by the commode, and you notice that your neighbor has a carpet cleaner listed that she is wi...

The seasons will change, on that you can bet. And this Spring will be one we won't likely forget. A cake - or TWO - what fun! What a joy! For a TWINS baby shower - a GIRL and a BOY !! From Minivan Moments The very next day, a surprise Mother's Day gift Was a garden - a raised one - how perfect is this?!? From Minivan Moments We also acquired a couple new pets... From Minivan Moments From Minivan Moments So you see, this Spring isn't one we'll forget.

We recently received a video from Cerebellum Corporation/Standard Deviants called AP Exam Prep: History of the U.S . Although my children are nowhere near needing Advanced Placement classes in U.S. History, I watched the video myself for the purposes of this review.  Having no experience with AP classes myself, I can only guess at the substance of the video, but it looks really good. The beginning of the video is about the exam itself: what to expect, how to take the test in the most efficient manner, tips for writing the essays, and how the test is scored. Then there is a quick , but thorough , review of 30 main points in the United States' history from the early colonists to the Vietnam War ( they call this "30 in 30" - 30 historical tips in 30 minutes ).  Yep, I said it was quick.  Altogether, the video is 73 minutes. There is also a digital workbook included on a separate disc that the student should print out and use along with the video.  It looks like ...

Here are the winners of the 2010 Homeschool Crew Seaworthy Awards: Favorite Language Arts Product => EDUDPS Favorite History Product => Bright Ideas Press (All American History and Mystery of History) Favorite Science Product => Nature Friend Magazine Favorite Math Product => Math Mammoth Favorite Online Math Product => Mathletics Favorite Handwriting Product => Zeezok (Presidential Penmanship) Favorite Fine Arts Product (art, music, etc.) => Artistic Pursuits Favorite Pre-school Product => Time 4 Learning Favorite Elementary Product => Critical Thinking Favorite Upper-Grade Product => Professor in a Box Favorite College Prep Product => Cerebellum/Standard Deviants Favorite Special Needs Product => Super Star Speech Favorite Health and Beauty Product => Virginia Soaps & Scents Favorite Christian Product => Grapevine Studies Best Resource I Didn't Know I Needed => Studypod Best Homemaking Product =>...

Tonight, i am putting on my Student Hat and researching some new concepts i didn't even know about until an hour ago.  I need to go back to the basics with each of my children for a week or two and evaluate their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks.  I am hoping to find some gems in my search that will help me understand them better as a mother and as a teacher. God keeps upping the ante around here and asking me to do a little more... the good news it that He asks after i have already done some of what He has laid on my heart to do.  I figure He must be taking me through some big stuff, and being God, He understands how i function so He is feeding me in small bits to keep me from being overwhelmed!  I look back over the past 2 years and i wonder how i got here, but then i see all the place markers along the way where God has stopped me and taught me something new. I hope to be a lifelong learner, but more than that, i hope to encourage a love of lea...

As a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I received a free download from Ideal Curriculum .  Now, this one is a bit different.  Ideal Curriculum offers a full school year of monthly kits (9 altogether) just for preschool.  You can get a print version of each monthly unit for $55 or a downloadable version for $30. I received the downloadable files for the first month/unit, which is Transportation.  In the downloads there are things to read on the computer, things to print ( yes, that's right! There is a FILE of things that you can expect to print so there is no guessing! ), music files, and teacher files.  The curriculum covers early literacy, math, science, and social studies. I found the program to be well organized and expertly directed... if you want a formal preschool curriculum.  We don't particularly, but if we did, this would be one of my first choices!  There is a schedule, a teacher's guide, and a wide range of ...

It is hard enough to go back to daily life around here after seeing the horrifying images of our fellow Middle Tennesseans in various stages of disaster.  It is hard enough to cook our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners knowing there are hundreds of people still without power.  It is hard enough to plant my garden and dream of the fresh veggies and fruit that will come out of it knowing that there are families nearby who are dreaming of the days they had a bed to sleep in and a roof of their own. To say that it has been difficult for me to sit and do nothing is an understatement!  I have sent supplies, washed flood-affected laundry, cooked meals, and met some of the faces of the Nashville Flood of 2010.  But i am humbled by what i saw yesterday in East Nashville.... Ruined furniture and broken pieces of people's lives litter the curbs in the communities devastated by the floods.  But these people are back at school, back at work, and waiting for the gutted shell...

We had the opportunity to review English For Life: The Madsen Method with the TOS Crew .  We were not sent this package and forced into it.  I spoke with Joe Madsen by telephone.  The product is expensive and somewhat different from the average Language Arts curriculum, so he wanted to be sure we would want to try it.  Perfectly understandable. Let me tell you about my initial reactions. I love the idea of The Madsen Method (TMM) .  I love what it's setting out to do.  Speaking with Joe Madsen cemented that for me.  I believe in their goals, their passion, and their dedication.  I understand from a child-development stand-point just what it is they are trying to accomplish.  It makes sense.  I agree.  100%. TMM believes in teaching the whole brain, and I whole-heartedly agree!  You teach the kids to say to hear and write to see, and you demonstrate the 4 ways that doing so puts information into their brains.  This co...

Last year, when I signed up as a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew , I opted to review items that were not specifically homeschooling resources.  Because of this, I was given the opportunity to review a product by Beeyoutiful .  Each member got to make selections and requests, so we got quite a variety of goodies to try.  Check out other reviews and products by clicking here . I received Beeyoutiful Balance , which is a natural progesterone 'cream.'  As a woman embarking on the Peri-menopausal Journey, I was ecstatic to have this opportunity to try something that I had obsessed wondered about!  I have many annoying common symptoms of being on the Peri-menopausal Journey, but my doctors aren't concerned.  Of course, if you aren't the one forgetting to take a shower, snapping at your children, coping with irregular menstrual cycles, and feeling overly tired, I supposed you may not care... but since I AM, I kinda DO. Okay, eno...

Well, this has been a beautifully busy Mother's Day for me!  My husband and children got me a garden, and i got to plant all the herbs and veggies i have been wanting to plant, as well as all the potted seedlings i started last month.  And thanks to Home Depot, i finally planted Stevia plants!! I got 2 apple trees and a hummingbird feeder, too.  The back yard took on a whole new look!  I also took the ripped-up grass from where the garden went ( okay, grass is a bit strong; clover is a better fit! ) and patched up the bare spots in the front yard that our dogs blessed us with last fall.  That is messy work, people!!  My nails may never be clean again.... After having breakfast and dinner made for me, i finished the day with my delicious beef and barley soup and French bread, and i got to sprinkle my new fresh parsley in it - right out of my garden!! Now, the house is getting quiet, and this Mommy is getting tired.  I hope each of you had a great ...

We beg for rain; our grass is brown. Water restrictions begin in our town. We start to worry and wonder, it's true: With spring so dry, what'll summer do? Then the news says rain is coming our way. We can't help it: we shout "Hurray!" An end to the drought that we worried would be A ray of hope, we're beginning to see. But when the rains come, they keep coming all day, The rain doesn't stop; it won't go away! And after two days of this unending rain, The community sure is feeling the strain! The rivers are up, the streets are now oceans. The parks are all ponds, and houses are coastin'! I watched a school building float by like a boat! I saw people's houses with newly-filled moats! "The 100-year flood," they are saying in town. And then they tell us how many people have drowned. What a sight! What a state! What a terrible thing! How could any imagine what those rains would bring? Our family is fine; our neighborhood's high At...