MOMumental ~ a review & giveaway

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There are lots of great parenting books out there filled with great advice to raising happy, healthy children. Jennifer Grant’s new book MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family gives you the reader permission to be the everyday mom who loves her children in a  crazy, messy, and somewhat loud home. I have got all three of those so let me tell you a little more about the book MOMumental, in which “family life is an adventure in becoming real...”

Jennifer Grant’s gilrhood dream of being the perfect mom withered quickly once she got a real taste of the messy, creative, sometimes hilarious, and often taxing process of raising a family. With MOMumental, she presents a warm, compassionate book filled with uncommon and amusing insights about being an intentional parent—and about realizing that family matter, no matter what yours is like.

                                                                                  ~from the cover

This is a great book that will leave you encouraged and ready to take on the joys of parenting whether you have an infant or teen. It is written with a wonderful conversational tone and it leaves you with the feeling that you just had a great conversation with a group of friends. In addition to the sometimes hilarious stories included in the book Jennifer Grant offers  appendixes with great tips for mothers, including a list of 5 things every Mom should have ( love this list!), signs of mommy burnout, and also ways to regain balance through a prayer for Mothers. Want to win a copy of this book? Just leave me a comment and I will pick a winner on July 13th.

No doubt about it: children are a gift from the Lord.

                                                                  ~Psalm 127:3 CEB

ISBN 978-1-61795-074-2
List Price: $14.99
256 pages

Available in book, E-book, and audio book formats online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook, and iTunes. Also in stores nation wide.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCLAIMER: I received 2 copies of MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family from Worthy Publishing, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Wordless Wednesday

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My Big Bottom Blessing ~ a review & giveaway

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A few months ago I received a new book from Worthy Publishing by Teasi Cannon called, My Big Bottom Blessing. It is a excellent book that tells the story of Teasi and how she came to love herself and the girl in the mirror reflection.

Teasi Cannon’s lifelong battle with body image nearly destroyed her. yet today she feels blessed-not because the size of her lower half has changed but because hr perspective has. In her often hilarious, no-nonsense style, Teasi’s gut-honest journey and transparent insights will propel every one of us who struggles with…you name it: bad hair or chubby cheeks, skinny arms or wide hips…to realize our value and beauty. Even if nothing ever changes on the outside.                           ~ from the cover

This book is written as an inspiration to help you see yourself through the journey of self doubt. Review questions at the end of each chapter help guide you on your journey. With pep talks and scripture referred to throughout the book you are able to learn to let go and dig a little deeper into the route of the problem. I really think this is a great book for anyone woman to read, faults or no faults. This book would even make a great book club book.

“Loving the girl in the mirror isn’t about changing how you LOOK but allowing God to change how you SEE”.

Wow! i just love this quote. So much so that I taped it to my bathroom vanity as a gentle reminder. As someone who has struggled with body image since my early teens this book was a refreshing eye opener.

Want to get a sneak peak of this book? HERE is a copy of one of the chapters. Plus, I have great news! One of you lucky readers will receive your very own copy of this book! Just leave me a comment, easy peasy! The giveaway will end on                  Sunday, July 8th @ 8 PM Eastern and the winner announced Monday morning.

ISBN 978-1-61795-076-6
List Price: $14.99
224 pages with study guide

Available in book, e-book, and audio book formats online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook, and iTunes. Also in stores nation wide.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCLAIMER: I received 2 copies of My Big Bottom Blessing by Teasi Cannon from Worthy Publishing, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Homeschool Spanish Academy ~ a TOS review

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I almost missed the chance to review this awesome Spanish program that I am going to share with you today. Madison and I LOVE it! Let me tell you a little more about Homeschool Spanish Academy

Homeschool Spanish Academy  was founded in 2010 by Ron Fortin. As an online Spanish Academy  it offers  interactive lessons between native Central America instructors and students. HSA has programs for elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults. We had the opportunity to review the middle school program when another reviewer had to drop out because of computer compatibility issues. With this review we received 7 weeks of classes (because we did not get into the program mid-June, I scheduled 2 or 3 classes a week for this review purpose).

To set up your first class first you need to make sure your computer is good to go. For that Ron will guide you through the process of checking the requirements for compatibility with the program.  Here is what you need:

Internet ~ requires a Ping  less than 100ms, Download Speeds greater than 1.0MBps, and Upload Speeds greater than 0.5 MBps.

Webcam ~ optional, but highly recommended.

Headset ~ of good quality, necessary to communicate with teacher. (especially if you have a two year old sister who thinks everybody is her Grandma Face Timing on the computer :-))

A Skype Account

Our computer did not pass the inspection the first time through with Ron but he was so helpful in helping guide me as far as what to say to our Internet Service Provider. Turns out my internet was way below the download speeds that I had been paying for monthly and upon talking to Verizon we were given a credit on our bill. Plus, they sent a technician out to the house the very next morning and found the problem and fixed it.

 

Once your computer is good to go you schedule your class(es) in Schedulicity (free scheduling program HSA uses) and pick your instructor and you are all set for your class. We chose Professora Nora for our teacher and she was wonderful!!! Madison was a bit nervous but she excelled at Spanish. I speak Spanish (well the basics and enough to survive if needed) as I took Spanish 3 years in high school and 2 years in College. The very first day Madison could hold a conversation with me! Amazing! Now, my oldest daughter has been using another popular foreign language program but in my opinion HSA has them beat hands down! Professora Nora would email us Madison’s homework assignment the morning of her class, and Madison would look over it and complete it before the next class.

Pricing is pretty reasonable for the one on one instruction you get. Check out the tables below for pricing information.

 

Here are some FAQ’s about HSA's program (from the website):

How does this compare to a traditional public school curriculum?
Our curriculum follows the same general national standard guidelines outlined by the American Council On The Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL). This means that we progressively cover all Spanish grammar and emphasize reading, writing, speaking and comprehension. We do however, omit a few things that public school might include, such as cultural perspective of other Spanish speaking cultures. We tend to focus on Guatemalan culture as we are experts in that, but we often give information and anecdotes to our surrounding neighbors in Central America.

Will colleges and universities accept your program for college admissions?
Yes! Among the colleges and universities we have spoken to, parents simply need to submit the grades of the student and a record of their completed work. HSA provides this documentation to parents if requested. Additionally, we will provide parents with an overview sheet of our curricula and teaching methodologies. Lastly, we invite all admissions offices to contact us if there are any questions about grades, work, or student abilities.

Will colleges and universities accept your program for college credit?
Among the colleges and universities we spoke to, they will NOT accept our program for college credit. The only credits they accept are from the AP Exam and Dual Credit courses.

What we thought:

Love, love, LOVE it! Everything about the program. If you are looking for a conversational Spanish program in which you will actually be able to learn to speak the language then this program is for you. I will sing praises of HSA to anyone who asks!

Madison is starting her formal study of Spanish in August at the start of our new school year. I am definitely going to continue with this program so she gets that one on one interaction and enroll my high schooler so she gets the proper speaking instruction too. Be sure to check out what my Crewmates had to say about Homeschool Spanish Academy by clicking on the banner below.

Company ~ Homeschool Spanish Academy

Pricing ~ see above for pricing

Ages ~Elementary - Adult

Follow on Twitter @EspanolOnline

Like on Facebook

Read the Blog Here

Phone: 1-713-280-HOLA(4652)

Email: info@homeschoolspanishacademy.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCLAIMER: I received a half semester subscription to Homeschool Spanish Academy, in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Wordless Wednesday

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Weekly Wrap Up ~ School year is DONE!!

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Whew, we may made it! Another year down and the planning has begun for the 2012-2013 school year. We still have to test for proficiency and that will be done next week. I have learned a lot from this past year and I will take that new found knowledge into account as we head into another year come August.

So, just what do we have planned for the summer break? Lots of family time, pool time, and gymnastics and cheer time. Finding the balance will be key to a smooth, relaxing summer. I am hoping to find that balance quickly as this week was a whirlwind of activity. Do you want to know how many times I drove to and from the gym which is 30 minutes away (each way) on a good day?

19 times!

Crazy, I know! Next week our carpool starts in full force and I am so thankful for that! My drive time will be cut down dramatically and I think know my pocketbook will be happy about that. (Very thankful that gas is so low right now too).

    

Montana started her first Level 4 practice on Monday afternoon and she loves it! She is so cute at her practice. She is at the end of the line because she is the youngest at 5 and the smallest, but do not let that fool you she can hold her own!Coach Barbara is so good with the new girls and Montana wants to go everyday like her sisters. She gets up bright and early to see them off each day.  Speaking of which, I have decided that Madison and Mikayla will not be continuing on with 5 days (6 days for Mikayla because of TOPs) in July and August.  It is just too much!  On me, on them, and it is so stinking HOT in the gym. Mikayla has all the skills needed for the Level 7 (and then some) and Madison only has a few more skills for Level 7. So, we are scaling back from 25-27 hours a week to 20 hours for Madison, and 22 hours for Mikayla. Wowzers, That is a lot when you write it down! These girls are committed, and they have not lost the fire in their eyes because believe you me {hehe…my mom used to say that all the time :-)} when they say they don’t want to do gymnastics anymore, then we will walk away…as hard as that may be.

Marie is doing awesome at her new cheer team. I am so glad that we made the switch. Even when I was so hesitant to let her cheer with the new team because of skill level conflicts. She is now back flying, something she has not done since  our days with CheerStarz in WA. She is a natural at it and is continuing to work on her flexibility and tumbling. She was asked to double team again this year with a team at the Beach, however, with our schedule it just is not possible to drive 1hr each way with major TRAFFIC. Yes, she would have been on a team that pushed her skill level to the max, but God has a different plan right now for her and we are content. Marie’s main goal for this season is to get her full in a tumbling pass.

McKenzie is just being the normal average 2 year old. She is very curious about everything  and into everything.  She loves to swim in the pool and does not show any fear of the water. Don’t worry Grandma we watch her like a hawk!  Her vocabulary is expanding exponentially everyday.

Well, that is our week in a nutshell. We will be hanging out by the pool this weekend and grilling on the grill. How was your week?  Are you done with school yet?  Any big plans for summer break?

I am linking this up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Wrap Up. Stop by and see what others were up to this week.