This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 17th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Literature based approach.

Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.



Thursday, July 19, 2012

Our bookshelves are overflowing, can you help?

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Our bookshelves are overflowing with books so I need to find a good home for the ones listed below. I am linking up with The Happy Housewife’s used curriculum sale to list these. Stop by and see if you can find something and tell your friends to stop by too. All prices include media mail shipping and can be paid for by PayPal or personal check (will hold until check clears). If you find something you would like, email me or leave a comment.
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Sonlight Core G (6) IG / LA 6 IG (2009)
$25.ppd each or $40.ppd for the set.
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The Westminster Shorter Catechism
$8. ppd
 7
Tapestry of Grace, Yr. 1, Unit 1 Rhetoric books
Ancient Egypt ~ $10. ppd    SOLD
Ancient Egyptian Literature ~ $10. ppd The Feasts of Adonai ~ $15. ppd SOLDAdam and His Kin ~ $5. ppd SOLD
From Distant Days:Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia ~ $15. ppd The Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt ~ $3. ppd SOLD
The Story of Architecture ~ $22. ppd Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible ~ $15. ppd    

5
Usborne Complete book of the Human Body
$10. ppd SOLD
6
Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals
$10. ppd SOLD
8
Draw Today – complete kit, includes video
$20. ppd  SOLD
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Veritas Press Chronicles through Malachi Teacher’s Manual
$6. ppd
***The following items are free, just pay $2.00 (each) for shipping***
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SOLD

3 4
inside cover, has writing. Otherwise it is clean. SOLD4a

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Who is my Neighbor? ~ a TOS review

PhotobucketI am sure you know we are huge fans of Apologia ministries. We had the opportunity to review the third book in the What We Believe series, Who is My Neighbor? ~ And Why Does He Need Me? over the last few weeks. If you are new here, let me tell you a little bit about this series.

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Our children are bombarded on a daily basis with competing messages. Every song, movie, book, TV show, blog, and game is full of ideas—ideas about truth, morality, beauty, identity, faith, and more. Not all of these ideas are true. Some are wrong, some are deceptive, and some are outright destructive. It is more important than ever that young children be equipped to discern among competing ideas and stand in the truth. This is why Apologia has teamed with Summit Ministries to bring you the "What We Believe" Series. The "What We Believe" Series is an outstanding way to teach your child the essential beliefs of the Christian faith, but it’s so much more! With this student-directed, Bible-based curriculum, your children will learn how to use Scripture as a lens through which to view the world around them—to see everything the way God sees it—and know the truth.

                                                                             ~from website

Need I say more? The single most important subject in our HOMEschool is teaching our children worldview; how we see the world and what we believe. If i have done nothing else in this journey of raising my daughters, I hope to have instilled a Christian Worldview in them so they will know the truth. Apologia ministries helps me do this by producing quality products.

"The third book in the award-winning What We Believe series helps children understand what it means to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-14). This study will encourage kids to develop a Christlike servant attitude based on these biblical truths: God created me to be a blessing to the world; God chooses to work through me; I can make a difference at home, in my community, and at church; the church is God's family; the church is one body with many gifts; and I am an important member of Jesus' body."

                                                                                      ~from website

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This new book in the series was written for children aged 6-14. Like previous titles in this series, each lesson begins with The Big Idea, followed with a few short stories, Think About It questions, vocabulary words, Scripture verses to copy and memorize, character traits, discussion questions, prayers, and the final portion of each lessons is a story of an Encounter with Jesus. As you continue to progress through the book you will continue to build the House of Truth - a visual model of a Christian Worldview.

Lessons in Who is My Neighbor encourage your children to build a servant attitude based on biblical truths:
*God created me to be a blessing to the world
*God chooses to work through me
*I can make a difference at home, in my community, and at church
*the church is God’s family
*the church is one body with many gifts
*I am an important member of Jesus’ body

Who Is My Neighbor? is affordable priced at $39.00 for the book, $24.00 for the notebooking journal, and $8.00 for the coloring book. Each book in What We Believe series is meant to stand alone. You do not have to use the previous two books in the series first in order to use Who Is My Neighbor? With the notebooking journal this book can be used with multiple ages. The notebooking journal is a huge hit here and is filled with questions, word searches, and other activities to help your kids dive deeper into the topics within the book. For younger children, Apologia has a coloring book where each drawing depicts a story or teaching related to the lesson. My littles especially enjoy the coloring book.

We recommend this book hands down and the entire series for that matter! Apologia produces great products so be sure to check out their website. Be sure to check out what my fellow Crewmates thought of this product by clicking the banner below. You can also read my reviews of the previous to books, Who is God? ~ And How Can I Really Know Him? and Who am I? ~ And What Am I Doing Here?, by clicking on the titles.

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Company ~ Apologia

Product ~ Who is my Neighbor? ~ And Why Does He Need Me?

Price ~ 39.00 for the book, $24.00 for the notebooking journal, and $8.00 for the coloring book

Ages ~ 6 – 14 year olds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer: I received a copy of Apologia’s Who is My Neighbor? And Why Does He Need Me? book, notebooking journal, and coloring book, 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

 Montana & McKenzie

Friday, July 13, 2012

Congratulations!!!

Winner_

Congratulations Mrs. Taffy, you are the winner of the book MOMumental

Please email me your mailing address.

Thanks for reading and entering!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Professor B Math ~ a TOS Review

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Math is not really my girls strong point in school. I love to try new  approaches to help things stick so that is why I am so glad that I was chosen to review Professor B Math If you are not familiar with Professor B Math, let me tell you a little about this program.

Professor B Math is an interactive Math website designed to help you, the teacher,  build  strong mathematical foundations for your students. Professor B Math was created by Professor Everard Barrett using his methodology that is conceptual, contextual, and is "as flowing as a story". He states that math should not be presented as fragmented facts to memorize but in a natural story-like sequence.

For this review I was provided with the online E-Learning for levels 1-3 and I used these levels with my daughters Mikayla (9), Montana (5), and McKenzie (2). Here is a breakdown for the levels available and what they teach.

LEVEL I ~ Pre-k though 2nd graders and remediation of older learners. 

Introduction to Addition/Subtraction Facts – Counting to One Hundred – Lower Addition and Subtraction – Higher Addition and Subtraction – Place Value Fractional Parts & Order – Time – Money

LEVEL II ~ 3rd grade through 5th grade and remediation of older learners.

Multiplication/Division Facts and Problem Solving – Introduction to Fractions – Fractional Equivalence – Addition and Subtraction Fractions

LEVEL III ~ 6th through 8th grades and remediation of older learners.

Multiplication/Division of Fractions – Decimals – Percents

It is important to note that Professor B Math, while it is an online program there is no audio involved. You alone will narrate the lessons to your student. At first I seriously thought my computer speakers were broken as I listened for the sound coming from Mr. B. So, are you thinking what I initially thought? Why is there no audio? Let me tell you what Professor B says about it:

The decision to not have the Bee speak was intentional. We did not want parents leaving the student at the computer by themselves. If the child answers incorrectly, you would not know unless you are there. This is not a game. This is a teaching program.

                                                                         ~ from website FAQ’s

So, there you have it. This program is a teaching program that is very hands on in that since. You, the teacher, are helping to guide and interact with your child through each lesson, step by step.

prof b 

The entire program is set up with mastery and not grade level as the bottom line. Do you have a struggling learner in the math department. Not a problem! Professor B Math offers a placement test so you can best see where to start your child. Each of the levels be used for remediation for older children by just progressing at a more rapid pace when mastery is reached. Want to know what the best part is? Professor B Math states that each level can be completed in just 10 months! Your child can have total mastery of one level in just one academic year, amazing!

So with all these bells and whistles I am sure you think this program costs a fortune. Nope, it is actually quite affordable even in my book.

The purchase price for the E-learning which includes a printable notebook is as follows:
-One level (any of the three):  $20.00/ month
-Two levels at the same time:  $15.00 for the second
level
-Three levels at the same time:  $10.00 for the third
level
-OR  purchase a yearly membership for each
level  and receive a free Professor B coffee mug and t-shirt.

*** prices are being updated for yearly pricing, check back next week ***

Our thoughts:

I will admit at first I was skeptical about Professor B but eager to try it out at the same time. Like I said earlier Math is not all my girls strong point so I wanted to try out something new for my little's and give my older girls a firmer grasp. After using this program for a little bit over 5 weeks I am loving it and recommend it! My little ones, Montana and McKenzie ask for their math time and are “getting it”. While McKenzie is a wee bit young for the program overall we have made it through the first few lessons in Level I. One day out of the blue while she was waiting for her turn to get her nails painted, she lined up the nail polish and counted them out loud all the way to 5. I give credit to Professor B Math for that, thanks!!!  Montana is grasping her lessons well too. I love seeing when those sparks are made over those simple everyday math concepts. From setting the table and counting out dishes or silverware or from when I find her counting and teaching her babies to skip count. Mikayla is hanging in this program too, slow and steady. She is my child who has struggled the most this past year in the math department. Nothing major just a little hiccup. She has made great strides in the last 5 weeks with Professor B Math, and I know this will be a great addition to our math program throughout this upcoming school year to help us get back on track for Mikayla.

All I can say is that This Program Rocks!

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Check out what my Crewmates think by clicking on the box below. Also, be sure to check out the free 30 day trial to see if this program would be a good fit for you and your child.

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Company/Product ~ Professor B Math

Pricing ~ see break down above

Ages ~ Pre-K – 8th grade

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCLAIMER: I received a year subscription to Professor B Math, 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.

Monday, July 9, 2012

And the winner is…

Winner_

Congratulations Emily, you are the winner of the book My Big Bottom Blessing!

Please email me your mailing address.

Thanks for reading and entering!