Gabby Mom's Review for Eternal Encouragement

Once upon a time I had many magazine subscriptions.  I had so many that I didn't know what to do with them.  Some I would read, some I would not.  As a mom, most of these magazines lacked what I was truly looking for.  I was looking for something to help inspire me to be strong as a mom & wife,  & encourage me in my walk with Christ.  The magazines I had didn't fit the bill.  I stumbled upon a wonderful magazine by the name of TEACH about 2 years ago.  I have been blessed to be able to have that in my hands.

Now you may be thinking this is supposed to be a review about the magazine Eternal Encouragement.  I know.  And let me share a secret.  TEACH and Eternal Encouragement are one in the same.  :)

Lorrie Flem started TEACH approximately 13 years ago. She was looking for a magazine that would help her in her walk as a mom, wife and daughter of God.  Through lots of encouragement and praying she started TEACH.  She decided about a year ago to change the title and magazine format of TEACH to Eternal Encouragement. This is off of the Eternal Encouragement Facebook page. "TEACH is taking a new name that more accurately portrays what we are all about. We are a magazine about looking more like Jesus every day. We have a little on homemaking, mothering, being a wife, and ALL that we send you is rich with . . . encouragement!"

"Eternal Encouragement has four main goals. To help women: look more like Jesus every day, to happily undergird their husbands, to love nurturing and training His children, to embrace putting their first fruits into their own homes."

The content is just as wonderful and the new size (which fits in my purse or diaper bag) is perfect for me.  I take it everywhere!


I know how important it is to have something that is relevant to moms and our daily struggles.  It is not an easy job we have.  We have so many "hats" that we juggle.  Wife, teacher, nurse, chauffeur and so many more that we often find ourselves at the end of the day drained physically and emotionally.  To know that there are other moms out there who have been where we are and that we will make it through is such an encouragement.  The authors of each story in EE have a way of touching your heart.  Whether you had a rough day at work, with the kids or you feel that you will never keep up with the housework, the articles in this magazine will touch your heart and leave you feeling uplifted.

We were asked to review the Spring '11 issue of Eternal Encouragement.  What a blessing this magazine has been.  But before I go into the articles that help me, let me share my family. 

I am the proud mom of 3 wonderful boys.  I am privileged to get to stay home with them and also homeschool them.  Jonathan, the oldest, is the artsy, quiet, and for the most part obedient.  Think outwardly obedient, but inwardly defiant.  Jordan, the middle child, is, well, we think he is Evil Knievel.  He is the daredevil and is always into something.  He is also the one who tends to provoke fights.  He has a short temper which often leaves me frustrated at the things he does.  Josef, the baby, well, ok, he is 1 now but still my baby.  He is a little cutie pie and we are enjoying seeing bits of his personality come out.  He is definitely a momma's boy.  :)

When the spring issue of EE arrived at my house I was thrilled!  It was the first edition of the new name and size and so it has been with me everywhere for the past month.  I don't always get to sit and read it at one time.  So I will look through to see what is most critical at that moment.  Well let me say this issue came just in time!  The key articles I read (in no particular order) are as follows.

• Domestically Challenged Housewife - Our Version of Toy Story
• Temper to Tranquility
• There is No Time Like the Present
• Today

I am always grateful to know that I am not the only one who is going on this journey we call motherhood.  Knowing that I will make it through the day.  And ultimately knowing that God is in control.  We just have to give it to Him.

There is a song that I am reminded of often while reading Eternal Encouragement.  It pops into my head because all the moms have something in common.  They rely on God.  They know that without Him they could do nothing.  It is through Him that we make it through each day.  They ask Him for guidance, help and strength.  This song is a wonderful reflection of what we need to realize every day.  The song is Without Him.  Here is a link so you can listen to it.  The lyrics are below.

Without Him I could do nothing
Without Him I'd surely fail
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

Without Him I would be dying
Without Him I'd be enslaved
Without Him life would be worthless
But with Jesus thank God I'm saved

Oh Jesus, oh Jesus
Do you know Him today
Please don't turn Him away
Oh Jesus, my Jesus
Without Him how lost I would be
Without Him how lost I would be

I am so thankful that I am able to receive this magazine.  It provides such encouragement to me.  I know it will do the same for you.

Click on Gabby Moms to find out more about us or read more reviews about Eternal Encouragement.
Here is the website to Eternal Encouragement.  www.eternalencouragement.com

I received this product for honest review from Eternal Encouragement Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own."

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Expedition Israel - A Download N Go Review

Expedition Israel, a Download N Go unit study.  Some quick info about Download N Go (DNG).  DNG's are a week long unit study tied in with lapbooking.  Don't be nervous about the lapbooking part.  If you have never done one, that's ok!  They are a fun way to integrate some hands on into your schooling.  DNG's are wonderful.  They have all the research done for you.  Amanda Bennett takes care of all of that so you can spend more time learning with your child.  She also finds extra books to read to your child that are suggested each day.  These are not necessary but always give a lot of extra information.

So where to begin.  I was so thrilled to see we would be reviewing Expedition Israel.  It took me back to a time 12 years ago.  A time when I was 18 and our church was going on a trip overseas.  A trip to Israel.  This unit brought back so many memories for me.  The videos of the cities in Israel, the people, the animals, and the beautiful landscape.  We also learned about great Heroes of the Bible with this unit.  It is so amazing to think about these men of the Bible.  They become real for the kids.  And I got to enjoy watching my kids learn about them.

Each day brought back something different for me and I was so excited to share my stories with them.  From Jerusalem to Bethlehem, to the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.  I relived my trip through this unit.  But more importantly I shared it with them by showing pictures, telling stories and giving them my thoughts as we watched the videos, read the websites and all the information that Amanda put into this unit. I am so thankful that she put this unit together.  It helped me be better able to share the stories of my trip.  Because she works so hard to find the best websites and videos it made it so much fun to share with my children.  In a sense, being able to share my trip experiences combined with this unit study made it feel so real to them. 

There are also some really cool things to do as part of the lapbook in this unit.  Jonathan's favorite was learning his name in Hebrew. 




My Hebrew Name:   Courtesy of My Hebrew Name  He thought that was "so cool."  He also like learning about the animals.  I was able to share with him my story of riding the camel. (which I highly recommend)  It is definitely a ride you won't forget.

I highly recommend this unit study.  Even if I hadn't been to Israel, this unit would make me want to go.  So you will definitely want to try and plan a trip.  My oldest son, Jonathan has already asked me when we are going to Israel.  I told him we will need to save in order to do it, but that we will plan a family trip to visit this country one day.

Here is what was covered each day.

Day 1: Where on Earth Is Israel?
Day 2: Some of the Special Places in Israel
Day 3: A Bit of History
Day 4: Cool Things to Know About Israel
Day 5: Fun and Games in Israel


Take a look at the inside of Expedition Israel.

Some pictures of our lapbook.

Our Lapbook



Jonathan with the lapbook



Some Pictures of my trip to Israel.

The Sea of Galilee


Me petting a Cat at the Church on the Sea of Galilee


If you would like to purchase Expedition Israel, go here.
To follow the Blog Tour, go here.

**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**
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Kite Capers - A Download N Go Review

This is my family's review of Kite Capers - a Download N Go (DNG) Unit Study.  For those of you unfamiliar with Download N Go, they are quite fun and simple to use.  I don't know about you, but for me those are good qualities to have in homeschool curriculum!  Amanda Bennett does all the legwork of research for you.  She chooses some of the best videos, informational links, extra reading resources and some awesome activities.

My boys and I have grown to love these unit studies.  They cover a weeks worth of learning.  Each day you learn something different about the topic.

So, lets go fly a kite!  Up to the Highest Height!  I think of Mary Poppins and the kite flying scene at the end when doing this review.  I loved flying kites as a young child.  The colors, shapes, sizes, beautiful designs were always fascinating to me.  A couple of years ago we actually purchased our first kites and took them out for a flight.  There are 2 Spiderman kites in our repertoire as we speak.  We had a blast getting them to fly!  Thanks to this unit study we now want to make our own kites! 

Working on Kite Capers has been so much fun.  The videos were quite awesome.  Seeing some of the creativity in the kites that were made is just thrilling!  Seeing them in flight was breathtaking.  There was is so much to learn about the origins of kites!  It was amazing where it lead us.  We really enjoyed studying this unit.

Here are the topics covered for each of the 5 days.

Day 1: What Is a Kite?
Day 2: The History of Kites
Day 3: Kite People and Places
Day 4: Science Secrets of Kites
Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Kites

 Take a peek inside this unit study.  The pictures are beautiful and we loved working in this unit.

Amanda does a wonderful job in putting these units together.  We have really enjoyed using them and doing reviews.

Click here to purchase Kite Capers.  :)

**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**

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Hoppin Popcorn - A Download N Go Review

Caramel corn, cheddar popcorn, kettle corn or plain ole popcorn.  I bet you can't choose just one flavor of popcorn.  Hoppin Popcorn is a delicious unit study!

For those of you who may not be familiar with Download N Go (DNG), they are a weekly unit study combined with lapbooking.  Now don't be afraid of the term lapbooking.  It's actually quite simple.  Amanda Bennett gives you all the information you need for the unit and then she gives you links for lapbooking instructions.

So I hope you like popcorn, because that is the topic of this yummy unit!  Popcorn, we eat it at movie theatres, at home when we are enjoying family time, sporting events or just as a great snack.  It comes in many different flavors and types.  I know my personal favorite is caramel corn.  The mix of salty and sweet is just divinity! 

With Hoppin Popcorn you discover so many different things!  From what popcorn is, where it began, to the many kinds of popcorn.

So with Download N Go, each day covers something different.  There are different websites for each day, different videos that go with the topic of each day.  I will say that Hoppin Popcorn leaves you hungry so you will want to make sure you have some on hand!  :)

Here is what's covered each day.
Day 1: Popcorn—What Is It?
Day 2: The Story of Popcorn
Day 3: The Flavors of Popcorn
Day 4: The Science of Popcorn
Day 5: Fun With Popcorn

Take a peek inside Hopping Popcorn.

Click here to purchase Hoppin Popcorn!

**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**



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Eternal Encouragement Newsletter Review

E-mail, e-mail, e-mail...  I don't know about you but I sign up for so many e-mails I think will be useful, but I often don't get to look at them.  Between being a wife, mom, teacher, homemaker and many other roles I don't always get to read everything I sign up for.  I admit it.  I have every intention of reading the tips and advice of being a better wife, mom, teacher, etc.  When we were asked to sign up for the Eternal Encouragement newsletter, I was already a member of this wonderful resource.  This is one of a newsletters I make sure to take the time to read.

I was asked to review two of the most recent newsletters.  This was obviously an easy thing for me to do!  :)  I love to read and love all the words of encouragement in these newsletters.  The first one I was asked to review was sent February 10th and the second one was February 17th.  The topic of the newsletter sent the 10th, which was in time for Valentines Day, covered marriage.  I can think no better topic to cover for that week.  I loved how Lorrie put this sentence regarding disagreements in a marriage.  "Successful couples know how to keep the disagreements from spilling over and contaminating the rest of their relationship."  I believe this to be very true!  My husband and I have had our disagreements, but we always make sure that we don't go to bed angry and that whatever was being discussed was resolved in some matter.  It isn't always easy.  But we always do it.

The other thing I love about these newsletters are a little thing called "Chick Flicks for Mom."  I absolutely love these videos from Lorrie.  They are short, cute and to the point.  I have found them to be very helpful to me.  My most favorite one right now was the one dealing parenting our children and obedience!  The lesson learned from that one I wound up writing down and laminating!  It is now posted in the main area of my house so my 3 boys can see it.  We are working on memorizing the rhyme that was submitted to Lorrie about obedience.

Then there are the Timely Tips in the newsletters!  The two that I am going to talk about in my review are very important to me.  The first one dealt with Praying for your husband.  Now I know we all know we are supposed to pray for our husbands, but do we really know how to pray for them?  The timely tip linked to a document talking about why we need to pray for our husbands and also gave a 31 day plan to pray for your husband.  Each day includes a specific request and Bible verse to go with that request.  I found that very important!  I know that I want to pray for my husband, but I often don't know what to pray for.  This has been a great help!

The 2nd timely tip dealt with a budget!  This comes at a great time for me as I am leading a class on finances at our church.  Having a budget is important but sticking to it is even more important!  Anne Herrick talks about how reading Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" really helped her and her husband realize they were living outside their means and then gave them the tools to get things under control.  I HIGHLY recommend reading any of Dave Ramsey's books or taking his Financial Peace University course!  (which is what I lead at our church)  I am seeing things in a new way since leading this class.  We are learning to live within our means and also be able to save for our future, the future of our kids and to also be able to give to others!  Seeing this timely tip in the newsletter was just another encouraging article to help us along our way.  You can read this story here.

Along with all those things there is information on sales and discounts on products from the website.  There are some great deals out there!  www.HomemakingWithTeach.com

I HIGHLY recommend signing up for the newsletter.  It has helped me in so many ways.  I want to be a better mom to my boys, a better wife to my husband and a better child of God.  The newsletter is so encouraging and is a great addition to my day.  I look forward to getting this each week.

To sign up for Eternal Encouragement go to www.EternalEncouragement.com.  Once you go there a window should pop up to sign up for the newsletter.  If for some reason it does not, go to this website and scroll down to the bottom.  The sign up will be on the bottom left-hand side.  www.theshop.eternalencouragement.com

Also, take some time to visit us at the Gabby Moms!  We have a lot of moms that are reviewing these wonderful products, newsletters, etc.  www.thegabbymoms.com

I am reviewing Encouraging Moments as an official member of The Gabby Moms blogging program for Eternal Encouragement magazine.  I did not receive compensation for this post and all opinions are solely my own. Read More

Expedition Ireland Review

Here is our review of the Download N Go unit called Expedition Ireland. If you are not familiar with Download N Go, then you are in for a treat!  They are unit studies combined with lapbooking.  These unit studies are meant to last 5 days (but can go longer if you choose to do so).  And don't let the work lapbooking scare you!  It's really quite easy and the writer, Amanda Bennett, gives you links in the beginning that show how to make a lapbook.



I must say this is one of our FAVORITE units by far! I have always wanted to visit Ireland. I would love to want to one day take my family there. In doing this unit we were able to enjoy Ireland from afar.  The videos were enchanting.  My oldest kept one video on in the background because he loved the music so much!  He bookmarked it so he could listen to it all day every day.

There was so much to discover about Ireland.  From the legends, stories, scenery and history.  We learned so much about this beautiful country.   We thought it was so much fun reading the different legends involved in the Irish culture.  Some of the stories were great!  St. Patricks day was another great lesson.  And seeing my son drawing shamrocks made me smile!

I love how the DNG Unit studies incorporate so many aspects of learning.  I also love how the only thing I have to do is go to the library and borrow a few extra books (if you choose to do so).  I will say the books do add a lot to the unit.  We do try to pick up 1 recommended book for each day.  :)

Take a peak at what is covered inside Expedition Ireland.

Day 1: Where on Earth Is Ireland?
Day 2: Some of the Special Places in Ireland
Day 3: A Bit of History
Day 4: Cool Things to Know About Ireland
Day 5: Fun and Games in Ireland

A peak inside Expedition Ireland.  Click on the here or on the image for a sample of what you will learn in Expedition Ireland.



So I hope this has encouraged you to give unit studies and lapbooking a try.  Use the Download N Go unit studies by Amanda Bennett!  They are wonderful and a great addition to any curriculum you are using right now.  :)

Click here to Purchase Expedition Ireland.

Expedition Ireland Blog Tour

**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review** Read More

Download N Go Review - George Washington

George Washington was a farmer, a General, husband, step-father, and eventually the 1st President of the United States!  I knew some of these things but not all of them.  There was also so much more we discovered in our Download N Go (DNG) of George Washington.  I am still surprised at what we learn in these unit studies.  My boys are continually asking for more of them to do!  We absolutely love them!

The books that we borrowed from our library went so well with this unit.  The books on the list can add so much to the learning experience!  I love being able to sit on the couch and read aloud with my sons.  It is absolutely great.  We learned this week about George Washington's journey through childhood to becoming a young man in the army.  He got married and became a father to his wife's children (she was a widow).  He then went back to be a General in the war for Independence and eventually became President!   All the details in this study are simply amazing.  These are just some of the highlights!

Doing these unit studies has made my oldest want to read more about what we are learning about.  He has become more interested in learning and by doing that it has helped my 2nd child to become more interested in learning.  What a blessing that is for me as a mom.  To have my boys want to learn!

So here is an overview of what you will learn the week you study George Washington.

Day 1: Who Was George Washington?
Day 2: People and Places in George Washington’s Life
Day 3: The Accomplishments of George Washington
Day 4: Lessons to Learn From George Washington
Day 5: Remembering George Washington

Take a peek inside the DNG unit for George Washington.



So if you haven't done a unit study before or felt overwhelmed by doing them, a Download N Go is a GREAT way to start!  They have all the research done for you.  There are always great videos, websites and books to go with each day of learning.  It is so wonderful that Amanda spends the time on this so you don't have to!   Tie in the lapbook and you have an awesome week of fun learning and putting something together that will last a long time.  :)

If the idea of lapbooking overwhelms you, there are very easy instructions to follow in the beginning of every DNG unit study!  I know I was overwhelmed with the idea at first but we have done several now and the boys really enjoy doing them.

**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**

Click here to Purchase the DNG for George Washington.

The DNG Blog tour. Read More