Blessed is how I should describe myself after reading this book.
Let me start by giving a little bit of info about myself. I have been married for 9 1/2 wonderful years! I married the love of my life. We had our first child, a boy, during our first year of marriage. 5 years later we had our 2nd son and started homeschooling. Nearly 3 years after that we had our 3rd child, another boy! I am a stay-at-home mom with 3 wonderful, yet sometimes crazy, active boys!
Does your day look like this? You wake up at 9am because the baby was up twice last night. You had EVERY intention of getting up early to star that "schedule" you have dreamed of, which included 30-45 minutes of exercise time and devotions for you. Your 2 oldest boys are having their own WWE match in the living room and you didn't realize you were the referee. The baby is crying because you are dealing with the WWE match in the living room and he needs to be nursed. You try to do school but get no cooperation. Then 4 O'clock rolls around and you have NO idea what is going to be prepared for dinner and you forgot that tonight the night you are supposed to take your oldest child to Taekwondo. So you get everyone ready after a rushed dinner, head to the class and call your husband to let him know where you are and just how chaotic your day has been. After class, you head back home, get the kids ready for bed and then settle down for time to breathe and try to figure out just what happened today. If this is your day then I can totally relate to you. This is often my day and when this day happens it makes me lost sight of something. My "why."
My why is my children, my blessings. As much as I get frustrated at the day described above, it is because I have forgotten my why. Our children our only young once. We try so hard to be the perfect mom and well, it's a hard job that we have. We try to be the best wife, mom, homemaker and sometimes, if we are lucky, we achieve that but there are probably more days than not that we feel like we fail. I truly believe that it is our calling to raise our children in the way of the Lord, to have God in the center of our marriage, and to keep HIM first. And to do that we need a lot, I say A LOT of support! The Bible is my #1 source but I often read other books to give me some inspiration and provide some extra encouragement. I need to know that there are other mothers out there like me.
When the opportunity came by to be part of a review team thought it would be a great opportunity. Little did I know that the book I would be reading would hit home with me.
The book which is a beautiful trove of stories from TEACH Magazine. They touched my heart. I would read it during our lunch break and I noticed times when the story I was reading would apply to what I was going through that day. They touched my emotions and helped me regroup so I could make it through the day. The different authors were great. I love how they each had their own unique experience to share with us. It is such a blessing to know that we as mothers are not alone. We will all go through similar experiences at one point or another.
True Treasures is put together in such a way that if you are struggling in a certain area that you can go where you need inspiration. I loved that about it! Some of the stories will make you look deep within yourself, some will hit that emotion box where the kleenex box is required and some will make you smile and realize that God is there with you. He knows your situation and your hearts desires. He wants you to be the mom that He created you to be. I am so grateful that the authors do a wonderful job in keeping Christ and the Scripture in these treasures. That helps keep me focused. I know that God is with me and that there is no problem too big that I can't handle with HIS help. Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength. It is not our own strength but what we glean from Him, through reading the word, through reading an amazing resource of encouragement like this one.
I am blessed to have been able to read this book and offer my thoughts. I hope that those of you who are reading this will consider it an investment. Just like your time in the Bible, I think that True Treasures will also offer encouragement to you. I know it did for me.
You can view this product and many others at www.HomemakingWithTEACH.com
**Disclaimer** ~ I received this product for honest review from TEACH Magazine as part of The Gabby Mom's blogging program. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
Click here to go to The Gabby Moms
Read More
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On a-Jupiter and Mars - From Fly Me to the Moon sung by Frank Sinatra
So this past week we discovered the Magnificent Moon! What a wonderful unit study by Amanda! We loved watching the Apollo mission videos. It is just amazing to think that man has been to the moon! What is more amazing is all the things about the moon! From the phases to the effects on Earth. We also learned about an Astronaut each day. From what they liked, to what they did after they went into space. I am simply amazed that we have been able to go into space.
Each day covers a different topic regarding the moon. Amanda always chooses the best things to study each day. The videos and links that go with each day are wonderful. The Mission videos always bring tears to my eyes. It is wonderful to share this with my children. I don't want history to be forgotten. It is so important and I am so glad that Amanda has done all the research for these wonderful unit studies.
So, this is what's covered each day for Magnificent Moon.
Day 1: What Exactly Is a Moon?
Day 2: Getting to Know the Moon
Day 3: The Story of the Moon
Day 4: Science Secrets of the Moon
Day 5: Cool Things About the Moon
Also the fun things to do at the end of each day are great. We try to do at least 1 from each day. It's so much fun to do things as a family.
Take a quick peek inside this unit!
This has to be one of our favorite units so far. It tied into what we have been doing in Science. (we are covering Astronomy)
For those who are unfamiliar with Download N Go, they are unit studies created by Amanda Bennett. They incorporate lapbooking into the daily activities. If you don't know what lapbooking is, you needn't be afraid. It is so simple and Amanda gives information about how to lapbook in the beginning of each unit. :) I love how she has researched each subject and chooses the best information and videos to go with these units. It saves us time and makes our day go so much smoother. The book lists are great too. So many books, so little time! My boys are always clamoring for more. They don't like me to say we are done for the day. This has been awesome for us!
Moon Map Giveaway Contest!
Take a look at this contest!
http://downloadngo.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-national-geographic-moon-maps.html
Here are some more links of Interest!
Download N Go Review Blog
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
Click here to Purchase Magnificent Moon
Also, there is a GREAT Deal going on!
The Cabin Fever Fun Pack! This includes Magnificent Moon!
The Cabin Fever Fun Pack, which includes Magnificent Moon, Winter Wonders, Expedition Canada, and Popcorn is currently on sale, and will be through 1/31/11 for $20 (regularly $28). Click here to purchase this Fun Pack!
**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**
Read More
Hello again my friends. We had the opportunity to review yet another great Download N Go title! It even tied in perfectly with the weather we have been having over the past 2 weeks. Here is a little bit of information for those of you who may not be familiar with Download N Go (DNG). A DNG is a unit study that is done over a 5-day period and incorporates lapbooking. Now don't be scared by the word lapbooking, it is actually quite simple. You can go as elaborate or as simple as you want with your lapbook.
The way that Amanda, the author of DNG, creates these units is wonderful. She does all the research for you, plans each day, provides a book list and also includes the links in the PDF file of the DNG unit you are studying! It is SO easy to use one of these for your family.
So now on to my review. The title we were privileged to review was Winter Wonders. I don't know about you but there is something Magical about that first snowfall of winter. It is so beautiful, clean and brings a crispness to the air. I love to be in my house with my boys cuddling on our couch as we watch the snow fall outside. The past year we received over 4 feet of snow the month of February '10. My husband and I hadn't seen that much snow since the blizzard of '93 and it was the first time our 2 oldest boys had ever seen that much snow! They had a blast! We were snowed in for nearly 3 days. The joy of family time was great! I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Winter wonders has been great for us. The past two weeks we have been having some definite Winter Weather! Snow, ice, slush, stuff we really don't like to drive in. It was so much fun letting my boys learn about why winter happens, the fact that each snowflake is unique & that the shortest day of the year starts winter. But that's just the tip of the iceberg! So much more is covered in this unit study. I just wanted to give you a taste of what you will learn with this title.
A different topic is covered each day. Some days even offer some pretty fun experiments and activities. I will say that anything to do with ice or snow is always welcome in our household. My boys LOVE winter and the fun that comes with it. Mainly snow! ;) So here are the topics that are covered each day.
Day 1: What is Winter?
Day 2: Science Secrets of Winter (lots of fun on this day!)
Day 3: People and Places of Winter
Day 4: Time for Tips and Treasures of Winter
Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Winter
Take a peek inside Winter Wonders.
So, if you are thinking of doing Unit Studies and Lapbooking, take a look at Download N Go. Everything is done for you and is so very simple to follow. We have really enjoyed our time with each and every unit we have been allowed to review. They have not only been education but also a good way to cover a wide variety of topics and subjects for us. My boys (8 & 3) are always asking for more. The videos are wonderful and often times we watch them more than once. The links provide a wealth of information as well. I will tell you it is so nice to not have to do all the research for these topics. It makes this mom's day much easier!
Here are a few links for you.
Download N Go
Download N Go Store
Winter Wonders
Download N Go Blog Winter Wonders Tour
**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**
Read More
Hello again from my 3 boys and I. We have been quite busy this past month between celebrating Thanksgiving and preparing to celebrate Christmas. During that time we typically take it a little easy for school. And let me say that Download N Go is such an easy way to get a simple day of school in for us! We have really been blessed to do these and offer our review of them.
For those of you not familiar with Download N Go, here is a brief overview of what they are. Download N Go (DNG) is a combination of Unit Studies and Lapbooking. A DNG covers one subject and lasts 5 days (or one school week). Each day covers something different. It is a PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader File) that you download to your computer and print what you need and use the computer file to access the websites that are linked in the file. All the research has been done for you! This is AWESOME for those of us who may not know where to begin or are just way too busy to do any research. Amanda Bennett, who is the author of the DNG line has done a WONDERFUL job in researching, compiling and organizing everything for you.
The next part is the lapbooking activities. Now don’t get scared when you see the word lapbooking. It really is quite simple. It took us about 2-3 to really figure out what we wanted to do with ours but there really is no wrong way to put a lapbook together. Amanda even has links to show how to put a lapbook together. It couldn’t be easier than that! Amanda really wants to make this as friendly and easy as she can for everyone to use.
Our review for Creation Camouflage. Genesis 1: 24-25 (MSG) God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.
WOW! Don’t those verses just amaze you? God created EVERY living creature on this planet. Cattle, reptiles, wild animals of all kinds, and bugs too! He created every living thing! He knew what they needed to live. He designed everything. From the stripes on the Zebra, to the color changing skin of the Chameleon; He knew they would need to blend in with their surroundings. It is just simply amazing that He created all of that!
This past week we had the opportunity to work on Creation Camouflage. What a treat! From learning about many different kinds of animals and how they are able to camouflage themselves to their surroundings, to learning about where they live and why those places were created just for them. Our days were spent watching some amazing videos and getting so much information from the websites.
One of the days had us rolling in laughter at the video we were watching. I had taken it upon myself to add some sound effects to the video which make it all the more fun. We probably watched that particular video 4-5 times with me doing the sound that made it extra funny.
Each day covered a different animal and their habitat. Whether it was really rainy, super dry or even very cold every animal has its own form of camouflage. It was amazing to learn where these animals lived, how they camouflaged themselves and why. We also learned that the camouflage can be used as a form of defense for some creatures! God certainly knew how to give each living thing what they needed!
So here is just a sample of what is covered each day.
Day 1: Hiding in Plain Sight
Day 2: Getting to Know the Rain Forest
Day 3: What Is in the Desert? (video where I made the kids laugh is this day)
Day 4: Hiding in the Ocean
Day 5: Cool Things About the Tundra
See what I mean about a variety?!? This unit was great at giving just a glimpse at the awesomeness of God’s creation! You will LOVE each day! I love how we have been able to use some of the trips we have done and tied them in to this unit study. We went to Arizona to visit family last year and the boys remembered that and when we were working on day 3 they were telling me some of the stuff from that trip. I love how this unit triggered those memories. Now we have to go to the beach, someplace VERY cold (not that Southwest PA isn’t cold right now) and then the rain forest. Oh do I see some travels in our future. For now it is just nice to be able to watch the videos and talk about what we have seen, read and learned from these units.
Here is a peak inside the DNG Creation Camouflage Unit.
GIVEAWAY!!!
So I have been authorized to do a Giveaway of Creation Camouflage! YAY!! 1 lucky person will win this unit for free! The contest runs from December 19th – December 26th. After that date, I will choose1 person at random. The rules and how to enter are below.
Leave a comment for EACH of the items you complete. So if you complete all 3 leave a comment for each one so that you will have more chances to win! J
#1. Share your favorite Animal/bug/creature
#2. Share this blog on your own blog or Facebook page
#3. Tweet about this blog
**TOS/DNG affiliates including the DNG Review Team and TOS Crew are not eligible**
To Order Creation Camouflage go here. It is on sale until Midnight December 18th for $5.95 and goes back up to $7.95 on Sunday December 19th.
Take a look at the Download N Go Blog.
Here is the Blog Tour for Creation Camouflage.
**I was given this item in exchange for my honest review**
Read More
Take time to go to the blog page for DNG & Creation Camouflage! They are having a SALE on Creation Camouflage for $5.95 and there is also a giveaway! The details are here. Take a look, enter for the giveaway and also get in on this great deal! Also stay tuned for my Review on this product later this week! :)
**If you are a member of the DNG Review team, TOS Crew you are not eligible for the giveaway.
Read More
My boys and I are really enjoying the Download N Go (DNG) Unit studies! We had never done anything quite like them in our prior 3 years of homeschooling. When the opportunity to work through the unit studies and review them presented itself, I didn’t hesitate. We had finished 3 years of a “traditional text-book” curriculum that was driving my son (and myself) up the wall. Who wants to do 20-30 writing papers a day? It was insane. So this year we decided to do a more classical/eclectic approach to our schooling. We do have a couple of text-books but mostly we read, do activities together and work on the computer for a couple of subjects. The DNG units seemed to fit right in with our new way of learning.
For those of you who are not familiar with Download N Go, they are a series of unit studies that take 5 days to complete. Amanda Bennett, the creator of DNG, has done all the leg work for you so all you have to do is open the PDF file, print the necessary pages and work through the unit. Amanda also offers GREAT book lists to correspond with each day. There is also a lapbook tie in to the unit studies. Now don’t let lapbooking scare you! It’s really quite simple! Amanda has even put links in the front to help guide you in the adventure of lapbooking if this is new to you.
“Well done is better than well said”, Benjamin Franklin.
There was so much we learned about Ben Franklin this past week! He was an inventor, musician, statesman and more! Each day we learned a different thing about him. I was so surprised at what I didn’t know about him! (and I was homeschooled!) There is so much that I didn’t know that was amazing. (I will leave that to you to find out by purchasing the Benjamin Franklin DNG. It is on special for $6.25) I am so glad that my kids are getting such a wonderful education at home.
My boys LOVED watching the videos. (they are 8 & 3) Some of them were really “electrifying”. **wink** It is so fun watching their eyes light up and enjoy learning. I am now planning a trip to Philadelphia (since we don’t live too far from there). We love how several of the DNG unit studies have tied in to when we travel. There is so much to do that I would love to spend more than a week on these units, but it is nice to feel that sense of accomplishment when it is completed. It encourages the kids to do more and to finish so we can move onto the next unit study!
Here is what was covered each day.
Day 1: Who Was Ben Franklin?
Day 2: People and Places in Ben Franklin’s Life
Day 3: The Accomplishments of Ben Franklin
Day 4: Lessons to Learn From Ben Franklin
Day 5: Remembering Ben Franklin
So, to end this review, I will give you another quote from Ben Franklin. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin
Here is some more links for you on the DNG Unit Study of Benjamin Franklin.
DNG Blog
DNG Benjamin Franklin Blog Tour
Purchase Benjamin Franklin Download N Go here for $6.25 until November 22nd.
Take a peek inside the Benjamin Franklin Unit Study
**legal info** I was provided a copy of this product for my honest review.
Read More
G’Day Mates! Here is my family’s review of the Download N Go Unit for Expedition Australia! For those of you who are not familiar with Download N Go, they are weekly unit studies that have a tie in to lapbooking. (it’s not as scary as it sounds) We have had the privilege of reviewing titles for Download N Go (which I’ll refer to as DNG forth going) for the past 3 months. It has been a blast and a great way to take a break from the everyday routine. We just add math and some phonics/language work in and you have a complete day! We love doing this because it brings us all together.
Amanda Bennett, the author of the DNG unit studies, collects all the information for you and puts it in one central location. This is such a GREAT help as we are a very busy family with 3 boys. No more struggling to come up with a plan. Everything is done for you! She also comes up with some great additional reading. The library is an invaluable resource.
We are also find lapbooking to be fairly easy as well. At first it does seem intimidating but once you do a couple, it is really quite simple. Amanda includes several links about lapbooking in the beginning of each DNG so that if you are not familiar with it you can quickly become acquainted with lapbooking.
So now onto Australia! Might I say that now my children want to become world travellers! Each day we learned about a different city, animal, new words in Aussie style. It was great! There was so much covered each day. My oldest son loved how we learned how an Australian might say something we say here. Some of the words had us laughing so hard we were crying.
The images of Australia are just simply exquisite. We discovered how the country of Australia has a diverse set of climates. From its vast deserts, to its beautiful seascapes, Australia is a BEAUTIFUL country.
Amanda chose some wonderful videos and awesome websites to go with this unit. Each day covered something different and the content was beautiful. We enjoyed learning about their culture, music, lifestyle, the natives, and some very cool stuff in between.
Here is what was covered each day.
Day 1: Where on Earth Is Australia?
Day 2: Some of the Special Places in Australia
Day 3: A Bit of Australian History
Day 4: Cool Things to Know About Australia
Day 5: Fun and Games in Australia
Take a peek inside the unit!
We also had the opportunity to talk to a dear friend of mine who happens to live in Australia. Andrea and her family live in Melbourne. She was so sweet to take the time out of her day to talk to us. Jonathan asked her several questions about Australia, the land, language and her family.
DEAL ON Expedition Australia & a Contest!
So this weekend into Monday, Expedition Australia is on sale for $5.95 till 9PM Monday, November 8th. There is also a contest on the DNG blog! The contest is for a giveaway of 2 Australia Political Maps from National Geographic! Take a chance to go to the DNG Blog and enter the contest there.
**NOTE** If you are affiliated with TOS or DNG, you are not eligible to enter.
I was given a copy of this item for my honest review.
Take a look at the blog specials page too!
Read More
