Sugar Creek Gang - a fun and entertaining radio program on CD #hsreviews

Have you ever wanted to return to the simpler days of quality stories told on the radio? Many days I wish for a simpler life with less influence from the TV and radio so when I got the chance to review Beloved Books' Sugar Creek Gang stories on CD I was thrilled.

When we received our copy of Volume 1 a collection of 6 stories on 12 CDs I was eager to sit and listen. Well we ended up moving them into the truck for various activities that involved driving.  In just a short time the boys began to realize the stories were similar to the stories Papa tells them of his childhood. They immediately connected the stories to things Papa might have done.
With each new story, the morals we are trying to instill in our boys is presented and  the delight of childhood is  brought to life more and more.
The Sugar Creek Gang  is available as 6 different sets or as a collection including all the stories from Beloved Books. The sets retail for $54.95 and seemed at first to be expensive, but once I began listening to them and seeing the outcome of having the stories in the truck bringing a quietness to our travels I realized you can't put a price tag on that peace.

The Sugar Creek Gang is a collection of stories written by Paul Hutchens as a wholesome adventures for boys and girls. He wrote the stories beginning in 1939 and when complete the series includes 36 wonderfully written stories of a bygone era where children respected their parents and knew boundaries.  I like to think that hearing the stories and talking about them with the boys , they may actually learn some of those lessons. Finding good quality Christian entertainment is becoming harder and harder  so I am very grateful to find resources like this that bring back that quality Christian values entertainment that I can share with my boys.
Don't take just my word for the joy that is Sugar Creek Gang . read the rest of the crew's reviews as they share their own thoughts on this series.



disclaimer: I received the above mentioned product as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.

Zaycon Foods: Homeschool Economics

What does Zaycon have to do with Homeschool? It is an amazing opportunity to teach economics and good stewardship to my children.
Teaching my boys to find good value and how to fill your freezer and feed your family are values I wan to instill in them.
The current prmotion is ground beef for $3.29 lb for a 40 lb box.  Lately ground beef has been selling for as much as $4.15 lb. While is doesn't seem like a huge savings, $.86 per llb adds up, especially when you are buying 40lbs. that is a savings of over $34.00 in other words about 8 lbs free based on the average cost.
8 lbs of grounds beef is a lot of burger.
I love having the chance to teach my boys how to save as part of their homeschool adventure.
What to do with ground beef?
freeze permade burgers, homemade meatballs, brown large batches for spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, the options are endless.
Don't miss out on your chance to save on bulk hamburger heading into the winter months. (think of it as buying 32lbs and getting 8 for free). Don't think you can use that much beef, go in together with a friend.


Zaycon Foods - Home:

Farm to Fork is so amazing

Another reason I love living in a rural farm community.

I dried 6 trays of sweet local corn

Ground it in the blender (I don't have a grain mill, someday Lord willing)

Homemade polenta

Polenta Caprease with fresh garden tomatoes and fresh garden basil

Samson makes learning fun online #hsreviews

Have you met Samson?
Samson's Classroom is a fun interactive learning program focusing on Dolch sight words, spelling, and Reading with comprehension.
Sometimes I think I take our schooling too seriously, thankfully  Samson's Classroom is fun and silly engaging the boys without a lot of stress.
I started out with a single sign on  to give it a test drive myself and the boys, it didn't take long for them to ask for their own accounts. The idea that a single program can incorporate three critical areas of learning in one sure makes this Mom excited.
The prices for Samson's Classroom also excited this Mom. With packages starting at only $30 a year and a family package for $50 I can see the value as this trio of subjects really are critical to successes later in life. Since my oldest is inthe 4th grade, it isn't a program that I will continue much farther with him, but my 2nd grader engaged and enjoyed this program enough that I am seeing his attitude toward reading improve.

The games are colorful and fun as well as encouraging. The boys are eager to do the assignments to earn more chances with the games.

Sight word activities that teach listening and visual recognition also encourage more learning.

More games that encourage learning while improving computer skills.  This game in particular is challenge with the keyboard to move Samson around the board and once all the letters are collected  and arranged into the spelling words.

I know we as a family have been blessed by the change in attitude because of this program, a willingness to learn and enjoy the learning is a such passion for my husband and I.
Don't take my excitement for this program as the final word, check out what the rest of the crew thought, here


disclaimer: I received an online subscription to Samson's Classroom in exchange for my opinion here, no monetary compensation was received. 

Sunday Scripture

I have gotten away from posting a Sunday Scripture lately, but I am back.
This week there were several verses in the lesson.
1 John 3: 1-3
(I shared this one earlier in a review, but in a different translation)
1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed yoon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it  doth not yet  appear what we shall be: but we know that , when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is . 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
KJV

Highlighting the words, a colorful approach #hsreviews

I am always interested in tools to help make reading easier for all my boys (husband included). My husband is mildly dyslexic and has always been concerned one of our boys would be. I was very interested in trying the Eye Level Reading Ruler from Crossbow Education.

 When we received our package of 10 rulers I immediately tried them myself to see what kind of effects they would have. I am a prolific reader and as a young child was diagnosed with lazy eye, after years of visual training and wearing glasses I have been able to basically ignore it and not worry about it. After trying several of the rulers myself, I began to think this would have been an amazing tool even for me, changing the color of the words actually changed how I focused on the page.

I was excited to try it with Cameron and Daddy.  I gave the group of rulers to my husband and had him pick a couple to try. He ended up with a yellow and an orange or peach colored rulers. He read a few pages from the Bible as well as several other books and really noticed how much easier it was to follow the words and focus on the words.
Cameron tried out several and went with lighter colors included a light blue and yellow.
I found it interesting that neither one went with the darker tones. I actually enjoyed the darker colors as for me often times the white pages and black letters are too highly contrasted.

Cameron isn't an eager reader, but over the last month I have noticed a significant change in the amount of reading he is doing and an improvement in his attitude toward reading. He is less stressed about his reading assignments and more relaxed when reading his devotional.  He also figured out that the reading ruler makes a great tool for working on word searches for homeschool co-op.
While he isn't a diagnosed case on dyslexia or visual stress I am grateful for the tool to take some of the stress out of reading for him.

A pack of 10 colored reading rulers retails for $16.95, there is also a 5 pack available from Crossbow Education. I feel their is so much value in the 10 pack especially if you are using them with more than 1 person.  I have found Cameron actually uses the rulers as bookmarks in his books so he can grab his book and be ready to go.
Don't just take my word for how amazing this product is, check out what the rest of the crew thought.

disclaimer: We received a package of 10 reading rulers to review and share our opinion here. No monetary compensation was received.

What's the trick to preparing for the holidays?

60 days until Christmas, 28 days until Thanksgiving, and only 8 days until my oldest turns 10 so I'm starting to feel the push.
That being said I thought I would share with you my top 10 tricks to preparing for the holiday season!
Recently I shared some wonderful Mom invented goodies with some of my Mom friends thanks to #MompactLNO.  I created goody bags to put some of the various things in for the Moms which brings me to tip.
#1, have your children help with some of the decorating!
I picked up a package of foam leaf stickers and colored paper bags. My oldest stuck 3 stickers on each bag and then helped me fill them.











#2 Take time to be grateful for even the little things in your life.  My group of Moms created Gratitude jars using stickers, ribbon, scraps of paper, and empty recycled canning jars.
Share with your family and friends as a way to be grateful this season. Ask each family member even the younger ones to share what they are thankful for, write it on a slip of paper and date it.

#3 Keep lots of warm drinks handy as there is nothing better to calm the stress then a cup of warm. Remember as we prepare for the holiday season, a stressed out Mom doesn't make for a fun holiday. If you need to cut back on some of the decorating or bake a little less then do it. I know I am planning on baking for gifts this year as well as crafting, but I am also cutting back on the decorating and trying to simplify things a little.

#4 Buffet style is awesome! Keep is simple, if you are having guests over consider a buffet style rather than a formal sit down event. Yes sitting down for a meal is good (we do it almost every night at home) but being with people and having conversation is good too. I have found over the years some of my favorite parties have been buffet style (also easier to clean up at least for me.




#5 Keep a basket on the counter in the bathroom filled with products that will help visiting Moms and little ones. We have grown out of the baby stage but I have friends and family with little ones.  Here are some of the wonderful Mompact Products to fill a basket with:
  

Boogie Wipes, Diaper Buds, and TidyTots potty chair liners

#6 Stay Consistent  I know during the holidays sometimes we want to relax the rules a bit, not a good idea. Stay consistent with rules and consequences, add some extra snuggle time and extra incentives to following the rules, but don't relax the rules recovering on the back side of the holidays will be too hard. Penalty Pal is a great way to simplify timeouts with a single spot on the wall, a floor , perhaps even the kitchen cabinet or pantry door.

#7 Drink extra water, I know that sounds silly, but with the change in the weather and the rush rush of the holidays remember to drink your 8+ glasses a day.

#8. Cuddle with your kids more. We live in a very materialistic society and sometimes I think we forget about the simple things like snuggling. Read a book, share the day's events, ask them what they think of things.
#9. Menu plan and freezer meals are a huge way to save time and stress. It can also be a money saver if you can pick up larger quantities of things to have on hand.
#10 Share your thoughts and ideas with friends and family. Coming together and sharing some of the responsibilities for the holidays can make it easier. Potluck is a wonderful option for large family dinners (even buffet style). Maybe change it up a little and only buy gifts for the children to save money. Think outside the box, what will help make someone else's life a little less stressful.

Join us tonight (10/25) for a twitter party where we can share tips and tricks for the holiday season.
You can also enter to win a prize pack filled with treats to make you life a little easier.

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Getting Deep into the WORD with DEEP BLUE kids BIBLE #hsreviews

A kids' study Bible seemed a little over the top but I am trying to get the boys into their Bible Study so I am willing to give it a try.
Once we received the Deep Blue kids Bible, we were hooked and I do mean 'we'.
With any new to me translation I always pick a couple of key verses and look them up to get a feel for the translation.  I started out with 1 John 3:1-3

1.See what kind of love the Father has give to us in that we should be called God's children, and that is what we  are! Because the world didn't  recognize him, it doesn't recognize us. 

2. Dear friends, now we are God's children  and it hasn't yet appeared what we will be. We know that we he appears we will be like him because we'll see him as he is. 3. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.

With a clearer view we dove into the study aspects of the Deep Blue Bible knowing the translation wasn't going to change our understanding of the words but only clarify it. 

The front of the Bible layed out that various in-text notes that we would find. Cameron immediately liked the sailing theme as our school mascot is the Sailors. The front of the Bible also had a nice variety of tools including an Abbreviations list that opened up a lot of conversation about the history of the Bible in print, a Measures list that explained the various measurements  used in Biblical times and mentioned in the Bible, and finally the Preface that talked about the translation and a little bit about the King James Version which again led to conversation and connections as we had recently studied Bible translations in a different unit.

Joining the Deep Blue Crew are Asia, Kat, and Edgar. Cameron enjoyed the characters and really got excited to find the characters throughout the Bible, especially with the God's Thought / My Thoughts sections. This past week the boys were working on Psalm 23 in Sunday School and when we looked it up in the Deep Blue Bible Cameron found a "Life Preserver" under the scripture that talked about why Psalm 23 is so popular and reaffirmed what the teacher had been talking about God is always with us and protects us. 

In the back of the Bible there are even more wonderful study tools referred to as Exploration Tools and include a Dictionary, a section of I wonder what to do when I'm ... full of verses to refer to when you are in various situations or moods, and a list of Deep Blue Notes by topic, and a Bet you can reading challenge where various passages are assigned times. Cameron isn't a fast reader so it took a little longer to read most of those passages but the challenge is there for him either way. Finally the last several pages are Bible maps giving the kids a visual way to connect some of the dots in various stories.

I want the boys to be able to find the answers they are looking for and to that end I have made sure they have a variety of translations available to them when studying , thankfully this one is more than just an other translation, it is full of tools and resources to really help them Get DEEP into the WORD.

Deep Blue Kids Bible has Resources online as well. This Bible is available at a variety of online retailers and in a variety of covers and also offers Teacher and Class resources. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review this particular Bible with Cameron at this season of our journey.

Don't just take my word for it, check out what the rest of the crew thought of this Bible. 

disclaimer: as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received a softcover copy of the above mentioned Bible to review and share on our blog. No monetary compensation was received.

H is for Harvest Fun

H is for Harvest Fun and around Unionvale School that means the annual trip to Heiser Farms.
Sunday afternoon we decided to head up to Grand Island and the pumpkin patch to watch Pumpkin Chunkin. If you don't know what I'm talking about you are missing out. 4 pumpkin launchers fire pumpkins out into the field at targets, it is crazy fun to watch and try to keep your eyes on the pumpkins flying across acres of field.

Cars and empty tanks make awesome targets for flying pumpkins.

This year we went later in the day so the sun was beginning to set making it easier to follow the pumpkins in the sky.

The boys had fun going down the huge tube slide and rolling down the hill among other things. We didn't take any cash with us this time so we only did the free activities which are plentiful.

We also watched a WWII tank drive around the field and fire rounds , the boys thought of Papa and decided we needed to bring Papa out to watch that. 

 My amazing, confident, opinionated boy amazes me daily and surprises me almost as often.












My silly, fearless, silly little guy. I love your smile and am amazed by your strength.

I love harvest season even with all the craziness. I love to beauty that is revealed to us as we are blessed each day of this season.

Back to School for Mommy with National Tax Training #hsreviews

I often wondered if I would go back to school, but with 2 little boys and my husband's business I generally felt that it wasn't a high priority, until I received the opportunity to take a course at home on my own time.  Thanks to National Tax Training, an approved Continuing Education provider for showing me I still have it in me to learn the hard stuff. (don't get me wrong being a homeschool Mom presents me with plenty of hard stuff on a daily basis)

A little bit about National Tax Training School : National Tax Training School is the only National accredited correspondence program specializing in tax training. They are an approved Continuing Education Program and prepare students to take the IRS's registered Tax Preparer Exam upon completion of the program. 
The program can be completed in as little as 8 weeks but students are given upto a year to complete at their own pace. 


I have to be honest, the idea of hitting the books this hard was exhilarating but a little scary at the same time. 

Cariann Jacobus McCready

September 24 at 12:35am near Dayton · 

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• Late night tax accounting homework, de va ju... I know I've been here before. It is harder now by far, Mommy doesn't deal well with late night homework.

I have been out of college for 15 years and even when I was studying for various program tests in corporate America it was never this big.  Finding the time is a challenge, between homeschooling the boys and our active participation in our local gleaners program (harvesting various produce from local farmers) as well as putting up the harvest I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it all. I actually surprised myself. I tackled it even with a few very late night sessions.  I fell back into the student patterns of old easily but found that too many of those late nighters make Mommy a different character. I will continue with the program and am even going to use their online program to submit self tests and exams. It is nice having the combination of print and online for an activity such as this. Studying on the computer late at night is less disruptive to the family unit then trying to hide in my bedroom and study out of my binder.

I found highlighting chapters with color coordinating tabs and using matching highlighter pens made it easier to keep track of what I was on as each chapter is less than 50 pages including examples and the test for each chapter.






With 2 complete binders and 20 lessons of material, we also received a book on setting up your own tax practice which I could see doing if I wasn't teaching 2 boys and acting bookkeeper for my husband's shop. I love the idea of helping people work through the tax code as it is a confusing jungle and I understand why most have someone do their taxes for them, although I have always done my own and am feeling more confident now with this course.
Enrolling in the course is easy and can be completed online. The program is a complete program with post graduate services as well as Instructors who are available to help, practice case studies, self checking tests, and exams.
I am really enjoying this course, but you don't have to take my word for it, see what the rest of the crew thought of the program 
You can also check out National Tax Training School on Facebook


disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received the above mentioned program to review and share my experiences with my readers. No monetary compensation was received.

The Pilgrim Story online school style #hsreviews

Usually the story of the pilgrim journey is glossed over so much that students don't really learn the truth and the details that are critical to understanding. Not true with The Pilgrim Story from Dayspring Christian Academy.  Dayspring is a Christian Academy that uses the Principal Approach to education, meaning their foundation is the Bible and Biblical principles in all areas and teaching to restore American heritage.  The more I read and understand the Principle approach the more I want to include it in our homeschool. Thankfully, we received a subscription to this class and easily incorporated it into our home. While there was more writing then Cameron liked. We found the slide show style presentations made it easy to watch and pause for discussions or answer questions that might come up.

The graphics that are incorporated into the slideshow are very straightforward and connected well throughout the unit.  The various worksheets and activities to reinforce the messages are again well connected with matching graphics and style with a good variety of activities. I especially liked the notebooking approach of the program where everything once finished moves to the notebook for future reference  making the unit study a lifetime learning project.
With the vocabulary we were able to learn not only new words but their meanings and the possible uses even though for the most part many of the words won't necessarily make it into everyday conversation. (hey, a mom can hope that they will , but really...)
Since the program is mostly online, it was nice to have Cameron work by himself with only as little interaction from Mom or Dad away from the distraction of his brother or the rest of the house.
The Biblical foundation of the program gives me confidence in having him work on the program without the worry of content or conflict.
The Pilgrim Story is geared toward 3rd- 6th graders so was a perfect fit for our 4th grader and retails for $99.00. The price is higher than I would normally pay for a unit study, but for the whole program is realistic especially if you have multiple children in that age range. This would be a great program for a family to do together.
Below is an introduction video about the program.


Being a self-paced program allows for flexible incorporation into your school week, since there isn't an assigned time to log on to view the presentations. That to me is a huge benefit to this particular program. With so many programs I have looked at , meetings where only at certain times making it hard to work it into our day.
The course comes to its end with a virtual field trip , which is a surprise for Cameron as I haven't told him about it yet.
The course also fit perfectly into a class he is taking within our local co-op about symbols of America. Understanding the foundations of this country is more important now then ever before and having the Biblical foundation to accompany it is vital.
Of course you don't have to take just my word for it, the Schoolhouse Review Crew members share their thoughts as well.

disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew we received a subscription to the above mentioned program in exchange for our honest opinion of the program.

a little Bach in training thanks to Kinderbach! #hsreviews

While enjoying the transition into the fall season and the routine of school, we were blessed to review Kinderbach  again this year. Nathan was the most excited as he wants to learn more about music and playing. It was nice to pick up where we left off earlier this year and continue our musical journey with Dodi and the gang thanks to Miss Kari's fun friends. 

This time around the music got a little harder and the fun and learning just that much greater. The songs were recognizable tunes that Nathan had heard before. The worksheets and activities made their way into this binder, we even revisited a couple of the early worksheets to refresh our memories. 

Kinderbach is an amazing online music education program that teaches younger students to play simple tunes and become comfortable on the keyboard while incorporating fun characters and slideshow style presentations. Kinderbach offers an online subscription program that retails for $19.99 a month when paid monthly or annually for $95.88 when paid once (costs out at $7.99 a month).

I love that the program teaches note recognition along with basic theory at a young age to create a strong foundation in music education that can grow with the child.  The colorful environment is very engaging for children and even parents can enjoy it. 

I still feel this program is a value for families looking to incorporate music into their early childhood and elementary programs. 

While we reviewed the online program, there is also an iPad app that makes the program more portable. Nathan is looking forward to continuing our journey for a few more months with Kinderbach.

You can also connect with Kinderbach on Facebook  and to see what the rest of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought of the program, check out this post

disclaimer: As a member of the SchoolhouseReviewCrew, I received a copy of the above mentioned product in exchange for my honest opinion and review of the product.