One Minute Science Mysteries!

Once again we were introduced to a new favorite from the TOS Crew! 

When you have children that love science and mysteries, One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! is a winning combination. This award winning book published by Science Naturally helps in "Bridging the gap between the blackboard and the blacktop." 

 

One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! as you probably guessed is the second One-Minute Science Mysteries books.  Each fiction and non fiction story, as the title implies, takes about a minute to read.  After reading the story, children are then challenged with brainteaser type questions that help them to utilize their science knowledge and critical thinking skills.  

In One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! you'll read stories and solve mysteries about gravity, sonic booms, magnets/non magnets, rocks and measurements.  

More specifically, this book is covers topics in: 

• Life Science
• Earth and Space Science 
• Physical and Chemical Science
• General Science 

We thought the book was challenging and enjoyable. The book is geared for children ages 8-12, but I found that my younger children (4&6 year old boys) also enjoyed it and were able to interact with us.

Eric and Natalie Yoder, a father-daughter wring team, have worked together on several books.  Each available for purchase through Science Naturally for $9.95.

• One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!
• One Minute Mysteries: 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!
• One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math!

You can also purchase the I Love A Mystery Set, which includes all three of the books listed above, for $24.95.

These books would make great summer reads.  The are stories are short, but the lessons really pack a punch!

See what other TOS Crew members have to say about the Science Naturally Books here.

Papa's Pearls: A Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren

With age and experience, wisdom usually follows. Wisdom is exactly what Carol Joseph Flynn gained through the ups and downs of his life. Living through the Great Depression, and being a kid going down the wrong path, he turned life lessons into great pearls of wisdom.

Diane Flynn Keith, his oldest daughter, wrote about these pearls of wisdom in her book, Papa's Pearls: A Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren. 

 

I knew when I saw this book it would be a little gem. This book is full of humor, love and of course, wisdom. The way that Diane writes of her dad shows the immense love that she has for him, and that he had for their family.

Papa's Pearls takes us through many of the lessons Papa learned in his life. I just love the sayings that he came up with to remember them! Here are some of my favorites:

You don't kick someone when their down, you give me a hand up.

Let it go, like water off a duck's back.

Be grateful every day.

Life is too short. Take a little time off.

Keep a foxy pocket.

Doodle-lee Do It!

Papa took life experiences, like growing up in the depression and living with out necessitates and turned them into little rules for himself. As he grew up and earned money he saved and invested it. He taught his children and grandchildren to do the same. He encouraged them to save half of any money they were given or earned. He even doubled any money they put in their savings account as an added incentive. He taught his kids and grand kids to always "keep a foxy pocket," so they would never be without a little emergency cash.

Diane, thanks so much for sharing your daddy with us. I was glad to hear he got his whistle back!

Papa's Pearls is available for $21.95. It would be a great summer read!

 

Click to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Flowering Baby Review

 

 

 

My youngest child is 4 years old.  Many times I have wonderful intentions of doing this and doing that with him. Sadly, many times these ideas continue tobe just ideas.  We read together and do a few letter crafts here and there, but for the most part that is about it. 

When we got the opportunity to review a fun and interactive preschool curriculum called Flowering Baby I was pretty excited.  After I looking over the sample activities, I knew that they would be a good fit for Little Bits, and simple enough for me to implement.  You may also have read that I am contemplating/ taking classes to open a home daycare.  I also thought that Flowering Baby would be a great fit for a home daycare curriculum. 

  

 

 

Flowering Baby is a simple, yet effective, curriculum that helps children to develop cognitive, language, gross and fine motor skills, emotional, social skills and independence. 

We were given Volume 4: Three to Four Years & Volume 5: Four to Five Years in CD form to review.  While we used Volume 5: Four to Five, I did look over Volume 4: Three to Four Years.  I felt that they were similar in nature, just a younger level.

The Flowering Baby curriculum is laid out by calendar month, and includes 10 -15 days of activities, each taking about 30-45 minutes per day.  During the month of January you learn about the color blue, ears, healthy foods, and cold days, while reading books like Blueberries for Sal, Owl Moon and The Berenstain Bears: Too Much Junk Food. 

The suggested activities focused on the areas of language, math, music, science and foreign language.  More specifically you do things like:

• practice writing and counting numbers
• focus on a new letter each day by practicing to write that letter and looking for things that start with that letter
• when learning about shapes you do activites like reading a book about shapes and then making some of your own from paper
• reading and then having children retell (narrate) back to you what they just heard
• learn about holidays and make various crafts to go along with that particular holiday
• learn about body parts, colors, weather, firestations, magnets, etc..
• learn Spanish words for colors, shapes, numbers, etc..

The second part of the curriculum is the theme or mini-unit study part.  Each month gives 2-3 suggested themes.  For instance, the themes that they suggest for January are Aquarium, Arctic Life & Dinosaurs.  The activities in this section include books, crafts, field trips and fun ideas to cement what you are currently learning from the reading. 

What I liked about Flowering Baby:

Just as I suspected!  It is fun, creative and SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE!  This curriculum allows me to focus my time on my son and teaching him, not on planning.  The curriculum guide is easy to understand and very detailed, giving you a list of supplies needed, suggested books to read and specific activities to do with your child.

I liked the different themes, I think they offer the perfect amount of activities.  They study a topic long enough to learn about it, but then they get to move on to something new and exciting the following week.  I feel that the activities included are enjoyable, engaging and challenging for my little guy.

If you know me, then you know I have a love for books.  I think Flowering Baby did a superb job with their literature selections!  And I LOVE that she has these little guys narrating back!  Never had I thought to do that with my little one.

I also did not feel bogged down by this curriculum, you type A mommys now what I mean!  Things were simple enough to accomplish in a short period of time, it was just enough. It was freeing to me that there where not scheduled activites to do every s.i.n.g.l.e day, especially at this age.

What I would change:

As far as the curriculum itself, I think they did a fine job and I really would not change anything. They have letters and number concepts down. And they include LOTS of great books and activities!

Purchasing Info:

Flowering Baby is currently available in CD and PDF form, which is great for keeping costs down. I actually received the CD for this review.  They are currently working on a printed option.

The CD and PDF files are available for each age level.  Birth to One, One to Two, and Two to Three are $30 and Three to Four and Four to Five cost $38 each.  You may also purchase all five year plans for $132.  This is a very reasonable price for all that is included.  The Flowering Baby curriculum is available for ages:

 

Would I recommend this?

I would indeed! If you are interested, but kind of on the fence, try out a months worth Flowering Baby for FREEEE!  You can do this by clicking on one of the links above and scrolling to the bottom.

Birth to One
One to Two
Two to Three
Three to Four
Four to Five

 

 When you order PLEASE take advantage of a 10% discount by using the CODE: Blog10
(good only at www.floweringbaby.com)

 

Please check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about Flowering Baby!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Grace & Truth Books -With the Children on Sundays {Review}

We were recently given a copy of With the Children on Sundays by Sylvanus Stall from Grace & Truth Books to review.  Written in 1893, With the Children on Sundays is known as one of the greatest Family Worship books ever written.  This book is full of wonderful stories that speak biblical truths to children in a way that captivates them, while sharing the truths of the gospel and of Christ.   It is great for all ages, but particularly good for children ages 4-10.

There are 52 stories in With the Children on Sundays, some of them include:

• Oyster and Crab- Conscience
• Worm in the Apple - Sin in the Human Heart
• Nuts - God Means that We Must Work
• The Polished Stone - Perfection Through Suffering
• Lanterns - The Best Light for Our Path
• White and Charred Sticks - Good and Bad Company

The children and I are enjoying reading through this book together. The stories are interesting, as well as thought provoking.  We have also delighted the simple illustrations that are speckled through out the book, as well as the discussion questions at the end of each story.  They have really opened doors to some wonderful conversations. 

One of the things that I love about homeschooling is that I have the privilege of picking and choosing what my children read. Whenever I can, I try to incorporate good books that offer character building stories and biblical truths. This is one of those books.  It is a rare gem that we will continue to use over and over!

With the Children on Sundays has been out of print many years and is not being printed by anyone at this time.  Currently, there are only a limited number of copies of it available. You can purchase your copy from Grace & Truth Books for $17.50

 

Other members of the TOS Crew reviewed this book and many others from Grace & Truth.  Check the reviews out here! 

Beloved Books - The Sugar Creek Gang Audio Series {Review}

We love the Sugar Creek Gang, but until recently we had only watched the movies.  The kids and I were both pretty excited when we found out that we were going to get to review some of the Sugar Creek Gang audio books! 




Beloved Books sent us Volume 1 of the Sugar Creek Gang series, written by evangelist Paul Hutchens.  Included in this 12 CD set are the following books:

• The Swamp Robber
• The Killer Bear
• The Winter Rescue
• The Lost Campers
• Chicago Adventure
• The Secret Hideout

This wholesome series chronicles the adventures of six young boys. The books are written from a Christian point of view, which I love, love, love!   As we listen to these dramatized stories we are learning Christian values like faith and courage.  I appreciate that amid the stories are hymns, scripture and most importantly the gospel.


All of my children (ages 11, 9, 6, 4), as well as myself, really enjoy listening to these stories.  Even though the stories were written some time ago, it didn't both us at all.  The story lines keep everyone interested and wanting more!  I would like to add that both my boys and girls equally liked the stories.

The Sugar Creek Gang audio series has 6 Volumes in all which covers all 36 books in the series.  Each of the stories is about 2 hours long and the whole series is over 100 hours on 72 CDs.  Each of the volumes are available for $54.95.   You will save $50 if you purchase all 6 sets for $279.70.  These stories are great for all ages and would make fabulous holiday gifts!

If you use the COUPON CODE - SUGARCREEKGANG-20 you will receive 20% OFF your ENTIRE ORDER!!!

If your still not sure that the Sugar Creek Gang audio books are for you, you can listen the first story The Swamp Robber for FREE!


See what other TOS Crew Members have to say about the Sugar Creek Gang Audio Series.

Disclaimer:  We received this audio series at no cost to us in exchange for an honest and fair review of the product. 

Favorite Books for the Littles

I have a great love for reading and would love to pass that love on to my children. 

I like to have a variety of books for the kids to read so I am always adding to our home library or bringing home bags full of books from the library to read.  Kidding, the other day I asked one of the librians that usually check me out if anyone else checks out as many books as us.  His answer, not many.  This is good, right?

I remember when the Lil' Chef was just a wee little thing we would sit with stacks and stacks of books to read.  As more chidlren have come, the reading has continued.  As time has gone on and we have continued reading we have definiely come to have some favorites. 

Even though my little guys listen to what we are reading for history I still try to make sure that we we something that is to their liking as well.

These are our favorites for little guys:

Any of the board books from Sandra Boynton - Some of our favorites are..
The Going-To-Bed Book
Barnyard Dance! (Boynton on Board)
Hey! Wake Up!

Anything from Eric Carle

The Berenstain Bears series by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Dr Suess books - I love Dr. Suess!!

Nature books by Jim Arnosky -  We just read these the other day before we went to the Natural History Museum.  Both my boys were pointing things out from the books...
Gobble It Up! A Fun Song About Eating!
Babies in the Bayou
Turtle in the Sea

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Goodnight Moon and Big Red Barn Big Book - by Margaret Wise Brown

Curious George is a favorite

I also like to read the books from the Five in a Row series like Make Way for Ducklings, Mike Mulligan and More: Four Classic Stories by Virginia Lee Burton, and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

We all love the I Spy books and the Look a Like books...Look-Alikes: The More You Look, the More You See!

Last but definitely not least, we read the Bible.  While I do sometimes read Bible stories, I still have my little guys listening while we read Bible.  Romans 10:17 says So then, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

What are your favorite books for your littles?

Who Is My Neighbor? by Apologia

If you have been reading my blog for any bit of time you have probably heard me mention the What We Believe apologetics series from Apologia.  As well as how great I think it is!

We were recently given Who Is My Neighbor?, the third book in the four book series, to review.  Like the other two that we have, Who Is God? and Who Am I? - this book is amazing! 

We received the hardcover Who Is My Neighbor? book, a notebooking journal and a coloring book.  The illustrations through all three books are beautiful - the color and quality that we have come to love and expect from Apologia is also present in these books. 

The notebooking journal for the older kids.

This is from the coloring book, which is great for the littles!

I like how this series is designed to be used sequentially, each book building upon another. I am sure that you could just buy or the other but trust me, you will want them all! 

The purpose of the Who Is My Neighbor? book is to help children to understand what it means to be the the salt and light in this fallen world.  Children learn what it means to have a servant's heart and to be more like Christ. 

It focuses on biblical truths such as:

• 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

The Lessons included in Who Is My Neighbor? are:

• Lesson 1: Does Anyone Really Need Me?
• Lesson 2: How Can I Make A Difference?
• Lesson 3: Who Is My Neighbor?
• Lesson 4: Why Did God Make Families?
• Lesson 5: What Can I Do For My Country?
• Lesson 6: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
• Lesson 7: Who Is God’s Family?
• Lesson 8: Why Does the Church Need Me?

You can see a detailed table of contents here.

The Who Is My Neighbor? set is available directly through Apologia, the prices are as follows:

• Who Is My Neighbor? - $39.00
• Who Is My Neighbor? Notebooking Journal - $24.00
• Who Is My Neighbor? Coloring Book - $8.00

Please check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Who Is My Neighbor?  

Disclaimer: We received this product at no charge to us in exchange for an honest review.

Our Book Basket.... Nursery Rhythms

Tuesdays seems to be the day that I drop by one of my favorite places in the whole wide world, the library.  Have I mentioned my love of the library before?



I have never seen anyone walk out of there with as many books as me.  And I tend to look really silly when I have forgotten my Whole Foods bag to carry them all in.  Trust me, even the librarians giggle - I just smile and give the "we homeschool" excuse. {smile}

I thought I'd share some of the books that the kids and I are reading this week. 

Last night was the kick off to our county library's Summer reading Program and our branch kicked off with a play.  The play was put on by the librarians {who did a fabulous job BTW}, who each dressed as a fairy tale character and came into a salon for a makeover for some reason or another.  The play was really cute and funny.  It inspired us to go upstairs and pick out some nursery rhythms to read at home.  Here is what we ended up with:
The Tortoise and the Hare by Janet Stevens

Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera

Little Red Riding Hood by Josephine Evetts-Secker

Dusty Locks and the Three Bears by Susan Lowell - there was not a Goldilocks and the Three Bears anywhere to be found so we thought we'd try something new

The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse by Jan Brett

Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker

Little Robin Red Breast by Shari Halpern

Randolph Caldecott's Picture Books


The girls are going to start reading Meet Kaya from the American Girl Book series.  We are going to be starting an AG Summer Book Club in few weeks, I'll keep ya'll posted as we move along with that .

I just finished reading about George Mueller and have now moved on to A Step Further by Joni Eareckson Tada and Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell {almost done this one}.

As I am typing, Computer Girl and I are giggling our way through Oh Say Can You Say by Dr Suess, which is quite the tongue twister!

Read any good books lately?

TOS Crew: Heritage History

Heritage History is a homeschool curriculum company based on classical children's history books.  This company strives to produce the easiest, least expensive and most enjoyable way to learn traditional history.  They focus on living books instead of textbooks -which we love!

Here is how The Heritage History company explains the approach that they take to teaching history (from their website):

•Takes a Living Books rather than a textbook approach to history—students read a variety of engaging biographies and historical sketches rather than one comprehensive text.

•Is based on national histories rather than epochal histories—students study one civilization at a time, rather than contrasting contemporaneous civilizations.

•Is narrative rather than analytical—students are introduced to the great characters and events of history without being required to make comparisons or draw conclusions.

•Focuses on studying the most important periods of Western Civilization in depth, rather than touching lightly upon dozens of unrelated cultures.

•Explicitly encourages students to pursue historical topics of personal interest in addition to making selections from directed reading lists

Three books in one!!

With history being one of our favorite subjects, I was very excited to be able to pick one of Heritage History's Classical History Curriculum CD's.  Our choices were:

• Young Readers - includes easy-to-read, introductory selections from many historical periods and provides a broad introduction to Western Culture suitable for grammar school age students. Specially featured are short stories from American, European, Ancient, and Biblical history.
• Ancient Greece - covers Greek history from the earliest days of myth and legend, through the Golden age of Athens, to the Greco-Roman Era. Of special interest to older students is a selection of simplified classics based on the works of renowned poets, historians and playwrights.
• Ancient Rome - includes romantic stories for students of all abilities, from legends of early Roman heroes that fascinate youngsters to stories of political turmoil in the imperial era that provide food for thought to older students. Stories from Gothic, Carthaginian, and Byzantine history are also included.
• British Middle Ages - features books that cover the 5th through 17th centuries in Europe and the British Isles. Topics include barbarian invasions, Christian conversion, feudalism, medieval war-craft, church-state conflicts, and the Reformation, all covered with a special focus on British history.
• British Empire - focuses on 18th and 19th century world history, with a special emphasis on colonial development. Stories that highlight scientific discovery, exploration, invention and industry are featured, along with those that cover regional histories of Ireland, Canada, British Africa, India, and East Asia.

I felt that Young Readers was the best choice for our crew, it was well rounded and fit the age of our children pretty well (3,5,8 and 11).  Along with a Teacher's Guide, there were 86 stories included.  The stories included Joan of Arc, American History Stories, Vikings Tales, Napoleon, Nursery Book of Bible Stories and Aesop's Fables. 

I liked that the Young Readers Curriculum had a such a wide variety of stories that we could choose from no matter what time period we were currently focusing on.  The stories included are exciting, interesting and very informative! 

I believe that the variety of this particular CD makes it a very useful resource that we can use over and over through the years.

I found the Teacher's Guide that was included on the CD to be very helpful.

The Curriculum CD's allow the user to view the stories as a PDF file, which is what I did right on my computer, as well as EPUB and MOBI files for e-readers.

Heritage History Curriculum can be used as a stand alone history curriculum or as an additional resource to whatever you are currently using.  They even have a section on their website that explains how you can use it along with another curriulum like Tapestry of Grace or Ambleside Online.  

If you are interested in purchasing any of the Heritage History Curriculum CD's now would be a great time to do so!  They are currently having a Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Spring Sale!  Each of the Curriculum CD's are $24.99.

Check out what other members of the TOS Crew are saying about Heritage History!


Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

TOS Crew: Write with WORLD

If there is one thing that I had to admit that I have sorta kinda dropped the ball with in our homeschooling, it would be writing.  I am not really worried about it much with my younger kids but I am starting to realize that my 6th grader, the Lil' Chef, needs to be writing more. 

I think it is safe to say that she is a bit reluctant when it comes to writing, so I was doing cart wheels (well almost) when I learned that we were going to be able to review the new writing program, Write with WORLD.

 The Write with WORLD program is a two year program, we were sent the first year's student book and parent/teacher book.

The Write with WORLD program was written for the middle school student.  It was developed by the same education and media professionals that bring us God's World News and World News.  Using their expertise, they set out to train students to become proficient communicators. 

According to their website, this is what Write with WORLD exposes students to:

• reading and critical thinking that develop discernment
• contemporary subjects and professional guidance to pique interest
• flexible exercises to build confidence and skill for using today's new media
• a thoughtful and meaningful Christian worldview 

Let me share with you what is covered in the Write with WORLD student book:

Unit 1

• Lesson 1 - Reading Images and Advertisements
• Lesson 2 - Comparative Reading: Sentences
• Lesson 3 - Comparative Reading : Paragraphs
• Lesson 4 - Developing Critical Readers: Essays

Unit 2

• Lesson 1 -The Paragraph
• Lesson 2 - Composing and Linking Sentences
• Lesson 3 - Creating Focus and Arrangement
• Lesson 4 -Linking Paragraphs: Transitions and Logic

Unit 3

• Lesson 1 -Writing Autobiography: Reporting Facts
• Lesson 2 - Writing Autobiography: Creating Character
• Lesson 3 - Writing Autobiography: Developing Ideas
• Lesson 4 - Writing Autobiography: Composition

Unit 4

• Lesson 1 - Crafting Narratives: Developing a Point of View
• Lesson 2 - Crafting Narratives: Showing Versus Telling
• Lesson 3 - Crafting Narratives: Narrative with a Purpose
• Lesson 4 - Crafting Narratives: Writing a Fictional Narrative

You can view a sample lesson on their website.
Here is what we liked about Write with WORLD:

• I liked that this program makes the student think. 
• We liked that the lessons were laid out in manageable chunks.
• I liked the conversational tone of the book.  I felt is was written to the student.
• While we do have the teacher/parent book, so, far The Lil' Chef has been doing pretty well on her own.  I like that it is a program that she can take the ball and run with.
• The program seems to be very thorough.  The lessons with in the book give good solid tools for writing.
• I like the creative approach that this curriculum uses. 

The only thing that I was not super happy about was the price, Write with WORLD is $95.00 for Year One.  After researching a few well known Junior High/High School writing programs I see that the price is pretty comparable with the others.  The better deal, in my opinion, is to purchase the full curriculum (Year One & Two) for $165.00. 

I do like this writing curriculum and would recommend it.  I plan on continuing this program with the Lil' Chef and will consider using Year Two once we are finished.

The Write with WORLD program that we were given to review is actually a pilot program and will not be available until Summer of 2012.  In addition to the student & teacher books there will also be an online component, which is included in the price of the curriculum. 

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

Family Feasts for $75 a Week Review

I am very excited!  I believe I have found a new favorite cook book, yay meee!  I was blessed with a copy of Family Feast for $75 a Week, which was written by blogger mom Mary Ostyn, to review.

So far we have tried several of the recipes in this cookbook and they have ALL been WINNERS!  That is no small feat considering how picky my lovely little crew is. 

I love that Mary is a mom just like me, well almost like me - she has 6 more kids than I do.  I feel like the more kids you have the better cook you are : )  Being a stay home mom of many Mary has learned many tricks to pinch pennies and cut hundreds from her food bill each month.   

In the begin of Family Feasts, Mary shares her frugal wisdom, as well as many of her kitchen secrets to cut down on food costs and time spent in the kitchen.  I especially like her chapter on Menu Planning! 

Here are the chapters in Family Feasts for $75 a Month:

1. What Would You Do with an Extra $100 a Month?
2. Come Shopping with Me?
3. Guerrilla Shopping
4. Efficient Cooking, Good Eating
5. Breakfast & Lunch
6. Casseroles & Oven Meals
7. Stir-fries & Skillet Meals
8. Perfect Pasta
9. Soups, Stews & Chili's
10. Sides & Salads
11. Breads, Muffins & Desserts
12. Entertaining on a Budget
13. The Homemade Pantry
14. Metric Charts

Now for the mouth watering part of my little review, here are the recipes that we have already had and LOVED:

• Eggy Breakfast Muffins - The Lil Chef made these.  She doubled them so that some could be eaten and some frozen to eat later.
• Easy Pizza Rolls - These were pretty amazing!  Have you ever had cream cheese and pepperoni together?  If not, you are totally missing out.  I promise!
• Chicken Pot Pie with Cheesie Biscuit Topping - I think the title alone says it all!
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore - As you know, anything with slow cooker is right up my alley.  This was a yummy little comfort food dinner that everyone enjoyed.
• Chili Corn Pone Pie - I frequently write in my cookbooks because I can and because I am forgetful.  I will always write yuck next a recipe that is, well yucky.  Next to this recipe I have written, "Excellent1 Enjoyed by Everyone!" 
• Mexican Tortilla Skillet - This might be my new favorite meal ever!  It is totally company worthy and it's super easy.  It reminds me of the Taco Bake but much better!
• Baked Ziti Casserole - YUM-MEE!

Mouth watering yet??  Mine is : )  We have several other recipes on our Menu Plan for the week that I am sure will just add to my love for this cookbook. 

You can get your own fabulous copy of Family Feasts for $75 a Week right from Amazon, which is currently on sale for around $11.50 (with free super saver shipping I might add). 

I can given a free copy of Family Feast for $75 a Week for review purposes only.  I was not compensated in any way for my opinions.  The opinions expressed in this review are truly mine. 

30 Meals in One Day Review & GIVEAWAY!

Let me just start off by saying this is my absolute favorite product that I have reviewed, ever!  I have used other meal planning systems before, which I have liked, but 30 Meals in One Day happens to be my favorite!

Now that I have your attention let me tell you about the Dinner is Ready Book and Software Combo set that we got to review, it included the 30 Meals in One Day Dinner Cookbook and the Dinners Software. 
 
Th cookbook teaches you how to cook 30 meals in one day to stock your freezer.  It includes 150 freezer friendly recipes, great tips on how to cut down on your time and how to be more efficient in bulk cooking.
 
The software, which was the WOW factor for me, is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!  Not only does it include the recipes from the cookbook, it is a menu/shopping list planner that allows you to add your own recipes, creates menus, shopping lists and freezer labels.  Pure genius! 
 

 
The recipes are very family friendly and simple to make.  We have already found several favorites that I have made several times.  Let me share some of the recipes that have made it on to our favorites list so far:

• Almost Ravioli
• Beef and Broccoli
• Cowboy Barbecue - everyone loves this one! The Hubs requests this one weekly, no kiddin'!
• Biscuit Beef Bake
• Slow Cooked Goulash
• Chicken & Biscuits
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Basic Meatballs
• Chicken Tortellini Soup

30 Meals in One Day has some sample recipes on their website, like Honey Lime Chicken, Bird's Nest Pie, Barbecued Ribs, Oven Stew if you would like to check them out.

I love the flexibility of 30 Meals in One Day.  I have a hard time standing in my kitchen for a really long time, not cause I am lazy it's just because our house is build on concrete.  So it is very hard on my legs and I am just too stubborn to run around my house in shoes all day {smile}.  I really liked that the book made me feel comfortable enough to come up with a plan that worked for me.  I decided to try making 14 meals instead of 30.  I actually did in on a whim, well kinda.

I had made my menu, printed my shopping list and shopped.  My plan was to cook the next day but when I had come home from the grocery store I just decided to make my meals.  It was about 7pm, the kids were getting read y to go to bed so the time seemed right.  I just started cooking all my meat before I put all my groceries that I wasn't using away.  Then I went to it.  It went alot faster than I thought it would, I think I had finished cooking and cleaning up by 10pm or so.  It was a huge blessing to have all those meals ready to heat up because that particular week we were really busy.

One of the things about 30 Meals in One Day that is really flexible and oh so helpful is how the software categorizes the meals.  You can sort them alphabetically, by meal and by type.  I really love to sort them by type!  Let me explain what I mean, all the recipes fit into one the following categories Assemble, Slow Cooker, Oven, or Stove Top.  This simplifies things for me because on the days that we are running and coming home around dinner time, I like to have dinner waiting for us in my handy dandy crock pot!  So when I am planning my meals it is really easy to find the perfect type of meal for a particular day.  And, if I don't find something that suits my fancy for the week, I can add in my own recipe from another cookbook. 

Another thing that I really appreciated and thought was worth mentioning was the recipes them self.  They are easy to follow and easily modified.  Say for instance someone has a food allergy or just a dislike, you can very simply go into the recipe and edit it.  You can also modify amounts of foods that the recipe calls for depending on the serving size that you want. 

I think this would be a huge blessing to any family.  Especially homeschoolers and working mamas who are always tight on time.  Can you imagine taking 15-30 minutes a month and planning out your meals for the month?  Even doing it a week at a time would be a huge burden removed. 

The 30 Meals in One Day would make a great gift for the up coming holidays.  In my humble opinion, every mama should have this set in her stocking this year.  Just saying : )   Did I mention how reasonable priced the book and software combo package is?  Right now it is on sale for $31.95, that includes the software program on cd or by download and a hard copy of the cookbook.

Not only do they have cookbooks and software for dinner meals but they also have them for lunch and sides.  (scroll down).  I would like to get these too!  I get tired of the same old stuff for lunch. 

You can purchase the cookbook or the software if you would prefer to not have them both, but I recommend having both of them. 

30 Meals in One Day is offer a FREE Dinner is Ready Cookbook to one of my readers!  The contest will run until November 14, 2011.  It's really easy to enter! Just let me know how you currently plan your meals, even if it's as you are walking the grocery store isles.  Please don't forget to leave me your email addres so that I can contact you if you are the winner!

Thanks for entering and happy meal planning!

We received the 30 Meals in One Day Book and Software Combo set free for review purposes only.  We were not compensated in anyway for our opinions, we really do love this product! 

TOS CREW: How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman

I am going to be honest, when I saw the review form for How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman, I did not sign up for it.  I really didn't think I needed to read this book.  BUT God, in all His wisdom must have felt that I needed it because I ended up being one of the reviewers.

The very day that I received the book I sat down to check it out, and 49 pages later I finally put it down.  It was around that time that I said "Thank you Lord for sending this book my way."  Even though I didn't think this was a book for me, it very much was!!  If time would have permitted I would have read the whole book right then and there. 

I had never heard of Rachael Carman before, but once I started reading her book I knew that I liked her.  She writes in such a way that really draws you in, like I said I didn't want to put the book down.  Besides this was some good stuff I was reading!  I was very impressed with her complete openness, how she shared her struggles and her true feelings.

It was a few weeks after I started Rachael's book that I learned who she was.  Rachael and her husband, Davis, are the family that purchased Apologia (you know, the science company that is now much more than a science company).  I learned this one afternoon while having lunch with Rachael and a few other wonderful ladies from Apologia.  I also learned about how Rachael had a tremendous heart for moms, especially those of the homeschooling variety. 

Ok, now back to the book.  H.E.A.R.T. is actually an acronym that stands for:

H - Have a Heart for the things of God
E - Enrich your marriage
A - Accept your kids
R - Release them to God
T - Teach them truth

I loved hearing Rachael's story and how she had NO plans of homeschooling her kids.  Several years, 7 kids and a homeschool resource company later, we see that it obviously was God's plan!  It really is an inspirational story.

Rachael is very honest about how she was excited to send her kids off on the yellow school bus, so she could have me time.  When that didn't work out she and her husband decided they would try homeschooling, but Rachael was adamant that it was only for one year.  Don't you just love how God's ways are not our ways.  : )
 
I just really felt that this book was a breath of fresh air for me.  It was something that I didn't even know I needed until I read it.  The Holy Spirit convicted me on several things and really just opened my eyes to some major areas that are lacking here at the LSG House.  
 
I especially loved the Accept your Kids and Release them to God chapters.  They were both very good and encouraging to me.  It was a joy to hear the wisdom that the Lord has given Rachael and that she is now passing on to other moms.
 
How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. would be a wonderful read for new moms as well as veterans, homeschoolers or not.  I think that no matter what season of motherhood you are in, you would appreciate the wisdom and encouragement that Rachael has to share. 
 
You can actually read a sample chapter of the book online before you buy it.
 
You can purchase a copy of the How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. book by Rachael Carman directly through Apologia for $13.00.

I received How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are mine and I was not compensated in any way from the TOS Crew or Apologia Press.

Top 10 Favorite Homeschool Books

If you have EVER read my blog before you probably know that L.O.V.E. books.  Over the years I have read many a homeschooling how to book.  I have several I have really enjoyed and gleaned a lot from.  I thought I share my Top 10 Favorite Homeschool Books.  So here goes...

Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days: Share a Day With 30 Homeschooling Families by Nancy Lande - I really liked this book.  I am a visual learner and this book really helped me to get a real picture of what everyday homeschool life looks like. 

Homeschool Open House by Nancy Lande - This like part 2 to the book above. 

The Relaxed Homeschooler by Mary Hood - This book is about just what the title implies, how to relax.  I haven't mastered it yet but this book has helped to put me in the right direction.

The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Raymond and Dorothy Moore - This is a wonderful how to book.  Another book about stress free homeschooling.  Are you sensing a pattern yet?? : )

So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It  - by Lisa Whelchel - this is one of my absolute favorites.  I love how Lisa writes, I felt like I was having coffee with a friend and chatting about homeschool.  She helps to give you the confidence that us momma sometimes lack.

Educating the WholeHearted Child - by Clay & Sally Clarkson - This is a new favorite of mine.  I love Sally Clarkson, I am reading another book of hers right now.  The wisdom and encouragement that this book gives is invaluable. 

Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Diana Waring - Anything from Diana Waring is a good read in my opinion.  I have this book as well as the audio, it is one of the first things I listen to when I am discouraged about our homeschool journey.  It is kinda like a battery charge. 

A Charlotte Mason Education  by Catherine Levison - This book is really helping me to get a complete understanding of the how to's of the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling.  This is a short read but full of practical ideas.

The Three R's by Ruth Beechick -


The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell - I haven't had this book long but I can already testify that this book is chock full good info for new homeschoolers as well as veterans.  I have already learned a bunch from this one.  A definite read.


So there you have it, my Top 10.  What are your favorites?Mrs. Beechick does a wonderful job explain how simple it is to educate a young child in the Three R's.  This book is 3 books in one, focusing on reading, writing and arithmetic.