In the midst of lesson planning and yearly scheduling for our upcoming homeschooling year with two 9th graders and an 11th grader, I really shouldn't be taking the time to let you know about this. I'm so excited to let you know about what I discovered this summer - completely changing the way I manage our homeschool grades and develop a high school transcript for my girls - that I've stopped my lesson planning for the evening and am writing this here for you! When you see my full review of My Home School Grades and their new 3.0 version in a few weeks, you'll probably be sadly disappointed with my past years of, um, well, attempted recordkeeping. Yes, I tell all in my sad tale. That has all changed! Here's how: I discovered My Home School Grades this summer, and wow! I've tried other online grade recordkeeping programs, and I just haven't been satisfied with what they offer, both free and paid versions of available programs. Well, that all changed when I watched the video for My Home School Grades. If you are a homeschooling parent, I think you'll find the video, below, an amazing way to show you what My Home School Grades will do for your family and your recordkeeping sanity! MHSG Introduction from My Home School Grades on Vimeo. Now, here's the thing: What you see here, in this video, is My Home School Grades, version 2.0. That's the version I bought, and it is better than anything I've ever tried before. But coming out this autumn is My Home School Grades, version 3.0, and after talking on the phone with the owner, John Echols, version 3.0 is going to make version 2.0 look like a dinosaur. ☺ I can't divulge all of the new and extra features that My Home School Grades 3.0 will contain, but I can already tell that it's going to save me a lot of time. I'd share the details of how it will save me time, but I'm supposed to keep those details a secret for now. Shhhhh! ☺ My Home School Grades v. 2.0 has the following price structure: . . . or a lifetime membership plan for $149.99. This weekend - Labor Day weekend - My Home School Grades is offering their lifetime subscription for $99.99. This includes all updates and versions they will ever develop in the future, as well as customer service offered seven days a week. And, after September 1, 2014 at 10 p.m., they will no longer EVER AGAIN offer a lifetime subscription. So . . . if you are homeschooling two children for 12-13 years each, that works out to be $4 per year per child. In order to receive this kind of discount, that will never be offered again through My Home School Grades, you'll need to pay for your lifetime subscription over the phone. Here's the phone number: 800-516-9872 and here's their website in case you want to check this out a bit more: http://myhomeschoolgrades.com/ Of all of the homeschooling items I've talked about here on Joy In Our Journey, My Home School Grades is one of the best! If you are stressed out about making report cards and developing a high school transcript, My Home School Grades completely takes off the pressure and automatically develops your child's transcript for you. It's truly amazing! Since My Home School Grades has been developed by a homeschool dad who couldn't find any grading software that did everything he wanted it to do, he developed it himself, and this is the product. If you have any questions, please call My Homeschool Grades between now and Monday, September 1st at 10 p.m. (Pacific). They are extremely helpful, and I'll be sharing more about their software and program in a few weeks!
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I don't know about you, but my experiences learning history in school were incredibly boring. I don't use that word lightly. Teachers who require students to read a basic, uninteresting summary of a portion of history, chapter by chapter, assigning questions at the end of the chapter and then giving students a chapter test, is the most unimaginative way to teach a subject that I can think of, especially history. And that is what I experienced throughout all of my grades in school - and in college. Boring. I actually learned very little of the 12 years of U.S. history that was presented to me in this way. I truly remember very little except the pioneer field trip in 3rd grade. Sad. When I stopped teaching in the public schools and began educating my children in our home, I decided that we weren't going to learn history in that manner. We haven't. ☺ Our years of learning history, from Creation through modern times, has consisted of:
...and much more, as well as working through several history texts that were actually written in a manner that was interesting and poignant to work through. When I heard that Diana Waring had written some new historical books with accompanying CD's that would bring the Old West, a new nation, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to life, I was all for that! I wanted to share this with you because if you are a home educating family, or you know someone who is - or you know someone who is a teacher and could benefit from a fun, well-designed addition to their U.S. history/pioneer curriculum, this is a great option to add for some learning fun! If you have children or grandchildren, or other children in your life, and they haven't yet learned the folk songs that you'll see listed below, this would be fun to read through and listen to some fun and fabulous folk music that accompanies each historical vignette.
Experience History Through Music contains 3 book/CD sets:
As the name of this series implies, these book and CD sets allow you to Experience History Through Music. Each title contains one book and one CD. The pages of the books hold dozens of historical pictures, bright and interesting stories connecting each of the songs to its moment in history, and even sheet music and chord charts! The CDs are rousing, professional recordings that draw in all listeners. The two combine for fond memories and a grand, knee-slapping good time. These books are available for $18.99 each, but during July 2014, all 3 books with CDs are available for $50 as a set. How Experience History Through Music works: |
From Diana Waring Presents: Experience History Through Music – set of 3 books with CDs ($50/set) Diana Waring Presents is about to bring back into print the BEST folk music you have ever heard, combined with the fascinating stories they represent in American history! The Experience Music Through History series includes:
The musicians are amazing, every instrument is real, lots of great vocalists, and more toe-tapping music than you can imagine! The books tell the stories behind the songs. Together, they bring American history to life through its music!! With fascinating history books and toe-tapping folk music CDs, American history has NEVER been this fun! |
Also from Diana Waring Presents: Encouragement for Homeschool Moms Collection ($25) Every mom needs that word of encouragement from someone who has been there, who has grownup children and can speak with assurance about the journey. Homeschool moms have an extra portion of the journey to navigate, and often wish for an extra voice that will offer direction but without nagging or prodding. Diana Waring has that voice. |
From A Journey Through Learning $50 Gift Certificate to spend in the A Journey Through Learning store, applicable toward any digital download purchase. |
From Homeschool Legacy
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From Knowledge Quest Maps Map Trek: Atlas and Outline Maps of World History ($55) Map Trek is a historical atlas plus outline maps that allow you to teach geography alongside history. This is a resource that any homeschool parent can use with brilliant success, even if you don’t remember a thing from your history or geography classes in public school. |
From Home School Adventure Co. Philosophy Adventure™ Digital Download ($39.95) Philosophy Adventure™ is designed to help students 6th-12th grade cultivate and defend a biblical worldview by teaching them how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately as they explore the history of ideas. |
From Heidi St. John (The Busy Mom and Real Life Press) Firmly Planted Family Devotional Digital Volume 3 ($39) The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age! |
From Raising Real Men
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From Excellence in Writing $50 Gift Certificate to spend in the IEW store, applicable toward any purchase. |
From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine SchoolhouseTeachers.com ($139) One-year membership to the curriculum arm of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Nearly 100 classes for Pre-K to High School, taught by expert teachers, and lots of extras including the Schoolhouse Planners, Schoolhouse Expos, monthly free ebook downloads and more. |
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 2014 Print Book ($15) Be encouraged, enlightened, and educated with the all new 2014 Annual Print Book published by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.You’ll get a year’s worth of homeschool support in almost 300 pages in this full color one-of-a-kind print magazine for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. This is a magazine you’ll refer to again and again. |
From Writing with Sharon Watson The Power in Your Hands ($53.96) With The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, they’ll learn what they need to know for high school and will be prepared for college writing. Writing Fiction [in High School] ($35) Are you raising the next C. S. Lewis or Jane Austen? Help your students develop their fiction-writing talents with Writing Fiction [In High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life . |
How to enter this amazing giveaway:
To enter the giveaway, all you'll need to do is to use the Rafflecopter form, below, and fill out or click on the specific parts you'd like to use to enter this giveaway.
This giveaway is only for residents of the U.S., age 18 and older only. Other terms and conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter form.
Also notice that you can earn up to 95 entries into this specific giveaway, so while it looks like thousands of people have already entered it, it is a lot fewer people than that. Do the math! ☺
Read all of my helpful articles on planning a family vacation to Washington, D.C.!
You've been planning a trip to Washington, D.C. (or somewhere else!) and want to pack as carefully and frugally as possible, but you need some helpful tips for your student or family?
Well, you've come to the right place! Keep on reading for some great packing and safety tips, as well as a FREE printable packing list.
I'm going to show you how to frugally pack your luggage so that you avoid baggage fees, bring the right items along with you (with my free printable DC packing list), and don't overpack.
Our family planned our trip so that we'd be in Washington, D.C. for 7 full days. We were told we could pack everything into carry-on luggage. My thoughts at first were, "Yeah, right!" But we did it, easily! I'll show you how.
Some of these tips aren't as frugal as they could be; for example, I didn't buy $12 el-cheapo shoes in which to walk. That's because I would have been in misery walking 5-10 miles per day in them! However, I wanted to show you some of the ways to help your trip be as comfortable as possible at the best price I could find for durable, long-lasting items.
The weather can vary greatly in the Washington, D.C. area. Read more about how to choose the right time of year to visit Washington, D.C. for your family.
| Once I figured out how to pack a carry-on suitcase for a full week of clothing (or more, if necessary), we purchased a carry-on suitcase for each of us. This was our children's first time flying, so we didn't have the right luggage we would need. Below, you'll see a helpful video to show you how to pack several weeks of clothing in a carry-on suitcase. In our small town, we could only find two carry-on bags of the right size (and price) at one store, and two at another store. We purposefully bought luggage that we could return within 30 days if it broke during our trip, so we bought our carry-on luggage about two weeks before our trip. Two of our carry-on bags broke during the trip. They were still useable, but the zippers weren't working properly. We promptly returned them when we arrived back home and got our money back. However, the two American Tourister carry-on bags worked wonderfully! Each bag cost just under $50, but we'll use these again and again. |
My smart husband found the carry-on luggage that most closely matched those size requirements so we would meet the limit but still be able to pack as much as possible. By the way, the Kirkland carry-on luggage from Costco is just a tad too large for many airlines' overhead storage. You'll want to avoid that brand for your carry-on bag.
We each were able to bring one carry-on piece of luggage plus a decent sized backpack...and we tied our lightweight hooded coats around our waists until we were allowed to move around in the plane after take-off.
Our family saved $200 just from not bringing any checked baggage with us. Woot!
Before we packed for our trip to Washington, D.C., we frequently checked the weather forecast for our dates of travel so we'd know what to expect ~ in general:
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You'll want to bring clothing that reflects the kinds of activities in which you plan to participate and the weather that you expect.
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What to pack:
Pack comfortable walking shoes for travel to Washington, D.C.
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How in the world do I pack for a week or two in carry-on luggage?
But after I laid out all of my clothes in the same manner that he did, I found that my clothes, shoes, and more fit easily into my small carry-on luggage!
Wow. I was really surprised. My girls didn't think it could be done, so our whole family watched the video together. My husband packed his own carry-on, and I worked individually with each of the girls to help them pack theirs.
Bottom line? This totally worked! ☺ It's a free 8-minute video that saved us $200 in luggage fees.
What should I pack, besides clothing and shoes?
Baggage I.D. tag: a baggage I.D. tag should be inside every one of your bags. Here's a free printable baggage I.D. tag from Alaska Airlines to fill out and place inside the large zipped compartment of your carry-on bag. You may also write your own, using an index card or piece of paper. |
| Use packing cubes, like these Small Packing Cubes by Dot&Dot. Read my review of these here. Limit toiletries to necessary, travel-size items. Pack items like shampoo in small containers. You're only allowed to carry 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less (by volume) bottles of gels, liquids (including liquid makeup), and aerosols, packed inside 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger is placed in the screening bin. You can buy toiletry kits that are designed to match the liquid requirements of TSA for carry-on luggage, or you can pack your own using smaller travel sizes and containers. Just keep in mind that the tiny travel bottle of shampoo that you find in the stores isn't a frugal purchase at all; you'll save money after a couple of trips by buying a toiletry kit and filling the containers yourself. Silicone Travel Bottles: Regular plastic bottles tend to waste moisturizer, sunscreen, and hair products that can't be squeezed out as easily. These new, squishy travel bottles made out of transparent, soft silicone are easy to clean, more flexible to pack, and best of all, you won't waste any product in them. You can also find these at Walmart, Marshall's, and other department stores from time to time. Camera. I know, I know. Everyone is so excited to take photos and videos with their smart phones. Well, even though picture quality on smart phones has dramatically improved, it still won't capture memories quite the same as a high quality yet easily portable camera. My parents let us borrow their Canon PowerShot G15, and it took fabulous photos! When we arrived home, I reluctantly gave it back to my parents. ☺ While we felt we couldn't afford to replace my old camera with a G15 or the newer G16, my husband did purchase a Canon PowerShot ELPH 330/340HS for me for our anniversary, and we got a great camera that takes excellent photos and videos for a little price. Nice! (Hint: check the Canon.com website for "Promotions". We got our ELPH 330HS for under $150 in mid-December because of a short-term promotional price.) Additional camera memory. You never know how much video you might want to take on your trip! We watched Amazon.com closely and found a Sony 64GB SDXC Class 10 Memory Card on a one-day deal in September before our trip, so we grabbed that for around $18 (usually closer to $35). Its high speed enabled us to take faster night shots without flash, which worked out really well when visiting the memorials at night. At 64 GB, it also held thousands of photos and tons of video! If you can afford to bring a second memory card, in case your first one begins to fail, that's also a great idea. |
| Batteries and chargers. The PowerShot ELPH 330 uses the NB-4L Battery Pack, so I purchased two additional batteries to accompany my camera. The Canon versions are $59.99 each, so instead I purchased two off-brand compatible batteries, rated highly by customers on Amazon.com, for $11.99 each. I've been using the off-brand batteries for six months now, and so far, they work just as well as the Canon battery. Every night, back at our motel, I charged my camera batteries to make sure they would be ready the next morning. Power Strip. We didn't take our Belkin multi-socket power strip with us, since we left our laptop at home. However, it would have been nice to have, since we had a smart phone, a Kindle Fire, and two iPod Touches with us that needed charging each evening. Next time! It has two USB-2 ports, as well as three 3-prong plug ins. If you're coming from outside of North America, you may need an electrical adapter and plug converter. |
Guidebooks and maps. Joanne, my friend - and our tour guide - brought with her this amazing book. It's a tiny hardbound book, under $10, that easily fits into a purse, backpack, or even a pants pocket! InsideOut Washington DC has two very detailed, fold-out maps with a 64-page, full-color illustrated guide. The guide opens with two itineraries. If you're short of time and want to see all the best that DC has to offer, these itineraries are sure to help you explore and savor the best that Washington DC has to offer. The guide is then divided in to 7 chapters:
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Travel umbrella. Totes makes a micro-sized umbrella that folds up to six inches in length. It easily fits into a jacket pocket, or a small backpack or medium- to large-sized purse. As I mentioned earlier, we each took one with us, knowing we could easily use them in the future. Thankfully, we only had about 20 drops of rain hit us one morning. |
Bring a backpack. You can use your large daypack/backpack as your "personal bag" on the airlines. If you normally carry a purse, just keep your small purse inside your backpack while flying. Place your umbrella, lightweight hooded coat, wallet, camera, maps, snacks, lunch, water bottles, and souvenirs inside! The Jansport backpacks are high quality - and large enough - and can often be purchased for around $25 if you watch the deals online year-round, or in the stores at the middle of September after school has started. If you decide to bring your backpack with you on daily trips, keep in mind that when entering some Smithsonian and governmental buildings, your backpack and/or purse will be searched. |
Security is taken very seriously in D.C. I would recommend not taking big bags or backpacks while sightseeing. Leave them at the hotel and make certain smaller bags and pockets don't contain anything that can be considered dangerous, even nail clippers. If you go to the Capitol Building or the White House, they won't allow your backpack to enter the building - or water bottles or food - so leave them in the hotel that day.
Carry a purse. I carry a purse out of necessity, not because I enjoy carrying purses. I'd actually rather be without a purse! But for travel, "crossbody" purses work really well slung across your body so that your shoulder doesn't get so tired by the end of the day (or after an hour or two), and they are less prone to theft being carried across the body. Baggallini Travel Purses are a very durable "crossbody" style, meaning that you can either wear them with a long strap (up to 50" in length) across your body, for better safekeeping, or you can shorten the strap to make it a shoulder bag...or remove the strap altogether. For travel, this is an excellent brand. I've used two Baggallini travel bags: for our trip to Disneyland six years ago, I used a crossbody modified messenger bag style that would carry water bottles, maps, and everything else we would need. It was wonderful, and it's lasted for six years with no problems whatsoever. Baggallini purses and bags aren't the cheapest, most frugal options available, but they are extremely sturdy. You'll use these bags for years. Trust me - I have! |
For our trip to Washington, D.C., I knew that our bags would be searched in many locations, and I wanted everything to be easily accessible. I knew I wouldn't be carrying a water bottle around with me most days, so I selected a crossbody purse from Baggallini, the Paris version. Unfortunately, Paris is out of stock almost everywhere I've looked, even though I just bought it in October 2013, about 9 months ago.
I wanted something that was very durable, lightweight, weatherproof, and zipped/fastened well. I also wanted a long shoulder strap. In addition, I wanted to be able to carry my Kindle Fire with me, since I don't own a smart phone. With the Paris purse dimensions being 10 1/2" wide x 8" high x 4" deep, this met my needs! While I don't have much room left in the main interior pocket, I can still get my Kindle Fire (in a thicker zipped case) in the purse, and still carry my checkbook and several other things, plus a lot more in the outside zip pockets.
- Shoulder strap length: 50"
- Includes interior back wall zipper pocket and two interior multi-function pockets
- Small bag included
- Two small exterior pockets
If you're looking for a durable purse that will hold a Kindle Fire in its case, plus quite a few other things, yet still be lightweight and not a "huge" purse, these dimensions should work for you. The 4" depth is pretty important. If a purse only has 1" or 2" depth, it will be tricky to get a Kindle Fire in there along with anything else. You can try googling the Paris style of purse, or find something else on the Baggallini website that will meet your needs. Also, PackingLight.com has an excellent selection of Baggallini crossbody purses (not an affiliate link).
Whichever style of purse or crossbody bag you decide to purchase, I recommend that it's made out of lightweight heavy duty nylon instead of heavy leather or alternative leather options. Leave everything out of your purse that you truly won't need on your trip, to lighten the weight.
You want me to bring what?
I know, these are kind of oddball items to include for your trip, but they don't take up much room. They could be very helpful to you on your trip, depending on what you encounter:
Duct Tape has so many uses that I won't be able to list them all. What about taping up exploded luggage or removing lint from clothing? Carry a small roll (about $5) with you to patch tears in shoes, bags, or clothing. Needing to baby-proof your hotel room by covering outlets and securing drawers shut? Duct tape will work well for that! You can also hold together a well-worn guidebook when the spine gives out. |
Moist Wipes are so useful when traveling! You'll be able to sanitize your hands and kill germs on tray tables, doorknobs, tabletops, and other public places, and you can also use them as a refreshing face cloth after a day spent traveling. The alcohol in many wet wipes helps remove ink stains in a pinch, too. (For guaranteed stain-protection, pack a few Shout Wipes.) |
Safety Pins - Have you ever thought of clasping the zippers of your day pack together to keep thieves at bay? Or use a safety pin in place of a missing button or zipper pull? If you're walking through muddy areas, you can tack kids' pant legs up so they don't get as filthy. Safety pins also prevent static cling in a dress or skirt if you slip the safety pin into the seam of your slip (the metal has repelling properties). |
Safety tips for traveling:
- Before you leave on your trip, digitally scan your passports, plane tickets, driver license, and other important papers and store them in an online email account (like Gmail or Google Docs, etc.). This allows you access to important information if it's lost or stolen.
- Also before you leave town, get travel insurance on your trip; this covers flights and lodging, among other pre-arranged expenses, in case you become ill. Make sure your medical insurance will cover you in another country, and consider purchasing emergency travel medical insurance as well.
- Spread out your cash, credit cards, and debit cards into different pockets and bags in order to limit your losses in case you're a victim of robbery or you lose something.
- Each day, take a picture of your traveling companions in the clothing they are wearing that day. This way, if someone is missing or lost, you will have a very current photo to show the police.
- Everyone in your group should carry emergency contact information on them, including I.D. and the name of the hotel where you will be staying, parents' names (for children), phone numbers to reach parents, etc.
- Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket!
- Leave your jewelry and expensive cameras at home. Don't say or do anything that would indicate you are wealthy or of affluence. And remember, if traveling to a poor area or a third-world country, even the poorest Americans are usually wealthier than many of the residents of that area or country.
- When sitting in a restaurant or cafe, don't leave your purse or bag dangling from the back of your chair, or set it at your feet. Instead, keep it on your lap or wrap the strap around your leg.
FREE printable packing list:
If you're a fan of medieval fantasy, A Draw of Kings is a winner! This book has more twists and turns than a thrill ride at the amusement park. A Draw of Kings is the third book in Patrick W. Carr’s The Staff and The Sword series. In order to understand the plot and the twists and turns of the story, you will want to read the first two books in this series: The Hero's Lot and A Cast of Stones.
Adora is the old king’s niece, and she is being sought by Duke Weir to bear his son to give him the royal blood needed so he has the right to be king. Of course, she's not on board with this idea!
Understanding the unusual terms and names will be easier if the previous books have been read. Patrick Carr is an imaginative writer and has written a book that holds your attention and keeps you reading. If you enjoy medieval fiction, this is a great series to read, but please do read the first two books. ☺
To help out readers of The Staff and The Sword trilogy, I've reformatted a glossary and list of characters and geographical locations found on Patrick Carr's website so it's easier to view. You'll find the printable PDF below!
Patrick W. Carr teaches high school math and makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Mary, and their four sons, Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Learn more at patrickwcarr.com. |
Click on the image below, to download and print out your free PDF glossary for
The Staff and The Sword trilogy!
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I'm giving away two books to one blessed reader today! Here's more about the two books I'm giving away so you'll know what you will be winning:
Children these days are drawn in to gaming, television, iPods and iPads, and YouTube.
Will they show an interest in reading the Bible with their family?
I believe the answer to that question is: YES!
We began reading little Bible books with our children when they were just tiny - probably around 8-9 months old. One of them LOVED to be read to, even though we knew she didn't fully understand what was being read. She loved the snuggle time and couch time with both her mommy and her daddy each evening before bed.
The other daughter was an active, energetic little one, and it was more difficult to encourage her to sit still for a few minutes of prayer and Bible time with Mom and Dad and sister.
Even though it was tougher for our energetic bundle of joy, our expectations as parents were the same for both girls. We just knew that it would take longer for one of the girls to learn to settle down and begin to enjoy reading Bible events with us. And that was okay. We were willing to teach her how to sit and focus for a few minutes at a time when she was very young. It's an important skill anyway, right? ☺
I've been taking a look at The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook for children ages 4-8. While my daughters are past this age, I love to share with you some of the new Bible resources for handing our faith in Jesus down to our children! I would love to use this with future grandchildren some day.
Here are some details about The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook:
- Features 145 illustrated Bible lessons
- Each lesson features a "Christ Connection" that shows children how God's plan for salvation through Jesus appears throughout the Bible
- Free download to the Interactive Bible Storybook App that brings the art and lesson to life both visually and audibly
- Jenna Lucado, daughter of well-known Christian author, Max Lucado, provides narration to more greatly engage children in the Interactive Bible Storybook App
- Engaging questions at the bottom of each Bible lesson
Here's a sample of a two-page spread (one lesson):
You can see from the sample how the layout of the lessons is done for parents (and grandparents). This will help determine if this material is age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for your own children and grandchildren.
Along with The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook comes another new book that works side by side with this one: The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted:
The purpose of The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted is a kid-friendly, Reader's Digest version of the Bible for children. Eighteen kid-friendly pages summarize the Bible and God's purpose for His will in our lives - that we would all become Christ-followers and share Christ's message of love and salvation with others in our lives. |
Video introductions to these books:
Time for our giveaway of these two books!
The giveaway for these two books, The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook and The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted ends on Tuesday, February 24th, 2014 at midnight Pacific time...
...and please read the requirements for entering. If you're randomly selected as the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll need to select a new winner instead. U.S. entries only, please. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
Quite a few years ago, our family chose to simplify some of our Christmas "happenings" and focus more on Christ. We began reading through a fun and meaningful series of 3 books.
Arnold Ytreeide has written some wonderful Advent books that combine action-packed fictional stories set in the time of Jesus' birth with delightful, short advent readings for each night in December. These are written so well that Elmer and I have enjoyed each moment reading through them, too!
Each year, right after Thanksgiving, we would begin reading one of these three books:
for our family's regular evening worship time with Advent. These three stories fascinated our girls when they were younger (about age 7+), and now that they are in jr. high/high school, they still are enjoying the stories and Advent readings! (And so are Elmer and I...heh, heh!)
We simplified our gift-giving list; we actually decided to make fewer Christmas candies and goodies; etc. This year, we are decorating our home with our traditional Christmas decorations as well as these symbols of peace that my daughter, Kelsi, and I designed.
People have seemed to enjoy the free October Autumn PumpkinScripture printables we made for October, and the November "Leaves of Thanks" Scripture printables, so we decided to make some free printable Scripture decorations for December and CHRISTmas for you to enjoy!
(Email subscribers will want to click on the title of this blog post to view the graphics and to download the three pages of Christmas Peace for your use.)
For some of you, this may not apply...but since my family and I are followers of Jesus Christ, we have tried to make a thoughtful effort every December to bring more of Christ into our Christmas and less of the self-centered "give me, give me!" type of attitude. We've downplayed Santa and other secular versions of Christmas that can take over the true meaning of Christmas.
If you enjoy the rhythm of the poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moor, then I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised at the similar rhythm of this new illustrated book, The First Christmas Night!
(Email subscribers may want to click back to the original post in order to most easily view the photos and enter the giveaway contest.)
About The First Christmas Night
Here's a sample of the poetry found between the covers of The First Christmas Night:
’Twas the very first Christmas when all through the town
not a creature was stirring—there was not a sound.
The moon shining bright in the heavens so high
gave the look of midday to the Bethlehem sky.
The animals were nestled in warm, cozy places
with looks of contentment on each of their faces.
Julieanne's review of The First Christmas Night:
About the author:
Keith Christopher is an award-winning composer, arranger, lyricist, and author, and his musical talent is evident in the lyrical verses of The First Christmas Night. In addition to writing and producing, Keith is on the faculty at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. |
About the illustrator:
At a very early age, Christine Kornacki developed a love for painting and bringing stories to life. After receiving a BFA in illustration from the University of Hartford, her dreams of illustrating children's books began to take shape, including illustrating the best-selling The Sparkle Box for Ideal's Children's Books. Christine's recent work also includes illustrating the six-book series for the American Girl historical doll characters Marie-Grace and Cecile. She spends her days painting in her studio, which adjoins a charming cafe in New Haven, Connecticut. |
More info. about The First Christmas Night:
- Kids ages 4-8 - The rhyming language can help them develop verbal language skills and learn to read
- Family story time during the holidays
- Children's Ministers and Sunday school teachers
- Christmas carolers could set it to a tune!
Now, for the GIVEAWAY of The First Christmas Night:
The First Christmas Night children's picture book giveaway ends on Monday, December 9th, 2013 at midnight Pacific time...
...and please read the requirements for entering, below, because if you're the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll be checking up on you! ☺ U.S. entries only, please. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
Originally, we were going to sign up for a TeenPact class (not an affiliate link) in Washington, D.C., which is held during the 2nd week of October, but we changed our mind. We can do that, right? :) We decided that instead of spending a lot of time in lecture/classroom situations, we'd rather be out and about, seeing the sites of the city.
I'm so thankful we made that decision! Guess what happened during the week of TeenPact's class in 2013? One of the joyless government shutdowns. :( Shudder.
In the future, one or both of our girls may decide to take TeenPact's "Back to D.C." classes...but since this was only our second big vacation in our daughters' lives, and they are in 8th and 10th grades, we decided to make it a family affair.
You may think it would be easy to select the best time for your family to spend time in Washington, D.C. However, it really depends on what you'd like to do while you are there.
If you want to do a lot of outdoor activities while in D.C., like kayaking, hiking, golfing, and fishing, then you would probably enjoy the spring and autumn months more. Spring and fall are very pleasant, with low humidity, comfortable temperatures, and plenty of sunshine. In March, you can enjoy the appearance of the cherry blossoms along the Potomac. Hotel rooms are at a premium, though, and airfares tend to be higher. This is also a popular season for protest marches. Graduations in May also bring crowds to the city. |
If you want to see Washington, D.C. decked out in all its Christmas glory, and you enjoy snow and ice skating, then December is the best month to travel. Keep in mind that January and February has the least predictable weather in D.C. While winters are generally mild, plan accordingly, as the city often gets several snowstorms each year. The Presidential Inauguration ceremony, held every four years in January, will also bring out the crowds. Some museums and galleries may also close for inclement weather such as a snowstorm. If the federal government offices close for bad weather, many area attractions follow suit. |
After reading lots of advice online, we decided to spend time in Washington, D.C. from October 19-26. Here's why:
- The weather was still warm during the day, but not hot. We had lots of nice sunshine, and only about 18 hours of clouds. We literally only felt 2-3 drops of rain the entire week!
- Humidity wasn't going to be a problem. Oregonians don't know what humidity is, and we decided that our week in D.C. wasn't the week we wanted to learn about humidity. Ha!
- Evenings and mornings would be cool, but we were fine with that.
- We knew we would observe some school groups touring some of the sites, but it wouldn't be overwhelming.
- We knew that tourist season was officially over, so we wouldn't be waiting in line for three hours to view the U.S. Constitution or The Declaration of Independence.
Washington, D.C. is a popular place to visit from mid-March through mid-June, and again from mid-September through early November, although we rarely saw tourists in mid- to late-October.
Events to consider as you make your vacation plans include the Capital Pride Festival, rallies and other events on the Mall, the Marine Corps Marathon, and conventions. You can see a calendar of upcoming conventions on the DC Convention Center website. Our last day in Washington, D.C. was the day before the annual Marine Corps Marathon, and the Metro transit system was jam-packed!
We were told we'd find the highest hotel occupancy rates and prices during March through September, as well as during the business week (Mondays through Thursdays).
Maybe due to the government shutdown that resolved itself three days before we arrived in D.C., it was quieter than normal, but we felt October was a very enjoyable, less stressful time of year to travel around the D.C. area.
- high season: March to mid-June; mid-September to mid-October
- low season: July to mid-September, January to February
- shoulder season: late June, November to December
The Washington D.C. Convention & Tourism Corporation recommends booking your trip four to eight weeks in advance before arriving. Also, last-minute rates can provide good savings, should you decide to take a trip on short notice.
Plan to spend more during peak spring and fall travel months, particularly during cherry blossom season and graduations. Special events such as the Inauguration will also drive up airfare prices.
Either advance planning (one to two months ahead) or last-minute sales will provide the best hotel rates. Check hotel company websites to see if online-only prices or sales are being offered at participating D.C. properties. If you're planning on visiting during a major convention, try to book even earlier to make sure you get a decent rate (as well as a room).
As our family began to plan "the best homeschool field trip ever" - a trip to Washington, D.C. - I frequently read that it would cost a fortune to spend time in our nation's capitol.
People mentioned to me how expensive meals are in Washington, and how it's almost impossible to find safe lodging under $200 per night.
Gulp.
Over the next few months, I'm going to be sharing with you about my family's recent trip to Washington, D.C., what we did to save as much money as possible in order to make this trip, and how we saved money during the trip.
I'll also be sharing a 7-day travel itinerary so you can have an idea of how much you'll be able to see in one week's stay in Washington, D.C. Of course, you can adjust this to fit your own needs and the amount of days that you'll be staying in D.C.
We saw an amazing number of memorials, museums, and historical sites within seven days' time. When we've mentioned to our friends all that we saw, they're surprised! I'm going to let you know how we did this, and the order we did it.
Of course, your mileage may vary, as you may have some different factors within your own family, should you plan a trip to D.C. on your own:
- the distance you live from our nation's capitol
- the ages of the children in your family
- the ability of your family members to walk at least several miles each day
- the amount of money you have to spend on your trip to D.C.
- finding the best flight for your family's needs
- safe and inexpensive lodging
- how to use the Metro (DC's MetroRail subway system) to your advantage
- clothing and attire
- how to pack a week's clothing in a small carry-on bag (no checked baggage fees!)
- a seven-day itinerary that can be adjusted to meet your needs
- eating inexpensively in Washington, D.C.
- the most reasonable time of year to travel to D.C.
and more!
Just to give you a taste of all that we saw in our week-long adventure to Washington, D.C., here's a list of what we did:
- Mt. Vernon (home of George Washington)
- National Mall Memorials (all of them!)
- U.S. Capitol Building
- Library of Congress
- White House
- Union Station
- Pentagon and 9/11 Memorial
- Iwo Jima Memorial
- Fords Theatre Museum
- National Archives
- National Art Gallery
- Manassas battlefield of the Civil War
- Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson)
- Arlington National Cemetery (watched changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns)
- Arlington/Lee House
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Air and Space Museum
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of Crime and Punishment
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Postal Museum
- The Smithsonian Castle
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Albert Einstein Memorial
- The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- The National Cathedral
- The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (where money is printed)
- The Orkin Insect Zoo and Butterfly Pavilion
She said, "Yes!" We were very excited to have Joanne along for the trip, not only for her friendship, but also for her knowledge of the DC area. It was so helpful to have someone along who had navigated the big city before and knew it well. I'll be sharing with you many of Joanne's tips for having the best week ever in D.C.
If you think your family may never be able to finance a week away from home like this, with airline flights involved, that may be true. We were able to do this, by God's grace. Our children, at ages 13 and 15, had never flown on a commercial airplane, and the last big trip (driving by car) we took as a family was in 2008 (five years ago). I'll let you know how we managed to make this trip. Maybe some of our tips will work for your own family! Stay tuned for more. :)
Read all of my helpful tips about staying frugally in Washington, D.C.!
Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.
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