Joy In Our Journey
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  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
  • Home & Family
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
    • Life at Home
    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
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New MP3 Audio downloads of The Mystery of History, vol. 3 (Quarter 1)

1/30/2011

5 Comments

 
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This page contains affiliate links.

     Our family has been learning chronological, worldwide history with a biblical worldview for the last six years using a fabulous curriculum called The Mystery of History. 

     If you were able to study world history back in your school days, especially if you learned world history in relation to the Bible, then you were very blessed! 

     I wasn't blessed in this way.  I attended four schools in three different states during my thirteen years of schooling before college, and I know with certainty that I only studied worldwide cultures and historical events a few times:  two months' study of ancient Egypt while in the 2nd grade (mainly because a large Egyptian display was coming to our town), and a smattering of chapters read in a very boring history text in the 6th grade.  Other than that, all I received was American history, year after year, and only reached WWI one time!  Needless to say, history was not my favorite subject in school.  Reading dry texts with no additional activities or projects was not my cup of tea, even though I loved to read.

     My husband attended the same school district for all 13 years of his schooling, and he didn't have much of world history at all, either.  Many of my friends never learned any European history whatsoever.  How can we even begin to understand our own nation's history and where we are headed if we don't know the historical record from the past?

     After spending months looking online (with dial-up back then) at samples of history programs, I chose The Mystery of History for our family.  We would begin "at the very beginning" with Creation, and continue through the Life of Christ using volume I of MOH.  We chose to spend two years working through the wonderful material and activities in this book so that we could spend 2-4 weeks doing more in-depth studies of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the life of Christ.  It was fabulous! 

     Of course, when we were already three-fourths of the way through volume I, the author, Linda Hobar, developed some audio CDs of her retelling the lessons in volume 1.  The girls wanted me to buy them for our family, but since we were almost finished with volume I, I decided to wait. 

     And then, of course, when we were about halfway through volume II of The Mystery of History, studying the Middle Ages, Linda finished recording the audio files for volume II.  Again, I decided to wait. 

     Now that we are using The Mystery of History, volume III (Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations), and we aren't very far into the book, I have learned that the audio files for Quarter 1 for volume III are now completed and ready for MP3 download.  We are actually able to use this as we read through the remainder of Quarter 1 in volume III! 


     I am SO excited!  (Jumping up and down here...can you see me?)

     Linda is a natural writer who has been greatly gifted by God, and she was also blessed with a beautiful reading voice as well.  In my experiences, it isn't always the case that the author has a pleasing sounding voice to be used on her own audio CDs and MP3's.  So she has been doubly blessed!  We have had no problem listening to Linda's voice as she enthusiastically but gently reads through the lessons.  We are beginning to feel like Linda comes and visits as we sit and enjoy listening to her read through our history lessons with us.  How nice is that???!!!

     Audio files for Quarter 1 of The Mystery of History, Volume III are available HERE.  They have just recently been made available to the public.  Whether you own The Mystery of History, Volume III or not, the retellings of the beginnings of the Reformation and the history of the Renaissance will come to life as you listen to Linda share HIS story of the world, from a biblical perspective.  The audio files were easy to download and save to my computer.  It's nice to see that even the technical aspect of using these MP3 files have been well thought out.  Thank you!

     Working through the volumes of The Mystery of History has changed my life.  I feel like so many missing gaps and pieces of the puzzle of world history have been filled.  I may not remember everything I've read and learned, but I have a much better general view of our world's past historical record.  Thank you, Linda, for helping me to gain confidence in teaching world history to my children, and for guiding me down the path to actually loving history now!

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Disclosure:  The author of The Mystery of History, volumes 1-3 provided me with an MP3 download of Volume 3, Quarter 1 for the purpose of my use and review on this website.  No other compensation was provided.

5 Comments

Dr. Funster's Think A Minutes, by The Critical Thinking Skills Company

1/30/2011

2 Comments

 
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This page contains affiliate links.

     We all want our children to be able to think clearly and make right decisions.  We don't want them to be bamboozled by the latest craze in pop psychology or cultural "un"awareness. 

     One of the things parents can do to help their children think clearly, or critically, is to provide them with materials that force them to think hard - not just about math problems, or how to spell words, or where Timbuktu is, but to have to think hard about choices and problem solving.

     I'll admit it.  One of my problems during my childhood is that I was lazy and wanted the "easy" answer.  When I didn't know how to spell a word, I'd ask my parents.  I'd get frustrated when they wouldn't just tell me the answer.  They would tell me to get out the dictionary and look up the word for myself.  Sigh.

      Or with my math homework.  Okay, so my dad is this mathematical genius, like the guy on the "Numbers" television program that used to be on TV, and I would look at my dad like he was plain dumb.  While doing my math homework.  Duh.  I would whine and complain, "But that isn't how the teacher explained it in c-l-a-s-s!!!" and I would usually break down in tears, sobbing, because I didn't understand math concepts in a logical way like my genius dad.  This time, he was sighing.

     I remember doing very few activities that had to do with problem solving while I was in school.  I remember breaking into teams, and we had to choose 10 items we could keep with us if we were stranded on an island.  I think we did that activity more than a few times in school.  But other than that, I don't remember much time dedicated to making wise choices, figuring out when we were being deceived, and critical thinking skills.

    Dr. Funster's Think A Minutes contains thinking puzzles and games that are designed to develop critical and creative thinking skills.  It also contains a variety of games and puzzles that include language development, math, writing, visual, spatial, and perceptual skills activities that build deductive, inductive, and logical reasoning.
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     Here are Brittany's thoughts on this book:

     "Dr. Funster's Think A Minutes was fun, but it was also really hard. I had to get Mom's help to explain a lot of it."


     She did enjoy viewing the problems presented on the pages she was able to complete, but the kinds of thinking in this book were quite different from what she was used to doing.  So, she did come to me quite often.  I would give her a clue or two, but even then, there were some problems that she couldn't solve.  Considering that she's in the 5th grade and this book is rated at the 6th-8th grade level (ages 12-14), I didn't mind walking her through some of the problems.  Now that she has used some of the pages, I think we will put this book away in her school box of materials, and we'll bring it out in another six to twelve months when she has matured a bit more. She did like the challenge of the problems and how they really made her think!  She just wasn't able to solve all of the problems. 

     Easy-to-follow directions and answers are included in this book, so if you as the parent are stumped on how to solve a problem, you can check the back of the book for the answers.  There are 44 pages in Dr. Funster's Think A Minutes.

View a sample page from Dr Funster's Think-A-Minutes C1! 

     What other kinds of materials do you use with your children to help teach them critical thinking skills?  Please share your ideas! 
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Disclaimer:  Timberdoodle kindly sent me this book in exchange for my honest and forthright review of this product.  No other compensation was provided.

2 Comments

"Word Roots" review for The Critical Thinking Skills Company

1/30/2011

4 Comments

 
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This page contains affiliate links.

     Words, words, words!  We don't understand all of them even though most of us have been speaking English since toddlerhood.  I believe the most challenging aspect of knowing the English language is the wide range of vocabulary that has been carried into our language from Greek, Latin, French, German, and other languages.  With over 500,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary, it's no wonder that there is so much to learn!

     Our family was asked to use and review Word Roots (Level B2) by Critical Thinking Skills Company.  Kelsi looked at all of the online samples, and she chose this product, Word Roots (Level B2). 

     Kelsi (7th grade) has always enjoyed words:  saying, writing, reading, and spelling words.  She has done some work with roots, prefixes, and suffixes, from learning Latin for almost two years now, but she hasn't done anything that was extremely concentrated in the area of learning roots of words.

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     Word Roots, in Kelsi's words, helped her to take apart words and figure out their meanings based on the roots that she was learning with this product.  She liked it so well that she would often take it to bed with her to use during her free reading time in the evening just before lights out!  I don't know that every child would like it as well as she did, but she does really enjoy learning more about words and languages.  She also wanted to study these roots on her own to help her with the upcoming homeschooling spelling bee in our community.  I would often find her on the couch, after her schoolwork had been completed, studying and working in this book.  Wow! 

     Kelsi's only concern with using Word Roots was that occasionally, two roots and their definitions would be so similar that it was sometimes difficult for her to distinguish the correct answer.  However, most of the time, she found the assignments to be at her level, albeit a bit challenging.  Kelsi completed half of this workbook during the month in which we were able to review this product. 

     Word Roots is a product designed more for the independent learner, rather than something used in whole group instruction.  This book focuses on Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes which are frequently found in the English language.

     Word Roots contains a pre-test, a post-test, the answers to the lessons and assignments, and a glossary in the back of the book. 

     An especially nice feature of this book is that it may be reproduced, so the entire family can use it to help prepare for state assessment tests, the CAT, the SAT, and more, as well as simply learning more about our complex English language. 

     There are 72 written activities in Word Roots.  This book has been designed for students ages 12 and up, or in grades 7 and up.  There are four separate levels of Word Roots:  Levels A1 and A2, and Levels B1 and B2. 

     Click below to view a sample of Word Roots:
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     Have you used any of the Word Roots books before?  If you have, what did you think of them?
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4 Comments

Brittany's Horse-themed Birthday Party

1/30/2011

15 Comments

 
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This page contains affiliate links.

     My baby has turned eleven years old this week.  Does that make me feel OLD? 

     No, not yet. 

     But when she turns 18, then I think I will definitely feel OLD.


     For the last couple of years, I've told the girls that I don't mind hosting a birthday party with their friends, but I won't be able to spend many hours planning their parties like I used to do when they were very young and we weren't yet educating them at home.

     Brittany wanted a horse-themed birthday party this year, so she and I planned out a few things and had fun working around the theme of horses!  Here's how her birthday party went:


The Guests Arrive

     Brittany invited ten of her girlfriends to come over for the birthday sleepover party, but five of them (from two separate families) were unavailable this weekend.  So, five girls came over around 4 p.m. on Friday for some frolicking horse birthday fun! 
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     The girls unloaded their sleeping bags and gear into the Paddock (girls' bedroom), and after everyone had arrived, they went out into the backyard for some outdoor horse-themed games.  We were so thankful that the weather was nice this week!  Brittany has always bemoaned having a January birthday with weather that doesn't cooperate for outdoor activities, so she was especially blessed to be able to do outdoor games this year.

"Horses Eating Carrots" contest!

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     My girls had tied carrots onto strings and had hung them from tree branches in the backyard.  You should have seen the girls working as hard and fast as they could to eat the carrots!  I wish I had thought to get a video of it.  We laughed and laughed!  They chose to do this in two groups of girls so each group could watch the other.  It was a great choice!


Bobbing for Apples...

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     Horses love apples as well as carrots, so we decided to have fun bobbing for apples!  We did it slightly different than most groups...we placed one apple at a time into the bowl, so everyone wouldn't be biting everyone else's apples.  But of course, if we wanted to be even more health-conscious, we would have used a clean bowl for every child.  Well, we didn't, but they still had fun!

Showjumping Obstacle Course...

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     I didn't get a photo of the girls taking turns doing the obstacle course, but my girls had laid out various ladders and objects to make a "jumping course" for the girls to use.  They got the country music going (we only own one country music CD) and the stopwatch to time each girl as they jumped and galloped through the course.  I wonder if the neighbors were wondering what in the world was going on! 

Settling down and grazing...

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     Okay, so I enjoy punishing myself by feeding a herd of girls a bunch of sugar.  Oh, well.

     We got out the trough of Jelly Bellys and let the girls have some.  I didn't have to encourage them to eat.  They willingly went to the trough.

      But I did limit them some, since our pizza would be ready soon.  While they waited for their pizza, I allowed them to play the Wii...something I usually don't let my girls do when we have company over.  But it's a birthday, right? 
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Cake and Presents...

     Brittany has two love languages.  We jokingly call them "back rubs" and gifts.  That's her.  She enjoyed opening her gifts which included two Webkinz, a couple of games for the Wii, a Scrabble game for the computer, some books that she has been wanting to read, a miniature "Kit" American girl doll and her accompanying Kit books, and more.  As her mama, I was thankful that she graciously and enthusiastically thanked each girl for her new gifts.
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     After not having any success with Kelsi's birthday cake that I had ordered in December, we decided to try the made-to-order cakes from Costco.  We were pleasantly surprised!  They were half the price of other cakes in town, the decorative icing was very professionally done, the filling was a nice cream filling that wasn't too sweet.  I did need to make room in my refrigerator to fit the cake, but that was fine.  It was even better tasting the next day, which was surprising.  We did add our own horses to the sheet cake, to give it more of a personal touch.

More fun and games...

...carrying Brittany around the living room until their arms started to hurt...
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...a horseshoe craft project for the girls!  I found this idea online, and it was very simple to do!  I found brand new horseshoes at one of our local ranch/feed stores for just a little over $1 each.  I spray painted them gold with a can of paint I already had, and then the girls decorated the horseshoes with their name (using t-shirt puff paints), jewels, and plastic emblems.  I think they turned out really nice!
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Settling down for bed and watching a movie...

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...which was even more fun to watch in our ClearPlay DVD player.  The filtering on the DVD player removed several swear words, a couple of misuses of God's name, and a very small section in one scene of the movie that was slightly inappropriate.  I just love using the ClearPlay, turning all movies, regardless of their rating, into rated...
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Bedtime and Saturday morning...

     Like most sleepovers at my house, no matter how late the girls stay up, they usually are all awake by 7:00 a.m.  Fortunately, on Friday evening, they were all asleep by 11:00, if not sooner.  Whew! 

     Breakfast seemed to be a hit with everyone.  We enjoyed giant muffins...
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...Mom's Oven Omelet...
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This isn't a photo of our omelet. Ours contained eggs and cooked sausage, not spinach...

Recipe for Mom's Oven Omelet
Serves 4-6:
8 eggs
1 cup milk

favorite toppings, if desired:  chopped onion, green onion, bell peppers, mushrooms
1 lb. cooked sausage, ham, or bacon
2 cups shredded cheese

Heat oven to 425° F. Beat eggs and milk together. Pour into greased 9x13" metal baking pan. Sprinkle cooked meats and other toppings (if desired) over egg mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with two cups shredded cheese. Place back into oven for 1-2 minutes until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

...and fresh pineapple (the plums we bought were not quite ripe enough, but the pineapple was very sweet and juicy)!  I had never cut up a pineapple before, so I turned to my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and read how to cut up a pineapple in there.  It wasn't hard at all!  The pineapple was guaranteed to be fresh and juicy, and it was.

Last but not least...

     Before everyone left to go home around 10:00 a.m., the girls used graham crackers, frosting, and inexpensive wooden horses and picket fences to build their own "horse barns."  Well, they weren't exactly works of art, but they had fun building!

     We really enjoyed Brittany's party a lot.  There was a nice number of girls with us, and my girls organized all of the games and activities except for the horseshoe craft that they did.  Kelsi and Brittany also helped to organize the house and clean up things for our guests.  I'm very pleased with their willingness to help things go smoothly throughout the weekend.  Thank you, girls!  You are a blessing to me.

Happy Birthday, Brittany!

Love,
Mom

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15 Comments

True Treasures: A Special Book of Great Value

1/25/2011

9 Comments

 
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     I've heard it said many times that diamonds are a woman's best friend.

     Of course, this is usually seen in jewelry store advertisements, right?

      Many girls and young women long for the diamonds, the glitter, the   romance, the Prince Charming as they prepare for marriage.

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     I think I was a little bit different as a high school and college student.  I was interested in dating and marriage, but I didn't date at all until I was 18 and attending my Senior Prom.  I also dated someone during my first four months of college, but I didn't feel like this was the right type of young man I should marry.  I wasn't interested in dating just for the sake of dating.  After dating that "Mr. Someone" in college for a few months, I would only consider going out on a date with someone if I had prayerfully considered whether or not this would be the kind of man I would consider marrying. 

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     So, for nearly seven "prime dating years", I didn't date.  Anyone.  I turned a couple of guys down who asked me out, because I knew right away that this was not the kind of person God wanted me to marry.  And if my husband had asked me out during those seven years, I would have probably turned him down as well.  During those years, he wasn't the shining diamond I would have agreed to consider.  (Sorry, Elmer!)

     I wanted romance and excitement and eventually, THE diamond. 

       But more than anything, I wanted a courtship, where the young man I was getting to know very early on would have similar life goals as mine.  I knew from years of listening to "Focus on the Family" radio broadcasts as I would do my homework in high school and college, that there was a lot more to marriage than just the glitter and fun of dating.

     Instead, marriage was commitment, hard work, serving, giving 100%, staying cheerful when I didn't feel like it, submission, and more.  Romance, too, but that would even take work later on down the road.  And we're not even talking about the responsibilities of having children here!

Jewels that Make the Heart Sparkle!

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Eternal Encouragement magazine is interested in encouraging women in their roles of wife, mother, homemaker, and home educator.  Mrs. Lorrie Flem, the editor of TEACH, knows that after the honeymoon is over, it will take more than diamonds to keep a family together.  In light of this, she has compiled some wonderful articles from the last ten years of "TEACH Magazine"...to bring us some real  treasures, in a brand new book called
True Treasures. 

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True Treasures is divided into 6 sections, each one full of inspiring ideas, wisdom from the hearts of women, and encouragement to help you be a better wife, mother, and homemaker.

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Jewels that Make the Heart Sparkle ~ biblical teachings on character traits and godly living, in general, that applies to every woman whether homeschooling or not

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Marriages Made of Solid Gold ~ "A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies."  (Proverbs 31:10)

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Parenting Pearls:  Practical and Priceless ~ "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him." (Psalm 127:3)  There are some fabulous articles and suggestions in here for becoming a more godly parent.  I loved  reading through articles and stories in this chapter.

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Homemaking That Dazzles Like Diamonds ~ Not only will you find articles on keeping your homemaking focus, becoming more disciplined and organized, and more, but you'll also see helping your family focus on ministry and on serving others.

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Homeschooling Nuggets of Wisdom ~ "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."  (3 John 1:4)  If your primary focus in being a godly parent is to raise and guide your children in their spiritual walk, then you will find much encouragement in this beautiful chapter.

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Godly Living That Glitters ~ Contentment, Serenity, Forgiveness, and more are here to encourage you in your daily walk with the Lord.  "The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure."  (Isaiah 33:6)

     Many of you may be interested in reading excerpts from True Treasures.  If so, you will be able to find samples of articles HERE.

True Treasures costs $19.99. 
You will also be able to download a free sample of Eternal Encouragement (formerly called TEACH Magazine) HERE.
 Learn more:  www.HomemakingWithTEACH.com
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Disclosure:  This jewel of a book is offered by TEACH Magazine/Eternal Encouragement Magazine.  I received this product for honest review from TEACH Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.

9 Comments

Pick and Draw cartooning card game

1/24/2011

53 Comments

 

Review:  Pick and Draw
Cartooning Card Game!

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     We like trying out new games, and this is one that has been a lot of fun for us...

                          PICK and DRAW!
What is Pick and Draw?
  • Pick and Draw is a fun, one-of-a-kind drawing game that teaches you how to make very creative cartoon faces.
  • There are 60,000 different possibilities in the game (a deck of cards).
  • The game uses mainly simple shapes everyone already knows how to do thereby giving confidence to those who try.
  • It is simple and easy to use providing endless hours of fun and learning. In five minutes or less you will know how to play.
  • It can be used by one person or by any group number.
  • It also opens up creative thinking and using the imagination.
  • This makes “success” possible providing a good kind of confidence to encourage continued learning.
  • Best of all, it’s a lot of fun!
  • No, it’s not a gimmick… and yes, it only costs $10.

Who is using Pick and Draw?
  • Elementary school creative writing game.
  • Children’s grief counseling (builds a “trust” bridge between counselor and grieving child).
  • Occupational Therapy helping with eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills
  • KIds with Down Syndrom and Autistism: understanding visual messages with different facial expressions.
  • Mission field workers to orphanges and street kids: building a fun visual communication bridge between worker and kids.
  • Kids with Long term sicknesses: while sitting in bed or clinics, this creative game helps pass the time and take their mind off the pain.
  • Grandparents can have a fun activity with their grandkids:no technology involved, they interact and have fun with the kids in a simple, fun way by drawing with them….and really enjoy it as they do.
  • Homeschoolers…different uses for story writting to filling time that comes open unexpectantly.
  • Art Class (school) Activity…many different ways to be creative for each child in the class and allow them to express themself visually in a way they feel comfortable and confident.
  • Church Youth Programs….from ten different heart messages that can be associated with playing the game, it is a powerful communication tool that kids can grasp.
     If you'd like to try out one turn of playing Pick and Draw, you can play a quick turn on P&D creator's website, PickAndDraw.com.  This will also show you how the game works!

     While I may have other talents, drawing hasn't been one of them.  My children long surpassed my drawing abilities when they were around five or six years old.  Yikes!  We have had a great time with this drawing game.  We even took it over to Grandma and Grandpa's home one night when we were invited over for dinner.  All six of us participated, and I was amazed that I could actually draw something!  What was the most fun for everyone was that even though we all had the same cards at which to look, our drawings turned out completely different from each other.  There was a lot of laughter and ribbing going on that evening, thanks to Pick and Draw.  I wanted to share samples of our drawings here, but I've just run out of time to do that.  Maybe in the future!

    Jenn at www.MamaJenn.com has created a free BINGO game using Pick and Draw, and she is giving these downloadable BINGO sheets away for free to anyone who would like to download them HERE.

    For a free giveaway of a brand new game of Pick and Draw, read below:

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Pick and Draw creator, Rich Davis

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     Pick and Draw creator, Rich Davis calls himself a "Visual Creative Specialist"...and I think this title fits him well!  He has illustrated numerous children's books, cards, and has done other artwork.  He presents cartooning and drawing classes  in schools and libraries.  He provides occasional free drawing lessons on his drawing blog for children.  You may see samples of these drawing lessons directly above this paragraph. 
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53 Comments

Monopoly Money and Dave Ramsey

1/19/2011

3 Comments

 
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This page contains affiliate links.

     Last week, our family began taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes at our church.  My husband and I took a financial budgeting class for maybe 8 weeks (?) seventeen years ago, when we were engaged.  Those classes with the Ron Blue financial ministry were helpful - oh, more than a few times - in the last 16 years of our marriage.  Now, it's time for our children to take a budgeting class with us!

     Six months after we married, I resigned from my teaching position at the end of the school year and began working in an educational office for a much lower wage - about half of the pay I had received previously.  I had enjoyed teaching children, but I longed for a "9 to 5" job so that I could be home in the evening with my husband, not having him competing with mounds of student papers that needed to be corrected each week.  It was one of the better decisions I've made in my life.  I loved it!

     Because both of us had lived frugally with our Monopoly money when we were single, in our own apartments (uh, yeah, that is a bit odd - usually financial opposites attract), we were used to spending only what we really needed to spend for daily living.  As I remember, we ate out about once a month, went to a few movies each year, kept our gift giving at a minimum (even though I would love to spend tons of money on gifts!), camped and hiked for most of our vacations, and just took things easy financially.  We chose monthly organizations and missionaries to support as part of our charitable giving.  We bought our clothes from the "clearance of the clearance" racks or twice a year at the huge sales, or second hand stores.  We weren't cheapskates, but we definitely were not big spenders.  We were trying to be very careful with our Monopoly money!

     We chose long before we married to plan to live on one income once our names (and bank accounts) would merge and we would sign on the dotted marriage line.  For the most part, we were able to do this.  We used my paycheck to pay off my car and his truck within a year of being married, as well as paying off my student loans.  We were basically debt free, with no consumer debt from credit cards, etc.  Once that was paid off, even though I was working at a lower wage job for only nine months each year, we began saving my paycheck so we could have a downpayment on a house. 

     When Kelsi was three months old, we found a house that had been sorely neglected but had potential.  Best of all, it had great neighbors and a larger living room, which was important to us because we enjoyed hosting get-togethers with family and friends.  No matter that it was in a low-income neighborhood; it was OURS!  Once again, we chose to be careful with our Monopoly money.  The mortgage loan officer encouraged us to spend more on a house - much more - but we declined.  She even tried to include our retirement account monies when figuring out how much we could potentially afford in a monthly house payment.  Weird!  Even though our tastes in housing wanted something more than we bought, our pocketbook told us that we should instead buy something that we could still afford even if my husband, Elmer, became unemployed or disabled.  So, we bought low and have stayed where we are, even though some people have questioned why we live in a neighborhood like ours or why we only have a two-bedroom house. 

     Recently, our family began working on our homework for this first week's Dave Ramsey class, Financial Peace University.  Now that our girls are pre-teen/teen aged, we knew that they were ready to begin learning some more in-depth information about planning and setting budgets, and how to be wise with their money for now and in their future.  Initially, we were excited about our church hosting these classes, but we hadn't planned to sign up for them.  However, after thinking about it and discussing the classes with our girls, we decided sign up our family for the purpose of educating our girls about handling money in a wise way.

     This week, we were supposed to read four chapters of Financial Peace Revisited and then write out the current budget that we have for our family.  While we have become a little sloppier over the years and haven't written out every single expense in our monthly budget, we have had a monthly check-off page to make sure that each bill is paid on time or early. 

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     I printed out the budget worksheet for all four of us, and we sat down at the dining room table with our budget binder we've used for years, a calculator, and the Monopoly money.  Yes, Monopoly money!

     We gave the girls each the amount of play money in Elmer's gross income.  They weren't surprised to see the money for our tithing and charitable giving disappear from the gross, but when Uncle Sam visited and took away the taxes, they gasped! 

     As do we, every month. 


       It still shocks me how much we pay each month in taxes.  Did you know that ancient Romans would form a riot which would quickly turn into a mob, if their tax rates were above 6 percent?  Six percent!  Oh, my.  They would rebel and take over the government if they were here now, I'm afraid!

     After charitable giving and taxes, they paid the "bank" (my husband and I) Monopoly money for all of our bills.  After about 20 minutes, Brittany became quite discouraged.  "It's all disappearing!" she shrieked at some point toward the end of the "lesson." 

     Yes, Brittany, it is.  That's what happens.

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     We went through each bill, having the girls first guess how much they thought we would spend each month on that item.  Then, we told them the actual amount, and they forked over the Monopoly money to Mom (the banker).  They didn't like seeing that money disappear!  (Nor do we.) 

     This was an excellent lesson for them.  Kelsi has always been extremely frugal with her money.  She's a "saver", that's for certain.  Brittany has always been a "spender", but she has greatly improved on her spending habits over the last few years.  We are pleased with her progress.  It was nice going to the store with her this last week, and she didn't ask for me to buy anything.  She said a couple of times, "I'd like to have this, but it isn't in the budget!" 

     Ahhh...yes.  She is "getting it."  Hooray!

     What kinds of things are you doing to help your children learn better money management?  I'd love to know - please share your ideas in the comments section below!
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Bible Study Review: Positive Action for Christ (Life of Christ)

1/14/2011

3 Comments

 
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     I've mentioned here in the past - and even recently - that I'm always on the lookout for family Bible devotionals and studies that are in depth and not insulting to a child's or young adult's intelligence.  It doesn't need to be flashy or "loud"; it just needs to be accurate and thought-provoking, hopefully helping our children to want to get on their knees and strengthen their faith through prayer, Bible reading, and making godly choices to live for Christ.

     And if it happens to challenge my husband and me, then that is all the better! 
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This page contains affiliate links.


     During the months of December and January, the girls and I have been going through some of the lessons from The Life of Christ:  From the Gospel of John, a Bible study curriculum from Positive Action for Christ. 

     Positive Action for Christ/Positive Action Bible Curriculum has been used in private schools and churches for some time now, and this ministry is wanting to reach out to the homeschooling community. 

     We unwrapped the large box that we received from Positive Action to find the following:
  • Teacher's Manual that includes teaching strategies, background information, quizzes, tests, and other supplemental material
  • Full color Student's Manual with activities, lessons, and age-appropriate Bible study questions designed to encourage discussion
  • a CD-ROM which contains PowerPoint slides for each lesson
  • A scope and sequence with week-by-week details of the material that is covered in each of the studies

     The Teacher's Guide/Parent's Guide contained an inserted letter to homeschooling parents to explain how this Bible curriculum could easily be adapted to fit the needs of the homeschooling family.  Suggestions are given on how to adapt The Life of Christ:  From the Gospel of John as a parent-taught study, for independent study, to be used in a co-op or church group setting, or for in family devotional time.

     Jeff and Nancy Ludlow explained in the letter how they had searched for years to find the "right" homeschool Bible curriculum.  Here is what they shared:

     We have always desired to see our children passionately love the Lord.  For many years, this desire spurred a frustrating - and mostly futile - annual search for the 'right' homeschool Bible curriculum.  Our children were learning little about the Word of God and almost nothing about the God of the Word.

     The discovery of Positive Action Bible Curriculum was life-changing for our family.  Through these studies we have learned to seek the majesty and grace of God in everything.  The student's manual is full of practical heart applications that challenge students to act upon the truths they have just learned.  The engaging format encourages thoughtful discussion about each lesson.  What a joy to finally hear my children say, 'We want to do Bible first!' "

     The girls and I were able to work through two full lessons and half of the third lesson.  Each lesson takes approximately four or five daily sessions to complete, and because of Christmas and other obligations, we were thankful that we were able to work through almost three weeks of lessons. 

     You know what I liked about this study?  It left us begging for more...to continue on even though we had been reading and studying for at least 30 - 45 minutes.  That is a good sign!  Lesson One introduced us to the Book of John, and then we continued on to study and read about the purpose of John's Gospel.  Lesson Three plunged into the geographical and political situation at the time of Christ's ministry.  We found the factual information intriguing, and the layout is easy to follow in the student manual.  The questions and quizzes brought up a lot of discussion about different aspects of the Gospel of John.  We can't wait to get further into the book as the miracles of Jesus - as recorded by John - are studied. 

      I can't think of anything I didn't like about our several weeks we spent using The Life of Christ.  I'm excited to use something that is challenging and engaging, and completely focused on the Scriptures.  We may consider purchasing other studies from this company - it's THAT good! 

     Many of you may be interested in taking a closer look at the doctrinal statement of Positive Action.  While you may not agree with everything listed in their statement, I think you will find, like I did, that there was little to object about with this particular study.  You may view that HERE.

     I would like to mention that even though The Life of Christ is listed as appropriate for grades 7-12, I could see some junior high students not showing as much appreciation for this study, especially if they have had little discipleship in the Word of God.  This isn't a flaky, spineless curriculum.  I think it's well worth it, and I'm so thankful we were able to review this.  I don't know if we would have ever run into it in our area!

     This study is designed to be used over 35 weeks, although since it is so in-depth, it could easily be used over a two-year time period.

    A sample of the Teacher's Manual for The Life of Christ may be viewed below, as well as a sample of the Student Manual.  While it was obvious to us that this kind of curriculum is designed for private schools and group settings, it can be adapted to use in other settings as well.

 Teacher's Manual sample


 Student Manual sample


     An "outline edition" Student Manual is also available for $8.95.  For larger group settings, a Deluxe Presentation DVD and a CD-ROM containing Overhead Transparencies are also available, but these aren't necessary to use in the home setting in most cases. 


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Disclaimer:  Positive Action sent me these materials at no cost for the purpose of me using them in our home and sharing our thoughts about them with you.  No other compensation was provided.

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"Herein is Love" for Family Bible Time or Family Worship

1/14/2011

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This page contains affiliate links.

     The second diaper I ever changed in my life belonged to my firstborn child. 

       The first diaper I ever changed was a few months earlier, when I was still pregnant with my oldest daughter, Kelsi.  My twin sister insisted that I change a diaper on one of her children so that I'd have a general idea of how to change diapers when I brought my newborn home from the hospital!  I know, it's shocking, but I had no hands-on experience with babies or very young children.  I knew almost nothing.  I'll even admit that I asked my husband if he would be willing to change our newborn's diaper in the hospital for me so the nurses wouldn't find out that I didn't really know how to do it!  Ha!  (He had helped watch his niece off and on for quite a while when he was a young man, so he knew how to do the diapering thing better than me!)

      Maybe this was a good thing.  It forced me to pray - a lot!  It also forced me to keep my eyes open for women who obviously knew what they were doing because they were experiencing positive, successful results.  Knowing almost nothing made me unafraid to ask other moms questions, and to learn from them. 

     We made it through the diapering stage in our home, worked diligently on first-time disobedience when the girls were toddlers, and as they grew, we began educating the girls at home.  I was still always on the lookout for godly, biblical materials that would help Elmer and I raise the girls up with a godly, biblical perspective on life - and that they would hopefully dedicate themselves fully to doing God's will and live a life of service and love to the King.  I would ask other moms whom I trusted to share with me what materials they were using to introduce their children to God's Kingdom. 

     A godly woman in my life, Michaél, introduced me to a series of Bible teaching books for children.  If I am remembering correctly, she had seen a sample of these books in her church library or church bookstore.  I don't remember exactly.  I was intrigued, because this nifty series of books was going to fit in perfectly with our in-depth study of the Old Testament that we were doing!


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     Herein is Love  is not a catchy, flashy, "busywork" type of Bible curriculum for children.  It doesn't have photos or pictures in it.  But lest you think it might be boring, it isn't.  The commentary is enjoyable and understandable to read with children.  It would make a wonderful morning or evening family devotional.  It includes ideas for songs, crafts, projects, research, and more.  It has so many great ideas to use to teach the Bible that it makes it "easy" to have fun and interesting Bible lessons in your own home. 

    There are two main parts to each lesson: 
  • a descriptive commentary designed for children
  • an activities and lesson section that provides hands-on activities to bring these Scripture lessons to life (found in the teacher's guide, which is in the back of each volume of book)


Here is some additional information about Herein Is Love:


     The beginning books of the Bible are essential to our understanding of God's redemptive story. Nancy Ganz, author of Herein Is Love, creatively focuses our attention on the events that bring this story to life. The series has the richness of well-written literature and the depth of understanding inherent in a commentary. The result is a series of books whose details live and sing. They help parent and child understand the Christ-centered Word, and they are enjoyable reading for both. Your own faith will be strengthened while reading to your children, and your children will be encouraged, lesson by lesson, to believe in the Lord Jesus.


    "Herein is Love is a sensory storehouse.  The book brims with shimmering sights, sensational sounds, savory smells, tingling touches, and tantalizing tastes of life in the ancient Near Eastern world.  Better yet, it is full to overflowing with faith in the true and living God of the Bible.  Use it.  You, your children, and your students will sense God and His Messiah marching through history.  Ganz marinates you in His magnificent, marvelous grace.  You may experience one minor problem.  You'll need multiple copies to minimize parental and sibling rivalry to see who reads it first!  Herein is Love will titillate the senses and touch the heart."

---Dr. George Scipione, Professor, Westminster Theological Seminary President



    If you would like to take a look at one of the chapters in these books, you may view a sample chapter.


    The entire Teacher's Guide for all of Here is Love:  Genesis can be downloaded for free!  Just scroll down to the "Herein is Love" section toward the bottom of the screen.

     This blog posting is not a product review; I purchased this series of books on my own.  We've used them in our own home, and I've actually bought a complete set of the books for each of my girls.  There are some excellent books that may not be "in print" in years to come, so once in a while, I've started to purchase books that I know they will enjoy using with their own children some day, or in teaching Bible classes to other children.  This is a series worth purchasing for leading your family now - and in the future!
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Software Review: Virtual Nerd Math Tutorials

1/12/2011

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     I'm not a math genius, but I did take the highest levels of math offered at my high school...back in the "olden" days.  My high school didn't offer Calculus at the time, so I took Trigonometry.  I can't say that I loved it, but I did pull decent grades in my math classes, mainly because I put in huge amounts of time to do my homework and prepare for tests. 

     When people ask me how I'm going to manage to teach high school levels of math, I tell them that I'm not overly worried.  First of all, I did take those classes once upon a time, and since I passed them, I must have not been totally dumb, I suppose.  I'm no math genius or even a "natural" at math, but I'm willing to work hard to figure it out. 

     Secondly, we have used a math curriculum for years that has lesson instruction on DVD.  Since I was taught in school to basically "memorize the formulas" instead of truly understanding mathematical concepts, I decided back when the girls were in kindergarten to begin watching each and every lesson with them before they began doing their assignments.  There have only been a few lessons over the years where I chose not to watch them with the girls, but only because they already had a great grasp on the material, and they didn't really need my input during the DVD portion of the lesson.  Our math curriculum goes clear through Trigonometry, and I think they will be adding Calculus, but I'm not positive about that.  Watching these DVD lessons has helped me fill in a lot of gaps that I had in my learning.  I like that!

     Thirdly, I'm hoping that my dad is still hanging around by the time the girls both finish high school.  He's  the math genius.  Unfortunately, it skipped a generation or two, and while math and I get along, it's definitely not a love affair or a career choice of mine! 

     My oldest daughter, Kelsi, began Pre-Algebra this school year.  She hasn't had any problems with it yet, and I'm glad.  She seems to be doing well in it, and she's understanding the concepts which are being covered in her lessons and assignments. 

     However, some children, teens, and their homeschooling parents find math to be extremely challenging.  No matter which curricula is selected for math at home, sometimes it is just difficult to help our children with math concepts.

     Kelsi began using Virtual Nerd this last month, for Pre-Algebra, to try out their site and let you know what we thought of it.  As a member of the TOS Crew, it's always fun to take a closer look at something new to us. 

     What did we think about Virtual Nerd?

     Drumroll, please...

     Well, we thought that it might be useful in the future, for more difficult subjects in math and science.  Currently, Kelsi isn't needing assistance in her math and science classes.  At some point, though, she may.  Virtual Nerd would be an excellent choice from which to choose should she or my younger daughter need some additional tutoring.  We both liked the presentation of the videos and the white screen "chalkboard."  The people teaching the videos wrote neatly and carefully, and they talked at a reasonable speed so that it was easy to understand them. 
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Josh Salcman and Leo Shmuylovich, founders of Virtual Nerd
 
    Josh Salcman and Leo Shmuylovich, the founders of Virtual Nerd,  are continuing to develop a sophisticated tutoring website for math and science, to work with students of all ages.  Here is some additional information about them and the Virtual Nerd program:




Virtual Nerd received the Seal of Approval from the Parent Tested Parent Approved organization for excellent quality and value.
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    Will we use Virtual Nerd in our family over the next eight years?  I don't know.  It's a great option, though.  If I felt like one of our girls needed a math tutor (and Grandpa had "kicked the bucket!"), it would be cheaper to sign up for a month or two of than it would be to hire a math tutor for a period of time.  Virtual Nerd can be used at any time of the day or night, weekdays or weekends, so it would be easier to work with Virtual Nerd than it would be to try to schedule a tutor to come to our home. 

     One benefit of a personal tutor coming into my home would be that the instruction would be incredibly individualized, more than a computer website can do.  However, Virtual Nerd has also designed their program to get to the root of the difficulty with a math concept, so their program is very, very solid. 

Cost:
  • $5 for one 24-hour day
  • $19 for one week
  • $49 for one month (recurring subscription)
  • $129 for 3 months

    To see what the rest of the Crew has to say about Virtual Nerd, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!
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Disclaimer:  A free, six-week membership to Virtual Nerd was provided to me as a member of the TOS Crew for "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine" solely for the purpose of us using the website and providing a review for them.  No other compensation was provided.


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    ​​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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