 Healthy Living for Families: BeeYouTiful Our family is slowly moving toward more natural products in our home: organic foods, when we can afford them; local foods when they are in season and convenient; natural/homemade cleaning products; health and beauty products that are not full of 20,000 ingredients we can't pronounce. We were given the opportunity through the TOS Crew to use and review two of BeeYouTiful's products: Lip B.A.L.M., and Tummy Tune-Up. BeeYouTiful's Values ~ What about this company? Their Values: "We are believers in Jesus Christ. We strive to act according to what this means to us. We believe in treating others the way we would like to be treated. We strive to quickly and accurately meet every need, answer every question, take every call, and ship every order, without mistake. But we're human. We make mistakes. So we pledge to do our best to make it right. If anyone ever feels they have not been treated properly they are free to contact me personally." Steve Tallent - Executive Officer steve.tallent@beeyoutiful.com
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What we sampled:   | BeeYouTiful All-Natural |
We received the Lip B.A.L.M. in Orange, which was a very nicely, softly scented citrus. I gave this to Brittany to use for her weekend away at snow camp. She liked the flavor and scent of the Lip B.A.L.M., but she felt like it wasn't "waxy" enough to stay on as long as she had hoped, before she needed to reapply it. Other than that, she didn't have any problems with this product. The Lip B.A.L.M. costs $3.00 per tube, or 3 tubes for $2.70 each.
And . . . we sampled . . .  | Tummy Tune-Up (probiotic) Tummy Tuneup delivers a blast of 4 billion reinforcements from eight vital strains of friendly bacteria. This knocks stomach bugs -- and the accompanying indigestion and nausea -- out of the fight with the first few Tummy Tuneup capsules. Tummy Tuneup is a pro-biotic (in favor of good bacteria) as opposed to an anti-biotic (against all bacteria.) |
Some pregnant moms find major relief from morning sickness when they take Tummy Tuneup. Especially during the first trimester, a mother's body is trying to detoxify so it can devote all its energy to growing a healthy baby. This is why morning sickness tends to be the most intense during the early months of pregnancy. Much, if not most, of the detoxification works through the intestines, which process and get rid of toxins more efficiently if there are plenty of good bacteria around for the job.
Tummy Tuneup users also report relief from excessive gas and bloating -- even after eating common offenders like beans and cabbage. Also: before you consent to taking irritable bowel prescription medicines (which do have unwanted side effects), try putting yourself on a Tummy Tuneup regimen for awhile.
Tummy Tuneup users also report relief from excessive gas and bloating -- even after eating common offenders like beans and cabbage. Also: before you consent to taking irritable bowel prescription medicines (which do have unwanted side effects), try putting yourself on a Tummy Tuneup regimen for awhile.
What we thought:
We've had an interesting autumn and winter working with stomach bugs. This is unlike any other school year we've ever experienced! I started a medication a few months ago, and one of the side effects is to have stomach/intestinal problems, which I've had from time to time. So, I decided to be the guinea pig for Tummy Tuneup.
I have to be honest and say that I didn't notice an improvement in my stomach/intestinal health, even after taking Tummy Tuneup for several weeks. But it may be that even with Tummy Tuneup and drinking raw milk filled with great probiotic organisms, it just wasn't enough to compensate for the medication that I'm taking. I'm going to keep giving this a try and see if things do improve, despite the medication. I think it is an excellent product, but it may just not be able to help me as much as I'd like. Possibly, nothing will!
I have to be honest and say that I didn't notice an improvement in my stomach/intestinal health, even after taking Tummy Tuneup for several weeks. But it may be that even with Tummy Tuneup and drinking raw milk filled with great probiotic organisms, it just wasn't enough to compensate for the medication that I'm taking. I'm going to keep giving this a try and see if things do improve, despite the medication. I think it is an excellent product, but it may just not be able to help me as much as I'd like. Possibly, nothing will!
Follow this link to learn more about what other TOS Crew members have to say about BeeYouTiful products!
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Adriane Darcy was practically raised in her father's newspaper offices. She can't imagine life without the clatter of the press and the push to be first to write the news that matters. Their Tribune is the leading paper in Louisville in 1855. Then Blake Garrett, a brash young editor from the North with a controversial new style of reporting, takes over a failing competing paper, and the battle for readers gets fierce.
When Adriane and Blake meet at a benefit tea, their surprising mutual attraction is hard to ignore. Still, Blake is the enemy, and Adriane is engaged to the son of a powerful businessman who holds the keys to the Tribune's future. Blake will stop at almost nothing to get the story – and the girl. Can he do both before it's too late?
~ Words Spoken True ~
a book review by Joy In Our Journey.com:
THE SETTING:
This story is set in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1855, during a very chaotic, highly-charged political scene. The differing views of prominent people attempted to sway the population each their own way and, as a result, much dissatisfaction was evident.
WHO IS INVOLVED:
The story revolves around one of the popular newspapers of the day, the Tribune, and its rival paper, the Herald. Long before television and radio, newspapers were the source of information and eagerly read by most people.
The central figure is the daughter (Adriane) of the Tribune’s editor, Wade Darcy; she is a beautiful young woman who, with a very troubled childhood, had come to learn the skills of running the newspaper with her father and was extremely competent, in spite of her personal fears and insecurities. She is faced with a huge dilemma of “honoring” her father in his demand for her to marry a young man in a high-ranking political family, or following her heart. An extremely difficult decision which becomes even more difficult when she meets the new editor of the rival newspaper, the Herald.
This story is set in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1855, during a very chaotic, highly-charged political scene. The differing views of prominent people attempted to sway the population each their own way and, as a result, much dissatisfaction was evident.
WHO IS INVOLVED:
The story revolves around one of the popular newspapers of the day, the Tribune, and its rival paper, the Herald. Long before television and radio, newspapers were the source of information and eagerly read by most people.
The central figure is the daughter (Adriane) of the Tribune’s editor, Wade Darcy; she is a beautiful young woman who, with a very troubled childhood, had come to learn the skills of running the newspaper with her father and was extremely competent, in spite of her personal fears and insecurities. She is faced with a huge dilemma of “honoring” her father in his demand for her to marry a young man in a high-ranking political family, or following her heart. An extremely difficult decision which becomes even more difficult when she meets the new editor of the rival newspaper, the Herald.
THE PROBLEM:
At a time when Louisville was faced with a growing population of Irish and German immigrants, who are looked down upon by the general populace, wicked men do evil things to innocent people. It is a heart-rending story that causes much speculation as to the general rights of fellow humans, no matter where they may have been born. There are also rising issues about women’s liberties brought up during this same time period, when many are beginning to realize that women need to be allowed the freedom to be educated and use their own minds.
Adriane has many fearful moments throughout this story, some violence, some “back flashes” of memories of her childhood, but through it she is able to hold onto her faith that “the light shineth in the darkness” as she has been taught by the old man, “Beck,” who has worked with Adriane’s father in his newspaper business for so many years, and who has watched out for this young woman all the time she was growing up with little other guidance. He has encouraged her to use her Bible and memorize verses, which will come to her when she needs them.
This story will make one’s heart beat fast, but will also point out the wonderful fact that, even though we may not understand the ways of the Lord, He is still there and is guiding us through each situation, if we will but look to Him and call out to Him. We can know for sure that God is Love.
A little bit about the author, Ann Gabhart:
 | I've been writing most of my life. When I was a kid I read Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, and of course, when you're a child your imagination gets a little carried away. I would think “Boy, that would be fun to be like them and be able to solve a mystery.” So I made up my own mystery about my cousin, my sister and me as the detectives. I just sort of played around with it when I was 10 or 11 years old and wrote a chapter here and there. I never did actually finish that story, but that’s how I got started on the writing path. Then when I was a teenager, I wrote short stories with lots of typical teen drama. I’ve been writing ever since. While I was writing for the general market, I had two historical romances for adults published - both with a Kentucky history background. Then I published eleven books for young readers. Most of those were for young teens with a couple of what the kids call chapter books for ages 8 to 12. My first inspirational fiction books were my three Hollyhill books about Jocie and her friends. I've published three Shaker books, The Outsider, The Believer, and The Seeker with another, The Blessed scheduled for release in the summer of 2011. Then there's my book set during the Great Depression, Angel Sister. I've also published the one non-fiction inspirational book, Angels at the Crossroads. So how many does that make? Twenty-one and counting. |
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Disclosure: I was provided with one free copy of Words Spoken True from Baker/Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review of this book. No other compensation has been provided.
What do these have in common?
- Hello Kitty
- my trip to Japan in 1993
- sushi
- Japanese Bento-style lunches
- my daughter, Brittany
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Brittany's 12th Birthday Party!
My daughter, Brittany is SO creative! For months now, she's been planning a very special birthday party...and now you are able to see what she designed and planned for months and months!
She has always loved real food, toy food, miniature food, cooking in the kitchen, pretend cooking in the play kitchen (when she was a toddler and preschooler)...basically, anything to do with food. And her specialty over the last six months has been making miniature foods, or replicating real foods with clay or other food ingredients. Here's what she came up with, completely on her own.
She has always loved real food, toy food, miniature food, cooking in the kitchen, pretend cooking in the play kitchen (when she was a toddler and preschooler)...basically, anything to do with food. And her specialty over the last six months has been making miniature foods, or replicating real foods with clay or other food ingredients. Here's what she came up with, completely on her own.
Hello Kitty Birthday Cake
We ordered a plain vanilla sheet cake with icing borders on the edges. Brittany was inspired by "Cake Boss" episodes, so she made a Hello Kitty face out of homemade marshmallow treats and then covered it with white fondant. She used a combination of candy melts and a small tube of black writing icing to finish the decor on the Kitty. I wrote the text on her cake for her.
Dessert "Sushi" and "Sushimi" snacks
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She designed her own sushi to place on the cake and also made extra to serve as snacks!
For the green sushi rolls, she encased homemade marshmallow treats around pieces of Swedish fish candy, and then surrounded the sushi roll with thin fruit leather.
The red tuna sushimi was made by forming homemade marshmallow treats into a rectangular shape and then placing a thin slice of red gelatin on top.
For the green sushi rolls, she encased homemade marshmallow treats around pieces of Swedish fish candy, and then surrounded the sushi roll with thin fruit leather.
The red tuna sushimi was made by forming homemade marshmallow treats into a rectangular shape and then placing a thin slice of red gelatin on top.
Bento lunches (or dinner, in our case)!
Brittany decided to introduce her friends to Japanese Bento lunches!
When we were out of town in November, my aunt recommended a large Japanese market for us to visit. We found these darling, inexpensive bento lunch box kits, and bought one for each of the girls coming to the party.
They spent quite a bit of time making all kinds of cute treats for their bento dinners:
When we were out of town in November, my aunt recommended a large Japanese market for us to visit. We found these darling, inexpensive bento lunch box kits, and bought one for each of the girls coming to the party.
They spent quite a bit of time making all kinds of cute treats for their bento dinners:
- shaped rice balls (Hello Kitty, rabbit, and teddy bear shapes) with ham and cheese cutouts for decor
- egg "people" with large smiles!
- "Little Smokie" octopii
- Tiny sandwiches filled with jam and other goodies
- and then filled in the extra spaces with tiny grape tomatoes
A little translation laughter for you:
We had a good laugh before the party when we realized that the translation on the little box containing the fork, spoon, and chopsticks said "Mix & Mate" instead of "Mix and Match." A-hem. :)
We also served sushi with the bento dinners, and hot dogs for the faint of heart.
A fun Japanese beverage: Ramuné
Photoshopped by Kelsi
At the Japanese store we visited, we were also able to pick up a couple of packs of Ramune (ラムネ), which is a carbonated soft drink originally sold in Japan. The bottles are made of glass and sealed with a marble. The original Ramune flavor is lemon-lime. The word "ramune" is derived phonetically from the English "lemonade". Ramune soda is very popular in Japan. Ramune comes in some unusual flavors, such as wasabi, kimchi, octopus, and curry...but we only bought STRAWBERRY.
:)
If you're new to Ramune, you might find it tricky to open the bottle; it comes sealed with a fun marble that acts as a stopper. Can you get the marble out without breaking the bottle? Brittany made a video to show how to open up the Ramune bottles:
:)
If you're new to Ramune, you might find it tricky to open the bottle; it comes sealed with a fun marble that acts as a stopper. Can you get the marble out without breaking the bottle? Brittany made a video to show how to open up the Ramune bottles:
Hello Kitty polymer clay craft!
 Brittany designed this polymer craft for the girls to make! She doesn't recommend using Sculpey III because the clay shows fingerprints even worse than regular polymer clay. After the girls' projects baked in the oven and cooled (it took 90 minutes due to the thickness of the Hello Kitty faces), they used paints to |  |
add the facial features. Most any kind of water-based or oil-based paint would work for this. Aren't they darling?
Hello Kitty and Japanese Decorations:
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Here's where my 1993 trip to Japan came into play! Brittany asked me to search through the items I was given during my trip to Japan, and then use some of the brightly colored, children-themed Japanese decorations to help decorate our living room and dining room. Fun!
Hello Kitty Gifts:
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What's your most favorite themed birthday party you've ever been to, or hosted?
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I have made it a point to buy Grade B maple syrup for our family for the last couple of years.
At first, the price made us gulp. And then it went up. Gulp.
But we needed to change the type of syrup we were using on our pancakes, waffles, etc., and it has been good for us to use a lot less syrup than we were using, so we finally took the plunge and began buying maple syrup (organic, when we could find it inexpensive enough).
At first, the price made us gulp. And then it went up. Gulp.
But we needed to change the type of syrup we were using on our pancakes, waffles, etc., and it has been good for us to use a lot less syrup than we were using, so we finally took the plunge and began buying maple syrup (organic, when we could find it inexpensive enough).
Confusion about Grade A and Grade B?
With most foods, Grade A is considered "better."
Not so with maple syrup.
Grade B is more flavorful, contains less sugar, and if you are planning to use maple syrup in baking and cooking, you'll definitely want to be using Grade B.
The trick is finding Grade B maple syrup that is reasonably priced.
Well, that's probably impossible. I used to buy 32 oz. of organic Grade B maple syrup for around $8. Six months later, it jumped to $12. Six months later, it jumped to $18. Now it can be as high as $30! Needless to say, it is used carefully and sparingly in our home. We no longer "drown" our pancakes and waffles with syrup...and that's a good thing!
The best price I was able to find, online or anywhere, was at a local grocery store in my town, for the organic version of the product you see in the photo, above. Regularly, "$5-off" coupons were added to the necks of the bottles, so I was able to buy this same syrup, but organic, for $12-$15. Then, the store did a big remodel...and they no longer carry the 32-oz. bottle. Instead, they carry the 16-oz. bottle for $13. Ugh.
I searched online again, today, to find organic Grade B maple syrup at a reasonable price. Even on Amazon, it was $23 for 32 oz. Ugh. Ugh.
So I've decided to buy Grade B maple syrup from the same farm using Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" option...and I see that I can purchase this maple syrup for a little over $15. No, it's not organic, but until I can find a more reasonable price, this is what we're going to use. We're comfortable with this brand and company, so either organic or not, we'll buy it.
With the "Subscribe and Save" option, you can sign up for it and then do a one-time purchase, canceling "Subscribe and Save" after you make your original purchase, or you can subscribe to this item and have it delivered at an interval you select.
For our family, I'm going to select every 3 months to have this item delivered.
The nice thing about it is that I will receive an email before it is shipped, so I can decline the shipment if I prefer, and my credit card won't be charged.
Please note that if the price of the maple syrup goes up - or down - your actual price will follow whenever the item is preparing to ship to you. Thankfully, you will be notified of the price before you are charged, or before the item is shipped, so you can accept or decline.
Not so with maple syrup.
Grade B is more flavorful, contains less sugar, and if you are planning to use maple syrup in baking and cooking, you'll definitely want to be using Grade B.
The trick is finding Grade B maple syrup that is reasonably priced.
Well, that's probably impossible. I used to buy 32 oz. of organic Grade B maple syrup for around $8. Six months later, it jumped to $12. Six months later, it jumped to $18. Now it can be as high as $30! Needless to say, it is used carefully and sparingly in our home. We no longer "drown" our pancakes and waffles with syrup...and that's a good thing!
The best price I was able to find, online or anywhere, was at a local grocery store in my town, for the organic version of the product you see in the photo, above. Regularly, "$5-off" coupons were added to the necks of the bottles, so I was able to buy this same syrup, but organic, for $12-$15. Then, the store did a big remodel...and they no longer carry the 32-oz. bottle. Instead, they carry the 16-oz. bottle for $13. Ugh.
I searched online again, today, to find organic Grade B maple syrup at a reasonable price. Even on Amazon, it was $23 for 32 oz. Ugh. Ugh.
So I've decided to buy Grade B maple syrup from the same farm using Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" option...and I see that I can purchase this maple syrup for a little over $15. No, it's not organic, but until I can find a more reasonable price, this is what we're going to use. We're comfortable with this brand and company, so either organic or not, we'll buy it.
With the "Subscribe and Save" option, you can sign up for it and then do a one-time purchase, canceling "Subscribe and Save" after you make your original purchase, or you can subscribe to this item and have it delivered at an interval you select.
For our family, I'm going to select every 3 months to have this item delivered.
The nice thing about it is that I will receive an email before it is shipped, so I can decline the shipment if I prefer, and my credit card won't be charged.
Please note that if the price of the maple syrup goes up - or down - your actual price will follow whenever the item is preparing to ship to you. Thankfully, you will be notified of the price before you are charged, or before the item is shipped, so you can accept or decline.
I'm not an Amazon Affiliate, nor will I make any profit from you clicking on any of these links. Just thought I'd share this info. with you in case some of you were interested in swapping out your high fructose corn syrup fake-o brand for something more natural.
And yes, for years, I did make our own homemade pancake syrup, but we couldn't get it "just right." It was either very thin and watery, or very thick and sludgy - yuck. So, now we are using real maple syrup - and enJOYing it! Yum!
And yes, for years, I did make our own homemade pancake syrup, but we couldn't get it "just right." It was either very thin and watery, or very thick and sludgy - yuck. So, now we are using real maple syrup - and enJOYing it! Yum!
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Our Family Tradition ~ Giant Valentine's Day Cookies!
It's all my mom's fault. I mean, I've got to have somebody to blame, right?
She started baking these uber-delicious, GIANT cookies for us on Valentine's Day, probably back when I was in kindergarten.
Now, even though I'm an adult - and have a family and home of my own - it's still her fault that I make these each February 14th, or thereabouts.
Just kiddin'. My mom's the BESTEST!
The examples, above, are photos of some of the giant heart cookies I've made for my husband, Elmer, and my daughters, Kelsi and Brittany.
But this year, I felt like I needed some inspiration! I didn't want to do the same thing this time around as I've done all those other years. So...I took a look around on the internet, and thought I'd share some fun ideas with you!
It is amazing how inexpensive this is to make your own cookie dough and frosting, and to decorate cookie hearts for your family. And, they LOVE it! EnJOY the photo ideas. I can't wait to make my family's Valentine's Day gifts this year using some of these examples:
She started baking these uber-delicious, GIANT cookies for us on Valentine's Day, probably back when I was in kindergarten.
Now, even though I'm an adult - and have a family and home of my own - it's still her fault that I make these each February 14th, or thereabouts.
Just kiddin'. My mom's the BESTEST!
The examples, above, are photos of some of the giant heart cookies I've made for my husband, Elmer, and my daughters, Kelsi and Brittany.
But this year, I felt like I needed some inspiration! I didn't want to do the same thing this time around as I've done all those other years. So...I took a look around on the internet, and thought I'd share some fun ideas with you!
It is amazing how inexpensive this is to make your own cookie dough and frosting, and to decorate cookie hearts for your family. And, they LOVE it! EnJOY the photo ideas. I can't wait to make my family's Valentine's Day gifts this year using some of these examples:
 | This idea is from Nestle. It requires the use of a heart-shaped baking pan, but many other cookie recipes, especially sugar cookie dough, are fine to just trace around a heart-shaped pattern you've printed out or drawn or cut out.
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PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease and wax paper-line an 8-1/2 or 9-inch heart-shaped pan.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels; spread into prepared pan.
BAKE for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
MICROWAVE remaining morsels in small, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring until melted; spread over cookie. Decorate with icing.
BAKING SHEET COOKIE VARIATION:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Pat dough into 8-inch circle on ungreased baking sheet with floured hands. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet on wire rack.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels; spread into prepared pan.
BAKE for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
MICROWAVE remaining morsels in small, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring until melted; spread over cookie. Decorate with icing.
BAKING SHEET COOKIE VARIATION:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Pat dough into 8-inch circle on ungreased baking sheet with floured hands. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet on wire rack.
 | Here's a beautiful iced heart cookie from KelleyHart.com! You can use this photo as inspiration when you make your own heart-shaped cookie. |
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 | And for those who aren't too keen about using cake decorating tips and frosting, you'll find this quick and simple M&M version at Bakerella.com! |
 | Here's another chocolate chip cookie idea, although it would work with any type of cookie or brownie! |
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 |  ThirtyHandMadeDays.com has this darling recipe idea and free printable folding tags to make these pink heart-shaped and filled cookies! |
 Prairie Flower Farm's Unique Chicago-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies |  Linda at Prairie Flower Farm also includes this beautiful recipe sheet (what you see, above right, is only part of the recipe) plus FREE printables including a tutorial that has instructions for the Cake Stand that you see in the photo (left, above), the Chicago Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, a Valentine gift idea, and a sheet of tags you can print off for when you package the cookies to give away. You'll find the download link on the right sidebar of her blog, at the post linked to, above! These are absolutely dee-licious! Wasn't sure we'd enjoy this recipe, but it is delightful. You will love it! So cute cut out in the shape of hearts! |
This has also been shared as part of Mary's "Homegrown Learners" LOVE-ly Ideas for Valentine's Day!
EnJOY preparing for your Valentine's Day!
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Besides going to a couple of stargazing activities in our community, and visiting a planetarium a couple of times, our family hasn't really studied astronomy as a school subject.
I have difficulty with spatial reasoning, and studying the stars and the heavens is one area where this really shows up.
Now if the stars in the sky would just stay stationary all the time, I wouldn't have so much difficulty! But when people start talking about how the earth rotates, how the heavens seem to rotate, how the night sky changes from hour to hour, how the sun can be seen from differing locations depending on the seasons, that boggles my mind.
Basically, I don't do so well.
So, I was interested to see what the new Celestial Almanack for February 2012 from Classical Astronomy would be like.
Would it be easy enough for me to grasp?
Would I be pulling my hair out within ten minutes of delving into this 21-page eBook?
Here's what we thought about the February 2012 Celestial Almanack:
I have difficulty with spatial reasoning, and studying the stars and the heavens is one area where this really shows up.
Now if the stars in the sky would just stay stationary all the time, I wouldn't have so much difficulty! But when people start talking about how the earth rotates, how the heavens seem to rotate, how the night sky changes from hour to hour, how the sun can be seen from differing locations depending on the seasons, that boggles my mind.
Basically, I don't do so well.
So, I was interested to see what the new Celestial Almanack for February 2012 from Classical Astronomy would be like.
Would it be easy enough for me to grasp?
Would I be pulling my hair out within ten minutes of delving into this 21-page eBook?
Here's what we thought about the February 2012 Celestial Almanack:
PROS:
1. If you haven't yet seen a copy of the Celestial Almanack, the professionalism of this product is amazing! The graphics are very high quality, usually enough to help explain concepts being presented. This Almanack has some of the best graphics I've seen in homeschooling curricula!
2. While this is a short eBook, easy to carry around once printed out, it is jam-packed with many activities to view in the night sky - and the daytime, as well! Since this isn't a huge, lengthy eBook, it was less expensive to print out, and I was able to place the pages into page protectors so if we're outside in the misty air, it won't get "soggy."
3. Introductory notes about our calendar system and why February only has 28 or 29 days was excellent. Even with all of the ancient history we've studied, we all learned something new when reading this introduction. Well done!
4. The topics contained in this month's Celestial Almanack are varied: history of the February calendar; a neat chart about the phases of the moon compared with remarkable events on specific days in February; much information on the various constellations in the night sky in February (northern hemisphere); a view of the solar system and planets in February 2012; and much, much more.
5. And another great feature? It's only $3.00! Wow. I've seen eBooks this length sometimes be much more expensive. It's priced right for a thorough product.
CONS:
1. Since most of the information presented in this Celestial Almanack was brand new to our family, we found some of the written material a bit above our heads. Even for me, as an adult, I was wishing that some of the concepts were spelled out a little bit more simply and slowly. I got a little bit overwhelmed, which isn't normal for me when reading. It would have been helpful for the girls and I to take the pages a little bit slower, sentence by sentence - in some areas - and look up the concepts online so we could learn about them more carefully.
2. In numerous places in the Almanack, it referred to the author's astronomy curriculum, Signs & Seasons, and how that explains these concepts in more depth. While I'm not opposed to seeing those comments there in the Almanack, I felt like we should have been reading Signs & Seasons first and then began using the monthly Almanack after we had a more thorough understanding of basic astronomy. I just wasn't sure how to explain in more simple terms some of what we read...and I personally needed it a little bit less complicated.
Now, please don't get me wrong. The problem could just be that I've literally had no astronomy study since I was in the 3rd grade, and it was very simply taught back then. I'm sure that anyone who has studied astronomy in any mode more recently than 35+ years ago, will do just fine with this Celestial Almanack!
3. I would have liked to have seen a few worksheets for students to use, to record data, or illustrate what they are viewing, or to develop conceptual understanding, even though I know that the best way to study and learn from the stars is just to get out there at night and view the stars and planets!
4. The last two pages of this Almanack were advertisements for other companies. This may have just been because this product was being sold at CurrClick.com. I'm not sure. I couldn't get the online catalog for CurrClick to work properly in my browser, so I don't know if this was advertised as a 21-page eBook or a 19-page eBook. If I had thought I was buying a 21-page eBook and the last two pages were advertisements, I would have felt that the length of the eBook had been misrepresented.
1. Since most of the information presented in this Celestial Almanack was brand new to our family, we found some of the written material a bit above our heads. Even for me, as an adult, I was wishing that some of the concepts were spelled out a little bit more simply and slowly. I got a little bit overwhelmed, which isn't normal for me when reading. It would have been helpful for the girls and I to take the pages a little bit slower, sentence by sentence - in some areas - and look up the concepts online so we could learn about them more carefully.
2. In numerous places in the Almanack, it referred to the author's astronomy curriculum, Signs & Seasons, and how that explains these concepts in more depth. While I'm not opposed to seeing those comments there in the Almanack, I felt like we should have been reading Signs & Seasons first and then began using the monthly Almanack after we had a more thorough understanding of basic astronomy. I just wasn't sure how to explain in more simple terms some of what we read...and I personally needed it a little bit less complicated.
Now, please don't get me wrong. The problem could just be that I've literally had no astronomy study since I was in the 3rd grade, and it was very simply taught back then. I'm sure that anyone who has studied astronomy in any mode more recently than 35+ years ago, will do just fine with this Celestial Almanack!
3. I would have liked to have seen a few worksheets for students to use, to record data, or illustrate what they are viewing, or to develop conceptual understanding, even though I know that the best way to study and learn from the stars is just to get out there at night and view the stars and planets!
4. The last two pages of this Almanack were advertisements for other companies. This may have just been because this product was being sold at CurrClick.com. I'm not sure. I couldn't get the online catalog for CurrClick to work properly in my browser, so I don't know if this was advertised as a 21-page eBook or a 19-page eBook. If I had thought I was buying a 21-page eBook and the last two pages were advertisements, I would have felt that the length of the eBook had been misrepresented.
The Final Word on the Celestial Almanack:
The Celestial Almanack has been written for students ages 11 and up. My girls thought that some of it was a little bit harder to understand, even though they usually do well with science topics, but it stretched us in a new field of understanding, and that's always good!
This product is very professionally designed and produced, so if you are at all interested in astronomy, and you have children ages 11+, this could be a wonderfully fun way to take a "new" look at the night sky every month of the year! And, it's priced right.
We were hoping to be able to take this February Almanack outside to do some viewing of the stars, but during this time of year, our little valley is usually socked in with fog - so no stars were shining on the nights we had access to this month's Celestial Almanack. And even if we'd had a visible night sky, we have been ill with an awful cold...so it wouldn't have been helpful for our health to be out in the damp, cold night. I'm hoping in the next few days and weeks, we can take advantage of the terrific information found in this stargazing guide for February 2012, and get outside to look at some stars.
I guess I'll start praying now that the weather will also decide to cooperate! :)
If you'd like to take a look at a sample of this month's Celestial Almanack, you can view the sample in both PDF and Flash here (or if you are reading via Feedburner or RSS, you can visit that sample here: http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=68718
...and read what other TOS Crew members had to say about this inexpensively priced stargazing almanack!
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Disclaimer: I received one free eBook copy of the February 2012 Celestial Almanack in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.
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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