 My husband is a Christmas decoration fanatic. Seriously. In fact, his family warned me about this before we got married. Seriously. And they were serious. They cautioned me that I probably wouldn't be putting up many Christmas decorations after we were married . . . that this would probably be Elmer's domain from now on. Okay, well, that sounded fine. And it mostly was. Especially when I had two little crumb gobblers running around the house making mischief!  Now, as the girls grew old enough to help trim the tree and put up a few decorations, we had to work through a few things with them helping. After all, they were infringing upon Daddy's domain, and maybe their placement of ornaments wasn't quite exactly where he would place them on the tree. I could overlook it . . . until the girls were in bed. Maybe a few ornaments needed to be spread around a little bit more. But Elmer? He struggled with it. Gradually, though, he's become more relaxed about the entire decorating process. Whew! Except for outdoor Christmas lights. His goal is to be the first person in our neighborhood to have their lights strung and ready to go before Thanksgiving. He usually is. :) Don't worry - he only turns them on momentarily before Thanksgiving evening to make sure they're working properly. But after that turkey dinner is finished, and it begins to get dark, those lights are ON! :) One part of Christmas that has always been part of my domain is the . . . Christmas door decoration! We've usually had a fresh wreath up, sold by local youth orchestra students. Last year, though, they weren't selling them, so we bought a swag made by a friend of ours who was raising funds for her own Girl Scout camping experience the following summer. This year, we are blessed to have a huge, beautiful, aromatic wreath made from Balsam fir. Wreaths of Maine sent it to us so we could give their company a try and see what we thought. Oh, my. It is stunning! And it smells so freshly different than the other firs and pines we have in the Pacific Northwest. The photos you see, above, are some of their actual Christmas wreaths! Balsam fir would be classified in my neck of the woods as having "whorled" needles, also known by some as "bottlebrush," so it has its own unique, full look, unlike most of the grocery store wreaths around my community, which are made of pine and fir branches having flat needles.  We've never ordered anything live like a mail order-wreath, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  The Balsam fir Christmas wreath arrived well packaged in a very sturdy, large box. It would have been more fun for Rudolph and the other reindeer to deliver this instead of FedEx, but this time of year, FedEx employees are more like Santa's elves, anyway, right?  We peeked inside. Oooooh, aaaaahh, wow! Tightly packed so it won't slip around - nice! Now for a closer look:  Sadly, my photo makes this wreath look small. Trust me - it is not small! It's almost 2 feet wide across the wreath! And, this wreath is very full and double-faced, so it will look just as full and beautiful on one side as on the other (although the decorations aren't on both sides). If I had a window in our front door, I wouldn't be staring at a cardboard or wooden base on the back side, like so many local wreaths sold in our area. Nice! The box also included care instructions and the metal wreath holder. Oh, and yes, the plush velvet bow is separate, packed specially so it won't become crushed in shipping. We were instructed to take the wreath out of the box and let it "breathe" for 1-2 hours so it could bounce back to its original shape. It really made a difference - we could tell that the wreath was much more full a couple of hours later.  The directions on how to attach the wreath holder were clear enough for most people. I'm not most people, so I had to study it for a couple of minutes and try a few different things. Keep in mind, people, that I'm mechanically challenged. 99% of Americans, including my husband and my children, would not have a problem with the directions!  After the wreath was hanging on the door, I remembered that I hadn't yet attached the velvet bow! Oops. That's okay. It was easy to do. Even for me. (Grin.)  Brittany was excited about our new wreath, because she, our little entrepreneur, discovered that Wreaths of Maine primarily sells their wreaths as fundraisers for children, and often, as homeschool fundraisers! And if that isn't right up Brittany's alley, I don't know what is! Our wreath and fundraising kit didn't really arrive early enough for her to go door-to-door among local businesses and among friends, earning commissions on each wreath that she sold. But come early next November, that is exactly what Brittany plans to be doing! Should you choose to order a wreath, spray, or swag from Wreaths of Maine before Christmas, you may select Joy in Our Journey 5063 on the last page of checkout, and Brittany will be credited with a small commission for each wreath sold using her account #. We're very pleased with our beautiful wreath. I know you will be, too, should you choose to purchase one from Wreaths of Maine. Online orders may be placed individually by December 16th, so that still gives you two more weeks to browse their website and see which wreath you'd enjoy the most. Wreaths of Maine also sells swags, sprays, and pine roping. I did have a couple of questions for Wreaths of Maine, about selling wreaths, and they promptly emailed me right away with an answer. Some of the parents on the TOS Crew with me mentioned that their children earn funds by selling Wreaths of Maine Christmas wreaths, and some have earned a fair amount of money by doing so. Of course, that makes Brittany extra pleased with another way to earn some extra income for maybe a new camera lens, or something fun like that! Only a small group on the TOS Crew was chosen to receive a Christmas wreath from Wreaths of Maine. Read what they have to say about their experiences with this company! Of course, you can find Wreaths of Maine on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Follow them there in order to get inside information on their special sales and promotions! Fine print: Wreaths range in price from $31 - $47. Shipping is only $3.95 per wreath. Not bad at all! Wreaths can be shipped to Alaska for $19.99 via the postal service as of December 2011.
Disclosure: I received one Classic Christmas Wreath from Wreaths of Maine in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.
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We have our Christmas winners to announce!  The winner of the "Christmas Lodge" DVD is . . . Kristina S.!  The winner of the mp3 download of the full album, "One Silent Night" by FFH is. . . Marlene F.! The winners' names and emails have already been forwarded to the company sponsoring these two giveaways. Thank you to you, all of my Joy In Our Journey readers, who took the time to sign up for these two giveaways. Wish I had enough to give away to you all!
 If you've been visiting Joy In Our Journey for more than a few months, you'll notice that I love reviewing and using godly children's Bibles and other biblical books and Bible studies for children and teens! We have a portion of our bookshelf in our schoolroom that just holds Bible devotionals and Bibles that we enjoy using from time to time. We do our best to spend 4-6 nights per week having a family Bible time together, and the girls and I spend time together having a Bible/discipling time most school mornings as well. From young toddlers through the teen years and into adulthood, there are so many godly books and Bibles for every phase of development. Some of you have young children in your home and are looking for toddler and preschool Bibles that will introduce your littles to the basics of the Christian faith. Other readers here on Joy In Our Journey are almost grandparents! Or are grandparents! And would like to build their own little library of books and materials to use with their grandchildren. Some of you may not be parents at all, but may know of a church library or a pregnancy center or rescue mission where an excellent toddler/preschool Bible would be a welcome item.  So, I'm going to be giving away a beautiful family Bible (for families with children around the ages of 4-8 years old) here on Joy In Our Journey! This isn't a children’s Bible. It is a Bible story book that includes key verses and parent pages called “Family Talk” and “Family Fun” to assist adults in discussing the stories with children. But first, let me show you some samples of the pages inside this precious Bible:     Isn't that beautiful? I just love it! To enter this giveaway, it's quite simple. All you need to do is to leave me a comment saying how you'd use this book if you were to win it. Would you give it away as a gift to friends or grandchildren? Would you keep it in your home to use with your own young children? Or keep it for when grandchildren come to visit? Or would you donate it to a worthy organization who could have need for it? If you'd like to go ahead and sign up for an email subscription whenever I post giveaways, freebies, book reviews, and other helpful information for families, just let me know in a separate comment that you did this, too, for one extra entry. Please, only a maximum of 2 comments per person. Thanks! I'll be selecting a winner on Monday, December 12th at midnight (Pacific time), and Baker/Revell Publishing will ship the book out to the winner ASAP! This book giveaway is available for all of my readers here, whether you are in the U.S. or are an international reader. Can't wait to see who will win a copy of this book! Merry Christmas to you all!  A special "thank you" to Baker/Revell Publishing for sponsoring this Christmas giveaway!
 For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends, Father in Heaven, we thank You!
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Disclosure: I received one DVD copy of "The Christmas Lodge" for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
I like most kinds of music styles, but I'm picky about what I'll listen to. It has to be in a style I enjoy, and it has to be done well. "Amateur" isn't my style.
When I heard that one of my all-time fave Christian bands, FFH, was performing and recording again, and had a new Christmas album coming out soon, I was all in!
There's something about the sound of FFH that feels good. Talented voices, excellent music, upbeat, and personal. Love it!
When I heard that one of my all-time fave Christian bands, FFH, was performing and recording again, and had a new Christmas album coming out soon, I was all in!
There's something about the sound of FFH that feels good. Talented voices, excellent music, upbeat, and personal. Love it!
~FFH~ is Jeromy and Jennifer Deibler. In past years, during the group's biggest Christian hits, it included two additional members.
I loved reading about the personal history of the music group, FFH. I had wondered, several years ago, why I didn't hear about any new albums on Christian radio stations, but I hadn't looked into it, I guess. Now I know! I have a lot of respect for the Deiblers for putting their music careers on hold while they strengthened their marriage and family.
So many other musicians, artists, and movie stars let their personal life turn to shambles, all in the name of becoming "more popular" and making a ton of money.
In FFH's case, they did the right thing. And I love that!
I loved reading about the personal history of the music group, FFH. I had wondered, several years ago, why I didn't hear about any new albums on Christian radio stations, but I hadn't looked into it, I guess. Now I know! I have a lot of respect for the Deiblers for putting their music careers on hold while they strengthened their marriage and family.
So many other musicians, artists, and movie stars let their personal life turn to shambles, all in the name of becoming "more popular" and making a ton of money.
In FFH's case, they did the right thing. And I love that!
FFH's website has a neat audio player where you are able to listen to full versions of each of the songs on their past albums (except for "One Silent Night", their new Christmas album). You can listen to samples of each new Christmas song on Amazon or iTunes. You can also find FFH on Facebook and Twitter.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an MP3 download of "One Silent Night" by FFH for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Think back to your days in school. When you studied fractions, were they a foe or a friend?
Even though we often use fractions in everyday life as adults, fractions can be quite scary for children learning about them for the first time . . .or fifth time . . . or 25th time.
As adults, we see fractions in gasoline prices, measuring dry and wet ingredients while cooking and baking, slicing pies and pizzas, and when our height is measured.
My youngest, Brittany, has had more than a few struggles in her math curriculum over the last six months. What was the problem, you may ask? You guessed it:
FRACTIONS.
Big sis, Kelsi, had the same difficulties when she was studying fractions hard core. But after that particular book, when she began her next book of studies with decimals, she did just fine and dandy. Whew!
I think if we'd practiced fractions with cutting up and serving pie or pizza every day, Brittany would have learned about fractions in a way that would stick in her memory. After all, she's a hands-on learner, and she loves food!
We would have gained a lot of weight, too, but that's beside the point.
But since she's not big on pizza, and she's never been a big sweets eater, something tells me that this wouldn't have helped her. :)
We decided to give Math Mammoth a try, by helping Brittany gain a fresh perspective on the use of fractions and how they operate in mathematics. Brittany wasn't too keen on starting a second math program that focused strictly on fractions (for the unit that we chose to use in our home), but she didn't complain about doing the work when it actually came right down to it.
Good thing, because whining and complaining wouldn't have helped either one of us. And she knew I would have assigned her double assignments if she was heard to be whining or complaining about her new math materials. Constructive criticism would be okay, but not whining and complaining!
At first, I wasn't sure exactly which level to pick and use for our Math Mammoth review. We had some experience with Math Mammoth in the past, so I knew that whichever material we picked, as long as it was age-appropriate, would work out just fine.
Good thing, because whining and complaining wouldn't have helped either one of us. And she knew I would have assigned her double assignments if she was heard to be whining or complaining about her new math materials. Constructive criticism would be okay, but not whining and complaining!
At first, I wasn't sure exactly which level to pick and use for our Math Mammoth review. We had some experience with Math Mammoth in the past, so I knew that whichever material we picked, as long as it was age-appropriate, would work out just fine.
Maria, the owner and author of Math Mammoth, helped me select the correct program for Brittany's needs. She does this for each and every customer who wants to buy her products from her site, if they'd like help.
That kind of personal, one-on-one care these days is amazing!
Maria suggested that we begin Brittany in Fractions 1, part of the Blue Series of workbooks. She also encouraged me to download Fractions 2 and Fractions and Decimals 3 of the Fractions series.
There are four different series of books that can be downloaded from Math Mammoth:
Math Mammoth texts are easily downloadable after purchase. Fractions 1 only costs $4.50, so these worktexts are very reasonably priced!
- Blue Series - worktexts for different topics from addition to decimals.
- Light Blue Series - complete curriculum that goes by grade levels. Placement tests are available!
- Golden Series - worksheet collections (or workbooks) for grades 3-8. These worksheets contain various problems in each sheet, and are not script-made.
- Green Series - as above, but by topic, not by grade.
Math Mammoth texts are easily downloadable after purchase. Fractions 1 only costs $4.50, so these worktexts are very reasonably priced!
As of November 2011, the PDF version of many of their books is now enabled for annotation! This means that if you prefer, your student can fill it in on the computer, using the typewriter and drawing tools in the free Acrobat Reader (Version 9 or greater).
What we thought of Math Mammoth:
1. I love the "mental math" concept of Math Mammoth; it approaches math in a slightly different way than our regular math curriculum, and at times, that's so helpful!
2. It's wonderful to have someone personally guide me toward the correct product that will meet my child's needs and struggles.
3. The download process went smoothly and easily. It was also simple to print out Brittany's workbook and place it into a 3-ring binder for ease of use.
4. While Brittany wasn't loving the thought of working on a new math curriculum using fractions, she approached it kindly and seemed to really enjoy the lesson pages that she completed.
5. It's easy for the parent to correct the student's work.
6. I think Math Mammoth's Fractions series is helping to fill in a few missing gaps for Brittany. Sometimes, just having concepts repeated in a slightly different manner can make all the difference.
Final Thoughts about Math Mammoth:
Math Mammoth offers a sample of over 300 of their worksheets, so you can see what they're like. Wow! The workbooks are reasonably priced from $4 - $7, or in bundles for a one-year math curriculum. This is our second time of using and reviewing Math Mammoth workbooks, and we haven't had any complaints or have been disappointed. Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about Math Mammoth!
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Disclaimer: I received a free download of Fractions 1, 2, and 3 in exchange for my honest review of these products. No other compensation was provided.
I know, I know; my oldest is only 13 years old. But she's almost fourteen. And we are already thinking ahead to prepare her for her college years, should she choose to attend college after her high school graduation.
Up until we began using and reviewing College Prep Genius, my strategy for helping her do well on the S.A.T and the P.S.A.T. (her junior year) has been to make sure she is studying material and content that will help her to be a discerning, logical thinker.
Now, my strategy is quite different...and yet still similar.
Yes, we're still going to be hitting the curricula hard and working at a high school level. But after using College Prep Genius for a few weeks, I've come to realize that much of the skill in taking the S.A.T. is simply knowing how to take this kind of test, NOT being a braniac in multiple educational subjects.
Up until we began using and reviewing College Prep Genius, my strategy for helping her do well on the S.A.T and the P.S.A.T. (her junior year) has been to make sure she is studying material and content that will help her to be a discerning, logical thinker.
Now, my strategy is quite different...and yet still similar.
Yes, we're still going to be hitting the curricula hard and working at a high school level. But after using College Prep Genius for a few weeks, I've come to realize that much of the skill in taking the S.A.T. is simply knowing how to take this kind of test, NOT being a braniac in multiple educational subjects.
Can I tell you that this is my favorite academic curriculum we've used and reviewed this school year?
Since I'm reviewing this, it's important for me to sit alongside my 8th grader and view the material as she learns. I thought it might be a little bit on the boring side. WRONG! It's not super flashy and filled with lots of unnecessary noise and bling. In fact, the instructor is quite serious most of the time! But we've seen some amazing techniques being taught so far in the DVD lessons and in the textbook and workbook. It is NOT boring!
Did you realize that most of the reading selection questions on the S.A.T. can be answered without having fully read the provided reading passage?
Did you know that high schoolers may take the P.S.A.T. three times, even though it only counts toward scholarships during their junior year of high school?
Did you know that by learning some simple acronyms, your teen will have memorized some excellent techniques on how to approach the various portions of the S.A.T. and P.S.A.T.?
Did you know that the normal school tests often have subjective answers, whereas the S.A.T. only contains objective answers, allowing you to often eliminate some of the answer choices on questions?
Did you know that strategies learned in College Prep Genius will also work for AP tests, CLEP, GRE, LSAT, ACCUPLACER tests, and more?
To start using College Prep Genius, I skimmed the first few chapters of the main book, and then we popped in the first DVD. The lesson was very self-explanatory, and even though my daughter could have done this completely on her own, I appreciated being able to hear and see all of the tricks and tips offered by Jean Burk on the DVD lessons.
Here's what we thought after working through about one-fourth of the book and DVD lessons:
1. This is super simple to use! Most teens could easily use this material on their own.
2. Every type of question on the SAT is addressed in this material. We were amazed at the simple traps which are used to get students to answer incorrectly. Once they are shown, it is easy to discern this in future practice tests.
3. I almost wished I could go back in time and retake my high school SAT test, to put my new skills to use! And all along, I had always thought that the SAT was actually measuring student knowledge. Wrong! It's measuring logical and critical thinking skills, which translates to . . . test-taking skills!
4. Kelsi really liked working through the provided examples. She liked the study techniques and acronyms.
What we didn't like: NOTHING!
This is very thorough! Be prepared to spend some time on it, though. College Prep Genius would be excellent to use beginning in the 8th grade and practicing with it through the high school years, especially in the summer.
We are very excited to continue using College Prep Genius! We'll now read through and view the math lessons, although since Kelsi is finishing up pre-algebra, much of it may not be applicable yet.
BONUS! At the back of the College Prep Genius book, we found sections on:
Here's what we thought after working through about one-fourth of the book and DVD lessons:
1. This is super simple to use! Most teens could easily use this material on their own.
2. Every type of question on the SAT is addressed in this material. We were amazed at the simple traps which are used to get students to answer incorrectly. Once they are shown, it is easy to discern this in future practice tests.
3. I almost wished I could go back in time and retake my high school SAT test, to put my new skills to use! And all along, I had always thought that the SAT was actually measuring student knowledge. Wrong! It's measuring logical and critical thinking skills, which translates to . . . test-taking skills!
4. Kelsi really liked working through the provided examples. She liked the study techniques and acronyms.
What we didn't like: NOTHING!
This is very thorough! Be prepared to spend some time on it, though. College Prep Genius would be excellent to use beginning in the 8th grade and practicing with it through the high school years, especially in the summer.
We are very excited to continue using College Prep Genius! We'll now read through and view the math lessons, although since Kelsi is finishing up pre-algebra, much of it may not be applicable yet.
BONUS! At the back of the College Prep Genius book, we found sections on:
- applying for scholarships, loans, and grants
- links to scholarship websites
- scholarship application tracking forms
- journal forms to record student progress in studying for the SAT and PSAT
- vocabulary prefixes/root words/suffixes
- math vocabulary terms
- a motivation test.
Right now you can get the complete program for $99 (a 25% discount), which includes the DVD and the Second Edition Textbook and Workbook. (Please note that the complete program doesn't include the Vocab Café books shown on the left hand side of the above photo.)
Here's a television video of how the author, Jean Burk, came to develop this curriculum as a homeschool parent:
Here's a television video of how the author, Jean Burk, came to develop this curriculum as a homeschool parent:
If you currently use College Prep Genius or have used it in the past, what were your impressions of this program? Did it work for the young adults in your family? Read more about what other TOS Crew members think of College Prep Genius!
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Disclaimer: I was provided with a complete DVD set of College Prep Genius in exchange for using and reviewing this program on my website. My honest review is what you've read, and no other additional 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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