Preschoolers and Peace - Review

I got a chance to read a great e-book from Kendra Fletcher at Preschoolers and Peace called Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling older kids with success with little ones at your feet. 



This is a book that was just for me. 

Now, I can almost hear some of you out there saying to yourselves: 

Why does she need this book? 

She doesn't even have "little ones" anymore.

I will admit that while it is technically true that I don't officially have little people running around here all day,  I am still open to having little ones underfoot.  With this e-book, I figured I would brush up on some helpful things....just in case.

Besides, Kendra Fletchers Circle Time e-book has been one of my favorites, and we still have Circle Time at our house.

This book is full of practical ideas for keeping your little ones busy while you go about the management of your house, AND homeschooling your older kids.

Practical, yet creative ideas.

You will not just be killing time either.

I completely agree with Ms. Fletcher that homeschooling with little ones around is 100% doable.  Your day may look a little different.  Your older ones may do school like this sometimes...



...or this......




Or, like this....


(This was music class!)

But, it can be a total success.

Ms. Fletcher shares in this book how this has looked in her household.  Things she has tried. Things that have worked really well. 

I will share a few of her ideas.  Ms. Fletcher shares the importance of preparation.  Yes, the general ideas of being organized and having all the stuff you need for school, scheduling, lists,  but also personal, prayerful preparation.

When you have little ones around, you need to think through your day. When is naptime?  When will they need to eat?  Can we do this part of school with them or not?

I have found that you can actually get a lot more schooling done than you think with little people in the room.  (You will also be surprised at how much they soak up and learn just by being nearby!)

Once you have thought through what you need to get done and what that will mean for the littler ones in your household, you can make your plan.  As homeschoolers, we always have a plan, but, I  have learned (and Ms. Fletcher agrees) over the years that we need to be flexible and not rigid when it comes to that plan.

She gives you a huge list of suggested activities and things for your little ones to do.  The ideas range from room time/crib time to creating certain days for your big toys.  The room time/crib time is just what is sounds like....learning to spend time in their room or bed....quietly entertaining themselves.  Creating certain days for big toys is just keeping them stored away out of reach and then, for example, on Monday they get a certain thing, like, Lincoln Logs, Tuesday, they get the farm set, Wednesday, they get the trains, etc. 

A lot of her ideas just simply made me look around my house and think differently about what I have laying around that could be utilized in this way. 

I really liked her chapter on how not to just kill time.  In it, she is honest and admitted that looking back, she saw a hundred things that she wished that she would have done when she just had little people running around her house.  Things that I can totally relate to.  Things for herself as well as for her kids.  Things like keep up to date on photos and files of those photos (for me, I can say that I wish I would have kept up on scrapbooking....all those cute little things they said and did....I have probably forgotten, because I didn't write them down)

Happily, she didn't just depress me in this chapter about how many things I messed up by not doing, she is also encouraging  and gives ideas of how you can do some of these things....even with little ones.

I mean, let's face it, your life can't just stop if you have little ones.  You still need to do things.  You still need to have fun.  You still need to go to the store.  You still need to get school in.  You still need to fix things around the house.

Ms. Fletcher, with all of her ideas, and what has worked for her,  just makes all of those things much more doable.  I like her approach for including the littles as much as possible in most things going on around your house and life.  Yes, I like it because that is what our approach has been.


(V-girl handing tools to our friend, Ronnie, when he was working at our house, during school.)

We keep the kids involved in the mess of our lives.  To me, it is one of the coolest parts of homeschooling.  If we go to the store, I don't get a sitter or even an older sibling to keep the littes at home.  We all went.  There are a plethora of things that are good about this.  Too many to name here.  The positives of this way outweigh the negatives of the trip taking a bit longer. 

I think it is sort of funny that she has a chapter in her book dedicated to....boys....preschool boys, to be specific.  Anyone that has a son knows why they need their own chapter!    She gives real life examples of why preschool boys need their own chapter and stresses the importance of having enough activities planned to fill their time....or face the consequences....which usually involves lots of clean up....from their curiosity!

She even has a chapter for you moms that only have preschoolers right now.  She gives advice on how to keep your sanity and come out the other side with joy.

One more things from the book that I loved before wrapping things up. 

I love that she talks about chores.  Yes, chores for your little ones.  I am not sure if I had chores when I was really little, but my kids do.  I think it is important, and I think kids are capable of doing a lot more than people usually give them credit for.  To help get your thought process rolling about possible chores around your house, she lists chores that her own kids have done at various ages. 

2 year olds:  Clear plate and cup, fold pjs in half and put away, put clothes in the dirty hamper
3 year olds:  Set the table, empty dryer, clean out lint trap

You get the idea.  All things that they can do.  Yes, initially it does create more work for you, but in the long run, it is great training for more advance chores and bigger help around the house.



The bottom line is that I really loved this book, and Ms. Fletcher's approach to life, with children.  No, I don't have any littles around right now.  But, I will once again be refreshed and ready for any little ones that God may bless us with, because of the great ideas in this book.  Remember, we still use Ms. Fletcher's Circle Time at our house.

Here are the titles of her chapters just to give you a little more insight into what this book contains.

What a Homeschooling Mom Needs
Preparing Yourself to Homeschool Older Kids With Little Ones Underfoot
Planning Around Preschoolers
How Do I Keep Them Busy?
What Does a 2-Year-Old's Day Look Like?
How Do I Get Any Preschooling Done?
How Not to Just Kill Time
Circle Time: Or How We Pull the Little Ones In
Preschool Boys
When All of Your Kiddos Are Preschoolers
Preschool Chores
Planning for Preschool
When Mama is Worn Out (or Pregnant)
Meal Planning 101

What a Homeschooling Mom Needs

Preparing Yourself to Homeschool Older Kids With Little Ones Underfoot

Planning Around Preschoolers

How Do I Keep Them Busy?

What Does a 2-Year-Old’s Day Look Like?

How Do I Get Any Preschooling Done?

How Not to Just Kill Time

Circle Time: Or How We Pull the Little Ones In

Preschool Boys

When All of Your Kiddos Are Preschoolers

Preschool Chores

Planning for Preschool

When Mama is Worn Out (or Pregnant)

Meal Planning 101

- See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/preschoolers-and-peace-review/#sthash.r07CoDWL.dpuf

What a Homeschooling Mom Needs

Preparing Yourself to Homeschool Older Kids With Little Ones Underfoot

Planning Around Preschoolers

How Do I Keep Them Busy?

What Does a 2-Year-Old’s Day Look Like?

How Do I Get Any Preschooling Done?

How Not to Just Kill Time

Circle Time: Or How We Pull the Little Ones In

Preschool Boys

When All of Your Kiddos Are Preschoolers

Preschool Chores

Planning for Preschool

When Mama is Worn Out (or Pregnant)

Meal Planning 101

- See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/preschoolers-and-peace-review/#sthash.r07CoDWL.dpuf

You can get a copy of this e-book for $2.99.  If you have littles, I almost want to say that this book is a "must buy"......but I am afraid that I would sound too much like a commercial.  But, it is a really, really good book, with lots and lots of great ideas for helping you through the baby and preschool years.

See what other TOS Reviewers thought of Preschoolers and Peace.

Wizzy Gizmo - A Review

We got the chance to listen to Wizzy Gizmo, just in time for our big road trip this summer.  It was an audio drama called Who Created Everything?

 

This was a quick, easy, and fun review for us to do this summer.  Who Created Everything? is an audio drama (radio theater) of the book of Genesis - Chapter 1.  The goal of Wizzy Gizmo is to give your kids....and you.....a fun option to learn more of the stories from the Bible.  Not that reading the actual stories are bad, this is just something....a little.....different.



(The crazy gray haired guy on the CD cover is Wizzy Gizmo....in case you hadn't guessed!  He also has his faithful assistants, a robot duck named  Qwacky, and his Mexican dog, Pepe.)

It was a fun listen.  The whole adventure only lasted a little over 30 minutes.  The recommended ages for this was 4 through 12, but since we were all on the road trip, we all listened.  The littles were disappointed when it ended and asked if we had the next CD.  The bigs didn't complain too much, so I will consider that a win.  I had fun listening.  Rainman was in league with the bigs and didn't complain (or make fun of it)....so, I know he didn't hate it. 

One of the ways that Wizzy Gizmo sets themselves apart in this genre of Bible based storytelling is their dedication to the factual representation of the Bible.  This also isn't just a narrator telling the Bible stories dramatically.  There are characters, like Wizzy Gizmo himself, an inventor, and others, that when the Bible gets plugged into the Gizmovision, go on an adventure to see what was really happening at the creation of the world.

Many times when you have audio dramas for kids to listen to, there is always at least that one kid that is a brat.  You know, what I mean......the one that you would be totally embarrassed, if they were yours.  Smart mouthed.  Disrespectful.  Mean.

The Wizzy Gizmo series didn't have that.  All the characters were nice, wholesome, curious kids.  Not a mean or sassy one in the bunch.  Some will call that unrealistic.  But, I call it a nice relief, that I don't have to teach another lesson after the audio drama was over.

You know the kind of lesson that starts the lecture something like this...... "Now, kids.  I know that was funny, but don't you ever say/do what (insert characters name here) said/did.  That is not okay.  Trust me, if you did that, you would get in a LOT of trouble!"

I used to love listening to radio drama when I was younger.  The old radio mystery theater ones, with squeaking doors and the sound of shoes walking away on the cobblestones.  I like them now, too.  Things like  Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home Companion series.

I love the different actors.  I love the sound effects.  But, most of all, I love that audio dramas help you create a picture in your mind of the action.    Wizzy Gizmo has all of the great stuff I love.  Different actors....not just one actor using different voices.....although, I will say the narrator....has an AWESOME mysterious voice.  Sound effects.  Music.  And, most of all......it created pictures in my mind of creation.

There are 7 songs at the end of the CD, some of them are contemporary style music, like you would hear in church, others are orchestrated instrumental songs, with titles like:

Worthy Are You
Third Heaven
Everything
Let There Be Light
Sunrise to Space
Under Water Adventures
Creatures of the World
Go Forth

My kids didn't quite know what to do with these.....they wanted there to be action and kept expecting someone to talk.....nobody did.  So, as each instrumental song started, I would tell them the title of the song and asked them to create pictures in their head to match the music.  This is the point where I probably lost the big kids and Rainman, but, I think the littles and I thought it was kind of fun.

I have heard the creation story my whole life.  But, I have never....and I do mean, never....pictured what it looked like while it was happening.  Who Created Everything? got me to dream a little and imagine what it was like when there weren't animals roaming the earth or birds in the sky.  It was pretty cool.

Want to hear a little bit of Who Created Everything?  Here are some samples.  Check out Day Three.....one of my favorites.

Wizzy Gizmo's goal is to help families live out Deuteronomy 6:5-6:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

This audio series was perfect for our family to take on our road trip to see our family this summer.  But, it could easily be used at bedtime or on shorter trips around town too....since they aren't super long.  If we get more in this series, we will probably use them at lunchtime.  Since, during the school year, we don't watch t.v. during the week (unless it is a special occasion or I am stressed out and need some quiet time ).....this would be a nice alternative to the usual kids t.v. available.  Again, I love that this creates word pictures in our heads.....and requires a little imagination.

There are books of this series available also if you don't want to go the audio book route.  I can see those as being great bedtime reading. 

You can get the Wizzy Gizmo- Who Created Everything? adventures to listen to for $14.99.

See what other TOS Reviewers thought of their Wizzy Gizmos.

College.....Boo!

We decided to take a friend's advice and start touring and thinking about colleges during the summer between D-man's sophomore and junior year.

He has been getting college flyers since 7th or 8th grade, so we figured it was about time....but didn't really know where to start.

Then, we got an actual invitation to a private touring event at a college that he was interested in, but thought was a pipe dream.

So, we went for it.

I am depressed now.

For a few reasons.

This one.......

(Can't you just see his college man strut?)

My baby is walking away from meeeeeee!

You know what I mean.....I was initially excited for him, the campus was really pretty, the tour guides looked wholesome and friendly.  Then,  I was lagging behind him on our way back to the car, because of this staircase.....

(My 2 handsome nerds.  Love them!)

 .....when I looked up and saw him....just casually walking away......sigh....

The other reason I am a tidbit depressed?

$$$$$$$$$$$$

We have never had plans to pay for our child's college education.  We have told all the kids that they will need to work hard, try to get scholarships, and be creative to pay for school.

Oh, and not to just go to college because that is what all the other kids are doing.  I firmly believe that you don't necessarily need a 4 year degree to get an amazing, fulfilling job.  Tech schools are awesome.  Other, non-traditional schooling and training options are awesome too.





I went to traditional college for nursing, but dropped out before I was done.....combination of no money....and getting a C in chemistry (which to me, a former straight A student - meant I was an idiot and shouldn't even consider being a nurse!)

While I was still in high school, I went to night school at a local community college and  received certification as a Nursing Assistant (quick program....good money).  Later, in my mid-20's I went to night school (working full-time) and received certification as a Massage Therapist (relatively quick program.....great money) It was a job I loved....and was good at, but it is also a job that is very hard (physically) to do 40 hours a week.

I  also worked, for years, as an Executive Assistant.....you know, the fancy (makes me feel a little more important) word for Secretary.  No, it doesn't have a lot of social cache or give you a sense of importance. But, I was awesome at it......if I do say so, myself.    I made good money.  It wasn't hard on me physically.  I rarely brought the stress of my day home with me.  I was necessary.

On the other hand, Rainman has his master's degree and is a fancy schmancy scientist....but, many times he has said that of the 2 of us, I have the most marketable skill set.  He may be able to find a handful of higher paying jobs......but, I have lots and lots of options for good paying jobs....if that makes any sense?!?!

Our hope for our kids when it comes to their schooling, is that we can help them out once in awhile....as a bonus.....but not be a blank check....or debit/credit card for their hopes and dreams.  You know?

This particular college kept talking about what a great deal they were and the amazing value you were getting at their school compared to others.

But, my little heart skipped a beat when I saw the actual pricing....

$23,000

Seriously?!?!?

D-man better start writing essays and entering scholarship contests now!  He is really smart, but so are a lot of other kids.  You know?

Right now, he is thinking about becoming a Pharmacist.

Anyone have any leads on scholarships or contests?  Good schools in Georgia that may be cheaper than $23,000 a year???

Please let me know in the comments section.  We have a little bit of time since, thanks to my friend, Jayne, my eyes were opened to the realities of higher education earlier, rather than later.

And, this was just our first visit....it was a big school....smaller schools will be better....right?   Right????

VBS Hangover

I have a VBS hangover.



In my wild and crazy life, that is the only kind of hangover I have these days.

Honestly, it doesn't depress me much.

The few times I did have an actual, old-fashioned kind of hangover was enough for me.

I am sure I have shared before that I have a love/hate relationship with VBS.

I have been in charge of music for the past few years.

I love it.  The kids are adorable.  The little ones trying to match my dance moves is adorable.  Their cute little voices singing (sometimes shouting) along is adorable.  It is fun. They are happy to see me (except sometimes the 5th grade boys aren't so thrilled with me).  I get lots of spontaneous hugs.  Introducing 106 little people to the fact that Jesus loves them and wants to work with them in their lives is fantastic.

I hate it too.  There are 106 little people talking when you are trying to teach.  There are 106 little people with different personalities and needs.  By the end of the week, there are 106 tired and cranky little people just waiting for the opportunity to have a meltdown.

It is exhausting.  Sure, I get my exercise from doing the dance moves and jumps over and over.

But, it is mentally exhausting too.

You see, I am, in fact, an introvert.

I can be an extrovert, when needed.

VBS is one of those times where being an extrovert is an advantage.

So, I pull out my latent extrovert tendencies.  I have them.  They are there deep inside of me.

I can pull out the frustrated actress in me.

The problem is that I get wiped out after my 3 hours of VBS.

By the end of the week, I have had a blast with these 106 little people and my brain is in a fog from having to be the bubbly, perky music director.  You know?

So, this week, life it back to normal at our house.

The house is a real mess, because last week when we walked in the door, I would announce to everyone that I didn't care what they did, as long as it was quiet.  I even encouraged them.....yes....encouraged them....to watch t.v......as much as they wanted.

That meant that the house fell apart around my ears....and I hardly cared.

But, this morning I care.....but, I have a VBS hangover, so I am moving in slow motion, clutching my head and wondering why the arches of my feet are still so sore.

But, I have made a start.

I have made lists.

Lots and lots of lists.

Lisst for me.

Lists for the kids.

I am going to be happy with that.

Lists are good.

Plans are good.

Coffee is really good.

Now, I just need a few of Rivet's arms and I will be good to go.

We Choose Virtues - Review

This is the second time we have gotten to review a We Choose Virtues product.  The first time we got to try the We Choose Virtues Clue Cards.



This time around, we got to try out the NIrV  Parenting Cards plus a download bundle. (Teacher Manual, Family Character Assessment, Sing Along, Butterfly Award,  Kids of Virtueville coloring book)  You can also get these in the King James Version which uses only Old Testament verses for inspiration.

I loved the clue cards we got to use last time around....but we were sort of hard of them.  They are small and easy to bend and lose.....which we did.

The Parenting Cards are much bigger.  A smidgen over 5 x 8.

The whole premise of the We Choose Virtues product is building "character" for ages 3 to 18. This product was designed for kids in the early elementary years. ....3 to 11 or so.  (I will tell you that we had some success in our kids and maybe a grown up too.... that were well beyond the early elementary years...more on that later!)

The Teacher Handbook that came as a download with the physical cards, starts out with this...

Are you ready to make moral courage as important as physical courage?

Think about that one question for a bit and let it sink in.

Moral courage is hard.

Physical courage is hard too, but usually when you are trying to have physical courage, there are people there cheering you on and telling you that you can do it.  Like, ride that scary roller coaster or to jump into the pool without floaties for the first time.  There are encouragers and when you succeed, there is much celebration  and woo-hooing!

Now, think about having moral courage.

Where are the cheerleaders?

Where are the encouragers?

Where is the celebration when you do the right thing?

Exactly.

That is why I think moral courage and doing the right thing....just because it is the right thing....is harder than physical courage/bravery.

We Choose Virtues helps parents (and teachers) start encouraging moral courage while we are young.  They make it really easy to get started through the Teacher's Manual with 4 easy steps.

1.  Expect Excellence
2.  Explain with Enthusiasm
3.  Emphasize Everyday
4.  Examine Everyday

The author, Heather McMillian, goes quickly and easily through the concept behind the cards, how to introduce them to your children, and how to reinforce the lessons you are trying to teach them.  The Teacher's Manual is definitely written more for a typical classroom type setting, but as a homeschooler, or just a parent, I could easily adapt the concepts and activities to work for us as a family.

Before we began, I printed out the Family Character Assessment sheet, where you basically assess yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each character trait.  For example, for Self Control, you would grade yourself on the scale between "I am wild, rowdy, disorderly, I expect others to control me, I am bossy towards others" and "I make myself do the right thing."

My original intent was to fill one out for each child....but after reading through them, I decided I had a pretty good idea, as their mom, which traits my little people needed to work on.  I was also a little afraid that they would be overwhelmed by the assessment and come away feeling like they were horrible people.

So, I just used it as a scale to remind me of what kinds of behaviors were my goal for them....which, in turn, would become their personal goals.

I went a little off book from the Teacher's Manual.  (Yes, I am sure you are shocked!)



The manual recommended focusing on one word a day, as a team...or class.  I decided to take a more individualized approach....but together as a team.

So, I picked a word for each of my 3 littles and we read through the card and talked about it and I gave examples of what the word meant to them....but the other 2 were also sitting there listening to the word I had chosen for the others.

Make sense?

I was a little nervous about this way, because I didn't want it to end up being a way they could bully each other about what words I picked for them.  But, I didn't need to worry.  They actually helped me with examples of each word and even if they helped point out that their brother or sister wasn't using their "word", it was always done in a nice way.  (At least in front of me....)

The Teacher's Manual gave a lot of ideas for activities you could do to really reinforce the concepts of We Choose Virtues.  I found that our everyday life and activities gave us plenty of ways to reinforce the concepts.  But, the ideas were good ones, if you don't happen to have a houseful of kids!

Some of the downloaded material, I didn't use right away.  We used the coloring book and I used the Family Character Assessment.  I would have used the sing alongs if it wasn't Vacation Bible School time around here....I didn't want too many songs bouncing around in my head.  But, it is a cute idea....they have words that you sing to the music of other songs to help solidify the concepts in your head.  The Butterfly Award is just that a certificate you could give when you child really masters the character trait.

Okay, so how about these cards, huh?

The front of the card is intended for your student and the back is intended for the teacher.

Here is an example:




I would just read this aloud to whichever child I felt needed to work on this particular virtue, then hand it over to them to review.  (In this case, it was A-girl and her desire for more clothes, shoes, jewelry...  )

The back of the card shows this:



I liked the "What to say after I'm sorry"  and the teachable moments sections the most.

The Virtue User Challenge can get a little competitive.  Like the example on this one, is to challenge your entire family to try to go a whole day without saying "I want" or  "I am bored".

Honestly, the whole family got into trouble with this one recently when our little baby cousin came for a visit.

(How can you resist that little smoochable face?!?!?)

I started our downward spiral into being greedy and whiny.....with my declaration.....  "I want a baby!"  The kids all quickly agreed with me and Rainman, well.....he just smiled his secret little smile.  I took them all down with me!

Actually, it was an interesting moment for me, when I realized that my declaration about wanting a baby was an example of not being content.  Although the inspiration verse wasn't super helpful....to me....

Psalms 131:2  I have made myself calm and content like a young child in it's mother's arms.  Deep down inside me, I am as content as a young child.

See why that particular word picture wasn't the most helpful?

.....content like a young child in it's mother's arms.......as content as a a young child.....  

But, it did make for a good conversation between the kids and I.  Yes, I still want a baby....or, to be honest, more babies.....plural....but I am working on not being whiny with God.

Pictures like this don't help my cause....

...or like this....

But, it was a good reminder for me as I try to get the kids to work on their "words" that I too have virtues and character traits that I can improve on.

V-girl's word was Obedient.

She wants to be such an independent person that she struggles to do what I say....when I say it.  This was the perfect little reminder for her.  If I asked her to do something and she responded with "Just a minute", or "Wait, mom..."  I just had to say, "What is your word?"

She would say, "obedient" and happily run off to do whatever I had asked her.  When we first started this reinforcement, I would say, "What is your word?"  She would say, "Obedient".  Then, she would stand there and think a minute before saying, "What does that mean again?"  We would laugh a bit...I would tell her what it meant and she would trot off to do what I had asked.

The little catchphrase things were the most helpful thing to me on these cards.  The one for Obedient is ..."Okay, whatever you say, I will obey, right away."  She had that one memorized really quickly.

Since S-girl and A-man are older, I had them concentrate on 2 words.

For those of you that know S-girl, I know you will be surprised by these 2 words.  She is naturally a very gentle and kind person....unless you are a sibling that she feels has pushed her too far.  Then she is a raging, punching, bag of pretty little blue-eyed girl.  She really is like a completely different person.

These words gave us a way to discuss this and give her gentle reminders that even though her brothers and sisters are annoying and make her angry, she really does need to treat others how she wants to be treated and not resort to punching when she gets frustrated with them.

A-man's 2 words were....

A-man is a truth spinner. We all know it.  Sometimes we think it is funny.  The problem is it has become a bad habit for him, so that he sometimes can't make himself actually tell the truth.  He doesn't know why.  He wants to tell the truth....he just can't seem to make himself do it the first time.  I loved his Bible verses....because underneath all his bluster and bravado, he has a tender heart that wants to do the right thing....always.

Psalms 34: 12-13  Do you love life and want to see many good days?  Then keep your tongue from speaking evil.  Keep your lips from telling lies.

Romans 8:9  But your sinful nature does not control you.  The Holy Spirit controls you.  The Spirit of God lives in you.  

As with S-girl....these cards and their words were just a gentle reminder for them to pay attention and try harder.

Like I mentioned above, these cards are designed for the early elementary years, but our whole family used them.

J-girl was over the other night and heard me remind one of the littles about their word and she turned to D-man and asked if he had a word too.  We all jokingly threw ideas around for him...Self-Controlled (I am NOT wild, rowdy or disorderly   ).  Gentle....because....he had just punched/tackled A-man....moments earlier.  But, we settled on Helpful....

(He refused to pose with his card.....)

We settled on this one because although he is a hard worker and is usually willing to help .... you have to ask.  We settled on this one for him because of the catchphrase and the reminder.

I find things that need to be done and I do them.

I am NOT....selfish, lazy or unwilling to serve, and I don't have to be asked!

L-girl had a combo of:

I Am Kind (like S-girl) and I am Forgiving....which says, "I choose to love when others hurt me"...she has a tendency to retaliate and sometimes even plot a retaliation....or two....or three.

We took the We Choose Virtues cards both lightly and seriously in our family.

We joked and teased about words, but not in a mean or bullying kind of way.  Internally, we all took them very seriously.....even down to V-girl who just needed a gentle reminder about her word every now and then.  Towards the end of the review period, she was reminding me when she was being obedient.....just in case I didn't notice!  I did.

You can get your own set of Parenting Cards for $38.49.  We Choose Virtues is even having a few specials over the next few months....just enter the coupon codes in your order:

MAY-JUNE: *Promo Code BIG50 for 50% off our amazing set of 12 11x17 Kids of VirtueVille Posters! This is the first time we have ever offered these posters at this price. They are great for school classrooms, Kids Church, or your homeschool room. Kids love them for their bedrooms, bathrooms and kids’ hallways.

JUNE-AUGUST: *Promo Code BTS20 for 20% off anything in our WCV Store. This includes any kit. Let’s start School with Virtues this year!  

*Only one promo code per order

Take a look at what other TOS reviewers did with their We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards and download bundle.

V-Girl Gets Gum!

In our house, the rule is you cannot chew gum until you are 4.

Do I have cheaters amongst my tribe?  Yes.

But, the hard and fast rule is that turning 4 is a big deal because they get to chew gum (officially and not just the stolen goods that they take into someone's closet!)

V-girl turned 4 in August....which means, since she was 2 weeks old when we moved, I have been a Georgia girl for 4 years now!  That is just crazy!!!

Anyway, she had a stellar day.

She (with a little prompting from her mother who still had to finish decorating her cake) picked her Daddy to go out to lunch with.  She came down all ready for her birthday date.

Hair all fixed....and pearls....the pearls are killing me....

Daddy had apparently also promised her he would take her to the driving range for her birthday, so after lunch they did that....which allowed me to get her cake done.

Not my neatest work, but I a was particularly proud of my Starburst rosettes on the skirt!

Remind me to tell you about this fabulous pan that I used for the bottom layer...

my neice, Becky, wants me to sell this stuff (and I am not a salesperson....but I love this pan!)

We moved onto candle blowing (which of course my camera didn't capture)

See?  The tell-tale smoke.

She is holding her gift from D-man, that she picked out herself at Goodwill.

A-man gave her his old Spiderman suit that doesn't fit him anymore.

L-girl made her a purse and gave her some gum.

(Isn't L-girl adorable in braids???)

Rainman and I gave her a set of golf clubs....

A-girl and S-girl gave her some miscellaneous things...lip gloss, Twizzlers, etc.

I can't believe my youngest child is 4.  That has never happened.  I have always had another baby.  I still want another baby and since spending time at our family reunion this summer with 2 new babies.....the kids, especially V-girl is on Team Baby now too! 

We will see what God has in store for us.  I am in my mid-40's, so the chances that I "have" another baby are slim...but, both Rainman and I are open to the idea of adopting from a teen mom or something.  We will see.  I am rambling now, I know....I just really can't believe that V-girl is already 4!  Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Bible Time

This is a review.

We ended up getting this totally fun product to review that we all love, from V-girl up to Rainman.  It is from Bible Study Guide for All Ages.  We used the Intermediate study guides intended for grades 3 and 4....but I kind of used it for the whole family.

We got two things to review.



 One is the actual Student pages, which has 26 lessons in the first packet.  The whole curriculum covers the entire Bible in 416 lessons.  I like that the study doesn't just go chronologically through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but sort of jumps back and forth  between the Old and New Testaments.  And, let's face it, there are some parts of the Old Testament that are sort of boring, so this breaks those things up a bit.

The Bible Study Guide creators recommend using a timeline so that you have a visual picture of where things are happening in the big scheme of things.

You can use the Student Pages part of the study with whatever version of the Bible your family likes.  We like the New International Version or the Common English Version, so were glad we  didn't have to be King James Version for this one!

As you can see, there are memory things to work on, interesting tidbits of information, timeline stuff, ways to "Get Active" and ways to "Apply It".  One example that we got a kick out of was the Get Active section for "Flee from the T"...where the T is temptation and you all throw out examples of ways you could be tempted....and how you can "Flee from the T".  Isn't that an awesome idea.

Each lesson is two pages long.

The second page is more of a traditional Bible study where you read a passage and determine its meaning, plus there were usually some acitivites to fill in....like this one above....where it has places to fill in words.

I am sure you will be surprised to hear that I adapted how I used the Student Pages.    Instead of just having A-man do the workbook pages on his own, we used them in our family Bible Study time that we incorporated during our Circle Time.  We did as much of the study orally as we could.  The pages themselves are large (8.5 by 14) and glued together on the side(like how you get construction paper), so it would be easy to just tear out what you needed to use.  Since we did things orally, they didn't write answers down or fill in the blanks.  I just read them the questions/activities, showed them the pictures and we talked about it.

I think I will probably let A-man or S-girl do this study and fill in the blanks after the whole family has done the oral version of the study.  One thing I wished we had gotten to go along with this study was the Children's Song CD set that uses music to help memorize some of the things like the 12 sons of Jacob and the writers of various books of the Bible.


The Apply It segment is where you and your kids are really faced with situations and decisions about the lesson.  So, take the take "Flee from the T" lesson.  The apply it section has you read Genesis 39:12.  Where Potiphar's wife wants Joseph and he literally runs out (flees), leaving her holding his coat. Then they present you with situations to discuss, like being with a friend at the store who steals a candy bar and wants you to do the same.  What do you do?

You can download a sample of the lesson pages by going to this page and clicking on the link.


But, I have to say as enjoyable as the Student Pages were, it totally pales in comparison to our love for the Bible Summary Cards we got to try out!


Oh my word, we LOVED these!  Loved, loved, loved them.

They are 8.5 by 11 cards on thick posterboard.  Each book of the Bible has a card.  One the front are pictures/words depicting the main stuff covered in that book of the Bible.  The backside has a summary of the book and questions to ask to get the information solidified in your mind.

Guess what card this is?  Even V-girl got this one.....Numbers!

Now, Rainman, is a man of God.  Rainman knows his Bible back and forth, like my dad did.  But, really, we occasionally stumped him with what book the Summary Card covered.  Actually, the kids made it a point to try to stump him with a card that they had learned.

How about this one?

Isaiah.

I cannot even put into words how fabulous these cards are.  The kids didn't get sick of working on the cards.  We ended up working on these sort of like a game show.  I would pick a card, show it to the audience (my children) and if they thought they knew it, they could shout out the answer.  Once we figured out what book of the Bible the summary card showed, then we would work on the details from the back of what went on during that book. 

I usually tried to cover at least 3 during each Circle Time.  But, more often than not, the kids would ask me to do more of the Summary Cards....even D-man.

Here is what the backs look like.

See?  A little summary of what happens in the book and then some questions to quiz your students on.

We love these cards, I tell you!  You can get a copy of the Bible Summary Cards for $24.95, if you want to have your kids color them in themselves, you can get that version too for the same price.  

The Student Pages are also pretty awesome and inexpensive.  You can get the Intermediate  Student Pages  (in 26 lesson chunks) for $5.95 each.

The other TOS crew got to try out out some of the different age ranges for the Bible Study Guides.  Go see what they thought of them.