A New Year

This summer was kind of a blur.  Some fun things, like lots of time in the pool and a few visits from family members from afar. 

(My mom and my younger sister)

Some not so fun things, one friend moving away, another friend in a horrible car accident (be praying for Debbie), and also a mini mental health flip out/break down by me.  (I may or may not tell you details, but I am thinking my feelings/reasons are probably fairly common among middle aged mothers)

Then, on July 31st, L-girl started her junior year in the local public high school.

This same week, D-man left to spend a week in Washington D.C. for a conference and then on  August 8th, moved back to his apartment on campus.

On August 10th, L-girl and A-man left for a 3 day leadership retreat.

On August 11th, we moved A-girl onto her campus - not the same one as D-man.

 It was very strange not to have the whole gang there to move her in and say goodbye...and somehow with less people there, I still managed to forget to get a picture of she and I.  (Oops.)  The drive home was even weirder with only 2 kids.  We were like a "normal" family driving down the road in our mini van!

We are down to a 4 kid household and let me tell you it feels very strange.  It is very quiet.  Even though the two oldest are not exactly our wildest/loudest children.  Somehow their absence makes it very, very quiet around here. 

We started our homeschool year yesterday.  We still have three doing school at home.  (I will be honest, I would like to continue homeschooling through high school.  I suspect I am going to be outvoted though.)

Rainman and I are doing things a bit differently this year and I think it is going to work out well.  We have actually divided the subjects, so he will officially teach/be in charge of some and I will officially teach/be in charge of some.  We didn't do a good job of co-teaching/communicating last year and things got lost in the shuffle.  His work schedule has changed in that he is off most Mondays and Tuesdays and most of his other shifts are from noon to 8 p.m. so he will have plenty of time to teach.  He does work a few 7 to 7 shifts, but, I don't think that will mess things up too much.

I am actually excited for the school year.  I think it is fairly rare in the homeschooling realm to have a husband/dad that actually wants to teach and be involved in the day to day things connected with our school.  Rainman has gotten more and more interested and involved every year.  But, what I think has happened in the last few years is that I have felt a little pushed aside by his interest and his own excitement to teach.  He is the kind of person that jumps in with both feet and doesn't test the waters.  So, he ended up jumping past me and took off swimming with the kids at his side, while I was still carefully hanging onto the railings and climbing into the water.  They unintentionally left me behind.

I mean, I was still involved, but it was more often than not having work delegated and assigned to me by Rainman.  Like, "Make sure they read this chapter."  "Here is the science quiz."  "Study the capitals with them before they take the test."   If you know me at all, you know I really don't like people telling me what to do....even if I am married to that person.  Or maybe I should say, especially if I am married to that person!  Ha!

Gone were the days of me  designing our days and taking off for a fun field trip to get donuts or popsicles, just because I felt like it or something meshed with my lesson plans.  Instead, I spent quite a bit of time just waiting for someone to need me and then when they did, having to catch up and figure out what they had been working on with Rainman because I wasn't as involved in the nitty gritty details of what they were learning.  Kind of hard to explain.

But, anyway this year, we are splitting the course work.  We are each creating our own lesson plans for the kids.  I will still have to see how I can work on the spontaneous field trips that won't interfere with Rainman's  school day plans.  But, I am more excited for this year of school than I have been for quite a while.  I am hoping that our two approaches and teaching styles will help our kids become even more well rounded in their education.  We shall see, I guess.

UnLock Math-Review

Isn't that what we all want? To "unlock" math for ourselves or our kids?!?

We got the chance to try out this very cleverly named product this summer.

UnLock Math and, more specifically, UnLock Pre-Algebra  gave L-girl a little head start on her 8th grade made for the upcoming school year.

There is kind of a unique, interesting background from the husband and wife team, Matthew and Alesia, that created UnLock Math.  Both of them were homeschooled starting in the 4th grade.  Alesia actually went back to public school for high school though.  I think that gives them a very unique and important perspective to parents who are now choosing to homeschool.  They understand us from the inside out.  

To get a little insight into the creators, go read this blog post. by Alesia. about whether success in math is attributed to a gift or an ability.  

So, what is UnLock Math?

It is a series of video lessons, taught in small, bite sized chunks.  The stated goals for their videos, taught by Alesia,  are to "engage, explain and entertain".  I am a big proponent of it being perfectly okay for children to be bored now and then, and for learning how to still succeed and make good choices even when they are bored.   However.....if I would have had the chance to be engaged and entertained when I learned math (especially my old nemesis Algebra).....I shudder to think of the things I could have accomplished in this world!  

UnLock Math uses different types of assessment techniques (basically asking questions in different ways) to make sure your student is really understanding the material and not just accidentally guessing the right answer with multiple choice.

Your student gets to know if they got the answer right immediately and then the right answer is explained.  (Again, normally, I am against any kind of immediate gratification....but, in the case of teaching math concepts to my kids.....I have decided to relax my standards.)

They only show the students one question at a time.  Seeing a page full of questions, especially when you don't understand what you are doing can be overwhelming, so keeping it small and seemingly manageable seemed like it worked well.  Although L-girl is the type  to see the page full of questions and challenge herself to get them all done in a certain time frame (she is her father's daughter, after all)

L-girl would practice problems and review concepts as much as she wanted (But, let's be honest....it was summer, so she didn't want to very much.)  

One of the little things I liked about UnLock Math started before L-girl even took her first class.  They are incredibly clear in how to really get started.  With most of these programs, the first time you log on, you end up sort of randomly clicking on things and stumbling through the first few times.  Usually I am successful in getting the kids signed up with log-ins and passwords and all that jazz, but, it was nice that UnLock Math actually had a start up guide that truly showed me everything I needed to do to get the kids started.  (There were even screen shots so I knew I was looking at the right screen). They had the same start up guide for the gradebook system.  Sort of like UnLockMath for dummies.  

What do I like about UnLock Math?

I like that it really handles pretty much everything on its own without me needing to be hands on.  From instruction, to practice, to homework, to testing and grades.  If you are the type that like the details of things like this...here you go....

Grades care calculated by giving practice problems a weight of 30%, the "stay sharp" questions are weighted at 10%.  The challenge problems (basically a bonus question that doesn't count against them) gives them a chance for 5% bonus.  And, any review work  and warm-up is weighted at 0%, but they take notice of whether it has been completed or not.  Quizzes have a weight of 15% and tests are at 30%.  (Note that students have a chance to take the quiz or test twice and can use their best score).

 

Customer Service with UnLock Math has been phenomenal.  There was a technical glitch with things about halfway through the review period.  Matthew and Alesia were on it and sent out message to us that it was happening and that they were working on it.  They have communicated with us quite a bit during this process, checking in, making sure we had all the ways to contact them and all of that jazz.  Yes, this is a review, but, I really get the sense that they will be available to us (and any other student) even after the review process is over.  Just my gut feeling.  

I asked L-girl to fill me in on her thoughts about UnLock Math and here is what she had to say. 

• She pretty much knew all the lessons/stuff they were teaching her already (we are pretty aggressive in our math curriculum, so in retrospect, she probably would be been a better fit for for the Algebra curriculum and not the Pre-Algebra)
• Video length varied from 5 minutes to 15 minutes, so it was hard for her to know how long the lessons were going to take her (to me, that wasn't a significant thing, but it seemed like it was for her)
• She liked how there was always a review of past lessons because it made it easier to do well on the quizzes.
• The teacher was pretty funny. 

You can subscribe to UnLock Math and pay a monthly subscription, or a yearly fee.  If you go monthly, it is about $49/month or the better deal is yearly for $299.  One thing that we homeschoolers with large families like to see is a sibling discount...and UnLock Math has one.....and gives you 50% off.  I have a little (actually really big) deal for my friends to be able to get a discount on their subscription.  Click here to take a look....but it expires on August 18th...so don't wait too long.  

Social Media Stuff for your viewing pleasure:

http://facebook.com/UnLockMath

http://twitter.com/UnLockMath

http://pinterest.com/unlockmath/

http://plus.google.com/+Unlockmath

http://instagram.com/unlockmath/

Take a look at what other TOS Reviewers thought about their experiences with UnLock Math.

Easy Piano Basics - Review

We are getting some help with our musical skills around these parts.  We got a chance to try on-line piano lessons again with a program called Easy Piano Basics which is the beginner piano program from JazzEdge.




JazzEdge has lots of musical helping programs.  There are more advanced piano lesson options like Piano With Willie  and even Drums with Willie.  In case you haven't figured it out, Willie is the teacher in this series.  His name is Willie Myette and his approach is unique...probably because his own background and how he learned to play music wasn't the traditional approach.  He is able to explain things in a way that we all seemed to be able to understand.

We have tried out some of Willie Myette's programs before and liked them.  So, when we had the chance to try this one, I jumped at it for my younger kids.  The lessons are done in a streamed video that work with your computer or other electronic device.  Like a tablet (problem I will tell you about shortly) or smartphone (don't have one). For this to really work, you will - obviously - need access to a piano or a keyboard. 

This was originally intended to be for V-girl, S-girl and A-man to try, but guess who the student actually ended up being this time around?  Me.

One of the other cool things about East Piano Basics is that it is truly an easy piano course that can be used by kids, regardless of their age, but is also intended to be used for adults....even adults like me that have some musical training under their belts already but, like my friend, Wanda, recently said, "Have let it get away from them."

That was me.  I took lessons for 8 years as a kid/teen.  When I moved out and got my own place, one of my goals was to buy myself a piano.  I did.  I have hauled that heavy thing around apartment to apartment and house to house and have ignored it a little more each and every move me have made.  Which makes Rainman question me every single time about whether it is wise to continue to grunt and groan and keep our fingers crossed that it will survive for every move.  (I could ask him the same thing for all his vinyl record albums that we haul from place to place too!)

I have stubbornly dug my heels in and refused to sell it.  Even though I don't play like I used to - which is annoying and depressing at the same time.  My kids plunk it as they walk be, but, it has really become mostly a piece of furniture in my living room for stuff to get stacked on (sometimes as display....sometimes as a spot to place a empty popsicle stick or empty cup)

Recently A-girl (who has taken lessons in the past) has taught herself some songs on her keyboard.  Which gives me hope that if I give them some of the basic training and knowledge, they will come back to music when they are ready/interested.

So, back to Easy Piano Basics and my original intentions versus reality.

I had intended for my littles to go through this program.  It  is designed for any age beginner player, but was suggested that for students under age 7 that an adult sit alongside them to make sure they were understanding what was being said/taught.

Here is where part of my problem came in with my intent.  Our little Nexus tablet thingie just mysteriously stopped working this winter.  One morning it decided it was not going to turn on even though it was charged.  That is how I used to have them do their lessons....they could sit at the piano with the Nexus up on top.  Watch the lesson and then do the lesson at the same time.

Without my tablet as an option, their only choice was my laptop.  I have been working more lately, so it wasn't free when they were free..plus it didn't fit as well at the piano.

So, they took the lessons, but it was sporadic (and it was my fault).  We are given this great opportunity to review items and we get to use them for free.  I was feeling bad about not using this blessing.  So, one day, I logged on to take a look around and just stuck around.

Here is what I loved about Easy Piano Basics from an adult point of view.

They are quick lessons.

They are to the point.

No music theory.

They are labeled clearly with what you are going to be learning.

You could pause the lessons and restart them without issue.  (I do not know what I did before the pause button existed in life with 6 children!)

There is an overhead camera so you can completely mirror what he is doing...and get it right. (It is sort of a split screen.  In the bottom left corner is a "normal" view of him sitting at the piano talking to you.  But, most of the screen is dedicated to the overhead keyboard shots so you can see what his hands are doing as he plays.)



He has an engaging style and uses references and examples that are easily understood.

I tell you, this is a fantastic way for you to really truly just get the basics down.  What the notes are.  Where they are on the keyboard.  What they look like on a piece of music.  How to count in music.  How to hold your hand while playing the piano.

The real basics that it takes before you start building....music.

Willie frequently pulls out 8x11 pieces of paper that have staff and notes on them while he is giving a lesson.  Since the lessons are shot with mostly an overhead camera, he just lays them on the keyboard and explains  what you are looking at right there at the keyboard.  He sometimes makes notes and draw little arrows as he is talking and teaching, so you know what he is talking about.  The beauty of this is that with Easy Piano Basics, you have access to PDF files of the sheet music that he uses in all of his lessons, so you can print off just exactly what you were looking at.  The other part of the beauty of this is that it is all large print, so if you happen to be a beginner that now uses bifocals (sigh) you won't have trouble seeing anything. 

I really liked that each lesson is clearly labeled in Easy Piano Basics.  For me, as someone who has played before, there were lessons that I could skip or skim because I still remember those things.  But, other things I knew I was rusty on, so I could search out those lessons and get my refresher course - without having to slog through hours of boring basic stuff I didn't need.  I did more than one lesson each time I sat down and it was still manageable for me.  But, a true beginner could also do one or more lessons in a sitting and still get in their practice time.  (Obviously, practice makes progress, so you are ideally supposed to practice 4-5 days a week for 15-30 minutes.)

I also completely loved the fact that when you opened each lesson there was a little box that told you how long that lesson lasted and what you were expected to spend your time practicing....and how long he wanted you to practice.  

Easy Piano  Basics has a total of 32 lessons.  For me, I was able to whip through them quickly.  But, even for a true beginner, this is a great, easy and totally doable way to learn what those white and black keys are.

I really love Willie and his approach to teaching piano.  I re-learned things I had forgotten and in a few cases had "light bulb" moments where I figured something out that I had never connected before (like how the F clef dots around the F line on the staff).

If you have a piano beginner at your house, try out Easy Piano Basics.  If you used to play piano like me, but have "let it get away from you", try Easy Piano Basics to get you back up to speed....or move on with additional, more advanced lessons with Piano With Willie.   He even actually teaches drums too (I so badly wanted to play drums back in the day - but now, as a parent, I completely understand why my parents turned down that dream!)

This is a one time payment only program for Easy Piano Basics.  That means you download all the material and you have it forever....and can use it with multiple children.  (I will figure out a way we can make this happen with my littles!)  The cost is just $59.95 

I didn't even touch on of the best parts of Easy Piano Basics......you don't have to drive anywhere!

Other TOS Reviewers got to try out the more advanced Piano with Willie and the Drums with Willie.  So, if you were interested in those too, go check them out here!

I am also trying to get on board with other fancy-schmancy social media stuff...so, here are some different ways you can connect with JazzEdge and their programs.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PianoWithWillie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PianoWithWillie

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jazzedge

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JazzEDge

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jazzedge

The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight - Review

This was a book for me.  Just me....the "busy homeschool mom".  You can see by the emoticon above how it made me feel.



This book is by Real Life Press.

The book itself is called The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight, by Heidi St. John.....mother of seven...wife......author......homeschool mom.  So, yeah, that sounds like "real life" to me. 



I feel a bit like Jerry McGuire....or whatever Renee Zellweger's characters name was in that movie. The whole "you had me at hello....." part.

I had an inkling of that feeling from the publishers name....Real Life Press.  That was definitely a real precursor or foreshadowing (to stay in the movie mode) of what was to come between the pages of the book.

I got a real, physical, paperback version of this book!  That deserved the exclamation point because, I am just not an e-reader kind of gal.  I keep trying and trying, but it just isn't me.

So, happy I got a "real" copy of the book.

So, why did this book make me  ?


I don't meet a lot of people in my real life that I can truly relate to, or that I know can truly relate to me and my daily struggles and triumphs.  I haven't met Heidi St. John, in person, but, I can tell you that she "gets" me....which is why, she basically had me at "hello", or the Introduction with her "one fancy eye" story." Which seemed like a glimpse into my bathroom when I was trying to get ready to go somewhere - the interruptions - the questions - the kid doing school in there with me - the baby finding gross stuff on the floor - the yelling from the other room.  The details weren't an exact match, but close enough so I knew she exactly how I have felt in those situations.

Relatable.

Real.

I will just share a few of the encouraging....wise......helpful tidbits that I took away from this book.

"Managing your day, is really just about managing yourself."

Let that one sink in for a minute, because it is quite profound, if you let it be.  It isn't about creating the perfect list or routine.  Obviously, those things help, but not if your priorities aren't in order.  Ms. St. John tells me that the first thing I need to do is make my marriage the priority relationship at home.

Let that one sink in for a minute too.

Again, it is one of those things that we "know", but rarely do we really follow through with it....because we are busy....the kids are loud and more vocal with their needs (hopefully) than our husbands.  Most of the time, it is easier to fall into the mom first, wife second order.

Rainman is actually much better than I am at forcing us to take a minute and stop and pay attention to each other.  I am just so busy, that I tend to brush that stuff aside.  I loved when she talked about "That Girl" that our husbands fell in love with still being there inside of us....somwhere.... and still needing to be part of my life and marriage.

Moving onto priorities related to kids.  Another one of her statements really hit home for me.  She talked about her schedules and plans and how a comment from one of her kids that "she wasn't fun to be around anymore" made her stop and realize that she couldn't remember the last time she did something with the kids that wasn't housework related.

Uggg.

Yes, I blame stuff in the more recent months to my thyroid surgery, but, I did used to be more fun. We used to do scavenger hunts.  We used to do baking projects....just because.  Not so much lately. No "just because" fun things are happening around here.  Now, I am just trying to get the house clean and the laundry done.  (Not that those aren't important....but time goes fast and I don't want their memories of me to just be cleaning stuff or making them clean stuff, you know?)

Another point in the book that I both loved and realized is the 100% truth was that every busy homeschool mom needs a break.

True.

Hard to make happen.

But, true.

But, like Heidi's friend Carol told her......."Taking time for yourself is NOT optional".  I think we need to remind ourselves of this and give ourselves permission to not be an option....if there is enough time....if it is convenient.  You know?  I understand this one in my head....but, I will need a little nudge to make it actually work in my life.   And, not to feel selfish when I do actually take time for myself.

I also loved her concept of "white space" in their calendar.  Actual white space that didn't have anything....yes, I said anything....on it.  No doctor's appointments, no lessons, no sports (good luck with that one this time of year, right?).  No obligations.  So, you can either be fun and spontaneous...or rest.  Both awesome things that you can't do without white space in your calendar.(Brilliant concept, but, I am one of those people that will probably have to "schedule" my white space time.  Ha!)

Later in the book, she talked specifically about how she prioritizes her day.  Not to say that we need to just do what she does and we will be fine, but to give us encouragement to simplify and make our own individualized plan.  It is always helpful and good to have examples of what has worked or not worked for other people....even if it is just a jumping off point for your own plan.

She listed off her 3 priorities, which made me realize that I needed to do some work on mine.  Hers are simple:

Spend time in God's word everyday
Spend time alone with her husband everyday
Be intentional and look at each day with specific goals in mind to accomplish

If I compare myself to her, I will come up seriously lacking.  But, if I allow myself to be encouraged by her example, I am left feeling a lot less depressed.  :)

I mean, I wish I could say I spent time in God's word everyday, but the reality is that sometimes, the only bit of God's word I see is if someone puts a scriptural quote or picture on FB.

I wish I could say that Rainman and I spend time alone everyday....but, honestly, I haven't ever even thought of trying to make that a reality.

It is a completely foreign concept to me.  I could let that depress me and take me down into the "I am a horrible wife" rabbit hole, but I am not going to do that.  I am just going to use her idea as just that an idea.  Will Rainman and I magically start spending lots of alone time together every day?  No.  But, I bet we will spend more time together than we did before I started thinking about it.

About half way through the book, she has a section simply titled "Nothing good is ever easy."  Again, for me, this was one of those simple, yet truly profound statements.

It is true, isn't it?  Motherhood?  Good...defnitely not easy.  Marriage?  Good....definitely not easy. School?  Good...necessary....not easy.  Homeschooling?  Awesome.....but, most definitely NOT easy.
It was on page 112, that I really started wondering if Heidi St. John and I were really twins separated at birth.  She sounded just like me.  She loves her children, her husband, even cooking....but, understood the feeling of dread/depression come 4:30ish when I realize I have no idea what is for supper and that I forgot to thaw the chicken.  (which means, once again, everyone having cold cereal for supper....again.)

I loved Chapter 4- Hungry Daylight -  Feeding Your Family Without Losing Your Mind.  I won't say it was my favorite chapter, because I gleaned a lot of good things from the whole book, but this chapter made me realize that I wasn't alone in my food struggles and that I wasn't a total loser (horrible mother) for forgetting to thaw the chicken!

I really, really loved this book.  It was written in such a real, relatable way, that even if you are a homeschool mom that doesn't also happen to have a ton of kids like Heidi and I....you will find lots of good ideas and encouragement for using your daylight in the best way possible.

I will also say that even though the word "homeschool" is in the title, I think any busy mom could get some good stuff out of this book.  I just found it incredibly relatable and helpful because I happen to also homeschool.  Make sense?


You can get a copy of The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight....for $10.  Rainman will be happy to know that I am already planning to pop over and get a copy of the The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to.....Romance.  


(I think she is a blonde now.....wonder if that is part of the romance plan?)

Take a look at what other TOS Reviewers thought of Real Life Press and all their offerings.

Star Toaster - Review

Oh, what a wonderful thing this was for us to try.  Eventually.

It is from a company called Star Toaster and the product is called Orphs of the Woodlands, which was designed with 4th through 7th graders in mind.

It is wonderful.....and.....sort of hard to explain.  But, I will do my best!



It is a book.

It is a video game.

It is an adventure.

It is a job.

It shows responsibility and accountability.

And, it even gives you a taste of parenthood.

Confused yet?

Here is how A-man explains it.

"It is sort of like Reading School, but you can do other things.  Math, language arts, history and stuff like that.  By doing this stuff, you earn gold stars.  You earn 6 gold stars after you finish one lesson.  Then, you use those gold stars to give the orphs water and food and stuff.  The orphs are little mice that are orphans that you rescue by doing projects and you give them a place to live.  Then, you go read some more and keep going back and forth.  I get to be the squirrel that saves them.  There was a bad guy that came and burned down the squirrels house with his little minions.  There was a prophecy that I (the squirrel) would be the person that would stop them and free all the orphans and help them get actual homes.  The squirrels parents threw me out the window to save me and yelled something out the window when they tossed me out.  I couldn't hear what they said and they died in the fire.  So, part of what I am doing as the squirrel is searching for the evil guy's secret lair where he keeps his minion guys.  I am not going to kill him or anything when I find him, I am just going to put him in jail....or something."


Hahahahaha!



So, do you understand yet?

Here is my interpretation/explanation of Orphs of the Woodlands for you:  You read a chapter in their on-line book.  Then, when you are done with the chapter, you can go do "jobs" to earn stars to then turn around and feed, clothe, medicate your orphans.  It is really kind of ingenius.  You work on vocabulary, reading comprehension, memory skills, math, and even sneaky school stuff like developing character and learning recipes.

Super cool, right?

That being said, we got off to a rough start.  This was designed with A-man's age and gender in mind.  I was so excited because he hasn't really embraced fiction reading the way I would like him too.  He always has bigger and better things to do than sit down and read a book...even if it was a great one.  So, yes, unfortunately, when we started the Orphs of the Woodland, I briefly turned into a nag.  I totally had to force everyone to log on.  Well, not entirely true...L-girl went on with no trouble.

But, S-girl and A-man.....moaned and groaned....complained and whined.  Every.  Single.  Time.  If I hadn't had the obligation to keep pushing on because this was a review product, I would have let them quit and that would have been a shame.  Because somewhere around the middle of Chapter 2, actually probably closer to the beginning of Chapter 3, everything changed.  Somehow it was interesting.  Somehow there was concern for the orphs and their lack of parents.

I only have one negative/drawback.  It is small and sort of petty.  But, I will admit to it anyway.  I don't like that one of their selling points is "improved standardized test scores".  I understand why it is there.  That kind of thing just bugs me because, it is just seems a little like teaching to the test.  To me, it implies that they aren't really learning....they will just do better on the test.

But, that is my only disappointment with Orphs of the Woodlands.

Take a look at a little video explanation of some of the cool things you can find whilst saving little orphaned mice.

You can get the 60 day subscription to the first book in Orphs of the Woodlands, The Treasure of High Tower for $19.99.  The good thing is that you can use the same subscription for up to 3 children, at the same time.  You also have the option to extend the subscription another month for a small fee, if your kids move slowly.....like mine did in the beginning

It took a little bit, but we all love this one now.  It isn't just one of those ones that mom thinks they should love, but, in reality, they hate.  They are interested.  They are engaged.  They have a sense of responsibility for their orphans and want to see how good of a spy they are.  All good.  Really.  You can even get a free trial, if you aren't sure.  We are excited about the second book....coming soon!

Take a look at what other TOS Reviewers thought of Orphs of the Woodlands.  I suspect that we were not alone in loving this one!

Lord Heritage - Review

Lord Heritage is a company that has put together a product called HomeSchool Office that I got to try out.


The mission statement for Lord Heritage says, "To preserve and teach God's Truth in education by following His commandments in instruction so that,

"All thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Isaiah 54:13

The HomeSchool Office product is an on-line planning/organizing tool that is designed specifically with homeschooling in mind.
Its premise is wonderful and based on what they call the POWER strategy.

P - Plan
O - Order
W - Work
E - Evaluate
R - Report

Sounds good, but what does that actually mean?  Well, for Planning - that would cover  setting up your lessons and your schedules.  Order would be where you create your lists and reminders (I used this the most!) and the place that you can integrate both sides of your life - school and home.  Work is where you can print schedules and the students can follow their lessons.  Evaluate is where you can keep track of stuff like attendance (if you need to keep track of that where you live), time and grades. Report is the area where you can keep all the transcripts and reports that you may need to meet your local state requirements for homeschooling.  

(Think I could have anymore tabs open on my desktop?!?)

If the idea of the POWER strategy  isn't enough awesomeness for you, each letter also has a Bible verse(that I have paraphrased below) attached to its premise also.

P - Jeremiah 29:11 (This is "my" verse that my parents sent me off to college with! For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future )
O - Corinthians 14:40 (But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way)
W - John 17:4 (I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do)
E - Matthew 28:20 (...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.)
R - Romans 14:12 (So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God)

I know.  Sounds awesome and inspiring, doesn't it?

I was so excited about trying this system out.  So excited.

But, I neglected to take into account a few things.  First that I am, at heart, still a paper and pencil kind of gal.  Second, that in order to successfully use this fantastic system, it was going to take some time/effort to get things set up and entered on-line successfully.  The third thing that I failed to take into consideration was that my thyroid surgery was going to kick my butt so badly.

The first thing to do it to get your Team set up.  That is basically getting all your kids/students information put into the system.  This also where you can also put in the "type" of grade you will be giving your students.  For example, grade letter, percentage, or descriptive.  We do percentages around here that we translate into a letter grade....except in Kindergarten where we do our own description and star system.   Inputting all these details on your kids,  will  enable you to see all their different things that they have to do....it can even be color coded on the calendar.

This screen is from the Plan portion.  Notice there are tabs for Subjects, School Year Plan, Master Schedule, Projects and Budget.   LOTS of detail can go in here.  Here is where the time and thyroid surgery issue reared its ugly head.  :(  I just didn't have it in me to enter everything we had going on into this system.  I just didn't.

One of the best things I saw about HomeSchool Office is that you can do (and keep) everything in one place.  You can have each member of your family's schedule there.  You can do all your lesson planning and reminders to yourself about what needs to be reported or turned in for credit.  If I had decided to homeschool all through high school, this would have been a fabulous product to keep track of everything so I could have created their transcripts and not have to rely on my memory of what we had done in years past.

Unfortunately, taking into consideration the 3 things I listed above that I hadn't thought about (love of paper and pencil, time to input our lives/schedule, and my thyroid surgery) HomeSchool Office ended up not being a good fit for me....right now.  And, I just thought of a 4th reason.  Rainman.  Rainman is way less technologically savvy than I am (he still has a flip phone...and is happy about it!).  Rainman is also the one that creates our lesson plans and yearly schedule....on paper.  I just follow and implement them.  I think if he would have had the chance to try this out back in July/August when we were setting up our school year, it would have had a better likelihood of succeeding.  I think.

With that being said, I really do think it is a fantastic premise and there were pieces of it, that even with all my reasons, including my post surgery stupor/brain fog, that came in handy.  My most frequently used portion of this program was the"To Do Lists",  "Reminder" and "Family Messages" features.  That was were I did actually type in things for myself and the kids so I wouldn't forget.  I guess it was sort of a step up from my usual  paper and pencil To Do list...but, it did work.  It showed up on the front page whenever I logged into Lord Heritage.  The other part of this that I almost came to love (and, again....if I would have been able to enter more of our actual lives into) was the calendar section - where you can see as much or as little as you want....and each thing is color coded.

I think if you were already someone who relied on an on-line app or calendar program, you will absolutely be in love with HomeSchool Office, because it has everything you need to run both a smooth home and school.  Everything.

I also think that if you are homeschooling in the high school years, this is something you absolutely need for keeping track of everything to make sure you are complying with laws and creating a great, usable transcript. But, for me to go from my hard copy, paper/pencil versions of everything we do, it was too big of a leap for my first foray into organizing and planning with the help of technology.  Make sense?

HomeSchool Office is web based and can be accessed from any device that has a browser, for me, I just used it on my computer.....plain and simple.

Go take a look and see what other TOS Reviewers thought.

You can try HomeSchool Office free  for 30 days, or go ahead and take the jump for $79/year.

Great Parents Academy - Review

We have been trying out an on-line math program through Great Parents Academy, also known as GPA LEARN, and more specifically, the program we used was called  GPALOVEMATH.




This is an on-line resource for math stuff for grades K-5. So, we used it for all three littles.  V-girl, Kindergarten, S-Girl second grade, and A-man, 4th grade.  I will tell you a little secret, once the littles started earning their rewards, my big kids wanted in on the action too!  I will tell you more about that later!

As with most of these types of programs, you set up individual accounts for your student.  In this case, each of them had different guides or learning coaches that worked through their lessons with them.  The GPALEARN mindset is for Learn, Engage, Motivate.  But, those high-falutin' words just boil down to giving instruction, having them practice, and then quizzing them.  Sort of sounds old fashioned and simple, right?  Well, the reality is, the answer is sort of yes and no.  It is a simple approach with a very modern twist in the on-line game-like look and feel of the lessons.

GPALOVEMATH gives you a bunch of lessons....like, a whole school year's worth.  They have 150 lessons which breaks it down to 10,000 problems!  You might not want to share that tidbit with your kids, because it would scare them off, and that would be unfortunate, because this is a pretty cool math curriculum.

So, all that happens is you get your kids accounts set up, they log in and get to work....but it is fun work.

As part of the "engage" section there is a way for you to allow the kids to chat and interact with other "friends" using this program.  I wasn't comfortable with that, but we did use it to send messages back and forth to each other.  Honestly, they were mostly little love notes back and forth to each other that had nothing to do with math.  But, it was fun and if I didn't log on and check my messages, I would get the little people saying things like, "Mom?  Did you check my math yet?"  Now, normally that is not something that would come out of their mouths, because it may mean homework or something dreadful like that.  But, with GPALOVEMATH, I knew when they asked that I either needed to approve a reward or they had left me a message!

Each of the kids is in a different grade level, so they all have different teachers/coaches/cartoons that they worked with.  They also each got different problem solving strategies to help them work through the math problems.  For example, V-girls, was the acronym C.L.U.E.   C - Comprehend the Question, L - Let's Stop, U - Use, E - Evaluate.  Seriously, I am not sure how they did it - but that is stuck in her head now.  I just asked her to remind me what her problem solving strategy was and she just spit it out!

A-man's was the acronym F.O.W.L.  F - Find Out, O - Organize a Plan of Attack, W - Work It Out, L - Look Back and Check.

S-girl's was S.P.O.T.  S - Study the Problem, P - Plan It Out, O - Operate and Solve, and T - Test and Confirm.

Seriously, when I was writing this review, I called them all over separately to remind me and they all just knew their problem solving strategies....and they even used the words "problem solving strategy"!  Crazy cute!

They send me e-mails when each of them completes a lesson,, how they scored on their quiz at the end of the lessons, or if I need to approve one of their rewards.  I can also just simply log in to my parent account and check on them or create individualized rewards to encourage the kids to complete their lessons.

That brings up the most unique part of GPALOVEMATH.  The reward system.  It is AMAZING.  It is clever.  It is exciting.  It is attainable for the kids.  I could have created some easy, more personal rewards for my kids, but, GAPLOVEMATH had created such awesome ones already, I didn't even bother!

They had rewards that they could redeem for monetary value (like spending their reward points to trade in for a quarter from mom and dad) and even actual e-gift cards from Target or Toys R Us.  Since we live in the Atlanta area, we could have also turned in points for local attractions too like the World of Coke, or the Varsity, but the kids were super, duper excited about getting some shopping money at a store we only go into rarely!  So, yes, they have each earned two $10 Target gift cards for themselves.  Actually, S-girl has earned three of them.

But, as great as those are, it was sort of crazy how legitimately excited the kids got when they earned other rewards.  Those "other" rewards were things like cooking with mom, having mom or dad do one of their chores, picking what we have for dinner, bake a cake with mom and dad, pick a game to play with mom and dad.  I mean it when I say that they were so excited when they could come and proudly announce to me that I had to do one of their chores because they had earned that in their computer math!  We did all have a good laugh at the "stay up 30 minutes late" reward, because, seriously, around here that would have them staying up into the wee hours of the morning.  We already stay up late, so, I could have eliminated that reward and created our own custom reward. But, I didn't.

There was only one thing that bugged me/annoyed me about GPALOVEMATH.  It was the computer/robot-like voices of their individual learning coaches.  Super annoying sounding whether I was sitting next to them or in the other room while they were working.  I can't even describe it...just a non-human robot voice, that, talked too fast.  In defense of GPALOVEMATH though, the voices did not bother the kids as much as they did for me.

Really, that was the only bad thing I can say about this one.  So, yes, we loved it.  Yes, this will continue to be part of our home school....even after our review period is over.  I can't always say that about the neat things we get to try.

Want to try GPALOVEMATH for your kids?  Right now, you can get a special introductory price of $129 for an annual subscription by using Promo Code GPAINTRO15.  There is also the option of a monthly subscription for $12.99/month.

See what other reviewers thought of GPALOVEMATH.  

Shameless Plug Ahead

How many of you ran away when you read the title of this post?  LOL






If you are already my Facebook friend, you probably know what is coming. 

I have done something....become something....I never ever thought I would be.  Ever!

I am an Independent  Consultant for Jamberry Nail Wraps.

Yes, I am the dreaded "salesman"!

I can't believe it either.

I was telling a friend the other day that I hate salesman.  Yes, hate is a strong word.  But, I will be honest, I have sort of a disdain for salespeople, in general.  They are usually just so schmoozy and.....well.....fake.

That is NOT me.

I mean, I can small talk with pretty much anybody, when necessary.  But, I don't really like to do it.  It sort of makes me sweat inside of my brain, you know?

I want to be known as an authentic person and not change who I am based on who I am around.

So, why did I sign my name on the dotted line and become a salesman for Jamberry Nail Wraps?

Because......plain and simple....I tried them....I loved them....I couldn't wait to tell other people with short, stubby nails like mine about them!

I have always had short stubby nails.

I have been a massage therapist for 22 years.  (Wow, that makes me feel really old!)

I have 6 kids.

Of course I have short, stubby nails!

And, to be honest, I like my short stubby nails.  They are practical.  I am not afraid of gouging anybodies eyes out accidentally while shampooing their hair or washing their face.  You can open cans and jars and car doors.

They work for me.

But, the downside of that is that I rarely feel super....feminine...if that makes sense.

I always keep my toenails painted, but my fingernails were just nude colored and easily ignored.

Then, I tried Jamberry nails after another homeschool mom I know started selling them.  I totally tried them to be polite.

But......THEY ARE AWESOME!

(See?  Short and stubby....but, cute!  The nail on my ring finger had been on for about 2 weeks at this point - you can see that there is a little more space between the nail wrap and my cuticle because it had grown out a bit.)
 
They are cute.

 Look how cute these are!

They stay put until I want to take them off....usually because my nail has grown so much there is a gap at the bottom.

I wash a lot of little heads and faces.  I wash a lot of pots and pans (because, yes, apparently I AM the only that notices them).  I load/unload the dishwasher at least 2 times a day.  Not to even mention laundry, tying shoelaces, pulling out splinters, and  the ten billion other things that a mom does all day long.

They do not move.

They stay shiny.

So, yes, I have become an Independent Consultant for Jamberry Nail Wraps....and I am not even ashamed of that fact.

If you have never heard of them, go check out my web page and take a look at all the options available.  Over 300 designs, plus there is a Nail Art Studio where you can design your own wraps.  People have made them for their favorite t.v. shows like Dr. Who, or their favorite books, like Harry Potter or Dr. Suess, and just cool looking artsy fartsy ones.  Brides have even designed special ones that match their wedding theme for their bridesmaids gifts.

So much cuteness and so affordable.  A sheet of nail wraps that has enough for 2 pedicures and 2-3 manicures on it costs $15.  Even I can afford $15 for a fun little treat for myself.  That is why I did the last thing I expected to do.....and signed on the dotted line.

I am really excited about these things....can you tell?

I am having a business launch party on my website through Friday.  So, if you need unique, affordable Christmas gifts or just want to treat yourself, come on over and shop.  We are also having a Buy 3, Get 1 Free sale too!  (Wow!  I really am a salesman now, aren't I?)

And, now I am one of those people that put graphics like this out in view of the public....and....mean it.

Kinder Cottage Publishing - Review

This was such a sweet set of books.



These hardcover books, by Kinder Cottage Publishing, were originally written by Duff Graham for the Henry Altemus company over 90 yrs ago.

Kinder Cottage Publishing was started in 2012 by parents, Howard and Ann Closs, who wanted to make sure their four children love of their rich heritage of western civilization. The company focuses on materials such as literature, history, culture, and Christianity. 

There are ten books in this set.  I got to choose two hardcover books.

I didn't even let the kids vote.  I was selfish and picked the ones I was interested in.  I knew they wouldn't agree on two anyway, so, I picked.......

The Tale of Peter Rabbit



and 

Peter Rabbit and Jack the Jumper



I ended up picking the first and last book in this series.

Like I said, these are absolutely sweet read aloud books for you and your kids.  They are recommended for ages 3 to 9.  They are sweet.  They are old fashioned.  They will hopefully teach your kids a few life lessons.

They are the right length for a read aloud.  You know how you inwardly groan at some of the read aloud books your kids want to read because they are too long?!?  But, feel bad if the books are too short?!?

These ones, like baby bears porridge,chair, and bed, are......just right.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit tells the story of Peter defying his mother and going and doing the very activities that got his father into an"accidental" pie on the McGregor farms.

I liked this page from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, because it reminded me of my dad. (Not the grumpy looking rabbit!)

It gave me a chance to pause the story and tell the kids a story about my dad.  When I was growing up, we didn't go out to eat much, but every now and then, after church, my dad would take a right instead of a left on our way home and we knew that we were going to Mel-O-Lanes....a little tiny diner about 10 minutes away. No matter what you ordered, your meal came with a big, old piece of parsley on the side of the plate. My dad would stick the whole thing in his mouth and eat it.  He would be greeted by rounds of, "Ewwww, gross!:  Then we would explain to him that it was only for a garnish and you weren't supposed to eat it. To which he would reply that parsley was good for you and helped your stomach digest food.  

Sometimes, we would take a teeny, tiny bite of ours before passing it down the table to him, but most of the time, we just passed it down as soon as our plate arrived.  He would end up with a whole pile of parsley to eat.

 When reading both of these books, I had to laugh at a few things....mostly inside my own head.

The first thing that made me chuckle was how much Peter reminded me of A-man.  Not necessarily "naughty" even though the author actually says Peter is a naughty rabbit.  But, just because of the scrapes and messes that he finds himself in...just because he is curious....or, to be more honest, because he isn't in the mood to listen to his mom.  Both books gave us a chance to talk about obedience and how important it is, even if your mom or dad aren't around to see what you are doing.

The second thing that made me laugh, was how different parenting was 90 years ago than it is now.  Just the fact that the mother left the kids home while she went out for the day....and they were kids, not teenagers....was shocking to my 2014 sensibilities!

Yes, I realize I am comparing parenting techniques with a mother rabbit and her bunnies and myself in 2014!  It is just that some of the little things are odd.

Another example of  2014 thinking versus 1920s thinking  that made me laugh, but in a a more sad way, was found in the book, Peter Rabbit and Jack the Jumper.  

In this book, Peter and Jack decide they don't want to stay home with Peter's sisters and decide to go out running around  (doing naughty-ish things).  While they are out doing things they shouldn't be, they run into the Hurdy Gurdy man and his pretty little girl.  

As soon as these characters showed up, I was suspicious.  What is a Hurdy Gurdy man?  Why did they feel the need to mention that the little girl was pretty?

What were they going to do?  How would Peter and his friend  get away?  Were they going to kidnap them?  Eat them?  Steal from them?  Somehow, I knew they were going to con Peter and Jack out of something.  And, why were they asking about Peter's sisters and how many he had?  Hmmmm??????

My brain was very much in 2014 when children don't talk to strangers and certainly don't share details about their family!

Ahhh, yes, I have apparently become a very jaded individual, when I look for bad guys(child molesters) in a children's book from almost 100 years ago!  

It really makes me kind of sad. 

Just like when I have to tell Rainman not to be so friendly  to other people's babies/kids at the grocery store, because I can tell it is making the parents uncomfortable because he might be a bad guy....instead of what he actually is.... a friendly guy who likes kids.    That is all.  

There are a few difficult to understand parts of the story.....like what is a Hurdy Gurdy man?  You can sort of figure it out from looking at the pictures in the book, but we looked it up to make sure.   The hurdy-gurdy is the first stringed instrument like an organ grinder would use for his monkey to dance to.  Kinder Cottage has made a few small changes to help makes things more clear for readers now, like changing the word velocipede to bicycle.  

Once I got over my uncomfortable mom in 2014 vibe, I realized just how charming these stories are.  The good news is, the Hurdy Gurdy man and his pretty little girl were good people that were very kind to Peter and Jack.

I also realized that my youngest 3 hadn't even heard of Peter Rabbit and that somehow I had missed out on reading some of the older more classic children's books to them along the way.

These are just charming, old fashioned, sweet little children's books. 

Enjoying these books has nothing to do with whether you homeschool or not.  They are just nice, innocent little children's books.  

They would be a great gift for a new mom. They would be great for your own kids.....especially, if you have skipped some of the more classic books with them, like I apparently have.  They would great for grandparents to have for when grandkids come to visit.  I am sure it would spark some stories of the "olden days" as they read along.  


If you buy the books individually, they are $4.00 each, or you can get the entire 10 book set for $30.00





Take a look at what other TOS Reviewers thought of these sweet little books.