This is Our Time {Giveaway}

My family recently had the a wonderful afternoon.  We spent it watching a great movie, that was family friendly too!

We watched This is Our Time a movie from Pure Flix.  This movie is about 5 recent college graduates that head out into the “real world” to do what they THINK God has planned for them.  You follow these five people each going through different things.  Marriage, charity work, corporate America, as well as one who just doesn’t know what his God-given-purpose is.  He feels left behind by God.

These 5 people make an incredible impression on you about how life happens how God wants it to, not necessarily how you want it to.
Website: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4565

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsOurTimeMovie
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmjQe2onm6s

Check out the Rafflecopter for how to win a copy for your family!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Homeschool Mothers Journal ~ Turkey Hunt Edition

• In my life this week… We have been gearing up for the opening of the Turkey Hunt. My son drew out on an early season tag.  We spent the first part of the week schooling packing and getting our trailer ready to go camping.  Tommy and I had to fix a broken water pump.  After research and trying a few things we figured out it was just a blown fuse.  We were able to fix it quickly. The second half we went up camping.  It was cold the entire time.  The first night we just chose a quick spot and set up for the night.  BIG MISTAKE!!  Since our trailer wasn’t level our furnace didn’t work properly.  BRRR.  It was cold all night.  It was opening morning and as soon as the boys got back from hunting we decided to move the trailer to a better camp site, one where we could level the trailer.  We moved and had a great rest of the day.  The boys were back and forth between camp and some hunting spots.  It was so cold and windy that we decided to head home that night after dinner.  No turkey yet.  They are blaming it on the weather.  Yea, that’s it, the weather.

 

• In our homeschool this week… We have been really slacking in our formal schoolwork.  We are sure to fit in the reading, and math each day.  We were lucky if we were able to get much more done than that.  I figure a little easy week is good for us sometimes.  We are getting back at it full swing slowly this week. We did get a few Physics Quest lessons in. 

• Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… Slow times are okay.  There are times like today that one of my kids goes through 5 math lessons in one day.  Other days we are lucky to get through 1/2 a lesson.  It all ends up working out in the wash.

• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Camping and Turkey Hunting.

• My favorite thing this week was… The fact that even though conditions were definitely not perfect, my family and I were able to enjoy the adventure.

• My kiddos favorite thing this week was… Katey’s favorite thing this week was that she started her Handmaidens of Virtue class.  She has been so excited and patiently waiting for it to start.  She is even keeping track of it on a calendar.  Emily had her first two softball games this week.  A double header.  Her team won both, and Emily played like a champ!

• Things I’m working on… not getting angry so quickly.  I am also supposed to be working on getting up earlier.  However as I sit here typing this at 1am.  I see the flaws in staying up late. 

• I’m cooking… Soups and Bread.  We are just in a soup and bread mood around here with all this cold weather.

• I’m grateful for… shelter and heat!

• I’m praying for… My father-in-law.  He had hip replacement surgery this week, all went well and he his healing great!  Of course all the people affected by the bombings in Boston and around the world.  Our Soldiers.  The people in West Texas.  My husband as he travels through some pretty rough storms.

• I rewarded my kids this week by… letting them have an easy week.

 

• Something I am ogling or have my eye on…

I really want to make this Sopapilla Cheesecake. I had it at a funeral a few months ago and I can’t get it off my mind.

 

 

 

Leadership Garden {A review that changed my life}

I was recently sent a kit from The Leadership Garden. 

Included in my kit was:

• The Leadership Garden Guidebook $18.95
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. Growing the Leader Within, paperback $18.95 and audiobook $14.95
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS Growing My Leadership Garden, paperback $18.95 and audiobook $8.95
• U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS Activity Guide & My Leadership Garden Journal - PDF Downloads $8.95

Check below for a discount code good for my readers!

What is The Leadership Garden?
Leadership Garden empowers young people and old six leader-friendly gardening practices.

• Be nonjudgemental
• Do not enable
• Use empathy
• Prune gossip
• Eliminate blame
• Eradicate victimization

These six practices are the core of The Leadership Garden Legacy.  Imagine a world where people like this are the norm! How great would that be?
The acronym U.N.I.Q.U.E. is used often. 

Understanding

Nurturing

Inventive

Quality

Unstoppable

Expression

U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS Growing My Leadership Garden

This book is written for 8-12 year olds.  A lost sheep named Hugh meets a gardener named Leda.  Leda shows him how to “plant a courageous seed”.  Annabelle is a Border Collie that takes him on tour around the farm where Hugh meets other animals that help him plant other leadership seeds along the way.  Hugh uses experiences from his past to help him change into the leader and sheep (person) he wants to be.  At the end of each chapter are “Hugh wants to know”.  This is where Hugh asks you [the reader] questions about your experiences and thoughts. 

U.N.I.Q.U.E. Growing the Leader Within


This book is written toward adults and is somewhat similar to the kids book about as using Hugh, the sheep, and other animals along with the gardener to go through all of the different parts of the garden.  This book uses the authors real life (sometimes traumatizing) experiences.  You still apply the things to your own life and there are questions and activities to for you to personalize and act upon.  These build upon one another. 



The Leadership Garden Guidebook

This book is more of an activity workbook to go along with both of the above books.  It is written so that it can be used interchangeably with both the books above.   There are still tidbits of information and writings in this book along with the worksheets. 




The U.N.I.Q.U.E. Kids Activity Guide and Leadership Garden Journal


This PDF book was full of activities that will hit home for the younger ones.  It relates the message of how to reach your full potential in a fun kid friendly way.  Some of the fun activities are taking a Brain Field Trip, a You Presentation and more. 


What I thought and how it has already changed and is changing my life!

For me and us this came at the perfect time.  I was at a slump in my life.  Don’t get me wrong I am happy.  It is more of a slump within myself.  I wanted to be proud of who I am, what type of mom, friend, wife, teacher, etc. that I am.  Using these materials has showed me just who is in charge of that. I am!  I make me who I am.  I cannot let anyone else decide who I am.  I choose how I act and how I react.  I am in control.  That has been so empowering for me.

I have been doing this right along side my children.  I have been reading the adult book and they have been reading the kids book. We have all been doing the activities out of the adult guide book.  We I do not make them share their experiences or feelings unless they choose to.  I do glance at their writings, more of a journal throughout this process, to be sure they are participating.  I think that them knowing that I am not going to be reading what they write they are able to be more open and honest.  They are teenagers after all. 

We decided to make this simple quote poster.  We are just jotting down quotes throughout these books and this process that stick out to us.  Everyone is allowed to add quotes to the board.  This was it when we first started it.  

It is so empowering to know that we are using these tools to better ourselves.  It is nice for us all to know we are all on our own journey, together.

Here is the discount I told you about earlier!
Leadership Garden Legacy is offering the TOS Community a “Spring Special Discount” of 20% on all their Empowerment Tools. This is in addition to their already discounted Tool Kit bundles.
To receive your discount, enter the discount code: TOS-SS20D upon checkout. This code will expire on May 31, 2013.


To see what others think of this check out this post. To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.
   

D is for Debate

 

 

As some of you may know, I teach a debate class to teenagers through our local homeschool co-op.  I have a great time doing it and I want to share with you how easy it truly is. 

I use The Art of Argument as my spine.  Each class we learn about and discuss a few fallacies.  It averages out to 3 per class.  We keep those discussions short and simple.  Sometimes we watch sections of the videos as a group.

Some of the enrichment activities we have done are:

• act out fallacies
• find magazine advertisements with fallacies
• create our own print ad fallacy
• debate on fun and serious topics

I am pretty sure that everyone’s favorite part of the class is the debating part of it.

After all, they are teenagers who like to argue.

We use simple debate topics that I get from searching the web.  Mainly I search “debate topics for kids”.  With these smaller ones, we do individual debates rather then team debates.  I give them about 15 minutes to prepare and then they get 3 minutes each to argue their side.

Sometimes I read them debates out a a book 50 debate prompts for kids.

We have done 1 big team debate and will have one more team debate.  Our first one was on should algebra be required in high school and our next one will be a silly one on which came first? the chicken or the egg. 

Teaching this class has been so rewarding for me and I know my children have benefited from it too.

  One of my biggest fears was teaching high school kids. I have found it easy and fun.

I hope you see how easy it really is to teach a co-op class like this.

 

Linked up to

Small Basic Programing for kids.

Technology is our future and I certainly don’t want my children left behind.  The more comfortable they are using a computer the better I feel.  Thanks to being able to review Computer Science for Kids my 8th grader has been learning the computer language Small Basic with Beginning Small Basic.  Ages 10 and up.  Regular $59.95 on sale until July 4th, 2013, $34.95!

Beginning Small Basic is a series of e-books that I was quickly able to load on my iPad and my son was able to get started right away.
It really did start with the basics of installing Microsoft Small Basic and making sure it was running properly.  You also learn about the history of computers and the languages they were programed in. By the third book, you begin writing your own programs. 



Each book (lesson) starts with a review of the concepts learned previously.  You build on from that. Every book also has some fun examples for you to follow that get you thinking about what other things you would like to create.

Some things you learn are how to build are:

• A Savings Calculator Program
• A Guess the Number Game
• Lemonade Stand Simulation
• How to get the computer to shuffle a deck of cards
• An Electronic Blackboard Game
• and more.

By the fifth book you are debugging your programs.  By the 8th book you are adding graphics.  By the 9th book you are learning animation.  The 10th and 11th book are teaching you about other programs and codes. 

For us the books were very easy to follow.  Yes, I say us.  I couldn’t help but do this along with my son.  Learning like this is so fun that it doesn’t even feel like learning.  Isn’t that how it should be? 


To see what others think of this check out this post. To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.
   

Chicken Games Activity Book

 

Katey has been having so much fun lately starting her day with a few brain teasers just right for her age. 

Chicken Games & Puzzles has 100 Activities for kids. Written by Helene Hovanec, Patrick Merrell.

I know it sounds funny, a whole book of Chicken Games.  That is what it is.  It is funny. 

Not only is it fun, it is educational.  It starts off simple and works it’s way up to more difficult. 

 

The activities are simple enough for her to be able to do but they get her brain going in the morning.

There are even fun riddles in it.

There are all kinds of fun puzzle books written by Helene Hovanec, and Patrick Merrell.

Check them out from Storey Publishing.

C is for Change!

 

 

I am beginning to feel like change is the biggest thing I blog about.  We are ever changing people around here. 

 

A few changes this past little while is that I was able to cut way back on working.  I was only working 20-24 hours per week, now I will just be working a day or two here and there.  I am super grateful for that and ready to get into what will be our new routine.  I do enjoy working, but I kept having this nagging feeling that home is where I should be.

 

More changes that are going on, is that we are revamping our eating plan.  We want to eat healthier and therefor feel healthier and be healthier.  We are going to do a trial run of a gluten free- low gluten diet.  I am going to try and drink more water than Pepsi each day.  I am also doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels to get back into some healthy routines. 

Not Changing

That’s right some things are not changing. 

• Science

We have been having a very science heavy homeschool and will continue to do that.  We are using Apologia General Science.  We are about halfway through it and will continue clear through the summer.  This next few weeks we are also adding Physics with our kits from Physics Quest. We are so excited about these.  

• Independent work

I had the kids doing some subjects independently and I am just there to help.  That will definitely  be continuing.

 

Right now I am in the middle of a huge spring clean.  Let me tell you, I can’t wait to be done and enjoy a less is more lifestyle.

This is linked to:

Does the change of the seasons bring on change for you?