Educating the Wholehearted Child- TOS review

   A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me if I could recommend a book that would help her prepare for homeschooling.  I did not have an answer for her at the time, but I do now. Educating the Wholehearted Child is a handbook for Christian Home Education and a must for new homeschoolers as well as veteran homeschoolers.  I was amazed at all the information contained in one book!  Here are some of the topics covered:


*Learning to Be at Home with Christ
*Shaping Your Child's Heart to Live for Christ
*Understanding Your Child
*The Study of the Basics
*The Study of Living
*Keeping the Home Together
*Keeping Faith in the Family
*Books for Wholehearted Learning


and more!


   Take a peek at the Table of Contents here.

   The authors of Educating the Wholehearted Child, Clay and Sally Clarkson, have succeeded in providing a wealth of information for the whole family in this book.  It help you to evaluate and work with your child's learning style, how to become an educated consumer in the homeschooling community, qualities to look for when choosing books, how to set up your classroom and more.  There is so much valuable information in this book that I have barely scratched the surface!  Educating the Wholehearted Child is a book that you will definitely want to have in your homeschool library as you will want to read it again and again.  Feel free to read a chapter here.


   I really enjoyed reading the personal experiences and ideas that Clay and Sally Clarkson have included throughout the book.  Seeing how they "practice what they preach" is wonderful and inspiring!  I also loved the Forms for Wholehearted Learning that they have created.  They have Project Planners, Task Lists, Book Reports and more.  I know I will be putting, these as well as the rest of this wonderful book, to good use.


   Educating the Wholehearted Child sells for $22.00 at Apologia.


   See what the other TOS Crew members thought about Educating the Wholehearted Child here.


   *I was given a copy of Educating the Wholehearted Child in exchange for an honest review.  No other compensation was received.*

E-mealz-TOS Review

E-mealz.  One wonderful way to simplify your crazy life!  If you are like me, you rush around all day and when the evening comes you are at a loss as to what to serve for dinner.  E-mealz helped me to organize my life.  They offer several different meal plans including:

*Gluten free

*Low Carb

*Low Fat

*Portion Control

*Vegetarian

There are family meal plans and Meal for 2 meal plans.  Something for everyone!

I chose gluten free for a week and then decided to try a non-specialty plan.  I will tell you about both.

   It's as simple as this.  #1- Choose a plan. #2- Print out their shopping list of supplies needed to prepare the meals.  #3- Cook the meals and enjoy!  I happily marched myself to the store (you can even choose a particular store, if you like!) and bought my groceries (everything listed on my printable shopping list)!  No worrying about what to make for dinner.  When evening rolled around,  I had everything I needed!:)


If you want, you can choose your favorite store, too!  This is from the E-mealz website: "For an extra layer of big savings, our store specific plans are constructed around the weekly grocery store sales and seasonal specials, with a priced grocery list.  E-mealzs is the easy way to budget your money and save precious time, week after week." 
       
                You can choose from:


                                                *Kroger
                        *Aldi
                        *Wal Mart
                        *Publix
                        *Any store (I chose this one as my local store was not a choice.)

Above is a sample of an E-mealz menu and you can go here for even more samples.

   With the gluten free menu I learned to make quiche without a crust!  It was delicious and now one of my favorite meals.  We enjoyed some chicken dishes and Pan Seared Smoke Sausage. Even my kids were happy with the results.:)  Then, I switched over to the regular meal plan and we indulged in Italian Subs (above)...

   So-Good Chicken Enchiladas...

and Mexican Casserole, among other delicious main courses!  I love that E-mealz also gives you ideas for side dishes!  


This is what Dave Ramsey has to say about E-mealz: "Food is the biggest budget buster of all.  I've wanted someone to create a practical solution to the "beans and rice, rice and beans" dilemma.  Finally... E-mealz has done it!  Now thousands of my listeners subscribe to E-mealz from MealtimeMakeover.com  You will save a ton of time and money.  And at just $5.00 per month, E-mealz is a no-brainer!"


E-mealz is $15 every 3 months and you can even purchase gift certificates here!  Who wouldn't love some organization and peace of mind for Christmas?:)


To read what other members of TOS Crew thought of E-mealz click here.


*I was given a 3 month subscription to E-mealz in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*

Operation: Care Package

Before I ate all our Halloween candy I found this wonderful idea in Woman's Day magazine.

Operation: Care Package

It turns out our troops often lack the simplest things such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors and shampoo.  Crazy, I know!

A wonderful lady, named Karin King organized Operation: Care Package in order to send toiletries to the troops along with fun candy!

  I am off to ship our package today.  If you want to join me the website is treatsfortroops.info and here is the address for sending your goodies:

                     
                              Thanks, in advance!:)

When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

   When God Whispers Your Name is the first book I have read by Max Lucado.  Now I can see why he has such an amazing following!  This book is a wonderful collection of stories that bring the Bible to life in a way that people can relate to in present day.  Enlightening, inspiring and eye opening, I enjoy the way that Max Lucado speaks to his audience without speaking down to them or being overly preachy.  Moses, Joseph, Paul, Jesus and others experiences are shown to us in a way that reflects our own lives.  It was so refreshing!  The overall message is that God cares for you.  We need to remember that even when life is difficult, we can't give up.  The best is yet to come!  The writing is entertaining and engaging and makes you think.  There is even a discussion guide in the back of the book for further reflection. I would definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to reading more books by Max Lucado in the future!


 I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Always Ice Cream- TOS Review

Always Ice Cream.  A fun and educational website program just for girls ages 7-12!  I don't fall into that age range but I still had fun reviewing this with my 8 year old daughter.:)  Always Ice Cream is filled with a multitude of educational games covering the subjects of:

*Typing

*Language Arts

*Math

*Science

*Geography

*History

*Music and Arts

*Foreign Language

*Bible 

and more!

     As you can see in the picture below, each girl creates her own avatar to represent herself.  Then, she can go on to purchase a home in the "Mini World" along with furniture!  How do you purchase items?  I'm glad you asked!:)  While playing the learning games you earn ice cream scoops which can be used as money! 


   The game shown below- State Geography- was one of my daughter's favorites.  I am amazed at all she has learned!  She also loved the Health Quiz and Ice Cream Shop (stock your shop with ice cream supplies and fill orders) games.  Her favorite thing to do on Always Ice Cream was design furniture.  She created unique designs which she "sold" to other girls on-line.  She also purchased items that other girls had created.  She loves showing off her home in "Mini World" that is decorated with these one of a kind designs!

The Typing game (below) was the first game I played.  Do you notice the ice cream theme?  So fun!  While your child's skill improves the pace of the ice cream cones increases- as do the letters.  And the whole time, they are earning scoops!  I love the concept of learning while being rewarded.  Why didn't they have things like this when I was little?!

      Another fun part of Always Ice Cream is "Pet World".  You can use your scoops (earned while playing the learning games) to purchase eggs to hatch and raise as pets.  The element of surprise is wonderful!  You never know what kind of pet will hatch out of the egg!  In fact, my daughter hatched a turtle this evening.:)

 
      There is even a social element to Always Ice Cream.  My daughter made friends with other children that were playing on-line and I felt comfortable with this as the website is very safety conscious.  All comments are monitored, there are no advertisements, and search engines are blocked.  The site is certified by Privo.  There are also weekly parents reports so you can keep track of what activities have been done by your child and who they have interacted with.


I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Always Ice Cream.  My daughter absolutely loves it and wants to play it all day every day!


Always Ice Cream is $4.99/month (the first month is only .99 cents), $9.98 for 2 months, $29.99/year and $99.99 for a lifetime membership.  They even offer gift subscriptions which would be perfect for the holidays.  Go here to try a free trial (click on the pink cloud)!


Always Ice Cream even offers a money back guarantee!  If you're not fully satisfied, just send them an email explaining what you don't like about your experience.

Click here to see what other TOS members thought about Always Ice Cream.


*I was given a free membership to Always Ice Cream in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*

Family

Family is so important.

Perfect, no.

Necessary, yes.

During the trip to my grandfather's funeral my girls met some people they had never seen before.

Time and distance had not allowed for this luxury.

They were instant friends.:)

              Amidst the tears at the funeral, this little cutie pie made 
         everyone smile.


                                       Isn't God amazing?

          Distraction was such a welcome guest.  Silliness and laughter 
        reminds us that life goes on.

                     We even snuck in a Girls' Day Out.  Just what the 
             doctor ordered!

          Family, whether by birth or by God's grace, are the ones that 
       pick us up when we feel that we cannot go on any longer.

               I am blessed to have such a loving family, and I consider 
          all of you to be a very special part of it!

                                    There were Nintendo lessons...

                 yummy french toast from Bilbo's (Baggins) restaurant...

            and Ruby came along with her velvet ears to comfort us all.

                Of course, She was always happy to collect any fallen 
          bacon, cereal, salmon, too!

               The trip was not a vacation but it was a reconnection with 
          loved ones.

                                     One of our dear ones has left us,

but I know Baca (my grandfather) will be waiting with open arms when the rest of us are called home.

Visual Latin- TOS Crew review

I took Latin in high school and loved it.  Togas, Latin conventions and derivatives were my cup of tea.  When I was given the opportunity to review Visual Latin I was thrilled!  I was not sure how my girls would feel, though.  Believe it or not, we had FUN.  Yes, I said FUN!  Visual Latin is taught by Dwane Thomas in short, easy lessons with humor.  Imagine that, learning Latin with a bit of giggles to keep children engaged!  Genius.  

     The videos take the pressure off the teacher for a few reasons.  #1- There is no question about pronunciation.  I loved Latin in high school, but that was quite awhile ago!  I remember many of the words, but how to say them?  I'm not so confident in that department.  #2- Dwane Thomas teaches the lesson and you can sit back and enjoy! Then, the worksheet (with answers provided) is completed by the student(s).  The worksheets are completed in sections- A- Grammar, B- Sentences and C- Translation.  Short, sweet and very complete!

    #3- You can learn on the go!  We took Visual Latin with us on a road trip as we did not want to miss a lesson.:)  While we were driving down the road, my girls were learning Latin!  My husband was even intrigued by Dwane's videos!  He started looking at the worksheets and asking questions.  We were all learning! 


    If you would like to try Visual Latin, and I highly recommend it, you can download 4 FREE introductory lessons + 2 regular lessons here!

   Visual Latin I (lessons 1-30 on 3 discs) currently sells for $80 (normally $90) from The Compass Store.  Visual Latin II (lessons 31-40) sells for $30.


   Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about Visual Latin here.


** I received Visual Latin lessons 1-10 in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.**