Fit Mommy Friday - Challenge Week 1

As I am writing this, I have completed a whole FOUR (and a half) days of being fit.

Highlights:

I worked out, drank water, and ate fruits and vegetables every day.  Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I did either my upper body or lower body workouts with free weights (still sore today).  Wednesday was a treat because my dh ran around the neighborhood with me!  We went a little over a mile. This morning I was able to get out at 6am and run about a mile.  The weather was nice and cool so it was beautiful!

Food I Could Have Eaten But Didn't:

I kept a log of all the things I would have normally ate but didn't.  So, this is what I missed out on (thankfully):  Piece of chocolate cake on Tuesday, Halloween cookies on Wednesday, and brownies on Thursday. Last night we went out to dinner at Mojo's BBQ but I was good and had turkey, collard greens, and a side salad (there is a long list of things I could have eaten there)!  There were also some opportunities to eat some candy that was hanging around but I did not give in.  :O)

What I Could Have Done Better:

Even though I did drink a lot of water, I could have drank more.  I drank between 4-7 glasses each day.  I also should have run more.  Out of five days I only had two days of cardio and I should have gotten at least three.  

My Progress:

As of this morning I have lost 1 lb.  Not bad for 4 1/2 days and I feel much better already.

The Weekend:

I hate having to write this on Friday because I have not gotten through a complete week yet.  Tonight is the Halloween party at our daughter's dance class and most likely dinner out, Saturday is a family party with our homeschool group and the FL/GA game, and Sunday is Halloween! 

I am allowing myself to have one day off a week and I have already decided that for this weekend, I will be taking Sunday off. 

Looking Forward:

This upcoming week will be hard because it will be filled with festivities.  My birthday is on 11/3, my dh's birthday is on 11/7, and we will be camping part of the week with family.  So, I am not sure how I will wing it, but I will try my best (I may have to run extra)!!

Stay tuned for next week to see how I coped.  Thanks for joining Our Homeschool Reviews.  I hope everyone else participating in this challenge had a good week as well.  If you want to check the status of all the participants I am linked up with Denise at Got Chai?

Weekly Wrap-Up #3

We were able to get a lot of school completed this week!  

We continued to work in our Heart of Dakota book and just finished up week 20, which covers the spread of the Gospel.  Last year we studied Acts in Community Bible Study, so this was a nice recap of what we had already learned.  It was nice reading those stories about again Paul, Stephen, and Peter.  What amazing men and a great reminder of how God can use each and every one of us!

Here you can see we made an Ichthys out of applesauce and cinnamon.

She finished reading the book Little Miriam of Galilee on Wednesday.  She really enjoyed it and said that it would be a book that she would read again.  We are also reading Fountain of Life, but this one I am reading aloud to her.  It is a bit longer and, although it has a good story, can get a little hard for her to understand.  Regardless, she is enjoying it as well.

For science we continued to read Find the Constellations.  This book is a great introduction into identifying the constellations and learning their names.  We've gone outside in the evening and *think* we found a few of them.  We aren't in the darkest area so it is hard to see them sometimes. 

We are also continuing to work through First Language Lessons.  She is in level 2 and learning about conjunctions, interjections, and contractions.  I love FLL because the lessons are quick and easy.

So now it's Friday and we are done with all our work so we have a FREE DAY!!!  What a great rewarding end to a busy school week!!

Thanks for joining Our Homeschool Reviews and for more Weekly Wrap-Up, I am linked up with Kris over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. 

Thrifty Thursday

I'll be adding more freebies and samples throughout the day to Our Homeschool Reviews, so please check back, or better yet, follow along with Google Friend Connect on the right or "like" me on Facebook!  If you find any good freebies or deals, let me know by commenting below! 

Crayola: Over $20 of Rebate Offers

Crayola has a new rebate promotion available.  You can get over $20 back in rebates for purchasing various Crayola products. Just go HERE to check out all the details and print the rebate form. This rebate offer is valid until 12/31/10 and must be postmarked by 1/15/2011.

Pier 1 Imports Printable Coupon

Save $10 off of a $30 or more purchase with this coupon HERE.  The coupon expires 11/7/10.  At the link you can also print a coupon for a free reusable bag with any $25 or more purchase.

CVS MinuteClinic $5 off $15 Coupon

If a CVS near you has a MinuteClinic inside (you can check locations here), then you can get a rare $5 off $15 purchase coupon! Just go HERE, click on the “$5 off” banner and print this offer. Present it to the practitioner at any MinuteClinic. You’ll receive a $5 off coupon to use on a $15 purchase at CVS/pharmacy. Use this coupon for front store items.

Marble Slab Creamery: FREE Ice Cream For Your Birthday!

Sign up for Marble Mail at Marble Slab Creamery and add up to four of your kids, and you'll receive a B1G1 FREE Tasty Creation coupon for joining, plus FREE ice cream for your kids' birthdays up to age 12.

Snapfish: 100 FREE Photo Prints wyb Two 8x10s

Currently on Snapfish, get 100 FREE 4×6 prints when you buy two 8x10s prints.  Just use coupon code SCARYPRINTS. Expires 11/2/10.

FREE Neti Pot Offer

Just go HERE and “Like” NeilMed Neti Pot on Facebook to get a FREE NeilMed NasaFlo Neti Pot with two packets!  Please note: This FREE offer is limited to one per address and is only valid for new fans; repeat entries will be discarded.

Thomas Coffee FREE Sample

Request a FREE sample of Thomas Premium Gourmet Coffee! Expect to receive your sample in about one week.

Tide Plus Febreze Freshness FREE Sample

Get a FREE sample of Tide Plus Febreze Freshness on Walmart.com! You'll receive your sample in 4-6 weeks.

Oriental Trading Company FREE 2001 Calendar

Oriental Trading Company is offering a FREE 2011 calendar that includes a special money-saving offer for you each month, new tips & idea starters, and more!

Canvas People: FREE 8x10 Photo Canvas

Get a FREE Photo Canvas from Canvas People, a value of $55! You only need to pay the cost of shipping and handling which is about $15.

Two FREE HP Photo Cards from Walmart

Use this coupon to get 2 FREE 5x7 HP Photo Cards at Walmart through 11/15/10! Limit one coupon per customer, per household.

FREE Halo Healthsome Pet Treats

Try Halo Healthsome Treats FREE when you register your email address with them. Upon registration you'll have access to a printable coupon to score your free pet treats!

FREE Kids Pancake Meal at IHOP Tomorrow ONLY
Tomorrow, Friday Oct. 29th, kids can get a FREE scary-face pancake at IHOP!

FREE Samples from Sedona Labs
Sedona Labs is offering up FREE samples of their top selling Multi-Probiotics and Enzymes! Just go HERE and fill out the form. You’ll be able to request up to 4 FREE samples.

FREE Patters from YouCanMakeThis
YouCanMakeThis has some great free patterns HERE. 

FREE Sample Roundup

Get a FREE Sample Roundup from Deal Seeking Mom!

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Bazaar

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Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet (Simply A-Maze-Ing!) Goober Grape & Monkey Man w/linky Experimental Mommy *linky* Carrie @ Musings From Mt Rogo Jenna @ A Mom's Balancing Act Auntie E/link Homemom3 w/linky Typical Suburban Family {w/ Linky} Crazyland: Tales from the Motherboard *LINKY* Grampy WW Comedy w/linky Fall Fun @ 2ladybugsandalizard halloweens gone by Classic Mommy (Giveaway Time)

Curious Case of the Forgery with LINKY A Lot of Loves *LINKY* Aldon's Pumpkin Picking priest's wife's baby Sun and Moon - Marine Corps Nomads Zelma's Workshop w/Linky JDaniel4's Mom Nature Walk @ Discover Their Gifts Briana Pumpkins by Cristian0 *Linky* EdT. (w/linky) GrammyMouseTails w/Linkycreepy !! LLR Homeschool This linky list is now closed.

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Adventures in Odyssey: Cause & Effect Review

Cause & Effect is the 52nd volume in the Adventures in Odyssey series.  For those of you who don't know, Adventures in Odyssey presents original audio stories brought to life by actors who make you feel like part of the experience. 

I have always heard of Adventures in Odyssey but this is the first time I have ever listened to one of their Cd's.  From what I understand, volume 51 introduced some new characters and voices.  Since this is the first time I have ever listened to their Cd's, I can't compare the old to the new, but I can tell you what I think of volume 52.  

Strange and unexplained events are taking place in Odyssey.  Most of the stories held both my attention and my daughter's.  We would listen to them while in the car, and it was hard to turn some of them off if the story was not over by the time we arrived at our destination.  Once we even stayed in the car an extra few minutes so we could find out how the story was going to end.  

Cause & Effect has 12 stories, which run over 5 hours.  We listened to each and every one so here are just a few highlights: 

The Mystery of the Clock Tower (Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out):  I had mixed emotions about this one.  Eugene and Matthew investigate why the Odyssey clock tower is counting down to a mysterious deadline.  We were both on the edge of our seats and the suspense was killing us!  It was like a real life mystery, which kept us wanting to hear more.  

My problem was with the back story.  Black flowers with a card that read "time is running out" was left at the clock tower.  There is talk that the black flowers could mean unrequited love (someone really likes her but she rejected him).  When asked, the florist states that this particular black flower is called "The Jilted".  The black pedals symbolized the death of love and the dark red on the inner pedals is symbolic of the blood spilled from a broken heart.  WHOA...kind of deep for an elementary child to me!  I thought they could have used a different back story and kept it just as exciting.  As much as my daughter loved that story, I will not let her listen to it again.

The Owlnapping (Only God Has True Power):  This story has a good moral and overall it was cute.  A team's owl mascot gets stolen and they can't rub it's head for good luck before the game.  They lose game after game and are convinced that it is because they can't continue their tradition.  The moral that worshiping idols over God is not a good thing, is excellent!  What I didn't like is that in the beginning of the story, one child meets with another child in an alley and pays him to make the Owls loose their next three games.  The result is the owl mascot getting stolen.  Again, I wish they could have used something different to make their point.

An Agreeable Nanny (Responsibility):  This was a very good story and had a great moral.  The children have a nanny, who seems to be a bit of a pushover, and very naive.  There is a surprise ending that teaches the children a good lesson. 

My Thoughts:  I would definitely purchase an Adventures in Odyssey Cd again; I would just preview it first.  Most of the stories were fine for our daughter to listen to, there were just a couple things I had a problem with.  I like the lessons they teach and that they can reveal how much God can do in our lives.  

Thoughts of a 7-Year Old:  Adventures in Odyssey is really fantastic. It has really interesting stories that really make me think I'm there. If I'm doing my homework in the car, I can't focus on my homework, so I don't do it and just listen to Adventures in Odyssey! ;o)

Find Out More:  Adventures in Odyssey: Cause & Effect can be purchased through one of Tyndale House Publishers partner websites. 

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes by Tyndale House Publishers, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.  

Our Homeschooling Method

There are so many methods for homeschooling nowadays, so many to pick from, and it can become quite overwhelming to choose.  So this week's Blog Cruise topic is "What is your homeschooling style, and how did you choose for your family?"

Before answering that question, I thought it would be important to review a few of the more popular methods.

Charlotte Mason: This method is based on the writings of a 19th century British educator who felt children should learn from real books with living ideas.  It involves nature, discipline of good habits, narration, and living books.

Classical: This method is based on the Trivium, which is made up of three stages.  The Grammar stage includes memorizing lots of of facts and language, mainly Greek or Latin.  The Dialectic stage involves the study of logic; understanding what has been memorized and asking questions.  Lastly, in the Rhetoric stage the student learns how to present arguments in a persuasive way.

Unit Study Approach: This approach allows a child to learn a subject as a whole instead of just reading chapters in a textbook.  It takes all of the subjects, such as Science, History, and Language Arts, and focuses the lessons around one central theme, say Astronomy. 

Literature Based: This method uses great books as the centerpiece for learning, instead of textbooks. 

Unschooling: Unschooling allows children to learn through their natural life experiences, including child directed play, game play, household responsibilities, work experience, and social interaction, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum.

Eclectic: An Eclectic Homeschooler is one who looks at the different approaches and methods of homeschooling, and takes little from each one.

So the question is, what do we at Our Homeschool Reviews use?  I really like the Charlotte Mason method!  We enjoy nature, do narration almost daily, and use living books in our schooling.  I wouldn't say I adhere to her method completely though.  I also like the Classical Method.  Our daughter is extremely good at memorizing facts, especially if they are to a song.  We've also done unit studies and we definitely use a literature based approach.

Would we be considered Eclectic?  Maybe, I just know that we go with what works.  If it is not working, we switch gears or move to a new curriculum.  That's one reason we love homeschooling, it gives us the flexibility to do what we want!

Fit Mommy Friday - 10 Week Challenge Kick-Off

Yes, it's SUNDAY, I know I'm a bit late on this post!  Better late than never though...especially for this.  Denise at Got Chai? is teaming up with Mrs. White at Legacy of Home to bring you: The Fit Mommy 10 Week Challenge! 

Beginning Monday, October 25th and running through December 31st (65 days), Fit Mommy is hosting its first Fitness Challenge!

As I sit here indulging in a bag of pretzels, and most likely a piece of cake before bed, Our Homeschool Reviews is up for the challenge (starting tomorrow of course)!!  ;o)

Here are my goals:

Lose 10lbs

Lose at least 5lbs of body fat

Drink 8 glasses of water each day

Strength Training: Alternate days working out upper and lower body

Cardio: Jog on the days in between strength training

No snacking

Increase protein

Allow 1 day per week as an off day

Update readers each Friday on my progress

Anyone can join in or just follow along!  You can track your progress by using the handy Fit Mommy 10 Week Daily Checklist available through Mrs. White's blog. This is not a requirement but simply a tool to use. 

On December 31st each participant will post their results. Wish me luck, I know I will need it!!

And the CSN Stores Winner is...

Comment # 67:  ms-texas said... following via GFC as ms-texas

I used Random.org to pick the winner and I have already notified her via email. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in the CSN Stores Giveaway via Our Homeschool Reviews and thanks again to CSN Stores for allowing me to offer this great giveaway package! 

Weekly Wrap-Up #2

Happy Friday everyone!  Well I decided that if this is something that I do every week, I cannot come up with a witty title for each one (my mind just cannot do it, it can't...I hope it is not a requirement).  Instead, I'll just be numbering them.  ;o)  So, without further ado, welcome to Weekly Wrap-Up (The one with a #2)!

Monday: This week we studied about Jesus' Death and Resurrection.  I read a chapter aloud from Grandpa's Box, which we both love.  We also worked on our Community Bible Study (CBS) homework.  We read Joshua 7 and answered questions together.  Also worked on some Latin's Not So Tough.  We are combining that with Song School Latin, which we worked on last year and are just reviewing this year.  Oh, and we also found a tree frog on the swing set. 

Tuesday: Tuesday we had the opportunity to attend a storytime by master storyteller, Jim Weiss.  We had the best time and his stories were wonderful!  If anyone ever has a chance to hear his stories, do it!  Afterwards, we went to dance class.  Tuesdays she has two hours of dance, Jazz/Tap and she is in the Mini Company.  This past weekend the Company danced their first performance at our town Fall Festival.  They did such a good job!

Wednesday: Let's see...we continued with all schoolwork and also had piano lessons.  She's been taking piano lessons for a little over a year now and is doing well and still liking it.  She practices at home on a keyboard so we are looking for either a used piano or an electric piano.  Hopefully we will find something soon!

Thursday: Thursday was busy for us.  We had CBS in the morning and then dance class (again) in the afternoon, plus errands and school in between.  We had to make a run to the post office for stamps and to get tickets to the bazaar this weekend.  It's been an annual tradition to attend this bazaar ever since I was little.  So fun to pass down a fun tradition like that.  Maybe one day her kids will be going too. Ooh, grand kids, I can't think of that right now.

Friday: Today a friend is over since her school has a teacher planning day.  She's doing school with us and so far things are going well.  I'm such a bad mom...no break when  friend is over...lol!  They think it is fun to work together though!  Around lunchtime we'll be heading over the park and then to PetCo to pick out some birthday gifts for Maisy, our dog.  You did see my previous post about her birthday, right?!  Oh, and tonight is the bazaar, so we will be there most of the evening.  Going to get there before it starts so I can be one of the first ones in to look at the used books for sale.  I think they sell for $0.50 each, so I can't miss that!!

So that is it!  How was your week?  Thanks for Joining Our Homeschool Reviews and for more Weekly Wrap-Up, this week I am linked up with guest host, Jamie, over at See Jamie Blog.

Happy Birthday Maisy!!

We were so excited to find you! 

You were so little and fuzzy!

You had your eyes on those slippers and now they are yours.

We dressed you up as you got older!

 

And dressed you up some more.

You really don't like to be dressed up, do you?

But you look sooooo cute!

Happy 6th Birthday Maisy!

Thrifty Thursday

I'll be adding more freebies and samples throughout the day to Our Homeschool Reviews, so please check back, or better yet, follow along with Google Friend Connect on the right or "like" me on Facebook!  If you find any good freebies or deals, let me know by commenting below!

Also, don't forget to enter my current giveaway HERE if you haven't already!

Walgreens: FREE 8x10 Collage
Through Saturday, October 23, you can get a free 8×10 Collage print using code 8X10TREAT at Walgreens Photo Store online. Choose in-store pickup to avoid shipping! 

Swagbucks
Have you checked out Swagbucks yet?  Swagbucks is an online portal dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called "Swag Bucks", which can be redeemed for exclusive Swagbucks.com merchandise.  I've been able to cash in my "bucks" for $65 in Amazon gift cards...no catch!  Go HERE to start!

Today's Groupon
If you are going to be visiting St. Augustine anytime soon, today's Groupon is $25 for $50 of upscale Seasonal Cuisine at 95 Cordova!  Very yummy!  Go HERE to check it out! 

Amazon: Kindle Freebies

Amazon has two personal finance freebies this week: Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want by Gregory Karp and 16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances (Collection) from FT Press Delivers.  The price on Kindle freebies can go up at any time, so be sure to verify that it's still free before you click on the purchase button.

Febreze To Go: FREE at Walmart

Next time you're at Walmart, to look for travel size Febreze To Go with Gain which you can get FREE with the coupon from the recent P&G insert:

Febreze To Go Fabric Refresher with Gain (2.8 oz), $0.97
$1/1 Febreze Product with Gain, exp. 11-30-10 (P&G 10/10/10)
FREE after coupon! 

Crest Toothpaste FREE Sample

The FREE Crest ProHealth Toothpaste sample is available on Walmart.com.

Dailies Contacts: FREE Trail and Rebate

Go HERE to sign up for a Dailies FREE Trial (these are the ones you toss after one use) and get $100 in rebates too!

$5 Performance Fleece at Old Navy: One Day Only

Mark your calendars for THIS SATURDAY for Old Navy‘s next sale – $5 Performance Fleece Vests for the whole family!  Most stores will open early; but call yours to see what time they will open the doors.

FREE ProForce Cleaning Kit (Sam's Club Members Only)

Sam’s Club is offering up this sample once again to members. Just head on over here to get a FREE ProForce Cleaning Kit! Look on the lower left hand side and you’ll see the link to this free kit. 

FREE Samy Fat Hair Sample

Hurry on over here to get a FREE sample of Samy Fat Hair “O’ Calories. This is only available to the first 2,000.

FREE Winder Farms Milk Sample

If you’re a Utah or Nevada resident you can head on over to Winder Farms and request a FREE 1/2 gallon of Winder’s milk and 3 FREE samples of their new chocolate recovery milk!

Kodak Gallery: FREE Photobook (+ $1.99 shipping)

Kodak Gallery is offering up a new coupon code! Just use code TARGBOOK at checkout to get a FREE small 5×7 photo book ($9.99 value). Just go here, click on the small photo book and login or register. Then you will be able to start uploading photos and personalizing your free 5×7 photo book. At checkout use coupon code TARGBOOK– which will deduct the full cost of the photo book and leave you to pay just $1.99 for shipping!

Request P&G Samples and Coupons

Just head on over here, scroll down and click on “Get the Coupon” on the right hand side. You will then be redirected to the P&G Everyday Solutions site where you will have to login or register. After doing so, you’ll be able to request quite a few P&G samples and coupons.

FREE Sample Roundup
Head on over to Deal Seeking Mom for a FREE Sample Roundup!!

TOS Secondary Student Planner Review

Our Homeschool Reviews was asked by The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) to review one of their many student planners and I am excited to share with you what I received.  TOS has the following planners available for sale: 

Primary Planner—grades K–3

Secondary School Planner—grades 4–6
Middle School Planner—grades 7–8
High School Planner—grades 9–12



Since I was allowed to choose, I chose the Secondary School Planner for grades 4-6.  

This planner is as much for the student as it is for the parent.  Included is a 2010-2011 monthly school calendar with customizable sheets.  The calendar is wonderful, but what I have liked the best are the Informational Must-Know Lists and Forms.  I was surprised to see that there were several with information that we are studying right now.  Some of my favorite lists are:

The Miracles of Jesus (with Bible references)
Basic Roman Numerals (we just studied this in Math)
History Timeline (nice to have it all in one place)

Some forms I printed out immediately include:

Books Read This Year
Field Trip Log (love this one!)
Bible Memorization Record
Memory Work Record

There are many more and I can't even begin to list them all.   

My Thoughts: For the price, you can't beat what you are getting.  I don't have to spend the time creating all of these forms now, they are all there and I can use them year after year.  Normally I don't like using ink to print out forms, but I can choose how much I want to print and when. 

Find Out More: The Old Schoolhouse Store sells the Secondary School Planner as an e-book for only $9.95.  You can view a sample of it HERE.  

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Looking Back

 

...and don't forget to enter my current giveaway HERE!

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Shiju Sugunan And Miles To go. . . Seven Cherubs * rock climbing Shibley Smiles w/linky Dina @ 4 Lettre Words Harriet-LINKY Auntie E Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet (Footprints) JDaniel4's Mom Mary @ The Girls Heidi @ StartsAtEight Leaf Piles w/ linky Deb @ WebSavvyMom. com Kristen aldon @ orient lodge Learning to Fly (w/linky) CFMama Goodbye Disposable, Hello Cloth w/ LINKY Goober Grape & Monkey Man w/linky Russ W/Linky Comedy Traci66~Pumpkin Patch (linky too) alicia @ a beautiful mess **LINKY** Mozi Esme Golden Summer

Mozi Esme Golden Summer hey mom, wanna play Battleship? {a}Musing Mother Damar's momsense: Family Fall Fun w/linky jayayceeblog - school project: sunset priests's wife Marathon Success Carrie with Children - *Linky* Zelma's Workshop - WW Birthday w/Linky Beadtastic - TheAL AskMsRecipe-Linky Baby Journey w/ Linky First Photo Shoot Lolli's Mommy Make-Over Breastfeeding Moms Unite! Screaming Mimi annies home Lauren @ Hobo Mama = Say cheese (w/linky!) GrammyMouseTails Turbans Goosebummps & penguins W/Linky Sleeping Beauty with LINKY Ktrina @ Prov 31 Mommy & Wife - Baking with the girls. . . with a linky SuperJenn *Linky* PinayMum This linky list is now closed.

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What's Coming Up?

I'll have some fun things here at Our Homeschool Reviews for everyone in the next couple weeks.  Here's what's coming up...

1.  If you haven't already, enter my current giveaway for a $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores!  It ends this Friday, October 22nd.

2.  Stay tuned for my next review and giveaway from Tropical Traditions.  I have been seeing other posts about this company and was intrigued.  I will probably start it some time next week.  

3.  I am excited to be reviewing TOS Secondary Student Planner this week.  It includes a ton of helpful information and is reasonably priced!

4.  Next week I'll be reviewing the Adventures in Odyssey: Cause & Effect CD.  You may be just as surprised as I was when you hear what I have to say.

Hope you enjoy!

What Stops Our Homeschooling?

Today's TOS Blog Cruise topic is "How do you homeschool during illness or family stress or crisis?"  To put it simply, we don't!!  Although we don't have too much family stress or crisis (thank goodness), we do have the occasional illness.  If the illness is just a stuffy or runny nose, we will usually still complete school.  However, if it is accompanied with a fever or other symptoms, school is out for the day, or possibly the week!  

The day is usually spent on the couch resting, sleeping, watching TV, or playing Wii.  So, as you may guess, my daughter actually enjoys being sick.  We normally do not turn the TV on during the day, and Wii time is reserved for the weekend or when daddy is home in the evenings.  She loves that she gets to lay around and play games all day when she is sick.  I think she will get more TV time in on those days, than weeks or even months combined!  At least it helps the time go by faster.  

As for me, I usually get a lot of cleaning around the house completed...and tend to the sickly patient, getting her what she needs!  Oh, and just in case you are wondering, I don't get sick, there is no time for that!  ;o)

Weekly Wrap-Up: My First Ever!

This is my very first Weekly Wrap-Up and I'm excited to get started!!  I thought this would be a fun weekly post and hopefully it will help me update everyone on what we have been doing each week.  

This week was a pretty busy for us since it was a short week.  Dh had off work on Monday for Columbus Day, and although we did fit in a little school, we had the day off, and spent it relaxing and running errands. 

Tuesday was our first day back to using Heart of Dakota's Preparing Hearts for His Glory schedule.  We started over the summer and took a brief pause when we hit Rome, so we could go more into learning about Rome, it's culture, architecture, advancements, and rulers.  We started back with week 18, which focus is "The Savior Arriving on Earth."

Wednesday we had our monthly zoo classes.  The zoo here is about 45 minutes away, and our dd is taking three-45 minute classes.  Wednesday's classes were about the classification and identification of birds and mammals.  We were able to spend about an hour at the zoo afterwards, and then came back home for piano lessons.

Well, as you can imagine, whenever zoo classes are scheduled, it makes for a busy week.  Thursday we had our morning Community Bible Study and then back home to work on school.  In CBS, both the moms and homeschooled children are studying Servants of God, and the first book we are reading is Joshua.  So far so good!!  :o)

Today we finally got to relax and settle down for a bit.  We had no commitments so we worked on school and I caught up on cleaning the house. I love when I get caught up on housework...it feels so good!  

Right now my dd and her friend are playing in the backyard with our dog and pulling up weeds in the yard and replanting them under the swing set.  It is such a beautiful day and I have the windows and doors open...I'm so glad they are having fun!  

So that is it!  My first Weekly Wrap-Up.  I hope you enjoyed a look into our week.  

Thanks for Joining Our Homeschool Reviews and for more Weekly Wrap-Up, I am linked up with Kris over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Soli Deo Gloria Resources - Map Skills Review

To God Alone the Glory!  That is what Soli Deo Gloria means in Latin. Soli Deo Gloria Resources provides unit and Bible studies, as well as teacher resources for homeschooling families.  Their unit studies and other curriculum are designed to cause learners to be captivated by God's bigger picture.  Educating God's Children for God's Glory Alone.  They believe that all life, including math, science, history, and language arts, is part of God's huge redemptive plan.  

Our Homeschool Reviews was asked to review their Map Skills unit study.  It is geared for K-6 and takes approximately three weeks to complete.  Students will learn basic directional skills, demonstrate basic map reading skills at their level, exhibit proper language skills related to map reading and basic geography, and correlate and discuss "direction" as it relates to maps and life in the Bible.

This unit study is recommended to work alongside some sort of mapping skills workbook.  They do recommend several reasonably priced resources for grades K-6.  In addition to the optional workbook, you will also need a variety of maps (globe, atlas, wall maps, road atlas, etc.), a compass, and some suggested books on hand.  

My Thoughts:  If you are looking for something more than your basic mapping skills workbook, than you should look into this unit study.  Although each day you are assigned 2-3 pages from your additionally purchased workbook, you are also given other assignments, like writing definitions, or drawing a map of your neighborhood.  Also included are four Bible worksheets, one for each week, which includes Bible verses, and related activities. 

Find Out More:  Soli Deo Gloria Resources sells Map Skills for only $14.  You can see a sample of the unit study and their recommended resources online.  They also have a nice FREE Resources area HERE, which I found really helpful!  

My Crewmates are also reviewing Soli Deo Gloria Resources, so you can check out what they think HERE.

Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.