Sunday, December 12, 2010

FREE Christmas Printables


I received an email from Valerie at Lapbook Lessons with a quick list of some free printables you can use with your Christmas lessons this month! 

Worksheets, Storyboards, Coloring Pages, Minibooks, Bible Timeline, Card Games etc...

Happy Birthday Jesus, Symbols of Christmas, Puzzles, File Folder Game, Bingo, Crafts, Wordwall...

Names of Jesus Printable Ornaments (set of 25)
Christmas Story Scroll


Nativity
Symbols of Christmas
Candy Canes

Christmas Lapbooks:

Christmas Lapbook Photos:

Advent Countdowns
Candy Cane 
Nativity Story
Jesus is the Reason
and more......

Christmas Lesson Links:

Gifts for Kids to Make:

Friday, December 10, 2010

And the Homeschool Astronomy Winner Is...

Comment #6: frugalkelly said... I think the presentation my family would most enjoy is Extreme Phenomena.  My son is really into astronomy right now so he would truly love this! 

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

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Homeschool Astronomy Giveaway via Our Homeschool Reviews and thanks again to Homeschool Astronomy for allowing me to offer this great presentation! 




Apologia Press: Good Morning, God Review

I had the pleasure of receiving a wonderful book from Apologia Press titled Good Morning, God, by Davis Carman.  

This beautifully illustrated book takes you through the week of a four-year-old little boy.  Each morning when he awakes, the first thing he does is take the time to say good morning to God.  Every day brings new events and experiences, and each night before bed he says his prayers.  It is a wonderful example of how your children can remember and worship the Lord throughout their day, even when playing, running, jumping, and climbing.  

You and your family can use this book in several ways.  Of course you can just read the book through one time and talk about it.  We did this to start.  There are also questions at the end of the book for each day of the week.  You can read the book to your child once a day, from Sunday to Sunday, and at the end of each reading you could review the questions and activities for that day.  I think this is a great idea to really get into the book and an excellent way to open the lines of communication with your children about God!

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed reading this book to my daughter.  We loved looking at the pictures and wondered what would happen with the boy the next day.  It is a very simple and lovely book, with a very important message.  I think the questions and activities that are listed for each day are a great way to incorporate further study.

Thoughts of a 7 Year Old: It was a good book. It talks about how the boy learns by doing things he isn't supposed to do and he still learns things when he is doing good things. I like how it really gets you thinking, 'What should I do? Is this right to do before I do it?' I like this book and give it a thumbs-up!

Find Out More:  You can find out more about this book and others on Apologia's website.  It currently sells for $14 and you can even see a sample chapter. You can also purchase a coloring book, which goes along with the book, for only $4.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Good Morning, God, 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.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

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! 

If you haven't already entered the two giveaways going on now,  you can enter here for Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent and here for Homeschool Astronomy!

Gymboree Sale
Gymboree is offering up FREE shipping – No Minimum! AND, everything in stores and online is an additional 30% off!!!

Wendy's FREE Fries Coupon
To get a coupon for FREE fries, just go to Wendy's Facebook Page, click the "Like" button, and then the "Fry for All" tab. Then just follow the instructions to print your coupon.

FREE Christmas Books on Kindle
Go to Amazon and there are quite a few Christmas Books you can get FREE on Kindle.  Some include:  25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger, The Christmas Story from the Family Reading Bible, and The Judge Who Stole Christmas.

FREE Slim Fast Bars (Sam's Members)
Get a FREE sample of Slim-Fast Peanut Butter Crunch Bars! This sample requires a Sam's Club membership number to request it.

PetSmart Coupon
PetSmart is having a Friends & Family event and has released a coupon for 15% off of your entire purchase.

FREE Sample of Prilosec OTC
Go HERE to get a FREE sample of Prilosec OTC!

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing
Today, 12/9, you'll can get a $5 Starbucks Card when you buy a 12-pack of Starbucks Via Instant Coffee.

FREE Garnier Anti-Dandruff Sample
Go HERE for a FREE sample of Garnier Anti-Dandruff hair care plus get a $1 off coupon!

Excedrin PM Coupon
Sign up to get this $3.50 off Excedrin PM coupon by mail.

FREE Sample Roundup
Check out the FREE Sample Roundup by Deal Seeking Mom


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Camel Race Bible Trivia Game Review


I received a neat little printable game called the Camel Race Bible Trivia Questions Game, by Python Printable Games. 

In the game, you play one of the three wise men, riding on his camel, on his way to the manger.  To move across the board, you must answer Bible trivia questions correctly.  But watch out, things like you dropping your frankincense or your camel needing a nap, may slow you down.  The first person to make it to the manger wins!

My Thoughts:  We really had a great time playing this game.  You instantly receive your game by download and print it out.  You lay the sheets on the floor and it makes a giant board game.  We had fun pretending we were camels and moving along the board.  It was neat to actually be the pieces in the game.  I thought the questions were fairly easy with a couple tricky ones thrown in.  I would have liked to see more questions though because they started repeating themselves by the second game. Overall it is a fun game!



Thoughts of a 7 Year Old:  It was fun and Mommy (Christine) couldn't answer the 'What was Jesus wrapped in?' question, (the answer is 'swaddling clothes') which I knew and told her "I don't know," which of course that was OK. She really thought I didn't know! But back to the point here. I really liked it and if I were you, I'd buy it!

P.S. For the record, I said blanket, but that was counted wrong by all other players who wanted to win over me.  ;o)

Find Out More:  You can find out more about the Camel Race Bible Trivia Questions Game at Python Printable Games.  It sells for only $6.95 and you receive the game by instant download.  It's recommended for ages 6-9 and includes 29 questions and 19 action cards.

Disclosure:  I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. 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 Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Holiday Bliss - December 8


For the month of December Our Homeschool Reviews will be participating in "Holiday Bliss" hosted by Brenda at Garden of Learning.

To participate, I'll be sharing favorite holiday recipes, crafts, traditions, things we do during the month, thoughts on Christmas, pictures of our family during December, or just anything that has something to do with this blessed holiday season.

This week I thought I would share some of our ornaments that have special meanings and memories for us...

This one is from our daughter's first Christmas.  I'm sure many parents have at least one of these.  This is one of many that we have.


This one is our daughter's first helping hand at a homemade ornament.  See her scribbles?  :o)


This one is from the first (and last) time my husband and I went out together before 6am to stand in line at one of the many stores the day after Thanksgiving.  This ornament was free to the first few hundred customers.  We always laugh thinking of how crazy we were to go out that early.  Now I do it all by myself...lol!


This last one is not an ornament but a special decoration.  His name is Buddy and he sits on our table each Christmas.  He came from my husband's family and we have just always liked him.  Isn't he cute?!

I'm also linking up with Jolanthe at No Ordinary Moments for her Christmas Ornament post. Hope you enjoyed taking a look at some or our special ornaments.

Wordless Wednesday: Flowers



Thought a little reminder of Spring will warm us up on this cold December morning!

And if you haven't already entered my current giveaways, you can enter here for Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent and here for Homeschool Astronomy!



  1. Auntie E's/link
  2. Sara @ MommaFindings (w/linky)
  3. Musings From Mt Rogo w/linky
  4. Views From Nature
  5. In Everything
  6. Musings of a Real Housewife
  7. Amber @ The Mom Road
  8. Busy Working Mama (LINKY)
  9. Baubles - OneDay
  10. Jidhu's Reflections
  11. Lolli @ Better in Bulk *LINKY*
  12. Lisa @ My Thoughts w/Linky
  1. priest's wife- SANTA
  2. Goober Monkey w/linky
  3. Mouth Opened Wide @ Newyorkchica (linky)
  4. Marine Corps Nomads - Lego Train Roller Coaster
  5. A Nut in a Nutshell
  6. No More Monkeying Around: DailyDouz
  7. Grinning Cheek to Cheek w/Linky
  8. Victorian Tea Party
  9. Any one got a sky hook
  10. Marni's Organized Mess
  11. @ PamelaMKramer

  12. This linky list is now closed.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holiday Bliss - December 7

 
For the month of December Our Homeschool Reviews will be participating in "Holiday Bliss" hosted by Brenda at Garden of Learning.

To participate, I'll be sharing favorite holiday recipes, crafts, traditions, things we do during the month, thoughts on Christmas, pictures of our family during December, or just anything that has something to do with this blessed holiday season.

It's been a busy few days so I haven't had time to post.  All is well and I'm catching up on things...finally!  We have been been keeping up with our Jesse Tree and other activities during Advent so I thought I would tell you about a new tradition we added this year.  

Yesterday, on December 6th, we celebrated St. Nicholas Day!   Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.  The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration.  

To celebrate, we left our shoes by the fireplace in hopes that St. Nicholas would leave some candy.  Of course this was a hit at our house, but more importantly, we learned about a Saint we had not known much about before.  



To learn more about St Nicholas Day, you can check out the following sites.


Monday, December 6, 2010

Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent Review and Giveaway

I received a 5lb container of Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent to review and giveaway!  I was excited to receive this but a little hesitant because our family has not used powdered laundry detergent in many, many years.  

According to their website, "This Powdered Laundry Detergent is safe and effective at ALL temperatures on whites, permanent press, bright colors, pastels, prints, and delicates in hard or soft water. (Not suitable for Silk or Wool) Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent is non-toxic, environmentally safe and contains no phosphates. Powdered Laundry Detergent cleans and safely bleaches your clothes with the added power of Oxygen Bleach Destainer and Deodorizer."

I am trying to use more environmentally safe cleaning products so this fits right in...and I had about 6 loads of laundry sitting in our hampers, waiting for me to clean them when this product arrived!

I washed darks, whites, mixed, brights, work shirts, and towels.  All our clothing came out of the washer clean with no powder residue and no fragrant smells.  I can't stand strong perfume smells, so no to little fragrance is best for me.  Our clothes just smelled clean!

Find Out More: Tropical Traditions sells their 5lb Powdered Laundry Detergent for $30 but it is on sale now for only $16.99!  For regular size washers and normally soiled loads you use 1/4 cup or 2 oz of detergent, so this 5lb container can last a long time!

If you decide to make a purchase, you can receive your own complimentary copy of their Virgin Coconut Oil book!  When your choose “Referred by a Friend” and enter the User ID: 6515018 on your first online order, the book will be automatically added.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

So, here's how to enter to win Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent!  For each comment, you will get one (1) entry.  Only the first comment is mandatory, all others will just increase your chance at winning.

1. Check out the Tropical Traditions website and let me know what you would be interested in trying, besides their Laundry Detergent.  Leave me a comment and this will give you 1 entry.

Additional Entries:

2. Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions email Newsletter here: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/subscribe_for_special_sales.cfm.  Leave me a comment and this will give you 1 entry.

3. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect (on the right side of my page) or let me know you are already a follower. Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

4. Follow my blog using Networked Blogs (on the right side of my page) or let me know you are already a follower. Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

5. Subscribe to my blog by email though feedburner HERE. Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

6. Like my Facebook page HERE.  Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

7. Follow me on Twitter @OurHSReviews.  Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

8. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter @troptraditions.  Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.

9. Share this giveaway on your blog or twitter. Leave me a comment sharing your link and this will give you two (2) entries (leave separate comments for both).

10. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page. Leave me a comment and this will give you another entry.  

**Remember to please leave a separate comment for each entry**

One random winner will be selected using Random.org on Monday, November 13, 2010. (U.S. Entries only.) If I am unable to reach the winner within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be selected. Your entry is only valid if you include a way for me to contact you (either an email address in your comment or on your profile). 

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.

And the Jim Weiss CD Winner Is...

Comment #57:  esluka said...I think we'd enjoy the Gone West Story. 

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

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Jim Weiss CD Giveaway via Our Homeschool Reviews and thanks again to Greathall Productions for allowing me to offer this great DVD!