Review: "Love Idol"

The paper back book "Love Idol" written by Jennifer Dukes Lee addresses issues that many women face. The non- fiction book contains 13 chapters and also includes a discussion guide. Jennifer Dukes Lee also uses quotes in the beginning of every chapter. For example, in Chapter 1, she quotes Brennan Manning "Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."

$14.99

Tyndale House Publication

Do you ever feel a long and deep desire to be valued, respected.....loved? Are you always working hard to gain people's approval? Does everyone know who you really are or do you always find yourself wanting people to think you have it all together? 

This book is a must read for very woman that finds her value in anything else but the Lord. In this book "Love Idol", Jennifer Dukes Lee talks about her struggles with feeling the need to seek approval from those around her. 

If you, like so many of us spend so much energy and time in trying to make people love us. And for someone to think we are amazing. We are constantly seeking people's approval- in our social circles, at work, church. Many of us live in this constant fear that if people really find out who we are we will not be loved or respected any longer. We walk around with this facade of having everything in order and life is perfect. This desire could often turn into an idol. But we should only be concerned with what God sees and thinks of us. There is freedom and having a true connection with the Lord and realizing how wonderfully we are made. 

I have been given this product free of charge for review purposes. 

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Tony Evans: God is Working in the Spiritual Realm.

The Holidays and Missing My Mom

Since November 2008, the holidays have never been the same. I lost my mom and I think about her all of the time.....especially during Christmas. I have a 3 year old that never met her and an almost 8 year old that only has a vague memory. 

My family that lives out of town invited me and my family to their New Year's Eve celebration. My hubby decided to stay home with our children so I made the drive out of town by myself. Once the party started, I found myself becoming really sad. I started thinking of my mom and how much I really miss her. We really do take for granted those we love. Now, she is gone and she will never know how much I loved her. 

On New Years Day, I was driving home and turned on the radio. I was changing the radio stations and came across a man preaching. I decided to listen to what he had to say. I ended up finding out it was Tony Evans. I've heard of him but really had never heard him preach. This is what he said: "When an earthquake shakes things up, it can cause death and destruction. When God shakes things up, it’s often the first step toward deliverance, healing and restoration." He was preaching about thanking God when one is in "the storm." We only see the physical realm but God is working in the spiritual realm. 

Its been a tough few years, but I can not wait to see how the Lord is going to use my tribulations to bring Him GLORY. Jesus knew that I needed to hear this sermon. Click on this link to hear Tony Evans' message. Tony Evans 2014

This is what the Bible says about suffering. 

Romans 5:3-5, 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Psalm 34:17-20 ESV / When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV / For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Revelation 21:4 ESV He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Mandisa: Stronger

The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer

A few months ago, I attended a Bible study group and bumped into a lady I had not seen in a while. After the group, she walked up to me and said that she had prayed about who to give this book to. (Apparently, the book that she handed to me had been given to her a while back. She had finished reading it and wanted to pass it down to someone else.) I took the book and looked at the cover. What caught my eyes were the words "exotic dancer."I continued to read the cover and noticed that the book was titled "Scars and Stilettos." My friend told me that the book was about a former stripper who became a Christian. "Hmmm, something I will definitely read" I said to her.

I really love reading non fiction books. Especially the books that speak about God's unconditional love for a wretched world. I started reading it and I could not put it down. At times I was really heart broken for this little girl named Harmony. At the age of 3 she was exposed to pornography. Later on in life, she was raped by men in her life. When she was about 19, she ended up becoming a stripper named Monique. Her life was wrapped up in sexuality. It was what she knew. It was what she had become.

Then she met a young lady that attended church. They began a friendship. At times this friend invited her to church. At first, Harmony refused to go. Her friend never gave up on her. When Harmony would refuse to attend church, her friend would ask if she wanted to go have coffee instead. One day, Harmony accepted her friend's invitation. She attended church and Jesus captured her heart. He looked beyond her current job as an exotic dancer. He looked beyond her past. He just saw His child and He was IN LOVE with what He saw.

I really LOVED reading this book. It was such a great reminder of how merciful my Savior is. He meets us were we are and captures our hearts. He romances us with His unconditional love. He embraces us and tells us we are His treasured possessions.

What an amazing God I serve. He sees beyond my wretched past and just sees His beautiful masterpiece.

Dara Maclean "Wanted"

Psalm 139: 13-15

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Isaiah 54:10

Though the mountains be shaken

    and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

    nor my covenant of peace be removed,”

    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Psalm 45:11

Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;

    honor him, for he is your lord.

Bullying

Bullying

Unfortunately, many have been victims of someone desiring the power over others or someone just simply being mean. I remember having lunch in the cafeteria of my middle school. A good friend of mine was sitting across from me. (She came from a single parent home and money was tight.) My girlfriend was made fun of and she started to cry. I myself was bulled while in middle school. I had braces on my teeth and I recall being called "fish lips." While in elementary, I remember being in the school bus and a boy asking me why I chewed gum like a cow. His comment has really made me pretty self cautious. Now as an adult, I look back and actually feel pretty bad for these "bullies." I wonder if they were themselves abused at home or what the situation was that they felt the need to ridicule someone to make themselves feel better about themselves.

What Does Bullying Mean?

According to Wikipedia, "Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively to impose domination over others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual." 

According to Education.com, "Bullying is comprised of direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against a victim. In addition to direct attacks, bullying may also be more indirect by causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion. While boys typically engage in direct bullying methods, girls who bully are more apt to utilize these more subtle indirect strategies, such as spreading rumors and enforcing social isolation (Ahmad & Smith, 1994; Smith & Sharp, 1994). Whether the bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying is that the physical or psychological intimidation occurs repeatedly over time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993)."

"Bullying has become a tidal wave of epic proportions. Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators, and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school, and even prompting health problems and suicide." NCPC

What are the traits of children who bully?

According to Web MD., here they are: 

1) Children who bully are often physically strong. They may bully because they like the feeling of power. They may be kids who do things without thinking first and may not follow rules. These boys and girls have not learned to think about the feelings of other people.

2) Kids who physically bully others sometimes come from homes where adults fight or hurt each other. They may pick on other kids because they have been bullied themselves.

Is there an increase in bullying from 1993 to Present? 

"A recent study by the Family and Work Institute reported that one-third of youth are bullied at least once a month, while others say six out of 10 American teens witness bullying at least once a day. Witnessing bullying can be harmful, too, as it may make the witness feel helpless - or that he or she is the next target." NCPC

"Various reports and studies have established that approximately 15% of students are either bullied regularly or are initiators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993)." Education.com

Has the increase in technology caused a rise on bullying? "Technology has allowed bullying to go mobile, and it's this type of bullying is not bound by geography," says Glenn Stutzky a social work professor at Michigan State University. "You don't have to be in the same place, and it's not bound by time. It's like being electronically bound to your tormentors. You can't get, you know, away." says Glenn Stutzky. Technology


What do we as parents do if our child is being bullied? 

Focus on The Family mentioned the following signs that may indicate a child is being harassed:

• Injuries — unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches
• Torn, damaged or missing clothing or other belongings
• Anxiety, tearfulness, moodiness and resistance to going to school
• Ongoing physical symptoms — especially headaches, stomachaches or fatigue — that are invoked as a reason to stay home

Parents need to ask their children questions and try to find out what is going on. If there has been some bullying, parents need to make an appointment with the principal or any personal that is responsible for handling this kind of matter. Before the meeting, try to have as much documentation as possible. It would be really difficult for anyone to deal with a situation based on opinions. "You may want to arrange a meeting with the perpetrator and one or both of his parents in a school official's office. Your posture should be calm, but resolute: Look the bully in the eye and make it abundantly clear that even one further episode will bring disastrous consequences and that you expect his parents to cooperate." (Focus on The Family)

If the administrators do not want to become involved or do not intervene and take appropriate action, please contact the police. "If the problem involves risks of extreme violence or gang activity, you will need to seek advice from law-enforcement personnel. In a worst-case scenario, a change of school (or home schooling) may be necessary to bring your child or adolescent through this situation in one piece. Do whatever it takes (within the bounds of the law) to protect your child's safety and self-respect. "(Focus on The Family)

Please click on this link and read about a special needs girl and her experience with bullying.

 Mail Online

This link will take you to a very sad story about a little girl that committed suicide because she had been tormented for a year. 

Fox News

May these songs and Bible verse refresh your heart and  remind you of Who you belong to. 

You Are Wanted

Psalm 139: 13-16

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

You're Beautiful

Lets stand together and not allow this behavior to continue. 

Are We Except From Trials?

Christians and Life's Trials

May this minister to your soul. 

Will we (believers) face hardship and tribulations or once we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior we will never face suffering again?

In late 2006, I was getting all of the invitations ready to be mailed out for my oldest daughter's first birthday party. I was so excited that everything had been planned months before. Before I was able to mail out the invitation to my step dad (He raised me so I loved him as my biological father.), I received a call that he was on his death bed. I drove down to the hospital where he was but was not able to say "good bye." He was an alcoholic and had slowly but surely killed himself. He did not literally take his life. He just drank it away until his body could not take it any longer and he past.

It is Jan 2007 and I'm pregnant with my 2nd child. There's a problem though, the baby has no heart beat. This news did not faze me at all. I knew that my Lord was going to perform a miracle and I was going to have a healthy little one. Blood test after blood test after sonograms did not deter me. I was going to have a healthy baby. 3 months later, I'm having a D N C. While all of this is going on, I lose a cousin.

Finally, there's peace and no more chaos...for a while anyway. Nov. 2008 comes and I'm waiting for my husband to come home so he could stay with our daughter. I wanted to go vote but did not want to take my 2 year old with me. My husband arrived and placed his cell phone on the counter. He walked away to our bedroom to change clothes. His phone went off and I checked it. I saw my sister's phone number so I called her back. When she picks up, all I could hear were sirens in the background and my sister screaming. I kept on asking her over and over again what was going on but she was unable to speak. She finally gives me the news that has forever changed me. Our mom had died. I was in complete shock. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor. I couldn't believe it. My mom is no longer here. I had to leave. I had to be there for my sisters. I told my husband and a few friends what went on and I left.  (One of my friends ended up downloading some Christian songs onto a CD which I heard the entire trip out of town.)

Do Christians Face Trials? Yes, we do face tribulations.

What the Bible says. 

John 14:1-3

1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, 2 I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that you also may be where I am."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

What my pastor preached.

When you fall into the midst of trials and your world seems to be falling down all around you.  Don’t rely on your feelings! Step back and EVALUATE your circumstances so that you can carefully and deliberately choose JOY.  You will experience this JOY when you recognize God’s grace and start leaning towards it.

“Turn Your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.”

Philippians 4:11-13

11 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

1 Cor. 9:24

24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Romans 5:1-5

5 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

I Will Praise You in the Storm

Common Core and the Catholic Church

Common Core

Continuing My Research

The National Catholic Register is a Catholic newspaper. On Sept 8, 2013, correspondent Charlotte Hays writes an article about Common Core and its implementation in Catholic schools. “The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), while not formally endorsing Common Core, has been holding workshops on how to implement the standards in Catholic schools. The Common Core State Standards were developed by state education officials under the auspices of the National Governors Association. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported the process with grants totaling $150 million. The Obama administration is firmly behind CCSS.” Unfortunately, for some, refusing grant money is difficult.

Although some are proponents of the implementation of Common Core, there are others that are opposing its commence. For example, “Father Peter Stravinskas, executive director of the Catholic Education Foundation, is hosting a conference on “Catholic Concerns About the Common Core” at the Stella Maris Retreat Center in Elberon, N.J., Nov. 5-6. Co-hosts are the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS), the schools office of the Diocese of Gaylord, Mich., and the superintendent of high schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.” At the meeting concerns will be addressed as to how Common Core will affect Catholic schools. “We certainly don’t have to use the curriculum materials that are being suggested, many of which are very problematic,” Father Stravinskas said.

To read the full article please click on this link

National Catholic Register

Common Core: Suggestive Reading List

Common Core
"Dreaming in Cuba"

Warning Some Words are Sexually Explicit

The more research I do about the implementation of Common Core, the more outraged I become. Lets start by talking about the book “Dreaming in Cuba.” Sounds innocent…right? Maybe the book is about an individual living in a communist country and dreaming of one day being free. No, it is not about freedom. The book was pulled out of a school in Arizona because of its sexual text. “AZ School District Pulls Sexually Explicit Book Recommended by Common Core Standards.” (A Conservative Edge Sept. 13, 2013) According to this article, the book was in the suggested list of books for children in high school. “According to the Sierra Vista Herald, school district curriculum director Terri Romo informed the school board Tuesday that she contacted the Arizona Department of Education to find out how the book came to be placed on the list of Common Core recommendations. Romo said she was told the “exemplar texts” are intended to show the correct reading level and are not recommendations for purchase.” I'm a bit confused. Romo states “exemplar texts” are intended to show the correct reading level." (By the way, I googled the words exemplar text and this is what I found: a model or pattern to be copied or imitated.) How would a teacher evaluate the reading level of a particular student if the student does not read the book? "Dreaming in Cuba" might not be a recommendation for purchase but why is it on a list of books for children to read? Why are we “recommending” this kind of filth? Why should a high school child be exposed to this kind of language? And finally, why would anyone want this kind of inappropriate text to be "a model or pattern to be
copied or imitated."


According to A Conservative Edge, this is an excerpt from the book “Hugo and Felicia stripped in their room, dissolving easily into one another, and made love against the whitewashed walls. Hugo bit Felicia’s breast and left purplish bands of bruises on her upper thighs. He knelt before her in the tub and massaged black Spanish soap between her legs. He entered her repeatedly from behind.Felicia learned what pleased him. She tied his arms above his head with their underclothing and slapping him sharply when he asked.“You’re my bitch,” Hugo said, groaning.” Education activist Donna Garner provides the following commentary:"Yes, Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia is indeed recommended in the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.” Is anyone appalled by this?

To read full article please click below.

AZ Conservative

Are We in America????????

Common Core

Please help me understand something. Do we (Americans) live in a country were we have the freedom to voice our opinions and concerns (respectfully) without any repercussions? The answer would be yes...right? Well, apparently for those that disagree with Common Core, we are not allowed to express our concerns. A distressed  father by the name of Robert Small expresses his concerns in a public forum about Common Core. He is pushed by an officer, pulled out of the meeting, and arrested. Mr. Small was charged with 2nd degree assault of a police office. Please view this video and help me to see when Mr. Small placed his hands on the officer. Please visit this link Baltimore Sun News to see the entire article and the video. 

Review on Bible Study Guide

 

 About The Bible Study Guide:

The  Bible Study Guide is a curriculum that takes your family/church through the Old Testament and some of the New Testament. The student will learn about the Bible and how to apply it to her life. The entire basic edition contains 104 lessons. The Primary Level is designed for children in the 1st and 2nd grade. Each student will be working out of their Primary Student Pages while the teacher uses her Primary Teacher Guide. Both guides provide the teacher and the student with step by step instructions through the lesson. The lessons are designed for a wide variety of reading levels. "Because students in the first grade and second grade differ so widely in reading level, we have created a Teacher Guide/Student Page combo that works in situation where the students barely read at all or where students read well OR in situations with a mixture of the two!" Besides providing both guides, the program also offers Summary Cards and a Children's Songs CD Set.

$9.95

$24.95

$5.95

$19.95

Contact

Our Homeschool Experience:


I loved Bible Study Guide. My 7 year old liked it but she was hoping to be able to complete some hands on projects. She is a tactile learner so she LOVES to do crafts and things of that sort. She also thought that the lessons were a bit too kiddish for her. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the program or just the child's maturity. Maybe I should of selected a higher grade. Something that I found to be a bit frustrating  was the way the student pages were bound. Having a spiral book would of been a bit easier to keep all of the pages from falling out. 

Besides all of this, the program was great. I loved the review section found in every lesson. This would help me to incorporate what she learned the day before into what she was learning that particular day. I also loved the "Memory Work" section. This section contained drills that would teach the Bible. The "Children's Songs CD" was one of my daughters favorite activities. She loved the songs "Twelve Sons of Jacob", "The B-I-B-L-E" and "Love Is Something if You Give It Away." With this last song, she would sign to it.  She would have me play all of these songs over and over again. The "Get Active" section helped her to actively use her body. This section reinforced the lesson in a fun way. For example, Lesson 6 taught my daughter about being wise and praying to God for help in this area. The activity in this section asked for me to write the letter "x" (showing wisdom) on one sheet of paper and a "w" (not showing wisdom) on another piece of paper. I taped one sheet on one wall and the another sheet on the opposite wall.  I read the scenarios found in the book and my daughter walked to the "x" or "w" depending if the individual in the scenario was being wise."Today's Bible Text" helped my daughter study the Bible. I would ask her to turn to a certain book, chapter, verse, and then I would ask her to read the verses. We would take turns reading the illustrated Bible story. The "Time Line" helped her to "understand the story line of the Bible and how all of the people and events fit into God's overall plan." "Apply It" section provided real life situations where she could learn how to apply the Bible verses she had just learned. I would definitely recommend this program. 

 I have been given this product free of charge for review purposes. 

"Read what the rest of the Crew had to say about Bible Study Guide"

Schoolhouse Review Crew

Back to School Giveaway

Back to School Giveaway

Have you heard of Awana, Study Smarts, Classical Composers, Institute of Excellence in Writing, Music Together, and See the Light? For this month's giveaway, the vendors mentioned have kindly donated items for me to giveaway.Thank You!!!!

"Whether you attend a public school, private school, homeschool, on-line school or a combination of a few, Study Smarts will help you maximize your education."

"While the DVD cover and workbook are the same for 5-8 and 9-12, the content and the delivery is age appropriate in the DVD presentation. We figured high school students could have a little fun with the characters because the content is college preparatory!"

See the Lightshine brings artists with different specialties together to bring a variety of techniques, art history, chalk artistry, performance arts, gospel chalk art (with black light), crafts, and creative lettering. Musicians include songs they have personally written, performed, arranged, and produced. "The SEE THE LIGHT team is dedicated to bringing scripture and biblical principles to viewers in a fresh, engaging way. . . and promising to teach some exciting art skills along the way!" See The Light offers 5 Bible Stories that incorporate hands on art lessons.

Read more about See The Light on my blog. 

"Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through age 7—and the grownups who love them™. First offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement."

"Music Together classes are based on the recognition that all children are musical. All children can learn to sing in tune, keep a beat, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, provided that their early environment supports such learning."

Now families may enjoy learning about fine art. Fine Art Pages Collection 1 provides an easy and inexpensive way to introduce your children to amazing artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude-Oscar Monet. With this collection you will receive a printable collection of 25 famous paintings. All you would need to do is print out the fine art pages onto regular paper or card stock. Then stick the art pages anywhere in your house.

Read more about the Fine Art Pages Collection on my blog. 

 

Excellence in Writing Teaching the Classics uses short stories and the Socratic approach as a model to teach about character, plot, theme, and other elements of fictional and literal analysis.

Read more about the Institute of Excellence in Writing on my blog. 

    "Looking for a complete ministry for preschool to high school
    or seeking a program for a specific age group?
    Needing curriculum that changes young lives through God's Word
    And interested in reaching the community with the gospel?"

Read more about one of the products Awana offers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Highlands County Macaroni Kid

A Free Weekly Newsletter for subscribers and Website for Kids and Families

Highlands County: Macaroni Kid is excited to announce that it has come to Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid! Macaroni Kid is a free weekly e-newsletter and website that highlights all of the great things for kids and their families to do in our community.

Under the stewardship of Maribel Sanders, Sebring Macaroni Kid is poised to quickly become the go to source for all things family.  “As a mom in Highlands County, I know how difficult it has been to keep track of the fun and enriching events and activities available for kids.  I’m extremely excited to bring Macaroni Kid to our community and look forward to the opportunity to support the many cultural, not-for-profit, school and just plain fun things there are to do in Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid.”  Macaroni Kid covers the spectrum of things to do with kids -- classes, shows, events as well as things to do at home, cooking projects, book reviews, arts and crafts and more.

Parents in Highlands County can sign up to receive their weekly newsletter by visiting www.sebring.macaronikid.com.  In addition to events in Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid, I’ll be bringing reviews and insights about events and activities in nearby major cities, as well as featuring exciting ideas for family road trips and travel.

Ideas for articles and event listings can be sent to maribels@macaronikid.com

For those that live outside of the area, Sebring Macaroni Kid will provide a free weekly e-newsletter to those that subscribe.

Review on Awana Puggles

"Awana helps churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. Our programs offer a proven approach for evangelizing and discipling kids in the church and community."

One of the programs that Awana offers is their Puggles program. Puggles is designed for children ages 2- 3 years old. The program introduces biblical precepts and equips the parents to teach their children at home. Puggles uses play time, songs and simple crafts and activities to teach the children about God. The program comes with large easy to use colorful teaching cards, a praise CD, and a drawstring backpack.  

 $34.99

Price subject to change without notice.

Contact Page

My 3 year old loved this program. She loved listening and dancing to the songs. For unit one, the precept  was God made everything. On one particular sunny day, my 3 year old, 7 year old, and I went outside. I encouraged the girls to find a place where they would be able to see their shadow. They ran around and "chased" it. I told the girls that God made the light which helped to cause their shadow. And that He made everything. Another activity that we did for this particular unit was I lit a candle and turned off the lights. We all sat on the floor and talked about how light helps us see. I asked my 3 year old to point to her eyes, hands, feet, fingers, and toes. We also played with a flash light in the dark room and used our hands to make animal shapes. 

  

   
God is love was the precept for unit 3. On the first day, all three of us went outside and we looked at the trees, grass, plants, etc. We ran, jumped, and just had a great time. After I was exhausted, I asked the girls "Who made all of nature"? They answered correctly.  We also sang, and jumped around to the song "Fun Walk." It goes like this to the tune of "Frere Jacques"

Walking, walking,
Walking, walking,
Hop, hop, hop!
Hop, hop, hop!
Running, running, running,
Running, running, running,
Now we stop.
Now we stop.

For this lesson, we also took a "hike" around the outside of the house. We looked at all of the things that God created and I reminded the girls that God loves them.

This is a mushroom that we found in our "hike."

The precept for unit 4 was give thanks.  On the first day, my youngest and I went into our kitchen. I picked up a fruit and ask her about it. For example, I would ask her what color the fruit was? If the skin was edible? I reminded her that God wants us to be thankful for everything that we have. On day 3, I cut up an apple into slices and had her place peanut butter on the slices. I had her thank God for her snack before she ate her apple slices.  

I have been given this product free of charge for review purposes

Review on Picaboo Photo Books

 

 About Picaboo Yearbooks:

Picaboo Yearbooks is an on-line based company that provides year books to consumers. The yearbooks come in hard cover, soft cover, and a free ebook. It is really easy and fun to create your own yearbook. Once you are on the website, you click on "Start a New Yearbook" and lay out the sections. The sections get assigned to the students or adults allowed to edit them. Now, they take over and are able to personalize their yearbook page. "Picaboo gives them the tools to unleash their creativity breathing life across the pages of their book." Everyone selected to edit the book is able to work on it from anywhere.There is no minimum purchase so you may buy your book directly from the company.

Soft Cover
STARTS AT $8.49 (20 PAGES) 
plus shipping
9" x 12" or 8.5" x 11"
Photo wraparound cover
3-week turnaround
Price subject to change without notice.
 You Tube Video

Our Homeschool Experience:

We LOVE Picaboo Yearbooks. I was extremely excited when I was selected to review this product. When I received the yearbook, I was really impressed with the quality of the pictures.I loved the preview section and the "bird's eye" view. The preview section provided an opportunity for me to view the yearbook before purchasing it. The "bird's eye" view, laid out all of the pictures downloaded onto the yearbook so I could view them. Picaboo Yearbooks also provided so many background and cover options and various themed templates. Since the pictures were random photos that I had taken, I decided to use the same theme so there would be some cohesiveness from one page to the other. Placing stickers on the pictures was so much fun. Since my category was outdoors, I had a huge selection of different flowers and other outdoor items. I also had the option of making the pictures black and white or sepia. I also had the option to add borders, shapes, and corners to the pictures. Picaboo also provided the option to select how many pictures I wanted on one page and add text if I chose to. When adding the text, I was able to click on the magnifying glass and see what I was printing. Unfortunately, I was not paying too much attention. When I received the yearbook, there were a few misspells. Obviously this incident had nothing to do with the company and everything to do with me. :( I really LOVE Picaboo Yearbooks and I would recommend it.

One thing that did frustrate me a bit was every time I would click on the backwards arrow, the site would take me to the home page where I had to sign up again.

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 I have been given this product free of charge for review purposes. 

"Read what the rest of the Crew had to say about Picaboo"

Schoolhouse Review Crew

Looking for an On-line Homeschool Group?

Homeschooling Group

 
Christian Homeschool Streaming is a Christian online homeschool group that will  provide information about streaming movies through Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and your Roku player. As a member, you will also be encouraged to share other resources such as books, music, and audio.

My Juicing Experience

 

 Free Images

As many of you know, I struggle with getting my two girls to drink their juice. I have given up on begging and pleading. Informing the oldest of how nutritious the drink is and why it is important for her to drink it has not worked. I've tried everything to no avail.

I have just decided today, that they're going to drink their juice and that is final. I know, I've earned the trophy for the meanest mom ever. That is okay because they will survive.

When I was juicing earlier today, of course my oldest told me she was not going to drink her juice. As I do always, I ignored her, poured juice in her cup and in her youngest sister's sippy cup, and told them they WERE going to drink it. Guess what......... they drank it and that was final. BAHAHAHA evil laugh. I won, at least for now. LOL!!!!

This is what I juiced today.
Plums
Oranges
Spring Mix from Publix
Organic Carrots
Apples

Summer Giveaway

July’s Giveaway

 July 1, 2013-July 31, 2013

Samuel Adams Returns 

$18.00

In this educational DVD geared for 6th graders and up. Tom Niewulis, Jr., presents to modern audiences the speeches of Samuel Adams while acting out his life and words. This DVD is a real - life portrayal of Samuel Adams. Click to see trailer. YouTube 

 

Amphibians Downloadable Version

$13.00

This downloadable lapbook will answer questions such as: "What is an amphibian?", "What defenses do they have in order to survive?" ,"What about the amazing world of tadpoles?", "Are there differences between frogs and toads?", "What are salamanders?", "What are caecilians and do we ever see them?" After completing this colorful lapbook, you children will be able to answer these questions. 

Celebrate High School 

"Every student has a high school story, a story told through transcripts, course descriptions, reading lists, co-curricular activities, letters of recommendation, community service affidavits, and supporting documents. Celebrate High School encourages parents through the process of writing their student's high school story with step-by-step instructions, and ready-to-use examples."

Geometry

$6.00 + Shipping and Handling 

"One month of purposeful concept-specific, multi-sensory opportunities for children
preschool through second grade, designed to teach and reinforce aspects of foundational geometry. Nurtures a child’s innate curiosity about how the world works while inviting questions, engaging thought, and applying understanding. Complements any child's math curriculum or program"

There's Always a Story

$6.00 + Shipping and Handling

"There’s Always a Story helps parents and educator find books to complement a child’s studies, in every content area. This guide includes hundreds of titles arranged by content area to help lesson planning time and maximize the delight of life-long learning because There is Always a Story to enhance any topic a child desires to learn."

Cheryl's Blog

Purposeful Planning

$10.00 Instant Download

Purposeful Planning was created to help you discover the Lord's plan for you and your family. 

"Does having your spouse’s undivided attention appeal to you? Planning weekends give you time to dream, to talk together about what you wish, or want, at a time when the other person is really listening."

"Do you need a plan to keep your family moving in the direction the Lord is leading you? Perhaps you don’t know where the Lord is leading you. Phyllis takes you step-by-step through the process of planning a time together for your family to help determine the path the Lord is choosing for each area of your life. Her family has followed this format for over 12 years and has found that it provides the compass they’ve needed to plan and stay on course."

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This giveaway is open to Residents of the U.S. only. Void where prohibited. Must be at least 18 years of age.