The Pirate Queen

What a great book that shows that a woman can over look her broken heart to help the ones that she loves. Saphora Warren blossomed into the kind of woman you want to be on your side. She stood up to and for the people in her life while becoming a woman who is better than who she was.

I loved that even with the temptation to point out her husband's fault's, Saphora took the high road and kept those negative thoughts to herself. She showered grace on her family like a true southern lady.

Molly makes $7 Slow Cooker Suppers

One of my favorite things about The Old Schoolhouse is that everything is related to real life. Rarely do I look at something and think that I am not qualified or crafty enough to do that. The same is true for Molly Makes $7 Slow Cooker Suppers. Molly from Econobusters has outdone herself again.

These recipes are generally things that we have in our pantry and perfect timing with the yucky weather we are experiencing. Our family favorites are vegetable soup and potato soup and so I am so excited to try out some of the ones in this e-book. Many of the contributors and testers have added their opinions to this edition and they are so fun to read the changes, likes and dislikes of each recipe.

From TOS; “If you are familiar with Molly's $5 Dinner book, you'll find several improvements in this one—like contributor photos.” The photos are a great addition to get the chance to see how this recipe looked when someone else cooked it. I can tell from a photo whether my son will even taste a dish.

February Issue of Molly's Money Saving Digest

The times after the holidays have always been a time when funds were scare and we learned with to eat out of the pantry. The February issue of Molly’s Money-Saving Digest is chock full of recipes that will help you stretch that budget, at least it does in this house.

We love to celebrate Valentine’s here at our house; every year has been different because of where we have lived (Mardi Gras in Louisiana) or what is going on (deployments). Some years it’s just me and the kids, some years it’s all 4 of us, and one year we had the flu. Some of the recipes, shipping list included, for meals and desserts in this digest are simply irresistible.

The ideas that Molly has for a flannel shirt will keep you busy for days to come, but there is so much more that you need to see in this digest. Molly never forgets one member of your family, there is always something in her digest that will resonate with your family. I love having ideas of how to show my family some lovin’ without leaving the house or breaking the bank.

Winter Wonders from Download N Go

From Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse the Winter Wonders Download-N-Go

E-Book has got to be my favorite from this series so far. The cute graphics and detailed lesson plans give you a week’s worth of activities. I easily get our lapbook materials together and do all the cutting; the kids do the coloring while we read. We could spend all day viewing the videos that are linked in the lesson plan.

Winter Wonders has links to videos, vocabulary words, to the Autumn Treasures from Download-N-Go, and links to other activities that can be added to a lapbook. Adding to our day with these lapbooks are the best way that we can add a preK and 3^rd grade together for a lesson. I love all the book recommendations that are listed, even at my small library we can find some of these books.

The Download-N-Go series will be an excellent addition to any homeschool. These lapbooks and lessons will work with just about any homeschool method, need, or age. Our homeschool needs are varied this year, yet I can still see how Winter Wonders and other Download-N-Go lessons and lapbooks will be a benefit to us.

Birthday Bonanza

I truly believe that the Download N Go series from Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse will be a great success. A week’s worth of fun ideas are set for you. You can relax and know that a well respected company has given you an activity that your family will benefit from.

The Birthday Bonanza E-Book from the Download N Go series gives the birthday child a chance to learn all about his special day. The teaching guide that accompanies the lapbook instructions gives the teacher and learner book recommendations, activity instructions, and lesson plans. This fun, easy lapbook will be just the thing for your independent worker or a chance to sit and focus on one child.

If you are new to homeschooling or lapbooking, this is an easy start to adding lapbooking to your homeschooling days. Step by step instructions on how to implement this lapbook will give you the boost you need. Give it a chance!

Wanna Be A Chef

Wanna Be A Chef

The newest series from The Old Schoolhouse is the “Wanna Be Series.” Periodically we will be able to purchase units that pertain to career paths that your children may want to explore. This looks to be a great idea for exploring options, careers, and neat on-the-job experiences.
“When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Chef” is the first e-book in this series that I was able to look at. There will be other titles available soon, but with the Chef e-book there is plenty to keep you busy.
The e-book by itself would be great for older students to work independently on. There is math, vocabulary, grammar, copy work in print and cursive. There are coloring pages, word search, and handwriting practice for younger kids. What a way to get the whole family involved in mealtime!
My favorite part of the “I Want to be a Chef” E-book is the real life testimony from chefs. They spell out different elements of being a chef while explaining how their careers fit into their family. Take a look and take the quiz to see how much you know because I thought the brigade system would be a military term.

2009 Planner

The Homeschool Planner from The Old Schoolhouse for 2009 is out and almost ready for purchase and download. I love getting the planner as an e-book so that I can weed out the pages that I do not need. Some pages will be great for printing and some for storing info on the computer.

Each month contains a learning spotlight from planets to college to the miracles of Jesus. You also will get those great recipes just like last years' planner, but there is so much more.

This year our friends at The Old Schoolhouse revised the school and home planner pages to the extreme. The planner pages are more detailed. Some of my favorites are:

• Daily and weekly planner pages from 1 to 5 kids.
• Preschool activity pages, if you have a preschooler you will want to see these pages!
• Nature and journal pages
• Inventory lists for homeschool materials
• Chore charts for non readers
• Household inventory pages (we used these when we moved this year) Fabulous!

So, so many more! I don't want to give away all the secret goodies. You will like this planner! Mostly though, you will use this planner. You may not use every page, but you can get organized and stay that way with this planner. Everything for your home and school all in one place.

Check out the Schoolhouse Store when planning for your upcoming school year. Remember, shipping is always free

Memoria Press

I waited somewhat impatiently for the Memoria Press books to arrive and I have not been disappointed. Memoria Press books and curriculum is based on a classical education. The lessons lasted longer than C would have liked, but I think part of that was due to her teacher. I was so interested in every part of these books.

The Introduction to Latin books and the Famous Men of Rome books are unbelievably well put together. With these two sets of books, Memoria Press has combined history (which I love) with Latin (which I am dying to know more of). My head swims with all the knew information that I am soaking up. I hope that my excitement is wearing off on the kids.


The Latina Christiana I: Introduction to Latin books are easy to navigate and teach. There are vocabulary words, grammar, and a Latin saying. I love how the vocabulary words start simple. The words are easily applied to English words that kids can associate with. I am not sure how much C is retaining but I am enjoying teaching her.

The Famous Men of Rome books are fabulous. What an exceptionally great period of history to be looking further into. Being a product of public schools, I can assure you that this information was not taught. To be honest, C has a hard time focusing on the stories. I think that she just cannot imagine it all. So I am looking for ways to make her feel the story. You will not be sorry with the Famous Men of Rome books.

Math Tutor DVD

Math Tutor DVD has come up with a way to make math a little less stressful. Their math DVD's offer many hours of instruction in math lessons that can become a bit dry and confusing. One method and one way is the best way to teach math, in my opinion. Using the Math Tutor DVD's, your child is taught through example problems and repetition.

The Basic Math and Algebra 2 DVD's are just two of the many DVD's available from Math Tutor. You will easily find the right DVD for your student.

This program works great for the independent worker, but I easily found my daughter staring into space or drawing on her paper. That could be linked to 2 things, 1) she was bored and already knew what she was learning since she is pretty decent math student or 2) it did not interest. I really did not push to hard because I think that she has basic math down pretty well and Algebra 2 will be in a few years. Interesting though, the 2nd day that C watched a part of the video, I found my son staring at the TV, soaking every bit of it up. So I am excited to return to this video in the next couple of year with J. Now if I can just get him to write his numbers we will be moving in the right direction.

Math Mammoth

Math has been one of those subjects that has confused me. Not the math actually, but all the available sources for good math programs. Also, C is pretty good at math, not genius but she catches on without much hesitation.

Prior to receiving Math Mammoth, we had been working with an old workbook and real life scenarios. Not a bad way to keep up with math skills, but I was unsure of how to introduce new math problems.

Can I say right now that I am not looking forward to multiplication tables in 3rd grade. Shivers!

We received Math Mammoth addition and subtraction, fractions, place value, and measuring. She has been introduced to all of these subjects and we easily moved from page to page alternating days between each subject. I liked it and when I was motivated I remembered to pull out the manipulatives that I came up with to make things more tangible for C. Some of our favorites are:

counting bears
marbles
pom poms
pennies


Math Mammoth is great for those who like to do worksheets. C is not one of those kids, so I spruced things up with hands on ideas for her.

My favorite part of the Math Mammoth is that you can but what you want. You can buy an entire grade level curriculum or you can break things up if your child has different needs. Whether you buy the downloadable form, CD form, or printed text you can afford Math Mammoth and then use what you have on hand to make it tangible if you need to. I print off the page we need, stick it in C's workbox, and she calls me if she has a problem or to explain what she needs to do. There is nothing scary about that kind of math.

Check out Math Mammoth.

WiteShop Primary Book A

WriteShop Primary Book A came at just the right time for us. We were in need of something a little bit different from what we had been doing, but we needed more writing in our day. Although I should be requiring more of C these days, I liked this book because she liked how simple it was. I would think that any child that knows how to write could use WriteShop. I think that this book or any of their other books would be a great summer practice book.

Book A begins with writing a small story with the teacher's help and encouraging children to speak and write in complete sentences and slowly works up to more specific instructions with more detailed answers. All the while, your children are improving their reading, writing, and comprehension skills.

The first book, Primary Book A is $26.95 for the print version, plus shipping and handling or e-book version for $24.95 and no shipping and handling. Personally, I was happy with the e-book version, I printed nearly every page, but we have and will use it all.

Tapestry of Grace Year 2 unit 4

Tapestry of Grace has a huge reputation to uphold. Those that use TOG in their homeschooling have nothing but great things to say about it The most common compliment for TOG that I have heard is that it is clearly usable to teach multiple ages at the same time. We were able to review Year 2 Unit 4-Age of Revolutions which picks up near the end of colonial times. We learned about Benjamin Franklin as a young man and just who Silence Dogood was. We also received the Unit 4 lapbook. We have not done it yet, but I can't wait to get into it, now that I have better access to books

Tapestry of Grace has made it easier for you by developing a Digital Edition of their infamous curriculum. The download process does take some time, but once you have the whole year or unit within the year you will have access to a wealth of information with instructions. I don't know about you but I need all the help and guidance I can get.

Like many other popular curricula, TOG is mostly literature based. If you live near a large library system that has no problems with inter-library loan then getting the books will not be a problem. I started this program living in Slidell, LA which is still recovering from Katrina and moved to California and there are many more books available. So I will be able to pick TOG back up this fall.

One you download the Year or a Unit in the year, then it is yours. Make as many copies as you need for you and your family, but not for others or to sell. If your computer crashes or you get another computer, the tech guys will get you set up with one phone call.

TOG is classical in nature and does take a bit of time to prepare. Take your time and waddle through, I think that you will be happy in the end. What I love is that you only have to buy one set and it comes with everything for multiple grades. For instance, I will have a Kindergartner and a 3rd grader this fall. Not at all on the same level, but they can easily listen or read the same stories.

TOG is one of the more expensive curricula and it is just for history. Although I think that something as good as TOG is worth it, one of the advantages to the digital edition is the lower cost and lack of shipping and handling. You may have to print out many pages yourself, but you do not need to print everything.

Curious, you can take a look at the Tapestry of Grace website and answer many questions.

Molly's Money-Saving Digest May 2009

Molly from Econobusters, has another issue of the Money Saving Digest coming out soon. The May issue is full of info, articles, and ideas you will not want to miss out. This is a great issue to get. All previous issues are just $4.95 and still available.

There are great ideas for all those delicious strawberries out there. I love strawberry picking time. Of course being in California, our strawberries have been blooming for a while and I have no idea how long that will last.

Other ideas from the May issue is decorating, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day ideas. Molly does a great job of including links to other websites that are full of ideas for school, home, and play. Maybe you have an idea that you would like to share with Molly.

I hope you take the time to get and read this issue of Molly's Money-Saving Digest. So many ideas to keep you fueled as you start to plan your next year of homeschooling. What a blessing Molly is!

Apologia - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day

I loved that we got the chance to review Apologia science. The kids and I have drooled over the pictures in Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. A Zoology textbook with a basis in creation science that is focused on the homeschooling families.

This Apologia book that we were able to review was a great textbook with activities and experiments built into the lessons. I cannot sit and read to C very much, her mind wonders, and so I was worried about how to incorporate this textbook to our day. We looked at the book and focused on the vocabulary words that are in bold. Once we started talking about the vocabulary words she wanted to know more. She also knew that we had to get through the pages before she was allowed to do the activities or experiments. Having a little goal, kept her more focused.

I think every Christian parent looks for a science curriculum that is based in Creation instead of evolution type science that we learned in the public schools. Apologia has had their priorities on homeschoolers since 1994 when homeschool parents went looking for an alternative. Apologia was born then and the Apologia family has grown every since and has plans to add to their product list.

Critical Thinking Math grade 2

I have been wanting to give the Critical Thinking Co. a try for a long time. I was hoping that they lived up to their reputation of making kids think through their schoolwork. C would much rather me tell her how and why to do everything than for her to take the time to think things out. So I sat and waited for the possibility to get to review anything from Critical Thinking Co.


I did get the chance to review the Mathematics Reasoning Book 2 ($32.99)and I am so glad that I did. C loves this workbook. It is bright and engaging and just what we needed. A little break from the rigors of math was well deserved. C loves Math, but had gotten bogged down in the routine of computing math and not able to see around the problems to trust the answers in her head.

We are back to homeschooling after our move and adding Critical Thinking Math to our day has put us off on the right foot. I hope to look at other Critical Thinking books and add them to our homeschool in the future.

Alphabet Alley Magnetic Set

Alphabet Alley is quickly becoming one of my favorite companies for kids toys. The toys that I reviewed and the kids were able to play with are some of the toys that we continue to go back to. We were excited to review the Our New Baby Magnetic Play set.

This magnetic set made it across country with us on our recent move helping to keep my little man busy and occupied. My daughter loved the play set because she loves decorating and thought it was "cool" to be the one to decorate the baby's room.

I can see how the Our New Baby Magnetic Play set could be a bonus to a family that is about to welcome a new baby to their home. Alphabet Alley has a great selection of stickers, building bocks, and matching games that your kids will love.

These great magnetic playsets are no longer available from Alphabet Alley. This is a company that is dedicated to provided products of the highest quality and standards; and, because of that, they have pulled these magnetic playsets from their product line to determine whether or not they meet the new standards set by the U.S. government. In the meantime, please visit their website and see what they DO have available - you won't be disappointed!

Schleich Action Figures

I am sad to admit that I had never heard of Schleich Action Figures prior to receiving them in the mail. I just love these figures. They are cute, realistic, and sturdy. I have secret plans to order more of these for one little boys birthday this year. These figures made themselves at home very quickly in my son's toys.

That pig is the cutest thing. Our nickname for C is pig and she quickly added this one to her collections.

One of the things that I love about Schleich action figures are all the categories of figures that they have with more coming out this year. Categories include Farm Life, Wild Life, Humans, Smurfs, Dinosaurs (another favorite of 4 yr old boys), Elves, Knights, and many more.

I have already looked up the Schleich dealer in our new area and plan to make a trip there soon. Of course in this new town, I have to use the GPS and a lot of prayer. :)

SpellQuizzer

Every parent out there, whether you homeschool or not, is looking for a way to help their children practice spelling words. SpellQuizzer is the type of program that parents have been looking forward.

As you can see in the picture below, you can create your own spelling list or import a list from the website. Then using recordings that you make your child can quiz herself and see the mistakes she is making as she is typing.

SpellQuizzer is $29.95 per computer. There is a little bit of work and time needed to set up the recordings of the spelling words and hints. The spelling list can be saved in the program for use with multiple students. Great for homes with students studying at different levels.

We did not get to use this program much because we were in the process of moving, but I liked it. My child loves the opportunity to learn from someone besides me. My 4 year old stood over her shoulder to watch the learning take place and learned a few things on his own.

One 2 Believe Noah's Ark

Back around Thanksgiving, I wrote a post about One 2 Believe's Nativity Set. You can find that here. I still like it as much today as I did then. We put that set up with the Christmas decorations and so I was very excited to receive another box from One 2 Believe.

My kids received the Noah's Ark set and love playing with it. I rejoiced hearing my daughter repeat points of interest to her younger brother.

Isn't it cute. I am quite sure I have never seen a happier elephant, but the monkeys stole our hearts. The animals that come with the set are pretty sturdy. Luckily I don't have dogs or kids that chew on toys. This Noah's Ark even took a trip down river via our bathtub as we played out scenes from the story of Noah and the Ark.

It took us a while to get the ark open so that we can store all the animals, thankfully; I have a 7 yr old to help with all the hard stuff around here.

One 2 Believe is a company that I had never heard of before doing these reviews, but i do think that I will return to the time and time again.

Artistic Pursuits (K-3, book 2)

Artistic Pursuits is an art curriculum that really makes teaching art easy. Art was not something that was offered in the schools that I grew up in and so I have struggled with how to implement it in our homeschool. What I really needed was a program that did not require a lot of planning or extreme supplies. Something simple would keep us all involved.



Artistic Pursuits K-3 book 2 is a great addition for us. It gives the kids a brief introduction into artist and their work. We can easily do most of the projects with the supplies that we have on hand. The lessons may have been a little over my 4 year old's head, but he sat, listened and participated in the art project.

Artistic Pursuits has programs available for preschool through high school. Each book has a list of supplies needed and which lessons it applies to. The books from Artistic Pursuits are non consumable and can be used for years and with multiple ages groups working together. Take a look, there will be something that will work for your family.