Halloween Best Dressed Contest

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Best Dressed Photo Contest
If you think your child’s costume is the cutest on the block, here’s
your chance to prove it. Post a picture of your kid in his or her
outfit to enter for a chance to win

                         $1,000 Gilt Credit

Visit the “contests” tab on the Gilt Children Facebook page or click on the
following link to enter to win: http://on.fb.me/GiltHalloween

How the Contest Works
Between October 22 and November 8, upload a photo of your kid in his
or her costume to the Gilt Children page by clicking on the Enter link
above. The 10 most popular entries—as voted on by Gilt Children fans
until November 19—will become finalists.

A panel of Gilt Group judges will then select five winners based on the overall quality of the photo and the costume, announcing the results by November 26 on the Gilt Children page and Twitter account.

Each of the winners will receive a $1000 credit for use on Gilt.com.

Fans can encourage their friends to vote for their the following ways:
   1. Invite friends to participate in the contest:
http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/68665/invites/new?ogn=facebook
   2. Post your vote to your Facebook wall my selecting “share on my
wall” when you vote for your favorite photo.
   3. Let your friends know that you can vote for each entry once per
day -- so submit your entry early and vote often!

A panel of Gilt Groupe judges will then select five winners based on
the overall quality of the photo and the costume, announcing the
results by November 26 on the Gilt Children page and Twitter account.
Each of the winners will receive a $1000 credit for use on Gilt.com.

Prize Eligibility

The Gilt Children Halloween Costume Contest is open to Gilt Children Facebook fans who are 18 years or older at the time of entry, and who are legal residents of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Entries may be submitted from October 22, 2010, at 12:00am ET to November 8, 2010, at 11:59pm ET.

No purchase necessary.

   Disclosure: this is a compensated post through a Mom Bloggers Club member program.

Bible Smuggling 101

Bible Smuggling 101 – Legally Saturating High Schools with God’s Word.

In today’s divisive culture-war society, when news stories about separation of church and state thrive with controversy, one cutting-edge Christian ministry is having remarkable success spreading the Word of God. What makes it remarkable? They are doing it by distributing Bibles in public schools—legally.

Carl Blunt is the president and CEO of The Life Book Movement, a Christian mission centered on Blunt’s own contemporary, youth-oriented edition of a portion of the Bible called The Life Book, a unique presentation of Scripture designed to engage high school students with the truth of God’s Word. The Life Book presents a brief overview of the Old Testament and the Book of John using an interactive format with honest student comments and real-life questions in the margins. Readers are drawn into the only story that can change their lives forever. 

Founded by The Gideons International as an innovative strategy to reach high school students with God’s Word, The Life Book Movement works in collaboration with churches throughout the country to provide the books for free to high school students. Blunt’s organization brilliantly threads a separation-of-church-and-state loophole by getting his publication into the hands of Christian high school students and having them pass the books out to classmates at school—a practice that is entirely legal, as long as the books are not distributed by school staff or other adults. Blunt says, “It’s like we’re helping students smuggle God’s Word into a closed country (public high schools) to reach an unreached people group because studies show that only 4% of today’s teenagers are Bible-believing Christians.” The goal is to ensure that every student in every high school in the United States has an opportunity to receive the gift of The Life Book. This approach presents a phenomenal opportunity to impact a generation with the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Life Book Movement is best described to students as a week-long mission trip to their local high school. Local churches work together in targeted areas to ensure The Life Book is offered to every student in each chosen high school. All churches involved receive the books at no cost from The Life Book Movement and provide the books, along with some evangelism training, to the students in their youth groups. The students then spend a week passing them out to their friends and classmates at school. One student who received the book said, “I got one today. I read it in almost every class today. I like it. It’s pretty neat and other people asked to look at it and then asked where to get one.” 

Flying under the radar since its inception last fall, The Life Book Movement is rapidly closing in on distribution of more than 300,000 copies in public high schools across 21 states and even the British Virgin Islands. A quiet success, indeed, but extremely ambitious, The Life Book Movement has an ultimate goal of distributing The Life Book to nearly 18 million high school students when all is said and done. And, so far, the outlook is extremely promising.

www.thelifebook.com

My Thoughts

I think it is great that some organization is trying to reach out to the generation which is falling from the churches.    Honestly, from what I see in this book, it could be a great tool to reach out.  

The book itself is divided in four part.   Part One tells God’s story before Jesus came.  In Part Two the teenager will discover the story of Jesus.   Then there is a section titled What About You?  which will challenge whoever is reading about the impact of what was read in his/her life.    Finally, the last part of the book is a HELP! section which will gives answers to the most common questions teenagers can have.  

Throughout the book, there are notes scribbled everywhere.  These notes comes from four teenagers (two girls and two guys) and one adult.   You can easily know who is writing since all the writings are different from one another.   They would put comments of their reactions to what has been read or how they feel about a specific scripture and so on.  

Having this kind of interaction is fantastic I think as it permits the reader to relate to other people his/her age.

I pray and hope that the Life Book project will be fruitful.   May many students be touched by this initiative.

Spread the word with PTPA & win BIG with Corel!

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First Timothy Four:Twelve

This is my prayer for my kids….

TOS Primary Planner

Since they have first released their homeschool planner, the folks at The Old Schoolhouse has come up with a series of planners geared to the students.   Actually four different planners are available:

• Primary Planner—grades K–3
• Secondary School Planner—grades 4–6
• Middle School Planner—grades 7–8
• High School Planner—grades 9–12

I was offered to review one of these planners and I picked the Primary Planner which is geared for grades K to 3 students.  Part of me almost wish I had this product before we start the school year. 

In it I discover a wealth of interesting information geared towards kids from grade K to grade 3.    The informational Must-Know lists are interesting in itself.   Even I an adult could use some of them.    Then the child will have a series of homeschool forms to update be himself/herself when needed.   Some kids are able to write and read at an early age but most would need help.   It could be a good thing to instils independence for tracking various things like to-do list, audio/video log, books read this year, field trip log, Bible Memorization record and so on.   But keep in mind that the parent will have to help for a couple of years.

Finally, you will also find organizational forms like chores, bible reading schedule, family tree and so on.   As the child grow he/she will need to include some routine in her life (for example the bible reading).    I know my oldest is reading daily in his Bible and I think God is touching him in amazing ways through it.  

The planner is flexible.  I could print whichever form and information I need for my kids.   I don’t have to print everything.   The only disappointing fact I can see if that there some of the must-know pages that are geared toward the US (Thirteen Colonies, US Presidents, US Presidents and their wives, United States & Capitals) that we won’t use much.    Part of me would prefer to have an international version of it with more Geography of the world pages.   At the same time, I understand that The Old Schoolhouse is a magazine produced in the US and that they primarily create documents for the homeschoolers in that country.      

At the end, having a planner for the kids is interesting.    It transfer the responsibility from parent to child in a creative way.    But I would probably start using this at a higher level than grades K-3.     My oldest son who is in grade 4 right now would be more dedicated to this task than my grades K and 1 kids. 

Price: 9.95$ US directly from the TOS store.   

Canada Is For Kids

Canada Is For Kids Teaching Kit – Songs and Stories of Canada’s Heritage
2nd Edition (2010)
From Michael Mitchell

While on Facebook one day, I saw this ad for Canada Is For Kids.   Curious about it since I was looking for Canadian products to include in our homeschool, I clicked on it.

I was brought to the site of Michael Mitchell – www.michael-mitchell.ca – and discover and interesting product that could be used in a school and/or homeschool (with a little bit of tweaking).

This product is a full package of teaching resources to help a school to prepare for a Michael Mitchell – Canada Is For Kids school concert.   Mind you, I think this can be used in a homeschool environment as well.   In a family, you could easily teach the songs included on the removable disk you receive to your kids so they can have a taste of songs and stories of our heritage.   Included on this portable storage disk are the vocal and instrumental songs .   Even a group of homeschoolers could get together to prepare a fun concert for fellow homeschoolers!

Also included are more resources like reproducible lyric sheets, the Big Canadian Music Book, a ton of information on O Canada including 4 different recordings (English, French, Bilingual and Instrumental) of our National Anthem, a little cartoon titled Canada in My Pocket, Lecture notes, Games, Coloring Book, Life in Canada and more.

I’m quite excited about this product.   Not only it contains songs I grew up with (well the French ones anyway) but it will permit me to get exposed to English folklore songs that I don’t know.    I find this a wonderful addition when we study the Canadian geography from the east coast to the west coast.    I particularly enjoyed the little cartoon titled Canada In My Pocket which presents all the different types of money we have in a fun and informative way.   It is a cute little song that I think everyone should see it.   Too bad that it didn’t include the looney and tooney (the 1$ and 2$ we have…)!

I find it important that children be introduced to the origins of the national anthem especially for homeschoolers.   My kids go to Awana and before they go in their own groups, they will sing the O Canada as well as the Awana song.    This year, I planned to go through the process of learning the lyrics of the English, French and even the Bilingual version of our national Anthem with the kids.   Not only would it be good for them to know it but it would be great for me too.    I personally know the French version no problem but the English and Bilingual version is not my forte.  So together we will learn the lyrics and know the song by heart.   Even my almost three year old is singing O Canada partially now.    Sweet!

You can listen to music sample directly from Michael Mitchell site!

The Canada Is For Kids Teaching Kit is available directly from Michael Mitchell website for the price of 45$ Canadian.

Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half

Cut Your grocery Bill In Half with America’s Cheapest Family – includes so many innovative strategies you won’t have to cut coupons
Written by Steve and Annette Economides
Published at Thomas Nelson

About the book

America’s Cheapest Family shows readers how to save up to $3,000 annually on groceries with their proven strategies, tips, tools, and tricks.

The average American family spends 10 to 15 percent of its take-home pay on groceries. Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half gives them a sure-fire opportunity to reduce that number forever. With the proven plan in this book, the average family can save more than $3,000 a year on its grocery bill.

“Can cutting coupons do that?” a consumer might ask. Of course, these money-saving experts teach coupon-clipping strategies, but they don't stop there. Readers learn how to plan shopping to save big bucks, effectively store food and save cash, identify products that save time and money, beat the grocer at pricing games, and more!

The Economides learned to deliver healthy, tasty food to their family of seven on $350 a month. In this authoritative manual, the average family can follow their lead and fill its grocery cart without emptying its wallet.

Who are the Economides?

Steve and Annette Economides are New York Times best-selling authors and are recognized internationally as family finance experts.  The have appeared on many national TV Shows and are regularly quoted on radio, in newspapers, and have been featured in magazines.  They have five children and live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Check out the Economides' website: http://www.americascheapestfamily.com/.

My Thoughts

I have mixed feelings about this book.  I would love to be able to cut our grocery bills more but we already apply some of the information found in this book in our shopping.    We look for big sales, we keep an eye on the reduced produce and bread, we go to dollar stores and so on.    We even did our own salsa, tomato based for spaghetti sauce, strawberry and raspberry jams as well as chutney this year.

Most of the information mentioned in this book is based on the US grocery stores.   Unfortunately, I suspect that Canadian grocery stores do things differently.   So I can’t keep an eye on the date codes and so on.   Besides, when  you have four kids with you, figuring out the codes is not an easy thing.   Mind you often we try to do grocery without the kids or the whole family together but still.    Also, we are not the kind of parents who will buy whatever the kids want while grocery shopping.   

We use coupons sometimes but honestly most often it is still not worth to bother with.   In Canada, we have a site that offers regular coupons.  Save.ca is wonderful sometimes as it gives coupons for a FREE item once in a while.  We prefer buying in bulk whenever possible which is a practice we have been doing since we were married in 1998 – before we had kids.  

But when it comes to menu planning and cooking for a whole month – well my courage is lacking.   Maybe we would be able to save money that way.   But we seriously doubt it.    We have made the decision to homeschool our kids but honestly planning a month worth of food for every supper is simply too much on my plate. 

I’m sure this book can be of major help for many families who don’t know the tricks of grocery shopping.    I personally know some families who could benefit a lot just by reading this book.   But for us, we can’t see where else we could cut.   Part of me was expecting new ideas on how to do this and this book have not provided what I was expecting.

This review was possible because I received a copy of Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half from Thomas Nelson.

Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure

Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure (The Green Notebook Series)
Written by Ken Ham and Karen Hansel
Published at Master Books

About the book

Hey, kids! Grab your explorer’s cap and get ready for this one-of-a-kind Grand Canyon adventure! Charlie, a spirited monkey, and his triceratops buddy, Trike, set off with a burly one-eyed tour guide to hike deep into the Grand Canyon. But there’s trouble on the trail when Charlie goes off on his own to dig for fossils. What’s more, Charlie’s convinced the tour guide is a thief, but any plans to catch him are quickly foiled. Once in the Canyon, Trike does his best to explain to his friend the worldwide Flood and why we can trust the Bible. Finally, with the tour guide’s help, Charlie understands the truth in a way that will change his life forever.

Our Thoughts

I sat down yesterday afternoon, to read this book to the kids.   They were all gathering up next to me to hear the story and see the pages…  With four kids it was crowded!   I don’t know how families with multiple children do it during read-along time.   *grin*    It was nice to have all of them around me though so I won’t complain.

We have never been to the Grand Canyon and this is a dream of mine to bring my family one day there.   So we set up and discovered the Grand Canyon with a monkey and a dinosaur.  They kids enjoyed the story and marvelled at the colourful pictures in the book.   They had fun to discover special pages, open mini books of information about the Grand Canyon and more.   I would also love to see a sample of a fossil.   We have such a thing in our house since we visit the Science North Museum this past September.    There was a huge table where the kids could go through some rock to find fossils and bring what they found.   We took one with us leaving others for people to find.

Back to the book…  During the reading of the story, you have a mysterious thief who steal the food in the backpack.   You will also learn about the Grand Canyon and how it was formed, discover why fossils of sea creatures are found there, get introduced with Charlie to the Flood and Noah, explore the rock layers and more.   Throughout the book, Charlie also writes in his Green Notebook about what he discovered and learned.   What a great way to introduce nature journaling to the kids! 

The book kept the interest of my kids from beginning to the end.   And having a child who reads fluently was nice.   Alexandre and I took turns to read in the book.   I would read the story and he would take over and read the multiple little booklets inside the book.    And when I was done with the story, my daughter, Jasmine, took the book and look at me and said “Read again mommy!” .   I had to take care of supper so she sat down and went through the pages once more.  

See for yourself what the book looks like!

The adventure is not finished.   At the end of the book, you have an invitation to come and explore the Creation Museum.   This is another place we are planning to visit in the future.    It looks totally wonderful.

Mind you, I suspect that the authors will be writing more books with Charlie and Trike.  Why?  Simply because on the cover of the book you have the words The Green Notebook Series.   I am looking forward to see what other adventure Charlie and Trike will have in the future.

This review was possible because I received a copy of Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure from Master Books.

Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

Cheerios Milestones

Milestones…  Whether it’s discovering finger foods, saying their first word,
or taking their very first steps, we as parents cherish each
and every one of our children’s milestones.   And Cheerios has
been a part of our life for many years since 2001.

I remember when I brought back our first born at home.   I had no clue how having kids would impact my life.  Today, four kids later I can honestly say that I would not trade them for all the money of the world.   Throughout the past 9 years or so, we had our share from milestones from first real food to taking their first steps, having spaghetti, liking the batter, using a bike, and so on.   More will be coming like babysitting the younger siblings, learning to drive, first girlfriend and boyfriend, going to college or university, getting married and having kids of their own.   

I miss having a little one in my arms but at the same time I am looking forward for the day when we won’t have diapers in the house anymore.   Freedom is at the doorsteps because in a couple of years my oldest will be able to babysit his siblings and the youngest will be older which means more interesting trips while rving…

I’ve included some pictures of milestones of each kids throughout the years.

Who hasn’t have a picture of their kids eating spaghetti with their hands for the first time?   We sure do and Alexandre was our first one to experience this…   

This cute orange face is adorable I think.

Alexandre also was the first we brought to CHEO when he broke his arm when he was 4 3/4 – not a fun experience since he ended needing surgery.   *sigh*

 

 

 

My kids are involved in various ways during the cooking of meals or desserts.

The three oldest ones have taken cooking courses with mom at Upstairs at Loblaws.   They loved it.   The two older ones can now go by themselves at the lessons on Friday nights.

Here, Dominic is being a BIG chef and licking the batter…   I remember doing that often when I was a kid.   Problem is with four kids I have to be creative in who licks what… *grin*

 

 

 

Jérémy has always loved yogourt… To the point that we had to control his craving.   I know yogourt is good but the kid could go through a twelve pack in a day….   Yikes!

At one point I couldn’t find him anywhere.   Not in his bedroom, not in the living room, nowhere in sight.   I think Alexandre found him eventually hiding behind the island while eating his favourite snack – Yogourt.   No one…. but multiple ones…!

At that point, we had to put something to keep the door of the fridge closed… LOL

 

My little Jasmine is my sweet little girl.    With her I experienced dresses and pinks and purples.    She crawled differently than the boys – in a very girly way.   She walked differently too – on her tippy toes.    She went on her first fishing trip this summer and touched a fish for the first time.   

Jasmine loves Dora and calls her Coconut.  (Don’t ask me why!)

 

This blog tour is the spread the word about a wonderful contest called “Cheerios Milestones”    To participate it is simple, you to http://www.cheerios.ca/milestones/default.aspx and upload your favourite picture of your child.    Twenty finalists will get the change to have their picture appear on a special edition of a Cheerios box and win Cheerios for a year!   (That’s a lot of snacks and breakfast for you!).

Also a lucky grand prize winner will walk away with $10,000 towards an RESP from TD Canada Trust.   Your child will be set up for pursuing studies in a college or university.

Contest closes December 15, 2010 so hurry up and participate!

 

I’ve participated to this contest and it is as easy as saying 1-2-3.   Simply follow the instructions to upload your picture and you will receive an email confirming that your picture was approved within a couple of days.  Jasmine was my subject for the contest.   I had recently took a cute little picture of her and thought it was beautiful for this contest.   My girl likes have bags and her sunglasses.    I thought she looked very stylish when I saw the result…  Don’t you think?

I have a mini Milestones giveaway for my readers!

I am asking you to share a story of a milestone that one of your kids has went through.   Be honest about it and gives details.    One lucky reader will receive a Cheerios playbook (see below).    This contest is open for Canadians ONLY!    Contest closes on October 29th.   

 

Disclosure - I am participating in the Cheerios Milestones program by Mom Central on behalf of General Mills. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Homeschooling through life’s events

This week question for the blog cruise is:
“How do you homeschool during illness or family stress or crisis?”
Ah!   That is a great question.   
Since we started homeschooling about 4 years ago, we never really had anything major happening in our life.    Well that’s not technically true.   We have events but no major illnesses, family crisis or major stress either.
Don’t take me wrong, we have encountered things that disturbed our life.    But with patience, organisation and planning, we went through them.
In 2007, I was expecting our fourth child.   I knew it would be another caesarean which also meant that I needed to plan in advance before the birth so we can relax a bit when I was in limited in our activities.  Jasmine was born on December 19th about three weeks before her due date because this was my fourth caesarean.     The boys were really helpful especially my oldest back then.  He learned how to do the washing and helped me a lot with this task as well as with the vacuuming.    We pursued homeschooling slowly doing basic lessons.   But it was also during the Christmas season and we were blessed to have help from my mom who came to visit for a while.
Another time, I was schedule for surgery on my right foot in 2008.  Yes a year after the birth of our little girl.    Was I crazy to get operated when I had a non-walking little one at home.   More than likely yes but honestly I couldn’t bear the pain on the foot anymore…   I had a bunion that was hurting a lot.    The left foot had been operated when I was in high school.   This one had not bug me until about two-three years ago.   It took two years to have an appointment with the specialist and then another year to have the surgery.   So here you go.   There was no turning back.   I had surgery and was limited in walking.    Ah!   Nuts I tell you.    But I planned in advance and did a big BOOM of homeschool before the surgery.  We also did a bit during the Christmas time to advance more.   I was in a cast for a long time.  
Stress/depression has also been part of my life.   When I feel overwhelmed and can’t seem to function, I take it easy.    It happens more during the winter season.     And since I discovered that vitamin D helps people who have the blues during winter, it happens less.    I am fortunate then when it happened, it didn’t last many days.   It usually happens for a day.   A day I take to relax, pray and seek God while the kids have it easy with coloring, movies and popcorn.  
How do you homeschool during illness or family stress or crisis?   My suggestion is that you take it easy, cover the basics (reading, writing and arithmetic) and think that in a way your kids are learning to deal with it.  It’s life.  It needs to be dealt with.   They can learn in a different way going through these events like how to help, how to trust God, how to deal with doctors/nurses and so on.    Learning happens on a daily basis whether you plan it or not.

The Least Among You

The Least Among You (DVD)
Published by Lionsgate

About the movie

Leaders are not chosen, they are called. Inspired by a true story.

Arrested in the 1965 Watts riots, Richard Kelly (Cedric Sanders) must serve probation at an all-white seminary. Although encouraged to break racial boundaries by its president Alan Beckett (William Devane), the school wants black followers not leaders. Even former missionary, Kate Allison (Lauren Holly), initially rejects Richard. A prison sentence looming, Richard meets Samuel Benton (Louis Gossett, Jr.) -- “the gardener in the basement.” As Samuel guides Richard through his many trials, Richard must choose between his dreams and his destiny.

My Thoughts

We are a bit disappointed with this movie.   Not that the story isn’t good because it is based on a true story.  But somehow, there are a lot of question marks in our head after we viewed it.  

I find that the acting could have been better.   And there are a lot of things that happens in the movie that you wonder where that come from.   I guess if the movie would have been a bit longer like 2 hours for example, we wouldn’t have these questions in our mind.

Needless to say, the message is strong.   As Christians we are called to stand up for what is right.   And this is exactly what I got from the movie.   Justice is important and Christians should avoid manipulating the truth just to get what they want.  (If you watch the movie you’ll see what I am talking about…)   Integrity is also an important part of our life as a Christian.   If you are manipulative and twist the truth, if you try to bribe someone it will get back to you somehow.   

I think it was good that Richard Kelly will stand up for what is going on in the seminary.   It takes a lot of courage and willingness to face discrimination and pursue your destiny even going to the point of letting your dream go.     I particularly like the role of Samuel Benton – the gardener in the basement.   I find that he was a good example of what a Christian is to his protégé – Richard.   

The scene that touched me the most was when Richard finds Kate Allison on the roof and speak with her about hearing God`s voice.   Both together shared what God told them – she when she faced the coffins, him not too long ago.   And interestingly enough, what he heard from God is a comfort for her.    I thought this scene was beautiful. 

This movie is about the call that God has for leaders.   Sometimes, we might have the tendency to fight against this call.  But it is better to go with the flow and follow God’s lead.

This review was possible because I received the DVD of The Least Among You from Thomas Nelson.

The Least Among You can be purchased everywhere even at amazon.ca.

For You They Signed

For You They Signed
Written by Marilyn Boyer
Published at Master Books

About the book

In 1776, 56 men signed their names on a document that they knew might well mean their certain deaths as traitors to England. Standing on principles of faith and liberty, these men forged a powerful call for freedom and human dignity still resonating today in America. Yet, historical revisionists have distorted or attempted to wipe away every trace of this nation's Christian heritage, including the heartfelt faith of these founding fathers.

More than simply facts and figures, For You They Signed provides an abundance of resources within one volume, including:
• A full year of life-changing, challenging family or group devotional character studies
• Over 90 illustrations, biographical summaries, and insightful quotes
• Character quality definitions, Patrick Henry's speech delivered to the signers, the Christian nature of state constitutions, and the Christian nature of America's universities.

The Declaration of Independence remains one of history's most enduring achievements, and this text will help you value those freedoms these men fought for in an insightfully fresh way. It will also assist you in catching the God-given vision of these faithful new Americans, igniting a fire for your family, community, and the generations to come. Here is a volume that should be found in every private and public library in America... a meticulously documented look back to the true birth of our nation.

They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honour so that we could be free!

My Thoughts

This book would be marvellous for homeschoolers in the US.   In there you will have the historical information about ALL the 56 men who signed their names on the Declaration of Independence.   The book is divided in such a way that you will have all the men from a same state listed together.  Let’s that an example – Benjamin Franklin.

On the first page of his biography, you will found an image and a copy of his signature.   Also information about himself can be easily found on the side of the page like where he was born, education (btw he was self-taught!), his occupations, marriage, number of children, age at the signing and when he died.   A scripture is also attached to each member.   For Benjamin Franklin, you can read Proverbs 10:4. (I’ll let you discover what verse it is by yourself… go ahead – take your Bible and check it out!) Ten pages cover the whole biography of Benjamin Franklin.  You can even see a drawing of his house.   Here and there throughout his biography you can discover various aspect of this man.  For example, one of them informs you of his wisdom.  A whole page also list his public service from 1729 to 1788.   At the end of the biography, you will have 35 questions related to the text on Benjamin Franklin to answer.   

This beautiful book is perfect for studying the history of famous men in the US.   It is complete in many aspects and present all the signers of the Declaration of Independence.   Be honest.  How many would you be able to name out of the top of your head?   Probably not all 56 of them I am sure (I know I can’t…. but my excuses is easy since I am not American!).

The book itself can be used in five different ways;

1. Family devotional character studies
2. Complete resource for a single mom to help her to  teach her kids the Bible, character and history.
3. Practical, life-changing self-study – anyone could pick it up and learn from famous men from the past.
4. Group study and discussion like for example a book club.
5. Inspirational General Reading for junior high ages to adults

I admitted  that I am not an American but this book is so well done that it stirred my interest.    Consequently, I am planning to read through it slowly and surely and discover more about character and how faith shaped our neighbour – the USA.   I will be using it as an inspirational general reading.    After all, I am sure I can learn a thing or two about these men and apply it in my life afterward.

This review was possible because I received a copy of For You They Signed from Master Books.

For You They Signed is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

The Waiting

The Waiting
Written by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Published at Revell

About the book

Book 2 in The Lancaster Secrets collection and hot on the heals of the best-selling The Choice, The Waiting, a stand alone story, is a compelling page turner. Jorie King has been waiting for Benjamin Zook to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. When news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together. But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside down once more. Will Jorie trust God to lead her into the arms of a new man?

A multifaceted story about complex people living the simple life. Readers will find themselves transported into the world of the Amish and deeply invested in these wonderful characters. 

Who is Suzanne Woods Fisher?

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. Find out more about Suzanne at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com. 

My Thoughts

This is the second book of the Lancaster County Secrets.     Part of me was expecting to follow the characters from the previous book.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the books are not really linked and that new characters and a new story was within the pages of this book.  I guess I was expecting a trilogy or something.   I got reminded that not all authors work the same way which is also fine.

Okay.   So I started reading it.   The characters are loveable and a variety of events happen to change their lives in various ways.   Death, love, the war, and much more are the themes you will find in this second instalment of the Lancaster County Secrets.    Secrets are meant to be discovered and dealt with.   

If you love Amish novels, I recommend this book.    You will love the characters and the storyline.    This book would be a wonderful gift for someone in your family who loves to read.

Enter to win your very own KINDLE in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s KINDLE Giveaway! Enter at the link below and then be sure to attend Suzanne’s Lancaster Secrets Book Club Party on October 28^th to see if you won (and to chat about books and win one of the MANY other prizes Suzanne is giving away)! Go to http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/the-waiting-blog-tour.html for more details.

This review was possible because I received a copy of The Waiting from Litfuse.

The Waiting is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.

Other bloggers are participating at this blog tours.   Visit them to see what they have to say about The Waiting.

10/8

Crystal at Eccentric Eclectic Woman

Charlene at Quintessentially Quilly                                      

Linda at Mocha with Linda                                                         

Sarah at Growing For Christ

Wendi at Wendi's Book Corner        

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews          

Wendy at itsJUSTme           

Tina at    TinasbookReviews                

10/9

Becky      at In The Pages   

Debra      at Footprints in the Butter                  

Abi at 4 the LOVE of BOOKS

Susan      at Susieqtpies Scraps of Life              

Billie at Billie the Girl           

Melissa at Books R Us       

Beckie     at Beckie at RBC Library  

Shindorf at Farming On Faith

10/11

amy at    The 160 Acrewoods             

Mindy     at Ponderings of the Heart                 

Tasra at tasra mar | transform          

Margaret at Cappuccino Life

Mindy at A Room without Books is Empty  

Michelle at Chelle at Chasing the Divine        

Julia at Thou Art Jules

10/12

Lynn at Lynn Dove's Journey Thoughts         

Judy at udy @ Seize the Book Blog              

Alaina at {my heartfelt} Life            

Danielle at The Happy Wife                

Michele at My Blessings From Above              

Tammy at Tammy's Book Parlor    

Karla at Quiet Quilter        

Jennifer at Rundpinne         

10/13

Janet at Janet at Along the Way      

Julie at Julie at One Rainy Afternoon            

Stephanie at Coupon Clippin' Mommy

Unsell at Adventures in Unsell Land            

Christine at Sticky Fingerprints       

Gretta at The Johns Family                 

Michelle at My Semblance of Sanity

Annette at A Well-Watered Garden                 

Meinhardt at Knits and Reads          

10/14

Sharon A at I Dream Of Writing For God       

Sherry at Sherry@myjourney          

Glidewell at My Daily Trek

Catherine at Cuzinlogic     

Urailak      at Living for God

10/15

Melissa at Real Heart Prints               

Erin at Connected2Christ

Isabelle at Canadianladybug Reviews!   (YOU ARE HERE!)

10/16

Heather @ Mommy Of 1 and Counting         

Thirsty at Fill My Thirst     

Vicki at Reading At The Beach  

Elliott at Ramblings By Nicole

Lizzie @ A Dusty Frame   

Marissa at The Review Stew

Jenifer at Parris Ponderings           

Jettie at Jetties Rambings

Stephanie at The Creative Side of Me

Vera at Luxury Reading    

Janet at Home Is Where God Sends You

Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict       

Suzanne at Clicking Her Heels          

10/18

Sheri at The Shades of Pink                

Carie at Carie's Coins & Cents           

Tammy at Bluerose's Heart                

Janie Hickok at JHS at Colloquium 

Carol at Books Before Food                

Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books        

Myrtle at Myrtle's Turtles                

Revka at The Porch Light                

Heidi at Reviews & Reflections  

Stefany at ToBeThode        

Deb at Just Short of Crazy

10/19

Amy at Girlfriends Get Real                

Lori at Frog's Lilypad      

Tracy at Tracy’s Booklet   

Gwyn at Mommy Daily Vent

Stacie at Simply Stacie 

10/20

Marjorie at The Writer's Tool            

Wanda  at  The Watered Soul            

Tammy at blog...blog...blog               

Patty       at Broken Teepee

Christina at Will Blog 4 Books          

Suzanne at suzannesaphone             

Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

10/21

Alayna at Joyful Beginnings Begin With Joy In The Morn'

Sharon at Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews

Melissa at Learning to Sail                  

Ruth at This That and the Other Thing         

Ashley at One of a kind review for Great books...

10/22

Jody at the corner book blog             

Kathryn at Home Spun Soul              

Virginia at Lady V dZine   

Wendy at Minding Spot

Selena at Colloquy Moms                

Darlington at Our Whiskey Lullaby

10/23

Patricia at The Academy of Cybetoria             

Briana @ I Can't Decide    

Michelle at Our Little Corner of the World

Scott at LaVigne's Blog     

Grace at Books Like Breathing         

Al at Celibate in the Suburb

Kate at  Fuzzy Black Slippers and a Pink Hoodie         

10/25

Freda at Freda's Voice        

Lynn at Musings By Lynn

Massey at Morning Cup With Meg

Avesian at Cafe Lily Book Reviews

Brooke at i blog 4 books   

10/26

Libby at Libby's Library News          

Jill at Frugal Plus

Rosellini at Patty’s Escape                  

Linda at Linda's Lunacy    

Trisha at Trisha's book reviews        

Katrina at Life With Katie

10/27

Angela at Angi at All Grown Up? 

Tiffany at A Cozy Reader's Corner 

Kathleen at Quiet Quilter

Melissa at bookreviews      

Lori at Two Southern Girls                  

Linda at Christian Book Reviews

Ariel at The French Daydreamer     

Jodie at Digging For Pearls

Fun For The Whole Family Hour

Fun For The Whole Family Hour  - The Chronicles of Narnia The voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Created by Group Publishing

What is it?

We have an exciting new family ministry resource: Fun For-The-Whole-Family Hour.
Group Publishing has teamed up with Walden Media and Twentieth Century Fox to bring you this wonderful one hour event designed to get families talking about their faith as they grow closer to each other & Jesus. It includes never-before-seen clips from the new Narnia movie: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, coming to theaters in December 2010.

How Do I Use It?
Churches get to choose their level of adventure! They can use it for:

• Sunday morning
• Wednesday evening
• OR Blow it out for a Special Church-wide Family Event

What's the Benefit?

• Helps bring families closer to each other and Jesus
• It's easy - only requires one trained leader and a couple volunteers
• It's a great complement to Group's High Seas Adventure VBS
• It's affordable. Churches purchase a Church Kit and each family needs a family kit. If desired, churches can sell event tickets for the cost of the family kit alone. What an affordable family outing!

What are the Components?
Church Kit: Contains leader trifold, media pack (Clipart CD and Song & Promo DVD), sample Family Pack (music CD & secret water reveal map)
Family Pack: Contains music CD and secret water reveal map!
Publicity Poster Set (pkg of 5): Churches can post these all over the facility to get the word out about their exciting family event!

My Thoughts

Pssst!   Can I tell you a secret?   The new movie of Narnia based on the book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is coming out on December 10, 2010 in 2D, ReadD 3D and Digital 3D.   Okay.   Okay.   Maybe you already know about it.   But did you know that there is a product out that could be used in your church’s family ministry?   Yes it is true!   The Fun For-The-Whole-Family Hour is available through Group Publishing.

This wonderful product has been designed in such a way that….   Also your church can purchase a sample family pack for every family in the church so that the discussion and fun can continue at home!

The clips are quite short and a leader’s guide is included in the book.   Music, drama as well as fun activities complete the whole fun hour that you can organized at your church.   Everything is included – ideas, music, video clips, clip art, poster, powerpoint with the lyrics of the song, publicity.  

I think it is a wonderful idea to involve all the families of a church in a fun event for everyone.    Check it out at http://familyhour.group.com !

This review was possible because I received a free Fun For The Whole Family Hour from B&B Media.

Fun For the Whole Family Hour is available at any Christian bookstore.  You can also get a family pack for each family within your church.

Specials at The Schoolhouse STORE – October 15 2010 ONLY! That’s TODAY!

  The crisp winds of autumn have blown TWO special deals into the Schoolhouse Store for ONE DAY ONLY!

Take your pick from two special deals . . . two special TOS exclusive items.

But select quickly because the two deals are available for ONE DAY ONLY—Friday, October 15, 2010!

Prices valid from 12:00:01 a.m. EST

through 12:59:59 p.m. PST on October 15, 2010.

Please read carefully—Time Sensitive

Deal A: Just $19.95 for The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner. Plus, receive the gorgeous Cranberries & Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag for free! You can be organized and enjoy a well-planned home and school. Perfect timing for holiday planning. Read all about The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner here.

Normally a $53.95 value! The 2010-2011 Schoolhouse Planner is regularly priced at $39 AND the tote bag is a $14.95 value.

You save 63% in all—for ONE DAY ONLY.

You’ll immediately download the E-Book version of The 2010-2011 Schoolhouse Planner. Your Cranberries & Cream tote bag will ship in mid-November—arriving in time to enjoy the festive color during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Carry you heart for homeschooling everywhere you go with the beautiful tote bag.

OR

Deal B: $19.95 for the Spring 2010 Expo To Go OR Fall 2010 Expo To Go, and receive the Cranberries & Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag for FREE.

If you already own the Spring 2010 Expo To Go, simply write the word FALL in the comment field at check out, and we’ll send you an email notification when the MP3 recording are ready at the end of October.

Normally a $34.94 value! The Expo To Go is regularly priced at $19.99 AND the tote bag is a $14.95 value.

You save 43% in all—for ONE DAY ONLY.

Enjoy expert advice and encouragement from over 25 homeschooling experts with the full MP3 collection from the May 2010 Schoolhouse Expo. You’ll hear from such popular homeschooling speakers such as Susan Wise Bauer, Carol Barnier, Andrew Pudewa, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, and more!

Your Cranberries & Cream tote bag will ship in mid-November—arriving in time to enjoy the festive color during Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a fun way to show off your heart for homeschooling!

Either offer is only $19.95 and both offers give you the beautiful Cranberries & Cream Homeschooling with Heart tote bag for free.

But you have to act fast—the wind is changing and this offer is only here for one day!

Prices valid from 12:00:01 a.m. EST through 12:59:59 p.m. PST on October 15, 2010.

Young Hearts Longing for God

Young Hearts Longing for God – a pre-inductive study of the Psalms
Soli Deo Gloria

About the product

An study in the Psalms for younger students. This 30-lesson inductive study is aimed at students in 4th - 8th grade, though younger students could do it with assistance and older students would also benefit tremendously (including moms!). The study is set up as a workbook, so you would need one book for each student. Students will dig deeply into 30 Psalms or portions of Psalms to not only find the meaning of the passage, but make appropriate personal application, as well.

My Thoughts

I love seeing Soli Deo Gloria at the end of messages from various Christian leaders.   Wondering what it means?   It’s Latin and it simply means To God Alone the Glory.   The unit studies of Soli Deo Gloria are designed to

“cause learners to be captivated by God's "bigger picture." All of life, including math, science, history and language arts, is part of God's HUGE redemptive plan. Seeing God's hand at work in all of life, and seeing each piece as part of a larger picture is one of the main goals of education. Glorifying Him through all that we do, all that we learn, and all that we are is ultimately what we are called to do as His children.”

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a copy of their pre-inductive study of the Psalms.    Funny enough, I recently embarked on a personal journey on Psalm 23 itself as I participate to a women’s bible study on Thursday morning.  We are going verse-by-verse on this particular Psalm, discuss what each of these verses mean to us and will do various crafts around this Psalm.

Needless to say, I decided to embark on this pre-inductive study with my 9 year old son, Alexandre.   Somehow, I sense that God  wants me to learn more about him while spending time on the Psalms.    So we are slowly discovering the Psalms included in this study together.   And so far, we are enjoying it quite a lot.   And to top it off, Psalm 23 is also included in this study.   When Alexandre saw this he happily declared “Mommy this is the Psalm you are doing at the church!”.  Indeed my son it is.  *grin*

Every time you discover a new Psalm, you will be asked to answer a series of questions after reading it.   Actually, sometimes you need to do something as well.  Let’s take the Psalm 23 for example.   The first two activities we had to do was to underline in specific colors the phrases that tell what God is doing for us, and the thoughts that sound pleasant.   These two activities made us re-read the psalm a couple of more time at a slower pace since we needed to determine if God was doing something and/or if the thoughts we had were pleasant.  Then we had a couple of questions we had to answers.  These questions are based on the Psalm 23 itself so evidently we had to go back to it and read it again.    The next activity was asking us to read a book about the care of sheep.   Mmmm!   I wasn’t sure if I had one.   But after a few minutes of thinking it dawned on me that indeed we had a  book about this.   Well it is a children’s book but I thought it would be good.   I asked Alexandre to read it to his younger siblings and this alone made him practice his reading out loud.   The book was The Shepherd Boy by Kim Lewis.  Finally the last activity was asking to write about how God has cared for us like a shepherd.    This year, I asked Alexandre to start writing in a journal while doing his Bible reading.    He does it.  He is very dedicated to it.   So it wasn’t a problem to ask him to journal for this study.  

We are learning quite a lot while doing this study of the Psalms.    It requires us to slow down, dig in the psalm and discover something new about our Creator.  There are about 30 psalms that are covered in this specific study.    The activities linked to each psalm covered in this study varies from 6 to 10 questions to answer.    And it can easily be done first thing in your day with your child.    Now mind you, we already have AWANA to cover so what I have decided to do is to the one psalm per week and do it together.   We could do it all one morning or take it slowly throughout the week.   

As a conclusion of this psalm, I would suggest to do a craft like the first one I made during my women’s bible study.   We had to paint a sheep representing us on a canvas.   Around the edge of the canvas, the Psalm 23:1 is written.    And to personalize the painting, we had to write our name on the painting.    The sheep is me.   I am guided my the Shepherd.    The reason why I have painted red as a background is that it represent the blood of Christ shed for me.    Like a sheep, I might be prone to wander but my Shepherd is there and will direct me on where to go.   He also takes care of me and provide for my needs – actually above and beyond what I can imagine.     Behind the canvas, the word TRUST is painted because we need to trust God that He will guide us and provide for our needs.    I think that I will do this with Alexandre as soon as I buy the appropriate paint to do this project.  

We are enjoying studying the Psalms together and having a pdf files means that I can also do it with my other kids eventually when they reach grade 4th and  up.    If you want to discover God through the Psalms, this study will bring you through thirty of them.   

On top of the Bible products, Soli Deo Gloria also have History, Geography, Sciences as well as Teacher Resources.  

A sample of this pre-inductive study of the Psalms can also be downloaded directly from the site. 

The Young Hearts Longing for God is available directly from Soli Deo Gloria for the price of 16$ US.

This review was possible because I received a free pdf file of Young Hearts Longing for God from Soli Deo Gloria.

K*Nex

As you know K*Nex is always coming  up with new products on the market.  With Christmas coming in a few months, it is good to know what new products toy companies are bringing and I have just received four interesting products from K*Nex.

Kid K*Nex Sesame Street School Bus

Description
Elmo's ready for school! Your child can build Elmo and the school bus and take him to school! A "Play & Learn" activity sheet filled with educational fun for parent and child, plus additional building ideas, is also included. This 19-piece building set pairs perfectly with the Neighborhood Collection Schoolhouse Building Set. Look for all the Neighborhood Collection Building Sets so your child can build his own SESAME STREET Neighborhood!

My Thoughts

Elmo is back and this time he is going on a school bus ride.    Only one of my children has taken the school bus.   After two years of going on the bus to go to school, we brought him back home and started homeschool.    But the kids see school buses on the road all the time.    The blocks are big and easy to handle by little hands.    And having a character that is well known by little ones help to have fun.    Elmo is all dressed-up to embark on his adventure on the school bus.    Little ones will have a blast driving the school bus around the house and pretend that it is picking other students to bring to school.    They could even pretend going on a field trip with Elmo.      Elmo himself can be build with three blocks.   This kit permits the child to develop the hand-eye coordination as well as thinking and problem-solving skills.    Also included in the package is a play and learn activity sheet.   The box is geared for kids ages 2 to 5.   Other items can complete the Neighbourhood Collection with Elmo like the firefighter, Ice Cream Truck, Police Station, Fire Station and more. 

Kid K*Nex Construction Crew

Description
Build friendly construction vehicles! Includes NEW KID K'NEX blocks plus colorful, chunky KID K'NEX rods & connectors and personality parts like eyes and wheels. When playtime is over, store the parts in the handy storage box for a quick and easy clean-up.

My Thoughts

This fun kit will help your younger child to discover the world of construction vehicles.   Who haven’t drived past a construction crew repairing a road or a bridge?   We do.   And the boys are excited about seeing the big trucks.    This kit will permit your boy (or girl for that matter) to discover how the BIG trucks work and how they can be used while working on the road.    You can build five different machines with this kit.   Each vehicle will have a big set of eye which makes it funny to play with.    My boys are a bit old for this box but I think it would be a wonderful gift for a little one.    My daughter loves to build with Kid K’Nex but somehow she is not as attracted to trucks and vehicles as boys would be.  This box is geared for children ages 3 and up.

K*Nex Hi-flyers 10 model building set

Description
Build and rebuild 10 different hi-flying models! Building instructions and ideas are included for fun flying machines. Plus there's a K'NEXman to help land the plane or take off in the hot air balloon. With 130 parts, you can create anything else you can imagine. Ages 5+

My Thoughts

Be prepare to explore the sky with this wonderful kit which will enable your child to build 10 different models.   Also included, you will find a character which can be use to fly some of the flying machines.    This kit will bring joy to any child fascinated with airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons and more.    What I particularly like about this kit is that there are different models for different levels of difficulty.    You will found five models on the lower level of difficulty, three on the average level of difficulty and two one the harder level of difficulty.   So has your child gets better with handling the K’Nex, he will be challenged to build harder models.   This kit is geared for ages 5 and up.    

As an homeschooler, I would use this specific item when we go visit the Aviation museum in town.   Nothing is better than having fun after a visit to the museum.   This item can be use by boys and girls but honestly I think boys will be more attracted to it.  
 

K*Nex Light Up Ferris Wheel

Description
Introducing a new take on a K'NEX classic...the motorized Firestorm Ferris Wheel building set. Inside the wheel, multi-colored lights spin freely to create a dazzling light show! This set includes 525+ colorful K'NEX pieces, including gears, a motor, and light strip with 6 pre-programmed light routines. Follow the color-coded instructions to build this exciting Ferris Wheel step-by-step. Then switch the light strip and motor on and watch the model come to life. As the Ferris Wheel spins, the light strip is geared to quickly spin in the opposite direction, creating a dazzling light show. With 6 pre-programmed settings, the lighting effects can be cusomized with the push of a button. Instructions for a second dynamic model are available on www.knex.com. FireStorm Ferris Wheel is appropriate for builders and thrill ride enthusiasts ages 9 & up. Requires 2 "AA" and 3 "AAA" batteries.

My Thoughts

From the kits I have received, I think this is my favourite one.    The Ferris Wheel is simply fantastic.   Not only it will turn by itself (if you put the batteries in) but it will lit up the room with the colors while it spin!  When you complete the construction of the Feris Wheel it will have a height of two feet.   A motor is include in the box to permit you to spin the Ferris Wheel.   And the best part is that you can select the light pattern that you prefer. Different selection of the colors can be made.   You could also build a Comet Chaser if you want to and anything else included on the bonus instructions that can be found at K’NEX.com.   Just for fun you could build your own attraction park if you have a roller coaster as well. 

I find K’Nex to be very versatile and easy to incorporate in our homeschool.  Not only my little ones can play with the kid K’Nex but the bigger kids can use their imagination and create something related to what we have studied.   For example, as I write this my two older kids are playing with the Sim Park game which allows them to build and manage an attraction park.   They are having fun getting roller coasters and other items like this to attract people to come and visit.    Having the K’Nex Light Up Ferris Wheel is a plus as they can build from the bottom something that they enjoy going to when we go to a fun park.      

These reviews were possible because I received the Kid K*Nex Sesame Street School Bus, the Kid K*Nex Construction Crew, the K*Nex hi-flyers 10 model buidling set and the K*Nex Light Up Ferris Wheel in exchange of my honest opinion.