Serving From Home — Adventures at home in the kitchen and schoolroom!

10 Ways We’re Planning to “Summer School”

by MomLaur83 on June 4, 2013

We’re officially in summer mode though the weather is refusing to cooperate! Seriously, May was HOT, HOT, HOT, and so far June has been FREEZING! Slight exaggeration, but it’s definitely been colder than normal. Last year we decided to give “summer school” a shot since we found that after a couple weeks of “free-as-a-bird” syndrome, even with activities planned during the day, our kids started experiencing “tired-of-freedom-and-getting-into-trouble” syndrome. The experiment of doing some school went well, and since we’ll be pretty well house-bound in the afternoons due to Miss E’s naps, we decided to repeat it this year. Here’s our 10 ways we’re planning to “summer school” for 2013!

1. Bible studies and memory work

Grapevine Studies is perfect for every day during the school year and summertime. You can do a lesson in 15 minutes, or take longer digging into some of the new “vocab” words and concepts in the verses.

We’re currently working through Joseph, and getting VERY creative in our interpretations of the drawings. Here’s JJ acting one of them out :D

JJ acting out our Grapevine Study

Joseph, Esther and Ruth are on sale right now, so scoop one up!

We’ve been slacking off on our scripture memory and need to get back on track. Last summer we started memorizing Psalm 103. This summer we’re going to be focusing on Psalm 32.

A Brother Offended - Doorposts

At Teach Them Diligently in Nashville we visited the Doorposts booth and picked up A Brother Offended which is based on the Matthew 18 instructions for approaching someone who has wronged you. We have a BIG problem in our house with tattletaling, and are constantly reminding the kids to “talk to your brother/sister first, THEN come to me if they won’t listen!”. Hopefully this will give us some help and encouragement in the right direction in talking about offenses.

PS If you didn’t make it to any of the TTD conferences, make sure you check out the 9 up-coming Marketplace locations!

2. Read alouds

I can never ever get enough of reading! We could spend hours just reading if nothing else ever needed to be done. But alas, that is not the case.

drop everything and read

This summer we’ll be continuing our history (we use Ambleside’s recomendations and are currently reading selections in Trial and Triumph, Our Island Story and A Child’s History of the World – these are books you should ALL have on your shelves for reference! They fit in great with Mystery of History, Story of the World and Tapestry of Grace as added resources!

The Boy is also going to be reading through some of the YWAM Christian Heroes: Then and Now – some of the tougher ones (like Corrie Ten Boom) we’ll read as a family. I’m excited to see him excited to read them! My favourite is definitely George Meuller. PSST! They’ve also just recently started releasing them on audio book!

As far as what else the kids are reading, I can see we’ll be hitting the library for reading materials! I found this fun reading challenge from Scholastic – read around the world and back!

3. Math

rightstart math multiplication

This is a must, and since our lessons are fairly short, it doesn’t take much time during the day. I find if we keep it up during the summer we have no catch-up to do when we start fully back in September!

4. Writing

The Boy is pen-pals with my friend Kelli’s middle boy, and the rest of us will continue to write to our Gospel for Asia sponsored children.

5. Geography and missions

My friend Jessica alerted me to this fantastic Around the World in 60 Days geography and missions study from Thriving Family. In 60 days you’ll visit 27 different countries, learning about the people, traditions and so much more! What I’m looking forward to the most is the recipes ;0) Each child has their own passport with “stamps” from each country – I think we’re going to LOVE this!

6. VBS

One glorious week of full-day VBS at our church, and a 2nd week at a soccer + discipleship day camp. Hurrah for mom getting homeschool stuff organized at home :D

7. Working on skills and diligence

collecting the garbage

We’ve been introducing the kids to some new skills around the house – vacuuming, mopping and dusting (for Keekers). Summer is the perfect time to really hone those skills, going over the process with them, and getting them to repeat it after you’ve shown them how.

8. Swimming lessons

We have a full 5 days of almost one-on-one with the most amazing swim teacher ever. Last year in just 3 days JJ learned to swim. She’s that good!

9. Science

science

We’ve been working on Apologia Swimming Creatures of the 5th day since January and will continue reading and doing the notebooking projects through the summer. The kids don’t really see it as school, they BEG daily to read more and more! There’s an aquarium supposed to be opening up in Toronto in September, so I’m hoping to meet up with my friend Aurie at the Niagara Falls Aquarium until we can get there ;0)

10. Family time

the shoes

This isn’t really school, but we do need to practice taking time as a family, learning about each other, what makes us laugh and just love on each other! I’m planning on using this great new e-book, Kidventures, to help us enjoy our outdoor time to the fullest! We have some other fun stuff planned, I’ll be posting our family bucket list a little later on.

What are your plans for the summer? Do you summer school?

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Week in Review – May 30, 2013

by MomLaur83 on May 31, 2013

It’s been a couple of months since we’ve gotten to do this! I’ve had such great posts made up in my head but just no time at the end of our week to write them! We’re continuing with some school through the summer, so I hope to be a little more on top of these posts – just in time to start school again in September and run out of time again ;0)

In my life this week….

Sunday a couple of girls and I headed out to celebrate a special 30th birthday! We had 5 hours nearly kid-free (Miss E had to tag along :D) and enjoyed a really nice, relaxing lunch of sushi together and coffees after.

girls' day out

I also had a little bit of time to get my groove back with blogging. Some of my writing mentors, friends and ladies I look up to poured some input into my heart on how to help with managing my time. My biggest weakness – DISTRACTIONS! (If you’re wondering some of the same, my friend Christin has a great book called Blog At Home Mom: Balancing Blogging and Motherhood. Go read it!!)

In our homeschool this week…

We wrapped up some subjects! Both boys finished off their spelling :0) We also finished projects with our co-op group – both boys were in a play and wrote and illustrated books over the last 8 weeks. I’m so impressed with our teacher-moms and all the hard work everyone put i

all done spelling!

We’re using the Raising Rock Stars schedule and printables from Carissa at 1+1+1=1. I really like the sight word book incorporated into it, along with the memory verses and songs – this week it was Exodus 20:12 “Honour your father and your mother”, and Keekers drew a picture of her being obedient “right away!”.

honour

She LOVES using our Crayola dry erase center – you slip whatever sheets you’re using into it, trace, erase, and reuse. Much simpler than the plastic sheet covers and cheaper than laminating all the time.

crayola dry erase center

H is for Hat and Half.

hat and half

H is for Human Body – we studied a little bit on the human body, healthy food choices, and, of course, the heart!

heart

We watched this fun, concise video on how the heart works. There are lots of others too, lungs, muscles, nerves, etc.

heat

H is for Hot! The second half of this week has been a SCORCHER, mixed in with a lot of thunder/rain storms.

God’s Little Explorers is another curriculum we’re using. It’s geared a little more toward the preschool age (3-5) and we LOVE it! Stacie has been working hard on it since last year and JUST released the whole kit and caboodle on her blog as a single download! It has 192 pages of fantastic ideas for studying a letter a week, with a biblical theme, character development, personal challenges and fun activities. Click here to view more details! She’s having a sale on it right now, you can use the coupon SAVE4 to get it for just $10 (valid until June 9, 2013).

Hungry

H is for Hungry – Jesus feeding the 5,000.

My favourite thing this week was….

Redefining “school”! We did do our lessons, but there were moments where I let them just read or create instead. It’s so freeing to have the flexibility to do so!

sculpting sea creatures

drop everything and read

Playing lots of math games and seeing multiplication become a joy! (Thank you RightStart Math!)

rightstart math multiplication

My kiddos favourite thing this week was…

Hitting the splash pad after co-op today in 33 degree weather (91 before humidity :D)!

I’m grateful for….

My babies…. all 4 of them! And especially this cute little monkey-child who is SUCH a good little girl!

Miss E

silly goose

I’m praying for….

Friends, new and old, near and far who are mourning the loss of loved ones.

Linking up with

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For Good

by MomLaur83 on May 30, 2013

May has been a rollercoaster of a month. We started off with some awesome news of some major miracles, God at work in family members’ lives and health. With shouts of joy we praised God for his great mercy and wondrous grace.

From there we embarked on a heartbreaking ride of emotions as we grieved with so many. Each week it has been a sorrow anew. We’ve cried with our friends from church at the loss of their husband and father, Julius. With Sharlene Bosma and family as they mourned over Tim. Sat with mouths wide open at the news of the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma claiming the lives of 24, 9 of them children. Watched in awe and praised God for the testimony of Hope Koslowski’s parents, Amy and Shawn, as they gave their precious, sweet girl back to God after 1 year of fighting for her life. Sat in shock, tears flowing, hearts breaking at the news of friends who lost their newborn son.

Come, Lord Jesus, come. You give and take away.

It’s in these situations that we almost always inevitably ask “Why?”. Why this family, their love and their faith was so strong? Why these parents, they fought and prayed so long and hard? Why this couple, their faith was so fragile? Why these little ones who didn’t yet know you?

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me

Sometimes we can see an immediate response, a “greater good” – like the many lives that Hope Koslowski touched and the Lord changed through her mom, Amy’s, blogging their journey. Like the God-honouring testimonies and the WORD that went out during the memorial services for Julius and Hope. I have never been so in awe and grateful for the Christian community and faith and prayers as we saw the world surrounding the Bosma family and so many others.

Other times we cannot see any immediate reason why, it just doesn’t make any sense, just plain, straight-up heartbreak. That’s when we need to lean in, to trust and know that God is at work for eternity.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

The painful things, the hard things – God permits them. He doesn’t cause them, but he allows them and brings good out of them. It’s hard, but we need to see things from God’s perspective – what he would have for us.

The world’s idea of “good” is immediately, seemingly beneficial. But God always has eternity in mind.

We cannot say it isn’t fair. We cannot say God is not good, that he is unkind or unjust to allow this kind of pain and suffering. For none of us deserve the salvation and love that he has freely offered and poured out on us.

”BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us ALIVE together with Christ – by grace you have been saved -”

Ephesians 2:4-5

When you can’t see the why, lean in on him. Trust him, he is faithful. He is sovereign and good, even in our sorrowing. And though we may not understand it, he makes all things work together for good.

Counting 1000 Gifts

621. Every.single.moment with my family (life is but a breath).

622. The happiest baby alive!

happy baby

623. The wakeful nights because of bathroom trips, bad dreams, night feeds and general not- sleeping.

624. The splendour of God’s creation.

blue ridge mountains

625. ANOTHER cough/cold/runny nose – meaning more opportunities to practice loving care.

626. Always another crazy fun moment.

general craziness

627. Family vacations together

Sight & Sound "Noah"

628. The mountains of laundry, dishes, toys, papers each week that mean we are living life together.

629. The early mornings to get up before everyone else.

670. Crazy playground adventures.

crazy playground

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Easy Canvas Art

by MomLaur83 on May 29, 2013

The project I had lined up to do this month did NOT get done as we were away for 10 days and have now been trying to get everything back on track.

So I’m taking you back to Easter and a craft that I had the kids do which really you can do for anything!

easy canvas art

We bought small canvases from the dollar store, the kids picked out their favourite paint colours, and we picked up a few packs of foam alphabet stickers.

After deciding what we wanted each canvas to say, the older boys stuck on their words and painted over top. I helped Keekers spell out her words and made sure the paint got right to the edges of the stickers.

We let them dry overnight and in the morning peeled off the foam (some of the foam had a tendency to stick, so just be patient in peeling it all off!).

Voila! Super easy and something you can do with any quote or phrase!

Check out the As You Wish canvas my friend Darla did last week. I’m planning on repeating this idea with a larger canvas and another verse, so I’ll post an update when that gets done.

Linking up with

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The Blessing that is the Teach Them Diligently Convention

by MomLaur83 on May 20, 2013

This past weekend we spent together at the Teach Them Diligently Convention in Nashville, TN. This was our first EVER homeschool conference as a family, and am I ever glad we saved up the experience for this!

There aren’t enough words to tell you just how much of a heart-talking, life-changing, soul-encouraging weekend this was. Yes, it was busy, tiring, and included a LOT of walking (through the beautiful Opryland Hotel where the conference was held! OH MY!), but the blessing far out-weighed the efforts.

Opryland Hotel

We arrived Thursday afternoon in Nashville, me to the blogger meet-up, and my hubby to our hotel with the kids. I was stressed and strained, anxious to get upstairs and meet everyone, and annoyed that I had forgotten my blog cards at home! After an even more stressful 45 minutes wandering the hotel trying to find where I was going (the Opryland Hotel is GIGANTIC! 14 miles of walking path!) I landed at my destination in tears. Greeted at the door by dear friends I haven’t seen in so long, they immediately gathered me and Miss E into their arms and loved on me so I could get myself straightened out.

Rebecca and Miss E I entered the room as quietly as I could to hear Sally Clarkson impart some wisdom and laughter into our souls before the weekend began. It was so great to meet friends I’ve only known online, and to see others again from Allume.

new friends - Sams Noggin

Ok, so, before I go any farther, I have a confession to make. My attitude on Thursday STUNK to high heaven. I think God was trying to get my attention, to warn me that what I had planned was not necessarily in his plan for me. I had circled and high lighted all these speakers I wanted to hear, but God knew that if I was kept that busy I wouldn’t be hearing the messages that he had for me. My attitude carried over into my children and my husband, and I nearly ruined our weekend there! But the Lord was gracious and showed me where I needed to release to him, and by Friday morning I’d had a huge change of heart, and was ready to let him lead.

The kids were registered in the Battle for Truth program for Friday and Saturday, and though they were slightly hesitant at the huge room and all new faces, they quickly felt right at home, thanks to the great leaders heading up the program. They were EXHAUSTED at the end of each day, but filled with the truth of God’s word, and we knew they were well-cared for.

As I mentioned, I had grandiose plans of hearing so many speakers, but there just wasn’t enough time in the day to do so! Heidi St. John, Crystal Paine, Sally Clarkson, Rachael Carmen, Mark Spence, Mark Hamby, Ken Ham, and this was just scraping the surface! Miss E was FANTASTIC the whole weekend, very happy go lucky – but she’s also a 5 month old baby, so she can be loud, and sometimes she was just plain tired of hearing voices over speakers, and she made it known, so we had to make a lot of quick exits (sorry Heidi :D). As a couple The Man and I took in only a handful or so of sessions together, but I didn’t stress over having to miss them, because there’s audio available for every single one!

Just in case you were curious, here’s the audio line-up for the sessions I caught only part of or wasn’t able to attend that I would recommend getting if you can (they’re not available yet, but I’ll post links when they are!):

ANY of the sessions by Mark Spence

Any session by Mark Hamby – ESPECIALLY the one talking about encouraging our children and not crushing their spirits – this one spoke the most to me out of the whole weekend!

All of the sessions from Hal and Melanie Young (Raising Real Men) – all about boys, especially their purity one!

Heidi St. John‘s sessions on managing your day and romance for the busy homeschool mom (she also has books on these!), notebooking and multi-level teaching (oh, and she’s HILARIOUS!)

Rachael Carmen – Teaching your children to B.L.E.S.S. and 7 Simple Steps to Sanity

Todd Friel‘s whole series on parenting and marriage – I’ve never heard him before but everyone kept saying how he just nailed it!

Denise Eide from Logic of English on teaching kinesthetic learners

Amy Roberts – Creating the Perfect Schedule (lots of wisdom here from a mom of 7!)

Sally Clarkson‘s – great encouragement and experience – she’s been through it all my friends!

Sonya Shafer - Living Books

Norm Wakefield – Homeschool Vision

The vendor hall was stunning. So many great companies come together with solid, biblical resources available to help you in your walk as a Christian and homeschool family.

Sight and Sound Theater

Teach Them Diligently Marketplace, Apologia, MasterBooks, WriteShop, Sight and Sound Theater (where we are headed to next!), The Busy Homeschool Mom, Vision Forum, Mission Imperative, Doorposts, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

writeshop

You can find next years’ curriculum and so much more at these tables. Visit and chat with the vendors, they’re eager to answer questions and help you find what you’re looking for!

On top of all this, I had an amazing opportunity to be a part of a live webcast with Rachael Carman and some other homeschool bloggers. I’m still reeling in shock that I was on LIVE with Rachael and Amy (from Raising Arrows) as she asked us questions about what God has been teaching us in our homeschool and ourselves. Obviously God wanted me to hear loud and clear what I had already been feeling he was speaking to me through the few sessions I had attended. If you want you can watch it here!

The best part about this weekend? The Man enjoyed it. And he was just as encouraged and blessed as I was! This is what it’s all about – getting the husband and wife together on the same page, encouraging them to DISCIPLE their families, enabling the husbands to LEAD. This whole conference isn’t just about homeschooling, it’s about discipling, equipping, teaching Christian parents how to honour the Lord in their homes.

There’s still one more opportunity to attend in Omaha, NE – May 30 – June 1, 2013 And if you’re unable to make it then, there are 9 locations across the US where there will be a Teach Them Diligently Marketplace - a retreat weekend with a mini-marketplace – check it out!

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Stella & Dot – Fabulous Accessories for All!

by MomLaur83 on May 3, 2013

I am so excited to introduce you to my good friend, wardrobe assistant, and Stella & Dot stylist, Kitty!

Kitty

She is one of my favourite fashionistas with a super sense of style. She knows just what to put together to make some gorgeous outfits! With her stylish advice she has gotten me out of a rut more than a few times.

The other night we sat down together to talk fashion and beauty and accessories, and she gave me some great info, encouragement and tips to share with you.

What is it about beauty and fashion that you enjoy?

I always had a lot of acne as a teenager and was very self conscious about my skin, so I was into skin care. I would try to find the perfect makeup for acne scars and learning that those things are just a cover up, and true beauty comes from God. For fashion, trying to adorn yourself to boost self esteem is just external. As I matured, I understood that beauty and fashion can help people with their professional image and give a boost in confidence as well, to look polished, put together.

It’s also about finding your own style, and pieces that would help you to do every day, whether you’re a mom, student, working professional, just finding your own style . What’s comfy, effortless, yet looks nice. Dressing nicely should not be a chore. That’s a very important thing, because a lot of times it seems like dressing presentably is a chore and not fun.

What advice would you give to others in regards to building an effortless wardrobe?

Finding what works for them. TAKE THE TIME TO TRY THINGS ON! If you don’t try it on you never know! Or you might really like a piece but it doesn’t look good on you. If the cut of the shirt is wrong for you, it won’t look nice on! Ask other people. Ask your husband, boyfriend, best friend, because they will know what looks good on you as well. Look for what gives you confidence. Sometimes you just need to go out of your box – out of the baggy sweat shirts and pants, try that fitted shirt and see if it works!

neutrals and brights

For jewelry, find some pieces that are basic. Determine what looks best on your skin tone (gold, silver, or other metals). You can buy a lot of pieces, but if they’re not cute or a lot of effort to pair with an outfit you’re not going to wear them.

Try mixing and matching some accessory pieces together to see how they work together. Layering works for jewelry as well as clothing!

Do you have any tips for styling for the upcoming summer season?

So this season it’s about a lot of bright colours. Traditionally you would only layer brights on white or dark, but now it’s layering brights on bright. So don’t be afraid to layer your neon yellow with oranges, hot pink, or green! A pop of colour is a great way to spice up your wardrobe, whether you do it in a beautiful mixed print scarf or turquoise earrings.

brightly coloured scarves Coloured jeans are also hot right now – try mint green or lavender purple for some beautiful colours.

You can also tone down your outfit with neutrals. Layering again! Get pieces you can wear separately or together for an arm party.

arm party Remember – its ok to layer and mix metals. Jewelry can really make or break an outfit. You can be wearing no jewelry and when you put a piece on it totally changes the look.

Tell me a little bit about what got you interested in Stella & Dot?

Stella & Dot

Right away the jewelry caught my eye, and I do love jewelry! Then I found out from my friend, who is a Stella & Dot stylist, that working with them is a great part or full time job opportunity. It offers women flexibility and chances to style their lives. It’s super easy to start up and maintain and its fun because you get to meet other women, earn some extra cash – every little bit helps! You also get to help people find styles that would help them to pull together an effortless look.

And the jewelry is super cute! They have also recently started carrying some really cool bags – and who doesn’t love a great bag as an accessory!

What happens at a Stella & Dot Trunk Show?

First, gather your girlfriends. I’ll bring my jewelry, scarves, bags and other accessories, and we’ll have a fun “ultimate personal styling experience”. Stella & Dot has something for everyone!

Stella & Dot

You’ll have an opportunity to touch and feel the pieces, try them on, and your stylist will help you find the look that flatters you, ones that you can wear everyday, or for special occasions. SEEING how one piece of jewelry can give you a different look, or be worn different ways, begins to open up whole new possibilities.

When you host a trunk show, you will have access to some pretty sweet exclusive offers, products and discounts. At Stella & Dot we love to spoil our hostesses! You can also earn free and half-off accessrories for hosting a trunk show.

portable jewelry pouch

Now for the bonus – a giveaway! Tell me a little bit about this great bag.

This bag is called “How Does She Do It”. It is one of my favourite bags from Stella & Dot! It is very versatile and comes in a few different styles. Whether you use it as a carryall, or snapped down into a satchel, it is great for every day use or traveling.

It can also be worn different ways, and it’s the perfect size for a laptop or to use as a diaper bag. There are also a lot of fun little extra details – charm detailing, beautiful liners, leather straps. And of course who doesn’t love the internal water bottle pocket!

How Does She Do It

Kitty, thanks so much for sharing some great tips, ideas and products with us – not to mention this fabulous bag for the giveaway! In closing, how important is quality to you when choosing accessories?

Very! I would definitely choose quality over quantity. Quality is very important because a lot of the time it affects the way it falls on you. Or, if you buy a cheap bag, if you use it every day, it will break in a few weeks. The lining will start to fade, the edges will fray. But a good quality bag used every day will last you a long time.

Enter to win the How Does She Do It bag from Stella & Dot!

*Giveaway open only to residents of the Greater Toronto Area*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A Quick, Safe and Effective Way to Get Rid of Ants

by MomLaur83 on May 1, 2013

ant removal

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah. Or more like BOO-NO! And they never, EVER march in just groups of 1, or 2, or 3. More like entire COLONIES that always seem to make their way into your house on the 2nd week you haven’t vacuumed and there’s a proverbial smorgasbord of delicious goodies all over the floor for them to avail themselves of….

ants go marching

We always seem to get a general infestation of ants as soon as we get a few consistent days of warmth and sunshine. And with kids around it can be very difficult to safely eliminate the problem. Ant poison traps are always in danger of ending up in little hands, spraying is just nasty (not to mention super toxic!) and I’ve never found a safe “natural” solution that works well.

more ants

I’d often do a happy dance on the rain days when the torrents would come down, thinking with glee that the ants were getting drowned and washed away. Not so, as we learned in our Apologia studies last year. Ants have the ability to hold their breath. For a long time. Which means no ants were getting drowned on our back patio. (Great defense mechanism, bad elimination tactic).

So in desperation, I devised my own completely safe, highly effective (and let’s face it, fun :D) way to get rid of ants.

All you need is some water, a kettle, broom, vacuum and mop, and a pile of ants.

Step 1. Sweep or vacuum the area where your ants are coming in. Wipe the floor down or mop to remove as much of their scent as possible.

kettle

Step 2. Boil your kettle full of water.

Step 3. Pour boiling water over the ants and ant hills.

boil them ants

Step 4. Repeat

boiled ants

Bonus feature – This is also a really great way to get a clean patio or a big mud puddle for your kids to play in too :D

clean patio

I’m DEAD serious (hee hee). This works. And it works well! You may have to repeat a couple of times, and reboil the kettle depending on how many ant hills you have in the back yard. But once we do this a couple times (and keep floors swept clean and mopped!) you’ll stop seeing the ants coming in.

dead ants We do this a couple of times (maybe) over the summer and that’s all the ants we have to deal with!

Let me know if you try it how it works for you!

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W is for Weather – With The Big Book of Earth and Sky!

by MomLaur83 on April 29, 2013

*I received a copy of The Big Book of Earth and Sky to review*

As much as possible in our preschool letter of the week lessons with Keekers,, I try to draw our older boys in with a unit study. This helps me to spread my already stretched time just a little bit further :D

Last week we were working on the letter W, and I had chosen weather, wind and water to be our unit study focus. It worked out so conveniently because at the very same time I received The Big Book of Earth and Sky from MasterBooks to review! A couple years ago we won a copy of The Big Book of History, and it is FANTASTIC, so I knew this book would be the same.

Big Book of Earth and Sky

How we are using The Big Book of Earth and Sky

learning about clouds

We spent some time outdoors examining the sky and learning a bit about types of clouds. There are more than just cumulus, cirrus, and stratus! There are actually many combinations of clouds, and if you get familiar with them, you can get pretty good at predicting the weather :D

Types of clouds

Speaking of weather, it almost always involves water in some way – we studied up on the water cycle, to understand how it is that water gets from the ocean, to the sky, to the earth, and back to the sky again.

Big Book of Earth and Sky

Check out our fun experiment to see how much water evaporates! This level went down over a couple of days’ time.

evaporation

The Big Book of Earth and Sky has a ton of fantastic information about weather, right there in the fold-outs! All 15 feet of them!

What’s Inside The Folds

15 feet of fun

This book is huge, jam-packed with creation-based, biblically accurate information about the earth and the sky God created. It covers everything from the earth’s atmosphere and solar system to who broke the record for the highest sky dive, types of rocks, ocean creatures, and everything in between! The kids will literally spend HOURS with it on the floor, examining each image, reading the information, coming running into the kitchen to share some new fact discovered, excited and more than entertained – they’re learning!

How to get a copy of The Big Book of Earth and Sky

Master Books and New Leaf Publishing are generously offering a copy of The Big Book of Earth and Sky to one of my readers! Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can’t wait, you can buy a copy from New Leaf Publishing for $19.99!

You’re also going to want to check out the Master Books Book and a Bite Facebook Party tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 30th) at 8-9 pm central (9-10 pm eastern). This is a great opportunity to learn more about Master Books, engage with other families, AND win some great prizes :D See you there!

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Homeschool Convention for Someone Who’s Never Been Before

by MomLaur83 on April 26, 2013

I’ll admit it. I grew up homeschooled, we decided to homeschool, and have now been doing it for 6 years without ever having once attended a homeschool convention. Yup, not a one. It’s not for lack of events occurring in my area – every year there are 2 major homeschool conventions that occur within a 2 hour drive of us. It’s not for lack of desire to be encouraged and receive practical tips and angles for everything you could possibly imagine facing during your homeschooling journey. I suppose it has mostly been a combination of things – fear of being overwhelmed, and as I typically do, to the point of not actually applying anything we learn. But something else has also held me back from attending these conventions, and I think I’ve finally pin-pointed what it is.

The head of the family is the father. He leads, sets the tone and focus, encourages, disciplines, and is mom’s biggest cheerleader, encourager, and support. His role in the homeschool is just as important as his role in the family, and I feel as though the challenge for dad’s to step up in this area has been lacking. Homeschool convention workshops are typically geared toward the mom, keeping in mind dad’s will be attending – but nothing has really been focused on encouraging, equipping and loving on the dads steering the ship.

But then I heard about Teach Them Diligently. And I knew instantly that something was different. Maybe it was hearing stories of the Men’s Breakfast, where the dads are poured into by some pretty cool homeschooling fathers and encouragers. Maybe it was seeing the session topics focusing less on “How to Homeschool” and more on how to reach the heart of and disciple your children. And then there’s the childrens’ program. I’ve never heard of a homeschool convention with a discipleship training program for your children to attend while their parents are being discipled.

Going once, going twice, SOLD!

And so, in a few weeks’ time, we’ll be making the long drive down to attend our very first homeschool convention ever. Am I nervous? Only slightly! Because I know that the women I’ve been connecting with online will be there to welcome us, and that these families are all coming together for the same reasons – learning how to let God lead in our homes, school and hearts. Plus, what better place is there to gather to hear some amazing testimonies, share stories, laughter and tears? Oh, AND there will be a TON of my favourite homeschool companies there, in the vendor hall. And there will be deals, oh yes, there will be deals! :D

If you’ve never attended a homeschool convention before, this is one you don’t want to miss! It’s worth the drive to Nashville, Omaha or Spartanburg. We’re even turning it into an amazing family adventure – we’ll be visiting the Creation Museum (did I MENTION Ken Ham is a speaker?!) on our way down, stopping to stay with some beloved friends, and making a trip over to the Sight and Sound Theater to see “Noah” on our way home.

Have you ever attended a homeschool convention? What was the best thing you took away from it? Are you going to Teach Them Diligently?

If you aren’t able to make it to the convention locations in May, then you must try to make it to one of the 9 Marketplace locations happening across the US over the summer! Mini retreat, convention and marketplace, all rolled into one!

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I Am An Undercover Mama

by MomLaur83 on April 26, 2013

There’s been a whole lot of talk going on everywhere lately about wardrobes – not the Narnian kind you walk through, but rather the often confusing and frustrating mass of clothing we have shoved into our drawers or hanging askew in our closets. As a mom with young kids and a baby who is up at night, I often have to think HARD about what I’m going to wear in the morning – and I’m more often than not the last one dressed out of the bunch :D Don’t get me wrong – I do so LOVE dressing for the day and choosing outfits which are fun and fit comfortably. But too often I’ve found myself stuck with limited options because of a nursing baby.

When I discovered Undercover Mama nursing tops, I nearly jumped up and down with glee! This isn’t just your average nursing top. Yes, there are tank tops out there that you can wear to nurse discreetly, but I’ve always found them to be poor quality, boring colours, lacking in length, or too low cut.

Undercover Mama nursing top

Undercover Mama is the exception, and here are the things I love best about them!

Discreet nursing

With 4 kids I don’t have much choice in deciding where and when I am going to nurse the baby if we are out and about. I used to whole up in a room so I could save everyone the flash of white belly while trying to nurse my little one. While I still like to be discreet and use a nursing cover, these tops have made feeding the baby while out and about so much more comfortable and less stressful! No more exposed back!

Single un-clip

Many nursing tank tops have a separate strap and clip from your bras. That means you have to unclip and re-clip twice. This is very awkward when you often only have have 1 hand to do it with! Undercover Mama has a convenient rubber ring which slips on to the bra flap and allows you to un-clip both at the same time. It also comes with a hook you can slide onto the strap or flap of your nursing bra.

Longer length

A pet peeve of mine are tops that shrink and hike up, especially the ones we use for layering under our normal shirts. The Undercover Mama top has an extra long length to it, so whether you have a short or long torso, it’s got your back (covered that is! :D). They do seem to run a bit on the larger side, so if you’re normally a medium, go with a small. When in doubt, there is a great size guide!

Multiple Colours

Most nursing tank tops I’ve seen come in two c0lours – black and white. Not so in this case! With Undercover Mama you have over 10 colours to pick from. This definitely makes coordinating with your current wardrobe a lot easier.

AMAZING Customer Service

These guys stand behind their products! Plus, it was developed by a mom, so you KNOW it’s been put through all the tests. And if there are ever any issues with your tops, customer service is on it like a bee on honey. I had an issue with the lace on one of my tops separating from the bottom seam, and they very quickly sent a replacement top.

Want to win one of your own? Use the rafflecopter entry form below and win your choice of colour and size in an Undercover Mama! (Not including Blueberry, Emerald or Orange). Giveaway will be open until Friday, May 3rd.