Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” from Drive Thru History® for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Drive Thru History® is a great DVD series that makes history fun. There are four different captivating series to choose from: Ancient History, American History, The Holy Land, and The Gospels. These bring the history to life and engages the viewer in an exciting adventure and learning. Dave not only tells us about the history, but also the archaeology, geography, and art surrounding the people, places, and events that have defined our world and the Christian faith.

Dave Stotts is our entertaining tour guide that hosts Drive Thru History®. He has spent the last 20 years in the professional film and documentary production which has taken him to nearly 30 countries to shoot and edit works. He loves shooting and editing films, videography, writing, media creation. Storytelling is the driving force behind his work.

Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” is the forth and newest in the Drive Thru History® DVD series. This eighteen episode DVD Set is jam packed with nearly 9 hours of information on 3 DVDs about the birth, ministry, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ taken from locations recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In this series, Dave Stotts travels to 50 ancient sites in Israel on a driving tour. This also includes a 118-page study guide that goes through all of the 18 episodes. This discussion guide has summaries of each episode, quotes and scripture, 5 thought-provoking questions for each episode, further reading, and the "Side Road" that contains a small paragraph of information that relates to each episode, with beautiful images and graphics.

This DVD Set Includes 18 packed 30-minute episodes:

• Episode 1: The Historical Landscape
• Episode 2: The Announcements
• Episode 3: Jesus is Born
• Episode 4: Jesus Grows Up
• Episode 5: Jesus Starts His Ministry
• Episode 6: Jesus Returns to Galilee
• Episode 7: Jesus Begins His Miracles
• Episode 8: Jesus Teaches with Authority
• Episode 9: The Sermon on the Mount
• Episode 10: Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
• Episode 11: Jesus Travels North
• Episode 12: A Final Trip to Jerusalem
• Episode 13: Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
• Episode 14: The Last Supper
• Episode 15: The Trial of Jesus
• Episode 16: The Crucifixion of Jesus
• Episode 17: The Resurrection of Jesus
• Episode 18: Who is Jesus?

Screenshots from the DVDs.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We love The Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”! My family of 6 have been watching these with me. Even though they are geared from a 5th grade level to adult my daughters who are 6 and 9 have enjoyed these as well. We have learned quite a bit along the journey and it has been an awesome one at that.

This product far exceeded our expectations. It comes with a colorful slipcase sleeve over a hard covered, DVD case sized, book that holds the three DVDs inside, two inside the front cover and one inside the back cover. The study guide is encased inside as well with full color glossy pages. It gives a very professional overall look.

We love that these episodes testify of Jesus of Nazareth with solid evidence that Dave uncovers about the New Testament and Christ. With his infectious enthusiasm and humor Dave's charm is irresistible. These episodes are also extremely visually engaging and full of rich content. Each episode is family-friendly, fascinating, intriguing, and compelling. I would imagine that nothing could compare to the Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” experience, except for if we had visited the Holy Land and surrounding areas ourselves.

This has been an amazing experience, especially throughout Holy Week! We have loved being a part of it and we felt as if we were there firsthand! Each episode has a summary of the last and then goes into more information. My sons liked it when Dave talked about his rig, the Land Rover as well. There is an amazing amount of information in each of these and I loved all the background scenery of ancient sites and ruins and music that set the stage for Dave's lessons. There were also great graphics, special effects, and reenactments of Jesus' life tucked in as well. I liked how he had the names of important places come up on the screen when these were in the background so we knew where he was at while he was lecturing. We did however notice that there was a picture of Jesus being baptized by sprinkling. We believe in baptism by immersion...so this was discussed by my family in depth later for the younger ones to understand this better.

After each episode we have gone to the study guide as a family and read and discussed together about what we have learned throughout the weeks. The Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” have inspired us to dig into the New Testament as a family further. This has given us more of an appreciation of the history behind it. It has been eye opening to say the least.

I highly recommend The Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”! The Gospels curriculum is great for Christian families who wish to teach their children history from a Christian worldview. My kids are homeschooled, but I know of a lot of my non-homeschooled friends' families that would love this series as well. This is great for a small group study, homeschool curriculum, church study, Family Home Evening Bible study, and Sunday School study.

So...Buckle up and get ready because you are in for an exciting ride!


BUY IT
Purchase for $89.95 on Drive Thru History®

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Wordless Wednesday Goat Kisses

My son, Delbin, getting kisses from our goat, Chia.

God Loves Mommy and Me Book Review and Giveaway

I received this book free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

God Loves Mommy and Me is an adorable board book that uses fun rhyme and sweet illustrations to give a wonderful message of love and worth to its readers. This delightful book shows illustrations of a mommy bunny and her little bunny sharing the day's adventures together. It is a warmhearted tale about the tenderness of a mother's affection toward their child and how God loves them too.

What We Thought:
This lovely family-friendly bedtime story is a great book to snuggle up with your little ones with. We love the illustrations by Laura Watkins. They are just darling with fluffy, cuddly looking bunnies and a duckling that is little bunny's friend. The mommy and little rabbit go through the book picking flowers, kissing owies, splashing in the rain, swinging on a tire swing, hugging, walking in nature hand in hand, praying, and tucking in bed, etc. The relationship of the mother with the little bunny is beautiful. This book has a wonderful message and the author, Bonnie Rickner Jensen, weaves this message of Mother's and God's love for us throughout the book. Each moment shown is something that children can relate to and are great to share together with Parents and caretakers.
 

Zari loves the book, God Loves Mommy and Me!

I recommend this board book for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. My youngest daughter, Zari, who is in kindergarten loves this book! It is the perfect size for little hands to hold and the sturdy pages are less vulnerable to tearing. She is learning to read and it has the perfect amount of words on each page for her. She also loves looking at the cute illustrations as well.

This book celebrates the loving bond of a mother with her precious child and the God who loves them all. It is a great reminder of the God's love for everyone. We cherish this book and its message of family. It would be a perfect gift for Easter or Mother's Day.

BUY IT


WIN IT
Prize: God Loves Mommy and Me Book
Host: HarperCollins Children's Publishing and FrontGate Media.
Who Can Enter: Open to US Residents 18 years or older.
Selection Process: 10 winners will be selected on 5/8/2017 and notified by email.
Where to Enter: Go to this link http://www.blessedfreebies.com/god-lovesmommyme.html and fill out the form to enter.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

My Experience With Inner Peace #PrinceofPeace

My church, The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, is inviting everyone to find peace during Holy Week and Easter by following the Prince of Peace and his example. Mormon.org will include ideas and resources for people to find their own inner peace through eight principles of peace that Jesus Christ lived and demonstrated during his life here on Earth:

• Faith
• Compassion
• Forgiveness
• Repentance
• Gratitude
• God’s Word/Scripture
• Prayer
• Hope 

All of the Easter materials on Mormon.org will be available in English and Spanish.This campaign launches on March 31st and can be followed with the hashtag #PrinceofPeace.

Here are some other great articles on Holy Week...
Easter: https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/easter
Palm Sunday: https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/palm-sunday
Good Friday: https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/good-friday
Resurrection of Jesus Christ: https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/resurrection-of-jesus-christ

Tatiana and her beautiful smile. Make a picture with this filter to share with others how Christ brings peace to your life.

MY PERSONAL STORY OF INNER PEACE

When I was pregnant with my third child, Tatiana, my family of 4, almost 5, was struggling with finances while we were living in Winchester Bay Oregon. We had moved into a little trailer on the same property as The Rusty Frog, a store that sold frog trinkets, chainsaw carvings, etc. We had been promised by our landlord when we moved in that we would be able to put my husband, Brian's, Shopbot, computer controlled router, in one of the back rooms so that we could make our living making wooden things that were carved. This never came into fruition and we were faced with a hard decision. To move somewhere else and sell Brian's Shopbot and other things or stay and try to make the best of things. My daughter was born, we were having trouble paying the bills and our semi-new Honda Civic had been repossessed.

About that same time we got an invitation to Brian's sister's wedding at Walt Disney World in Florida. We placed our trust and faith in our Lord and prayed about our situation. The spirit gave us the feeling to drop everything, go to the wedding, and move to Florida. So that is what we did. We sold off as much as we could, put the rest of our stuff in storage at a friend's place, and bought plane tickets to Orlando bringing only what we thought we needed as essentials.

When we got there we rented a vehicle for a few days, got settled in a hotel, bought two bicycles and a bike trailer that seated our two small boys, and season passes for the whole family for Sea World. The wedding was beautiful and I am so glad we got to make it there to be a part of it. After the wedding was over we lived in Orlando for several years, we got on government assistance until Brian found a job and we moved into a condominium down the street from the Mall and Grocery Store.

Until we got a car, we would bike all over Orlando to get groceries, go to medical appointments, and all the way to Sea World as a family. I would have Tatiana in a baby carrier with a sunhat and sunscreen while I biked with the two boys in the covered bike trailer that doubled as a stroller. Sometimes we would also take the city bus. It was great getting out of the house and hanging out with dolphins all weekend and the kids loved it.

While in Orlando my daughter, Tatiana, was diagnosed with a brain tumor (Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma) stemming from her optic nerve and engulfing her pituitary and carotid artery. We were very fortunate to be in Orlando when she was diagnosed because we received exceptional medical care for her and had the best brain surgeon, Dr. Eric Trumble. We were definitely in the right place at the right time. We hoped and prayed that things would go well with the surgery and for Him to guide the surgeon's capable hands.

When she was operated on to resect the tumor she was only 6 months old. We were told that worst case she might not regain her sight and that she might only live a year because it had metastasized to the brain lining. Dr. Trumble assured us though that he had gotten the majority of the tumor out and cut the blood supply to it without severing the optic nerves. We had faith in the Lord that everything would be fine.

Tatiana's life was riddled with multiple medical problems and hospital visits/stays. She had seizures, total blindness, cerebral palsy, and numerous endocrine issues. This, however, did not dampen her sweet spirit. She was a gorgeous little girl with a head full of red curly locks and bright blue eyes. She loved hugs and blowing kisses to anyone she met. Even getting poked with needles and prodded by nurses didn't get her down. She would always make me smile. She was the happiest, most loving child we have ever met and we love her so much!

Our beautiful Tatiana lived for 6 whole years! We attribute her longer life to faith, a lot of prayer, Dr. Trumble, and a special healing device we called the light box, a precursor to FLO De-stressing Technology, that we took her to. She never had to go through radiation therapy or chemotherapy and the tumor never grew back. She passed away suddenly because of lobar pneumonia. Here is the post I wrote of her passing.

We are so glad to have had her in our lives and that she got to be a part of our family. We miss her dearly, but we know she is in heaven and we will meet her there someday. I am so grateful for Christ and our Heavenly Father and the blessings they have given my family. Knowing that families are forever and that the Lord is always there for us even in times of trial and hardship brings my family and I inner peace.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post to let my readers know about this great opportunity to find inner peace through the #PrinceofPeace. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver Book Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer from Peggy Consolver - Author for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool Bible study curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Peggy Consolver is the author to Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer. She was wanting to write about the Gibeonites of Joshua 9 and 10 from the Bible. In 2010 she received the fantastic opportunity to go to the city of Khiret el-Maqatir, Israel on an 18 day archaeological excavation with a team of archeologists from Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) and people like herself who volunteered to become amateur archeologists. This city meets the most criteria for being the Biblical city Ai from the Old Testament. She learned a lot on her trip there and what she experienced there brought her story to life. Here is a little more about her trip in her words.

Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer is a story that takes place in Gibeon, a Canaanite city north of Jerusalem. This story is told through the eyes of a thirteen year old Canaanite shepherd boy named Keshub as he: braves predators that want to harm his flock, learns the skills of a warrior, deals with the persecution from bullying and sibling rivalry, and proves himself among his older brothers. A shepherd and a potter's son, he wishes he could travel and see the world full of adventure like the caravanners that stop and tell of things beyond his small valley. Keshub has to make some crucial decisions on what to do, who to help, and what he actually believes. These decisions shape his life and who he becomes. This book follows Joshua's biblical story of the Hebrew/Israelite invasion and conquest of Canaan from the totally new perspective and point of view of the Gibeonites who by deception and trickery survive the attack.

Book, scripture, and bookmark.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I am not as well versed in the Bible as I would like to be and this story, even though not new to me, was needing a refresher. So, I was grateful that the bookmark which came with my copy of the book and the back of the cover of the book gave reference to the particular scriptures and verses in the Bible that I needed to re-read for background. The parts I remembered of the story was Joshua leading the Israelite people to the Promised Land/Canaan while eating manna in the desert along the way and the Battle of Jericho where the wall came down with the sound of trumpets from the army. I didn't remember the story of the Gibeonites very well and so I am glad I read Joshua 9 and 10 before reading Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver.

There are some neat extras to go along with this book. At the end there is a letter from the author to readers about digging deeper and learning more and some discussion questions for small groups. There is also a Study Guide webpage of extras, including: links of things to read, videos to watch, and maps to look at. I loved learning about bow making and Israeli Mammals. The more in depth 48 page Study Guide, Digging Deeper into HIStory, is also available online to purchase separately. A small glimpse of it is available to download free from the webpage as well.

I enjoyed reading the book and it definitely opened my eyes to what it may have been like for the Gibeonites. The main character, Keshub, was very interesting to read about and learn of his way of life, family, friends, and things he learned along the way while growing in his faith and becoming a man.  I loved the imagery of the text. My mind's eye was flooded with what it might have looked like. This book has historical and scriptural fact, supported by archeological evidence & research integrated with artistic vision and ingenuity that breathes life into the text. It takes you on a great adventure back in time and builds your understanding of Bible history and geography. I highly recommend this book!

BUY IT
Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver Book is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Mardel’s Christian Bookstores, and “Wherever fine books are sold!” Amazon.com has it at $10.14 for the paperback and $2.99 for Kindle.
The Study Guide, Digging Deeper into HIStory, is available on Amazon.com for $12.99 for the paperback and $2.99 for Kindle.

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Memoria Press Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set from Memoria Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy-to-use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. It was founded by a woman named Cheryl Lowe in 1994. They currently have preschool through ninth grade in most of their curriculum and some through twelfth grade. They also cover subjects in: Classical Core Curriculum, Latin, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, Logic & Rhetoric, Phonics & Early Reading, Penmanship, Literature & Poetry, American & Modern Studies, Writing & English Grammar, Science & Math, Greek, Modern Languages, Educational Resources, eBooks, Special-Needs, and Art & Music.

Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set is a great curriculum which covers epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, known to be contributed by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is about the Trojan War (think Trojan Horse and the Fall of Troy). The Odyssey is about a man named Odysseus who is trying to get home from the Trojan War and meets/battles all sorts of fantastical mythical creatures and Greek gods/goddesses along his 10 year journey.

This set includes an Iliad book, student guide, teacher guide and DVDs & Odyssey book, student guide, teacher guide and DVDs. The books are the Samuel Butler translation and have black and white line drawings throughout. The Student Guides are put together by Stephen Musick and both have vocabulary words (Identify Places and Characters), comprehension questions, quotations, and discussion questions for each book/chapter. Both consumable workbooks also have an Appendix with: Genealogies, Alternate Names, Friends and Foes, Weaponry and Armor, Ship Terminology, and Character References. The Teacher Guides are also put together by Stephen Musick and cover: Drills to do with your student, Background summary of the book/chapter, Discussion Help, answer key to workbook pages, Questions to Mark for study of the Test for students, Teacher Notes, and Essays & Assignments for each book/chapter. There is also appendix with the same information as the workbooks and Tests to give to the student with answer keys. The Instructional DVDs are taught by the instructor, Sean Brooks. These give further background information and culture of the time period, as well as the themes that dominate these great epics.  Geared towards 7th through 12th grade it introduces students to these epic poems. This set is great for middle/high school language arts and literature and would be fabulous along with an ancient history course on the Greeks. It is a wonderful addition to a classical christian homeschool curriculum.

Memoria Press Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set

Complete Set includes:

• Iliad (447 pages, 24 books/chapters with a preface and character chart at the beginning)
• Iliad Student Guide (64 page consumable workbook: covers all 24 books and has additional information in the appendix)
• Iliad Teacher Guide (66 page teacher manual: covers all 24 books, workbook answers, appendix with same info as workbook, plus 10 pages of tests and keys, etc.)
• Iliad DVDs (5 DVDs, spanning the introduction and all 24 books)
• Odyssey (358 pages, 24 books/chapters with a preface and character chart at the beginning)
• Odyssey Student Guide (68 page consumable workbook: covers all 24 books and has additional information in the appendix)
• Odyssey Teacher Guide (68 page teacher manual: covers all 24 books, workbook answers, appendix with same info as workbook, plus 12 pages of tests and keys, etc.)
• Odyssey DVDs (6 DVDs, spanning the introduction and all 24 books)

Delbin reading the Iliad and working in the student guide.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

Memoria Press was very generous in sending us the entire Iliad & Odyssey set, even though they knew my student would not get through more than one title during the review period. I love how both sets actually come with the reading texts. This is super convenient if you do not have them already in your home library.

We started with the Iliad, which is the first epic poem in the sequence. It is also longer than the Odyssey so we have been trying to pace ourselves well. Each of the 24 books/chapters within each epic take about an hour to an hour and a half to read.  As instructed in the teacher guide I had Delbin, my son who is 16, start with drills and then read the book (which are what these epic poems are divided into instead of chapters) we were on in the Iliad aloud to me. This was good practice of his reading, speaking, enunciation, projection, and pronunciation of words. We then had a discussion about what was read and went over some comprehension. After this he would watch the corresponding DVD lesson. The DVD is great for the auditory/visual learner, is informative and professionally done. It is a great break from the book work and is a lot like sitting in a typical classroom with the instructor in front teaching. The DVD videos are each about 30-45 minutes in length. After his reading and watching the DVD lesson, he worked through the student guide pages for the book/chapter we read. Delbin would then mark down notes to help him study for the tests. We did not get around to doing the optional essays and assignments from the teacher guide, but may circle back to this at a later date.

Memoria Press Iliad DVDs.

This curriculum is extremely thorough and comprehensive. I remember learning this in school myself, but not to this extent. I learned a lot that I didn't know. Delbin being new to this, enjoyed the learning as well.

I highly recommend the Memoria Press Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set to anyone who is homeschooling or doing supplemental work at home. These would also be great during Summer Vacation if you don't homeschool. The classical christian curriculum is some of my favorite literature curriculum in my eclectic homeschool ways. Everything that I have tried so far from Memoria Press I have loved. They have wonderful curriculum for k-12 homeschooling. Thanks again Memoria Press for being so generous in giving us the opportunity to look over the whole set. We can't wait to start The Odyssey next in this set!!

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BUY IT
Iliad & Odyssey Complete Set is $135.00. They are $75 separately.

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