Wordless Wednesday Delbin's TacoCat Shirt

My son Delbin, rocking the TacoCat shirt :)

Wordless Wednesday Kitty Cat Swim Goggles

Zari and Teela got new kitty cat swim goggles for the summer.

Heirloom Audio Productions The Cat of Bubastes Review

My family had the privilege of trying the The Cat of Bubastes from Heirloom Audio Productions 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.

My family and I love audio books! We love to listen to them while: I am multitasking, we have a long drive ahead of us, or there is cruddy weather and we are stuck inside. My family usually enjoys them better if they are fun and adventuresome. I believe they are better than movies because audio books require more imagination which is great for growing minds.

The Cat of Bubastes is Heirloom Audio's 6th dramatization which is adapted from a novel by George Alfred Henty. G.A. Henty authored many historical fiction novels in the late 1800's and early 1900's, including The Cat of Bubastes in 1889. All six Christian audio dramas are from Heirloom Audio's series known as The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. This audio production and theatrical radio drama consists of 2 and a half hours of masterful storytelling on 2 CDs recommended for ages 6-adult. I cannot say enough good things about this. Really, the presentation is very extraordinary! It brings the history to life.

This audio theater follows the young prince Amuba and his faithful friend and mentor Jethro since their capturing by the Egyptians and enslaved in the city of Thebes. Their loyalty is tested when they are trapped in a murderous plot to attack the family of their Egyptian friends. Along the way, Amuba and Jethro uncover the wonder and truth of the one true God.

I had some definite favorite parts of the Christian radio theatre. The part about Jethro having to dress up to be disguised was funny and interesting. Also, I liked how Ameres was so nice to Amuba and Jethro from the start. They did have God smiling down on them for sure and even their misfortunes lead them to better things.

inside the case to The Cat of Bubastes audio theater

Along with the 2 CD audio theater set I also received many other awesome package bonus downloads. The 2 CD set also has a list of the cast on the back of the case, a pamphlet insert that has a bit about Heirloom Audio's other audio dramas, and in the center under where the pamphlet goes is the 1 Chronicles 17:20 scripture. This inspirational verse also comes as a digital download so you can print it out as a poster to put on your wall.

The Cat of Bubastes Single Package (what I am mentioning in this review) includes:

• The Cat of Bubastes (CD Set - Physical Copy + MP3 Download Version)
• The Cat of Bubastes Study Guide (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Soundtrack (MP3 Download)
• Printable copy of the Inspirational Verse Poster (Digital Download)

I want to also mention that Heirloom Audio was being generous to the Schoolhouse Review Crew that received this for review. We received additional bonuses other than that were supposed to be in the Single Package. The additional items are only be available if you buy the Family 4-pack.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew that received this for review received all of the above and these additional bonuses:

• The Cat of Bubastes eBook (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Cast Poster (Digital Download)
• The Cat of Bubastes Behind the Scenes Documentary (Digital Download)
• Newsletter Website (Link)

The all-star cast in this audio book is expansive and amazing. Some of the cast consists of Brian Blessed as G.A. Henty (Star Wars, Tarzan, King Lear), Anthony Daniels as Permotep (Star Wars), Sylvester McCoy as Chigron (Dr. Who, The Hobbit), Elizabeth Counsell as Amense (The Chronicles of Narnia), Russel Boulter as Moses (Ben Hur), and John Rhys-Davies as Rabah (The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones). It is always great to hear the boisterous voice of Brian Blessed on these productions. All of the cast's performances are wonderful! The character building is wonderful too as long as you can keep up.

I love the music and sound effects that accompany this program. The music that is used on the CDs is adventurous and is also by itself in soundtrack form as MP3 downloads. It is an original score by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell (of Narnia). The foley sound effects make you feel like you are right there with the characters and immerses you more into what's happening.

There is also a study guide that is 50 pages long. It has discussion points and questions to ask your children as they listen to the program. This is wonderful to use as part of a history curriculum while homeschooling. It is really easier to listen to the whole program before you do the study guide and then listen again a second time to do the study guide, in my opinion. It feels awkward to stop and start the program so many times (every 4 to 10 minutes) during play. The study guide does have the tracks and timestamp to stop at marked in the guide so you know where the narrative takes a new turn.

At the beginning of the study guide there is a list of the cast and crew, a brief introduction, and short descriptions about G.A. Henty and Moses. Each track has questions in the study guide having three parts: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. There are questions in the Listening Well section which are to see if you and your child are really paying attention. There are questions in the Thinking Further section that helps you understand deeper and get you and your child thinking more. The Defining Words section is a list of words that will enhance the vocabulary of your child and places more meaning for the story. Having a dictionary handy might be appropriate because the definitions are not already spelled out.

At the end of the study guide there are five main parts. The first gives us a recommended reading list for learning more about Ancient Egypt. After that there are three Bible Studies: one on God Meant it For Good, one on The Knowledge of God, and one on Idolatry and Tyranny. Lastly there is some historical background for The Cat of Bubastes.

My children learned and understood so much more with this study guide. We used the questions and Bible study section throughout and it made for a very lengthy, but interesting discussion session with my older kids. I am very glad that it was included. I love the scriptures it had you look up and ponder too. I also love that there were Expand Your Learning sections throughout the guide for sources for further reading and other information to further your knowledge. I do wish, however, that there was an answer guide as well to the questions, because it would make the whole thing flow better in my opinion.

This was a very good production and my family enjoyed listening to it thoroughly. Even in the face of adversity the main characters discovered how the truth sets you free. This audio book would be a wonderful addition to a Christian homeschooling curriculum and perfect to go along with an Ancient Egypt or Moses study.

BUY IT
Three options to choose from: Download version for $19.97, Single Version for $29.97, and the Family Four Pack for $99.97.

Follow Them on Social Media:
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Hashtags: #hsreviews #HeirloomAudio #TheCatOfBubastes #LiveTheAdventure #BringingHentyBack #AudioAdventures

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Heirloom Audio Productions The Cat of Bubastes...

Merry Christmas, Splat ...and More Winter Stories: Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD Review

I received this DVD for free to facilitate this review.

I love Scholastic Storybook Treasures! They take story books and bring them to life through animation. You can collect them all and even read along with the story on screen if you choose to.

Merry Christmas, Splat ...and More Winter Stories is a wonderful collection of 4 snowy stories that will be sure to warm your heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, SPLAT (Written and illustrated by Rob Scotton, narrated by John Keating) This is an adorable story of a cat named Splat who tries a little too hard to be good before Santa’s arrival so he can get what he wishes for most on Christmas day. Anyone who has ever been a child waiting for Christmas morning knows how much the excitement and anticipation sometimes get the best of us. This is a great story that is purrfect for all ages.

FLETCHER AND THE SNOWFLAKE CHRISTMAS (By Julia Rawlinson, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, narrated by Katherine Kellgren) It’s Christmas Eve and Fletcher the fox wonders how Santa will find the rabbits' new burrow because they have moved. His big heart will touch yours. I love the beautiful illustrations and gorgeous layout of words that this has.

SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY (By Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian, narrated by Sean Astin) This is the story of Willie Bentley, who was a pioneering scientist who loved and learned all about snowflakes. I loved learning about this inquisitive boy who loved everything about the snow and wanted the world to see how beautiful snowflakes were. He was the first to capture snowflakes as photographs. This story makes you realize how big the world is in retrospect and how you need to slow down and take a closer look at it.

OWL MOON (Written and narrated by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr) This story is a wonderful story about a girl and her father as they search the moonlit woods for a Great Horned Owl. This being the girls first trip she is excited to say the least, but she remembers her fathers words that she should not make a sound while owling. This is a sweet bond of father and daughter relationships and a nature walk in the snowy night that will not soon be forgotten.

Bonus Features Behind-the-Scenes Look at Creating the Animation for Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas; Read-Along. This DVD is Approx. 36 minutes + extras. Recommended for ages 3-7.

Download some fun free printables on PDF to go along with this DVD!

BUY IT
You can purchase the Scholastic Storybook Treasures Merry Christmas, Splat DVD on New Kideo for $14.95 as of this posting.

For more information on this title or any other Scholastic Storybook Treasures release, visit www.newkideo.com. Also, visit New Kideo, the online home for the DVD line, at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewKideo

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my 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. 

Beautiful Beasties - Pet Photography Book Review and Giveaway

Beautiful Beasties by Jamie Pflughoeft of Cowbelly pet photography is a fantastic book all about pet photography. It is a how to guide that goes over everything from equipment to use, photography basics, lighting, exposure, composition, challenges, developing, processing, editing, marketing and building a business, etc. This book mostly touches on photographing cats and dogs with a small blip about other pets.

My dog, Prince, is hard to capture on film or digital. I have found his neurotic behavior troublesome. Every time I get out my camera he knows that the red light or flash will illuminate stuff and create shadows. He loves to chase the light and shadows and it drives me and himself completely bonkers. He barks, whines and tries to scratch the floor or nip at the light. I have tried to stop him from doing this, but my husband and kids think it is funny and try to get him to engage in the behavior. My camera isn't the only thing he gets this way with. He also does this with flashlights, rainbow/sun catchers, sunbeams, laser pens, mirror balls, etc. I have yet to figure out a way to rid him of this habit.

I was excited to get this book to see if it had any specific tips for me and photographing him. In the chapter on behavior challenges it goes into neurotic behaviors very briefly. I was hoping for more in depth, but what this book did tell me was still helpful in my situation. It told me to get his energy out before the photo shoot so that maybe he would be more calm and relaxed. It also said to try to let the pet be themselves how ever silly, energetic, or neurotic they may be. If I let him be himself I could capture more of his personality.

I also re-learned a whole lot about photography that I had forgotten from my photography class I took in college and some stuff I hadn't learned about digital cameras and more on editing in Photoshop. I edit my photos in either Gimp or Picasa so I am not as familiar in Photoshop as I'd like to be, but everything seemed very straight forward.

So, here are some of my results...

This picture was washed out because of the lighting and time of day that I was shooting. In Picasa I hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, then brought up the highlights a little and brought the color temperature all the way up.

This photo was Prince at play and one of my favorites I shot. He just pounced toward his rubber chicken toy and I caught him in the action just as he had landed and cocked his head toward the camera. If you look you can see his long floppy ears are still up a little as the wind caught them and as he tossed his head about :)

Here is my mini pony Gizmo. This book also has a short entry about photographing and working with other animals like: horses, small furry rodents, birds, and reptiles/amphibians.

This book taught me a lot and proved to be a very useful guide to photographing animals in a creative way. I am glad I got this book for free to review. It was fun to photograph and experiment with different settings and things. I still have a lot to learn, but this book was definitely a great starting point for beginning pet and animal photography.

BUY IT
You can purchase this book from different retail places for around $17. If you are going to try to photograph your pooch, feline, or other pet friend this holiday season consider this book.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a copy of Beautiful Beasties by Jamie Pflughoeft.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Global Influence for sending me product for free to review and letting me giveaway one. 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.

FURminator Review and Giveaway

The FURminator is such a great product! I received a free large FURminator deLuxe Collection deShedding tool from FURminator to test and review and I must say that this is the best brush/comb for pets I have come across. The one I received has a 4" edge that gets my very large dog, Prince, brushed quickly and efficiently. These tools come in a variety of sizes to fit your pet and are perfect for both long haired and short haired breeds. They quickly get rid of the undercoat and loose, unwanted hair and reduce shedding up to 90%! The deLuxe Collection is really nice because you don't have to pick the fur off the deShedding edge with your fingers. Instead it has a very convenient FURejector. Just press the button on the back and a straight edge slides down against the stainless steel deShedding edge to push the fur away from the teeth and into a receptacle. It also has a very nice ergonomic grip handle that fits well into the hand. Before I tried this comb on Prince I had a regular pin bristle brush and Prince didn't enjoy getting brushed at all. Now I do not have a problem with him running off when my family or I are combing him. He really likes the FURminator!

WIN IT:
Noah at FURminator has has generously offered a Small deLuxe deShedding tool for one of my readers to win.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the FURminator website and tell me by commenting on this post what other things they sell.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by email and let me know. (2 extra entries)

2. Become my fan on facebook and write that you are entering this giveaway on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and FURminator in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra)

7. Add me on Twitter and Tweet this: @finamoon: @FURminator_Inc WIN A Small deLuxe deShedding tool #giveaway http://bit.ly/bxbWrE (Daily Extras are Available)

8. Fan FURminator on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

9. Follow FURminator on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. This contest ends on Friday May 28, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to U.S. Only!!

DISCLAIMER: Thanks to FURminator for sending me a free large FURminator deLuxe Collection deShedding tool to test and review. This giveaway is also provided free from FURminator. 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.

New Kitten

My husband brought home a kitten that he got from a free box at a yard sale. I have only once had a kitten before when I was younger and that was only because my sister brought one home. My mom is allergic so we didn't keep it that long. My parents had dogs and so that was what I was used to having.

We decided on Curry as his name. He is very playful and is already litterbox trained. I also like the fact that he gets rid of creepy crawlies for me. Here he is snuggling with Tatiana. She loves how soft he is and he likes to play with her hair :)

UPDATE: Unfortunately, we had to find a new home for Curry because my son, Jaedan, is allergic.