Thursday, June 30, 2016

Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill Review and Great Pit Grilling Tips for the 4th of July!



I received the Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.


10 Great Pit Grilling Tips...
  1. Check to make sure fire pits are permitted wherever you are before starting a fire.
  2. Make sure the fire is properly enclosed by rocks, bricks or other flame-resistant material.
  3. Use only dry, seasoned wood for cooking over a fire pit. Green wood will not burn well and produces too much smoke. Dead wood is better for a clean-burning, high-temperature fire. Using charcoal briquettes for your grill’s heat? Then light the coals about 30 minutes before cooking.
  4. Want a great grill that is portable to take with you camping, fishing, etc., get Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill!
  5. Keep a bucket of water nearby in case you need to put out the fire. Have a spray bottle full of water nearby your grill in cause of flare-ups.
  6. Wash everything after handling raw meat, and don’t reuse the plate that you used for uncooked meat.
  7. Experiment with different types of marinades, seasonings and rubs to give your food extra flavor. Marinade meat overnight for best results.
  8. Use a spatula or tongs to move and flip your food. Keep high-heat resistant oven mitts or grilling gloves nearby to use if needed.
  9. Before, in between and after cooking keep your grill grate clean with a long handled stiff wire brush.
  10. Distinguish the fire when you are done with it. Use a small shovel to to stir/breakup the wood, coal and ash. Then sprinkle with water and continue to do this until no more steam rises and you hear no hissing steam. Let it sit for a good 10 minutes and "feel" (get close to the ash and coal, but not touching it) if there is any more heat coming from the fire with the back of your hand. If there is still some sprinkle with more water.

About the Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill:
  • Great for camping, beach parties, fire pits, open fires, camp fires, outdoor activities, etc.
  • Extra-large 17 ¾” round non-stick grilling area with adjustable height. No tools required.
  • Nonstick Stainless Steel grilling surface.
  • Holds up to 12 lbs. of food and specially designed arm allows grate to stay firm when loaded.
  • Product can easily swing away from the fire to load or unload food.
  • Easy to clean, dishwasher safe.
  • Easy to store, portable, and comes with a convenient carrying bag.
  • MSRP: $39.99

Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill used with a fire pit.

My Thoughts:
The Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill is a very handy lightweight, portable grill. I love that it has a bag to carry it with the gear to a campsite and since it doesn't weigh much it is perfect for taking backpacking. The assemblage of the whole thing is very straightforward. The post/pole comes in two pieces and screws together. I love that is is so adjustable and swings away from the fire so you can build the fire or load and unload food easier.

We noticed a few different things when using the Camerons Open-Fire Pit Grill. It is made in China. We found that you will need a set of high-heat resistant oven mitts or grilling gloves to use because the screw mechanism to adjust it gets super hot sitting over the fire and you might need to adjust it more than once. You will also need some for swinging it away from the fire. Tongs also work great for this. The grill's post that is used to secure it in the ground will need pounded into the ground pointy end down by a good size rock or mallet. This post had a black coating that was flaking off when we received it. The grate does warp and get blackened a little while over the fire holding the food. The blackening is just smoke and will come off with a good washing. Since it does have only one post on one side of the grate, it does tend to shift and is not level when loaded with food to grill. Foods like corn on the cob or potatoes like to roll off if not positioned well on the grill surface.

I decided that I wanted to first use this on our farm over my fire pit to see how it performed before we took it camping. We made corn on the cob, bratwursts, and toast on it. If you have aluminum foil on hand you can also bake potatoes and fish, make S'mores, etc. It is super simple to clean even without a dishwasher and the nonstick grilling surface makes it wonderful to grill with without having food stuck to the grate; however we did try to grill a S'more straight on the grilling surface and it wouldn't come off until scraped with our grill brush, so better to use foil for some things, I guess. It did very well with most everything we grilled on it though and the smokey flavor was a wonderful departure from our traditional propane powered grill. 

BUY IT
This is an awesome portable grill for the 4th of July!



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received these products 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

NotebookingPages.com Lifetime Membership Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership from NotebookingPages.com  for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Notebooking is a fancy educational term for keeping a journal, but it is also a lot more than that. For centuries people have been keeping journals and diaries. These fascinating pieces of history are keepsakes of their generations. They are just as priceless as a scrapbook or photo album. They capture a part of a personal journey and give clues to the past, how these people lived, and what their lives were like. Notebooking captures and records all sorts of things about the person who writes the pages: learning experiences, new knowledge, reflections, insights, memories, personality, writing voice, creativity, talents, etc. Notebooking also can include many parts like: brainstorms, mindmaps, sketches, illustrations, creative writing, written narrations, copywork, timelines, reports, lists, observations, drawings, maps, and photographs. Much like these treasured notebooks, journals, or scrolls of the ages it is very important to keep a journal of your own and have your children do the same.

Free Notebooking Pages Sampler

NotebookingPages.com is is a online membership website that was put together by Debra L. Reed, a homeschooling mother of ten who wanted her kids to retain knowledge better and learn more than she did growing up. Debra has developed a number of notebooking e-books that you can access and use as a member, for your student on the NotebookingPages.com website. The notebooking e-books come in printable PDF format and also can be purchased individually. Once purchased these can be downloaded and printed how ever you like, meaning you may want to print all or just pick and choose which pages to print. Once purchased these files are yours to use as often as you like. You may use these within your family and with any classes you personally teach. These are great for grades K-12. Their subjects for the notebooking e-books have a variety of topics including: Art Study, Copywork, Character Study, Famous Men & Women, Geography (state/country studies, continental maps), History of the Ancient World (Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation, and Modern Times), Music Study, Nature Study, Science, Timelines, and more! Their library is ever expanding and if you have a lifetime membership you can partake of all that is offered plus all that will be offered in the future.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership which gives us access to every notebooking e-book that NotebookingPages.com produces instantly when it is ready and access to all the material that was produced, downloadable from their paid membership area, plus any and all pages for as long as the NotebookingPages.com website exists. This is great option that only costs $97 total.

Teela and Zari coloring pages from NotebookingPages.com

I am so glad we received the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership for our homeschool. This summer we have been still learning, but we have been also relaxing. The kids have been a bit board, especially the younger ones. I have been giving them these homeschool notebook pages to do as a boredom buster. It has been wonderful to just sit them down and have them do a few pages here and there of their choice.

Teela doing a Black Walnut Nature Study.

We love the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership so far. We've printed pages from the Black Walnut (we have a lot of these trees in our yard to study) from the Trees of North America under science and nature, llama and goat (we have these animals on our farm) from the mammals under science and nature, Independence Day USA (because the 4th of July is so close) from the holiday under July, American Goldfinch, American Robin, and Bald Eagle from the North American Birds under science and nature, a Dandelion page from Wildflowers under science and nature, and a Sacajawea (we have Lake Sacajawea across the river from us, so I thought this to be fitting) coloring page from History Modern Times.

NotebookingPages.com finished pages.

There is some things about this site that I thought was nice and some that I didn't like. I wish there were more pictures under the products the website so you know what you are downloading out before you download it. The product search button is easy to find (it is a black button with white lettering in the left hand top corner under the words "Welcome to your LIFETIME Member Center" on every page). But it does redirect to the search bar page every time you would like to search. There are tutorials, tips, tools, and videos to help with the notebooking process which is very helpful.

NotebookingPages.com Membership Downloads Science page.


NotebookingPages.com Search

I see myself using NotebookingPages.com a lot in our homeschooling. When we do start back up with our full homeschooling I expect to be using these pages a bunch to get rid of busywork, boredom, and burnout. I recommend this for all who homeschool and need a change of pace from book work.

Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership

BUY IT
You can purchase the NotebookingPages.com Lifetime Membership for a one time payment of $97. Click the above image to sign up for the free product sampler. Also, right now for a limited time the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership comes with one year free access to The Notebooking Publisher™ Web-App which allows you to create your own notebook pages.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/debrareed.notebookingpages/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/NotebookingPgs  @NotebookingPgs 
Hashtags: #hsreviews #notebooking #journaling


Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for NotebookingPages.com Lifetime Membership...
Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership Reviews

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Veritas Press VeritasBible.com Subscription Review


My family had the privilege of trying a VeritasBible.com one-year family subscription from Veritas Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Veritas Press is a publisher of classical Christian education products and curriculum. They also have two classical Christian schools and an online classical Christian academy. They teach chronologically the relationship between what is studied in “history books” and what Christians read in the Bible. Their first product, History and Bible Flashcards, was born from a desire to teach their own sons. Now Veritas Press has many other curriculum, tools, and services (online and off) for teaching classical Christian education in the home and school.

VeritasBible.com Courses.

The VeritasBible.com is a one-year online Bible curriculum subscription for the family that has engaging lessons for kids with games, music, activities, videos, and more. So far it teaches courses in: Genesis to Joshua (Old Testament 1), Judges to Kings (Old Testament 2), and The Gospels (New Testament 1). They are also currently working on two other courses that will be coming soon: Chronicles to Malachi and Job & Acts to Revelation. You can add up to 5 children to have an account in the program so the individual child can move through the curriculum at their own pace. Each of the 3 courses offered have 128 lessons and 32 major biblical events that your student can learn from throughout the year.

Zari and Teela doing VeritasBible.com.
  
How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received the one-year online subscription of VeritasBible.com. I set up both my daughters Teela and Zari in the program to have their own accounts. We began with Genesis to Joshua and made it a daily routine to do at least a section a day.

Genesis to Joshua covers a lot of information:
  • Creation
  • The Fall in the Garden
  • Cain and Abel
  • Enoch and Methuselah
  • The Flood
  • God's Covenant with Noah
  • Tower of Babel
  • Call of Abram
  • God's Covenant with Abraham
  • Hagar and Ishmael
  • Sodom and Gomorrah
  • Birth and Sacrifice of Isaac
  • Isaac ad Rebekah
  • Jacob and Esau
  • Joseph as a Slave
  • Famine in Egypt
  • The Twelve Tribes of Israel
  • Moses' Birth
  • Plagues in Egypt
  • Balaam and his Donkey
  • Moses Dies: Joshua Assumes Command
  • Spies to Canaan
  • The Battle of Jericho
  • The Exodus
  • The Ten Commandments
  • Aaron and the Golden Calf
  • Moses Gets New Tablets
  • Israel Given the Promised Land
  • The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant
  • Joshua's Last Words
  • The Levitical Priesthood Begins
  • The Wilderness Wanderings

Genesis to Joshua Hosts.

VeritasBible.com is a thorough bible study that starts out in Genesis with a video introducing the bible with hosts Asher and his sister Abigail who are from the land of Canaan and are Israelites. They tell the story and narrate parts throughout the program and are later followed by a cat named Teb, and a pesky fly named Tizzy. There is video, music, online activities, quizzes, and a lot of review to get to know what you learn really well.

VeritasBible.com Map.

At the end of each section in the Creation part of the program the student gets a flag put on the map trail. The student clicks through spots on the map until they have finished the whole map. At the end of the Creation map you move onto the next map which is The Fall in the Garden and so forth. The student also gets awarded ribbons under their avatar they chose. The student cannot skip or move ahead in the program without watching the videos, doing the work, and acing the quizzes and tests.

VeritasBible.com ribbon awards.

We noticed that Zari needed a lot more help through the program because she doesn't read yet. There is a fair amount that does require reading. I didn't mind helping her with it though for a review of my own.

We also have a slow internet connection and had to load each video before watching them or they would be choppy and incomprehensible. The videos only could be watched on the High Definition (HD) setting, so there was not any way around this in our situation. Let us just say, patience is something my girls need to work on.

Some of VeritasBible.com activities.

Other than the video issue, both Teela and Zari had a lot of fun with the VeritasBible.com. They both are learning a lot. I love that the material is reinforced by activities, interactive games and questions. This helps their learning process a lot more. This homeschool Bible curriculum also has different ways they present the same information for different learning styles, so no one way of learning is left out and the information is retained better by the student.

The song was our favorite part of the whole thing. It was catchy and informational. It is sung frequently throughout the program and helps the kids know the events in order. By the time I needed to write this review my girls were actually singing along with it.

We eventually finished Enoch and Methuselah and can't wait to do more. VeritasBible.com is very well done and I highly recommend it to homeschoolers and others that want a great classical Christian education Bible study in their home for their kids. I love it for my Christian homeschool!

TRY IT
You can start a FREE trial of VeritasBible.com on their website today (no credit card required).

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/veritaspress/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/veritaspress/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/veritaspress/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/veritaspress  @VeritasPress 
Hashtags: #hsreviews #classicaleducation #onlinebible #homeschoolbible

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Veritas Press...
Old and New Testament Online Self-Paced Bible Veritas Review

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Monday, June 27, 2016

Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote Review



Fluffy Layers is a wonderful company that was developed by Tara Grier. She and her team at Fluffy Layers are the creators of The Egg Collecting Apron®, The Egg Gathering Apron® & The Harvest Apron®. They also have some other cute, fashionable products for the farm lover in us all.

Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote.

I received The Farm Queen Tote from Fluffy Layers. It is a canvas type bag with handles that is great for holding groceries, farmers market goodies, or just about anything worth toting around. I love that this tote is eco-friendly and reusable. It has a fabulous design on the front of a rooster, a crown, and a partial circlet of flowers with the words "Fluffy Layers Farm Queen". I will love using this around the farm to hold my harvest from my garden to my home.

BUY IT
You can purchase Fluffy Layers Farm Queen Tote in their Fluffy Layers' online shop.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received these products for free to facilitate this review. As a Fluffy Layers Brand Ambassador I get occasional products to share with my readers for free. 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.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

The Make Ahead Kitchen Cookbook Review


Cedar Fort Publishing & Media has provided me with a complimentary copy of this cookbook free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

 Annalise Thomas is from the big city and married to a man that is from a small town. As she learns to love small town life she enjoys sharing her foodie passions with others. Annalise is a wife and mom, a baker, a cook, and a blogger. She is also the author of The Make-ahead Kitchen.

The Make-ahead Kitchen: 75 Slow Cooker, Freezer, and Prepared Meals for the Busy Lifestyle by Annalise Thomas is a gorgeous picture-filled cookbook with simple recipes of delicious, healthy, and easy-to-prepare make-ahead dishes. No more kids asking what's for dinner and having to dig around the fridge, leftovers, or pantry for a last-minute meal. These family friendly foods, drinks, and desserts are just the ticket for less stress and no hassle.

The contents of this book are well laid out and easy to navigate. They start out with acknowledgements and general notes. The general notes are basically helpful tidbits of information about her recipes and way of cooking/using ingredients. In the notes she lets us know that their are symbols for those recipes that are gluten free (GF) and the ingredients that can be gluten free alternatives (GFA). The introduction is next with a little history of why the author wrote the book and a some background of the cookbook. The middle of the cookbook has recipes in 7 sections: Breakfast, Soups & Salads; Appetizers, Snacks & Sides; Main Dishes, Cookies & Bars, Desserts, and Drinks. The book ends with a wonderful index and about the author page.

The layout of each recipe is quite simple and each one has beautiful photograph of the completed meal, dessert, drink, etc. to accompany it. At the left side, each recipe includes the title, if it is GF or GFA or not, background of the recipe, and notes. On the right hand side it has the ingredients, directions, notes on what you can do ahead of time and freezing, and how many it serves.

All in all I believe this cookbook is a lovely addition to my cookbook library. It will be treasured in my kitchen. I am excited to make the recipes inside its pages for my family and friends.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this book for free to facilitate this review from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Precious Moments 35 Days of Loving, Caring, and Sharing: Summer Fun Energy Offer and Review


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

Precious Moments is having its 35th Anniversary and they are celebrating with “35 Days of Loving, Caring and Sharing” – an event celebrating their wonderful fans. Over the years, the fans have given so much through their love of all things Precious Moments. Now Precious Moments is delighted to give back to the fans! Beginning May 22 through June 25th, on their Facebook they will announce a new way to save on some of the fan favorite Precious Moments gifts and collectibles each day. Plus, opportunities to enter giveaways for your chance to win Precious Moments gifts and more! It’s going to be fun! The "35 Days of Loving, Caring and Sharing" event also all leads up to their unveiling of a very special figurine. So stay tuned! The theme of today, day 34, is Energy.

I received two figurines to celebrate this special anniversary and day: Decorative Birdbath Rotating Figurine, Music Box and “Girl With Tulip Flower” Perpetual Calendar Figurine. The Decorative Birdbath Rotating Figurine, Music Box has three adorable feathered friends perched on a birdbath. When you wind this up it plays “In The Garden” while the top turns around and around. This is a great gift for a garden lover or bird enthusiast. I love this beautiful music player! It plays lovely music. The “Girl With Tulip Flower” Perpetual Calendar Figurine is perfect to decorate my desk as it lets me know exactly what month and day it is. With the words, “Every Day Is A Blessing” it reminds us of this everyday as we change the date. This sweet figurine has a girl dressed like her favorite tulip flower with a small ladybug meandering nearby. These match my other garden themed Precious Moments figurines perfectly. I love them and know you will too! They all have sweet messages and will bring Summer Fun to anyone's home.


Day 34 of 35 deal: Save 15% on Summer Fun gifts with Coupon Code: FUNINTHESUN at PreciousMoments. *Offer is valid today only, June 24th, 2016 through 11:59 p.m. CDT.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Precious Moments for sending me these figurines for free to 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

#35DaysOfLovingCaringAndSharing #PreciousMoments #MyPreciousMoments #LifesPreciousMoments #PreciousMomentsSale #Summer #FunInTheSun #SummerFun #Camping

Thursday, June 23, 2016

MySchoolYear.com My School Year (Homeschool Record Keeping) Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Annual Membership of the My School Year (Homeschool Record Keeping) from MySchoolYear.com for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

MySchoolYear.com is an online homeschool planner. It is great for record keeping, tracking, reporting, planning, and making lesson plans. This online database is wonderful for anyone that needs to totally organize their homeschool. It keeps grades, attendance, transcripts, report cards, awards, etc. for your students right at your fingertips. The My School Year (Homeschool Record Keeping) makes it easy to add, subtract, recreate, and save information. Since it is stored online you can access it anytime and anywhere you need to with internet.

Registration Wizard. If you click the need help buttons it will help you with all processes.

The My School Year (Homeschool Record Keeping) is very simple to use. You start out by picking what time frame for your school term you would like to use: traditional (September through May), quarters, or semesters. Then you can pick the name of your homeschool. If you have more than one place your student has instruction, for example, a music instructors home, you may also enter that.  Then you can begin entering all of your students and their subjects and classes. Under each class you are able to enter the curriculum that will be used for each student for that school year.

Teacher's Aid

The website is easily navigated as well. At the top left you will see a pull down menu you can click on under "My Homeschool". This shows many pages that you may go to within the website...
  • Homeroom: This webpage lets you select a student a view an overview of everything with charts of their current homeschool status. This is a great place to see classes, attendance, events, awards, readings, extra curricular, and tests all on one screen for each student. You may also add, edit or view these as well from here. 
  • Planbook: On this webpage you can update lessons, mark lessons as complete, reschedule as needed, and/or change them altogether. With this you can know exactly what is overdue, current, or upcoming. The Planbook also has a search, filter and sort options to easily find a lesson you are looking for. 
  • Reports: This webpage gives you access to awards, course descriptions, events, extra curricular, instructional hours, lesson plan, materials - lesson plan, materials - reading log/list, reading log/list, report card, standardized tests, and transcript. You may sort these by: all reports, all-student based, all-term based, non-term based, and reference.
  • Teacher's Aid: This webpage will alert, warn, and/or recommend what you should be doing next. This takes the guesswork out and reminds you when something needs done. There is also a orange circle up by the pull down menu that tells you how many alerts you need to fix or remove.
  • Tools: Copy classes/lessons, copy reading log/list, create-a-plan, reschedule lessons, and track attendance with ease. Create-A-Plan lesson generator can create lessons in bulk. Use Rapid Repeat, a repeater tool for if your student is doing something more than once, and Quick Split, a tool to help you know how many pages to assign of a book if you want an equal amount per day, to help you too. 
  • Setup: You can setup grading scales, materials, schools, students, subjects, terms (school years) with these pages.
  • My Account: You can view your profile, settings, and password and update these if needed.
  
How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We received an annual membership of the My School Year (Homeschool Record Keeping). I am not much of a planner and usually homeschool with the flow of the day, so at first this seemed like a daunting and overwhelming task to me. Oregon state law is fairly lenient on homeschoolers that live here. Oregonians do not have to send in lesson plans, curriculum, or a portfolio of the students work. We only have to let the Educational Service District (ESD) know we are homeschooling and have our students test at grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. I know my homeschool needs a bit more structure and organization though, so I was happy to try out this planner to see if it would help me with this.

I placed my four children in the program and set their classes up for the upcoming school year (2016-2017). I made a curriculum of what they were going to study and when for each class. I love the Create-A-Plan lesson generator and the Rapid Repeat and Quick Split makes it so much easier to configure. I like that I can receive weekly and/or daily emails of the lessons that need done each day and my students can get sent one as well of their lessons needing accomplished. This is especially great for my sons in high school because I can create documents like transcripts and report cards and MySchoolYear.com shows me exactly how and gives me samples of each to pull from. I am happy to know that my homeschool information that I enter in is secure in the cloud as well. There is still a lot to add and fill in for next year, but I love this program because of how simple it is to use and set up.

BUY IT
You can try the free month trial to see how you might like this program. There are two Membership Plans: Monthly for $5 per month or Annual for $40 a year (save 33%!). Both plans also include a free month trial and the annual plan has a price lock guarantee.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MySchoolYearWeb/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/@MySchoolYearWeb
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+MyschoolyearWeb 
Hashtags:  #hsreviews #recordkeeping #homeschoolorganization

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for MySchoolYear.com...
Homeschool Record Keeping {MySchoolYear.com Review}

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Wednesday, June 22, 2016

LearnBop for Families Review


My family had the privilege of trying the LearnBop for Families Family Plan from LearnBop for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

LearnBop

LearnBop is a self-paced online math learning program that adapts with the student to strengthen math skills. LearnBop is associated with K-12. This online math tutor subscription offers levels from grades 3-12 (grades 3-8 plus high school Algebra 1, Algebra II, and Geometry). This is personalized math support at home or on the go. This program tutors students step-by-step, just like a person would. LearnBop is on your schedule because your student can access it from a tablet or a PC anytime with online access. As the parent/teacher you get to monitor progress of the student as well. There is a version for schools and a version for families.

LearnBop Dashboard

LearnBop for Families is a brand-new math offering for homeschoolers, but the content has been available to schools for some time. There are two different plans for LearnBop for Families. The Family Plan is for up to 4 students and the Single Student Plan is for just one student. You can either subscribe month to month or prepaid for 12 months total.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I received the LearnBop for Families Family Plan prepaid twelve month subscription for up to 4 students. When I logged on I set up my three oldest kids' accounts. Delbin is 15 and Jaedan is 14 and I set them both up for HS-Algebra I. For the review though, I am going to be only focusing on Teela, my oldest girl, who is 8 years old. First they each got to choose a character for their avatar. These characters each have a different "math power". Delbin chose the Codebreaker with the math power of Cryptography. Jaedan chose the Pirate Navigator with the math power of Celestial Navigation. Teela also chose the Pirate Navigator (only female version) one which has the math power of Celestial Navigation. I had Teela's account set on Grade 3 which I got to choose at the beginning. This is the lowest grade level that can be chosen.

Teela is currently in second grade going into third. She wasn't too thrilled to be doing math because it is her least favorite subject, but we set up a reward system so that she would do the work and I think it payed off. She was of course learning stuff in math that we hadn't really touched on yet, but she was learning it and gaining understanding of the concepts. I wished LearnBop had a second grade as well so Teela could review all the math concepts we learned this year before moving on to third grade, but they don't.

LearnBop starts everyone off with a warm-up to place them better. This doesn't tell your student how well they did or how many they missed, but is a sort of assessment to see what concepts they know. After the warm-up the students are introduced to the first unit.

The units in grade three start in multiplication and division and end in computing fluently. There are 13 total units in grade 3. The student has to get at least 90% mastery on each concept within the units to complete them and earn achievement awards.

Teela working on math problems and watching video lessons in LearnBop.

LearnBop has the student watch three videos before solving mastery practice problems called "bops" and if they don't get the concepts by then there are extra video lessons that they can watch. After watching these they go onto solving "bops". If they get the question right the percentage score goes up and if the student gets it wrong they are given the chance to answer questions that will help them master the question they failed.

I get to monitor progress and statistics by looking at the Dashboard. This shows me the roadmap, current unit, active concept, recent progress, and achievement awards. The page also shows a "growth mindset" which is a saying or quote to motivate the student. The teacher/parent can also go to another student's account from here as well.

Teela showed a lot of progress the three days a week we used this so far. She has grown immensely in comprehension and has more confidence in her abilities solving math problems on her own. LearnBop has taught her that she can gain a deeper understanding in math and enjoy it too.

LearnBop for Families is perfect for homeschooling families or families that have a need of extra math help. This is great for math tutoring in Basic Math, Geometry, Algebra, Pre-algebra, Trigonometry, Math Problems, Fractions, Decimals, etc.


BUY IT
Purchase LearnBop for Families. Single Student Plan: Subscription (month to month) $14.95, Prepaid (12 months prepaid) $149.95 (Two Months Free!). Family Plan — Up to 4 Students: Subscription (month to month) $19.95, Prepaid (12 months prepaid) $199.95.

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Hashtags: #hsreviews #learnbop #onlinemath #homeschoolmath

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for LearnBop...
LearnBop for Families Review

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Monday, June 20, 2016

I Love Pollinators Seed Packets To Benefit Pollinator Partnership

©Botanical Interests

It's National Pollinator Week! Due to Pollinator Partnerships' efforts, in 2007, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved and designated a week in June as “National Pollinator Week”, a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles.

Botanical Interests invites you to sow your love for pollinators this Pollinator Week, June 20–26, 2016! You can help protect pollinators by purchasing their I Love Pollinators seed packet. All proceeds benefit the Pollinator Partnership's mission of promoting the health of pollinators critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.

This seed mix grows pollinator-friendly annual and perennial flowering plants that supply pollinators with nectar, pollen, and shelter. So, help the pollinators and our food security by purchasing their I Love Pollinators seed packet and supporting the cause.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in knowing this information and taking part of this to support this cause. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Get Outdoors and #DiscoverTheForest



We love getting outside and sharing the great outdoors with friends and family. My favorite pastimes for outdoor activities in the summer are hiking, backpacking, nature walking, camping, tree climbing, rock climbing, biking, horseback riding, swimming, boating, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, fishing, picnicking, barbecuing, foraging, hunting, and gathering, wildcrafting, harvesting crops, farming, and gardening. Any one of these activities lets my family, friends and I get fresh air and get back to nature. We have a "naturehood" nearby us called Dibblee Beach. This beach with Columbia River access is just a short walk from our home. We love to go there and relax and play. We also have Lake Sacajawea Park across the river from us in Longview Washington. We enjoy spending time there to picnic, BBQ, or have our kids play on the playgrounds that surround the scenic lake.

Nature is closer than you think. Every neighborhood has a #Naturehood, urban forest areas and parks that are just a short-drive away, making it easy for families to unplug from the daily routine and reconnect with nature. These urban forests offer many of the same benefits as national forests, but they're right in the neighborhood. Beyond the swings, slides and clearings, there are trails, trees, wildlife and water just waiting for the urban dweller. To find a neighborhood park or green space near you, visit DiscoverTheForest.org.

Research has shown that children who play outside have lower stress levels and more active imaginations, become fitter and leaner, develop stronger immune systems and are more likely to become environmentally conscious in the future. Kids need to discover the wonders of nature, make memories with their families and friends outdoors, and develop an interest in the environment by creating a lifelong relationship with it. Spending time together outdoors helps enrich family life.

DiscoverTheForest.org features an interactive map tool that enables users to search for nearby forests and parks, and filter by zip code and desired activities. Free outdoor activities are also available for download and printing, which you can take the next time you visit.

SOCIAL • CORNER
Website - DiscoverTheForest.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/discovertheforest
Twitter - https://twitter.com/discoverforest
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/discoverforest/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discovertheforest/

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I'm participating in a group initiative with Homestead Bloggers Network about the importance of getting outdoors with your family. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post. My name is going into a drawing for a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Precious Moments 35 Days of Loving, Caring, and Sharing: Beautiful Wishes Humility Offer and Review


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

Precious Moments is having its 35th Anniversary and they are celebrating with “35 Days of Loving, Caring and Sharing” – an event celebrating their wonderful fans. Over the years, the fans have given so much through their love of all things Precious Moments. Now Precious Moments is delighted to give back to the fans! Beginning May 22 through June 25th, on their Facebook they will announce a new way to save on some of the fan favorite Precious Moments gifts and collectibles each day. Plus, opportunities to enter giveaways for your chance to win Precious Moments gifts and more! It’s going to be fun! The "35 Days of Loving, Caring and Sharing" event also all leads up to their unveiling of a very special figurine. So stay tuned! The theme of today, day 26, is Humility.

I received three figurines to celebrate this special anniversary and day: You Are My Joy, “You Make Everyday Brighter” Figurine, and You Are My Sunshine. The You Are My Joy figurine is a sweet little flower girl with a peach poppy and a glittering dress to match sends a lovely message of joy and garden bliss. The “You Make Everyday Brighter” Figurine is a very cute flower girl dressed in a yellow shirt and petal skirt to match the daisy flower she stands with. Daisies make me so happy when I see them. They are such a wonderful perennial! The You Are My Sunshine figurine is a cheerful little flower girl hugging a sunflower. She is dressed to match in a shimmering yellow dress. I love sunflowers! They always brighten my day when I see them and this figurine does too. These figurines are so adorable! Each one has a glittering skirt, a ladybug, and a jewel in the center of the flower. I love all of the items on sale today! They have sweet messages and will bring Beautiful Wishes to anyone's home.


Day 26 of 35 deal: Save 15% on Beautiful Wishes gifts with Coupon Code: BEAUTIFULWISHES at PreciousMoments. *Offer is valid only on today, June 16th, 2016 through 11:59 p.m. CDT.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Precious Moments for sending me these figurines for free to 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

#‎35DaysOfLovingCaringAndSharing‬ ‪#‎PreciousMoments‬ ‪#‎MyPreciousMoments‬ ‪#‎LifesPreciousMoments‬ ‪#‎PreciousMomentsSale‬ ‪#‎YouAreMySunshine‬ ‪#‎Flowers‬ ‪#‎BeautifulWishes‬

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Progeny Press Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide Review


My family had the privilege of trying the Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide for Middle School (gr. 5-7) from Progeny Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Progeny Press is a Christian based company that produces products that help with comprehension, critical analysis, and vocabulary study in literature and reading. They have a number of very nice literature based study guides and interactive e-guides that go with a number of classical, historical, and award winning books. They are always adding new titles to their list. All of their guides - whether book-bound, on CD, or downloaded - have exactly the same content.

The Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide is a great study guide for using in conjunction with the book by Lynne Reid Banks. Like the book, it is geared towards grades five to seven. The one we received is the interactive e-guide which means that it is able to have the answers entered and typed directly into the PDF and saved. You can additionally print the pages and have your student work on them off of the computer. The e-guides save you money because you do not have to pay shipping and handling. You can also grade the student's work directly on the PDF and make comments in the same file. All the guides, once purchased, can be reproduced for the teacher's/homeschooling parent's use in their own classroom or home. Once downloaded to your computer they are permanently available on your computer, and are yours and yours only. This guide is 52 pages total when printed.

Here is The Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide Layout:

  • Note to Instructor (How to use the study guide)
  • Book Synopsis (What book is about)
  • About the Author
  • Ideas for Pre-reading Activities (Things to do or study before reading the book)
  • Chapters (1 & 2) (3, 4 & 5) (6 & 7) (8, 9 & 10) (11, 12 & 13) (14, 15 & 16):
    • Vocabulary (Definition and write the word in a sentence)
    • Characterization
    • Questions (Short Answer)
    • Thinking About the Story (Comprehension Questions)
    • Dig Deeper (Questions with Bible Verses to look up and Biblical perspective to go with the book)
    • Point of View
    • Writing Project
    • Dialect (Sentence rewrite for Boone's American Western Dialect)
    • Summary
    • Compare and Contrast
    • Character Study
    • Story Structure
    • Questions
  • Additional Resources (Other books by the author)
  • Answer Key (located in a separate PDF)

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
My daughter, Teela, who is 8 years old is an advanced reader. She loves reading and devours books. Her favorites are chapter books that have some substance to them. Most of these that she picks out are from a series. I told her about The Indian in the Cupboard and she was excited to start reading. We had the book already at home, so this was perfect for her book study in our homeschool. She loved this book and read it chapter by chapter working through the study guide.

She got to use the guide as she read the book and since the review period for this was slightly longer than most (roughly 7 weeks) we got through a good portion of the study. After chapter 2 we had her do the first two chapters in the study guide since they were grouped together like this. Then she read the next three chapters and did the worksheets I had printed out. She is not a strong typist or I would have let her do this online the interactive way.

This was the first time we had experienced Progeny Press and their literature study guides. The e-guide we received was jam packed full of reading comprehension and information to study. I love that it is also faith-based and has biblical applications that relate to the book fairly well. Since Teela was a bit younger than the age group that this was for, I had her write her answers as best she could and I believe she did great for her age. These guides are very well thought out and put together and I feel that my daughter learned and comprehended a great deal more because of it.

I highly recommend the Progeny Press e-guides. They were easy to download and simple to print from PDF. The Indian in the Cupboard one got my daughter thinking a lot more about the story and characters than she would have just reading the book on its own. Progeny Press has a great selection of other guides that go with some other great books as well. Check them out below.

BUY IT
You can get The Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide in e-guide format for $18.99 from Progeny Press and also download a sample of the guide to see what it looks like.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Homepage - http://stores.progenypress.com/
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Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/progenypress @progenypress
Hashtags - #hsreviews #classicliterature #criticalanalysis #literaturestudies


Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Progeny Press...
Literature Study Guides from a Christian Perspective {Progeny Press  Review}

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Monday, June 13, 2016

My Mother's Quilts: Devotions from a Legacy of Needlework Book Review #MyMothersQuilts #FlyBy

I received My Mother's Quilts free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

My Mother's Quilts: Devotions from a Legacy of Needlework is a devotional book by Ramona Richards that is about love, legacy, tradition, family and faith. This book features thirty different heirloom quilts, some that are over 100 years old that have been handed down throughout the author's family for generations. These have been made by the author's mother and grandmother, every stitch done with love and care. The short, but sweet devotions are personal stories, memories, and lessons from the author, each one having a full color photo of a quilt, the story title, the quilts name, scripture, and a "prayer starter" that goes with it.

My mother-in-law is a fine quilter. She made my husband and I a gorgeous quilt with dolphins for our wedding present. It is absolutely breathtaking and we will cherish it always. She has also made my kids quilts as well and these will be handed down and kept for generations and generations.

When my daughter Tatiana was sick in the hospital she usually would get a blanket of some sort as a gift from a stranger we had never met. They created a piece of warmth and beauty to comfort the ill. Some of these blankets were quilts. These I will also keep since she treasured them when she was still with us on this earth and as a token of the gift givers kindness.

I love homemade and handmade gifts. They are so special and one of a kind. Each one a symbol of love, devotion, and work for the person gifted them. They really are priceless.

My Mother's Quilts is a book that speaks to the heart and soul. I love reading the stories and looking at the pictures of the gorgeous quilts.

CONTEST OFFER!
Win one of the quilts featured in #MyMothersQuilts by Ramona Richards. Also up for grabs: loads of other prizes including quilting hand warmers, coloring books, and 25 signed copies of Ramona’s book. Winners will be emailed after the contest ends on June 30, 2016. Click the image to get started!


SOCIAL • CORNER
Official Website for the Contest - http://bit.ly/MothersQuilts
Ramona Richard's Website - http://www.ramonarichards.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ramona.richards
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ramonarichards @ramonarichards
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/176771.Ramona_Richards
Hashtags - #MyMothersQuilts #FlyBy

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Or you can also purchase the book at Shop Better Books for $11 currently.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER:  (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC / Flyby Promotions for providing a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Friday, June 10, 2016

The Adventures of Rooney Cruz Bible Belles Esther: The Belle of Patience Book Review and Giveaway #BibleBelles #FlyBy


I received Bible Belles Esther: The Belle of Patience free to facilitate this review.

Bible Belles The Adventures of Rooney Cruz by Erin Weidemann is an original children's series that presents the female heroes from the Bible like never before. The brand new series highlights five women of the Bible: Hannah, Esther, Abigail, Ruth and Deborah and each of their strongest virtues. These five were picked because of the bible verse, The sound of the Bell[e]s will be H.E.A.R.D… – Exodus 28:35. The acronym H.E.A.R.D. is the first letter of each of the biblical heroine's names.

These story books set out to empower and inspire little girls to be a beacon of what is right instead of what the world tells them they should be. In each book the main character, Rooney Cruz, goes through a modern day problem that needs to be solved. Her guardian angel, Mari, helps her solve these problems by showing her blasts from the past from biblical times. Each "Bible Belle" Mari shows Rooney has character traits that Rooney then incorporates into her own life to solve the problem that she has been having. These stories show the girls who read them how to apply these core Christian character traits, values, and virtues to real world problems that a girl might face in today's world and that beauty within is more important.

My girls love the story of Esther and how she was so very patient, trusting in the Lord to show her when the right time to approach the King was and following the promptings of the Spirit. They have heard it many times in our bible studies, but I believe that this storybook connected better with them. The story of Rooney is very relatable and although we might not have a guardian angel we can actually see, we do have the Holy Spirit that helps us and shows us the way. I am glad when I read this story to my girls it gave me an opportunity to share my testimony to them and let them know that having patience is very important. I know that my girls will remember Esther and her story better because we read this book.

I recommend this book and the others in the series to anyone who wants to help their daughter discover God's love and their divine purpose. These biblical heroines are wonderful role models for all young ladies. These have great age appropriate lessons and morals and should be included in every little girl's bible study.

Book Trailer:
Bible Belle's Esther: The Belle of Patience from Bible Belles on Vimeo.


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Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/biblebelles
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/biblebelles @biblebelles
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/biblebelles
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/biblebelles
Hashtags - #BibleBelles #FlyBy

BUY IT
You can purchase Esther: The Belle of Patience book for $14.99. It is also available in Spanish in the fall of 2016.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a copy of the Zonderkidz Under the Sea Holy Bible {US & Canada Only}.

I run giveaways with 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:  (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. 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 posting this blog review and giveaway.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Shiloh Run Press The Glass Castle by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins Book Review

My family had the privilege of reading The Glass Castle by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins from Shiloh Run Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.



Shiloh Run Press is a division of Barbour Publishing. Barbour Publishing is a Christian based publisher that releases more than 150 titles each year and has one thousand stock titles as well including juvenile fiction titles. These books are affordable and accessible. They share the message of Christ.


The Glass Castle is a very nice hardback book by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins (author of the Left Behind series). It has a little over 250 pages and 41 fairly short chapters. This book is fantasy, Christian fiction for kids and has a lot of action, adventure, mystery, and intrigue. The feel is a cross between Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia with a plot that is new and different. It is a great book that is recommended for ages 10 to 14. This is the first book in a series of Christian books for kids called Thirteen. The next book in the series is called The Ruby Moon and it will be coming in the fall of 2016.

Teela reading The Glass Castle.


How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
My daughter, Teela, who is 8 is an advanced reader. She loves reading and devours books. Her favorites are chapter books that have some substance to them. Most of these that she picks out are from a series. I told her about The Glass Castle and she was excited to start reading. She loved this book and read it quickly all in about a week.

Here is what she said about the book when I asked her about it (these are her words, but paraphrased a bit):
Avery is the main character in the book. She was kidnapped with her little brother on her thirteenth birthday by a old woman who took her to a large castle where she can't talk to adults, go outside or look outside. She was there with other thirteen year old kids who were also kidnapped. They were all captured because 13 years ago the king's first wife had a boy, but soon after, the king was told the baby and his wife had died. The king that lives in the castle gets a new wife that promises a new baby boy for the king. This lady is not very nice and creates a way that all thirteen year old kids will be taken, just in case the prince is still out there. While Avery is trapped at the castle, she makes friends with some of the kids and they form a team to help them get back to their families. This complicates the new queen's plan. There are lots of twist and turns and unexpected outcomes. There are lots of secrets that are also found out and a bit of romance. The end leaves you wanting more. I loved how the female character, Avery, is headstrong and a good leader, but still is not perfect. My favorite part of the book was when Avery was made Queen of the thirteen year old kids. I can not wait to read the next book in the series!

I can tell Teela loved this book. It is wonderful to find good clean fiction for kids to read these days. I would highly recommend The Glass Castle to anyone that reads middle grade fiction.

BUY IT
Order Today! Available in Hardback and eBook editions at your favorite bookstore or other fine retailers.


Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BarbourPublishing
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/barbourbuzz @BarbourBuzz 
Hashtags - #hsreviews #glasscastle #jerryjenkins


Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Shiloh Run Press The Glass Castle...
The Glass Castle {Shiloh Run Press Review}

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