If You Were Me and Lived in… Volumes 1-4 By Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com Review

We got to try these books 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. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

We are so excited to share with you about four new books in the If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series brought to you by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com. The books we received are:

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 1) 
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 2)
• If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 3)
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 4)

Carole P. Roman is the author of many books including the Captain No Beard series, If You Were Me and Lived in... Cultures Around the World series, and the If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History series. She loves combining her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the grand world all around us. She also loves sharing history and culture with her readers.

If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series currently consists of 8 books with more to come later. These softcover books take you back through time to visit different civilizations throughout history. Discover Ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, Colonial America, Ancient China, Middle Ages, American West, and Viking Europe. These follow what it would have been like to live and grow up in these places through the eyes of a young person. This makes the books more relatable to children who read them. These physical books cover occupations, food, clothing, recreation, important people, etc.

Zari and Teela enjoying the Civilizations Throughout History Series.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
 
The If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series of books are historical non-fiction. We love them for use with our homeschool history curriculum and plan on using them with our unit studies for each historical place. All of these books start out with how the civilization or place looks today, how it looked around the peak of the time period, where it was located, and a short history of the place, civilization, and society. Then they say, "If you were me and lived in..." and goes on to tell: when you would have lived, what your name might have been, what you would be proud of, what you worshiped, where you would have lived, about life in those places, habitat, food, occupations, education, clothing, travel, recreation, politics, currency, and more. We found that these history books were jam-packed with information and fun facts.

The first book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece. This book has illustrations by Mataya Arkova which are done in pastel colors. It has 54 pages and a special section on Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Greece. This book focused on life in Classical Greece in about 350 BC. We thought that it was interesting that both the homes and cities had open fire pits and they kept them burning with coals never letting the fire go out. We also thought it was interesting that they used bread as napkins, then gave it to the dogs to eat. This would be great to use with a unit study of Ancient Greece.

The second book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy. The illustrations of this book are by Silvia Brunetti and are colorful and whimsical. It has 58 pages and a special section on Renaissance Art and Famous People from the Italian Renaissance. This focused on life in Florence during the 15th century. We thought it was interesting that on feast days the cook roasted swans and peacocks and put the feathers back on when she served them so they looked still alive. It was also very interesting to learn that all stylish ladies painted their faces white with lead powder to look pale and elegant. This would be great to use with a unit study of Renaissance Italy.

The third book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England. The illustrations of this book are by Paula Tabor and these cartoon like illustrations are more realistic than the other books. It has 50 pages and a special section on Important People to Know in Elizabethan Era. This focused on life in London around the 16th century. We thought it interesting: that people back then just threw their waste out on the streets, how we might have got the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs.", that tomatoes were considered poisonous so were not eaten, and that chocolate was bitter and only used as medicine. This would be great to use with a unit study of Elizabethan England.

The forth book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America. The illustrations of this book are by Sarah Wright and they are cartoon drawings of people and things. It has 61 pages and a special section on People Who Influenced the Colonies on the Entire Eastern Seaboard. This focused on life as a Puritan starting in London England and moving to the American Colonies in New England in 1620. We thought it interesting to learn that 32 children made the trip over on the Mayflower to settle the country with their parents, Native Americans taught the colonists how to plant corn with dead fish so it fertilized the ground, and the colonists built homes out of timber, reeds, wattle and daub. This would be great to use with a unit study of Colonial America, Puritans, or Thanksgiving.

The If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series is a wonderful supplement for history lessons in homeschool. These are great to be used with unit studies and wonderful even just by themselves.  My children loved reading these and learning so much more about these times and civilizations. I love how these cultural books teach a huge amount of children's history because they are through the eyes of a child. They are great for children's education!

BUY IT
You can purchase the If You Were Me and Lived in... series: Ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, Colonial America, Ancient China: The Han Dynasty, The Middle Ages, The American West, Viking Europe on Amazon for about $14.99-$20 per book.

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Costume SuperCenter Renaissance Court Lady Costume Review

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I have always loved dressing up. Even as I get older I love cosplay (costume play). It is still fun to role-play. I always loved acting and was in a number of school plays (some musicals) as a child. I love the theater and used to go see plays all the time when I was in college. I miss it, but with small kids It is difficult to go see them. The next best thing to going to the theater and seeing others acting is dressing up and going to fairs or conventions where others are also dressed up too.

I love Renaissance fairs and it is so much fun to partake in the festivities while dressing up. Through Costume SuperCenter I got to pick out a costume for free to facilitate this review. I decided upon the Blue Velvet Court Lady / Renaissance Maiden Costume they had. I chose the size small/medium 2-8 (the smallest they had in women's sizes) because I am very petite.

This costume comes with a dress and headpiece. The gown is long and velvety. The bodice part of the gown has gold metallic printed swirls on blue velvet with a scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim. This same gold metallic printed swirl pattern accents the long bell sleeves at the wrist and just below the elbow. The sleeves are also puffed above the elbow. The waistline is embellished with the same scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim that you can tie around the back. The circlet headpiece is made of the same blue velvet fabric and gold trim as the gown with a sheer black veil on the back of it.

This costume is modeled after clothing ladies of the Royal Court wore. A person of the Royal Court was a personal assistant who tended to the needs of kings, princes, queens, princesses or high ranking noble-person. The Ladies of the Court would attend to the needs of a queen, princess, or high ranking noblewoman.

This costume is very comfortable to wear and easy to get on. I love the soft velvety material. The bodice is not scratchy like most costumes I have tried. The sleeves do hang down and sometimes get in the way of things. Since I am short in stature the skirt of the dress is very long and for me it hits the ground with a little fabric to spare, so while walking I will have to hike my skirt up so it won't drag on the ground. I don't want to trip over it or get it dirty, so maybe I will hem it instead. For washing this costume has to be hand washed separately in cold water. It also says to use only non-chlorine bleach when needed, line dry, and do not iron. Some if the seams of this weren't properly sewn so there are places where this costume has the fabric poking through the seam where it shouldn't be. I had to also clip strings that were hanging so they wouldn't snag. If you look closely at the third picture of me on this post you can see this under my arm on the bodice seam. I am not sure how comfortable this will be to wear in heat as it is 100% polyester and the fabric might not breathe well, but I am willing to try it out during summer months as well. I love that the bodice is very modest and isn't too showy. I love the embellishments and gold swirls. The circlet is cute and fits nicely on the top of my head.

All in all this Renaissance Costume is great if you need something for Renaissance fairs, Halloween, or a theatrical performance.

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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.

Costume Discounters Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume Review

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I admit that I still haven't seen the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. It is on my list of ones I want to see eventually. However, when I saw the Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume at Costume Discounters I had to have it. For one thing the costume is modest, great for autumn weather, and very fierce looking. I love that it comes with everything minus the sword and shield. The costume is fairly complete and comes with: tunic, chest piece, shoulder piece, gauntlets, shin guards, and pants w/ attached skirt and boot tops.

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume with homemade sword and shield.

My son, Jaedan, made this shield and sword in Boyscouts. It looked the part so I had to borrow it for the photo shoot. When I suited up I felt like I was prepared to overthrow the evil queen and go to battle :)

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume: closeup of the tunic top.

I love that the tunic top looks like protective chainmaille from afar. The gauntlets and chest and shoulder pieces are made of a soft foam material that has a shiny silver covering. I loved how the costume looked on me, but I probably should have picked the tween size because of my petite build instead of the adult woman size because it was a bit baggy in places around the pants. It is not that flattering from the back, either. Also, the Velcro likes to attach to the fabric and pull it. Still it is a great costume for a Renaissance fair or Halloween!

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.

Anytime Costumes Renaissance Lady In Waiting Costume Review

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I have always loved dressing up. Even as I get older I love cosplay (costume play). It is still fun to role-play. I always loved acting and was in a number of school plays (some musicals) as a child. I love the theater and used to go see plays all the time when I was in college. I miss it, but with small kids It is difficult to go see them. The next best thing to going to the theater and seeing others acting is dressing up and going to fairs or conventions where others are also dressed up too.

I love Renaissance fairs and although I never had a costume up until now, it was still fun to partake in the festivities. Through Anytime Costumes I got to pick out a costume for free to facilitate this review. I decided upon the Lady In Waiting Costume they had. I chose the size small (the smallest size they had) because I am very petite.

This costume comes with a dress and crown. The dress is long and layered. The moss green fabric of the bodice and sleeves feature a gold inlay of diamond shapes that is embellished with an ivory, green and gold decorated ribbon trimming the square sweetheart neckline and the waistline. The outer sleeves are royal purple and puffy at the shoulders and drop into hanging sleeves. They open up to inner long sleeves that are in the same moss green and gold patterned fabric as the bodice. The outer skirt is of the royal purple fabric and is cinched up with two gold colored ribbons on either side. There is a faux underskirt that is moss green and reaches down to your feet. The costume is topped off by a faux gold crown bejeweled with faux yellow gems. This costume is modeled after clothing ladies in waiting wore. A lady in waiting is a female personal assistant who tends to the needs of queens, princesses or noblewomen. They did things like secretarial tasks, embroidering, painting, horse riding, making music, and taking care of clothing.

When this costume came in the mail and I opened it up I was surprised at the crown that came with it. It is absolutely my favorite part of the costume. It looks very authentic from the front, but is held on by a black stretchy band in the back. The crown is made from some sort of rubber painted gold and molded with the shape. The faux yellow jewels really set it off. I love the radiance it gives. It reminds me of the sun's rays.

The dress was well built and I love the decorated ribbon and attention to detail in the front. However; it, like the crown, was not especially flattering from the back. When I tried it on at first I had to adjust it slightly so I wouldn't have a huge wardrobe malfunction. Even the small size I was swimming in. The skirt falls well past my feet and the bodice is not well suited for small chested women like me. I filled it out everywhere but there. I will probably take it in and up later. Even though I had to adjust the costume the pictures turned out great while I was wearing it.

All in all this costume is wonderful if you need something for Renaissance fairs, Halloween, or a theatrical performance.

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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.

Wholesale Halloween Costumes Gothic Princess Costume Review

I cannot believe that fall is around the corner and I have been in search for the perfect costumes for Halloween and other occasions. My daughter Teela wanted to get a renaissance costume to wear for renaissance faires that happen this time of year also. I was offered an opportunity to review a vampire costume and lo and behold there was a great renaissance costume in their selection. You can find all kinds of neat Wholesale vampire Halloween Costumes at the Wholesale Halloween Costumes website. They also have a wide selection of other cool costumes as well.

We got the Gothic Princess Kids Costume to review. When I received the costume and tried it on Teela, however; it was too big for her and she had a bunch of growing room even though it says it is a size small which is apparently a size 4-6. She is normally in size 5 clothes so I thought it might fit her. It goes way past her feet though and I was afraid she would trip on it. So I will save it for next year for her. She did look super cute

You always see really neat costuming in vamp movies. The costume we got for Teela is unique in that it is not too lacy or frilly and isn't all pastels. It is a neat darker color of purple and burgundy. It has awesome sleeves that hang down and comes with a cute headdress with drape. Although the headdress loves to slide down past her eyes. The burgundy red part of the dress is velvety material and the bodice is cinched up with a drawstring. All in all a very cute costume I just wish it fit her better right now.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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 review.

Canterbury Renaissance Faire

We went to the Canterbury Renaissance Faire on July 21, 2012. It is held in Silverton, Oregon on July 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, 2012. This was their 4th annual faire. Silverton is by Salem, Oregon and about 2 hours from where I live in Rainier, Oregon. It is only an hour from Portland, Oregon. The Canterbury Renaissance Faire is wonderful because it is nestled in shady trees so it doesn't get too hot while your looking at other peoples' wares. We spent our day from 2pm til 5pm there.

I was wearing my pair of Elf Ear Wraps, my braided hair wreath and a semi renaissance looking shirt. I was looking for a cape or cloak, but never really ran across any while I was there this year. I was also looking for a lace up corset bustier. None really caught my fancy.

While we were there my youngest daughter, Zari, picked up a wooden sword. She looked so darling in her butterfly dress holding a sword we had to buy it for her. She is apparently growing into her name (Zari meaning princess goddess and her middle name Katana meaning slender or samurai sword). See the bottom left picture of her...that is her fighting face, LOL!

In Faerie Glen a juggler taught the boys some new tricks and my oldest son posed with his bow and some very odd arrows ;) Fairy Princess Lolly also read a story to my girls.

We went around the corner and who do I happen to see? Foxgloves PDX! I knew I was missing an element to my costume. I should have been wearing my Maroon Gold Knit Foxgloves. Ami posed with us and Teela tried on some maroon velvet/silver butterfly ones that I had fallen in love with on her website and out of generosity she just gave them to us! I love the picture my husband took of Teela getting the gloves on. Teela adored them and later wanted to pose with part of my son, Jaedan's knight costume that he brought.

We bought the boys an exquisite custom hand-beaded dragon from Secret Dragon Collectibles. My boys selected the only one left with glow-in-the-dark beads. The one they picked had blue iris, bright green and glow-in-the-dark beads. They told my boys that the dragons wings could be changed for different colors so they chose blue, apple green and red ones to go with the colors of the beads. They also got to pick out a treasure that the dragon would hold. They picked out a large red plastic gem stone and the lady sewed it in the dragon's claws. She then attached a thread from the top so we could hang him. Each dragon comes with a name card with information and insurance in case something needed fixing. They make them very customized so each is very unique and made just for the individual. She also makes beaded mermaids, fairies, pixies, butterflies and dragonflies. All were very beautiful!

Then we went to see the joust, but because it was not very shaded by trees it was very hot there and the horses were kicking up dust so I got a few pictures and then we decided it was time to head home to rescue our dog from being home alone. We had a great time while we were at the Canterbury Renaissance Faire and will definitely be back next year.

Wordless Wednesday Canterbury Renaissance Fair July 26th

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