I have some confessions to make: I love crock pots, but I don't use mine (I have 3) nearly enough. Secondly, I am terrible at getting real meals on the table in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This year is going to be different. I have 2 fabulous crock pot cookbooks to keep our bellies full for the entire holiday season AND I am going to giveaway a bundle that includes a beautiful pdf of each cookbook thanks to the generosity of author and friend Stacy at Stacy Makes Cents...so now your bellies can be full of yummy goodness too!
Keep Crockin': A Poorganic Slow Cooker Cookbook is her newest release, just published on November 25. (Read what it means to be poorganic.) I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this book several weeks ago and I have tried several of the recipes....and liked them all so far.
This book contains 55 new recipes with easy to follow instructions and Stacy's witty quotes throughout. The book is entertaining, the pages are beautiful and the recipes are delicious. You can't ask for much more in a cookbook.
She has released the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and it is seriously easy and yummy. I made this last week (using chicken breasts) and I will definitely be putting this on my December menu!
Italian Casserole- Fabulous...really, really liked this
Chicken Tikka Masala-Super Delish. I served mine over cauli-rice. Kids had regular rice.
Sweet Bacon Green Beans- sweet and bacon? Need I say more?
and the recipe I tested for the book-Almond Flour Brownies
Here is what I said about this recipe:
"Moist, delicious and gobbled up in no time. My family loved these and I love having the option of making brownies in the crockpot. Highly recommend you make these today!"
Did you even know you could make brownies in a crockpot? I had no idea...and these are great!
I recently had the privilege of reading Dear Wife: Letters from a Help Meet by Misty Leask. I first met Misty when she was a teenager and we were attending the same church. It is a blessing to see her as a mature woman of faith.
In this short e-book there are chapters that speak to different issues we as wives may be struggling with.
Chapters include:
Dear Wife Who Feels Alone
Dear Wife Who Feels Unloved
Dear Wife Who Feels Unwanted
Dear Wife Who Feels Unattractive
Dear Wife Who Feels Overwhelmed
Dear Wife Who Feels Unmotivated
Dear Wife Who Lives Worried
Dear Wife Who Lives Exhausted
Dear Wife Who is Depressed
Dear Wife Who is Stressed
Dear Wife Who is Angry
Dear Wife Who Feels Unloving
Through each chapter, Misty shares Biblical wisdom in short chapters that are easy to manage yet give Biblical food for thought at the same time. Each chapter ends with a heartfelt prayer to help you. This book could easily be used for daily devotions or just to help get you through a difficult spot in your marriage with any of the issues mentioned in each chapter. I am sure you will be blessed as I was.
Read what others thought about Misty's book on her link-up.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book for the purposes of reviewing it. I received no compensation and was not asked to write a positive review.
There was a time in our homeschool when we had a daily "table time". We'd pray together, take turns reading the Bible and various other activities. When I heard about Kendra Fletcher's (of Preschoolers and Peace) e-book Circle Time, I knew I wanted to read it and start planning something like this for the fall.
This is a 33 page pdf e-book which can easily be read on your computer (or send it to an e-reader like I did).
With a name like Circle Time from the author of a blog called Preschoolers and Peace this might seem like it is geared toward families with young children. Not so! This is for any family that wants to spend purposeful time learning together.
This e-book is not cluttered with fluff. It gets right to the point so you can read it and begin implementing Circle Time in your family right away.
This is what is included:
Planning a Circle Time That Works for You
Strategies for a Peaceful Time Together
How to Get Your Kids on Board
Questions From Moms Like You
Words of Wisdom From Other Moms Who Do Circle Time
Resources, Activities, and Ideas
Printable Planner Sheets
Circle Time is just $4.99. She also has a wonderful page of resources to use in your circle time that can be purchased from outside sources.
I am so excited about using these ideas in our homeschool this year. I have ordered some of the things she had suggested that I'd never heard of and I've made lists of things we already have here that we can use for our circle time. From flashcards to read alouds, Bible stories, music and geography...so much we can do together that I hadn't been able to figure out how to fit in.
I recommend you check it out!
I didn't write this review for the Schoolhouse Review Crew, but they also reviewed it and you can read more reviews on the blog.
I was recently sent a copy of Couponing Made Simple from Christi the Coupon Coach to review. There was a time when I had learned a bit about couponing and would take the time to clip them and match the ads, but with multiple pregnancies, morning sickness, nursing babies etc. I lacked the time and energy for such endeavors. Over the years, I stopped cutting coupons and even stopped looking through the ones that came in the mail depositing them directly in the recycling bin. (Prior to that I was cutting them out and forgetting to take them to the store OR I would take them to the store and forget to use them!)
This 130 page paperback has 10 Chapters:
1. Success Stories- This is just that. Pictures and descriptions of awesome couponing success stories.
2. A New Way to Shop- In this chapter you will learn the 2 key rules of couponing (buy on sale and stack coupons) and exactly what that means. 3. The Language of Couponing- If you are going to be a couponer you need to know the lingo...blinkies, peelies, BOGOs etc. Everything you need to know is in this chapter.
4. Organization System- Learn how to organize your coupons at home and for going to the store.
5. Step-by-Step Process- This is the meat of the program. This is where you learn exactly what you need to do to make the most of your coupons. There is an 8 step process with detailed descriptions for each step.
6. Tips & Tools- Here you will learn about other ways to save money when shopping. Rainchecks, unadvertised deals, craft stores, department stores and many more are covered.
7. Couponing Ethics- I love that Christi covered this in the book. This book is about saving money the honest way and as a Christian I appreciate that.
8. Networking & Communicating- Here you will find other ways to find deals.
9. Bonus Section- This section covers yard sales and thrift stores.
10. Beyond Couponing- This is a presentation of the gospel.
I enjoyed reading Couponing Made Simpleand would recommend it to anyone that is interested in really learning about "extreme" couponing and ways to save money. The subtitle of the book is Simple Steps to Successful Couponing. I would agree that she breaks it down into a simple system for couponing, but I still find it extremely time consuming and at this stage in my life I do not want to invest time into this.
The least expensive Sunday paper I can find is $1.50. The author recommends purchasing a minimum of 2 Sunday papers and to get one for each member of your family, rounding up if it is an odd number. So for us that would mean purchasing 12 newspapers with a minimum cost of $18. This also requires driving 15 miles to get the papers on a Sunday afternoon. I could obtain the papers for $1.75 each with less of a drive (and/or buy less papers). This particular paper has only had 1 book of coupons in the time I have been buying them. The bigger city newspaper has more coupons but it costs $3.50 just for one paper!
Since I really wanted to give this a go but I didn't want to invest any more money than I needed to, I only bought 1 paper each week (after the first week when I bought 2 different ones). I found a handful of coupons worth using and I have those set aside in a paperclip that I take with me when I go to the store. In the book, she teaches you a very nice system for organizing all of your coupons. I just don't have that many that I want to use. I eat mainly whole foods and I don't use cosmetics so I think this is why I feel very limited with the number of coupons that I find that are usable for me. For most part, I really don't purchase about 90% or more of the things I have seen coupons for and for me it is not worth the effort to search out coupons and deals. I also mainly shop at Walmart where they don't have buy one get one free deals or double coupons. I don't have the time to drive around to various stores to pick up items here and there. I feel that my time is valuable too.
The newspaper isn't the only place you can get coupons. She also gives you helps for finding coupons in places other than your Sunday newspaper. I didn't realize how many online coupons are available. I like this option much better as it is available to me in my home already AND I don't have to go buy newspapers. This is probably the most helpful thing I learned from this review.
So while couponing isn't for ME, I know that many people would enjoy this and like to find deals. If you are one of these people then I highly recommend this book to you. You will learn everything you need to to start saving money right away. I believe the author has a heart for helping people save money and I really appreciate that. This would also make a great project for your teenagers. One suggestion is to use your extra coupons to bless others. This would also be a nice service project for a young person in your home.
Though I will never be a die hard couponer, I am glad to have read this book. I am now more on the lookout for coupons I CAN use and some websites I can check from time to time.
See Christi the Coupon coach talking about couponing:
This is the second time Progeny Press has supplied me with a study guide to review. This year we got The Hobbit. Katie, my 10th grader, has been working on this. She is a lover of all things Lord of the Rings so this was a perfect study for her.
While you can order the study guide in a printed format or on CD we received the instant download version which is what I will be referring to.
The Hobbit study guide is a 62 page interactive pdf. It also comes with an 8 page answer key, also on pdf. Each study guide can be counted for a 1/4 credit for a high school student. Students are able to type in answers or click for multiple choice questions.
Katie does her study each day on her computer and at the end of the week she e-mails it to me for correcting. I love that we can do that electronically AND that we have the option to print the study and do it that way as well if we want to. I find it easier to correct and go over with her by printing it so that is what I've done.
The suggested pace of this study is 1 section per week, but Katie has been completing more than this (because she wanted to). It should take a typical student about 8-10 weeks to complete any of the high school studies. This seems like a good pace to me.
The guide begins with a how to use section for the teacher/parent, a synopsis of the story, a page about the author and pre-reading ideas including some map work, nature study and a music project.
Next is the actual study guide which covers a lot of vocabulary along with parts of speech and literary topics such as characterization, metaphors, epithets, similes, setting, synonyms, antonyms, parallelism, irony and more. Next you will find Questions about the Story, a Thinking About It section where various topics are explored and finally the last section in each chapter is called Digging Deeper; This section covers biblical principles relating the story to real life.
Here is a screen shot clip of a vocab/parts of speech question:
Not all of the vocabulary in the study is multiple choice. This is just one example.
And a clip of one of the Dig Deeper questions:
One of the really neat things about a pdf study guide is that I can make comments on Katie's work and e-mail it back to her. It really makes doing this completely on the computer not only possible but kind of fun too. (Of course I am not doing it this way, but I like that I could.)
Here is a screen shot of a sample comment:
You will also find projects and writing projects to be completed at the end of the study (and some within the study as well) and a list of additional resources (books and videos) that could be used. An 8-page answer key also comes with the study. I like how they condense the answer key down to just a few pages so I don't have to use a lot of ink and paper printing it (I could just use it on the screen, but again, I prefer to have it on paper in front of me.)
I like how so many different things are combined into one study. Literary analysis, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and Biblical instruction all rolled into one convenient, affordable download. I also like the variety of multiple choice, fill in the blanks AND lots of questions that require thought and writing out (or typing as the case may be) the answers.
I also love that we will be able to use these for years to come with other children, making Progeny Press study guides perfect for large families like mine. As mentioned in my previous review of 2 other Progeny Press Study Guides, we plan to use more of these in the future.
$21.99 Printed Booklet
$18.99 CD
$18.99 Instant Download
Progeny Press has study guides for many titles for all ages. Each guide concentrates on critical thinking, comprehension, literary analysis, and Christian application. Visit the FAQ page if you have questions (or feel free to ask in the comments and I'll answer if I can!) You read more about Progeny Press, its founders and their mission and faith statements as well.
Read what others are saying about Progeny Press on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. I am looking forward to reading the reviews of the other titles crew members are doing.
Several weeks ago we received a set of Sugar Creek Gang CDs from Beloved Books. These audio books on CD have been a huge hit around here. Each story runs about 2 hours (on 2 CDs) These Christian adventure stories written by Paul Hutchens (beginning in 1939) and narrated by Paul Ramseyer. There are 36-books available in the audio series. (6 volumes of 6 stories each)
My 18 year old daughter loved reading these books growing up, so I figured that the other kids would likely enjoy listening to these stories. I was correct!
These stories are appropriate for the entire family and are definitively Christian. The gospel is plain and the stories teach character and morals while entertaining. We went on a recent trip and spent 4 hours in the car, during which time, the kids were all silent listening to the stories. Since we started listening to them, the kids (aged 7-almost 13) want to hear them every night when they go to bed. We usually have CD's playing in two different bedrooms.
This volume of CDs we received contains the following stories:
The Swamp Robber
The Killer Bear
The Winter Rescue
The Lost Campers
Chicago Adventure
The Secret Hideout
Stories are told from the viewpoint of Bill Collins, a grown man looking back to his adventures as a youth with his friends in the Sugar Creek Gang. The "gang" is a group of neighborhood friends with interesting names like Circus and Poetry. They have all kinds of adventures and have opportunities to put their faith in action.
Purchase any of the 6 volumes of the Sugar Creek Gang on CD for $54.95 (shipping is free on Volume 1) or save $50 and get them all for $279.70. Give it a try by purchasing a The Swamp Robber 2 CD set (one full story) for $4.95 (includes shipping).
I also have a coupon code to offer for 20% off any order! Use code FRUITOFHANDS-20.
Visit Beloved Books for other wholesome CDs including KJV Scripture Memory Songs, Biblical History Songs, Little Britches and their latest addition, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. They have other CD, mp3 and cassettes as well. I don't know about you, but I am starting to think about Christmas and the kids have already asked, "Are there more of these stories?" These will be going on the Christmas wish list.
Earlier this year, I reviewed KinderBach and I have been given another opportunity to review it. KinderBach at Home is a wonderful music curriculum for 3-7 year olds that teaches them music through playing the piano (or keyboard). The last time we reviewed this Ellie (4) just loved it and she never stopped talking about it even when we no longer had a subscription. We are very excited to be able to have a new subscription!
KinderBach does not color, sticker or number keys or turn the keyboard sideways. It teaches the children where the notes are using ANY piano or keyboard. One of the first concepts the children are introduced to is that the piano has groups of 2 black keys and 3 black keys. They learn to identify the 2 black keys with a cute story about a donkey named Dodi that lives in a house built over the two black keys. There is video instruction, worksheets and even cards that the kids (or adult) can color and laminate to put on the keyboard as shown here:
Ellie placing the cards
a close up of the cards
Children are also simultaneously taught rhythm, dynamics, and tone. Everything is taught using cute stories, songs, games and fun worksheets. One of the early worksheets, has an apple tree with apples in the tree and on the ground. When children hear a low sound (in the video or a parent can do the sounds) they color an apple on the ground. When they hear a high sound they color an apple in the tree. There are similar activities with loud and soft sounds.
The kids coloring the apples.
As they meet each piano pal they learn more about the keyboard and progress to playing real songs in a pretty short time using special notation. Eventually, they progress to reading music. You can read more about each piano pal here.
Here is a short video sample of one of the lessons.
All of my younger children LOVE KinderBach. Sometimes we watch more than one lesson in a day (most of the time) and they are free to watch them as often as they like. KinderBach currently has 6 levels. Each level has 10 weeks of lessons. Each week has 4 lessons. By the end of level 5 students will be reading music. This is a wonderful way to bring music education to younger students.
Each level looks like the picture above. You just click on the appropriate circle to access your lesson. Lessons are the perfect length for little ones (short!) At the bottom of the screen there is a link to the pdf workbook that goes along with all of the lessons from the level you are on. This is very handy if you want to print out the whole book at one time. You can also access worksheets one at a time in the actual lessons. Note that the first 2 weeks of Level 1 are free.
I can't speak highly enough about how much the kids enjoy this. I can't think of anything negative to say about it. If you have young children, you should definitely give it a try. It's cute, it's fun and educational. Who could ask for more?
I'm also happy to offer a coupon code to my readers for 30% off any order - homeschool, classroom, online or DVDs.
Coupon Code: TOS_crew2012 Expires: 12/31/2012
Creator and "star" of the show, Karri Gregor
The crew is also reviewing the new KinderBach app for iPad and iPod that normally sells for $26.99 but is going to be on sale 50% off next Friday (October 19). I plan to get it. We already have the free Simply Discover Piano FREE app (gives you the first lessons and then you can purchase future lessons in app.) The kids really love it.
Like KinderBach on Facebook to be sure not to miss out on any specials.
disclaimer: I received a 6-month subscription to KinderBachin exchange for an honest review. (I also received free downloads of 2 of the pdf coloring books.)
Zoo Whiz is an online, educational game website for 5-15 year olds. We were given accounts for 5 for my children aged 4, 7, 9, 11 (with special needs) and 12. The ZooWhiz educational content is drawn from a bank of over 17,000 learning activities. There’s comprehensive coverage of math, punctuation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, word skills, phonics, and reading.
Students earn coins playing educational games that they can then use to play games in the arcade or use to "buy" animals for their zoo. There are two levels of membership: free and premium. With a Premium account children can spend an unlimited amount of time on ZooWhiz and there are more animals available for "purchase" that they cannot get with a free account.
a screen shot of the main screen where players choose to "learn & earn,
There are 3 different areas in the Learn and Earn section - Reading, Words and Math. Students click on the Learn and Earn house which takes them to a screen where they can choose which area they would like to work on.
The Reading section provides an introduction to letters, phonics, and spelling. Sound – letter correspondences are systematically introduced for all 44 phonemes. Writing and word skills are expanded and developed by covering spelling, grammar, punctuation and more.
To help students learn to read, integrated speech is used in the first 4 ZooWhiz Reading modules. Each activity uses spoken instructions, audio reinforcements and corrections.
screen shot of an activity in the reading section
The Words section covers all essential word skills and concepts including: letter tracking, matching, sorting and recognition, preparatory skills for very young readers and spellers, spelling patterns and rules, phonics, prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, homographs, homonyms, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, regular and irregular verbs, word origins including idioms, clichés, metaphors, similes, etc, punctuation and grammar.
screen shot of an activity in the Words section
The Math section covers all essential maths skills and concepts including: numeration, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, chance, patterns, Algebra, data, graphs, measurement, shape, space, and geometry.
screen shot of a math problem
Parents have the ability to set the "age floor" so your child can work at a level that is appropriate for them. This way your children can't be earning coins for doing work that is beneath their level (or you can drop it down so they have the ability to earn more coins if you like.)
Parents can select the age level for each section with the pull down menu.
Now for the part the kids love the most. The Zoo and the Arcade. Students can collect animals for their zoo. (There really isn't a zoo but they can see a list of all the animals that they "own".) This can be motivating for students that love animals. It's also an opportunity to learn about the animals.
a screenshot of Emma's Zoo
Once a student has an animal in their zoo they can learn all about it. Each tab reveals different information including habitat, diet, threats and detailed info.
Students can also spend the coins they earned in the arcade. Games include a cupcake making game, shooting soccer goals, a tetris like game and much more (typical arcade games).
What we like:
ZooWhiz is a fun way for kids to learn math and English topics. The topics really are very broad. It's also a good way for them to be exposed to animals and learn about them. I allow my children to play on it frequently. They seem to enjoy it.
Parents can log into the children's accounts and see exactly what they have been working on. I always like to see what progress is being made and what they are accomplishing (and areas that may need attention.)
Parents can click on the individual smiley faces to see more details.
What we don't like:
The biggest problem with Zoo Whiz for younger children is that it does not give audible directions in the math or word sections Children are expected to read them, which is not possible for those that can't yet read. I don't have time to sit and read directions for online learning games.
My 12 year old son felt that the animals "cost too much" and he was not motivated enough to want to continue playing. The younger children did not have this issue though.
Pages are slow loading and it takes several steps to log in to the website, making it difficult for younger children to do it by themselves.
One thing to note is that ZooWhiz is Australian so the speakers do have an accent. Not a problem for us, but something I thought was worth mentioning.
a comparison of the free vs. premium accounts
Purchase a 1 year Premium subscription to Zoo Whiz for $14.95. (a 75% off offer) Check it out by signing up for a free account. You have nothing to lose by signing up since it is free. Children can play for a limited amount of time each day with a free account. They also offer a 14 day money back guarantee for Premium accounts.
Directions for use: Shake Well! Spray on face and neck after cleansing to restore proper pH balance, close pores, and ready skin for moisturizing. Peppermint and Lavender essential oils leave your skin feeling fresh and cool while pure organic Aloe Vera hydrates and soothes dry skin naturally. Excellent for all skin types. Specially formulated to bring cool relief to sunburned skin.
Good for cooling sunburns, cleansing wounds and uplifting your countenance.
With its captivating fragrance, Lavender has sedative and deep relaxing qualities, as well as being renowned for helping all manner of skin irritations. Cool and tingly on your skin, Peppermint essential oil is an incredible aid for acne, dermatitis, fever, headaches, and mental strain.
I have been spraying this on my face each day after my shower. I really like the light lavender fragrance and the cooling feel to it. I feel like it adds a certain amount of moisture to my face before I apply my moisturizer. (I never had a sunburn to try it on so I can't say how it would feel on a sunburn. However, since it does have that cooling effect I think it would feel good on sunburn.)
Hair Shine can be used on wet or dry hair of all types—long or short, thick, thin, curly, or straight—to add body and softness while taming frizz. Great for after shower and/or swimming. You can even use it as a body spray.
Hair Shine also helps:
• Sunburn. If you or your little ones got more sun than you planned, spray on cooling Hair Shine. The aloe and lavender cool burns and protect from infection. Like aloe, lavender is known for its use on burns, so putting the two together makes Hair Shine a cooling, healthy alternative to standard sunburn sprays. You won’t have to worry about chemicals with unpronounceable names soaking into your skin. But do not use Hair Shine before you hit the sun—the sweet orange essential oil may actually increase photosensitivity in some people.
• Insect Bites. Lessen the itch and protect against infection and scarring—from mosquitos to ticks—with a squirt of Hair Shine on the bites.
Watch this short video about how to use Hair Shine.
For a few weeks I used Hair Shine daily on my hair. I had medium long, straight, fine hair. Prior to using Hair Shine I always had to use conditioner, but only to help detangle my hair. I replaced my conditioner with the Hair Shine and was very happy with the results. I recently got my hair cut really short so I no longer need it for my hair. However, I do use it as a detangler on my daughters' hair. The two youngest girls have curly hair and it can become very difficult to comb through. I like how the Hair Shine is light and sprays on in a mist. (My 4 year old does not care for the scent. It definitely has a lavender scent so, be sure you like lavender.)
We've also used this with success on insect bites! It doesn't seem possible , but this works amazingly well on insect bites. My 3 year old kept complaining about a bug bite on the back of her leg. I sprayed it on and immediately she stopped complaining. I wasn't sure if it was just a placebo effect but my 15 year old has used it on her own bites and testifies that it really does work!
Both this spray and the toner are pump spray bottles. I did have a bit of trouble with one sprayer in that it usually sticks and I have to manually pull it up each time...but it still sprays so I'm not that concerned about it.
Vanilla Dream Body Butter Ingredients: Shea butter, Vanilla infused oils of Coconut, Olive, and Grape Seed, Grapefruit Seed Extract, essential oil of Ylang Ylang, vanilla plantifolia.
Vanilla Dream all-natural body butter has such a light vanilla scent that doesn't overpower you. The soothing oils leave skin looking radiant and feeling soft and silky smooth … great for damaged skin. Vanilla Dream Body Butter soaks in deep moisturizing and promotes repair of damaged tissue, restoring a healthy luster.
I absolutely LOVE the way this body butter feels on my skin. I mostly use it after shaving, but I am really looking forward to seeing how this will be on my skin during the winter when I have terribly dry skin. This is a thick body butter that gets all "melty" when you hold it in your hand. It smooths on nicely. I'd never used body butter before but this is a product that I am happy to have on hand.
Ingredients: Aqua (distilled water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe), Vitis Vinifera (Grapseed Oil), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax NF, Vegetable Glycerin USP, Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol (a safe and mild preservative blend which is free of Parabens and Formaldehyde)
Laveshmint is Beeyoutiful’s soothing new moisturizer that hydrates and nourishes with the power of pure Aloe Vera. It has the same PH level as distilled water and is perfect for daily use over your entire face and body. It is gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin. Aloe has been used for centuries to help repair dry and damaged skin, soothe burns, and relieve irritations. Grapeseed is a light oil which quickly disappears into the skin without leaving a greasy residue, while Coconut oil is known for its skin nourishing and softening qualities.
Laveshment is refreshingly scented with pure lavender and peppermint essential oils, creating a cool, tingly sensation on your skin. Lavender gently helps to repair damaged skin and relaxes the nerves, while peppermint leaves you feeling clean, uplifted, and invigorated. Laveshmint is best used after gently cleansing the face and neck and toning with Laveshmint hydrating toner. Although created as a facial moisturizer, Laveshmint feels great on any part of your body, especially tired feet! Just keep it away from eyes and mucous membranes, as peppermint can sting on these areas.
Note: Laveshmint contains preservatives. Read more about this here.
I love all of the products sent to me by Beeyoutiful, but this is by far my absolute favorite. I have been using this every day on my face. It is light and not greasy at all. I know when I've used other moisturizers I can feel them on my face and it bothers me. Once I put this on, I can't even tell that I have it on except that my skin feels soft.
I have been using this for about 6 weeks and it barely looks like I've used any. You really only need a tiny bit. It has a light lavender scent that I really like too.
Beeyoutiful carries a wide variety of healthy products. Earlier this year, I reviewed the Lip Balm and Tummy Tune Up. The crew is reviewing Berry Well, Miracle salve, Ow-Ease, Lip Balm and some of the Beeyoutiful make up products which you can see on the sister Beeyoutiful Skin Mineral Make Up website.
If you follow my blog or know me at all you know that I have spent the last 2 years (almost) losing over 80 lbs and am currently working on getting into shape (and still losing more weight). I was so excited to have the opportunity to use Family Time Fitness with my family. We received the Fitness 4 Homeschool Core 1 Curriculum for K-8.
The Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum allows homeschool parents to teach physical education without previous knowledge of physical education and athletic development. Our program, designed by experts in fitness training, nutrition and body movement, is designed to suit every age and ability level while affordably fitting into your budget. Our program combines flexibility and fun with a comprehensive curriculum to give your children a foundation for strong bodies and minds. -from website
If you are like me, you probably think that physical activity is enough for PE class. Family Time Fitness asserts that Physical Education (PE) is structured physical activity that develops an organized mind and body for students. Activities like one day co-op play, Wii Fit, Wii sport and individual sports are not considered physical education because they do not comprehensively teach and manage physical fitness in students. This program was started because of a lack of PE programs for homeschools.
I think we all know there are benefits to physical education. Here are a few that I find so important: Childhood obesity prevention (I have been obese for most of my adult life and some of my younger years- I do not want this for my kids!), Diabetes prevention (Diabetes is in my family. Again, this is not something I want my kids to have.), and weight management. Other benefits include improvement of gross motor skills, better self-confidence and increased energy and focus for academics. These are just a few of many that I chose to highlight.
Family Time Fitness should be used a minimum of three times per week but they strongly recommend using it five times a week. Each lesson takes 30-45 minutes to complete. I honestly have not figured a way to schedule that much PE into our week. We are fitting this in wherever we can. I put it on the kid's schedules every day but we don't always get to it.
The Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum includes a startup guide, PDF lesson plans, video demonstrations, assessment tools, reminder emails, lifetime curriculum and video updates, access to online webinars and certificates of completion. One curriculum purchase can be used for all your children, with no subscription or renewal fees. I have 6 children in 8th grade and below. For me this program works out to be less than $10 per child and I can continue to use this for the remainder of our homeschooling years. I think the price is very reasonable considering all that you get.
There are 260 lessons, printable charts for assessments, a grocery list, a nutrition log, meal planner and a daily food diary.
Here are the details:
Startup/Training Guide - The Startup Guide is a guide for parents and includes an introduction to physical education, information on what to expect from the program, safety information, how to integrate physical education into your curriculum, teaching tips and equipment information. Lesson Plans – Each of the 260 professionally planned lessons arrives in PDF format and includes a List of Supplies, Warm-Up, Activity, Cool Down and Suggested Outdoor Activity. Each exercise is described in a detailed, user-friendly format for easy access. Each lesson provides 30-45 Minutes of physical activity. If you do all the activites that is over 7800 Minutes of activity a year! If you do the suggested outdoor activity you get an additional 10-15 minutes of physical activity.
A clip of one lesson
1-Page Summaries– Each lesson has a One-Page Summary to facilitate easy printing and portability. The summaries keep you from printing all 900+ Pages of Lesson Plans.
A clip of a one page summary (same lesson as above)
Video Demonstrations – Each exercise includes a demonstration video with real kids doing the exercises. There are over 200 instructional video demonstrations available to you with this curriculum, and you are guaranteed lifetime access to these videos as we update them.
This is a sample of one of the video demonstrations.
Assessment Tools – They provide tools to help track progress of the basic fundamental movements. Other downloadable tools include nutritional logs and meal planners for a comprehensive fitness approach.
a clip of the meal planner
a clip of the nutrition log
Encouragement Emails – During the first year of your course, they send you reminder emails each week day to keep you and your children motivated on your fitness journey. They also always include nutritional and fitness tips in the emails.
Online Webinars – You have access to regular online webinars and webinar archive for further in-depth instruction and tips on the curriculum.
The 260 lesson plans utilize repetition, but they are also progressive and sequential. The program is designed for all age levels and abilities, and because they believe that the learning process is most valuable with family engagement, the lessons are designed so that the whole family can join in the lessons. View the Scope and Sequence.
One of the really unique aspects of this program is that all of the lessons can be done inside! Seeing that much of the year it is just too cold here to do PE outside, this will be a real blessing. I also love being able to put the lessons up on the computer and instruct the kids from there. I will be honest, I have not been participating with the kids. I have my own exercise plan, so I just direct the children as to what they should do. Sometimes I can just describe what they should do, other times I might watch the videos ahead of time so I can demonstrate it quickly or just show them the video so they can see what to do. Although this picture was taken outside, we mostly have been doing this in the house.
Doing a ball activity
You do need some equipment but it is very basic and you can improvise too. You will need playground balls (or other ball), jump ropes (either commercial or something you make yourself), bean bags (or a small ball or even a rolled up pair of socks), foam balls (or a beach ball), a stop watch (I use one on my iPod touch or laptop), measuring tape, cones (or something you already have to use as markers), and hula hoops. They also list an exercise mat as an optional item. We don't have one of these. I had to purchase hula hoops and I did buy a jump rope too. It was under $20 for everything I needed because we had everything else already.
The kids are having a lot of fun with this. We learned that some of our kids are really good at hula hooping. Emma's record is over 40 minutes. My record? Less than 4 seconds. I cannot hula hoop at all. I am extremely pleased with
Fitness 4 Homeschool Core 1 Curriculum . If you want to help your children or your whole family to be fit (or meet PE requirements in your homeschool), I highly recommend you give it a try.
