Lots and Lots of Penguins

Several weeks ago we received a DVD set Lots and Lots of Penguins by Marshall Publications. This set includes 2 full length DVDs and a bonus DVD with the animated song Party Like a Penguin. Marshall Publications has been in business since 2007 and has the goal of providing "lots and lots" of media fun for everyone through award-winning DVDs, Books, CDs, CD-roms, broadcast and internet programming that will amaze, amuse, entertain, and educate.

Last year, I was able to review Lots &  Lots of Firetrucks and George Washington Carver DVDs.  I was excited to get the chance to see Lots & Lots of Penguins.

The First DVD I received is:
LOTS and LOTS of PLAYFUL PENGUINS and their TOE-TAPPIN' HAPPY FEET

LENGTH: 75 MINUTES

From emperors and kings to fairies and rock hoppers, these cute and cuddly tuxedo look-a-like creatures are everybody favorite birds and you'll love watching them over and over again in this brand new DVD collection! It features award-winning musician, James Coffey and a fully animated penguin music video, Party Like A Penguin! This video features video footage of penguins in their natural and captive habitats. You will hear their calls and cries and learn interesting facts and trivia about all 17 kinds of penguins from around the world. Also, as a special bonus you'll see other cold-weather creatures like polar bears, seals, and wild birds, and youll also see rare views of the majestic scenery of Antarctica.

-adapted from the website description

This video is a lot of fun and features penguin video set to music alternating with a narrator (with a kind of annoying voice) giving facts about all of the different kinds of penguins.  I had no idea there were so many different kinds of penguins!  This also includes the fun animated music video, Party Like  a Penguin that my kids just adore.

SECOND DVD IS: LOTS and LOTS of Penguins In the WILD

LENGTH: 30 MINUTES

In this DVD you will see penguins up-close and personal in their natural habitats in the wilds of Antarctica, Australia and other scenic penguin areas in the Southern Hemisphere. See a bird's eye view of what its really like to be a penguin.  Professional cameramen go face-to-face to see what it's really like to be a penguin. You will see penguins nurturing their babies, feeding young, building nests and habitats, playing, swimming, hopping on rocks, waddling around more. You will hear singing, squawking and grunting of these incredible creatures and other animals that share their territories. There is no narration or music...just penguins in their natural habitat.

-adapted from the website description

This video did not hold the attention of my kids (not any of them).  The video is of penguins in the wild. There is no music or narration.  

The bonus DVD features the song Party Like a Penguin which is a lot of fun.  My kids really enjoy this.  The DVD just has the music video which they will play over and over and over.....

On the website, you will find an extensive list of penguin facts that you could use as a study guide or the basis for your own unit study of Penguins.

For us, this is the kind of video we will only watch once or twice, but I think it would make a wonderful addition to a unit study on Penguins (or any of the places where Penguins live etc.).  It would also be great for Penguin lovers of all ages.

Purchase Lots and Lots of Penguins for $19.95 (regularly $39.90) and free first class shipping by entering: TOS27 at checkout. They also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with any item you may return it within 60 days for a full refund or exchange (less the original shipping & handling charges). You may also call to order 1-888-300-3455 between 8am and 8 pm CST Monday-Saturday.

See what others are saying about Lots and Lots of Penguins on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Other videos being reviewed include: The History of the Oregon Trail & The Pony Express, The Historic Expedition of Lewis and Clark – We Proceed On!, and The History of America in the 1880′s – A Decade of Progress  Be sure to check out all of the videos that Marshall Publishing has to offer, from Monster Trucks, to Planes and Trains to Educational history videos.




disclaimer: I received Lots and Lots of Penguins in exchange for an honest review

Math 911

Math 911 software was developed by Professor Martin Weissman who has over 50 years of teaching experience. Professor Weissman's Math911 is a downloadable math program which has full courses in Introductory Algebra and Intermediate Algebra with lessons in College Algebra, Trig, Pre-Calculus and Statistics. There is also an option for Algebra on a flashdrive as well.

All problems are algorithmically generated. 

10 minute learning curve. 

Step by Step solutions. 

Only Free-form answers. 

Dynamic Grade reports on all screens. 

Needs no internet connection. 

Can be networked. 

Free Home Use For Teachers 

Free Upgrades 

Free Install on New PCs Purchase

Math 911 is a free download. You don't need to use a credit card or enter a code or anything.  You just download it and get started. The entire Algebra I course is FREE.  If you want to use this for more than one student you will need to upgrade to the Premier version.  At that time, you will need to enter codes that you get from e-mailing Math911.  It's easy enough to do, it just takes a few minutes.  Once you have it installed, you click on the Math911 icon on your desktop to begin. 

Once logged on, the student can choose the section and level they want to work on.  This is a screen shot of what they will see:

screen shot of the main screen

Below is a close up of one part of the main Intermediate Algebra screen.  This shows the sections of the program that have been completed (green) and in progress (red).

The white spots in the first chapter do not indicate sections that are not completed.
The sections just do not exist.  I would prefer that they be in a different color or not be there at all so that when you finish the chapter it actually looks like it is finished.

This is the close up of the lesson part of the main screen.  This chapter is completed.
This chart matches the one above with white boxes that indicate sections that do not exist.  

Once the student clicks on a section, algorithmically generated problems will appear:  The problem or equation is on the top bar (under the header) but the directions are in the large white box on the bottom of the page.  This can be frustrating and depending on what you're working on can tend to slow you down a bit.  The answers go in the box in the center of the page.

If the student doesn't know the answer they can click to get a new problem or click the green "see all steps" button to see the answer in the second white box in the green section.

Once they see the solution, they can continue to click on the "see all steps" button and the steps will come up one at a time.

Topics are arranged by chapter, section and levels. Within each level are all the types of problems that identify the concepts that your students must know in order to be successful in Algebra including Graphs and Word Problems.

As you can tell from the screenshots, the program is very basic in appearance and the graphics are a bit outdated looking.  So, if you're looking for something fancy with bells and whistles this isn't it.  As seen below in the disclaimer, the focus is on mathematics, not games.

Introductory Algebra has 11 chapters

Chapter 1 Pre-Algebra Review
Chapter 2 Variable Expressions
Chapter 3 Solving Equations
Chapter 4 Polynomials
Chapter 5 Factoring
Chapter 6 Rational Expressions
Chapter 7 Linear Equations in Two Variables
Chapter 8 Systems of Linear Equations
Chapter 9 Inequalities
Chapter 10 Radical Expressions
Chapter 11 Quadratic Equations

Intermediate Algebra also has 11 chapters

Chapter 1 Review of Real Numbers
Chapter 2 First Degree Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 3 Linear Functions and Inequalities
Chapter 4 Systems of Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 5 Polynomials
Chapter 6 Rational Expressions
Chapter 7 Exponents and Radicals
Chapter 8 Quadratic Equations
Chapter 9 Functions and Relations
Chapter 10 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Chapter 11 Conic Sections

Initially, I had some trouble getting Math 911 set up.  I contacted tech support and I have to say that the customer service is probably the best I've ever received.  E-mails were answered promptly and issues were dealt with accordingly.  I even received a follow up e-mail a few days later to see if everything was going OK.  Later we had some issues with run time errors and again tech support was excellent.  Just this week we started having run time errors again, but with the free upgrade on the website we got it running again.  Unfortunately, we have had a few more run time errors which I will be contacting tech support for.  I have no doubt that tech support will be able to help me.  I do think these problems could be my computer so don't let that stop you from trying this.  IT doesn't cause any computer issues.  It just doesn't run properly when I'm getting the errors.

My 15 year old, Kaitlyn has been using the Intermediate Algebra course. Unfortunately, she really doesn't like it.  However, she doesn't enjoy Algebra in general and she doesn't like doing math on the computer so, it's hard to say whether she doesn't like Math911 or just Algebra on the computer. I have also used it a bit on my own and find it frustrating to have the answer box in the middle of the page and I dislike having to mouse over to the new problem button.  It interrupts the flow of working and I feel that it slows me down. (Katie agrees.)

Math 911 states:
Math911 is for students who believe that Algebra must be a struggle, difficult and complicated. Math911 is the easiest and most economical solution for Algebra students. The Math911 approach is what learning Algebra should be: quick, fun, and easy. Math911 will let you absorb Algebra effortlessly.

Unfortunately, we didn't find this to be true.  Katie isn't having fun and doesn't find it easy.  Perhaps a self-motivated math loving student might have a different opinion, but our experience hasn't been effortless. One of the things we struggled with was that there really is no instruction or lesson.  Students are presented with problems.  If they don't know how to do a problem they can click on the "see solution" button for the answer and then for the step-by-step process for solving the problem.  However, for someone that doesn't understand the problem, just seeing the step by step without any explanation often isn't enough.   I have  had to spend a lot of time helping Katie with her Algebra.  I am comfortable with this because I majored in math in college.  I'm not sure I would know what to do without that background.

With a Mastery Learning approach your students are never graded for wrong answers, only correct responses; they work at problems until they ‘get it.’

I really do like this aspect of the program.  Problems are generated until the student masters the concept. In a few cases, we found that the program would not accept correct answers.  The answer provided did not match the solution in the step-by-step solution either.  This was a problem in that in order to complete the section the same problem would come up repeatedly.  Eventually, we started writing down the incorrect answer that was shown and just entering it the next time it came up.  Math 911 does regular updates to their software so I imagine that errors such as this are being corrected.

Overall, I would like to see the appearance of Math911 updated and some of the capabilities improved.  For instance, besides the things I've already mentioned, there is an onscreen calculator that students can use, but they have to close it before entering the answer in the box.  Also, once you complete a problem you have to mouse over to the "new problem" button instead of just hitting the enter button.

I think Math911 would be best for a self-motivated student that has a strong desire to learn Algebra. I also think it would make a great addition to an existing curriculum for lots of practice.

One final note is that you will find some really nice Algebra 1 pdf lessons which are free to download and a free Laugh with Math cartoon e-book you can download.  Both are well written, very instructive and entertaining.  I highly recommend you check them out. (You will find these in the left hand column by scrolling down.)

The Standard Version of Math911 is a free complete Algebra One Course and can be downloaded from the website. No credit card, rebate or coupon code is needed.

The Premier Version costs $49.95  The Premier Version includes Introductory and Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus topics, Trigonometry topics and and an Introductory Statistics course. Premier Version users will have free lifetime updates, free technical support as well as access to additional Mathematics Courses with separate grade reports for all family members.

How to activate with Activation Codes for Premier, Premier Password, Network Password:
Upon purchase ($49.95) you should:

1. Click on Register button and email the Registration Codes to mathprof@math911.com
2. Identify yourself as a homeschooler.
3. You will receive a reply email with ALL Activation Codes for all versions listed below:
a) Premier Version (one user, no password)
b) Premier Password (Multi-users with passwords)
c) Network Version (Multi-users with passwords)
4. Users can switch between versions by clicking the REGISTER button and entering the codes for the desired version.
5. Passwords are generated by the software.

I would encourage you to see what others are saying about Math 911 on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  I also would encourage you to download Math911 and give it a try.  It's free so you have nothing to lose and it might be just what you need in your homeschool.


disclaimer: I received Math 911 Premier version in exchange for an honest review.

Stick with it Saturday

Stick with it Saturday on Sunday.:)  I had a very busy day yesterday and didn't have time to post.  This has been a difficult week eating wise.  I really want to eat (and eat).  I'm still sticking to the program just feeling tired of it.  I am up a tiny bit from my lowest which is typical for me after a week with a big loss.  I know it will come off.  I just get discouraged....yet,, I press on.  I'm also having trouble getting my steps in every day.  My goal is 10,000 a day but with so much to do with homeschooling I am struggling to find the time to exercise and do everything that I need to.

I am still really loving my Jeff Galloway 10K app.  My next run is going to 5.68 miles.  I am really looking forward to it but a bit nervous too.  That is the furthest I've ever attempted to go.

My goal for the week is just to stick with the plan.  Pretty boring but it works. :)

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Spanish for Children-Speekee TV

Speekee TV is fun way for your children aged 2-10 to learn Spanish.  We've been using this for about the last 6 weeks.  The kids love it.  Speekee is the character you see below.  At first I thought Speekee was a bit creepy, but she grows on you. There are also two puppets, Dino and Lupi, the other characters are all real adults and children.  Some animation is included too.

Speekee utilizes the immersion method.  It is entirely in Spanish. There are captions in English and Spanish which is helpful to me since it's been over 25 years since I had Spanish in high school. The captions can be turned on and off with the click of a button.

Speekee is a 10 episode program that includes 40 weeks of lesson plans. The lessons are found on the website and can be sent to you each week by email.  Below is a clip of 3 different weeks of lessons.  By clicking on any of the daily lessons, it opens up to a full lesson plan page giving you full details of what you can do.  You will find ideas for activities, worksheets and flashcards to print.

clip of the lessons for each week

This is a clip of the actual lessons for week 5.
Links to the print outs that go along with the lessons are found in the margins.

Emma working on a worksheet about colors.

Watch this clip of one of the songs:




All of the songs are catchy and fun. I get them stuck in my head and I often hear the kids singing them.  The kids age 2, 4, 6, 9 and 10 all watch this just about every day.  I've been scheduling it in for every day.  The lesson plans are for a 4 day week.  We've mainly just been watching the videos and I try to speak Spanish to them every day (that I'm learning from the videos--ahem--re-learning from high school Spanish).  Even my 12 year old said he is learning more from Speekee than he is from the Spanish curriculum I have for him.  This is probably true because it is so much fun.

I have printed out flashcards (2 per sheet, I didn't want full size flashcards) and laminated them.  We haven't used them much though because most of the kids enjoying this either can't read yet or are just learning.  I do wish they had an English translation page for the teacher.  Without sitting down and watching the videos myself I don't know what everything on the cards mean.

A few of the printables

The children earn points from watching videos and there is a "mercado".  They can make a sock puppet avatar but I didn't tell the kids about it because there is only 1 sock puppet avatar and 5 kids using this.  I think you will understand why I didn't tell them.  I've tried it myself and I kind of don't get it.  I'm not really sure if you can do anything else with the points.  There is another screen that pops up with a picture of Speekee and blocks of color you can buy, which I have done BUT I don't know what I'm "paying" for really.

Each episode is between 16 and 20 minutes long.  There is a total of over 150 minutes of video.  The kids enjoy watching these over and over.

I had a tiny bit of trouble finding the lessons in the beginning. At the bottom of the video screens there is a link to FastTrack that contains all of the lessons.  Now that I know where to look there is no problem.  It's actually set up in a very easy to use format.  It's also great that they email you the plans for the week (only if you sign up).

Speekee, Dino and Lupi

I highly recommend Speekee.  It's not often that the kids enjoy learning this much.  You can try it free for 2 weeks and I recommend that you do!  We really, really love Speekee!!  I think this would be a great introduction to Spanish for any child under the age of about 12.  I probably wouldn't buy this for kids in the older category if I didn't have younger children as it really is geared toward the younger ones.  The older ones will enjoy it though.

Purchase Speekee TV for $7.50 a month or $60 for a full year.  The first two weeks are free and you may cancel at any time. They also have DVDs that can be purchased but they are not made in the US and may not work on your player.  More information about that can be found on the website.

See what others are saying about Speekee TV on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.




disclaimer: I received a 6 month subscription to Speekee TV in exchange for an honest review

Reading Kingdom

Reading Kingdom is a new reading and writing system developed by Dr. Marion Blank, a world renowned expert on literacy and the Director of the Light on Learning Institute at Columbia University. It uses a 6 skill model of reading instruction and incorporates elements of phonics and whole language while teaching additional skills required for reading and writing success without requiring kids to learn any complicated rules.

This is not your typical reading "game". It is completely educational, but feels like a game. There is no "arcade" so I feel confident in allowing my child to "play" on Reading Kingdom without feeling like she is wasting time. My 6 (almost 7 year old) Jenna has been using Reading Kingdom each day.  The lessons are short enough that she doesn't feel overwhelmed, but long enough that she is really learning.   I like how Reading Kingdom teaching sequencing, motor skills, sounds (phonics), meaning, grammar and comprehension.

A comparison chart showing Reading Kingdom versus the Phonics
 and Whole Language approaches to reading.

Here are a few screenshots with descriptions of the activities.

Early on the child has to match the word by only clicking on the letters in the word.

The child must click on the word that they hear.
They must read the whole word and not just guess based on the first 2 letters.

The student clicks on the box that could have the word spoken. In this example she had to click on the word that could be "eat".

In this exercise, the student must click on the word (in the box on the bottom)
and then type in the missing letters to make that word.

In this exercise, she had to type in the words as she heard them.  The first word must be capitalized.
The green bars are for a space or punctuation. If the child takes too long finding a letter a keyboard will pop up on the screen and highlight the key that needs to be typed next.

This is the screen at the end of a lesson.  The student can click on the red door and be done for the day, click on the green arrow to do another lesson or click on the pink arrow to go to review activities for previous lessons.

This is the main screen for the review.  The student can pick up to 3 words to review.  

You can see many more sample lessons with details on each.

At any time, I can log into Jenna's account and see exactly where she is and how she is doing.

To get started all you need is a computer and an internet connection. Then just sign up for a free trial, add a reader account (or more than one) and the Reading Kingdom program will take care of the rest. The program will briefly evaluate your child's skills and start him or her off at exactly the right level.

The length of time a child will need to complete the program varies depending on his or her skills. To complete the entire set of components takes about 12-15 months, assuming a child starts at the first level and completes four to five sessions a week. Many children, who already have some reading skills, can often complete the program in as few as 3-6 months. Children can also move through the program more quickly by doing more than 4 sessions per week.

You also need computer with a mouse, an internet connection, a web browser and free Flash player.  An adult is needed to supervise a child logging on and getting started in the beginning.  After the initial proces,s children can work on their own (adults are not supposed to help in any way.)

Children should be at least 4 years old, be able to sit quietly and pay attention for 15 minutes, and they should be able to use a mouse.

Visit the website for more details.  If you have an iPad you can find instructions for using Reading Kingdom on it. It does require that you purchase an app from another company so be sure to check that out if it's something that interests you.

I really like Reading Kingdom.  I can see how Jenna is progressing with her reading.  I also like how the writing skills are also incorporated.  Although Jenna is in level one she is learning to put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end.

Parents can change the amount of response time the child is allowed.  This is very helpful for children that aren't that fast on the keyboard or just need some extra time to respond. Included is a section for teaching the keyboard as well.  We did not use that.  One other thing to note is that the child (or parent) can opt to have a keyboard on the screen to click or use the physical keyboard.  I think this is a nice option.

The only thing that would prevent me from purchasing this in the future is the price.  It seems to be the going rate for online programs like this, but it's still a bit steep for me.


See what others are saying about Reading Kingdom on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

When you sign up for the Reading Kingdom, you receive a free 30 day trial . After that, subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month (with no monthly minimum), or $199.99 per year (20% off). Additional children in your account get 50% off ($9.99/month or $99.99/year). Subscriptions maybe be canceled at any time.

Reading Kingdom also sells books that go along with the lessons and other companion products.  I am considering buying the first book to see what they are like.



disclaimer: I received a one year subscription for one child to Reading Kingdom in exchange for an honest review

Everyday Family Chore System

Everyday Family Chore System is a household management system written by Vicki Bentley, a mom of 8.  I used to have a better handle on assigning chores to the children but somehow once baby number 10 rolled around we got stuck in a rut.  It was easier for me to just have the older kids do what they knew how to do and just try to get the rest of everything done myself. I was very excited to get this book to try to get things back on track! (The "baby" is almost 3!)

Includes the tried-and-true how-to-do-it cards now used successfully in many households, ideas for using the cards as a stand-alone system or to enhance virtually any other system you may currently use, plus tips on how to organize your household to maximize success.

This book is divided into 3 sections as seen here:

The first section focuses on the godly training of your children and teaching them to serve.  I have read MANY parenting books over the years.  I didn't find anything new here, but this section focuses on first time obedience, serving one another and tying strings to your children's hearts.  Including the introduction, this section is 7 pages long.  I'd say it's just about the right length, covers the basics and moves right into the heart of the book.

Part two is implementing the plan.  My favorite part of this book is a life skills checklist found in this section.  This is a 2 page list that divides chores (and other skills) by age.  She includes an age that a child can begin learning a skill followed by an age that they should have the skill mastered.  For instance, at age six she suggests a child can begin learning to unload the dishwasher and put dishes away.  This should be mastered by age 12.  I took this life skills list and adapted it to my family and put it into a spread sheet where I can easily see what each child still needs to work on.  This has helped me to see areas of training that I just haven't kept up with with the younger children.  The list includes things other than household chores like learning your phone number and address for younger children to auto upkeep for older ones.

This is from the list for age 7 

This is a clip of the spread sheet I made from the list.

This section also includes her ideas for implementing the chore system.  This involves rotating chores on a regular basis which has not worked for us in the past.  I prefer to have chores done by those that are competent in them so that I don't have to worry about the work being done.  I guess the flaw in that is that the younger children haven't been trained. I am using the life skills list to train the younger children to do the jobs they are capable of learning.

In addition, this section covers ways to schedule in jobs that don't need to be done as frequently (think spring cleaning).  There are 6 different suggestions for how to assign chores to your children. I originally tried printing out the chores that come with the book and attaching them to clothespins.  (Details of how to use these are found in the book.) However, my perfectionism took over and I just couldn't make it look nice like I wanted to. Some of the chores I needed were not listed so I would have had to try to make my own the font and try to match the font.  I do have the clothespin chores on hand but I came up with my own system which I am very excited about and never would have thought of or been motivated to try if it hadn't been for this book.

There are tips for getting your kids ready for the day in the morning, ideas for how to make it easy to succeed, a sample daily schedule and a sample list of things that need to be done before school (grooming, chores, devotions etc.).  There are other ideas for teaching your kids what a tidy room is, zone charts (I already have zone lists from my fly lady days and I'm so happy to getting these back out...another thing that got shelved when Sadie was born.), and some ideas for rewards and a discussion of allowances (we don't do allowances here).  

The third section of the book contains the actual chore system printables which is where the pdf version of the book comes in handy. As I've mentioned this includes a section of chores you can print out.  They look like this:

There is a page of blank ones that you can use too.  You can't type into them. This is where my perfectionism kicks in...my handwriting would not be good enough for this!  Also, I am picky about the words I use.  "Cut the grass" is one of the chores, but we say, "Mow the lawn" and rather than "Tidy your room" I say, "Clean your room."  I guess for most people this probably wouldn't be an issue.  For me, it is.  

The next part of this section includes the How to Do It Cards.  I've clipped a sample here:

I love the idea of these, but mostly they do not apply to our household.  For instance we have carpet in our dining room so we don't sweep as part of cleaning up.  We have to vacuum.  Most of the cards have an instruction on it that would differ from how we would do it.  (Do you feel a perfectionism comment coming on??)  While I am not using these cards as is, I am making my own to use once the kids are done with their training so they don't "forget" what I have taught them to do. I expect it to take me a good chunk of time to get them done.  In the meantime, the cards make a fantastic jumping off point for me to make my own without starting from scratch.  

I have taken these ideas and tweaked them for my own use.  I am building my own set of chore cards and how to do it cards as I work on training the younger children to do new jobs that they haven't done before.  My 15 year old has been doing laundry for our entire family for 2 years or so (and ready for a break).  I've begun training my 9 year old (who is perfectly capable of doing this herself amazingly enough) to sort, wash and dry the clothes and the 9 and 7 year olds have been folding the laundry and delivering it to the owners. This is just one example of how the younger children are being trained to "take over" for the ones that are currently doing the work.  

I think this book has caused me to raise my expectations for what the younger kids can do.  I had forgotten how much more I expected of the older children when they were young because they can just do those jobs now.  It was just the thing I needed to develop my own chore plan based on Mrs. Bentley's book. 

This book would benefit anyone that needs a little (or a lot of) help getting started with a chore system in their family OR for someone like me that needed to "re-boot" one. Use it as is or tweak it like I am.

For some reason, the whole last section of the book has a blank page in between every printed page so when I printed it (I really have trouble reading pdf's on the computer) I had a bunch of blank pages with just a page number on it.  I haven't figured out the reason for this. Update: The author has left me a comment which I am copying here that explains the reason for the blank page. " The pages in section 3 are one-sided because folks printing double-sided need to be able to cut the cards out, so the backs are blank. (Many e-book readers don't print the whole book, but just print section 3 out onto card stock, so I'll take your comment into consideration for adjustment!) Also makes it simpler to photocopy."

You can preview sample pages (click on preview when you get to the page).  Visit the Everyday Homemaking website for this book and others. Also, you might enjoy visiting the Everyday Homemaking website.

Everyday Family Chore System is available in paperback for $19.99 or as an immediate download for $17.00.  A companion audio CD is also available for $6.

See what others are saying about Everyday Family Chore System and Everyday Cooking on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  This was my first review for the Molly Crew which is a division of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. We will be reviewing items to be used in the home and with our families.

disclaimer: I was given a free pdf copy of Everyday Family Chore System in exchange for an honest review.

Stick with it Saturday

I know it's Monday.  I forgot to post for Stick with it Saturday on Saturday. I passed the 80 lbs lost mark this week.  I'm actually down 82 lbs.  I don't expect any new loss in the next week or so since I've had some big losses recently.  I am thrilled to have lost that much and can't wait to lose even more.

Today I finished the second week of the Jeff Galloway 10K app.  I really love it.  I ran 4 miles this morning in just under an hour. I know that isn't fast, but a lot of the run home is uphill and I'm not running a race anyway. (Still considering entering a 5K at the end of the month though)

 Last week I was stressed about going out for Chinese food.  I ended up getting beef and broccoli.  I was up about 1/2 lb the next day but it was off the day after that so I worried for nothing (story of my life).

The plan for this week is just to stay on track with my program. I also plan to run every other day (weather permitting) and get a minimum of 10,000 steps on my pedometer every day...except Sunday, I don't always have time on Sunday and sometimes I just take a nap in the afternoon.  We go to church all morning and back again for an evening service so there just isn't a lot of time for walking on Sundays.  I did manage to get 10,000 in yesterday though.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.