Review: The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

This was an enjoyable read about a boy named Grady believed to be an orphan that basically went from town to town as a circus attraction. A feechie was the name he was branded with. And all in all Grady accepted it until one day everything changed and his eyes were opened and he discovered something he only dreamed about. To summarize... As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village with a huckster named Floyd, pulling a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Cornwald frontier. It's a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see Grady perform as "The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp." But what can they do? No one believes in feechies anymore. Unless Floyd and Grady make them believe. Armed with the tricks of their trade, the charlatan and his boy set out to create another Great Feechie Scare, which Floyd swears will make them rich. But while Grady longs for the days when he played the feechie, he can't stop wondering if, after a life of lies, he'll ever know who he really is.

Here is chapter one from the book:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2010/06/15/sneak-peek-the-charlatans-boy-by-jonathan-rogers/?ref=BloggingForBooks_Chapter1Link




 "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Review: Secret Agent/ Spy Party Treasure Hunt Printables

I had the chance recently to review a neat, little ditty I would like to tell you about. Who doesn't want to be a secret agent? Well I have three little boys that absolutely love the idea of becoming James Bond. So when I brought out this awesome treasure hunt game just for my little 007's they were all for it.
The creator of this game gives you everything you need to have your own spy party. So you have plenty to go around.
It all begins with an instruction & supply sheet to help get you started.
Then, we move on to the Clue Hiding Guide.
Then there's clues,riddles, Morris Code, fingerprints. I could go on and on. It is a really good idea for parties or just a rainy day when the kids have to stay in. Or you could make it outdoors friendly for a hot, summers day when we hear "I'm bored!"
But secret agent isn't your only option. Go here to find out more http://www.queen-of-theme-party-games.com/spy-party-games.html

 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. 

Review: PottyCovers

Recently, my children and I had the chance to review a neat little product that would be perfect to take with you on vacation or with you across town to run errands. 
PottyCover is a disposable toilet seat cover for children that covers the sides and the front of the toilet, to keep away germs and wetness.
It is made of soft non-woven fabric on top, coated with a layer of plastic on the bottom, creating a waterproof barrier between the toilet and the child. Each PottyCover is individually packaged in a small easy to carry bag for the on-the-go parent.
PottyCover has the largest coverage among similar products on the market. The extra large front flap keeps legs and clothes from touching the front of the toilet. The side flaps cover the sides where kids hold on to maintain balance, keeping their hands away from germs.
We always shop at the same grocery store and like other busy moms I have to take my children with me but when they say they have to go to the restroom. I'm always a little hesitant to let them. Maybe its that it may not be clean enough or I have no idea if the person that was there before them had some kind of viral illness. Either way I am always a little afraid to let them. But sometimes it can't be helped. This product eliminates (no pun intended) the nervousness we as parents feel about the dreaded public restroom. They are very affordable  also. A pack of PottyCover sells for $5.99 and it is available on Amazon, Ebay, all Buy Buy Baby stores around the country and at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores.

Here is a link to the their website to learn more about this great product:www.PottyCover.com

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.

Planning for Next School Year

I would like to share with all of you what we normally choose for curriculum. This may get updated through the beginning of the year because I tend to add to it or take away. For my little guys this is pretty simple. They are in primary grades. So easy fix there. But my daughter is in 10th grade so it is a little more difficult. I will post more of her curriculum later in the summer. But for now my boys. They do share Science,History,Bible. And as far as Math and Language Arts.
School Year 2012-13
 4th Grader
 
Math- Horizons 4 (alpha omega)
Language- God's Gift of Language A (abeka)
Science- Understanding God's World (abeka) 
History- A Child's Story of America (christian liberty press)
Bible- Values to Grow By Companion Curriculum (big idea)
Various Lapbooks,Thematic Units, & readers

2nd Grader

Math- Horizons 2 (alpha omega)
Language- Language 2 (abeka)
Science- Understanding God's World (abeka)
History- A Child's Story of America (christian liberty press)
Bible-  Values to Grow By Companion Curriculum (big idea)
Various  Lapbooks, Thematic Units, &readers

To supplement History and Science I add to it by reading to them out of these books:
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 4
Children of the Covered Wagon
Finding a New Land
Stories of the Pilgrims

This is usually enough to keep us very busy throughout the year. I always try to do something fun for Bible and this year it is watching Veggie Tales . I found a curriculum guide to go along with them on CBD (link above) that I thought would work out great. So we are very excited! And I also found some Lapbooks to go along with them too at A Journey Through Learning  Here is the link for them:
http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.net/vewala.html
It was the only one I saw so I may have to do some more digging.
So that is our year in a nutshell. Have you started planning your year yet?

Chores & Children

 Chores + Children = DISASTER..... Well not always. This month for Gabby Moms I was asked to review Lorrie Flem's Chores: Many Hands Make Light Work Bundle. Basically, Lorrie shows how to incorporate our children into the whole equation of helping our "to do" list get smaller while at the same time teaching our little lambs responsibility.Here is the link to that bundle: http://www.eternalencouragement.com/theshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=27&products_id=136
A few years ago my husband and I decided that our children needed to learn more about responsibility and we decided the perfect way to do that was to give them chores. And an added plus to this would be I would get some help around the house. So I sat down and from top to bottom of the totem pole of children I came up with a list of chores that would work with each child. They would all be age appropriate depending on that child. Here is an example of our children's "to-do" lists:

Ash (age 14) She is our oldest and she handles most of the burden. She is in charge of our youngest. So if I need an assistant she would be the closest thing to that. And she does help tell the other boys what to do. Their words not mine. But besides keeping her room clean,kitchen duties,cleans living room, and cleaning her bathroom. She is also in charge of our chickens. According to her this list should be shortened.

Hunt (age 9) He is in charge of his little brother that is just a few years younger than him. Which is really not that hard. So that is not so bad. But he also waters our dog,cleans the bedroom he shares with his younger brother,cleans their bathroom,takes out the trash and helps his Dad with yard work.

Thom (age 6) He is in charge of helping his older brother with cleaning their room,emptying the trash cans around the house,feeds the dog and when he isn't complaining about it helping his Dad and brother with the yard work.

Now on to the youngest, Josh (age 2) far be it for me to leave this stone or should I say pebble unturned. This little monkey wants to help to so being the best Mom ever I can't ignore that. So he helps too. As Lorrie pointed out in her Chores bundle 2 year olds are more than capable of helping. So some of the things she pointed out that her 2 year old does our little one also does. He takes folded laundry to whomever it belongs and he helps me pick up dirty laundry and deposit in the laundry room. And he helps Thom by emptying the small bathroom garbage cans into the bigger one in the kitchen.

So, Lorrie you will be proud this is something I believe in wholeheartedly and have been doing for a good long time with our children. I really believe that since our children are too young to hold down paying jobs that chores are an excellent way to teach them something that they will need in the future when they leave the nest. But also gives them a sense of responsibility. I don't know about you but I don't want lazy children. We tell our children that we are a family and we each have a job to do. So if you are wondering how on earth you are going to be able to do this don't worry. Lorrie Flem has got you covered. She is giving a way a copy of this bundle to one lucky person. All you have to do is go here to enter http://tinyurl.com/7oae6re. And she will pick a winner on June 1st and notify the winner. Sounds simply enough,right?
If you are wondering what all this hullabaloo is about you can check out Lorrie Flem on the Eternal Encouragement website http://www.eemagazine.com/.

The Chores Bundle was given to me for free for my honest review through the Gabby Moms program.

A Mothers Day Party!

And YOU are invited!! Yes you read that write. Eternal Encouragement is having a Facebook Party on their Facebook page and it is for a little extra party time celebrating Mother's Day. Yeah! So on Monday May 14th during the hours of 3-5 pm EST head on over to their Facebook page and get ready to have a celebration.
***And a little birdie told me there is a free gift for all attendees.***

Review:Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

This one is another good one from Jane Kirkpatrick. I just love reading her stories. Her characters really come alive to me. This one is suppose to be based on an actual true story. I loved reading about Hulda and her lilacs. In the beginning of the book Hulda has a conversation with her father about apples and this was where Hula's lilac garden got started. She was a very tough lady and very exciting to read about. I was sad for towards the end of the book because she outlives all of her children. But the one true constant in her life was her garden. And even though she had to fight insurmountable obstacles the garden would always remain one way or another. And this story is all about that journey. Here is an excerpt from the back cover:
German immigrant Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education- and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda's driving purpose: a time consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth century expectations for a simple housewife.
Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington,garden; and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person's simple gifts of beauty make a difference?
This book was sent to me for free for my honest review through the Blogging for Books program.

Review:Chasing The Sun by Tracie Peterson

 
This was a very good book to read. The characters William and Hannah reminded me very much of my husband and myself. Here is an excerpt from the back cover:
"When her father disappears in war-torn Mississippi, Hannah Dandridge finds herself responsible not only for her younger siblings but also for the Texas ranch her father recently acquired. A marriage of convenience could ease her predicament.... but is it the true desire of her heart?
Wounded soldier William Barnett returns home to find out that his family's ranch has been seized. Though angered at this turn of events, he's surprised to discover that it is a beautiful young woman with amazing fortitude who is struggling to keep the place running.
Despite these circumstances, Hannah and William form an uneasy truce ....and an undeniable attraction builds between them. In a land where loyalties are divided in a country ravaged by war, is there any hope that the first blush of love can survive?
Hannah seems to be a very independent character she is trying to raise her siblings, Andy and Marty, to the best of her ability.
William seems to be very stubborn but a very strong forth right man.
I even read some of the book to my daughter and she loved it as well.
Tracie Peterson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
This book was provided to me for free for my honest opinion from Bethany House Publishers.