Fortunately For You Books

The Attributes of God in Our Homeschool- Compassion

2011-10-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

“And of some have compassion, making a difference.” Jude 22

If you have ever needed compassion and did not get it?

Then you have a good understanding of how precious it is to be on the receiving end of compassion.

Compassion- noun a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by as strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Not just a feeling bad for someone and the plight they find themselves in, but wanting to help end the suffering. And I imagine wanting to help enough that something is actually done. That is the kind of faith with works James talks about. Real. Effective.

Think of the ways this can be applied throughout a school day.

The definition will give you clues as to what to watch for: sorrow, stricken, misfortune.

Spelling, math, science, reading, writing, grammar…..pick your poison.
What is easy for you might be a source of suffering for your child. Compassion.

While compassion may not seem like one of the more popular attributes of God that we tell our children about, it certainly is one of the most frequent we moms rely on for ourselves. We need it and we seem to claim it without a moments hesitation. Or much thought. And certainly without much appreciation.

Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalm 111:4b The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
Psalm 112: 4 / Psalm 145:8

Today a certain frustration came between me and my son during school. He was struggling a bit and when he struggles, everything feels “off”. Tense. Anxious. It was within my power to diffuse the moment. I chose a moment of compassion- a gently hug, a light head/hair rub, a jocular moment, food (which always works with a teen son!). The issues were still there and needed to be addressed. But a moment of compassion did what an hour of teaching could have accomplished.

I am equally divided on which end of the compassion specter I like being on more: the giving or the receiving. I love being able to give that gift to my loved ones. Especially in school time.

As we are the primary representative of Christ in our children’s eyes for a limited amount of time, we need to be diligent to represent all of the Attributes of God to our children.

Hang the word COMPASSION up in key places around your home where you will be visibly reminded to represent this attribute to your kids. It is one of those things that can seem so small yet make such a wonderful difference in that swing moment between total frustration and suffering.

Applications:

if a child is struggling in a particular subject, consider the curriculum. Should it be more tactile? Less colorful and distracting? Is the font size too small or hard to read? A look at the possibility of a curriculum change in that subject might set you back a few dollars, but alleviating the struggling shows compassion.
schedules and lesson plans are guides, not the law. If your child is exhausted or worn out from either a busy weekend or a growth spurt, show compassion in adjusting the schedule. They are more important that the lesson plans.
if the struggle is spiritual, take the time to do devotions with the child. This requires more time and more accountability for you, but compassion here is shown by giving your time and effort instead of sending them to their room with a Bible and a list of verses.

Related verses for further weekly study:
Matt. 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34, Hebrews 10:34, I Pet. 3:8

~Shannon

Latin, Anyone?

2011-10-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Visual Latin, huh? I thought I'd give it try. We did a few Latin courses that were workbook based.
Once again, with this very peculiar child, I wasted my very hard earned money. He does the work, he just doesn't absorb the information and let it become a part of him. So what I am saying is- he doesn't learn. He just filled blanks and boxes. And he did it well. But there was no connection.

Visual Latin. I have the first 10 lessons. Let me share with you why this program is working for us:

1. The instructor is engaging. I think he is a bit corny/funny, but Jesse loves him. He speaks slowly and clearly. The visual part is good. Nice big chalkboard. Visually, there are no distractions for my easily distracted son.

2. Jesse is reading Latin. This was the biggest reason I wanted this program. Reading. Latin. This is huge in helping Jesse with his dyslexia. When Jesse gets to a big word his eyes don't recognize or for some reason scares him, he makes up something and passes over it like that was indeed the word. Sometimes it is quite hilarious and other times it is quite frustrating. But he has to be trained to slow down and break the word apart. It is SO much easier for him to do when he sees a bit of Latin in the word. His temptation to speed over it is gone. His ability to slow and take apart the word jumps in and no one is embarrassed. This is exactly what I was looking for. This is why I wanted him to learn Latin.

3. Affordable. $30 for the first 10 downloadable lessons. We do 1-2 lessons per week. That is one day of all three videos, three worksheets, and then two days of quick review of every lesson. Building. Reading. Speaking Latin. This is worth the money. Quality and effective. Not too many products like that.

4. Independent. I only sit next to him and watch because I want to. Not because I need to. All Jesse's subjects are about independent learning this year. This is not to free me. Heavens, NO. I am still feeling lost without my 4 sons around the table and teaching 25 subjects a day. This is for him, because he is the baby. And because he doesn't know how or like to do things alone. Except hunting. I did offer to go with him and he said he wanted to be alone. But I digress. This is a good program for independent learning. The other Latin products I had- not so much. They never even heard their voice.

In our homeschool we have studied Farci and Spanish. I regret that I didn't invest more into Latin with the others. Farci. Yeah, wise decision here in West Virginia.

This one is going to carry over into adulthood. And THAT is how I pretty much have learned to gauge everything we do now for school. Thank you, Visual Latin.

Check out Visual Latin here.

Blessings,
Shannon

An SAT Course and A Dyslexic Son

2011-09-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

I never, ever, in my wildest dreams thought one day I would be able to use a course for SAT prep for my son.
I am genuinely pleased that Master Books/New Leaf Publishing has issued this course. Well done, James P. Stobaugh, and I shall tell you why.

1. I will pick up any curriculum/book and give one glance. You can lose me as a customer in a mere 3 seconds. What am I looking for? Font size and spacing between the lines. My functional dyslexic son needs a sized text that won't strain his eyes. Once we have eye strain, it's over. The concentration needed to just focus is all he can handle. There will be no comprehension. I will never again waste money on something he can't use. And that is pretty sad because there is a lot of good stuff out there. They just didn't consider anyone with any eye strain when printing their book. Thanks, James. Now this book is at least an option for us. I will now look further and see if this will benefit us.

2. A Christian perspective- I can't say with total certainty, but I do not think there is anything that has the focus on Scripture for SAT prep that this course does. Not a sporadic reference, or honorable mention.....but the Scripture is part (and a large part at that) of the resource to learning how to think. Just in case you may not consider the incredible implication I just made, let me explain. Once these little kids hit 18 (I know it's some stupid magical number and we never gave it any credence in our home), there are very few resources that are going to carry over into their daily lives. We hope reading continues, but the books will vary. Pretty sure a calculator is going to stay with them forever. They successfully learned the value of a dictionary and thesaurus. But the number one tool/resource I NEED for them to keep is the Scriptures. And I want them to learn from it. So I appreciate anything that uses the Scripture for learning. It is a simple concept yet one that most publishers haven't learned yet. The quality education within their Bible. Nicely done, James.

3. The varying size of the daily lessons- most days are a one pager for the lesson. Every 4th or 5th day is a two pager. Life happens. I cannot sustain more than one page most days. Clearly, James Stobaugh has children.

4. Active reading is taught- a concept that is not natural to most children! This course is training and this concept is explained well on day one. While this course can be self taught, I am going to have to spend some time teaching this concept to Jesse. Connect, question, predict, visualize, clarify, expect, and evaluate. We spent a couple years overcoming the hurdle of just being able to get through pages of text or pages in a book as a dyslexic, now we need to connect. And it won't happen by me just giving him a book and having him read it. I have to teach this to him. Train him. I have no doubt of his ability and now I haven't a doubt about how to do this. Leading questions and purposeful activities within the course are given not to keep a student busy, but to teach him to think as he reads. And that is gold.

5. The Lesson: Grammar, Math, Sentence Completion, Critical Thinking (comparison/analysis). Not each one every day, and not pages of one thing. Short. To the point. While I think my son is unlike everyone on the planet, he cannot be the only one with a "you lose me after 15 min." mentality. And this idea not only carries over into life- K.I.S.S.(keep it short stupid) but Twitter even understands it. We do not need 3 pages of one concept. Brevity. My son can handle depth. He cannot tolerate longevity. Unless he is in a tree stand in the woods. Then we can not move for hours. I digress.

6. Tips and Strategies- there are tips on the sides of most pages. And my sons are all about strategy. Teach how to beat the test. And from an offensive point of view. Jesse will respond to this. Specific strategy. Such as- "You must not miss any of the first ten questions on each portion of the SAT1. Remember- each question counts the same and the last questions are usually more difficult. The bottom line is that if you can get all the simple and average questions, you will make about 1250 on the exam. Getting a few hard ones will only put icing on the cake." This information was unknown and OH, so valuable! This not only takes a tremendous amount of pressure off, but puts a positive approach to test taking- a touchy subject with dyslexics. Any advantage is a gift.

7. Books- I love the book list. Most of all I love that books that are a huge accomplishment for Jesse to read are on there! Some of our children are never going to read The Scarlet Letter. They are never going to be able to read Bonhoeffer's works. The Last of the Mohicans is going to be movie mode only. And the Illiad- we went to comic book mode. BUT...books that are a victory to our reading list are not given with any condescension at all. Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Call of the Wild, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...these are all books Jesse can conquer. We will have to go slow, but no one should be made to feel that their best is not good enough. One of the reasons for our success in teaching Jesse has been the change of the mindset that learning = suffering. We just aren't going to play that game anymore. And this curriculum doesn't require it. Bravo.

There are a few, wee, little things that I am going to have to tweak. And I am a tweaker. I will not forgo a tool because it is not perfect. I will adapt it to be as close to perfect as possible.

SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student can be purchased here.

Plan: We plan on completing the 3 year course. I am very thankful to have this in my hand early enough that we can take it slow enough. There are 2 and 1 year courses.

Blessings,
Shannon

Sizing and Spacing

2011-08-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I am pulling books off the shelves in preparation of Jesse's school year. I wish I had kept a more detailed list of which books were read by which children. Books I read aloud to sons #1-2 were sometimes forgotten about for sons #3-4. I had assumed they were listening when I read aloud!

And maybe they were, but comprehension for The Last of the Mohicans probably wasn't real strong when they were 4 and 2 years.

So now I have this HUGE pile of classics that need to be read by Jesse in the next couple of years. And alas, he is a slooooowwwww reader.

Not only is he a slow reader, but the size of the font in the book is terribly important to him. Jesse is mildly dyslexic- very functional- would never have known this was the problem except that if affected his love to read. If his eyes start to water then the text is too small. Too much strain. They tear up. Even within one or two sentences. Large print is too big and his little man ego would probably prevent him from reading something in the large print edition. Hmmph. Men.

Spacing between lines is also another issue I have to deal with. There needs to be some spacing between the lines.

So even the books I have on the shelf, and oh boy, do I have books- these aren't going to work for him. I considered the Kindle so that he could adjust the size of the font. He is really not too keen on the idea and I am not sure I want to share. I love my Kindle. I won't share it with anybody. And I am never more than 10 feet from mine. So this is an issue.

I had bought a new The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis last year and the sizing and spacing will be perfect. So that will go to the front of the reading list. My Side of the Mountain is also adequate. The Yearling, however, is not.

Robinson Crusoe is not.

The Deerslayer is not.

The House of Seven Gables is not.

I have to go book shopping. I can't even shop on my beloved Amazon because I need to see the books and decide if they will work for him. Jesse will need to go with me and test out a few sentences. I could go by myself. I know what will work. But I want to train him to make these decisions for himself in a book store.

Dyslexics who are understanding how their eye-to-brain function works have to learn how to learn. And that includes understanding how they are designed. Just different. Acknowledging design is liberating for us. A little more costly for me, but I would much rather have two copies of these books on the shelf and them both read by all the sons than one copy and one not able to read it.

This is why I need more bookshelves!

Shannon's '11-12 Game Plan

2011-07-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have such a hard time with plans.....they feel too much like rules. My friends know that to ask me for a recipe will be followed by a lot of laughs and silly remarks about how I treat recipes and directions as merely suggestions.

But there is this great scientific mind I have that says if you understand what the items in the recipe are intended for, then anything that does the same job can be used. Its is called adapting PEOPLE and I do it very well! But, alas, schooling requires planning and following some format and I believe its too late for me to switch to unschooling.

So onto my lesson plans for this school year. This year is going to be different. I am going to have a plan. A list of items to use. A schedule to follow. Order.

I just know Kelly and Heidi are making snide remarks right now.

No matter, here is what I am going to use with Jesse in school and the reasons I am going to use them.

MATH:

I love Teaching Textbooks. Jesse has three years left so we can take our time. I learned to spread out the math so my sons were fresh on basic math just before their testing for police applications.

teach ing textbooks

History: Yes! Our own product. He LOVES our notebooking pages and there was never one complaint last year when we used the Notebooking for Arguing With Idiots. Well, there was one- that I wasn't printing them off fast enough. This year I am sending my file up to Office Depot and printing 5 chapters at a time, all spiral bound together. He will love it. I will love it.

Notebooking for The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Founding Fathers

And also this wonderful product from Critical Thinking. The concept of "Question Everything" is so prevalent in this study. Because my sons are so strong in their deductive reasoning skills (hence, 3 out of 4 policemen in process), this appeals to them and helps them build their case. We have always taught them to question everything (another post coming soon!). This Cd or ebook teaches how to make statements concerning historical issues that are sound and based on fact. It teaches how to rule out hearsay and opinions from fact, and how to identify general statements and exact statements that can be proven. I love the court room feel of having to support/defend both sides of the issue, then tell me which side you believe. Great skills in this series. We will finish this CD and then purchase the next one.

Critical Thinking

For English/Grammar/Writing and all that:

Advanced Writing Resources

I don't have a pretty picture. This is all downloadable- a mixture of audio and .pdfs.

I have thrown money at a lot of writing programs. My sons are natural narrative writers- which NOW makes total sense as to why the creative writing was pure torture, to them and to me.

Science:

Here is where I have to take some time and put effort and invest some money. Jesse is an avid hunter and fisherman. He has the top Facebook Page for BowHunters and has sponsorship deals with big, big names. He corresponds with the TV show guys. It's a big deal to me. He just turned 15. Oh, the potential! We don't know where this will lead, but we are sure his future includes animals/nature. He is very interested in becoming a Conservation Officer which would satisfy his inherent nature for cop things and his brother could use him on the force. OR he would ditch that dream for the bigger dream of his own TV show one day. yeah.....SO....I am thinking I really need to strengthen the Creation vs. Evolution debating skills. He believes in Creation- but is he equipped to deal with the belligerence and debate that he will meet? Not yet he isn't. And I must give him that. So I am headed to the Answers in Genesis site to consider my options.

Possibility #1 It All Begins with Genesis- still musing. I am not needed a strong Bible resource as much as a logical thinking course but this might be an option.

Option #2 Answers Academy Curriculum- this looks like a winner to me.

I will supplement anything I get in the science department with Jesse's favorite hunting/fishing magazines, and biology related readers. I need to pull out the plant identification books and give a redo lesson on poison ivy. Seems he can't identify it just yet. sigh.

What does that leave me?

Latin (he is showing resistance), Vocabulary, Art....honestly I use Iphone apps for those things. And we do them in the car on the heavy running days.

Last year I took everything off the schedule that I could. It was very hard for me. It felt like a diet. Last year was his best school year ever. He took off and excelled in every subject I gave him and pursued his own interests in the afternoon and evening.

I am ever learning.

Resources I will be going to and gathering as needed:

Currclick- favorite site for instant access (currently checking out this product and thinking it will help Jesse with any business plans and decisions he needs to make this year:

Every Move Must Have a Purpose)

RUSH- We have the subscription that lets me download to itunes and put on his shuffle. I pick the hours I want him to listen to. I consider this a class in economics, logic, debate, geography, civics, history and vocabulary. I make this work for me, with guidance, and discard anything that is not useful.

LATIN- Visual Latin caught my eye. Spanish, Farci (really? what was I thinking?)...the older sons got through the classes and that was it. Maybe my bad leadership, maybe their lack of maturity to understand how knowing another language would only make them more valuable in their work- either way....I feel like we foolishly wasted time and money. But Latin.....oh, sweet Latin. It is used daily in some way! I am a slow learner, but by golly, the 4th son is going to learn something practical in foreign language. Here is the program I am courting:

VISUAL LATIN

I will be adding more to this list as we approach our coming start- mid September. We vacation late in the summer so we do not start school until we get back. I have plenty of time to tweak and make final decisions.

When Adversity Comes from Within

2011-07-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

My homeschool world was not always as wonderful as it is now.

No, I didn't have:

internet
support groups
ebooks
homeschool magazines
homeschool catalogs
social media

All I basically had was a library card and a passion.

But what I didn't have that I missed the most was support.

From my family. Most of all my husband.

My husband is a good, good man. A godly man. A man who has turned his back on his dreams and financial stability to serve God and work for a greater Kingdom. Anyone who knows him knows that he adores me. To the point of embarrassment at times.

Why couldn't he see that I was right in wanting to homeschool? Why in the world did he not want the same thing as me? Where was the support?

Homeschooling wasn't an option. It was a calling. For me at least. You've heard the saying "choose your battles"- This was a battle I would fight-and I was so passionate I think I would have died for it. I felt that strongly about it.

How could he feel nothing....nothing but doubt? He never forbade me. Did you choke? Yes, he has used that word before and probably will again and NO, I do not feel threatened by it.

He didn't say I couldn't...I was just on my own. On my own as far as emotional support, physical support, and financial support. And of all the things, I think the lack of financial support was the most hurtful to me.

"Dear Lord, In order for me to do what I know with all my heart is your will, I need a miracle. I need this amount of money (and why NOT ask for what I want-not the base- but a generous amount?) to accomplish this task. It can't cost my husband. Help me not to be bitter. It appears to be my calling, not his. Thank you in advance."

Looking back now, over the 21 years of homeschooling, I can clearly see how each answer to that prayer would be my stone from the river Jordan, set as a symbol on the bank of my faith...saying to me- "I supplied you with the tools needed so you can do this job. You have my blessings. Now do the work." How satisfying to me and how needed this was so many times.

The primary source of apprehension for my husband was sports for our sons. The mixture of pride in their athletic ability and the desire to give them every chance to succeed in this area was the main reason for him not wanting me to homeschool. My responses were:

very, very few every make a career out of sports
all it takes is a blown knee- in Jr. high- and this dream of yours is gone
do you really, REALLY, think that their purpose for their life was to catch a ball? (Sorry, Tim Tebow! This was before your time and I do believe with all my heart this was YOUR mission!)

I only voiced these thoughts at the best of times and in the kindest of tones. The more I have listened, the more I believe the sports issue/concern is the biggest reason most husbands are apprehensive about homeschooling.

Every year I asked, the Lord miraculously provided. I remember crying to Him and saying, "I am so sorry to be asking for another miracle. I have no where else to go. I need yet another one!" And I would then tell Him all about my husband and what his problem was and how bad I was suffering. If He didn't provide the money then I would not homeschool that coming year.

One year would pass, then another...after six years hubby mentioned needing to get some money for school books. About how much do I need? (gasp) I gave him my highest dream amount and my lowest 'necessary' amount. I would be happy with something in between.

I believe he thought my little "hobby" was becoming our lifestyle.

I did start to receive financial support from my husband, and like most wives, I craved more. I wanted this to be OUR mission....I wanted to share this ministry with him. I wanted emotional support.

God had called me- not him. Clearly.

The adversity had waned. Yet the support was still missing for me emotionally.

Might I give a shout out to our Great God? No man is ever, ever going to be able to meet all your needs. It is not logical to put that burden on our husbands. But our God can and does meet every need. He met every single one of the needs my husband could not at the time. He gave me guidance, wisdom, encouragement, faith, and He proved trustworthy with my heart during these years. Thank you, my Lord. I will not forget what you did for me so many times.

One day I heard my husband passionately talking to another man about how great homeschooling was. On and on he went.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

And I almost did what women are tempted to do when they finally get their prayer answered and they get their blessing:

rant and rave about the timing of this "so-called" supportive pep talk
let everyone within hearing distance know that I was the one who homeschooled our children
feel anger that now he wants to jump aboard this gravy train

The wiser choice was to swallow my pride and accept God's gift- along with His timing- and thank Him for it.

There was still time....we weren't done raising our sons yet.

The whole reason for opening up about this subject is NOT to paint my hubby in a negative light. I really believe it was God's timing and that He exposed my heart to a burden long before my husband. I was never discouraged from homeschooling....I want to make that clear. I was missing the encouragement. And to a woman- well, you know how that can be wielded as a weapon.

So the reason for writing is this- to encourage any of you who get a lesser amount of support than you desire. The toughest thing about that is not the limited amount we deal with- after all- we are women. We really are tough. And when it comes to our children we can be quite fierce.

It is the weapon of this lack of support that can take us down. To this I say- God will enable you to do His calling. I believe that with all my heart because I lived it. It was vital to my faith that I learn this, and this was the way He taught me.

Support or lack of it, is not the litmus test for if you are doing what you are suppose to be doing.

We have three sons graduated now and son #4 is in high school. I have no doubts now that hubby is 100% behind us homeschooling. Bite your tongue if you just thought to say "It's a little late!" No, it's really not.

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Prov. 21:1

Whether that king be your husband, your mother-in-law, or even that ex husband......it's in the Lord's hands. Wait for His timing. Get support from the Lord. He has plenty. Gather more from your friends or homeschool sites and blogs.

If I could be sustained by the Lord in the days when there wasn't Internet/blogs/conventions, etc....you can be sustained also.

There is a hope that one day you will walk onto the porch and hear your husband say how your children's excellent education advanced them, how glad they were that they were safe everyday, how devoted his wife was to this family. You will have to pick yourself up off the floor from the shock of it all, but you will find a peace in your heart that says "After all this time, all this time....we are on the same page."

~Blessings to all the moms,

Shannon

Founding Fathers

2011-07-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

It is IMPERATIVE that our children understand

the Constitution and the intent of the Founding Fathers.

Notebooking for The Politically Incorrect Guide

to The Founding Fathers

Chapter 6

The antithesis of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams' part in the founding of our country is detailed. He is not one of the most likeable men in the Big Six, but lessons can be learned from him. While learning about his character- flaws and all- his passion for this country is sure. One thing is learned- every group needs one man to challenge thinking and sharpen ideas through debate and disagreement. John Adams was that man. He brings to the Founding Fathers lessons mixed reactions to his personality, character, and intentions for this country. It seems tolerance was required in days of old as well as today.

Categories covered:
The Revolution
"His Rotundity"
The Insecure President
Retirement

Download now for $1.50!

Notebooking for The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Founding Fathers

2011-06-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:25b "...is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

Just in case you have the pressing down on your chest "I have so much to do" feeling, just remember these liberating words from our Savior. There is so much more to taking care of your little ones than feeding and clothing them. I know all about that burden. Feeding four sons did take up a lot of my time and thoughts. I had a small budget to work with and their stomachs were/are bottomless. Clothes- it was/is a constant burden. It is very easy to get bogged down and schedule the greatest amount of our time concerned with taking care of our childrens physical needs.

But life is so much more than food and raiment.......so much more.

Focus more on this verse. Let it liberate you and take guilt away if you know there is a greater need for snuggles and cuddles, or a nature walk, even an afternoon of art.

The laundry will still be there and so will the dishes.

~Shannon (pictured with Ethan, Breigha, and Chloe- my grandchildren)

The Government Can

2011-06-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

Nice little way to incorporate history, music, dance, and reading into school! I am a huge fan of Tim Hawkins and this little video made me smile- on a Monday morning no less!

The Government Can

Mommies Can Learn Too

2011-06-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Keeping up on current events is hard when you have little ones all around and a dozen schedules to coordinate. News? Who wants to watch and get depressed? And you can't keep it on long for fear of traumatizing your young ones. Do they really need to see the policeman who was killed or the home that was burned to the ground? News watching and gathering is tricky. I get most of my news from my favorite web sites but even that gives me conflicts as I spend enough time with a keyboard in front of me.

So how does one stay up on all the little tricksy things the politicians are up to? I have learned a little trick these last few months that will allow you, on those rare date nights with real grown ups eating real food, food you did not have to cut up into tiny non choking pieces, to participate in grown up "Washington" conversations. You need to know 2 things:

the Constitution
the intent and purpose of the Founding Fathers

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you study the truth long enough, you can easily see the lie"?

If you were to study just enough to grasp or refresh these two elements, you can stay on top of any political conversation (from my experience so far!). I am reluctant to turn this post into a sales pitch, yet I am feeling quite passionate for you, dear mothers. If there has ever been a time in our recent history where it is vital for you to play a part in leading your child through current events fused with correct American history, it is now.

My experience from these last few months of helping FFYB create this notebooking line for The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Founding Fathers has been one of incredible insight into my own lack of sharp debating skills, lack of current events knowledge, and my awkwardness at being left behind in interesting adult dinner conversation.

Might I suggest this Notebooking series might be a good summer course for mommies? I KNOW you don't have much time, but the design on these pages is quick, to the point, and thorough. Do just one chapter a week. Look at the notebook page and you could scan the book to make it even quicker.

If you study the basic principles then it won't matter what current event happening at the time. Reference the Constitution and the Founding Fathers and you are up to speed. It's brilliant.

You need the reference book The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Founding Fathers. I bought mine used at Amazon.

You will need these files: buy chapters as needed- Notebooking for The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers

I want to encourage mommies to stay in tune with our history as it is happening.

Perhaps these quick, little files will help you do just that.

Blessings,

Shannon- up-to-date dinner conversationalist.

Summer Fun!

2011-06-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

One great lesson I have learned over the years when teaching my sons was to

pursue the idea that the learning never stops.

If you can get a grasp on that concept, you create a lifelong way of learning.

If your child thinks that once they reach 18 or 22, their education is over, and that once the books close the learning is done.....well, then it is.

LEARNING NEVER, EVER ENDS

When I purposefully taught this to son #3,

the results were amazing.

There may be days when paper work or formal learning is not required,

but learning....well that just has no boundaries on the calendar.

Summer learning- Keep it fun, keep it light, keep it easy.

But encourage it!

CurrClick's Celebrate Summer Sale

http://blog.currclick.com/2011/06/celebrate-summer-with-currclick.html

Do Homeschooling Teachers Retire?

2011-05-26T05:31:00.001-07:00

This has been the weirdest year for me. I can’t say hardest because I have had some real humdingers. But it has been difficult in the fact that so many things changed and not just at one time, but constantly changing…how odd that term?

I would just get use to one schedule, one situation, one adaption, only to have everything altered. Unsettling. That’s what it was.

Let me reveal the heart of the matter. My job is almost done. I went from the insane world of homeschooling four sons at such different levels and learning styles to almost nothing. Jesse, our youngest son just completed 9th grade. I was so successful in his education that I am basically not needed. What a difference 3 years can make. Having struggled for so many years, I finally figured out at the end of 6th grade that he was a functional dyslexic. Functional being the label attached if one was in a public school setting. NOT FUNCTIONAL in a homeschool setting! When mom knows what you are capable of and you cannot get those results….functional would not be the correct word.

Anyways….because we were successful in recovering, adapting, and treating his dyslexia (yes, FFYB products were a HUGE part of this process!), Jesse is quite the independent learner. I gave him exactly the right tools this year….he took off……he thrived…

Where did that leave me? In a pity party. On the edge of a cliff of despair because I didn’t feel needed. Oh, the issues that already came when the grown sons moved on with their lives- now my purpose was pretty near complete.

Who wants to be left with just

maid/waitress/cook duties?

Where was my worth as a teacher?

I cannot express the joy that bloomed in my heart when my mission was redefined and I felt another purpose.

Grandchildren.

It isn’t over….it is just redefined. And might I add that this feels fun?

For those of you on the brink of change into this new era, let me offer some reasons why I am excited about making the transition from full time homeschooling teacher to Noni time. ( I am Noni to the babies).

Experience- we know what works and what doesn’t. We know about learning styles. We now know what matters and what doesn’t. We can spot a learning difficulty and we even know how to overcome it.

Time- there is a bit more of it now. What we couldn’t do with our children because we were just trying to get in the basics for each child are now things we could help our young mother’s with: music, cooking, sewing, nature walks, art, those dreaded science experiments. Can you imagine having a woman at your right hand who would do these much needed developmental activities with your children? I am going to be that woman.

Money- face it, I seem to have no difficulty spending any amount of money on the grandchildren. My homeschool budget is not any smaller. I will be shopping with activities, games, and learning tools for the grandchildren this summer. I can buy those extras that the mommies cannot.

I am going to share some of the blogs that I follow that are giving me great ideas and helps with planning “school day with Noni”.

Counting Coconuts- Oh, how I wish I had this blog when my sons were little! I wish I had this knowledge, insight, and energy when I was this young.

Montessori Print Shop- Fantastically affordable site with brilliant ideas. I knew nothing about this method when my sons were little. I DID use this method quite a bit, just wasn’t aware I was so smart!

Teaching Tiny Tots- I hated teaching art when my sons were little. I think it was just because I was to so worn out and tuckered from getting the basics in that I had no zest for it. I am an artistic person. Kind of. But doing something artsy with a grandchild is SO different. You really don’t care about glitter everywhere or the mess. It has all been transformed into something adorable now. The miracle of grandmotherhood.

Once I settled into this new thought pattern that I didn’t have to be done with this ministry of teaching just because my sons were grown, my heart was filled with joy and anticipation for what I can accomplish.

I wish to BE the support network that I went too many years without. The purpose wasn’t gone. It just had to be redefined. So, I am out of retirement. I have my pile of catalogs and lists of blogs to read and peruse.

Anybody need a Noni? I have time.

~Shannon (mother to 4, Noni to 3)

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #4: Refrigerator and Pantry Results

2011-04-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are into week 4 of Project: Simplify. Our Hot Spot this week was the refrigerator and pantry. For some reason this week was easier for me than the other three. I'm not sure why because I had so much to tackle. In addition to the frig and pantry, I added the lazy susan.

The dreaded refrigerator! The before picture.

After picture. This was a lot of work. I was only able to pull out certain shelves and some areas were impossible to get to unless the frig is pulled out and the doors can open wider. That wasn't a possibility for me by myself. Perhaps a future area to tackle.

I forgot to take a picture of the lazy susan before I cleared the top shelf so I only have these two pics of the bottom shelf. Unreal the amount of stuff that can be jammed on one of those!

Work in progress.

After picture with room to spare on the bottom shelf!

My little helper. She's crawling now and was into everything! Boy did she have fun!

Before pic of the pantry. This job took me a better part of the week. It wasn't hard, just time consuming.

After picture. Boy did I fill some garbage bags!! There were things in there lost in the back that were REALLY expired! I also started to put some things like rice, beans, and homemade taco seasoning in canning jars. Love the look of those!

My son even got in on the fun and cleaned out a few shelves in our downstairs frig. This was a great week! Looking forward to next week's hot spot but kind of sad it's done. I need some more to keep me going.

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #3: Kid's Clothes and/or Toys Results

2011-03-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Project: Simplify's Hot Spot #3 dealt with the kid's clothes and toys this week. I have three children and thankfully I had done some work in both areas not too long ago. There was no way I was going to be able to get through three kid's rooms in one week had I not done something ahead of time. I decided to focus on the clothes instead of the toys since we'd gone through the toys before Christmas.

I started in the baby's room because her dresser drawers were absolutely stuffed full! Too many baby blankets, sheets, onesies, etc.

The drawers practically sighed a sigh of relief when I got rid of half of those blankets, organized the sheets, and rolled the onesies instead of folding them (no pictures of them but I love this method!). It's hard to believe by looking at these pictures that I removed things from these drawers but believe it or not, I took tons of stuff out. They still look so full but I am able to close them much easier now.

I was able to get rid of the dresses she has outgrown and also make some room on the shelf above.

This was the result of my efforts in that room. Two bags for consignment and one basket full of items to be donated.

Then I headed to my son's room (before and after pictures to follow). He keeps telling me he has too many clothes and I don't need to buy him any more. After this week, I think he is right! This is only some of them spread out from one end of the room to the other. I like to save the clothes that are getting small to use as play clothes. This means that I am dealing with several sizes at a time and creates LOTS of clothes. It was finally time to retire the items that were ridiculously small and organize everything else. My son is also a child that likes to wear shorts around the house in the winter so I am dealing with clothes for warm and cold seasons throughout the entire year instead of storing one set like I do with the girls.

My 4 year old daughter entertaining herself with the "mini claw" game in his room while I cleaned.

So here is what the closet looked like before I started. Curtains falling, clothes sliding out of the shelves, laundry overflowing from the basket, and toys everywhere.

He is my after picture with everything sorted, organized, curtains fixed, and so on.

Two boxes for donation and one bag for consignment. Not bad but I probably could have done better. He wasn't home and I wasn't able to hold things up to see if they were really too small and I was afraid to get rid of clothes he could still wear. I may revisit this room and try to quickly go through some stuff again to see if there is anything else that can go.

What I don't have pictures of is my middle child's room. I didn't want to bore everyone with more dresser and closet pictures. I did the same in her room except I don't get rid of her clothes because they go into storage for when the baby is old enough to wear them. We were able to clear out two boxes worth of dresses and some other stray items to put into the attic.

This project has been tough but so worth it! It's really starting to make a difference. I'm glad it's the weekend and I have time to rest before next's week assignment but at the same time, I am anxious to see what we will be tackling next week.

Heidi

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #2: Paper Clutter Results

2011-03-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

If I thought last week's hot spot was tough, I was wrong! Paper clutter (Hot Spot #2) is probably my biggest problem. I do not do a good job of purging things. I always think I will go back and look at magazines or I need to hang on to certain papers in case I need them again. They end up just piling up all over the house. After looking at these pictures, it made me sick to see how bad the piles got! While I did not get to dedicate as much time to this as I would have liked to, I did make a huge dent in it. My 9 month old daughter is now mobile and making it tough to turn my head in the other direction for any length of time. She was also very clingy this week and I just don't work as fast with a baby attached to my hip. So I had to go with the flow and do what I could, when I could, and still feel pretty good about the results.

This is my makeshift office. It's in the living room at the end of the couch. All my business and some school papers tend to gather here. In fact, my little table got so full I had to put a TV tray up in front of the couch for my laptop to fit. It use to be on the little pink table!

Now everything is back in it's place. I'm hoping to keep it there.

Behind the pink table in the corner is a nice basket intended for "current" magazines. As you can see, I haven't purged anything in quite a while. I went with the rule of anything older than three months needs to go!

Much better! My plan is to try to read a little of one magazine each day during lunch and as I get through them, copy any recipes, etc. that I want to keep and then recycle the magazine. Sadly these were kept in a really nice Longaberger basket that now has a broken handle because the basket was too full.

Here's my Take Action box. It was filled to the brim with things that needed to be sorted and put where they belong.

In front of the pink table (told you this area was bad!), is a wire basket I tried to contain things in. It too piled up over time.

Now I can actually see what is in there to use it.

Bills! Insurance EOB's! Car registration forms! It never ends! The basket to the right of the pile of envelops practically falling off the desk is supposed to organize all of these. But somehow there is never time to write things on my calendar before they are sorted. So they get stuck in this pile until I have the time to go through them and separate them into the basket. I'm thinking of going "paperless billing" as was suggested for a way to stop a lot of this mail from coming into the house.
Notice the pile behind the clock as well. I will find a place to put paper no matter what!

Not perfect but a definite improvement from what was there before.

Oh the island!! I didn't even take a picture of the whole thing because it was awful!

This tray was put there to keep the clutter down but it didn't work. I ended up filling it and then there were other separate piles all over the island. Again, getting rid of the unnecessary mail before it comes into the house is key!

We can actually use it again!

There were many suggestion made about how to keep the paper clutter under control now that it has been cleaned. I am going to try my best to do them and keep these areas clear. Now to relax and wait for next week's assignment. It's not too late to join Project: Simplify by Simple Mom.

Heidi

Book Review for SLAVE

2011-03-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have put off writing this review for as long as I could.

I like to write positive reviews. I like to see the good side of things and find value

in everything I come across.

I am a fan of this man's work. He sharpens my thinking skills.

I don't always agree with him, yet he gets me studying as to WHY I don't agree.

But I do agree and enjoy a lot of his written works.

This one blew me away.

I wasn't prepared for my angst towards this work.

BACK COVER: A Cover Up of Biblical Proportions

The cover up MacArthur is revealing is that everywhere in the Bible the word

"servant" should have been slave.

This cover up is what is keeping most of us from having the correct relationship with Christ.

I would argue that our sin is what keeps us from

standing as near to Christ as we could be.

In order to back up his claims, I was sad to see

the discrediting of Scripture.

While I believed his point to be worthy, there is enough Scripture given that refers to bondage, slavery to SIN, etc...that there was no need to

disparage God's choice of the word

"servant" in many places.

His comparison of slaves to servants is interesting.

His reasoning as to why the word should be slave instead of servant is thought provoking and elicited great conversation between my oldest son and me.

Slaves aren't paid.

MacArthur's first flaw.

I am urged in Scriptures to endure, to keep going, to work for rewards, for crowns,

for His praising words of "well done", for crying out loud- He gave me a mansion!

Slave- it doesn't feel like it.

Maybe the big difference between SLAVE and SERVANT is

the way the Master treats the person.

Maybe.

What WAS good about this book is it led me to studying the Bible.

To "see if these things be".

For that alone, it is a worthy tool to have on the bookshelf.

It is never wrong to be reminded that preachers are mere mortals,

men whose own worldview must be filtered through Scripture and sometimes

even good men get it wrong.

It is up to us to find out what we believe and why we believe it.

And if there is a problem, it is not with the Word of God.

My belief that the word "servant" was not an error, nor a conspiracy

is made stronger now.

Thanks, John.

I believe God has the power to not lose control of what He wanted us to have

as the Word of God.

~Shannon- Fortunately For You Books

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #1: Closet Results

2011-03-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

I have been dreaming about purging things and organizing my house since I knew I was pregnant with my third child. She is now 9 months old and it was time to start. Simple Mom organized Project: Simplify. It's a 5 week project that anyone can join to help get 5 different areas of your home in order. This was the motivation I needed to get going!

Hot Spot #1 started this week and it dealt with your closet/drawers/wardrobe. Boy was this a tough place to start! Years of holding on to clothes that really needed to go made this a BIG job! Our goal was to have it finished by Friday. While I still have some clothes in my son's closet, I did manage to get through my left half of the closet (going to let hubby do his side himself if he wants) and dresser drawers.

This is a before picture of the hanging clothes jammed in there. They were so packed that it was hard to separate anything to see what I even own.

This is the after picture. I didn't get a closeup of the hangers, but I put everything back in with the hangers backwards so that at the end of the year, I will know if something wasn't worn because it will not have been turned around and I can purge. This is great to do with items you are unsure of.

Notice the little shelves on the left with clothes seeping over the edges and filled to the top?

Now they are all organized and I even have three shelves empty!

My helper during the process.

Drawers before. Again jammed and hard to open. Never was able to see what was at the bottom of those drawers!

I used the rolling method and grouped my shirts by colors. So much easier to find stuff now.

I did my PJ drawer the same as well.

So after all is said and done, I was able to donate 4 boxes and consign one bag. That's pretty good for 5 days work! Can't wait to see what next week's hot spot will be. Why don't you join us?

Heidi

The American Patriot's Almanac Review

2011-02-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

This book has an old feel to it with the rough edges, ink, paper color, and images. It makes you feel like you are stepping into history before you even open the cover. It's designed to read one entry per day of the year. This is a more significant event with several other less significant events that happened on this date during a different year briefly described as well. Many of the events you will know and reading about them will be a reminder, while others will be new. This book is not dry at all and in fact, is quite interesting to read. It definitely falls more into a living book category. Some of the topics covered include the Constitution, songs and poems of American patriotism, state flags, facts, and symbols, and prayers for the American people.

This book would be great in a homeschool or classroom setting. The entries are short and would be easy to quickly read each day. If that is all you do, your child would still learn a wealth of history but each of these events could easily be expanded upon and a full study done. The book is a hardcover and very sturdy. Any family or classroom would get many years of use out of it.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Heidi

Yummy Cinnamon Biscuits!

2010-12-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, No Greater Joy put out a yearly calendar. Each month on the calendar had something you could make. Some of them were homemade recipes for health products. Some were directions to make things such as a bow and arrow or slingshot. Others were recipes for food. My favorite thing was the recipe for Cinnamon Biscuits. They were delicious!! I lost the calendar and have been searching for it for quite a while and was so excited to find it today. I will definitely be making these for the family this weekend. I thought I'd share the recipe so you can make them too. It's a great recipe for the little ones to help with but be warned, it will be very sticky, as most biscuit batters are. I've added some substitutes in the recipe in case you don't have some of the ingredients at home.

Cinnamon Biscuits

Biscuits
1/2 c softened butter
2 c self-rising flour (add 1 Tbsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt to all-purpose flour to make it self-rising)
3/4 c buttermilk (add 3/4 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk and let sit for 5 mins. if you don't have buttermilk)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c raisins (craisins might be good too)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or any nut)
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Topping
2/3 c melted butter
1 to 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c cream (cream substitutes can be found here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cream-substitute.html)

Mix together softened butter and flour. Stir in buttermilk. Do not over-stir. Scrape out onto a floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and lightly pat down. Sprinkle onto the dough the brown sugar, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon. Fold dough over 3 or 4 times. Don't over-fold. Pat it down lightly, then, using a cup as a cutter, cut out your biscuits. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. Pour over very hot biscuits. Enjoy!

Heidi

FFYB GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-12-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again and we here at Fortunately For You Books love it when we can give some awesome presents to our favorite people!

We are having a daily drawing of names

from fans at our Facebook Page

and Twitter followers.

Just "Like" us on Facebook

AND/OR

That simple!

Enter at each place ONE TIME

and your name

will stay in the drawing

THE WHOLE WEEK!

What's it worth to you?

Every day, a name will be chosen and the winner receives a

$20 gift certificate for

CURRCLICK!!

This certificate can be used

on ANY product in their store- not JUST

Fortunately For You Books products!

How awesome is that?!

Please pass the word!

Facebook: Fortunately For You Books

Twitter: @FFYBooks

RandomList.org is the generator of the daily drawing.

Winner will be announced on FB and Twitter everyday.

Winners will send us an email at

info@fortunatelyforyoubooks.com

We will in turn send you your CODE for the $20 gift card

to use at Currclick via email.

Blessings to you all and may you be able to buy something

to make your teaching job a little easier!

Shannon, Heidi, and Kelly

Fortunately For You Books

Family Journaling- Creating a postive atmosphere in your home!

2010-12-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

Life can be quite hectic. I feel like there are a lot of days that go by and all that is mentioned are the negatives I saw all day. At the end of the day, it's not a good feeling knowing there were so many good things I could have pointed out but didn't. Sometimes we just have a crazy schedule and no one takes the time to tell each other we love them. I don't want my home to be like this and decided something needed to be done about it. So we decided to start a family journal in our home.

This journal is a way for us to point out the positive things we see, tell each other "I love you", appreciate efforts, and more. It's kind of like writing notes to each other but they are kept in one book and the writing goes back and forth between the two people. The journal is placed in a central location. This way everyone can find it and can easily read it or write in it. When someone sees somebody doing something good or perhaps he just wants to say something nice to another family member, he just gets the journal and writes a little note to that person with the date next to it and signs his name. Sometime throughout the day the journal can be checked to see if there is entry in there for you.

I can't tell you what a difference this has made in the dynamics of our home. My children really look forward to getting a note from me. My son wrote such a touching note to me today that it brought a tear to my eye. This was not something he would normally have verbalized. I may have never gotten this kind of emotion out of him otherwise. I think boys especially do a much better job expressing themselves when it's in written form. If you don't give them the opportunity to use it, you may be missing out on a lot. The kids are so happy and really feeling good about themselves. Even the willingness to work harder and longer on things in school is easier.

Children of all ages need to hear words of affirmation. In the tweener and teenage years, this becomes less apparent because they can become withdrawn and want to hang out with their friends more. Don't let that fool you! It is during these difficult years they need to hear it more than ever. They just won't admit it or want you to do it in front of others. That's why this journal is also a great way to keep the lines of communication open but in a private way. If anyone in the house would rather others not read their entries to you, you could keep a private journal for them. My children are 10 and under and they are not to the point of caring if others read what is written.

An added bonus is that your children get to practice their reading, writing, grammar, and spelling skills without realizing it. If you have younger ones, let them dictate to the older children and they can write it down for them. Or let the little ones just draw a picture for you. When a note is left for a little one, again an older sibling can read it aloud. Either way, everyone can participate and feel like they are contributing and receiving notes.

The journal itself doesn't have to be anything special. A simple composition notebook will do. However, you can decorate the outside if you like. Keeping a pen nearby or even attaching one to the journal with a string keeps you from having to hunt one down which would make you less likely to use it often.

I don't think you can go wrong trying this with your family. Everyone is going to feel loved and special and you'll be surprised how it changes attitudes. Sure it can take a little extra time writing to several children, but I usually do mine in the evening after everyone is in bed. It only takes a few minutes and it gives them something to look forward to in the morning and starts the day off on a good note. I hope you'll try it out. Leave us a note if you do and tell us how it worked.

Heidi

Christmas in Ireland

2010-12-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Ireland

is celebrated from December 24^th

to the

Feast of Epiphany on January 6^th.

This is a Christian holiday that celebrates

the arrival of the

Wise men who brought gifts to

Jesus at his birth.

This celebration is the oldest

of the Catholic church feasts.

January 6^th is specifically known as

“Twelfth Day”.

Perhaps you know of a certain

Christmas song that talks about

the twelve days of Christmas?

The song

The Twelve Days of Christmas

is Ireland’s very own song.

In the old days when it was a crime to be a catholic,

this song was written as a way to help young

Catholic children remember their faith.

The words and pictures would be a

reminder of something

Biblical to the children.

A partridge in a pear tree- Jesus Christ, the son of God

Two turtle doves- Old and New Testaments

Three French hens- Faith, Hope, Charity

Four calling birds- The Four Gospels

Five Golden Rings- The first five books of the Bible

(Pentateuch)

Six geese-a-laying- Six days of creation

Seven swans a swimming- The seven Catholic sacraments

Eight maids a milking- The eight Beatitudes

Nine ladies dancing- nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

Ten lords a leaping- The Ten Commandments

Eleven pipers piping- The eleven faithful apostles

Twelve drummers drumming- twelve points of doctrine

from the Apostle’s Creed

Using this picture, can you

remember all the meanings?

The Irish put a lighted candle in the window

to show that Mary and Joseph would have

been welcome in their home on the

night they needed shelter.

The youngest family member is to light

the candle and the only one who can blow it out

is a girl named ‘Mary’. This is most likely

why there are so many Irish lassies named Mary!

The Irish started the tradition

of hanging a holly wreath on the door.

Holly is a hearty plant that thrives on the

blustery island at Christmas time,

so it was common sense to use this plant for decorating.

Even the poor could decorate well at the holiday time

by using this plant.

These decorations are taken down on

January 6^th, or Twelfth Day, and it is

thought to bring bad luck if you take them

down any earlier!

Candy canes are not part of the Irish Christmas.

Instead, and I think very wisely,

TONS OF CHOCOLATE

are a MUST!

Yeah for the Irish!

Santa Claus is very popular in Ireland

and most people agree that he goes to Ireland before he makes his stop in the United States.

I have watched him on the Santa Tracker and

I know this to be true!

He leaves his packages to the Irish children

a wee bit differently though.

He doesn’t leave presents under the tree, he leaves then in the child’s room, often in pillowcases at the end of their beds.

Almost every family goes to church at midnight on

Christmas Eve, and when they return home,

Santa has already been there!

Here is how you say

“Merry Christmas”

In Gaelic:

Nollaig (Christmas)

Shona (Happy)

Duit (to you)

Sounds like- null-ig hunna ditsh

Can you say it?

Tid Bits From My Trip To Ireland

2010-12-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

My sister and I, Maureen and Shannon (yes, lovely Irish names!)

went to Ireland to spend 10 glorious days in May of this year.

There is something about this island.

Once you have gone, you will want to keep returning!

I have fascinating stories, tales to tell, and pictures to show you!

Which way to go?

And as if that wasn’t confusing enough,

We were driving on the wrong side of the car

And on the wrong side of the road!

One of our first stops was to the

Cliffs of Mohr on the western coast of Ireland.

You have probably seen pictures of this in

books or on calendars.

I was not prepared for how high we up we were.

Birds were specks below us.

There was a woman playing a harp, the sun was shining (no small event in Ireland!), and a Keep to climb!

We planned to be here for one hour, but it turned into three.

How could you leave? It was so peaceful and majestic at the same time.

This is called Brian’s Keep.

Not quite a castle, but still regal to us.

Before we left this wonderful place,

we went into the little tea shop.

Every place of interest has a tea shop and one is always in the mood for “a spot of tea”.

Proper tea pots, cups, cubes of sugar and real cream.

We were always served with cups, linens, silverware,

and some sweet and savory pastries.

We Irish know how to make any

place feel cozy and warm.

Tea and scones.

Works every time!

After we were all warm and toasty, we would venture out

into some cold and primitive settings.

When we are driving in our country, sometimes we

pass old barns or old buildings.

In Ireland, we passed old castles.

There they sat, all crumbled, covered with moss,

in total disrepair and looking quite lonely.

As you are driving down your little sheep lined road,

out of nowhere, something this magnificent would appear,

and we would to stop and just absorb the moment.

There are no crowds, no loud noises…

It is just a castle sitting off the path.

It is Ireland and it is beautiful.

We were able to tour several castles and in one castle

we were given a teaching tour.

A wee little man talked about the family

that had lived there, how they lived, and

what had become of them.

Several hundred years later, this home a man

built to protect his family still stands.

It was solid and the foundation was sure.

Needless to say, we learned lots of life lessons on our trip!

Old churches were as common as old castles.

We loved the old cemeteries- except for one.

It was really creepy.

Ireland is an old, old land.

I do not mean it is any older than the earth you

stand on now.

I mean the history of the island is old.

We could see old cathedrals, old cemeteries

and just when you thought things were old enough,

We came across something even odder and even older.

Bee Hive Huts.

Primitive little forts made 500 years before

our Lord was even born amongst us.

Not only bee Hive Huts,

but Druid Circles.

The best food I have ever had in my life

Was in Ireland.

The cuisine from this island is well known and respected.

If you like seafood- well, remember you are on an island and

the seafood is fresh everyday- everyplace.

We were adventurous in our menu picks.

One can dine very well for limited funds.

Here is a small variety of some good eats.

The BEST Thai food I have ever had in my life.

A traditional Irish breakfast.

Tomatoes are served on every plate.

Nice way to start the day, no?

And never to be forgotten was the

Common Fish and Chips.

They eat this meal like we eat

Happy Meals.

Although Fish and Chips, in Ireland

sitting on a bench by a pier,

watching the ships come in and out

made me happier than any Happy Meal ever can.

Maureen and I went to this place

because we are Irish.

Our family heritage is here.

Our own mum came to America from Ireland

when she turned 18 years old.

No one in our family had ever gone to see this homeland.

If you want to learn more about this trip we took,

We have more pictures and stories on our blog (see link below).

Our blog was how we communicated with our family every day.

Phone calls were too expensive for us so loading up our day’s adventures onto a blog was a perfect way to share our adventures.

Be sure to practice your writing and

sharing tales as much as you can.

If you are ever able to travel, you will want a recording of all that you saw and what you did.

Thank you for sharing your time with me.

I could talk of Ireland all day!

http://shannonandmosmostexcellentadventures.blogspot.com/

Shannon Coe

Fortunately For You Books

www.fortunatelyforyoubooks.com

The American Patriot's Almanac

2010-12-02T07:48:00.001-08:00

This book is visually appealing to me. The rough edged papers, the creamy tone of paper, the muted ink, old clip art....all work together to make me feel like I am reading Ben Franklin's own Almanac.
I carry this book around the house and pick out to read to Jesse in spare moments. As all almanacs are, everything is listed by dates. That isn't holding me back and I will not conform to reading only one allotment a day! There is one main subject per date with a "parade" of other events that happened during different years on this given date.
The information is interesting, very interesting. I was prepared for perhaps boring, but I see time was spent picking subjects of value for this book. I should have known. William Bennett does have a good reputation for passing "twaddle" and giving us fascinating delights to read about.
The book is big...thick (almost 2 inches), bigger than a normal size book or Bible. Filled with "mystic chords of memory" as the back cover says. And I find that true. There were readings where I had bits of knowledge about something, and the daily reading would take these wee bits and expand and explain more about the facts, people, events, or the place.
Any higher level student (jr. and sr. high) could use this book, but I would not limit this book to only them. Keep near the breakfast or dinner table. Grab and read aloud to all. Better yet, have a student take a day and let them read on their own. At the next family meal, they can share something interesting about this date in our American History.
Fantastic resource!
~Shannon

Stocking Stuffer for the Artist in Your Family

2010-11-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Looking for some neat stocking stuffers? I found something I am getting my soon to be 4 year old daughter but I'm sure my 10 year old son will love it as well. Pick and Draw is a drawing game that teaches your children (and maybe even you) how to draw cartoon faces. There are 60,000 possibilities! This can be played individually or as a group. It's a great way to introduce early drawing skills in little ones or give the older ones some creative ideas to expand upon what they can already do. What's great about this game is that is breaks down a cartoon face into individual parts, making it much easier to draw than looking at a whole face. There are face, eyes, nose, mouth, and hair cards that you select from the deck and each one has a large drawing on it for the child to add to his face. When he's done, he has an original cartoon face he can name. Of course that could be just a starting point to add more imaginative ideas to the drawing. At only $10, this will provide lots of drawing practice, creative thinking, family time (if used as a game), and fun! Sounds like a winner in my book.

If you go to mama jenn's blog, she has worked with the creator of this game to create a Pick and Draw Bingo game, which you can download HERE for free. She is also giving away one of these games. Be sure to enter before November 5th.

Rich, creator of Pick and Draw, has a wonderful blog you may want to check out as well. I especially like a recent post about drawing numbers. He has simplified this sometimes difficult process for little ones. I will definitely be using this with my preschooler. I could see this benefiting an older student who has writing challenges also.

Heidi

Total Reader Program Review

2010-10-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Lexile numbers for reading levels? When I was a teacher years ago, books were labeled according to grade level and that is how we matched the correct book for a student's reading ability. There wasn't really a way to tell whether that book was going to be a good independent reader or something more appropriate on an instructional level. It seems this theory has evolved into an analysis with a little more accuracy.

Having a son with Dyslexia has made me really focus a lot on reading for the past three years. I am always wondering if all our hard work has paid off and whether or not he is reading on grade level. I also question whether the books he chooses to read independently are really at an independent level or not. This got me doing a search for the old reading level tests. You know the ones where you sit and count up all the words in a certain paragraph and how many sentences there are. Then you eventually come up with a number that you compare to a chart and it tells you approximately what grade level the book is at from that one little paragraph. Not real accurate! I also still don't know whether my son can read at that level or not. So during my search, I came across information about the Lexile number. To explain it best, here is an explanation from the Lexile site: "The idea behind The Lexile Framework for Reading is simple: if we know how well a student can read and how hard a specific book is to comprehend, we can predict how well that student will likely understand the book. When used together, Lexile measures help a reader find books and articles at an appropriate level of difficulty, and determine how well that reader will likely comprehend a text. You also can use Lexile measures to monitor a reader's growth in reading ability over time." Of course after reading this, I wanted to know what my son's Lexile score was and find books in that range for him to read. That lead me to finding a site called Total Reader. This site helps students in the following three areas:

Meeting Student Needs - Total Reader provides students with an individualized tool for practicing reading, measuring improvement and alerting them to the need for possible intervention

Monitoring and Assessing Student Reading Levels - Total Reader provides teachers with reports that are accessible from any computer, so they can not only assess and monitor students, but suggest text and plan curriculum based on reading levels.

Accountability - Total Reader enables educators to assess curriculum and demonstrate accountability to both state and federal mandates and tests.

The student is first given a diagnostic test to get an initial Lexile score. Then the system will adjust the reading passages to that range for the student to read. They are based on the Cloze Procedure where a word is periodically left out and the student must choose from four possible answer choices for the one that makes sense in the context. Each test is recorded and given a Lexile score. Because your child is reading passages in the correct range, his comprehension will increase and his score will actually get better the more he practices. You as the parent can go in and look at different reports and print results.

There are several things I like about this program:
1. I now know my child's Lexile score and can find appropriate materials at both the independent
and instructional level.
2. My son can continue to increase his reading level by reading passages that are interesting to
him. There are tons of different stories for the students to choose from.
3. I have diagnostic information that can be printed and put into a portfolio to show his progress
each year.

The cost was fairly reasonable for this program. It was $39.95 for a whole year per student. This price says it's a special offer so I don't know how long it will last. It is regularly $49.95. Being able to correctly select books for my son and knowing what level he is reading on was worth it enough for me. The fact that he can continue to increase his reading comprehension was an added bonus.

Perhaps you already know your child's score. If you do, you can go HERE to find books within that range.

Heidi

Great family movie!

2010-10-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good movie the whole family will enjoy? We recently got to review The Way Home. We loved it! My 10 year old son even commented on how much he liked it. This movie is about a family where the father is a workaholic. They are finally going to take a much needed vacation when their two year old son disappears. The parent's faith is tested and they are shown God's love as the entire town joins together to search for the missing boy.

Definitely keep a box of Kleenex nearby because you will find yourself tearing up several times throughout the movie. There are lots of great lessons to be learned in this movie and it is definitely one we will watch again.

This is labeled as a Christian movie; however, it should be noted that the phrase "dang it" and the word "H---" were each used once. One of the characters also smokes a cigar.

I received this DVD free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SpellQuizzer only $11.95!

2010-10-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

SpellQuizzer
SpellQuizzer is a great little program I reviewed a while back. We still use it in our homeschool. I can create my own spelling lists with as many words as I want and then record my voice reading a sentence to go along with them. But the possibilities don't end there. You could easily use this program to put in a definition and the student types the vocabulary word. Make up a history question and he types in the answer. Because it is your voice doing the recordings, your child will enjoy it even more. I received an email from SpellQuizzer about an upcoming sale and I wanted to share it with everyone in case it is something you would be interested in. Here is the email:

This is Dan Hite from TedCo Software - the creator of SpellQuizzer. I'm sending you this email because you are a registered user of my software, SpellQuizzer, and I wanted to let you know that I'm having a special 24-hour sale for SpellQuizzer in my Daily Deals store on Thursday, October 7. On that day I'm offering SpellQuizzer at 60% off - just $11.95.

This is an excellent opportunity to get an additional SpellQuizzer license if you need a license for an additional computer. Also, if you have any friends or family members who would like to own SpellQuizzer, this is their chance to get the software at 60% off. Just send them to the following web page (the sale begins on October 7 at midnight Eastern Standard Time):

www.tedcosoftware.com/DailyDeals.htm?page=index.aspx?review=spellquizzer-spelling-software

If the above URL wraps in your email or does not work when you click it then you can also use http://tinyurl.com/38echgr.

I offer deeply-discounted sales every day on my Daily Deals site (www.TedCoSoftware.com/DailyDeals.htm) so please check out the site regularly if you are a bargain-hunter.

Thanks!
Dan Hite
TedCo Software
www.TedCoSoftware.com
www.SpellQuizzer.com

Heidi

Diagramming: A lost skill in the school system

2010-09-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

When I was a teacher in the public school system, I always taught my students how to diagram. No other teachers did this. My students loved it and really understood the parts of a sentence and the different parts of speech. I learned to diagram in school and it seems like it has become a lost art. Ten years later, my son is now at the age where he is ready to learn this and I wanted to find a program that was homeschool friendly. The website English Grammar Revolution is awesome! You will find a wealth of information on grammar for free, as well as wonderful materials you can purchase. There's a video course your child can take and learn how to diagram if you have no idea where to begin.

The newest addition to the site, and my favorite, is a subscription called Daily Diagrams. It is a paid service but worth it. You receive an email each week which includes a PDF file with everything you need to teach one specific area in diagramming. There are also five sentences the student will diagram. One for every day of the week and an answer key is provided as well. This literally takes five minutes to do but is a great way to introduce or reinforce grammar. This subscription comes in two levels: Get Smart for the student just starting to diagram and Stay Smart for the child who needs to reinforce the grammar skills already learned.

If you have not heard of this site, you need to check it out. I am glad I found it. Perhaps you will be inspired to teach your children to diagram as well.

The Skinny About Skin Map

2010-09-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

This is the first book in a new series by Stephen Lawhead. Skin Map is a fictional time travel story about a man named Kit Livingstone. Kit leads a very boring and uninteresting life. I actually felt depressed reading the first few pages and was happy for him when something as exciting as a long lost supposedly dead relative shows up and engages him in a case that involves time travel, mystery, and a treasure hunt.
Kit and his grandfather must find a map made from skin. A traveler had tattooed his body with a map - this map is one piece of the 5 book puzzle. The historical and geographical descriptions are rich and one can learn so much through reading this book. The characters are interesting but it does take time to build a relationship in the book with them. The story can feel scattered at times, but I am thinking that things will tie in together with the other books in the series when they become available.
I have never read any of Stephen's other books, but am thinking they are worth a try- from a library. Considering the cost of this book, I would have to recommend a library check out rather than a purchase. You won't read it more than once, and I am funny about spending more than $18 on a book you will not lend out much or read again. I could use this book for school easily if I used a time line and a map. For that alone, I recommend having it available for your homeschool teens.
3 Stars.
~Shannon

Pockets of Time for Little House on the Prairie half off!

2010-09-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

Don't miss out on our reading comprehension activity that goes along with the classic book Little House on the Prairie. Get Pockets of Time for Little House on the Prairie (ebook) half off for one day only. Use code littlehouse50 during checkout. Offer good through 9-29.

Wisdom from the Wardrobe Unit Study (ebook) Half Off!

2010-09-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

For one day only, get our Wisdom from the Wardrobe Unit Study (ebook only) for half off! Use coupon code unitstudy50 during checkout. Good through 9-28.

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

2010-09-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Probably many homeschoolers are aware of Homeschool Freebie of the Day, but if you aren't, this is a wonderful resource to get lots of free materials. Each day there is something new to download. It is not available after that day so make sure you go and get it. If you sign up for their newsletter, they will send an email giving you a heads up for the week. Today there are some great living books you can listen to from HomeschoolRadioShows.com. Be sure to check this out if you never have. You will find yourself going to the site often to download and save some great materials for future use.

Here's The Story

2010-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how Fortunately For You Books came to be? Well, here's the story, but you must sing this to the tune of the Brady Bunch theme song.

(Shannon, Kelly, and Heidi)

Here's the story
of three lovely ladies
who were bringing up some children in their home
there were 9 of them
these precious bundles
and they were all alone

'cuz they were hands on
vis-u-al learners
and they needed some paper for their files
so the moms planned
and made together
resources all their own

The moms then tried out
their hands-on ideas
on the children who thought learning was a bore
they started learning,
scho-oo-l prospered
they must share with all the
moms out in the world

so skimming started
of grocery money
blogs and websites, taxes, licenses were bought,
hard work, late nights, laughs, oopsies lived out
we then picked a business name to call our own

success was granted
the Lord has blessed them
they help the children who learn differently than some
they touch and feel it,
commit to memory
now scho-ol is not suffered anymore!

the FFYB (say quickly) bunch, The FFYB bunch,
That's the way we became the FFYB bunch!

Okay, that was fun and maybe, just maybe I had a lot of coffee tonight! That was the quick look at Fortunately For You Books. While the song diddy makes it sound like it was all fun and easy, let me assure you it wasn't. It was a mission that we worked hard and diligently on. We do this for those little ones who snuggle up with mommy on the couch and listen to a story. Those same little ones who have a hard time comprehending and remembering what they just heard. Sometimes the little visual helps, sometimes they need to handle the time cards and put them in order as they hear the events. These students aren't slow, they just don't have the right tools. I can't tell you how many times we have been written to and told by a mommy that the child now enjoys story time- because they are not dreading the coming assessment!

We have just finished up with our vacations and are now refreshed and ready to buckle down again and work hard to provide inexpensive and quality products that have a foundation in literature. We will be making some business meeting trips to Starbucks (YEAH!!!!) to plan our holiday ideas. So many books, so little time!

Okay, how many of you actually sang that song anyways?

~Shannon

Civil War Mini Lapbook has been created!

2010-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

We have created a mini lapbook for kids who teter between liking and hating lapbooking. Sometimes the hands-on concept of a lapbook is appealing but all the written work required to complete it is not. In this 10 page file you will find an abundance of learning about the highlights of the American Civil War all done in a creative way your child is sure to love. And using ONE page of cardstock instead of three file folders, your child will have created a project to show off the knowledge he has learned about The War Between the States. Be sure to check this out on our Dollar Menu!

IV- A Story About Sacrificial Love

2010-09-14T09:33:00.001-07:00

It's not what you think....you will be reading quite a few chapters...hoping it is not what it seems. It isn't. Ted Dekker has woven a tale of sensuality, seduction and redemption into one thriller. I read this book in two settings. I didn't get anything else done. It is Ted's fault!

Dark characters, depravity.....honor and a valiant man. Death...eyes willing to be blinded in exchange for pleasure.....sisters, friends, separated by lust and desire.

While referencing the Song of Solomon, this story will make you want to reread this Bible lesson and see the parallels. It took a genius to take such a story that leaves so many questions and recreate it to see why the lovers are grieving and sorrowing, why they are separated and yearning, and how this love becomes so strong that the bond of love is worth dying for.

What is sacrificial love? It may be easier to say what it is not...it is not selfish, it is not self promoting, it is not vain, it is not hurtful, it is not a love that leaves you feeling worse. Sacrificial love is the love Christ has for his bride, the love Solomon reflects in his Song of Songs, it is the love of the man in this book for his beloved.

I would highly recommend this book for adults and high school students. A follow up of the book of Song of Solomon will add new insight and reflection to this Biblical love story. It is a dark love story...no butterflies, unicorns, rainbows, or happy endings for everyone!

Post a comment about any of Ted Dekker's works or anything related and your name will go in for a drawing for a Spread the Love T-shirt given away free from the Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Cast of Characters Book Review

2010-09-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

Cast of Characters is a wonderful book that really shows how God has used the common, every day person to do great things. It shows that we don't need to be perfect in order to do His work. If we are just willing, He will mold us into the type of person He needs us to be. Max Lucado uses 22 different characters from the Bible to show just how ordinary the great men and women of the Bible were and how they impacted so many others, were given second chances, or became a model for others to follow.

This book is a very inspiring read and really helps a person to realize we all can make a difference. It also could be used as a devotional because the chapters are fairly short, making it possible to read one each day.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Max Lucado's Outlive Your Life Review

2010-09-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Max Lucado has written another great book! Reflecting on 120 people of ancient Israel, he shows how God can use common, ordinary individuals to do amazing things. Lucado poses the question of whether God can use the people of modern days in the same way He used His first followers to affect the world in a profound way. Wonderful examples are used to explain how we can make a difference. These stories are presented in such a way they are sure to touch your heart. He discusses habits, attitudes, prejudices and more that keep us from acting the way we should. Persecution is something you may run into when going against the grain and the author addresses this as well.

If you are looking to make an impact on those around you and maybe even the world itself, this book is a great read and a good way to get you on the right track.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Boy Who Changed the World

2010-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

I too had a chance to review The Boy Who Changed the World. This is a great book for children to read. It shows that any little thing they do can make a big difference in the world. Their actions can start a chain reaction of events that can have good or bad consequences. This book describes some famous people who made little choices that affected the world in a positive way.

My children enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful! With a great a message and wonderful artwork, you can't go wrong with this book.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Boy Who Changed the World

2010-09-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

I was not prepared for the beautiful art work in this book. I am a huge fan of water color and the pages are filled with bright, colorful, and detailed work. the pictures themselves would enthrall a child. But the story......How many times have we labored to water the idea that what you do makes a difference? It can make a difference for good or for bad. This story concentrates on the good of a man, Norman Borlaug, who accomplishes his dream of feeding many hungry people in the world by growing "special" seeds that will have a greater harvest. But Norman was mentored and helped by someone, who was helped and mentored by someone...and on and on.
Mentoring is not a new idea, but it is certainly not a purposeful goal for many adults. It takes time, resources, patience, and a burden to help. the story will speak to adults as well as children.
When reading this book to younger children, it make take a few times of hearing the story for them to make the connection. This story goes backwards in time and that might be confusing to them. I would suggest drawing a stick figure timeline to make that visual and backwards connection.
The "butterfly effect" is explained on the last page ( with beautiful butterflies all over the page!). It is a Scriptural principle and you can use verses to support this idea to give this effect a more Biblical foundation rather a philosophical one. Imagine being able to talk about this every time you and your child see a butterfly!
In bright red letters is the sentence: That means every little thing YOU do matters. And how true. What a difference this could make in your child's life if they really grasped this concept.
Kudos to Andy Andrews for giving us a beautiful book that covers art, history, science, and Bible in a wonderful story!
~ Shannon
FFYB

Highly Recommended Book for Boys

2010-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

My son, who turned 12 this year is in that in between time of still being a boy yet wanting to be considered a man. As a mother, it is impossible for me absolutely know what he is going through and to understand all the emotions that are just under the skin because I am a woman and have never felt all that he has. His father helps to guide his way when he is home from work and His Heavenly Father is helping to guide his path as well. For personal devotions, it was harder for me to find the right Scriptures and correct words to help him study it out further. I researched out devotion books for boys and decided to purchase a few so that I may read them to make sure they were doctrinally sound, age appropriate, and interesting for my son.

I found all of those things and more in the book "Boyhood and Beyond" by Bob Shultz. It is a book that covers a myriad of subjects pertinent to a well rounded young man. He gives great anecdotes, personal stories, and Scriptures that your son can understand and identify with. Mr. Shultz has done more than I can do with certain subjects, because I really just don't understand all the thoughts, actions, and emotions of men but he does.

I have to highly, highly recommend this book to any pre-teen, teen, or young man out there! I think this book can be read from 8 years of age to 20. As I read it with my son, the Lord speaks to my heart about the awesome responsibility on me to help mold this precious creature. He reminds me that most of these lessons can be adapted for me and that I need to do better in many of these areas as well!

Here is a list of the Chapter Titles in BOYHOOD AND BEYOND:

A Grand Book-(appreciating the Master's world and nature)

Admit It

Authority

One Degree at a Time-(how change takes time)

A Man

Be of Good Cheer

Coveting

Temptation

Education for Life

Forgiveness and Dirty Diapers

Get Up Again

Where Do I Belong?

Mr. Industry vs. Mr. Sloth

Inventions

Justice

Leadership

Learn to Like It!

Life is Doing

Meeting God in the Morning

Misunderstood

No Rest Without Work

Overcoming Fear

Pain

Preparing for a Wife

The Best Book

The Morning Watch

The Value of an Old Man

A Time to Kill

Worship

Letters

Preparing for Your Children

These all being listed, please note that Mr. Shultz always writes in an appropriate manner. Sensitive subjects will be covered but they are done in a way that is never offensive or questionable! He also has Practical Happiness: A Young Man's Guide to a Contented Life and Created for Work available for you to read. Both are on the list to be used as Bible Devotions through the 2010-2011 school year. You can find these on Amazon at very reasonable prices even though what you will be getting by reading them is priceless!

If you've read this book, we would love to hear what you think about it! Post a comment!

My Review of MamaRoo Baby Seat - Pink

2010-08-12T06:04:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Weve never seen a parent vibrate their child like a bouncy seat and hardly seen one swing a baby around like a swing. But, weve seen thousands of parents scoop their little ones up in their arms and bounce and sway. And thats what the MamaRoo does. It moves like you do. Some seats claim two motions...

Awesome product!

By Mom of 3 from Morgantown, WV on 8/12/2010

Pros: Comfortable, Stylish, Strong Construction, Easy Use

Cons: Heavy

Best Uses: Newborn, Infants, Daily Use

Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children

This is one of the greatest pieces of baby equipment ever created! I use this in place of all the other things like bouncy seats, swings, etc. With 5 different types of movements, you are sure to find one or more that soothes your child. The nature sounds and mp3 jack is an added bonus. I have put classical baby music on my mp3 player and plugged it into the mamaRoo to play.
My daughter has been in her mamaRoo since the day she was born. I did however did have to put a Snuggin Go support system in there until she was old enough to lay by herself. She takes her daily naps in it and it has been a life saver for my arms.
It is a little heavy and not something you are going to want to move around the house. That is the only downside. It plugs into the wall and you don't have to worry about batteries dying. One of the best features is that the seat zips off and can go in the washing machine. I have had to do this and the seat washes up great, retains it's shape, and looks like new.
I would highly recommend this product to anyone having a baby. Yes, it's a little expensive but you will get lots of use out of it.

(legalese)

Prayers for our FFYB family

2010-08-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

This is my family. Starting from the left, Dave (my wonderful hubby for 27+ years), Jesse (14 years, 9th grade), Jacob (just graduated, working full time, volunteer firefighter, waiting to be hired by the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department), Aaron (my oldest son, Deputy), Ethan (my first grandchild, almost 3 years old), Krystle (my wonderful and sweet daughter-in-law-married to Aaron), Breigha (in her mother's arms, 2 months old, sweet natured, loveable, petite, granddaughter), me-Shannon (wishing the wind would have blown my hair differently), Shaina (wife of Isaac, my spirited and brave daughter-in-law), Chloe (in the car seat on the ground (we don't wake sleeping babies!), fat and happy baby!), Isaac (my second oldest son- United States Marines).

Our son, Isaac will have his boots on the ground in Afghanistan late Sunday night, early Monday morning. We are very proud of him and while we have known and stated it many times that soldiers make sacrifices, we ourselves are feeling this sacrifice he is making for us. He left for 4 months when his little baby was 3 weeks old. He now leaves us for a year to go over seas.

We are very grateful for the time we had with him this week. I ask that if your family prays for soldiers, would you please add the name Isaac Coe to your list?

Band of Brothers!

I am very proud of all my sons and appreciate their willing hearts to make a difference in this world through their jobs, careers, and their testimonies.

May God keep all my sons safe until they can be together again!

~SHANNON

100 Prayers God Loves to Hear

2010-08-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

I ordered this book with my two year old grandson in mind. I was very surprised to see the content is for much older students. I believe this book would be good for lower to upper elementary. I do love the music CD's that came with the book filled with 100 songs of praise, some from my childhood and some newer songs. These will be perfect for my Ethan who loves music.

Every prayer has a title and a little devotional with it. There is a lovely little prayer in a colored box in the center of each page. On the opposite page has a colored and relating picture to the devotional. At the bottom of that page is a quote about prayer.

My ideas to use this book in schooling with children would be to use the quotes and prayers as copywork, the music as a music session, and the devotional for a Bible class. You really have three classes combined in this one book.

It really is a lovely little book that I found myself just sitting and reading it like a story book. Some of the prayers are longer and I was considering memorizing them myself and saying this beautiful prayer at just the right time. But instead I have decided to add prayers to cards, notes, and emails I send to friends. My memorizing skills are rusty!

If your children are too young to read, this book is still a great resource for you, mom! Subjects cover putting down your toys to think about God to family prayers, an evening prayer, prayer for thanking God for little things, and many prayers of people in the Bible.

The table of contents lists the prayer and the praise song that goes with that prayer. With 100 lessons in this book, you have quite a lovely devotional for your little ones.

~Shannon

Curriculum choices for this year

2010-08-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the Not Back to School Blog Hop hosted by Heart of the Matter. This is Curriculum Week so I am sharing my choices for this year. I hope some of what I am listing will be a help to others.

I love to plan for school! Perhaps it's because I am a former public school educator and teaching is in my blood, but it's my favorite thing to do. As soon as school ends, I get the itch to start planning for the next year. I love school materials too! This makes it very difficult to narrow down what I am going to use but it does help to focus on my son's learning styles and look for products that will work best for "him" and not what I am drawn to. My guy is very active and needs hands-on and exciting materials. Textbook learning does not work for him. This type of learning style is hard to cater to when your are a textbook learner yourself. Also, there is a lot of curriculum out there that says it's for the hands-on learner and it does not work with my son.

Here is what I have chosen for this year:

Math: Teaching Textbooks What I love about this program is that it is on the computer and was created specifically for homeschoolers. All lessons are introduced with a lecture that is explained very well with examples given. The screen is not visually overwhelming and the text is large so it stands out. As concepts are explained, the text is highlighted so the student can follow along. There are practice questions given that review previously learned material. During the lesson, when an answer is correct, an animal (in our case it was a mouse) climbs towards the top of the screen and eventually makes it to the top for a reward. My son loved this! There is also a bonus round where he can earn extra points to make up for some of the missed problems. Tests are also given at the end of each unit.
We have been very pleased with this program so far. My only warning would be that it seems to be a little behind in grade level compared to some other curriculums out there but if you just read the scope and sequence for the year, you can easily find the level that's appropriate for your child.

Reading: Stevenson Learning Skills I can't say enough good things about this curriculum! My son has dyslexia and it has done wonders for him. There are many programs out there that are very expensive but this one is reasonable and has brought him up to grade level or close to it. A mnemonic approach is used to attach a visual picture and story to vowel patterns to make them more memorable. It has been quite effective in helping my son to remember phonetic patterns he couldn't grasp before.
The Learning to Read Program I will be reviewing this program this year so I can't say much about it yet. It does have a lot of potential though. This program focuses on the little sight words that have no meaning and cause a dyslexic to stumble when he comes across one. It gives meaning to the words so there is something to visualize when reading. I have high hopes for this program and hope I am not let down.

English: Hands-On English with Linking Blocks This is an awesome English program! What my son could remember after a few months of doing this was amazing. We have spent several years doing English with Easy Grammar (which he didn't mind doing) but still couldn't even remember what a noun was. Within a few months of using this, he could not only name several parts of speech, but he could locate them in a sentence as well! The linking blocks bring this very abstract concepts home for hands-on learners and make it very concrete and easy to remember. All parts of speech are color coded and have songs that go along with them to help remember their function in a sentence. This program only goes over the basics in English and you would need another program eventually but it does a great job of laying the foundation.
English Grammar Revolution This is something I am still considering. I am a firm believer that diagramming sentences really breaks sentence structure down into easy to understand parts. I taught diagramming to my students when I taught school and they always loved it. My son loves sports and bracketology so this is kind of bringing both worlds together. He can do his English on "brackets" so to speak.

Science: The Young Scientists Club These are complete science kits that are mailed to your door either once or twice a month. They contain everything you need to complete the experiments other than a few minor household items. This could be considered an actual curriculum because each kits lays the ground work for the next one. You can start the subscription at any kit you want and can cancel any time. My son loves to do science experiments but I don't do well gathering the materials so it is worth it to me to pay a little extra to have the leg work done for me.

History: Drive Thru History Series We have been studying American history and Drive Thru History now has an American series. These are DVDs which literally drive you through history. Dave Stotts, who does the videos, is hilarious and just the kind of humor we appreciate. He stops at many different historical sites and teaches about what took place there or the important figures during that time. It's kind of fast paced and I'm not sure you could call it a curriculum (probably more like a supplement) but for my son, he will pick up way more with these than with an in depth curriculum. There are discussion questions that go along with these, as well as an answer key. We will probably read chapter books as well.

Bible: This is still up in the air.

Writing: Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series We used this last year and will continue with it this year. This is a simple program that transitions from print to italics very easily. If you have a child who struggles with handwriting but you want him to be able to use a form of cursive writing, this is a nice program.

Supplemental Materials: Fortunately For You Books I love to use our company's materials as much as possible because they are created with children like my son in mind. He always tells me how much he enjoys the activities from our products. I like to pull different ones from our Remember Me Pockets monthly books or use our Pockets of Time reading comprehension tool to go along with a chapter book we are reading. We also really enjoy the Mini Lapbooks, as my son is not a fan of the big regular lapbooks that require a lot of writing.

Organizational System: Sue Patrick's Workbox System This system has transformed our school day and my son's outlook on it as well. He can see how much work is left and is much more motivated to get it done. He also has become more independent because of it. Workboxes have helped me to be better prepared for each week and we don't have to run around looking for materials in between each subject. Yes, there was some work involved in getting it all set up, but once it was, it made my life much easier. Even filling the boxes each night only takes me a few minutes. I would highly recommend this system to anyone! And if you don't have a lot of space, there are yahoo workbox groups with people who have tons of suggestions for that.

So there you have it. Those are my choices so far for this new school year.

Heidi

Sight Word Game

2010-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Save this blog site for a game you can make for school.

This picture was taken from the blog site.

http://craftnectar.com/2009/06/25/sight-word-daddy/

Common Really Means Special

2010-07-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Max Lucado has always been one of my favorite authors. He is gifted in seeing daily events and relating them to us so we see the hand of God in our common and everyday lives. He has taken this same approach with people of the Bible.

22 chapters are given with a look into the lives of people such as Mephibosheth (one of my favorites!), Abigail (a true role model for so many women today), Moses, Matthew, the woman who washed Jesus' feet, Jairus, and many more.

I have a confession that might explain why I love this book and why I have wanted it since I first saw it on the book shelf.

I am common.

I am middle to low income.

I am not brilliant but smart enough to do what I need to.

My house is nothing fancy, kind of falling apart in places.

We will never make lots of money.

We will always have just enough to meet our needs, if managed well

We aren't able to travel much....and never abroad (unless as a gift by my VERY GIFTED SISTER)

My kids aren't A students. They worked hard for average grades.

Common.

There are millions upon millions of people who are blessed as much as me.

Common.

But what Max shows us is how beautiful COMMON is! And how much glory the Lord gets from this. How much hope it gives to so many people. The mindset is, if God can do ALL of this and use this plain, everyday kind of folk, He can use you in a mighty way, in your own little place in the world.

While I would never be comfortable with telling anyone that they are limited, the truth is that many of us have boundaries, whether made by man or by God. Limits to ways we can serve Him. Abilities that can only be used in certain setting. Income, families, jobs, all these things and more have all limited me to be common.

But the word common is made to be beautiful and one can even see the blessing in it. My love for the Lord is increased even more, because while common on this earth, His love for me is not common. It is rare and personal. The love we share is unlike anyone else's love for Him. I have specific things, things that are known only to me, that I share with Him. Our love is not common.

I recommend this book for anyone battling with self esteem. A good dose of reality...that some people are common....plus a good dose of.....God does more with common people that He does with anyone else....will cheer up the heavy hearted. Read this book aloud to your teens. It defuses feelings of failure in both teens and mommies.

Thanks, Max.

Everyone Communicates Few Connect

2010-07-08T12:23:00.001-07:00

One thing I have always told my girlfriends when giving advice about talking to the men in their family was if it is important enough to talk about, then it needs to be heard. Meaning, you have to say what you need to be heard in a way that the Martians, errrr, I mean men can understand. In their little Martian language. Face it, no one wants to walk away from a conversation and feel like they haven't been heard. This book was surprisingly beneficial to me in learning how to do that. I wondered if it would be a book geared mostly to business principles. It is, but the logic is that businesses are made up of what? ....you guessed it- people. Learning to speak in a way that connects with a room full of people or with one special friend while sitting and having tea is something that can be learned.
John gives 5 Principles that will connect you with the listener. In truth, he teaches you cannot be selfish and be heard. Connecting is all about others (chapter 2). How very true. Connecting requires energy (chapter 4). Also true. Which is most likely why our connecting moments can be so rare.
Then John moves into 5 Practices of connecting. This is where he gives you ways to apply what you learned in the previous chapters.
My favorites about this book:

Little quotes in boxes scattered all over. I love quotes. I love little boxes on pages that feel like gifts within the text. These were great quotes and I am copying some into my journal.
Every chapter ends with a key concept. I like it when a chapter sums it up.
Connecting with 1 on 1 tips, with a group, and with an audience. Fantastic points and how-tos.

As an adult, I see the value of this book and I enjoyed the kick in the pants to focus and put some energy into connecting with people, those I love....those within my business world.....and those I am witnessing to. This is a fantastic tool to learn from.

I do heartily recommend the book for high school students learning to speak publically. I believe it would be a fantastic resource for a speech class or for those whose mission in life would require public speaking on any level.

Good job, John C. Maxwell. You actually took a boring subject and put it in a slightly despised category (self help) for me and gave me a good read.

~Shannon

Book Review

2010-06-25T15:47:00.001-07:00

Never Let You Go by Erin Healy
Lexi Solomon is a struggling single mom. Her life gets even more complicated when her deserting husband show up out of nowhere. To make matters worse, two other individuals from her past appear and cause her life to change.

She finds she has to face her past and realize there are consequences for her actions. Through this self-examining, she learns a lesson in forgiveness. This is a Christian book which has a good versus evil theme throughout. It's full of suspense and drama and is sure to be a book you won't want to put down!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Chapter 3 of Notebooking for Glenn Beck's Arguing With Idiots is available

2010-06-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Chapter 3 for Notebooking for Glenn Beck's Arguing With Idiots is now available for $1.50. This is a great history resource you may want to use with your high school student. If you haven't downloaded chapter 1 for free, do that first to get a sampling of what the other chapters are like.

Heart of the Matter Online Conference

2010-06-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about the online conference at Heart of the Matter this year. Not only do I love all that HOTM offers with their very inexpensive 5 day sessions, I am particularly intrigued with this speaker: Dr. Stephen Guffanti

His topics will be ADHD vs. Kinesthetic Learner: Which is it? and ADHD and Kinesthetic Learners: Living Happily Together.

Here is an article about him and his thoughts that will prep you for the conference:

Heart of the Matter- Stephen Guffanti

Please consider joing the conference. It is only $19.99 for 5 days of sessions online. With that little bit of money that is invested in you as the learner, you receive admission to the live conference, MP3 downloads to listen to all the sessions at your own convenience, door prize entries and a swag bag!

Conference dates are August 9-13. Sign up now and listen to this man!

Heart of the Matter Conference

The Portable Patriot

2010-06-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this book! If anyone in your family is impassioned with the values and beliefs of our nation and their beginnings, you will want to take a look at this book.

It is very portable, just the right size to carry in your purse or bag. It is filled with documents, speeches, and sermons from not only founding fathers, but from many people who wrote accounts of their own ordeals and troubles while enduring in a troubled time.

The book is broken into 5 main categories:

1. Beginnings- Mayflower Compact, Mary Rowlandson's Recount of Her Captivity (heart wrenching!), Benjamin Franklin's own Epitaph (curiously written by him), and five other interesting reads.

2. Pre Revolution- A Pastor who defends Civil Resistance (Jonathan Mayhew), Samuel Adams on the Rights of the Americans, George Washington on the Question of Rebellion, and 10 other writings.

3. Revolution- A Letter from George Washington to His Generals, The Times That try Men's Souls, The Conditions at Valley Forge (tragic and heart breaking details), General Hull and the Killing of His Friend Nathan Hale, and many other selections.

4. Founding- Ben Franklin's Advice for Those Coming to America, George Washington on the Subject of Slavery, Joel Barlow on the Separation of Church and State, a total of 18 selections.

5. Republic- First Inaugural Adresss of George Washington, Education in the New Republic, and three other writings.

All writings have had very slight abridging done to them, not taking away anything from their original works. I am a stickler for wanting the purity of the works kept in tact, and I must say that Joel Miller and Kristen Parrish have done an amazing job. Misspelling, grammatical errors, and old phrasings still remain. Before each selection is a wonderful introduction by the authors that give accurate and clear information about the events and times leading to this writing.

I really loved the selections that were chosen. I would never on my own have stopped to read some of these lesser known writings, many of which are written by common people. You can hear the heart cry for freedom, the details of suffering are given, the honor to God given and reference to His mighty works are expressed all lead to heart warming literature. Humility and dependence on God is obvious to the reader.

This book is a worthy find and would do well on your school shelf. Those who use the Charlotte Mason approach to learning (using real and living books rather than text books-to sum it up simply) will want this historical book this coming school year.

Many of these writings have stirred my heart with the same fervency of the Freedom Speech given in the movie Braveheart, if I may make a modern contrast. This book does a superb job of covering more than the founding fathers views and writings. I am impressed with this book and would in a heartbeat make curriculum to go along with this. I am including this in my Jesse's (9th grade) reading list this year. Good job Joel and Kristen on your selections and editings. Your book will certainly help America as we wake up our interest in our country and as we learn to value our freedoms like we haven't done in a very long time.

The Portable Patriot on Amazon.com

~Shannon

New Fortunately For You Books Family Member

2010-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have added a new member to our Fortunately For You Books family this week. Elise Evelinn was born on Thursday morning. I love to review new products and if you follow along with our blog or some of the statuses on here, I often post my reviews. My reviews usually pertain to homeschooling materials or sites but I thought it might be nice to post of some reviews for baby products or mothering (since that's what my sole focus is right now). Perhaps there are some other homeschooling moms with new babies out there as well that might want to hear about some of the neat products I've come across or how I will be homeschooling with a newborn, toddler, and 10 year old. Stay tuned because I have two products I will be mentioning that I don't think I could have lived without.

Heidi

New Notebooking Pages for High School History

2010-06-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you have a high school student, we would love for you to give our new product a try. Notebooking for Glenn Beck's Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government is now ready. Chapter 1 is available for free on our Freebie page and Chapter 2 is also available for purchase at just $1.50. We hope you will find this a great resource to go along with the book (not included) for your student. We are living in a time when our children need to be aware of current events and have a good understanding of politics and government. This book is about Glenn Beck's popular and conservative look at America.

With list making, note taking, diagram drawing, and highlighting different aspects from this text, FFYB created an unconventional curriculum for students who are not text book oriented. Having learned from experience, the goal of high school material is to translate into adulthood smoothly. Learning to read and take notes from a book such as this is the perfect way to help your high school student learn about our great country, our freedoms, and our rights. You will need to purchase the book Arguing With Idiots to go along with this notebooking file.

All ten chapters will be released individually because the book is long and you may not want to cover every chapter with your student. This way you don't end up buying an entire book you don't need. Keep checking our site so you can purchase the others chapters as they release.

State Mini Lapbooks are a great summer activity!

2010-06-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

For many us, the school year is winding down or has even ended. I know for me, I am constantly trying to think of fun activities my son can do so he doesn't lose at lot during the summer. All of our products are so fun to use that students really don't think of them as "school work". Using our State Mini Lapbooks are a quick easy way to learn some interesting facts about the states and maintain some skills at the same time. Minnesota and Rhode Island are now available. We will continue to add to this line until all 50 states are done. So if you don't see your state, don't fret, it will be coming soon!

We now have a comprehension tool to go along with Anne of Green Gables!

2010-05-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Walls of Time for Anne of Green Gables is a great, hands-on reading comprehension supplement (reader not included). You will not find tools like we offer anywhere. When answering questions in this Walls of Time, ten separate murals are created. The student can answer questions as they read, or at the end of a chapter. Either way, interesting details are remembered that will help the student enjoy the story. Sometimes when you take away the writing, you take away the stress. Reading comprehension is the goal with literature guides, but you don't necessarily need writing to accomplish this. Hands-on learners will benefit greatly from this product.

Anne is an red-headed orphan girl who finds herself in a beautiful place with two people who have never been parents before. She is very bright and has a wild imagination. Her caretakers, Matthew and Marilla, are common and sensible. Follow Anne as she forms bonds of love and friendship with those around her; something she has been needing for a long time. This timeless tale will become a favorite in your home and you'll find yourself reading it over and over again!
This is on sale now in our store for $2.50 (Reg. $3.99).

2010-05-21T10:56:00.001-07:00

Coming soon- Walls of Time for Anne of Green Gables! This is a comprehension tool that is sure to be a hit with the girls in your family.

2010-05-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

If you are following along with our State Mini Lapbooks, Wisconsin is now ready! http://tinyurl.com/27ecjyh

2010-05-12T18:39:00.001-07:00

Have you been waiting for more State Mini Lapbooks? South Carolina is now available on our Dollar Menu! http://tinyurl.com/27ukapz

2010-05-07T06:02:00.001-07:00

Penny Raine has a freebie to download today called How to Make Butter in the Blender. Be sure to get it. http://tinyurl.com/cpfaqz

Lines of Time for Misty of Chincoteague now available!

2010-05-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

The beloved classic about a horse called Phantom and her sweet little foal, Misty, now has a hands on and visual reading comprehension program to go along with it! Fortunately For You Books takes readers like this and engages the child throughout the chapter with a fun timeline of events in Lines of Time for Misty of Chincoteague. If your student struggles with reading comprehension, this is the tool you want to use. Read aloud with the child and have them listen or let them read and you can easily check their comprehension by looking at the color coded tiles placed on the timeline. A love of reading is key to a love of learning. Not every student learns the classical way. Let FFYB help take the stress out of story time! This is the first book in a series and we will be doing a Line of Time for all of them.

Jacob's Last Day

2010-04-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of formal learning in our home for our son, Jacob. It is not his last day of learning, however. Every time a son of mine graduates, I am filled with pride, joy, glee, euphoria, appreciation, and many, many wishes.
My pride and joy is for Jake and all he has accomplished and for how hard he has worked. From the kid's view, being a home schooled student is not always the easiest way to go! You have a mom who is still experimenting on you all the time. She may even change the rules, the standards, and the expectations at random times and for random reasons throughout the school year. Moms have even been known to rip curriculum right out of their children's hands and replace it with something else with a totally different learning style. Jake has not only been successful at learning to learn, but learning to adapt. These are two of the greatest qualities he will need as he enters the strange and foreboding world of adulthood. He did not only survive me and my whims, he thrived and is prepared beyond his years. What joy I have as I watched him begin with his first little basic workbooks to see him now read such books as Dante's Inferno, Arguing With Idiot, Hidden Codes and Meanings, and most importantly, the book that will be the deciding factor between living a good life or a victorious life, the Bible.
My glee and euphoria comes at irregular intervals in my heart. Between the bursts of sadness that I have accomplished one purpose and mission in my sons' life, comes the bouncing, joyous cry...the OH CAN IT BE shout that I have only one child left to teach. One. One subject-one student-one grade level. One. I hope reality matches what I have in my mind. As this last student, our lovable Jesse is now in 9th grade, he will be learning to be an independent learner. This means that if I do indeed get the right curriculum for the right subject, I will become more of a mentor and guidance counselor than instructor. I will not be required to do the teaching, but I will be providing the information, acting as a conduit, the supplier of resources. My mission changes, and with the new mission comes a respite I haven't felt in years. I am hoping to devote my time to my beloved husband, our precious grandchildren, my awesome business ( Yeah FFYB!!) and my whole family and church family.
My appreciation is because I have been so blessed with the gift of being able to stay home with my children all these years. When Jake stands to give his testimony in church on Sunday, I will not have regret that I didn't spend more time with him. I will have regrets, mind you, but not about this. Our church has taken wonderful care of us and in so doing have given me the gift of time. Beth Haven Baptist Church of Morgantown, West Virginia, you are dear to me beyond words and your support has been a deciding factor in my family's strong foundation. May the Lord reward you according to your works and labor of love. I have appreciation to my wonderful husband. He always took whatever role I would give him, good cop-bad cop, at a moments notice. He knew we would convene in the office, er, bathroom, and I would give my explanation, but his back up support is a great gift. Thank you Dave, for your love, support, and most of all, for your trust in me and the vision I had for our family so many years ago. You got us from point A to point B. I hope you are filled with joy when you see your group of homeschooled men. You gave them a strong and stable home and provided the tools needed for their education. Appreciation is not even a good enough word for how I feel about you.
As my son stands in church and gives his world view and shows people his heart, as he stands before them all and shares his goals and plans, I wish for him the strength needed to live and work in a world where he will not always be safe nor loved. He will be working in an America we have never known. I wish for him that his heart would still remain as gentle as it is now, but yet as wise as a serpent. I wish for him an easy way, yet I know that nothing that has come easy for any of us is appreciated as much as what we have labored and worked for. I wish for success for my Jacob, success based on the Lord's standards, not man's: godliness, purity, faithfulness, valiance, trust, hope in Christ, endurance, and grace to meet whatever God has chosen for his path. Should Jake's path look like the one Joseph trod, may he endure betrayal with a soft heart, handle the rising and falling of career after career with humbleness, and may he stand the greatest test of character a man can stand- forgiveness. Should our Lord choose a path similar to Moses, may he speak when told to and never mind the ability factor. May he lead people in a bold and steady manner, even when these same people are ungrateful and stubborn. Should life begin to look reminiscent of David's life, I wish the victories and spoils of battles to be sweet and satisfying, and I wish the adversaries to be destroyed, and may Jacob's heart be as near and dear to God's won as David's was. Should the path be one of sorrow and heartache, like Job's, may the cries of frustration and abandonment be spoken and yelled to a God who loves him even when it doesn't feel like it. May he understand that believers walk by faith, not by what we see or feel happening. May faith in a righteous and Sovereign God sustain him enough when life is crashing down all around. And may the latter end always be better.
I could write pages and pages of wishes, but I can also sum it up quite easily this way, may God get the glory for this man's life, this Jacob Coe, blood brother of valiant men, defender of the faith, servant to the saint, and warrior of God. May the labor done with his hands and words said from his mouth be to build a Kingdom that will endure forever.
High school graduation is just one small step of many to come. For those who have been there, you know how I feel. For those with small ones still on the journey, I testify that the end result of your labors are worth the work, the time, the investment, the panic, the trepidation, the humbling, the exhaustion, the messy house and the "what have I done?" cries. As I stand on the brink of completing the biggest goal of my life, I am filled with thanks to our Lord. Thankfulness for such wonderful sons. I pray I will be able to work four more years for His glory.

2010-04-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have a new review available to read on Animal Lives: Dolphins and Porpoises. CLICK HERE to read it.

Reading Records for a great Lewis and Clark book now available!

2010-04-23T19:03:00.001-07:00

In 1803, Lewis and Clark started plans on an amazing quest to explore the wilderness across North America. Over the three year journey that started in 1804, they faced many obstacles and struggles. Be carried into the past as you read about their expedition including actual journal excerpts.

Use Reading Records for As Far As the Eye Can Reach: Lewis and Clark's Westward Quest for a literature study with this book (reader not included). Reading Records is a comprehension program that uses list making as the basis of gathering information. Believing list making to be one of the best tools we teach our children, we find and mark/record lists in every chapter. Vocabulary is taught and comprehension questions are also given.

2010-04-18T19:06:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon- Reading Records for As Far As the Eye Can Reach: Lewis and Clark's Westward Quest!

Contest for Learn to Study the Bible book

2010-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Raising Real Men is having a contest to give away one copy of the book Learn to Study the Bible by Andy Deane. All entries must be in by noon tomorrow so hurry up and head on over there to read their review and enter to win. http://tinyurl.com/yda6or6

2010-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our new Freebie of the Month is Pockets of Time for Ginger Pye and for a limited time, the back page of this file will include special discount codes towards selected products in our store. Feel free to spread the word!

Jerry and Rachel Pye so badly want a dog. For one very hard earned dollar they buy the smartest and most intellectual dog they have ever come across. They name the pup, Ginger. Ginger steals the hearts and affections of just about everyone that he comes across, that is, until someone steals Ginger. Jerry and Rachel are distraught and never stop looking for their special pup, but will they find him?

Use Pockets of Time for Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (reader not included) for a wonderful hands-on reading comprehension program. As the story is read, your child will be placing color coded event flashcards in order and placing them into their hand crafted pockets. This pocket can be placed into a folder or notebook for easy use and the color coding makes checking for accuracy a breeze. Try them today and you will not be disappointed!

2010-04-03T05:13:00.001-07:00

If you have the book Easter in the Garden, you should try our Pockets of Time that goes along with it.

Try our State Mini Lapbooks

2010-03-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

Many children do not like lapbooks because they can take a long time to complete and often require a lot of writing. If you have one of those students, you need to try our Mini Lapbooks. They are sure to bring a smile to your child's face! Our State Mini Lapbooks have been a huge hit and we will be releasing some new ones very soon so keep watching for them.

New addition to our Faithbooking series!

2010-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Fortunately For You Books’ Evangelist series will take your child on a journey of faith, trust, and service towards God the Savior.We believe every child should know of the men of God who had profound impact on the world.

In Evangelist Profiles, students will be learning about famous evangelists and their life stories. They will learn about what events triggered a life-long service to the Lord behind a pulpit preaching God’s Word to the masses. These men answered a special call from God for their lives and have wonderful testimonies to back up all they preached.

Evangelist Covered in Volume I: William "Billy" Sunday Jonathan Edwards George Muller D.L. Moody

New addition to Walls of Time!

2010-03-22T05:41:00.001-07:00

We have another wonderful resource for your upper level learners! Our Walls of Time are a great way to get your older students actively involved in reading while creating some cool murals to show off afterward. These make for a nice portfolio presentation as well. Take a look at our newest addition to this line: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

2010-03-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of The Long Way Home to review. I wasn’t sure how I would like this book but I have to say I had a hard time putting it down from the moment I started it. Charlie West, the main character, is a high school student that wakes up one day and finds that he can’t remember a whole year of his life. He’s also realized he has been accused of murdering his best friend and is being chased by the police and a terrorist group. His only way of finding out what really happened is to get back home and investigate things for himself.

I caught myself several times holding my breath during some of the scenes in the book. Nonstop suspense and lots of action, this book is worth reading. It is the second book in The Homelanders series. If you are cautious about the materials your child reads, this book has no inappropriate language and is clean. Charlie does find out that he had a girlfriend during the year he can’t remember, but it is only touched on and is kept at a very appropriate level. If you are looking for a great book that will keep your teenager's attention, this one would do it. Many adults may enjoy it as well!

2010-03-18T19:17:00.001-07:00

Reading Records for Alice in Wonderland (eBook) is 50% off for one week! Use the code 'alice50' during checkout.

2010-03-09T19:14:00.001-08:00

Pockets of Time for Charlotte's Web is now $2.35 until March 14th (11:59 p.m.). http://tinyurl.com/yzyojoc

2010-03-09T07:42:00.001-08:00

This is the last day to get Sticker Study for M is for Maple at 40% off! Use code 'misfor' at checkout.

2010-03-02T19:46:00.001-08:00

We've had some requests for materials on Canada. We listened and our new Sticker Study for M is for Maple is ready! Use code 'misfor' to get 40% off! Good until March 9th.

2010-02-27T11:06:00.003-08:00

Only one more day to save on all our Little House products at Currclick! Don't miss out! http://tinyurl.com/yeqt8al

2010-02-27T11:06:00.001-08:00

Only one more day to save on all our Little House products at Currclick! Don't miss out! http://tinyurl.com/yeqt8al

2010-02-24T20:31:00.001-08:00

All Little House products are on sale for $2 each at Currclick until the 28th! Complete the series. http://tinyurl.com/yeqt8al

2010-02-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

All our Little House products are on sale right now at Currclick! http://tinyurl.com/ykg38z3

Wonders of Old: A Blank Timeline Book of World History Review

2010-02-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Read my review for Wonders of Old: A Blank Timeline Book of World History. This would make a very nice addition to any history program.

Heidi

Great activity for the Winter Olympics!

2010-02-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

Pockets of Time for Hour of the Olympics: Magic Treehouse Book #16 is on sale now for $1.49. This would be a great activity to do while reading the book because the Winter Olympics have started! Even though we watch them every two years now, my son always gets excited for the Olympics (I enjoy them too!). Doing this activity while reading the Magic Treehouse book, can help provide lots of information about this topic. Kids naturally get more involved in a subject when it is interesting to them. Watching the Olympics on television, while reading other materials on this topic will make it more memorable. I love to catch the teachable moments. Sometimes they are hard to find and the Olympics is a great one to grab a hold of. There is so much to learn: math, history, sports, geography, reading, and much more! So get started today. Don't miss out on this great learning opportunity.

2010-02-11T07:15:00.001-08:00

Check out the new addition to our wonderful Faithbooking series: Missionary Biographies! On sale now for $2.99. http://tinyurl.com/yaglrug

Use our Reading Records before seeing Alice in Wonderland

2010-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

The movie, Alice in Wonderland, is releasing very soon. Be sure to read the book and use our Reading Records for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland before seeing it.

Alice is at the center of a fantastical journey. She meets some interesting and humorous characters in Wonderland such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and many more! This fun book will keep your imagination going long after you have finished the story.

Use Reading Records for a literature study with this book. Reading Records is a comprehension program that use list making as the basis of gathering information. Believing list making to be one of the best tools we teach out children, we find and mark/record lists in every chapter. Vocabulary is taught and comprehension questions are also given.

Check out my reviews before buying homeschool materials.

2010-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I was a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Homeschool Crew. I am still reviewing for them just not as a part of the Homeschool Crew. I also review for Eclectic Homeschool Online. I will be posting a link to the reviews I complete so that you can go and check them out. I have been very fortunate to review a lot of wonderful products and would like the spread the word about them to help you make decisions about what to purchase for your children.

CLICK HERE for the review I did on the book Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham.

Heidi

2010-02-01T20:02:00.001-08:00

Get our Remember Me Pockets February for lots of monthly activities!

2010-01-30T13:49:00.001-08:00

The wonderful classic, Guess How Much I Love You, is now available in our Lines of Time! Click here to find out more about it.

2010-01-29T05:50:00.001-08:00

New-Arizona, Massachusetts, and Oregon State Mini Lapbooks available for $1 each! http://ping.fm/0yANA

2010-01-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

All our international copywork books are on the Dollar Menu right now! http://ping.fm/XnofD

2010-01-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

If you are a fan of Roald Dahl's books, you will love our new Pockets of Time for Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Fortunately For You Books provides you with a hands-on reading comprehension tool for your students to go along with Roald Dahl's book Fantastic Mr. Fox. While the story is fun and fast paced, you can be sure your child is following the story line and catching details in each chapter. This specially designed program gives visual and hands-on learners the link between what they read and what they process. The student reads the color coded cards and then begins reading the chapter. As he comes across events, he pust the cards in order into the pockets. While a simple concept, this reinforcement works fantastically with reluctant readers. The end result is the same as many other comprehension tools, but is designed for the non classical learner.

2010-01-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today only, our Grammar by the Book is $3.99 on Currclick (Reg. $7.99).

Your child will learn to see grammar rules applied and find elements of grammar within the pages of his reading book. Grammar becomes very real with this guide. This is such a great approach to grammar we are sure you will want to use it over and over. This is fantastic because for purchasing this file once, it can be used with every book and grade level you have in your home.

New line released on our site!

2010-01-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Please check out our new Faithbooking line we just released! It's going to be a wonderful series of spiritual mini lapbooks that take your child on a journey of faith, trust, and service towards God the Savior. The first in the series is Hymn Stories, which are sure to bless you and your children's hearts. They are on sale now for $2.99.

Our Month2Month is on sale!

2010-01-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Our Month2Month Copywork is now on sale for $9.99 at Currclick until January 31. This includes 12 months of copywork plus and extra in December (one secular and one religious).

Great Review Activity

2010-01-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a fun and easy way to review materials you have taught your children? I found a great little activity that is easy to make and self correcting that my children really like. It's called Golf Tee Cards. You write a question on the card with some multiple choice answers at the bottom. Underneath each answer you punch a hole. On the back of the card, you place a little sticker over the hole with the correct answer. To complete the activity, the child will read the question and put a golf tee through the hole of the answer he thinks is correct. He turns the card over and can see the golf tee sticking through and if the sticker is above his choice, he has gotten it right!
For a better description of this activity, pictures, and more examples, please CLICK HERE. This site is where I found this activity.
This activity can be used from a very young age up to high school depending on the content. I have used it with my 2 1/2 year old daughter to introduce colors, numbers, letters, etc. For colors, I cut out a picture in a certain color and glued it to the top of the card. For the answer choices, I cut out three more of the same picture with one of the colors matching my top picture. She puts the golf tee through the one that matches and turns it over to see if she is correct.
You can create a group of cards that go together and put them all on a metal ring. I have also gone as far as laminating them so they last longer. That is not necessary though. For my nine year old, we have reviewed such subjects as grammar, history, Bible, and Science.
This has been a wonderful way for me to create a quick review of subject matter we have covered during the week. I hope you will find it helpful as well!

Heidi

Get a discount on our new Reading Records

2010-01-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Reading Records for The Witchcraft of Salem Village is 15% off until February 1st. Use code "salem15" during checkout.

New addition to our Reading Records line!

2010-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

We've just added another addition to our Reading Records line, Reading Records for The Witchcraft of Salem Village. It is available now on our site. CLICK HERE to order.

Many parents may find this controversial material. Please read the following note from my business partner before making any decision not to purchase this new activity to go along with the book.

Dear Parent,

While at a homeschool convention this summer, I spotted the Landmark Book- The Witchcraft of Salem Village. Immediately I knew that I could cover this topic safely using this book.

Normally I pick history books specifically with a biased view- a Christian worldview. I want to teach history to my children with a unapologetic look at the happenings of the world from a viewpoint that our God has been in control since before the foundations of the world. But with this dark topic, I was always apprehensive. I myself did not have a bias or worldview. I had heard tales, but had never studied the subject myself. The unseen spiritual world and little girls just do not mix in my finite mind and if I was to teach the subject, I wanted to do it fairly and based on evidence. After reading the Landmark book, I was pleased to find that my judgment on this book was a good one. The horrible facts speak loud enough that no bias is needed. So now that I am sure I have found the correct source for our material, let's talk about the matter itself.

What I have learned on the subject of the Salem Village Witch Trials has only validated my apprehension and my distaste for this time in our American History. While I would like to take the high moral road here, I understand many things about our own time period we live in is just as deplorable. Trying to find good in this historical time of Salem was beginning to be worrisome to me. But the more I read and learned, the clearer the picture became. The things induced into our court system due to the Salem Witch Trials influence are precious rights we enjoy now and our children should be taught where these rights came from:

1. one is innocent until proven guilty

2. seeing spirits, devils, ghosts, or any apparition is not used as proof (spectral evidence)

3. guilt by association is not allowed

These rules of court are good things that came from this time. The public confessions that came several years after the trials are good for our children to read. What sadness and burdens the involved people must have borne.

I did not cover the AFTERWORD section of this book due to the very dark and intricate details of some recordings of Satan and his Kingdom. I find it irrelevant to this study although interesting. I would advise those with sensitive children to screen that last chapter. There were many good and interesting bits of information in there, but I was not comfortable making study sheets for this final chapter.

Although written at a younger grade level, I find this book sufficient for high schoolers. Those with sensitive children might want to lighten the lesson time afterword with something wholesome. This was enough to bother even my heart. It was the fact that children could be involved in such horrid activities that left my heart hurting. And then I was reminded in my own Bible study time that "there is none that doeth good, no not one." The fact that without God we are all depraved and desolate, no matter if it is a cute little girl or and old man, we all need God. If you invest in this book and in Fortunately For You Books Reading Records, please add the additional prayer and Bible study that will help purify from the darkness of such a matter.

This is an important topic and one I will be teaching my children. I regret I did not have such tools when my older children were still at home. I will have to give them the condensed version!

Blessings on you as you teach this historical subject,

Shannon Coe

(Order your book now to use with Reading Records. You can purchase one for a very low cost on Amazon.com: Landmark Book- The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson.

Heidi

Free Simply Charlotte Mason Book

2010-01-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

The Simply Charlotte Mason site has a lot of wonderful free materials. CLICK HERE for the new eBook they just released that you can download for free. It's about forming good habits and is called "Smooth and Easy Days with Charlotte Mason". Enjoy!

Heidi

106 Days of Creation

2010-01-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Charlotte Mason and her style of learning. Here is a wonderful idea to read up on and consider for this spring. Science always gets a renewed interest in the spring with the warmth, sunshine, and the longing to be outside.
This makes an enjoyable read on a quiet afternoon.....hey....we can dream.

106 Days of Creation

~Shannon

Grammar By THIS Book

2009-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

Grammar By THIS Book- How the Grinch Stole Christmas will be available soon!

AVAILABLE NOW!

2009-10-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Jump on Amazon.com or head to the book store to get the book for Thanksgiving! We are working on GRAMMAR by THIS BOOK using This First Thanksgiving Day (A Counting Story) by Laura Knauss Melmed. Our best seller grammar program is adapted for the sentences in this story. Students will see grammar in a story book and be able to understand verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, prepositions quickly and easily. There is a checklist of things to find on the pages of the story and children who have an aversion to writing will be glad to know answers are given on blocks of paper and need only be layed in the correct spot. Watch for this coming release and get the story book now. This book can be found for pennies on Amazon.com. We picked ours up at the books store for a few dollars. I can't wait for you to use this with your children! Why didn't I have this when I was in school!