More Birthdays

How I did not post about this a LONG time ago, I don't know, but I went searching for a photo of Middleman's 7th birthday cake from January and I couldn't find it, so I guess I never posted it here!  Anywho, here it is.  The penguin castle cake he wanted...

Summer Fun

With the cast of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Bright Star Touring Theatre (thank you Ms. Zoe and Mr. Ramone, you were fabulous!)

with Steve Weeks, children's musician (who was very excited to learn that middleman is learning the ukelele!) Thank you, we loved your show!

Cub Scouts



and the Wolves become Bears!



Middleman receiving his awards from his Den leader

sharing a s'more with Mommy for her birthday

my Boy Scout after putting up his own tent

Boy Scout supervising the flag raising

little spelunker

-Middleman "God has mischief"



Discovery Education's Virtual Field Trip

Butterbean (10), Middleman (7) and I just finished "attending" our first Discovery Education Virtual Field trip entitled Egg Farm-to-Table.  To say I was unimpressed would be a gross understatement. 

We took a very short trip to the Hickman family egg farm in Arizona where we took a brief look into a hen "house." 

As our tour guide let us know, all hens, just like humans, live in different types of houses, and these particular hens live in a cage.  We were told that the hens are only in these particular cages between the hours of 7 to 11 am, their egg laying hours.  Oh, and by the way, they typically lay one egg a day.


So,  where do they spend the rest of their day?  That, they didn't say, or show.  The only pan the camera  showed, I didn't see any grass, and that concerned me.  We were invited, as "live" (although I still am not convinced it was live) viewers to send in questions, which I did.  I asked where the grassy area was for the hens to graze and peck in, or where they spent their non-laying hours.  Of course, my questions was not answered. 

Most of the video was spent with the husband and wife Hickman duo at a table outside their hen house (?) answering questions, many of which they never actually answered.  For example, when asked if they had children, and if they involve their children in their family business, the wife answered that their kids are watching from school right now! 

When asked why some eggs contain two yolks, the answer was "it's your lucky day."   When they were asked what their busiest time of year was, the husband answered Easter, and stated that they really "ramp up" for the season.  I'd like to know how you "ramp up" the laying process.  How exactly do your force a hen to lay more eggs? 

When asked if the nutritional value of all eggs are the same, they answered "yes, because all chickens eat the same feed."  To that, I have to utter, NO THEY DON'T! 
According to many free-range chicken experts and cage-free chicken farmers including homestead.org,

"The nutritional value of free-range eggs makes this challenge a worthwhile endeavor for the homesteader wanting to produce higher quality eggs for a healthier diet.  Recently, Mother Earth News did an egg study comparing free-range eggs to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs.  The findings showed that free-range chicken eggs produced the following results:    • 1/3 less cholesterol    • 1/4 less saturated fat    • 2/3 more vitamin A    • 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids    • 3 times more vitamin E    • 7 times more beta-carotene."

Having really looked forward to our first Discovery Education virtual field trip, I was quite crestfallen.  I went to Hickman family farms so I could learn more about them.  I thought maybe I just hadn't given them the benefit of the doubt, or I'd seen one too many PETA videos, or something, but their website doesn't do much for me either. 

Maybe Discovery Education just needs to do another virtual field trip, one where the chickens live like this. 

I mean, don't children deserve to know that chickens live happily too?! Or heck, maybe we just need to break down and raise some ourselves! 

FYI, this "review," if you want to consider it that, is my own opinion.  No one asked me to write it, nor did they ask me to attend the program.  If you have any questions, or comments, please feel free to let me know.



Mostly...

For those who ask, we answer "Mostly...."

Father's Day Fun

6-19-11 - picture slideshow

Fishing With Daddy

Our First Lego Creation Thursday Post!

I'm so excited for our first Lego Creation Thursday Post! Thank you Blessings from Above for inviting me!

The Spa, created by Butterbean

The Tower Jail Cell, created by Middleman

To see more Lego Creations, or to post your own you can go here!

Middleman reciting a poem

Miscellaneous Photos to say I Blogged!

Scout Centennial Jamboree

Some of the more popular Cub Scout events...

slingshot




bb gun shooting (yes, i know my rules, but at least it's safe and it's cub scouts!)





and it makes for neat photographs!






*sniff
i can't believe i have TWO cub scouts this year!!






raingutter regatta

Beeyoutiful

In exchange for my review of their product, I received from Beeyoutiful a free eight ounce bottle of Berry Well.
From their website...
"Never fear the flu when you keep Berry Well on hand. Each ingredient in this pleasantly fruity syrup holds its own against flu, colds, and a swarm of bacterial and viral infections."
Those ingredients are elderberries, raw honey, bee propolis, organic echinacea and raw apple cider vinegar.

Now, there were several things that made me nervous about Berry Well right away.
1. I don't do liquids.

2. I have tried bee pollen capsules in the past and it seemed that they made my allergies worse.

3. Hero is allergic to bee stings.

4. I've never heard of this company.

5. I typically do lots of research before I try anything new.


My solution was to call my big sis. She's my natural remedy go-to-gal. She reassured me about many of my concerns. So I decided that Middleman and I would try Berry Well.


Although I have a very strong gag reflex (which is one reason I don't take cough syrups or any other medicinal liquid), my tablespoonful of Berry Well actually wasn't that bad. The elderberry flavor is quite tasty. However, the vinegar did turn my stomach a bit. Middleman (5) excitedly drank his teaspoonful and promptly asked for more. I hadn't planned for Babyman (2) to review the syrup, but he asked where his was, so I relented. He loved it.


We didn't take Berry Well "regularly" as I didn't really know how often that was supposed to be (although that info is not printed on the packaging, I did eventually find it on the website). We did try it several times, and the boys plenty more than me!

I received the suggestion to put Berry Well in a water bottle and I did that on one occasion for Middleman. He and his baby brother drank it together and enjoyed every minute of their "Berry Bottle."


For the most part, I felt like we were reviewing the taste of Berry Well. No one has been sick since we've been taking it, so I don't know if it's kept us healthy, or if we wouldn't have been sick anyway. It has not made my allergies worse, so that's good news. It really hasn't made the three of us feel any different.


I'm pretty novice when it comes to natural medicines, so it's hard for me to recommend something that didn't make me go "wow, we felt so great!" If you'd like to try Berry Well ($18 for an 8 ounce bottle-whew!), or any other product made by Beeyoutiful, check out their website. They have lots of products to choose from. If you'd like to read what other reviewers thought about Beeyoutiful, you can do that here.

Worship Guitar

I had the opportunity to view Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class for Kids. Through online streaming video, my five year old and I learned a lot about this instrument that is not as mysterious as we had once thought.

Here's what your child should learn:

how to hold down a note to get a clear tone on the guitar
melody plucking to strengthen his hands
half a dozen worship songs she can sing and play
eleven guitar chords
how to read guitar tabs and chords charts
how to make up his own verses to songs
Christian values from each song

I really liked the fact that Ms. Welles uses a seven year old in her lessons. It helps my children and I see that it is possible, even for us, to play the guitar! The lessons are slow, concise and very easy to follow. Close-ups are used to better see what each hand is doing. Due to my obvious computer difficulites, I wish I had been able to review the DVD version, as I am sure we'd continue using it!

When you purchase the program, you'll receive a two and a half hour DVD with nine lessons, a 30+ page downloadable eBook, a practice session for every lesson, and a practice chart. The program costs $29.97 and comes with a money back guarantee. If you click here, you can get the first thirteen pages of the book for free as well as view a short excerpt. You also have the option of getting the program through online streaming video, like us, for $28. I think Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class for Kids is an amazing program, well worth its price. Had I purchased the program myself, I would have ordered the DVD version.

Click below to read more reviews!

Kinderbach

Kinderbach is a video based piano curriculum for children ages 3-7. Through fun games, printables, colorful video and adorable characters, young children learn to "actually play piano, read notes, learn intervals, rhythm and music patterns.

I was given free access to the online Kinderbach Learning Center. The first day we opened the lessons, six children, ages 9 months to seven years crowded around my computer screen. Middleman (now 5), Babyman (now 2) and Babybug (now 1) were absolutely mesmerized by the music and video. Although Middleman (my target for this program) wasn't interested in coloring any of the printables, he was very into dragging out our keyboard every day and getting down to the business of learning to play the piano!

Kinderbach can be purchased as Piano Lessons Online or Piano by DVD. As I have too many computer problems to mention, if I were to order Kinderbach myself, I would definitely purchase the DVD version. At $95.98 for a Year Membership, you'll receive access to twenty two hours of video and interactive coloring pages (online). If you just want to check out the program, you can get a one day pass for $5.95.

I think Kinderbach had the potential to be a wonderful program for my family. I only wish I could have requested DVDs! If you'd like to read what other reviewers have to say, click on the banner below.

factsfirst

factsfirst is a personalized online math program that "...builds a child's confidence and helps develop instant recall of basic facts..." As part of my review period for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I was given a free trial subscription to factsfirst.

After creating a character, my boys' favorite part, (and I must say my character turned out pretty cute too!) we proceeded to the lessons. Within those units, there are more than 360 activities that teach, encourage and challenge our growing knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Following each lesson, we had the opportunity to play games in the arcade for five minutes. Through colorful graphics, and fun sound effects, the games reinforce what we've just learned.

Through the Math Matrix, we can see how well we've done so far, and where we need to work some more.

My family loves factsfirst. The program was very engaging. Our growing interest in math has been increased since using factsfirst. It's been fun for our whole family; even Mommy! If I could make one suggestion to the company, it would be to add a preschool/kindergarten section. Middleman (just turned five) enjoys watching the lessons and playing the games, but gets a bit frustrated when he cannot give correct answers every time!

Don't just take my word for it. Check out what other reviewers have to say!

factsfirst offers a free demo on their website. I would recommend checking it out! For a one year household license, which covers four children, you'll pay $49.99.