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"



January 15, 2012

Clown Birthday

the invitation



rainbow cake

clown cupcakes

happy birthday 4 year old babyman! (i supposed i can't call you that anymore!)

"Take a picture, Mommy!"

 Fresh eggs from our friends...

Mostly...

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

Father's Day Fun

6-19-11 - picture slideshow

Fishing With Daddy

Miscellaneous Photos to say I Blogged!

Ideal Curriculum

"Preschool Curriculum" is a niche market. Having a preschool/daycare in my home, I receive little pamphlets and brochures almost every other week with the newest resources available. As my review year is coming to a close with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I reviewed month one of Ideal Curriculum's Transportation theme kit.

Ideal Curriculum says on their website that each of their monthly curriculum kits include
"•Daily lessons and activities for literacy, math, calendar, oral language, and science/social studies

•Teaching guides
•Workbook
•Music CD
•Science, sight words, and concepts about print books
•Supplemental activities"

And the Skills Taught are

"•Letters and Sounds -Letter Names
•Phonological Awareness -Listening Skills
•Concepts About Print -Print is all Around
•Sight Words -Name Recognition
•Math -Rote Counting"

Ideal Curriculum would be great for a facility preschool teacher just starting out, that wants to provide the children a little something more than just daycare. She could pick and choose so that the children wouldn't have too much deskwork at their fragile age. A homeschooler might use this curriculum to supplement what she already uses, or just as a change for the little guy who wants to "do schoolwork" with his older brother.

The songs provided with the transportation kit were cute and Babyman (2) loved them. There are some printable pages for those who teach using worksheets. I really liked the real-photo books provided. However, I have so much stuff on my shelf like this already from my preschool teaching days, that I would not have purchased Ideal Curriculum.

You can order your Ideal Curriculum Kit here. My readers can get a 10% discount by using the code welovekids before May 31st. To read what other reviewers thought, go here.

I wrote this review in exchange for the product above. I did not receive compensation and the opinions are expressly my own.

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.

Math Tutor DVD

I received two DVDs to review for Math Tutor DVD. The first, The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor is a two DVD set that is composed of an eight hour video course. The contents are

Adding Whole Numbers

Subtracting Whole Numbers

Multiplying Whole Numbers

Dividing Whole Numbers

Adding Decimals

Subtracting Decimals

Multiplying Decimals

Dividing Decimals

Adding Fractions

Subtracting Fractions

Multiplying Fractions

Dividing Fractions

Percents

Ratio and Proportion

The DVD is recorded in basic lecture format, with the teacher talking to the audience, using his white board for written example problems. The video was great review for Mommy, and I could see myself using it to brush up my skills before teaching the boys. However, it is not at all appropriate for my active learners, who would much rather jump on the trampoline while reciting multiplication facts! (Although, I suppose they could jump while watching this DVD.)

The second DVD, Young Minds Numbers and Counting was perfect for Babyman (2), Babybug (1) and Little A (2 1/2). I cannot say enough good things about this adventure in numbers and counting. From the moment the photographs appeared on the screen, and the classical music began playing, their little eyes were peeled. Babyman shouted out numbers as the animals and vehicles made their way into his line of vision. The real life photos were gorgeous, the graphics attention-grabbing. We would definitely purchase this DVD had we not received it as a gift!

If you'd like to read what other reviewers thought about Math Tutor DVD, please click the banner below. If you'd like to purchase the DVDs ($26.99 for Basic Math Word Problems, $19.99 for Young Minds), you can do so here.

Maestro Classics

"Through wondrous new recordings, innovative educational and performance materials, and uplifting live performances, Maestro Classics guides audiences as they expand their listening horizons and discover the magic that can only be called music."

My family had an awesome review opportunity when Maestro Classics sent us a copy of The Tortoise and the Hare. We love listening to stories, and especially those that have exciting sound effects, and terrific narrators.

With music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and story narrated by Yadu, Bonnie Ward Simon's adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare was stunning! I popped the CD into the CD player at nap time. The children laid on their mats listening raptly to The Tortoise and the Hare. Later, we enjoyed listening and singing along with the Pretzel Vendor of Paris song. Babybug (11 months), Babyman (2) and Little A (2 1/2) loved dancing to the music! The lyrics and sheet music are included with the CD!

The accompanying booklet also contains photos of the orchestra instruments (which are described in detail by the composer on the CD), a mini music notes & time signatures lesson, interesting info about turtles, tortoises, rabbits and hares and a couple of paper/pencil games.

Maestro Classics has done an amazing job combining my three loves: music, education and storybooks! They have turned classic stories into exciting musical works of art. I am sure we will be enjoying Maestro Classics for years to come!

Please take a glance at Maestro Classics' website, where you can buy products, listen to samples, and even find coordinating lesson plans! You can purchase The Tortoise and the Hare for $16.98. There are several other story choices, as well; and you can purchase a gift set!

Enjoy reading other reviews by clicking the banner below.

Virginia Soaps and Scents... Yummy!

Virginia Soaps and Scents sent me a package full of handmade goodies to review. When the box full of bed and breakfast-sized Handcrafted Olive Oil Soap bars arrived, my two littlest men (4 and 23 months) literally had a mini quarrel over it! You should see them in the bathtub when I let them loose with a bar. They love it!

The boys should be glad I even let them touch this deliriously yummy stuff. I mean, the way it smells it oughtta be edible! I received three soaps... Oatmeal, Milk & Honey; Fresh Orange and Coconut Lemongrass. The Oatmeal, Milk and Honey is my favorite! Typically I'm not much of an herbal smell girl. My allergies can't usually handle scents. But I wasn't bothered a bit by Virginia Soaps and Scents! If you'd prefer unscented, however, they make them too!

These gorgeous family-crafted bars, are made from "all natural ingredients with no added chemicals for hardening or lathering properites." They are also made with a generous amount of coconut oil, which is probably why I didn't have to use a ton of lotion after my shower like I typically do. They lather up wonderfully on my little bath puff, and they leave skin feeling soft and smelling delicious!

I also received a Ginger Lime scented shampoo bar to try out. Since it contains no fake lathering chemicals, it didn't lather up for me like I'm used to. But from what I understand, that's a good thing! The first time I used it, my hair felt different, but after using it several more times (which I didn't have to do every day like my normal shampoo) I realized that it was moisture. My hubby said my hair looked great, so for me, that's all that matters! I tried out the shampoo bar on Middleman and Babyman too. Babyman's uncut locks were left so soft and beautiful. Middleman wasn't so lucky. We apparently didn't rinse it out well enough, because his hippie hair looked pretty oily! We've done a better job since. I've also used the shampoo bar for shaving. It left my legs smooth, soft and silky!

I have always wanted to make my own laundry soap. But I thought the process would be a bear. With Virginia Soaps and Scents' laundry kit, it was a breeze. They sent me everything I needed for a half-gallon size jug of laundry soap. Now mine didn't gel up like it was supposed to, but that could, of course, be user error! My kit was unscented, so after each load, I got a whiff of nothing but pure clean clothes. And I mean clean. Even Hero's paintball cammos came out spickety span!


My family and I love the products we got to test out for Virginia Soaps and Scents. We highly recommend you check them out. They would make great gifts!

Be sure to check out Virginia Soaps and Scents' website. They have oodles of scented as well as unscented soaps in their varied product line. You can get your own hand-cut 4.5 ounce soap bar for just $4.50. The 5.5 ounce shampoo bar is $5.50 and also comes in an oily hair/clarifying formula (which I'll probably order!). You can get the laundry soap kit for $4.95 and it makes a whopping two gallons of gel! They have tons of other items to choose from. If you want to read what the other reviewers had to say, click here.

Nature Friend Magazine Review

Problem: You want your children to read more. You would like them to learn a little more about nature. You'd like to get them a magazine subscription for Christmas, one that you don't have to edit because of its evolutionary views on Creation.

Solution: Nature Friend Magazine.

What fun this has been to review! The first thing that struck me about Nature Friend is the sturdiness! The pages are not like your average every day magazine. They are nice and thick with the cover sporting original photography of what else.... nature! I received the August and September issues to review.

Each of our issues began with a scavenger hunt for things to look for while you peruse the pages. Butterbean (7) especially liked searching for the butterflies, acorns and deer tracks. But since we've been discussing camouflage, Middleman (4) has been quite interested!

Our August issue explored the topics of owls, locusts (called cicadas in our neck of the woods, and how perfect as we heard a lot of them around the time we were reading this!), and soft-shelled turtles, among others. Babyman (22 months) absolutely loved the owl photos. He has learned what owls look like, and that they say "Hoo hoo" thanks to Nature Friend's amazing photos!

Nature Friend contains plenty of activities for our children to explore. Things like reader-submitted letters & pictures, word searches, monthly You Can Draw art lessons, and detailed articles written about God's awesome-ness that are NOT dumbed down.... a definite PLUS for me! Now I cannot guarantee this, but I can come pretty close in saying this magazine is a one-of-a-kind, in that it is a biblically based scientific magazine that is "helping families explore the wonder of God's Creation."

We also had the opportunity to sample the Study Guide. It's an 8-12 page insert that reinforces what you are learning in the magazine. It contains games, puzzles, research questions, a motto of the month, a creative writing lesson and a neat Photo Critique section where readers' photos can receive photography tips. If you choose to order the Study Guide with your subscription it costs $2 per month.

We love Nature Friend Magazine and highly recommend it!

Visit the order page to get your subscription for $36 for one year (12 issues).

To hear what my bloggy reviewer friends have to say, visit them here.