Our Reviews 2013

Coming Soon

• Tales of Wordishure, Book II A Book of Children's Stories by Mick McArt  {March / April}

Apps {Educational}

• Squeebles Spelling Test by Key Stage Fun
• Wet Dry Try by Handwriting Without Tears {February}

Books

• These are reviewed weekly on Tuesdays in my weekly Tuesdays Treasures. These books are not compensated reviews they are about books I have used from the library or personally purchased for my own library.
• The Christian Parenting Handbook
• The Force
•  Devotions from Genesis
• Seed Sowers a gospel planting adventure {September}
• YWAM Jim Elliot - One Great Purpose  (book and Study guide) {October}
• If You Were Me And Lived In ... {Review}
• Homeschool Mom's Devotional Bible {October}
• At Home in a Dogwood Mudhole {November}

Curriculum

•  Schoolhouse Teachers.com by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
• A+ Interactive MATH by Tutorsoft {February} 
• TouchMath {March}
• Children's Music Journey {March}
• A Journey Through Learning {March}
• Math Rider {April} 
• Homeschool in the Woods {May} 
• See The Light {June} 
• Christianity Cove - Lord's Prayer & 10 Commandments {June}
• Global Art - Geography, Art {August}
• Time 4 Learning - Math, Social Studies, English, Science {September}

Personal

•  Personalised Planner by Personalised Planners.

Our Favourites and the 2013 Blue Ribbon Awards

Wow it's the end of my first year on the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  It has been a steep learning curve but at the same time a most enjoyable adventure.   This year the crew had the wonderful opportunity of reviewing items for 86 companies.  Two weeks ago we were asked to vote and nominate our favourites in 38 Blue Ribbon nominations for 2013.  A total of 28 companies were awarded ribbons this year.

My personal top three items are

• I am super impressed with Children's Music Journey and the richness it has blessed our family with.
• See The Light has been one of the best things that could have happened to our art classes.
• For encouragement from one homeschool mom to another nothing beats my Homeschool Mothers Bible

Sir N's Top 3 

• He loved doing math and science on Time 4 Learning.
• Sir N enjoyed his Journey Through Learning Astronomy & Space
• See The Light he enjoyed creating glow in the dark pictures.

The Crew voted too

You can read what others on the crew are saying over at Announcing — The 2013 Blue Ribbon Awards! A total of 28 companies were awarded ribbons this year.

What are some of the new curriculum things you have used and enjoyed this year ?
Blessings
Chareen

At Home in Dogwood Mudhole {Book Review}

I recently received volume one of At Home In Dogwood Mudhole - Nothing that Eats in the mail and have spent a delightful few weeks in gales of laughter thanks to Franklin Sanders. In this book I have been on adventure after adventure with the Sanders Family living in Dogwood Mudhole somewhere in Tennessee.

Details

• At Home in Dogwood Mudhole
• Author: Franklin Sanders
• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Four Rivers, Inc.
• Published: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1-938817-06-9
• Paperback $22.95
• Kindle $16.95
• PDF: $16.95
• ePub: $16.95
• Purchase from:  The Money Changer Store

There are four sections to the book with a total of 88 short chapters

1. Leaving Memphis Five Miles at a Time
2. Living in the Country Changes You
3. Learning Curve
4. A Real Farm

Scattered throughout the book are 23 black and white family album photographs.  You can see some colour photographs from the book at the At Home in a Dogwood Mudhole, Vol One Facebook Album.

My Thoughts

My first thought was "What on earth is a Dogwood Mudhole ?" and I was so pleased when I started reading this book that Franklin dove straight in and explained the title. 

Nothing That Eats is a tale of the Sanders family's move from the city to rural living. Their decision to move was motivated by the impending Y2K countdown and all the "what might happen with the arrival of Y2K..."

I enjoyed Franklin's humour and the easy down to earth conversational style of this book.  Having grown up in town and reading the funny side of learning to farm was at times so humorous I was holding my sides with laughter. I found that reading At Home in Dogwood Mudhole was a little like reading one of James Herriot's novels. The book covers the families exploits of acquiring pets and farm animals (dogs, horses, cattle, poultry, pigs and sheep) despite Susan's expectation when they moved they would have nothing that eats ...

Each chapter contains a gem of insight and inspiration that speaks to the heart or a practical life application that can be applied to your own life regardless of your walk of like. Here are a couple of examples I enjoyed.

Susan reminds me often that every day God gives us time enough to finish the work he has appointed for us. God gives us peace. We work; then we rest. We don't have to work seven days a week; we work six, but he pays us for seven. Our success does not depend on our efforts, but on Christ in whom we rest - Franklin Saunders (page 10)

In section one chapter five I enjoyed this statement about traditions

Now a tradition is not a rut. A rut is doing the same things year after year because you don't have enough imagination to do anything new. A tradition is something you do once and discover a joy so deep that you do it again, Christmas after Christmas, to keep on savoring it and make it last -  Franklin Saunders (page 23)

While it does not have the smooth transitions of a novel it is a meaningful read. It is honest and down to earth.  It is based on a collection of personal letters written over 17 years.  This first volume covers the years from June 1995 to September 2002. This book is the memoir of one families life and is not a how to begin farming or sustenance living.

Raising pigs is only slightly less trouble than raising children. They can escape any pen; hence our boar's name, Houdini. Once they get out, they can run 1,400 miles per hour, and make right-angle turns like a flying saucer. This is what Susan wanted to capture and train to an electric fence. - Franklin Saunders (pg 214)

When I reached the end of volume one I was pleased to discover that there are two more books scheduled for release. I am looking forward to Volume Two: Best Thing We Ever Did which is scheduled for release soon and currently available for pre-order, as well as Volume Three: The Sage of Dogwood Mudhole. 

Connect with Franklin

• Blog Talk Radio
• Facebook

I look forward to handing this book to Sir N when he reaches the teen years and hearing what his thoughts will be.  I feel that Franklin does an excellent job of sharing his faith and the heart of the matter as well as taking you on a journey of discovering life at the very heart of living in a Dogwood Mudhole and the grace of an ever present ever loving Heavenly Father.

Blessings
Chareen

Creating Christmas Traditions

Here is a sneak peak of my guest post over at the Crew Blog.  I'm sharing on Creating Christmas Traditions.A tradition is something that can change over time or be created with a sense of purpose. Special moments need to be created they do not occur by accident or without planning.  

Psalm 77: 11—12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works, and consider all your mighty deeds. I am sharing some ideas to remember the miracles and mighty deeds of the Lord at Christmas with our families.

• Nativity Trek.
• Setting up the tree
• Advent
• Jesse Tree
• Up-cycled Nativity

Blessings

Creating Christmas Traditions {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

If You Were Me And Lived In ... {Review}

This year Sir N and I have decided to recommence our Expedition Earth Journey.  It was such a blessing when a month ago Carole P. Roman mailed me four beautiful books from her If You Were Me and Lived In ... series.  I received the following four books

1. If You Were me and Lived In... Mexico
2. If you were me and lived in... France...
3. If you were me and lived in... South Korea...
4. If you were me and lived in ... Norway...

All four of these books are beautifully written and aimed at an elementary age range of pre-K to eight.  All the books follow the same  format which Sir N found engaging and I found a pleasure to read out loud to him.  These books are as the series title states an introduction to the cultures of different countries.  As a South African born New Zealander now living in Australia I can appreciate the subtle differences in culture and Carole has done an excellent job in helping children see that even though people are people all over the world there are certain things that make a country and it's people unique and that is their culture.

Inside each book

• The country is introduced by way of a map with the capital city clearly marked.
• Where it can be found in the world 
• An interesting fact or two about the country or it's capital city.
• The different names of boys and girls
• An introduction to the language and money
• A significant landmark
• A common cuisine
• Children's games
• Historical fact
• Pronunciation guide 

Here is a YouTube clip with a sneak peak of the inside of If You Were Me and Lived In ... Mexico


What we did
Each book follows the same format so  I will share what we did with one country as we did the same with all four.

• I gathered some extra book resources from the library.
• Filled in our passport
• We read the book once each day and talked about a different aspect of the culture we had learned about
• I had some minute books we filled these in with information from the book
• When we read about the food eaten by the french, we read up in a children's cook book and then made some of our own.
• We coloured in a French flag
• Labeled a map of France finding the  Bay of Biscay and the capital city of Paris. The book had a full page map of France with a star indicating the capital of Paris.  I liked the map because it was not full of the normal clutter of maps. We did find reading the labeling of the map a little hard as it was a dark colour on a dark background.  I think this could be eliminated by using a more contrasting colour like white or bright yellow in order to see it clearer. 
• Filled in a fact sheet about France

Details

If You Were me and Lived In... Mexico
Paperback: 26 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 22, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1480209627
ISBN-13: 978-1480209626 
Kindle $ 0.99
Paperback: $8.99

If you were me and lived in... South Korea...
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 14, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481062344
ISBN-13: 978-1481062343
Kindle $ 0.99
Paperback: $8.99

If you were me and lived in... France...
Paperback: 26 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 2, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481032003
ISBN-13: 978-1481032001
Kindle $ 0.99
Paperback: $8.99

If you were me and lived in ... Norway...
Series: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World
Paperback: 30 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 12, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481979949
ISBN-13: 978-1481979948 
Kindle $ 1.99
Paperback: $8.62


All in all we really enjoyed these books.  I found the pronunciation guide very handy and Sir N loved how each book had it's own unique symbol on each page. You could use these books independently with very young students to introduce them to the country.  If you were reading these to slightly older students they would make an excellent spine to your study.  You could use each double page spread as a theme of the day and expand the lesson with extra books from the library or information from the internet. Sir N's favourite item in our shipment was the inflatable ball globe that arrived.  He loves finding the countries on it.

Connect with the Author

• Carole P. Roman Blog
• Twitter
• Good Reads
• Pinterest
• Facebook

Blessings
Chareen

Schoolhouse Review Crew taking applications

Oh my I'm so excited.  I can't believe it has been a year since I first filled in an application to join the Schoolhouse Review Crew!  From today until November 8th the Schoolhouse Review Crew are accepting applications for the 2014 review year beginning in December / January.  Being a part of this crew has opened many doors for me and I have been mentored and encouraged every single week on my journey with these wonderful ladies. I have enjoyed this year and so has Sir N.  When I asked him whether he wanted to do it again he said yes please.

It has been a great learning curve and I am looking forward to the possibility of doing a second year with the crew. All of these things were optional and none were obligatory.

Are you a homeschool blogger?

Are you a curriculum junkie?

Do you enjoy writing reviews?

Then you might be perfect for the Crew! 

Some requirements for being a part of the Crew include the following: 

• First of all you must be a homeschool mom or dad. You don’t have to homeschool all of your children, but you must homeschool at least one. 

• You must be willing to use the review products for about six weeks in your homeschool, before writing your review. Review periods have deadlines and requirements for the reviews. You must be willing to follow these requirements. No, that doesn’t mean you must write a positive review. But it does mean that there are certain elements that are required. And the deadlines are firm. If you are often late for deadlines, the Crew is probably not for you. 

• You must have a blog on which to publish your reviews, and be sure you have an active blog with a following. By active blog, I mean that you should be blogging regularly, at least weekly, about your family and homeschool (in addition to your reviews). Your blog should have followers — RSS feed or email subscribers, as well as in social media. The Crew does not accept brand new bloggers who just set up their blogs for the purposes of applying to the team. 

• Are you using social media to promote your blog? Activity on at least one social media platform is a requirement to serve on the Crew. Which one is up to you — Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google Plus are the options. You will need to be willing to promote your reviews there and post a widget or plug-in publicly on your blog, indicating how many followers you have in social media. 

• You must be willing to check into the Crew's Review Management forum. This is where information is disseminated to the team. The leadership does everything possible to make things easy for us, outside of writing the actual review, but you need to be willing to participate by checking in almost daily. 

• Sample reviews are helpful. If you’ve never written a review on your blog, go ahead and write one for curriculum you are currently using in your homeschool. This will help the leaders see how you approach writing reviews. 

Why should you want to be a part? 
Our Crew of over 250 review bloggers has been serving the homeschool community for more than 5 years. As a respected review team, we take this job very seriously and will insist you do as well. The leadership provides an incredible amount of assistance to help us be the best bloggers, homeschool parents, and of course, reviewers we can be. They provide a mentoring program for new members, a social media networking group, many blog and social media tutorials, and lots of incredible opportunities for our team, including blog carnivals, the opportunity to guest post on the Crew blog, and the blessing of some incredible friendships. You can read more about what being a member has meant to ten of the crew over at the crew blog.


Some of the opportunities I have had this year 

• the privilege of reviewing over $1,000 worth of home school products, 
• partake in blog cruises,
  Recipe Share - Angry Bird Tutorial  
  The Subject I enjoy most - My Passion: Chronological History 
  Winter Nature Study - Winter Nature Study is it Possible ? 
  A Look Back - A Year of His Abundant Blessings
  What if there was no Money for Homeschool Curriculum - HELP There's NO money for Curriculum!
  Our Homeschool Day in Pictures - Join us for a day homeschooling {A Photo Diary}
  Fall into Nature - Compost in a Bottle {Science Experiment}
• crew interview opportunities and 
• two 5 day blog hops
  5 Days of Curriculum Choices
  5 Days of Teaching Creatively. 
• Social Media Support Group

How can you apply? 
After making sure you meet all of the requirements, if you believe you would to an asset to the Schoolhouse Review Crew and wish to join us, please click over to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to apply.

Come be a part of The Old Schoolhouse family! I will be handing in my application to return to the crew for the year ahead and look forward to meeting you on board the 2014 season should I be selected.

Blessings
Chareen

Compost in a Bottle {Science Experiment}

With Fall  on it's way for my friends in the northern hemisphere and spring down here I thought I would share this easy experiment any one can do any time of the year. Earlier this year Sir N and I spent a delightful day out at Barwon Waste Management Education Centre where we helped in an experiment called Compost in a Bottle.  This is a wonderful experiment you can do at home and watch over the year to see what happens.

You will Need

1. Strips of news paper
2. Blood & Bone (garden fertilizer)
3. Bread
4. Grated Carrot
5. Grated Potato
6. Soil
7. Two or Three 2.25 Lt cold drink bottles (we used Coke bottles)

Method

• Clean the plastic bottles well. Cut the bottle around the top leaving a small part to act as a hinge.

• You will need fruit, vegetables, soil, paper and fertilizer.  In order to make all the bottles identical I chose to grate carrots and vegetables and use a cup measure when placing into the bottles.
• Follow the recipe (a picture recipe)
• Layer soil, vegetables, fertilizer (only a tablespoon per layer) and paper. Each bottle needs to be identical.
• Spray each layer with a little bit of water.  Do NOT soak.  Only a fine mist spray.
• The original experiment required two identical bottles. We made a third bottle without fertilizer because we wanted to know how well compost worms work in comparison to fertilizer in a compost bin.
• When the bottles are full tape them shut.
• Mark the side of the bottle with a permanent pen showing the different layers.
• Place one bottle on the windowsill, and one in a dark cupboard.  We placed the one with the worms in the dark cupboard as well.

Seven Months Later ...

Left - Windowsill bottle
Middle - Dark Cupboard with worms
Right - Dark Cupboard.

What experiments have you done with your families recently ?
Blessings
Chareen

This post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew Fall into Nature Blog Cruise. (Goes up on Tuesday 22 October)

Coming Soon! 2014 Crew Applications

For my blogging friends who are considering joining the Crew for the 2014 season there are a few tips on the Schoolhouse Review blog for you.

Blessings
Chareen

Jim Elliot One Great Purpose {Book & Unit Study Review}

I have a confession to make.  I have a love affair with the Christian Heroes: Then & Now books published by YWAM Publishing.  I was deeply impacted when I read my first book in the series and ever since then one of my personal missions has been to collect the full set. In September YWAM blessed our family with the the biography of Jim Elliot and their new Unit Study Curriculum Guide for the book.

YWAM publishing is a ministry of Youth With A Mission {YWAM} and is a non profit organization. They started in 1972 publishing tracts for the Olympics. YWAM Publishing currently publishes well over 2000 titles, videos and CD's.  Christian Hero's is one division that is committed to sharing international inspiring stories of real people who have and continue to impact the world for Christ today.  They work with Emerald Books to provide quality resources for home school families.

We Received

CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW
 Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose 

• Author: Janet & Geoff Benge
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 192
• Ages: 10+
• Publisher YWAM Publishing
• ISBN: 1576581462
• SKU: 81462
• Formats Paperback Nook Kindle 
• Available in:  Spanish
• Cost: US $6.99

This book has met my every expectation of Geoff and Janet. It is a twaddle free LIVING book that will take you into the jungles of South America. It is written on a ten year old reading level but is a perfect read aloud for the whole family. Sir N is eight and he is thoroughly enjoying me read this book to him.  He begs me for one more chapter every time we sit down to read it.
 
It is a story of humility and grace.  It shows how the grace of God goes before us and how He works out all things for the good of those who love Him.  From the beginning you are given a sense of Jim Elliot's deep sense of purpose. You gain an appreciation for the difficulty in learning a new language and how frustrating it can be for new missionaries to gain trust and relationship.  You follow the lives of Jim and Betty from courtship to marriage.  A marriage with the single focused vision of missions. A love so deep for each other and the people to whom they minister.

Janet and Geoff take us deep into the jungle and reveal to us the reality of missionary living. The describe in detail the jungle, the people, the physical, emotional and spiritual reality for both the missionary and the unreached people groups living there.

As you read the book you can His hand in bringing together the families that were impacted that fateful day on the beach for one great purpose: His.

In the epilog we read about how that moment in history changed the world for His glory and opened a door to hearts of a new tribe.

CHRISTIAN HEROES: THEN & NOW
Unit Study Curriculum Guide Jim Elliot

• Author: Janet & Geoff Benge
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 62
• Publisher YWAM Publishing
• ISBN: 1576582043
• SKU: 82043 
• Target: Group and Individual study.
• Ages: Year 1 to Adult.
• Cost: US $7.49

A large amount of thought and careful planning has gone into this outstanding unit study. It is comprehensive and covers all the learning areas, taking into consideration learning styles, personality and the ages of the children for whom this study has been compiled. The activities have not been graded or assigned a particular grade level  but they do however progress from simple to more complex in the layout. This guide covers several curriculum areas and some of the topics are

• Student Explorations - essay writing, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts/crafts 
• Social Studies - reproducible maps, geography, terms/vocabulary, journey tracking, critical thinking 
• Bible Study - scripture memorization, devotional application, spiritual concepts 
• Community Links - meaningful field trips, guest speakers, service projects 
• Related Themes to Explore - missions, current events, life skills, math, government, science 
• Bibliography or Related Resources - books, movies, documentaries, magazine articles, websites 
• Culminating Event - project displays, cultural food, music, and activities, oral presentations 

This unit study has been compiled to accompany the book Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose. It contains far too much information to possibly cover.  I like the way it offers multiple ideas so that I may pick and choose what to do that suits my student, and my learning outcome desire for our family. All the work was done for me in this unit study even the notebook pages were supplied. We had a world map, country map and country fact sheet to print off and fill in. The only thing I would change would be the flag for Ecuador as the one in the unit study is not complete.

What we did

We are still in the process of enjoying the read aloud together and are looking forward to enjoying many more of the suggestions provided, such as the meals and recommended documentaries. I have printed off the notebook pages and maps and Sir N has been colouring those in. In the weeks to come we will be doing more in depth country studies on Ecuador and completing the country profile provided in the note book pages.

We have had a look at animals of the jungles in South America in our Usborne World Of Animals book.  I found a great photo essay of a 26 Foot Anaconda and I have also manged to find some of the documentaries that are recommended and some others on YouTube which we are working our way through.  When researching Jim on YouTube I also discovered a channel dedicated to clips about him: Jim Elliot.

Sir N has also enjoyed doing leaf and bark rubbings and trying to make clay pots (out of play dough).  We are really enjoying our journey through this book and unit study.

On a side note we received the unit study as a PDF document.  It is currently only available as a book purchase from YWAM publishing.  I really do hope they bring these studies out in a digital format in the future as they would make an excellent addition to the Christian Hero's Then and Now books I already own. Many of my Australian homeschool friends who own the books would like to purchase them too.
Connect

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blog

I will certainly use this unit study again in the future when Sir N is a teen and we work our way through our Christian Missionary biography books again.

Blessings
Chareen

Homeschool Mom's Bible {Review}

Years ago for my 21st birthday I was given an NIV Student Study Bible which I absolutely loved.  Sadly it was stolen in 1997. When I saw that Zondervan publishing were offering to bless us with a Homeschool Mothers Devotional Bible {NIV} I honestly couldn't wait for September to roll around. Needless to say once I knew this product was in the mail winging it's way to me I stalked my post box daily till it arrived. I was over whelmed with gratitude when it arrived.

The first thing that I noticed are the beautiful covers that Zondervan have made for these bibles. This bible has been made available in two translations: New International Version and The King James Version.  They are available in hardcover with jackets, Italian duo-tone and ePub.

Product Details

• NIV Homeschool Mom's Bible.
• Pages: 1536 pages.
• Cover: Hardcover, Jacketed
• ISBN 13: 9780310421054 
• Author of the Devotions: Janet Tatman
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Cost: Hardcover US $34.99
           Itailian DuoTone (Hot Pink) US $49.99
           Italian DuoTone (Turquoise) US $47.99
• Size: 8.75″ x 5.75″ x 1.75″ 
• Price: US $34.99 

A portion of the purchase of this bible is donated to Biblica to support and enable them in their mission of  Transforming lives through God's Word.

This bible contains 

• Table of Contents - one lists all contents and one is the alphabetical order of books in the bible.
• Foreword by Vickie Farris encourages us to spend time in the word no matter how busy our day.  "As we reorder our priorities by carving out time to enter into his holy presence, we'll find strength for what matters most. Trust me, the laundry can wait 15 min more ..." 
• About section.  In this section there is a write up on Alpha Omega Publications who have co-published this devotional bible. Janet Tatman the author of the devotional readings. She home educated her four children for over 25 years.  The devotionals contained in the bible were borne out of her experience writing the Daily Focus encouragement devotionals while working for Alpha Omega Publications.
• Preface. I was particularly interested in this part of the introductions. I enjoyed the insight and explanation on how this version of the WORD has been translated and updated over the years. Did you know the first NIV version was published in 1978?
• Entire updated NIV bible text, including footnotes.
• 365 daily devotions interspersed at regular intervals throughout the bible (there is no devotional page for leap year)
• Table of Weights and Measures containing biblical units, approximate American and Metric equivalents.
• Topical Index covering main biblical characters, teachings and devotional topics arranged in alphabetical order.
• 7 blank pages for your own notes
• Dust Jacket This is a standard paper dust jacket.  One of the crew suggested laminating to increase it's life but I am going to cover it with clear plastic film (Duraseal self adhesive covering).

The Devotionals
These are written by a veteran home school Mum Janet Tatum. She has over 25 years of home school experience and has been writing daily devotionals for home school Mom's for more than six years.  Janet writes from the heart, you can see in her devotions she has been there, felt what we as

home school Mom's feel: our frustrations, our fears, our struggles and our desperate hopes. She speaks to the very heart of our day to day struggles. I loved reading the daily devotion at morning tea time.

God's timing never fails to astound me.  I had been stalking my mailbox waiting for the devotional to arrive. I had been struggling with a self focused woe is me attitude.  Why doesn't anyone care for me! I am so tired of all of T*H*I*S ! Midday arrived and so did the Postie with my special delivery.  I excitedly opened my new devotional to the days reading.

September 6th
Homeschooling's Price ... Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me... 

I start reading ... yes that's me that's how I am feeling. Yes today I want to have all the wonderful benefits without any of the responsibilities. Yes I am feeling trapped ...  Yes please I want a break from this constant house work ...   

Janet challenged me: "Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. If you want your children to achieve both academic and spiritual success, you have to give 100 percent and commit to homeschooling... Yes, God knows  when you need to rest and will show you how to catch your breath, but He also asks His disciples to carry their cross. So who will you follow today, yourself or the Lord? Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 " Then she led me in a small prayer. 

It was as though a home school Mum had sat there with me and spoken directly into my personal circumstance and feelings. She didn't lecture or shame me. She shared her struggle with me.  Challenged me to my calling. Encouraged me to look to the one from Whom all life flows. Pointed me to the plum line of His word and then prayed with me. Blessed and Refreshed is how I felt. 

Each and every devotion is this way. I would love to spend hours studying and researching the word.  The reality is that during this season of homeschooling my young one I do not have the time available to do this. Janet has done the work for me. She daily lays out a minimum of two to three scriptures pertaining to an aspect directly associated with my home school journey. Shares her experience and encourages me to look to Him. Model my life on Him and pray. At the end of each devotional page there is a little note telling me where to find the next day's devotional.

Some days the need is different to what is being spoken about and on those days all I need to do is open up the topical index and search through an alphabetical listing of the devotional topics to find something to encourage me or point me in the direction I need to take.

Each day at morning tea time I am learning to turn back to His Word and refocus.  I am so grateful to have this devotional and will continue reading it for years to come.  

Final thoughts
I am really happy with this bible.  If you are looking for a study bible this is not the bible for you.  It is as it's name says a Devotional bible. 

If there was one thing I would add it would be a presentation page. A group of us purchased an Italian Duo-Tone™, Hot Pink leather copy for a friends special birthday and it would have been lovely to have been able to write her name and a note about the occasion along with our names and the special date/occasion before giving it to her. 

If you have a special wish list somewhere I would encourage you to add this one to the top of the list you will not be disappointed.

Blessings
Chareen

Seed Sowers a gospel planting adventure {Review}

This past month Sir N and I have had the privilege of meeting some of today's modern heroes in the biographical book Seed Sowers: Gospel Planting Adventures published by Grace and Truth books. This book was compiled and written by a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew Gwen Toliver.

When Gwen and her family relocated to Wycliffe's Linguistics Center in Dallas, Texas they began meeting dozens of 'retired' missionaries who were still actively serving in many supportive rolls. The thing that struck her was that most of them had never recorded their own incredible stories.

Gwen thought "What a shame! Most of them possess this amazing wealth of spiritual knowledge and mission field experience that will be lost if it's not recorded for future generations. Only a few had written or told their stories."  Little did she know that over the next two years she would begin a remarkable journey of discovery (or mining gold as Gwen calls it) as she spent time interviewing these 'retired' missionaries. Out of this experience a book was birthed.

 Seed Sowers

• Format: Paper back / Hardback / Kindle
• Number of Pages: 180
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN: 978-1-4497-7130-0
• Author: Gwen Toliver

This is a beautiful book written for children and is a pleasure to read out loud.  Sir N has begged me to keep reading each day as we have spent time together reading Seed Sowers.  This book is written at around a sixth grade independent reading level, however children as young as six will enjoy the adventures of the missionaries and bible translators in the book.

Seed Sowers introduces us to the stories of 21 inspiring missionary heroes and the adventures they experienced serving our God in different parts of the world.  At the conclusion of each chapter Gwen has included a short note detailing when the particular translation of the bible was completed and what the missionary is doing now. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography sharing when the interviews took place and any extra resources used in compiling the stories.

The only complaint Sir N has had is that he wished that there were pictures in the book. This is one thing that Gwen wishes she could add to this wonderful book the photographs of the missionaries. Sadly the publisher has said that due to poor quality they can not be added. She has been collecting beautiful photographs and sharing them on the Seed Sowers Website.

Upon reflection I think it would be a wonderful addition if a world map with an indication of where the stories took place were added to the stories along with present day photographs. It would be amazing to see who these wonderful people are and it would help younger children to appreciate that these are real life hero's who are sharing their stories with us.

Purchase the book

• Paper back $12.50
• Hard Cover   $27.95
• Kindle  $3.99

Connect

• Gwen shares her families full time missionary adventures living and serving with Wycliffe Associates in Texas over at Tolivers to Texas. 
• Seed Sowers blog. Here Gwen shares more insights from the book, introduces some of the heros from the book and photographs.
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This book gets a 5 star rating and would be an asset on any bookshelf.  It's a wonderful twaddle free read aloud sharing living stories of modern hero's for your children to look up to. 

All that is good reflects God's Glory. It has been said that the full joyousness of childhood can only be experienced by those who are allowed by their elders to mix heaven freely with earth, and to see angels and heroes where commonplace sinners actually stand. - Karen Andreola

I agree with this statement and reading about heavens modern hero's in Seed Sowers is just one way to inspire and encourage our children to do great things for the Kingdom.

Blessings
Chareen