Preparing for company

While I'm sitting here updating the blog and doing some initial writing of upcoming product reviews, I have a certain level of guilt building up that the house isn't "company ready." These feelings are almost ingrained into my psyche as our society often paints a picture of 'normal' that is not always the case. With the exception of a few pieces we've purchased or inherited, the house has the hand me down decorating style going on. Add in the piles of things that have been gone through while preparing for our upcoming move and you are almost headed towards a bachelor pad look. I guess this is what happens when you have all boys in the house when you are recovering from birth and caring for a newborn.

If anyone has suggestions in how to get boys to truly SEE the mess, I'd love to hear about it. 'Cause my guys can step on something and still claim to not see it.

All that being said, we're trying to prepare for company. My parents arrive Wednesday afternoon and will be staying with us. My sister from Louisiana and her family arrive Wednesday evening and will be staying at my other sister's place. Even though they might not all be sleeping here, they will all be here for Thanksgiving Day dinner and probably a few other meals as well.

Unlike my initial dreams of this holiday season, we won't be pulling out the china or decking the halls. Martha Stewart wannabe's would probably turn up their noses as the Chinet hits the table on Thanksgiving. And, those who live clutter free may feel uncomfortable surrounded by the chaos created by the combined arrival of Little J and the upcoming move. Yet, I am going to do my best to make everyone welcome and show the kind of hospitality that we should have as Christians. Thankfully, God has more focus on how we relate to others than on the state of our house.

Here's hoping for a wonderful visit with family as we have no idea when we'll next see them. And, I suppose the past perfectionist hiding in me will be dreaming of a clean slate when we get to Alaska.

Zondervan Book Review - 25 Days, 26 Ways

I recently received another batch of books from Zondervan to read and review. The first one I picked up and read (while nursing little Z) was an advance copy of the book 25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever by Ace Collins.

This was a very timely book to receive as some years I feel like I have neglected Advent. Yes, we do an Advent Wreath in the house. For my spiritual life, I usually attend our parish's communal penance service. And, the boys and I enjoy our fair share of holiday films, music and treats. But, I often feel like its all haphazard.

Mr. Collins' new book is great for reflection, gaining new insight in the history of some of our traditions, and an action suggestion for the reader. I really appreciated the history component on not only particular holiday songs, but also a nice explanation about how the expanded shopping season came to be. Utilizing this book, I hope to create a joyful holiday season for my family this year and in years to come. If nothing else, we should have a better appreciation of some traditions and maybe be able to better focus our time to truly prepare for Christ's birth.

25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever has a retail price of $15.99 and can be found both online and through your favorite retailer carrying Zondervan books.

The advance reading copy of this book was provided to me by Zondervan for the purpose of my review. All opinions in this review are my own and no additional compensation was provided.

TOS Crew Review - 3 P Learning / Mathletics

While the boys are currently doing okay in their primary math curriculum, there are times that a bump is hit in the road. Even when things are going smoothly, it is nice to have some variety of learning reinforcement to help 'spice things up." Given that they enjoy spending time on the computer, I was certain that our trial subscription to 3P Learning's Mathletics would be well received.

I can honestly say that we have NOT been disappointed. The boys have not complained about spending time on this online subscription. Once registered, they each created a personal avatar. As they successfully complete sections, they earn points which then are used to 'dress up' their avatar. At first, I wondered if that would provide any real motivation for them, but it does seem to inspire them to do a little more work just to get those extra points.

Also, the student can compete against other registered users. P really enjoys this particular aspect of Mathletics, especially when he is the 'winner' in a challenge. Both R and D have also tried this aspect of Mathletics with good results. As their teacher, I like to see them seeking to challenge themselves through a bit of competition ~ even if it is all virtual.

Currently, you can purchase an annual subscription for $49.95 per student when using the human calculator's favorite number (9). Since day one of using Mathletics, all three boys have been bugging for me to subscribe past the review time. Depending on our living situation when we arrive in Alaska, I'll be giving this serious consideration. Having a new one in the house makes it more tempting to have some help covering subjects with interactive programs such as Mathletics. Knowing that the program has grade specific concepts and skills covered and the option to print worksheets (pdf files for grade levels are available on the teacher's page) makes this even more appealing.

As always, you can read what other TOS Crewmates have to say about this product on the TOS Homeschool Crew page. 3P Learning provided our family with three trial accounts for the purpose of my doing this review. No other compensation was provided to me and the views expressed here are my own.

Hands of a Child Super Membership Giveaway

I just used Random.org to pick a poster from the giveaway and comment #42 is the winner (Julianne.) Congratulations, Julianne! I'll be getting your contact information to the ladies at In the Hands of a Child to have your 3 months as a Super Member activated.

For all the lapbooking addicts, the "Black Friday" sale is going on at HOAC. Details are on the website and Super Members can shop any time with the maximum discount. I'm glad to have the time as I can't decide which I might want to order right now. Considering I have over 70 units that have not been done yet plus a lifetime membership of project packs to do, I might have to skip this sale. I did enjoy reading all the ones others want to do and saw a few we'll probably do in the future (e.g. Chocolate, WWI, WWII, and Story of America from a Catholic perspective.)

Many thanks to all who entered. Be on the lookout for another homeschool product giveaway in the near future

TOS Crew Review - We R Fun

For many children, there is something appealing about life on a farm. Toddlers and preschoolers often enjoy a good round of Old McDonald Had a Farm with the opportunity to make different animal sounds. With a few family members that have 'fun farms', my boys have a real attraction to farm life. So, they were excited to test out We R Fun's Life on the Farm game for families.



Our game for testing arrived just a day before Little J's birth. The first time the boys played it was that morning while I was busy discerning if that would be the day Little J would arrive. They also played it with Nana and one aunt while I was still in the hospital. And, now that Little J's 'newness' is wearing off, they are back to pulling board games off the shelf to play while I'm busy caring for Little J. Life on the Farm is one of the games getting their attention.

All of the boys gave Life on the Farm two thumbs up for being fun. The only 'complaint' they, or my relatives, had when playing is that it can take a long time before you have a winner. Given their exposure to other long play time games (e.g. Life and Monopoly), this wasn't a big issue for the boys. D really enjoys coming to tell me how many cows he currently has as well as how many his brothers have. It might not be quite the same as owning your own farm, but the game helps illustrate the issues you might face.

Life on the Farm can be purchased from We R Fun or at KMart online for $25. In exchange for your cash, you'll receive a sturdy, colorful gameboard plus all the necessary cards and play money needed for a moo-tastic time.

As always, you can read about what other TOS Crewmates are saying about this product on the TOS Crew website. A few crewmates were sent a preschool version, so the opportunity to have a farm game is available for a wide range of ages. We R Fun provided the game to our family at no cost and no other form of compensation was given to me. All opinions in this review are my own.

TOS Crew Review - Gymathics

For the most part, our physical education component of homeschooling has included time at the pool, hiking with dad, and just being a boy (riding bikes, running around outside.) But, occasionally things seem to get into a rut and the boys have little desire to do the usual things. When that happens, it is great to have an alternate plan to 'spice things up' a bit.



As a member of the TOS Crew, our family was sent a copy of Gymnathics. This DVD engages the child physically while reinforcing learning of math. You could think of it as aerobics with math related information being quoted instead of having just music. The exercises are challenging enough for an older child while still being within reach of a younger elementary student.

The boys and I have mixed feelings about this particular product. The concept is appealing. However, the implementation did not completely 'click' with my guys. Some of the information being spouted during the exercises was beyond their current studies. And, I heard more than one comment about it being a bit silly. Not that they didn't have sections they enjoyed. All three boys liked the skip counting segment with some punching involved. But, the initial stretching with an emphasis on shapes didn't go over as well.

Overall, Gymathics could provide a welcome diversion to the tedium of being indoors during inclement weather and help diversify your physical education 'program'. And, repeated exposure to the math facts might start to drill them into the head of your student. The DVD is available from Exploramania for $24.99 with free shipping.

As always, you can read what other TOS Crewmates are saying about this product on the TOS Homeschool Crew Page. Like other TOS Review products, this was provided to me at no cost and no other compensation was given to me for the review. All opinions are my own.

Reflecting on recent visitors

The days after Little J's birth had some visits with the grandmothers. My mom came over for a few hours on the Monday and Tuesday after his birth to spend a little time with the boys. Then my mother in law came for a short visit (her first time here in Maryland) to see Little J in person as well as spend some time with the other boys before we move to Alaska.

Here's a few pictures from their visits: