Out of touch

Yeah, still not doing so great with the blogging thing. I think every day that I will make time to sit down and post but it just doesn't happen.

Here's why:

Monday's we have Homeschool Group, Play Practice, another Play Practice, and then Soccer Practice.

Tuesday's we have school and Cheer and BSF.

Wednesdays are usually free except school and when I scchedule appointments on it bc it is our only free day! Oh wait, Ballet, Steven's mentoring meeting, and Youth Groups!

Thursday school and Cheer and Soccer Practice.

Friday is school and getting ready for the weekend and Bug leaves.

Saturday is soccer day.

Sundays is church, babysitting for the girls, Bug comes back, planning for the next week, and catching up laundry.

This list doesn't include any extras we have for the week. It is pretty overwhelming at times but i just can't seem to cut anything out. We have 5 kids and that is just the way it is.

So, this is my place in life right now. I have to be okay with it. Because I know all too well that in just a few short years the kids will be grown up and living their own lives. I WILL enjoy it while I can.

Itooch by eduPad Review

More than 30 apps from 3rd Grade to 8th Grade

iTooch goes in-depth with official educational curricula from 3rd Grade to 8th Grade, tobe used at home or school.

• Elementary School: learn and practice Math, Langage Arts and Science from 3rd to 5thGrade
• Middle School: learn and practice Math and Langage Arts from 6th to 8th Grade

available on the App Store, Windows 8 and now on Google Play Store

iTooch is back-to-school on Android from September. Every level is available, includingsome new features just for you!

From $4.99
(free versions available)

Check out the Website and see all the apps they offer!

 

We used a couple of the Free apps and I liked them. The Music app had great theory questions as well as history questions. With the lessons we tried there were questions to answer but there was also an information page the student could read before hand or use as a reference while answering the questions. Once the subject matter has been mastered the student can take a test.

You can download some FREE versions but need to purchase full versions.

 

Head over to Mosaic Reviews and see what everyone else had to say about iTooch.

 

Own It and Grace Unplugged the Novel Review and Give Away

 

Grace Unplugged the Novel

Grace Trey is an 18-year-old singer as passionate about her Christian faith as she is her phenomenal, God-given musical talent. When Grace encounters her own music break of a lifetime, the sudden dive into the "real world" puts her deeper beliefs to the test. Pop superstardom is just within reach but appears to require some spiritual compromise. Will Grace reject her faith, or will she own it?

Own it mirrors the film by asking what it means to really "own" your personal faith rather than just automatically following in the footsteps of parents, friends, or other influencers. Best-selling authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco help readers understand what to do when faith meets real world challenges.

Stay Connected:
Grace Unplugged Movie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceunplugged

Grace Unpluggled Movie Twitter: @GraceMovie
Grace Unplugged Website: www.graceunplugged.com

B&H Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhpublishing

B&H Twitter: @BHpub

And remember to check out the Grace Unplugged movie trailer.

These books are wonderful. Grace Unplugged is a story all teens and young adults should read if they have a dream they are pursuing. Okay, even if they don't have a dream like Grace in the book they should read this book. It is relevant to life today and will inspire them to live life according to the Bible. And Own It should be mandatory reading for all teens and young adults. Adults too. We can all use encouragement to make our faith our own and to really Own It.

Here are some quotes from Own It that I really liked.

"The difficutly of faith doesn't come from the lack of feeling or even action but from the lack of divine knowledge--the knowledge of who God is and of the depth of His love."

"What you feel for something you own is completely different from how you feel about something that isn't yours."

"When you are faking something for the approval of others, even the approval you get is painful because it's based on a lie, and the real you never truly finds acceptance."

"...for many the statement "I'm a good person" carries the same amount of weight as "Jesus died for me."

"In fact, the amount of time your relationships get points to the health and depth of those relationships."

"The degree God intervenes in your life will be directly proportional to the time you spend with Him."

I highly recommend both books. I enjoyed them so much and am requiring all of my girls to read Own It when they are teenagers!

**I have a copy of both to give away! Yay! Just leave a comment and you are entered. Be sure to leave your email though. I will draw a winner on October 2nd.

 

**"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

 

Catching up on blog reading

So I haven't been the best blogger around. I just get busy living life and great things happen, bad things happen, and I just forget to come here. I really want to because I print out books each year as a record of our lives for the kids. I need to do better. I do.

I also need to do better about reading and commenting on others' blogs as well. I know as a blogger I love comments so I should give the love to others as well.

I spent a few minutes scouring Feedly and found a few things that stood out. I thought I would share them here. Yes, I did comment on each post (I think!) but wanted to share them here as well.

Here they are:

**Mama Katz over at Blogging Transparently for Christ has a great article on Homeschooling with Netflix. She gives a list of Christian movies you can watch with the family.

**The Homeschool Post has 10 Ways to Simplify Your Homeschool. Who can't use some advice on simplifying life?

**Jenn at Chesnut Grove Academy shares their Titanic Unit Study. There are some really great ideas for studying the Titanic.

**Rachel at Finding Joy shares Normal Moms are Amazing. I was blessed by this post and hope you will be as well.

 

I hope all of these links work...it was early and before coffee that I copied and pasted! And the toddler was having a meltdown the size of WW3 while I typed. lol

Bash and the Pirate Pig Review and GIVE AWAY

"For Stupid reasons that weren't my fault, I was tried, convicted, and sentenced to a summer with my wacko cousin Bash on the Farm of Doom."

I was sent an adorable book to review. Bash and the Pirate Pig is a great book for the tween age group. It is listed as Juvenile Fiction and it is perfect. It is a good mix of Christian principles and storyline that isn't an 'in your face' Christian message that seems forced. I recommend this book for any tween looking for a good read. Boy or girl, they will love this book!

 

About Bash and the Pirate Pig

Bash and the Pirate Pig, by Burton Cole, is the story of a cranky city kid named Raymond "Beamer" Boxby who must spend summer vacation at his younger cousin, Bash's, farm.

Beamer prefers air conditioning and video games. He can't see what good can come of this so-called country fun that includes riding cows, river rafting with a pig, or playing with skunks.

But hang tight, Beamer, because Bash's zany adventures with his "Fishin' and Farmin' book" (The Bible) just might lead to the coolest discovery of all.

About the Author

Burton Cole is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist with thirty years of experience and more than fifty humor writing awards to his credit. He grew up on a farm in northeast Ohio and attended a small-town church with a slew of cousins and buddies. That same boyhood inspires his colorful stories today.

About the Illustrator

Tom Bancroft has more than twenty years of experience in the animation and illustration industry and worked with Disney on films including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin. Other clients have included DC Comics and Big Idea Productions.

Bash and the Pirate Pig

Written by: Burton Cole

Illustrated by: Tom Bancroft

Publisher: B&H Kids

Hardcover: 224 pages

$12.99

Stay Connected:

B&H Kids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BHPubKids

B&H Publishing Twitter: @BHKidsBuzz

Website: http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/books/products.asp?p=9781433680694

Isn't that adorable? The cover of the book is so inviting and fun. This is a story you want your kids to read!

**I do have a copy to GIVE AWAY!! Simply tell me your favorite childhood story and you are entered. Be sure to leave an email so I can contact you if you win.

Disclaimer:I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Here's a picture of one of the chapters:

'How I became a calf's uncle...' That makes me giggle every time!

School, Oh School

I once had a student who worked on Algebra

She didn't understand it

Not one little bit

She slammed the book and cried, "Mad you are!"

School was going fantastic until we got into Algebra. I should know what I'm doing by now. I took it in high school (I cheated btw) and I had one go through it two years ago. Bethany and I muddled through it and she did some of it alone as well as with her dad.

Fast forward to two years later and we have another in Algebra 1. I'm not gonna lie, our personality faults are bubbling to the surface and they aren't all pretty. It is getting ugly with no foreseeable end.

Our personalities clash anyway because we are both strong, dramatic, and quick-tongued. We have a lot of fun together but when we go head to head, watch out!

Algebra 1 will not win...it will not. We will figure this out. No, she will probably never use it in her life after high school but I had to do it and so does she. lol

For now, we will be doing Algebra 1 long into the evenings and if you hear screaming or doors slamming don't worry-we'll work it out when dad gets home!