Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

Okay, let me just begin this review by stating that I have looked around and not found a product comparable to this one ~ read this review with that in mind! PG Key is a USB external drive (often referred to as a "stick") manufactured by KeyWare, Inc. This product is not only a filter that can be used to protect your family while they use the internet; it not only blocks websites that are inappropriate or obscene; this little device is a portable, multi-functional tool that makes parenting and homeschooling in the internet-age easier than I ever guessed it could be. Using the external drive is simple. Step 1.) Remove product from the box Step 2.) Plug product into your computer Step 3.) Choose a password Step 4.) There is no Step 4 - you're already done!! So, at this point you may be curious as to what all this super-amazing product is capable of. The answer is, a WHOLE LOT!! With this one product, parents can rest assured that websites are blocked, filtering is in place,

Did I mis-type the title of this blog post? Nope! More commonly known as Pastor Appreciation Month, in our church body we call October Ministry Appreciation Month. Wny, you ask? Because our pastor believes all who work in areas of ministry leadership, in a volunteer or paid position, should be "thanked" this month. It's a blessing to see those who serve week in and week out receiving hugs, notes, and even small gifts as tokens of appreciation for their service. So, to all you who serve in your church body in any facet or form, a hearty "THANKS" goes out to you!! For all of your service, both seen and unseen, thank you so very, very much. It makes a difference and one day when you are with the Lord, you will see just what a difference your service made. After all, God's Word promises that we should not grow weary in well doing, for we will reap a harvest of righteousness if we do not give up. Be sure to thank those who serve in your local church ~ it really d

This video is from a piano recital my daughter Lindsay took part in over the weekend at The Old Cowtown Museum here in Wichita. She has been taking lessons from her wonderful teacher Megan for a few months now and is enjoying it tremendously. She plays part of a duet with her classmate, just in case you wonder who the other lovely young lady is. Watch it on youtube here . Congrats, Lindsay - it was so much fun to listen to you play in a "saloon"!! Day 48 done :)

This week's product review is for an e-book published by Soli Deo Gloria Resources "William Tyndale: God's Smuggler" . This product is a unit study - but not your typical unit study - trust me, I've done a few unit studies in my 13 years of homeshcooling. This one caught me attention and held it 'til the end. In it's 21 pages, this study covers history, science, geography, character, Bible, art, and language arts. The only thing you need to add is math. I found that each of the above topics is covered thoroughly, but not in an overwhelming-how-can-I-possibly-do-everything-in-this-unit-study way (if you have attempted many unit studies, you know what I mean by that!). Even though the company says that the William Tyndale study is shorter than most of their other unit studies, I found 21 pages to be just about right for a short-term project. AND it's written to work for ALL grades and ages - yup, that means K through 12. Big bonus for the multi-level hom

Okay, I'm starting my study to see what lessons I can learn from the heart of Michal...and I'm starting at the end and working my way back to the beginning! I don't normally study Bible figures this way; this time, however, I think there is a whole lot that I can learn by looking at where she ended up and slowly examining how she got there. Today I was reading about her relationship with David in 2 Samuel 6 ~ and the first thing that jumped out at me was that she LET herself become bitter. We've all met bitter women; we've probably all been bitter women at some point. And there's only one way to be a bitter woman - by letting yourself beocome one. Whether it happens quickly or over time, it's always an allowed behavior on our part. This was her choice and she chose bitterness over any of the good things the Lord had for her. What struck me is how terribly sad that is ~ we all know a bitter woman is the not someone we can stand to be around for very long and

Today's product review is for the CD curriculum "The Digital Field Trip Series" by Digital Frog International . There are 3 levels included on the CD; The Wetlands , The Rainforest , and The Desert . Using the product is easy - put the disc in your PC and choose a destination! Student and teacher workbook materials are located on the disc - you access them by opening the folder for the corresponding geographical area (wetlands, rainforest, or desert). I also received PDF Review's Guides for each of the 3 options (all products received free of charge for review purposes). An informational/instructional guide is included inside the CD case - very handy for finding info quickly and easily. The Wetlands digital field trip is the original title in the series; it uses virtual reality technology to explore Cloud Lake (Algonquin Park, Canada). The CD has more than 80 screens and are hybrid (allows you to use the same disc on Windows and Macintosh platforms). QuickTime is req

I have been feeling led (gently led, mind you) to begin working on a Biblical study of the life of Michal (King Saul's daughter; King David's wife). This isn't exactly a new idea ~ I've felt the Lord tugging at my heart to invest time studying Michal's heart for quite some time now. I've been "putting it off" because, to be totally honest, I'm super busy! But how on earth can I be too busy to do what He is leading me to do? And if He owns it all, that "all" includes my time, so I actually cannot be too busy to use His time/my time to do His will. I pretty much need to get started with my study of Michal, don't I?! So I'm asking my blog followers to help keep me accountable - ask me how it's going, remind me to keep doing what He asks me to do and not let the busy life I lead as a homeschool mom crowd out His best for me, give me a stern rebuke if need be! How will you know if I am actually doing this study on Michal; how will

Ah, the joy I have today over the fact that I'm writing a review about a work of fiction! Homeschool moms spend SO MUCH TIME focusing on academia, they can forget the simple pleasure that comes from reading a piece of fiction. This product review has been like a breath of fresh air. First I'd like to give a brief overview of The Peleg Chronicles and then I'll move on to my thoughts and the thoughts of my 16 year old daughter regarding the book. I'll wrap up with the product information. The Foundlings is the first book in a series titled The Peleg Chronicles written by Matthew Christian Harding. The author and his wife homeschool their four children. As most homeschooling parents know, it can be tricky to find acceptable fiction reading for our children; Mr. Harding's intent in writing this series of books was to teach children to "align themselves with the Word of God, to not be a hearer only, but a doer" through Scripture-filled fiction. His willingnes