Mood:  lazy

And it's not because I've been playing Frontierville on Facebook too much ! Well, it could be...I have been playing a lot lately , but it's really during breaks in the laundry, sorting books, working the mission, answering the phone, being a parent... but I digress . I really am tired tonight. We have been doing a lot lately, and I'm warn out . Anyway, I just didn't feel like working up another Men's Monday Meme, so I'm giving you all an extra day . See you tomorrow!

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Mood:  cool

I loved the 60's and 70's and even the early 80's. All right, I'll admit it, that's when I grew up. But, they were exciting times. Times when the technology of today was just a dream. Oh, prototypes were coming out all of the time, but the modern luxuries we have today weren't yet readily available.

I remember going to our huge county fair one year. Bell Telephone had a tent with two telephones set up with television screens. When you picked up the phone, you could see and talk to who ever was on the other line. My cousin and I had a grand time playing with them that year. Whenever EPCOT opened up at Disney World, I would love going to see all of the neat things that were supposed to be "right around the corner". Some of those things really did come true, some didn't, but it was always fun to dream.

Although my values and priorities have changed somewhat since I was younger, I still like to dream of the future sometimes. That's why I was excited to review Download and Go's "Rocking Robots" unit study! Rocking Robots is all about robots and how they are used today, and about how robots will be used in the future.

Now let me tell you, this Download N Go unit study was just like the rest. It is almost impossible to do everything in the one week time span that they suggest. I don't know what Amanda Bennett, the author, is thinking! This one is 110 pages packed full of history, geography, vocabulary, math and, of course, science, along with a lot of fun activities and the usual lapbook. Here are the themes for the five days for Rocking Robots:

I could spend my whole day with Joshua on this and I still wouldn't have enough time to do it all. So, since Joshua and I are doing Download N Gos all year long, I've decided to focus on one thing each time so that, hopefully, by the end of the year, I'll be able to tell you all about each different aspect of this great resource. This time we decided to make it a goal of watching as many of the video clips as we could.

I don't know where Amanda finds all of these neat videos, but they are amazing. Each day has a "Robot of the Day" that they feature - do you know who "Lilliput" and "Asimo" are?. Each day also shows different ways that robots are used - you knew that robots aren't just for outerspace and factories didn't you? Robots can even perform household chores and work on a farm! And each day has a lot of other fascinating facts about robots! They're fascinating! Even Jacob loves to watch them.

I know that I've told you this before, but, since we have begun using Download N Go unit studies regularly we have fallen in love with them. They are fantastic. This one, like all of the rest of the Download N Go studies sells for just $7.95. To purchase one just click here to get to the Old Schoolhouse Store. To see all of the other great titles in the Download N Go series, just click here to get to the Download N Go website. And, to see what all of the other great Download N Go reviewers have to say about Rocking Robots just click here. As usual, these unit studies are great for homeschoolers or for kids that are just curious about different things and want to learn more. So, with that I'll say - "Happy Home Educating"!

As a member of the Download N Go review team I was sent a free download of the Download N Go unit study Rocking Robots in order to try out and review on my blog.

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Mood:  happy

The past couple of days I've been talking about the horrible conditions that some of our Compassion International sponsored children live in. Tonight, I'm going to focus on the positive side of Compassion. What really happens to your money after you send it in every month. Does it really go to the child? Yes it does! There are really many things on which your money is spent. The following video is just one of the fantastic benefits that your sponsored child receives.

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Mood:  happy

Yesterday I posted my first installment of this three part series focusing on the Compassion International blogging trip to Guatemala. It was titled "The Hood" and showed a dreadful neighborhood right beside a dump where 1000's of children and adults live. But, we only saw the outside. Tonight we're going to look at the inside. We're going to go into one of the homes that these children live in. Get ready to be saddened by what you see, but, remember, tomorrow there is "The Hope".

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Mood:  caffeinated

Six months ago I spent a week captivated as I followed the trip of a group of bloggers who went to Kenya with Compassion International.

I was joyful with them as they got to meet their sponsored children face to face.

I cried with them as they wept over the living conditions of some of these children.

I was horrified with them as they traveled through one of the world's worst and most dangerous slums to a magnificent Compassion center who served the children that lived in that slum.

I prayed for them as they went home and tried to understand what they had just experienced and what God wanted them to do now.

You can read these stories and more by clicking here. 

Compassion takes two blogger trips a year to countries that they work in around the world. Three weeks ago they took a group to Guatemala. I was attending the fantastic Walk to Emmaus and missed reading their posts. Today, I was going back and trying to catch up. As I was watching some of the videos taken, God gave me the idea for a three part series about one area that these bloggers visited. It's title is "The Hood, the Home and the Hope". All right! I know the hood is kind of pushing it, but it does talk about one neighborHood and I needed an "H" word for continuity.

Anyway, although you may find the alliteration funny, the actual video of the neighborhood is anything but funny. Watch and see what kind of a neighborhood that some children in Guatemala have to live in. This video has no narration ~ only sounds ~ but I don't think words are needed.

Tomorrow we'll look into one of these homes to see the conditions that these children live in.

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