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Families Again
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Have You Ever Had Writer's Block?
Mood:  not sure
Topic: General


Well I have had writer's block. In fact, I'm having it right now. I am working on a review for a great product that John Allen and I have been using. The only thing is we have had some difficulty using it. Not because of the product, but because of some other circumstances. Clear as mud?


Well, anyway, pray that I can get the words on paper. It really is a great product and, despite our problem, I want the review to come out right. Check in tomorrow night and you'll find out what it's all about.


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Posted by tink38570 at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Sunday, 30 January 2011 12:09 AM CST
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Friday, 28 January 2011
Poverty - It's all Around Us
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Ministry

Poverty is all around us. It's in our town. It's in our state. It's in our country. It's on our continent. It's in our world.

We can't get away from it. I know. I work with it every day. I see the children. I hear the adults. I know their struggles. Some struggle because of their own faults. Some struggle because of no fault of their own. Some were raised that way and they know nothing better. They don't know how to get out.

It's no different anywhere in the world.

I'm a firm believer in helping those around us first. It's so easy to go on  a missions trip to some foreign country, but then look the other way when you pass the low income housing area in your own town. I like this verse in the Bible:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts. 1:8 (NIV)

You need to begin where you are - your Jerusalem. Then go out from there until you reach the "ends of the earth".

Not everyone can physically go to the ends of the earth. Some are called to stay. Some are called to send. Some are called to go. However, we should all do something to help in all areas.

Sarah and I try to live that way. We direct Good News Mission here at home. We travel to other areas to work with other missionaries. We sponsor children with Compassion International.

I know that everyone can't do the things that we do. You have jobs. You have a life. You may not be financially or physically able.

I don't have all of the answers, but I can give opportunities.

Right before Christmas I found out about "Bead for Life". It's a fantastic organization that works in Uganda training impoverished women (and some men) to make beautiful beads out of paper that are then made into jewelry and sold all around the world. It's hard to explain, so let me show you this great video:

 

 

Don't you love it? These ladies are finding a way out! They've been given a chance. As I said before, not all of us can pledge to financially give monthly to support a child with Compassion International, but, could you buy a necklace? What about earrings or a bracelet? How about shea butter soap or lip balm?

Almost all ladies where jewelry. Sarah does. I bought her some earrings that look just like this for Christmas.

 

Sarah loves them. What a great way to help release folks from poverty and receive something beautiful and useful as well. Oh, and by the way, they partner with Compassion International so, in a way, you are helping them too! And, don't think the price will be too high. Bracelet's can cost as little as $5.00! These earrings - only $10.00. A bar of Shea butter soap or lip balm is just $4.00. And shipping and handling is low as well!

Have I convinced you yet? Why don't you check out the Bead for Life website by clicking here to find out more about the organization. Then click here to get to the store and check out their beautiful products. Thanks for helping!

 


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Posted by tink38570 at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Saturday, 29 January 2011 11:24 PM CST
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Thursday, 27 January 2011
A New Amanda Bennett Download-N-Go Magnificent Moon!
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Homeschool Product Review


 

There are really not enough "M" words to describe this Download-N-Go unit Study by Amanda Bennett, but I'm going to give it a shot.

It is really mind-blowing that I should be reviewing Magnificent Moon. I have been fascinated with the moon and space since I was a youngster. And, to top it off, I had the great pleasure of living in Central Florida for 19 years and could see the space shuttle take off from my home. I loved going to the Kennedy Space Center and I was always fascinated with the space attractions at Disney World. So, reviewing Magnificent Moon is really meaningful to me.

As usual, this Download-N-Go study is really a monumental piece of work. It has everything that all of the previous Download-N-Go studies have plus more. First let me show you the themes for each day:

Day 1: What Exactly Is a Moon?......................................................... 13

Day 2: Getting to Know the Moon.................................................... 31

Day 3: The Story of the Moon............................................................ 52

Day 4: Science Secrets of the Moon................................................. 67

Day 5: Cool Things About the Moon................................................ 83

As I said, there are some really neat things about this unit study. The video's that are included in all of the Download-N-Go studies are some of my son, Joshua's favorite parts. Of course, Ms. Bennett has included a lot of videos in this study as well, and, let me tell you, Magnificent Moon's Moon Movies are marvelous!  I still constantly marvel at closeups of the moon, but this study doesn't just concentrate on the moon, it also talks a lot about space exploration and astronauts. There are a lot of great Apollo space project clips that talk about space travel and a lot about the moonwalks that the Apollo flights were known for.

All of the things that make the Download-N-Go studies momentous are here. The lapbook is fantastic! The reading list is great! The "Fun Family Ideas" are wonderful! However, there are two things in this particular unit study that I think make it memorable. Every day there is a study of an astronaut that actually walked on the moon, and, every day there is artwork done by astronaut Alan Bean. He took some of his space and moon memories and included put them on canvas.

Finally, probably the most miraculous thing is the price! You get all of the above for only $7.95. To find out more about this study and to find out how to purchase it, you can click here or on any one of the links above. Amanda Bennett has been reworking her website to include all of her Download-N-Go unit studies as well as her longer four week unit studies and you can find all of them by clicking here. Finally, you can read what the other reviewers of Magnificent Moon had to say by clicking here. And as usual - Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the Download-N-Go review team I was sent a free download of Magnificent Moon to use and review on my blog.

 


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Posted by tink38570 at 11:19 PM CST
Updated: Friday, 28 January 2011 12:11 AM CST
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Wednesday, 26 January 2011
A review of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids - An Honest Review
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Homeschool Product Review

Photobucket 

You have heard the saying "honesty is the best policy" haven't you? Well, I am about to make a few very honest statements in this review of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids and I want you to pay close attention. Here goes.

Honest statement number 1. This is one of those review items that almost as soon as I received the package from Lifeway Christian Stores, it was confiscated by one of my three children. In this case it was my middle child Joshua. The day that I got this very colorful hardback covered book he was off with it and I barely ever saw it again. Oh I would see it occasionally. Like when he would be curled up in a chair looking through the fantastically illustrated pages or when it was placed carefully, like a prized possession, on the end table by his favorite chair. Other than that, he nor the book was to be seen. 

Which leads me to honest statement number 2. I was never really able to look through the book until today. I had to physically hunt the book down which I finally found on said end table beside said favorite chair. Before I tell you what I found, though, let me quickly insert:

Honest statement number 3. This could also be one of those "I've got a secret" moments when I reveal a hidden truth about myself. Anyway, when I was young, I loved looking through Bible dictionaries. I don't know what it was, but they just appealed to me. Since my dad was a minister, I didn't have to go far to find one. I recall a rather large one that I would often take off of the shelf and peruse. Unfortunately it was way over my head in many ways. Try as I would to read the descriptions, I would usually have to settle for the black and white pictures and illustrations. Still they fascinated me.

Now for honest statement number 4. My first thought after opening and looking through this book was "how I wish I would have had the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids when I was a kid". I would have soaked it up. The pictures are colorful and the explanations are written on a child's level. I learned some things just in that short time that I never knew before. And I have a degree in Bible from a Bible college! This book has everything that you could think of and is written in a way that is interesting to adults but understandable to a child. And as I mentioned before, the pictures and illustrations are colorful and plentiful. Almost every entry has a photo or chart to go along with it.

I really do love this book and can't wait to use it in the Bible Clubs and Day Camps that we conduct in our ministry. My wife works with ladies that have very little knowledge of the Bible and this would be great for her to use as well.

Now for honest statement number 5. I do a lot of reviews on my blog, and I always try to say something good about every item. After all, the company has generously provided items for me to use free of charge. The least I can do is try to say something positive about every product even though that product might not have worked well with our family.

The way that you can tell if I really like an item or not is to look for expressive words like "love". They are always sure signs especially if they are underlined. Also, look for lots of exclamation marks. We are trained to let our words do the talking and not use a lot of exclamation marks, so if you see one in a review that I have written, pay attention to it.

So, honest statement number 6 is - I really love the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids!!! Can I make it any clearer than that?

As I mentioned before, the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids was sent to me by Lifeway Christian Stores. If you click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above you will get to the page on their website for this great book. I think it is well worth the price of $14.99! (notice the exclamation point) Many other folks on the TOS Homeschool Crew received this same item and you can find what they had to say by clicking here.

Now, finally, honest statement number 7. I always close each of my reviews the same way, but I really do mean it when I say - Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free copy of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids from Lifeway Christian Stores in order to use and review on my blog.


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Posted by tink38570 at 11:01 PM CST
Updated: Wednesday, 26 January 2011 11:29 PM CST
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Tuesday, 25 January 2011
BB Gun Shooting Season Has Started!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Family

Some of you may not know it, but our family is very involved in shooting sports. In particular competition BB gun shooting. Competition BB guns aren't your run of the mill BB guns that you buy at Wal-Mart ~ they cost $100 or more ~ and, you don't shoot at tin cans, you shoot at competition targets. You may think that shooting BB guns competitively is nothing big, but many of the Olympic shooters began their career by shooting BB guns.

We are very fortunate to have one of the top teams, the Bend of the River Possums just miles from our home. Yes, I said "Possums", but they are nothing to shake a stick at. The team is regularly ranked in the top 20 in the nation and have produced some fine shooters. Just last year one of our shooters was 4th nationally in the sitting position and a few years ago another one of our shooters won a gold medal at the nationals. John Allen has gone to nationals twice and is on par to go again this year as one of the top shooters on the team.

When you shoot competitively you shoot four positions, prone (on your stomach), sitting, kneeling and standing. You also have a test that you take on rules, guns, ammunition and gun safety. You can get up to 100 points for each position and the test, so a perfect score would be 500. As far as I know, no one in the history of BB gun shooting has scored a perfect 500 at nationals. Last year's all around winner won with a 486.

Well, the first practice for the possums was last Saturday. We will be practicing every Saturday from now until the pre-state and state match in April, and then the shooters that are selected to go to nationals will continue shooting practicing until the competition in July in Rogers, Arkansas. Of course, since we homeschool, we are able to go for extra practice during the week. Our goal this year is to practice on Monday and Wednesdays and, of course on Saturdays. This is John Allen's last year of shooting BB's so we are working hard to go out with a bang. Next year he will be moving up to air rifle but Joshua will continue shooting BB's with Jacob joining him in a couple of years. Below are some pictures of our first practice. If you want to know more about Competition BB shooting, click here.  

The Beginning BB Program 2011 Slideshow: Bend’s trip to Bend of the River PSC (near Rickman), Tennessee, United States was created by TripAdvisor. See another Rickman slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.
 

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Posted by tink38570 at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Tuesday, 25 January 2011 10:50 PM CST
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