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Are you A busy Mom? Need some Help?

1/13/2015

There aren’t enough hours in the day, right? With work, helping the kids with their homework, preparing meals, cleaning up after everyone and putting yet another load of laundry on, there’s very little time for sleep – let alone DIY and crafting!

But do you look at that bare wall in the den and that tatty tablecloth on the kitchen table, and just wish you had a few hours to do something about them? Or do you browse through those wonderful crafting successes on Pinterest and think to yourself that “one day” you’ll have a few more minutes to yourself so that you too can create something incredible?

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Review: Hockey in Canada Books

1/13/2015

Take one non-sporty child who turns down any sport books quite quickly. Add these eight hockey books. And before you know it you have a boy asking "Can we read just one more mom?" "Can we read one at breakfast?" We enjoyed our time following he adventures of Puckster together.

I have to admit that I was surprised at how much my boy enjoyed these books. I thought he would mildly tolerate them, but he thoroughly enjoyed them though he did ask lots of questions about why they had all these animals playing hockey and why was the moose on a sled and what exactly is a mascot or a stick boy or .... and the questions went on and on.

I liked the fact the books are a story that continues from one book to the next. I appreciated the tips scattered throughout the book. I liked the page at the end of the book that summarized the things learned and taught what specific terminology was.

One of the recurring themes was the need to work hard and if you are part of a team, to remember that you are PART of a team. Going solo doesn't cut when you are a part of team, and to learn new skills you need to work at them, and sometimes your teammates can help you with that. This is a skill I'm trying to teach my boy...how to say "Hey, I don't know how to do this.. can you help me?" So it was nice to have that reinforced in this book series.

These books were published to help parents and coaches be able to teach their children/team hockey skills and I can very much see them being helpful with children under 10.

If I were going to teach a hockey unit to younger children these books would definitely be part of that of that teaching session.

Go TEAM CANADA GO!

Book Details:
Series: Puckster
Published: Hockey Canada
Average Page Length: 24
Author: Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Illustrator: Kelly Findley
To Purchase them Go to Indigo Books.

Showed Favour in the Eyes of the Lord

1/13/2015

So last week Bible time focused on Noah and the ark. I have old Sunday school papers and bible lessons that I organized a while back that we are going through for our organized Bible time lessons.

This week Noah and the ark.

Our Bible Verse was "But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.: Genesis 6:8

Throughout this week we will be talking about what it means that we show favour in the eyes of the Lord by simply believing in him. Not by our actions, thoughts or deeds. But it's the very fact that we believe in him. Lord and Saviour of our lives. The follow up to that of course is how God called him righteous because of this obedience to him. But they are two separate issues that are connected. :)

We started off the lesson reading the entire story of Noah and the ark. As we read this, my son built an ark. our pack had quite a few examples of what the ark might look like so this gave us an opportunity to read the bible and pick out the best representation based on biblical record. And a chance to talk about why people might make the wrong example. The ark was basically a big rectangular box.

"14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,e]">[e] its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a rooff]">[f] for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks."

These verses caused my boy to ask what a clean and unclean animal was. " 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth."
We actually had a bit of fun with this. What about... snakes? No. What about spiders? No. and on and on the questions were fired at me. :) And I fired them back as well.. what about a whale? Or a caribou? or a mouse (so tell me.. would YOU want to eat a mouse?)

"Why does an animal have to be clean mom?" Which gave us the opportunity talk about Jewish dietary laws and the kind of animals God allowed to be presented as a sacrifice to him. How a good sacrifice is a pleasing smell for him. I am hoping to make the connection this week about how what we do, the sacrifices we make in life are a pleasing aroma to God. (our repentance from our sin etc).

Anyways, that's our Bible time for this week. (Friday to Friday).

Do you have a bible time in your house? If so, what do you do?

Review: The Identical

1/12/2015

This morning my son and I carved out time to watch this movie. We are reviewing it on behalf of FlyBy Promotions.   We get to watch the movie and keep it in exchange for our reviewing it. :) Pretty neat deal isn't it?

Anyways, on to what the movie is about.   A boy, being raised by his preacher dad, with a love of music in his blood, spars with his father over his father's wishes that he become a preacher.

The lad struggles with these two opposing notions.... play music or become a preacher and the story is about how his life turned out.

Over time he learns the family's hidden secret and we learn how that knowledge changed his outlook on life and brought healing to family relationships.

Our review:
When the movie started my son was "Mom, do I have to watch this? it makes no sense to me.". Being a nine year old boy who doesn't always pay attention to the details I helped him figure out the premise of the show.   He still was unimpressed until about 20 minutes in when he wanted to know how the story was going to end and then he kept laughing... at how the boy's daddy so wanted him to become a preacher but music kept drawing Ryan back.   Even when sent to the army, Ryan (the boy) sang. Music was in his blood.

About 20 minutes from the end of the show my son was "mom, I want to go and play Minecraft before we leave, but mom.. I want to watch the end of the movie too!"

So what can I say, overtime the movie won my son over.

My thoughts:
It's not a bad movie at all. Definitely not an action flick.   I was never really sure about Ryan stood in his relationship with the Lord, but I know he respected the way he grew up about not drinking or smoking, and how even when he was tempted the Lord provided a way out for him.   This is a touchy-feely movie, where by the end of the movie you are rooting for things to work out well for everyone involved, and you know what?   It does.

It's a bit slow moving in parts, and seems a bit downcast in others, but it all fits together well. The "yeah mom!   It's good right mom?" at the end from my lad sums it all up for me.

This is a movie worth curving out 2 hours for.

Run length is 1 hour 46 minutes (about 6 minutes of that is credits)
Genre: Christian drama

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Poem on my mom's Fridge

1/11/2015

Fostering Spiritual Growth

1/11/2015

i want and need to make some changes in how I teach and raise my boy.

I love him.   He's a joy and light in my life.
The thing I want for him most is to love God with his whole being.
And I am concerned that if I don't make some changes now, while he is still growing and learning, that he won't love God with his whole being when he matures.

I think he gets some of who God is.
But I think there is so much more he could be learning.

I want to give him more of me, of my relationship with God, more of what that MEANS to have God taking care of you.

Today I had the beginning of a root canal happen.
it was NOT fun.   I had infection in there yet that was expected to be gone, but it wasn't which (as the dentist explained) was why some of my other teeth were sore...they were throwing off the extra pain.
The dentist put in lots of anesthetic which helped but didn't get rid of all the discomfort. When I thought I was going to lose it for a bit over the radio came a song that I just really like.     And you know.... I could lean on God.   So I did.

He died for me you know. He took on so much pain on my behalf, there was no reason why he couldn't help me cope at the dentists. :)

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow

But if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things
You need to borrow

For no one can fill
Those of your needs
That you won't let show

You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on

I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on

I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

If there is a load
You have to bear
That you can't carry

I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

Read more: Bill Withers - Lean On Me Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Anyways, our family tends to be a quieter one, we don't always say what we think and feel and what affects us. The lad and I can be noisy and talkative, hubby dear is much quieter and often has need for silence (or at least us not talking). :) So we've learned to curb our talkativeness a bit. :) (or at least we try). But talking about the awesomeness of God is not usually a topic brought up, so I want to change that. I want to show my lad how one can lean on God. That God knows us full well and knows how to and WANTS to watch over us close.

To that end I want to make some changes in how I do school. I want to be more deliberate about making sure my boy knows the bible stories and that we have a chance to just talk about them. I want to memorize the word with him. We started this week. Just an easy story about Noah and flood. We'll be writing out our memory verses and together we'll learn them. I'll be doing mine colour coded to help with memory, my boy has yet to see the value in that. :) He's younger too though. :) And then throughout the week we'll talk about it.

He's a typical kid right?   Why do you think God found favour with Noah?   His basic response was "God granting grace to Noah because he's a good person".   But that's not why... God saw Noah and he saws Noah's love for him.   Noah...out of all those people on the world LOVED God. God bestowed grace on him and saved him.

It was good to see the look in my son's eye... to understand a bit more about the grace of God and how hard it would have been to see friends and neighbours die. To work for years and years dealing with ridicule because of one's love and obedience to God. My son will need that knowledge and I want to help him seek it.

Oh I must mentioned my delight in my lad's writing here... it's not in all capitals! :)   We are working on handwriting and cursive and he's starting to see the variation in spelling helps you read what is written and really isn't harder than writing all capitals. :) (It's been a while convincing him of that).

So anyways, here's hoping we stick with our goals. I'll be writing something up every week to help maintain accountability. :)

Is there anything you see as important in the training of YOUR child(ren)?   How are meeting that goal?

Five Minute Friday: Welcome

1/11/2015

the rules are simple for this almost weekly free write.
Go to Kate's Blog. Discover what the word of the week is.
Write for five minutes. Link up.
Then essentially... go to the person's blog who linked up before and offer a word of encouragement.
Today's Word is Welcome.

Welcome.
Hmm... I see this word and i start thinking...what makes me feel welcome?

I feel welcome when people greet me warmly and invite me in.
Or when I go to a loved friends home and I don't have to wait for the door to open but know I can just walk in calling my hellos.

But given that I have a Brazilian student currently living with our family I have to stop and wonder sometimes...how do I make a student feel welcome?

Is it just the matter that I open my home to them? Or do I need to make a concentrated effort to get to know them? To make foods from their homeland? To include him in what we do? To just stick with the goal of doing all things Canadian and talking as often as welcomed to show our welcome and inclusion?

And if those efforts are rebuffed does that mean that the student doesn't feel welcome? or does it just mean a teen being a teen and just wanting to hang out with other teens?

I have to admit, it's been a hard one to figure, but for the most part, I think through just sheer friendliness that my student feels welcome, even if we've had some bumps in the road due to language barriers. BUT he brings friends home now and that's a lovely thing and I think shows he knows he's welcome here. :)

Soon he'll be going home and I hope he understands that he is always welcome to come here for a visit. He's a nice kid and having him has been good for us I think. :) And i hope he thinks that we've been good for him. :)

So tell me this...what makes you feel welcomed?

Motivate your Child

1/7/2015

I need to tell you about a new book I’m reading this month -- Motivate Your Child: A Christian Parent's Guide to Raising Kids Who Do What They Need to Do Without Being Told. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Isn't that what you want for your kids?

God's Word gives us a better way to parent, one that builds strong internal motivation in children. When parents change the way they parent, kids change the way they live.Motivate Your Child is a practical book that explores a theology of internal motivation and then gives parents real-life solutions to equip their kids for life.

This is the newest book by parenting experts, Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN from the National Center for Biblical Parenting (NCBP), also authors of The Christian Parenting Handbook. In order to motivate parents to Pre-Order the book, the NCBP is offering a $150 package of resources for FREE! There are video, audio and print items that can be used on a variety of devices. You can learn more on the Book Website. You can Pre-Order the book now from any retailer, and then follow the instructions below. Pre-Order from Amazon INSTRUCTIONS: Purchase the book. Email the receipt to gift@biblicalparenting.org. The NCBP will send you the link and a special code to access these downloadable products. This offer is good until January 31, 2015.

Review:A Plague of Unicorns

1/7/2015

Jane Yolen writes a fun book about an odd child, an odd problem at a monastry and how a solution to the odd problem was resolved. I have to admit, I enjoyed this review of a quick read of an older elementary children's book.

I am very hopeful that by the end of this school year I can convince my son to read this book for himself. I think he will laugh at the end result of the monks trying to rid themselves of a plague of unicorns. The monks are desperate to make enough money to be able to pay all their bills and to serve their mandate of helping the people around them. But the unicorns are a bit of a problem. All the inhabitants of the monastary get involved trying to rid themselves of the problem.

It's rather funny some of the things that happen, and the book is written well enough that I could just about picture it all in my head. :)

I had to admit, I have to adjust to type of language used in the book. It's written in more of an old English style...which suits the setting of the book nicely. Reading it was like having to immerse myself into a dialect of the English language.

Pictures scattered through the book make the story more real and for elementary students gives them a chance to see if they are really understanding what they are reading. :) (at least it would for my son).

Suggestion: it's a good read, I think both boys and girls will like it.

About the author:
Jane has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. She sets the highest standard for the industry, not only in the meaningful body of work she has created, but also in her support of fellow authors and artists. Her books range from the bestselling How Do Dinosaurs series to the Caldecott winning Owl Moon to popular novels such as The Devil’s Arithmetic, Snow in Summer, and The Young Merlin Trilogy, to award-winning books of poetry such as Grumbles from the Forest, and A Mirror to Nature. In all, she has written over 335 books (she’s lost count), won numerous awards (one even set her good coat on fire), and has been given six honorary doctorates in literature.

Book Details
I received a hard cover book, with 186 pages.
Author is Jane Yolen. Illustrator: Tom McGrath
Age: older elementary (age 9 and 13) approximately
Reviewed for BookLook Bloggers.