Blog Archives

Let's Help Educents Celebrate!

3/30/2014

Let's Celebrate! It's the Educents 1-Year Anniversary! one_educents

Have you heard of Educents.com? It's the first group deal website for Educators where you can save up to 90% on curriculum, educational toys, and other learning products. They are turning 1 year old on April 2, 2014 and to celebrate, they are giving an additional 20% off, site wide until April 7, 2014! Just use code "Anniversary20." In addition, they are SO EXCITED to kick off an AMAZING month of fun activities to celebrate. They will have 30 giveaways (one per day) in the month of April! And, their grand prize winner will receive a family vacation in Florida (thanks to Wyndham Vacation Rentals) & with a runner-up prize of a $1,000 Educents Gift Card!

Just a few of the companies that will be giving products away in April: Math Mammoth, SayPlease, Systematic Mathematics, DNA Educational Games, Red Apple Reading, Critical Thinking Co., Times Tales, Seat Sack, The Latin Road, Intelli-Tunes, Simply Fun, Institute for Excellence in Writing, Luv Chicken, Center for Hands-On Learning, Classical Academic Press, Your Story Hour, Wordsmiths, American High School, Middlebury Interactive Languages, My Year Look, The Latin Road, Intelli-Tunes, The learning Journey International & MORE!

The mission of Educents is to provide affordable education to all. In just 1 year, Educents has saved educators over $5 million dollars and over 150,000 products have made it into homes and classrooms all around the world.

So, what are you waiting for? Go save an additional 20% and enter to win tons of giveaways. For every giveaway you enter, you get an entry for the two grand prizes!

www.Educents.com -- The Best Place for Educational Products at a discount!

Review: Captives

3/30/2014

Anger. Lies. Kidnapping. Pregnancy. Rescue. Redemption. Questions. What's right, what's wrong. Faith. No faith. Differences of opinion. Differences in lifestyle. What will happen????

Product Details
Product name: Captives
Received: Softcover book
Vendor: Zondervan
Price: On sale on Amazon.ca for $9.89
Reviewed for: BookLook Bloggers

Now I have to admit.... this was a quick and eager read. The characters are well written, the action is smooth, the plot draws you in.
This book about a dystopian future is actually interesting.   Some reviewers called it weird, I call it fascinating. :)   It was. it was an excellent read.

It contrasts two ways of living. One that is pleasure based vs one that is family/faith based.    Pleasure based society is running into some problems and so they turn to the family/faith based society for some assistance, though... they are not too particularly honest in how they go about it.     There are is darkness, there is hope.

Faith clashes with pleasure.
Family clashes with pleasure.
Is one way more right than the other?
Can they coexist?   Or will one end up dominating?
Can they help each other?
Can one bring healing to the other?
Can each culture meet needs/wants of the other culture?

This book explores those thoughts and ideas, and hopefully can get teens and young adults to consider them a bit.   I know it made me think... which is what a well-written should do should it not?   Even if you read it only for pleasure, there should be something behind it to make you ponder.

The only issue I have with this book is this. It's not finished.   And it's good enough I want it to be finished. I felt like I was left hanging.. .which I kinda expected some parts of the book would leaving me hanging and wanting to read the second in the series, but too many areas were left hanging... and so I want to grumble and complain about that. :)    (is that a sign of a compelling story?).

I enjoyed the book as an adult.... Trying to think if it's a book that a 12-14 year old should read?    Perhaps with parental involvement to help sort through issues if they arise. Discussion questions at the end of the book may assist with thinking those issues through, so I'd advise looking them over.

So take that as you will.   If you read it, you may find yourself asking questions, you may find yourself enjoying a cleverly written book, you may find yourself wanting to read the second book asap. I know I did. :)

Educents deals, check them out. :)

3/29/2014

Educents is going to be one year old. Pretty cool eh? :)
The items Educents offers each week can vary. Some of the items they have this week that intrigue me are:

Don't these look intriguing? Go on, go check them out. Human Body detectives sells for 45% off and Poetry sells for 75% off. :)

Recipe: Scones

3/29/2014

A friend of mine regularly makes scones.
We had to go away this week for an event and I asked the lad, what can we pack along that might be good for lunch. His response was "Mom, can we make scones?
It was like okay.. I've not made them before but let's look them up and see if they are hard or easy to do. The recipe we found looked easy enough so off we set.

Ingredients and Directions

Preheat oven to 400. LI\ightly grease a baking sheet (or if you have a silicone baking sheet use that instead.. WAY easier) :)

In a bowl mix the following
3 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
5 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cut in 3/4 c. butter.    What I do is dice the butter up, stir in in a bit and then I use my pastry cutter to cut the butter into fine pieces in the flour.

In a bowl measure 1 cup of milk, and one egg and mix it up a bit.

Stir that mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.

AT THIS STAGE... add whatever you may wish to it. I have done 3/4 cup raisins, or dried cherries or dried cranberries. My friend has used blueberries, nuts, etc. I've only made them a few times so we've only done fruit at this point. :)

Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly (basically until it stick together well).   Roll the dough out in to a 1.2 thick round (or rectangle or whatever). If doing a round you can cut it into wedges, if you like your scones on the smaller side (as we do in this household). Cut them into smaller shapes, matters not if they are irregular in shape. :)

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden brown.   They should look like they do in the picture above. :)

Five Minute Friday: Mighty

3/28/2014

Rules for Five Minute Friday are easy.
1. Check what the word is over at Lisa-Jo's.
2. Write for five minutes
3. Link Up
4. Comment on the person who linked up before....if you do two people ahead of you, you don't have to worry on missing anyone. :) BUT Only one is required. Be encouraging.
5. Grab the code and plunk it at the bottom of your post. :)

click image to go to source: CLC tree services

Three
Two
One
GO
Mighty, that's the word for today. Sometimes with the Friday Word I need to ponder on it most of the day to come up with something, but the word mighty... all sorts of thoughts immediately pop into my mind.

Things such as

1. Oak Trees are often described as being mighty
How oak trees feed countless numbers of squirrels, their acorns make tons of different crafts with children, how they are funny with their little caps on.

2. God... he is mighty.   In fact he is more mighty than anything else you can think. Mountains, oceans, oak trees, rivers, world leaders etc.

3. How small I feel sometimes.. when I consider all that the Lord has done and created.   I feel small and humbled and not worth a whole lot.

4. Then I remember that God doesn't think of me like that... he loves me deeply. With an intensity I can't understand.

5. This reminds me that as small as I am I am worth something.   If God, who is indeed mighty, has concern for me (more than he does over sparrows and flowers in a field), then perhaps I should consider myself a bit than I generally do.

6.   I am no mighty oak...but I have a role in this world.   I should play that role out... if only out of regard for the one who is mightier than anything else.    I need to Live as my Lord has intended me to all along. :)

Oh.. five minutes...have to stop. :)

Added: Let us all today remember who loves us.   Let us remember the MIGHTY Lord God and live this day for him! :)

Banana Oatmeal Bread

3/26/2014

Ingredients

1 cup (250 mL) quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (175 mL) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1 egg
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) mashed bananas, about 3
1/3 cup (75 mL) vegetable oil
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1 cup (250 mL) dried cherries or raisins

Topping

2 tbsp (30 mL) quick-cooking rolled oats

Preparation
In large bowl, whisk together rolled oats, all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

In separate bowl, whisk together egg, bananas, oil and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients. Sprinkle with cherries; stir just until moistened. Scrape into parchment paper-lined 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan; smooth top.

Topping: Sprinkle with rolled oats. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool on rack.

This recipe was taken from here.

Blogging through the Alphabet: Y is For Y (Why)

3/26/2014

Today was one of those "Y" days.

Mom.. Y does the cereal follow the magnet?

Mom... Why doesn't the sun burn up? Can Black Holes Disappear? WHY MOM?

This in response to our reading of a page in our science book. Today we started a section on space.

And yes, black holes can disappear. If they stop emitting Hawkins Radiaction they slowly reabsorb. Why the sun doesn't burn up? It expels all the heat that it produces and that's why it doesn't burn up. Oh good mom. Cause if it did burn up everything on earth would freeze wouldn't it?

Mom.. why would they say you can use a pencil to get over a brick? This was in response to a problem posed on Science4Us.com. So we talked a bit about incline planes and how a pencil could go lengthwise up the brick and.. if it was a big enough pencil (and you a small enough person) how you could climb up it.

Mom.. why do you think I like these cookies better now that I can flatten them?
I don't know son, perhaps because it concentrates the taste more and you get less air in them??
Maybe mom, maybe... I know I just LOVE the cookie taste of them. :)

Mom, why was Owen sad about the guinea pigs?

Because the Mom had a hard time having her babies and two of them were dead.
But why would that make him sad mom? Guinea pigs sometimes have that happen!
I know buddy, but they aren't used to that. So it makes them sad still.
Oh. They will get used to it though, right mom? And they can be happy right? They can help feed the hawks through therescue place right mom?

Mom.. why do the squirrels have to wreck our bird feeders?   Why can't they just eat out of them nicely like the birds?
ME: I haven't a clue buddy... I think they are just greedy and don't like to take their time. But I don't know... do squirrels have a patience button??   (this of course made an eight year old laugh). :)

I have to admit, I've pretty much given up on my war with the squirrels.. at least until the ground thaws. Then I can move feeders away from window ledges and fences so they can't do these kamikaze keaps onto the feeders.   They definitely teach us a lot about patience, ingenuity, and determination though!

My boy and his "why" questions. Certainly makes schooling him SO much easier. :) Means he's engaged and curious and wanting to learn. I love days like this. :)

Should the anchor post (through Ben and Me) get posted this week (I think Marcy is away at convention) I'll link up there at that time. It's not there yet. so patience is a good thing eh? :)

Chewy Spice Cookies

3/26/2014

It's fun picking new recipes to try with the lad. Today it was Chewy Spice Cookies. Mom? Will I like these?
I don't know lad, probably, you like gingerbread cookies right?
Yeah...
Well they have molasses in them too, so you just might like them.

Ingredients
1 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c. Unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c molasses
1 egg

2 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves

OPTIONAL: sugar.

Directions.

in a bowl combine brown sugar, applesauce, egg and molasses. Stir until well-blended.
in separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and spices.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients slowly.
Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet (or use parchment paper).
OPTIONAL sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Yield for us... 48 cookies, for others about 36.

Hubby and the lad both give these a resounding YES! We should make them again. :) We also gave some to the library staff and the dentist staff as well. They seemed to appreciate them as well. :)

One of the things I'm starting to do with my lad when we bake is having him smell the spices. Often you can identify spices if you train yourself to know what they smell like. He does NOT like the smell of cloves or ginger but cinnamon makes him go mmmm. :)

Review: Wally's World

3/25/2014

Comic relief provided by a lovable dog helps a couple go through some tough times.

Marsha Boulton writes short stories that will make you laugh and cry and want to read more.   I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book that I picked up from the library.

Wally is this lovable mug of a dog who lives for soccer balls and his people. Able to make folks laugh unrestrainedly, his antics where highly needed when his people went through a rather rough spell in life.    In return he got all he needed from his people in return... balls galore, good food, constant companionship and great care. :)

From the show ring to the farm yard, Wally very much lives in his world.

This is a gem of a book and I gladly recommend reading it. :)

The fact that the author lives in an area close to where I grew up (WOOT WOOT for Canadian Authors) just made the book more appealing to me. True stories told in this book.   You can learn more about herhusband Stephen here.    So it you want to laugh, cry, and cheer folks on, this is the book for you.

Enjoy ... living in Wally's World. (best bring a ball with you though). :)

Review: Miss Brenda and the Loveladies

3/22/2014

A true story of how the Lovelady Center came into being. This book contains stories of success and failure, of God at work, of hope and recovery.

Product Details

Full Name of book: Miss Brenda and the Loveladies: A heartwarming true story of grace, God and gumption.
Received: kindle version of book
Author: Brenda Spahn and Irene Zutell
Price: Currently on Amazon is $10.99
Reviewed for Blogging for Books.

click on image to go to source: lovelady center

I have to admit, when I first started reading this book I didn't cotton on the fact that it was a true story, I quickly became immersed in the story. It's an easy read, didn't take me long to finish once I got started.

You get hooked in, wondering how it's all going to turn out.   How would Shay respond to Miss Brenda, what would happen with Terry, would things resolve with the neighbours and so much more.   You just want to KNOW what God is going to do in the life of Miss Brenda and her loveladies.    It was fascinating and interesting to read how God worked in the lives of all the people involved.

I have to admit, I found it challenging to read in some ways. I find it hard to put into words why i found it challenging... perhaps the fact that Miss Brenda was so willing to just give money away hand over fist to the people that she was serving, so much so that she was in trouble financially.   I found that a difficult concept to wrap my head around.   Also how she stuck to her guns over her husbands disapproval.     Hard to balance that all out in my head.

Did something good come out of it?   For sure.... but I don't know... I just feel disquieted within about how her hubby was disregarded to a certain extent.... the whole leadership/headship principle seemed ignored BUT her hubby did, over time become involved in the center and it's operations so it's hard to fight against the end result.    Perhaps it was how God wanted it to be.   Give a lady a vision, give her the strength and determination to continue, nudge hubby along (through her determination and heart) even though he objects and watch what happens in the end.

So many women, coming out of prison, and finding hope, learning new skills, learning about God and having their lives change for the better.   This is God at work, and this book points us back to God ALL THE TIME. It's God at work. Not Miss Brenda. Not the ladies themselves but God.

And so I can honestly encourage anyone to read this book.   Perhaps not younger children, but older children, teens and adults.   It's a good book about God's redemptive work in the lives of folks many want to ignore or run away from.   Folks often don't want to spend time with prisoners, and women prisoners can just be a scary lot to deal with.   But here, in the pages of this book, we see they are real people, with real issues and some hard stories behind them.    Here we see God at work, changing their lives for the better, and this is a good thing. :)