"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

Lyrics

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Sources: HymnTime.  Crich Baptist. BelieftNet.  Gospel Coalition.  Lectionary. 

Have you wanted to help your children understand who Ghandi was?
A man who strove to make a change in his homeland, but to do so by peaceful means.
It was a hard road he walked.
His life is explained through pictures, word and activity in this book by Ellen Mahoney, called Gandhi for Kids.

I have to tell you that this book is just lovely to hold and read.   It was a pleasure...it's hard to explain sometimes how sometimes a book appeals just because of how it lies in the hand.

BUT that is not the only reason this book appeals, so let me take a moment to tell you what a treasure trove it is.

134 pages, divided into 8 chapters, with 21 activities.   Each chapter is broken into easily read sections.

I had a thorough appreciation for the fact that activities provided were not all the same, there were write a poem, make a speech, make a craft and more. 

As I read and looked through this book I kept thinking it would be a great book to use at co-op or just to teach your students about Gandhi.   I could easily see not using the whole book (like just doing the section on working through peaceful means, or learning about the salt-walk) or even taking a semester to learn all you can about this important figure in Indian History.

Black and white pictures scattered throughout, pink boxes with additional information, and easy to read text.    There was so much information in contained within the pages, I learned so much, so will your students.  :)

This book will be an excellent resource for your studies on India, peaceful protestors, important figures in history and so forth.  It was an interesting book to go through and will remain a part of my library.

You can find it at amazon, here's a helpful link:

Welcome with me today won't you?  Kym from Homeschool Coffee Break.  Did you know that Kym is a fellow Canadian who just happens to be living stateside.  :)   She's a dear heart and is an encouragement to me.  She has walked the path before for a good long time and is worth listening to.    Welcome KYM!  :)

More vacation reads!   These ones are all review books through from Raincoast, books that I am previewing for my lad before he digs happily into them. 

Let Your Voice Be Heard.   Do you know who Pete Seeger is?  You know, neither did I, BUT I know his music oddly enough.  As I read this book and it trailed it's way through his early years, through the rest of his life, it was surprising to me, how many songs I knew that he wrote or popularized.   

Mr. Seeger said  "I started to paint because I failed to get a job as a journalist.  I started singing and playing more because I failed as a painter."

From musical parents he became a musician.  But he was more than that.  The cares and concerns of the poor working class, the plight of the underdog, these are things that stirred his heart and caused him to write more songs.

It landed him in a lot of hot water during the anti-communism days but he was able to work his way through that difficulty until he was noticed by just the right people and became very popular.

It's a bigger than average book, filled with pictures, and easy reading text.   For young people interested in learning more about the music and troubles of this time period, this book is filled with information.   It would help round out a study of folk music and how musicians can let their art show their heart.

Captain.   My son was intrigued by this book but wanted me to read it first.  His first question when I finished it was "Mom, is it a good book for me to read?".   I told him it was a good book, but it wasn't an easy book to read.  That things happen in this book that made me feel sad.  

It's the story of an underage boy heading off to battle in the great war (WW1), fighting hard battles in Turkey.   Seeing death and destruction all around him, and meeting a lad with his donkey and the unlikely friendship that happened between them.  Hard lessons were learned by both boys, and through it all the donkey Captain was part of their lives.  You HAVE to meet the camel though...oh my.. that camel!

The chapters are a good length.
I NEEDED to read the book all the way through.  It was just that kind of book.  
Would I recommend middle schoolers read it?   Yes, but probably along side their parents so they can talk  through the book.  It was be an EXCELLENT book to read as part of learning about WW1 and the conditions the soldiers fought in and the supports they needed in order to battle.

Sunker's Deep.   This is the second book in the series "The Icebreaker Trilogy".   It stands quite well on its own.  It's a fantasy with a mystery built and with a good lead in for the last book of the trilogy. 

This coming of age book leads us through Sharkey needing to be honest with the people he is leading, needing to learn to give up control and to trust his people.   It lead two groups of people together who NEEDED to be together in order to, hopefully in the third book, fulfill their true destiny.   Some of the characters are a we bit odd

The Courage Test.   The book surprised me.   I want my son to read this book and I hope that he will enjoy it.   A story of a boy and his dad traveling the route that Lewis and Clark took.   It was a dangerous journey for those men with many pitfalls along the way, and as Will and his father journey, Will has to navigate a hard journey as well.

It was a touching book about how families make things work and how sometimes the decisions parents make actually have reasoning behind it.   Lots of history in this book, even from sources I didn't expect.   It brought to mind some of the history I've learned of this expedition, putting it all together was kinda fun.  :)

But as a book for middle schoolers?   For sure.   A book even to read along with your child or tie into your own history study of Lewis and Clark.  I liked how the tie made for a good life story.

A Storm Too Soon.   This book is an adaptation of a longer novel called a storm too soon.  This book is meant for younger readers.

As an adult I found it an interesting read with no strong compelling need to read the adult version.

Based on a true story, it was written by Michael J Tougias.  Three men on a cruise when a nasty nasty storm unexpectedly hits.

I found it to be a good read.  Enjoyed the book.  
As I read it in tried to imagine my 11 year reading it.    So as  I talked with my son about the book he sounded quite intrigued by it.   He asked some good questions so I think  it would appeal to him and other children like him.  

At the close of the book they had various people give some closing thoughts, I was left wondering why Ben didn't give his thoughts at the end.   In the centre of the book, their are a lot of good pictures that show the various people involved, and what the size of the storm they were in was like.

Terror at Bottle Creek.  My lad wants to read this book next.  He's quite intrigued by the thought of a boy having to help two girls through a horrible storm, with crazy pigs, lots of snakes and an unexpectedly helpful bear.    Lots of water, strange mounds in the middle of a swamp, living on a house boat, and more.  He's just intrigued, and I have to admit, I actually enjoyed reading this book though I did find all the things that happened felt at times a little bit too much.  Watt Key does an excellent job at character development, not only of 13 year old Cort, but of all the surrounding people in his life.

I could FEEL the pain that his dad had with Cort's mom leaving him, the joy he has in being a swamp guide, to Cort's confusion over his future, the love of the dog and the terror the storm brought to a little girl.

Well written, good book.

I've been working on this book for a while now... I read a bit, put it down, read it abit an then get distracted by life.  I don't read a lot of non-fiction books as I find a "let me get lost in you fiction book" a more compelling read.  :)   DON"T let my procrastination with reading this book get you down though.  It's an excellent book filled with TONS of good information.

I would say it's geared more the college student, to help them get a good start on how to educate themselves better, but regardless of the focus, it contains great information to get you started, or you help you assist your children to become more effective thinkers.   (in fact I think I'm going to make me a chart to help me remember some of the key details).

My first attempt at reviewing this book can be found here.   I have another one somewhere but can't find it!  So be that as it may, let's get on with this review eh?  :)

The five elements as listed in this book by Burger and Starbird are as follows.
Earth - Understand deeply
Fire - Make mistakes
Air - Raise questions
Water - Follow the flow of ideas
The Quintessential Element - by mastering the above skills you will change.

Four Elements, with the additional one of needing to transform yourself into a person who thinks more effectively.

Lots of practical ideas and advice, good examples through in.  Each element breaks down into smaller nuggets of information.

HEY!  You know what I just discovered!   The author has a youtube channel!  He talks about the different elements and everything.  Haven't watched them all.. but that's just a neat discovery.  GO HERE.

I think this was this chapter four that interested me most, about how ideas flow from one to the other and how you talk with each other and the different perspectives you can take, can completely alter how you think about an idea.

One of the aspects of this book I appreciated was the summary chapter at the end of the book.  Such a great way to pull the whole book together, so if I want to brush up my memory about something I can just go there and just enough is written to help me recall the rest.

Anyways, watch the videos, learn a bit there, and then go out and get the book or borrow it from the library.   Become a more effective thinker, it takes time, but it's worth it don't you think?

Chapter one: Learn your subject well.  Don't skimp on learning those first basic steps.

Chapter two: Not being afraid of mistakes, in fact one should let their mistakes teach.   Mistakes are an important source of information.

Chapter three helped me realize the value in practicing for things that will happen later in life, like teaching my lad how to take a timed test, how to write an essay in a given amount of time, and such like. 

Chapter Five presented the idea of not just looking at the answer you get, but thinking about how you GOT to that answer.

A concise book at 157 pages, written by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird.

I did some reading while on vacation.  I read a fair number of review books, but I also did some reading for pleasure.  :)  These are adult fiction, don't think I would recommend them for children, though some older teens might enjoy them.

Zane Grey.  I used to read westerns ALL THE TIME.  Loved them.  Then for a while I hit a group of them that were more adult themed, or romance themed and I just lost my interest for them.   I have to admit, I picked up this Zane Grey as I remember enjoying most of his books.   This one was a bit wordy and fairly introspective, but I found that I liked it!  :)   It was classic cowboy in so many ways, but didn't have that adult theme with scenes or language that turned me off the genre.   The good guys in this book weren't strictly good guys, but the bad guys were most definitively bad guys and I was happy they didn't win out in the end.

I also haven't read a W.E.B. Griffin book in a LONG time, back in my single days.  :)   I found this book initially to be somewhat ponderous, and I almost put it down.   BUT then it surprised me and I wanted to know how it ended.  :)   It was a decent book, but not one I plan to keep for re-reading.

It was intriguing with twists and subplots and two bigger issues that needed facing up to and solving and would intrigue many readers. :)   I found the development of the main plot line intriguing and was often wondering if he would manage to pull off his dastardly plot.

Inferno, a Dan Brown book.   I remember the furor over the Da Vinci Code when it came out, and purposefully choosing not to read it until it all died down.   I could see why people were talking about it.  This man has a compelling style of writing with twists in the plot that one doesn't expect, Inferno held up to my expectations.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would happily read more books by him.    I don't subscribe to much of his skepticism about matters of faith that show up his books, but I find the mysteries to be intriguing and the history hidden within the book fascinating.

I have to admit, I did not read the entire Book of Negroes while on vacation.  I've been reading it off and on for about a month and a half.    I found this book really interesting, but I also found it to be a really difficult book to read.   The horrors that happened to this lady, the horrors that happened to a whole race of people.  Yes, black people have been slaves for years and years, but that was just a part of the whole tribal thing and has happened with races for years... just not always called slavery.   But the institutionalization of slavery as a business, and the lack of concern for their "stock" horrified me.  As a person who grew up on a farm and who raises rabbits, treating your stock poorly is horrible, that fact that their "STOCK" were people.. folks who could talk and raise children and work and laugh and cry and die... just intensified the whole situation for me.    She came out okay in the end, she learned to stand for herself and not bow to the pressure of kindly meant, but unneeded pressures of the folks who helped her in the end.

Do you know what I learned when I went camping?
I learned to make bread!   YES!!!  Me....who rarely if ever makes bread.  I made bread!

First off you need to make a sun box.   The size of the box can vary as long as it can hold the rack that your bread pan will sit on and big enough for the coals.

i have to admit the instructions I found where none to clear and when I printed them off they were even more unclear with lots of misspellings and random characters (which if I had had time to check before leaving to camp I would have retried but I grabbed my bunch of recipes and instructions off the printer as I ran out the door).

Instructions:
One box.  make sure it will easily fit the rack you are using.
one roll of aluminum foil.   I used regular strength.
then either Sticky spray that will hold down the foil OR aluminun tape (comes in a roll like duct tape).

1. remove the top of the box. Either attach it to the bottom of the box OR to one of the long sides.  The picture wasn't clear and the instructions horrid.  I did it to the side of the box.  And truth be told I didn't attach it, just laid it on top.   It fit nicely.   The box I used was the chips box.

2. Cover the box COMPLETELY will aluminum foil.  Use tape/spray liberally. You want it completely covered.  No box showing as that would be a FIRE HAZARD!  Shiney side facing out NOT in.

3. Once that is done say YEAH!!!!   The hardest part is finished.

Now some hints.
If you put the extra layer on the bottom the sun will help provide heat (if it's a sunny day) to cook the top of the bread.   Doing this will give you a loaf with a very light shading of brown.
OUR site was a shady one...one small patch of sun that moved and then disappeared so I did mine on the side so the heat of the coals would radiate off the top of the box and cook the bread that way.

Make your dough.  We used three recipes total in our bread making ventures.

First two loaves I made was Irish Soda bread.  VERY easy to do.

Ingredients and Instructions

4 cups flour (I used a fibre flour so needed a touch more liquid for the first loaf, regular flour for the second loaf)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk

Mix it all together (first the dry then add the liquid).

Form into loaf (I used disposal pie plates) OIL THEM FIRST!

Cut a cross into the top, it's traditional and it allows the bread to expand.

Let it sit the ten minutes it takes to get your coals hot in the chimney.  You'll need about 14 of them.

Takes about half hour to cook.  If a coolish day you might want to add a sleeve of aluminum foil to the top of the box and drape it down to contain the heat.

This bread stores well wrapped in tea towels.

Third and fourth loaf was a yeast recipe bread.  Also very easy to do.

3 1/4 cup flour
1 pkt dry active yeast
1 tsp salt (I used kosher)
1 1/2 warm water.

First time I let the yeast sit in the water for five minutes and then added the remaining ingredients (mixed together first).
Second time I just mixed everything together without letting it sit first.  

JUST SO YOU KNOW you get a lighter loaf if you let the yeast sit for a bit first.  :)

So you have it mixed, now let it sit in a warm spot for an hour (we used the vehicle as it naturally gets warm in the sun).   Punch it down and then shape it by tucking it in (form a circular shape and pull the dough from the center tucking it under neath).

First time we followed the instructions, preheating a dutch oven and cooking it take way.  Just so you know... NOT A GOOD METHOD!!!!   A preheated dutch oven is VERY difficult to work with!!!

Next time I just cooked it in the sun oven and it turned out great though I got distracted the last five minutes so it got a touch darker than it should have.   Still tasted good.

Fresh bread lasts two days when camping before it moulds so eat it quickly.

This bread does best stored in a bag, large ziplocs work well for this.

The last recipe I made was really versatile.
It is I THINK supposed to be for making tortillas or wraps or something like that but we played around with it.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter (we used oil)
2 cups milk (used almond milk as it travels and stores well)

1 cup flour (or thereabouts)

cooking oil

Mix first five ingredients together (first dry and then adding wet).

Flour your working area with the remaining flour...not all the flour at once, just a bit at a time so you can work with the dough.   The flour helps you flatten and shape it.

Now you have a choice to make.
Make it super thin and cook on a slightly oiled fry pan like a tortilla.
OR make thin strips and wrap around a hot dog, chocolate bar, or other such items and drop into a hot oil pan.
OR make into thin wedges and turn them into crispy chips cooked in the hot oil
OR make them into thicker pieces like indian fry bread (great with honey, jam) or if you slice into them like pitas into peanut butter-jam sandwiches.

PLAY around with it.  Lots of fun.  My son said they were great wrapped around starburst candies.

NOTE: when wrapping them around something... you want to use less flour so it's kinda sticky so you can mould all the pieces together.

As you can see, it was a bit of a learning curve.  We called the wrapped hotdogs PYTHON dogs.  My son likes snakes, and pythons can swallow things whole, and they wrap around their prey.  :)

This bread stores REALLY REALLY well and became our go-to for our final days of camping.

I STRONGLY advise caution while working with hot coals and a sun oven. 
Mind where you sit and what you are working on, lest you have a fall and have hot coals hand where they aught not land.  You don't want to deal with a burn while camping.  :)

Hey! 
You know how it's good to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills?
You know how lovely it is when you can do so in a fun way?
Then let me introduce you Enlivenze LLC who has come out with FlipStir puzzles, a fun way to do logic and creatively thinking, in our home we used the Solar System puzzle.

Recently we went on vacation.  It was a five hour trip to our destination with two boys in the back seat.  They played minecraft for a while but it does start to wane after three hours.  This was followed by... what can we do?  Can we stop for a while?   So I pulled out my critical thinking puzzles on the tablet, my son's pet spider, and the FlipStir puzzle.   ALL were an instant hit.   Two boys talking over the tablet puzzles and working to solve them, then my lad watched his spider and his friend worked on the FlipStir Puzzle (Solar System).   This is a 10 piece 3D puzzle, contained in a plastic sleeve with a wand for helping to move the pieces about.   No pieces can get lost.

I have to admit, when I first got the puzzle I wondered...would I ever get it together?   But then my fine international student took a hand.  :)   It didn't take long before he showed me this:  (Well done eh?   He finished it in 10 minutes what it took me 10 just to get set up!)

I have to admit he made me laugh, When I asked him how he did it so quickly, he said "You must have patience of the French", giving me this big cheeky grin.  :)  "It is not so hard if you remember to go slow and carefully" he added as an encouragement.

I do need to tell you that my son is great at watching people do it, but has yet needed to work up the courage (and willingness) to do it for himself. He currently excels at offering advice to others though about what they should do.  :)  Hubby won't try it at all (but that's not a surprise as physical logic puzzles tend to annoy him), but I've happily worked away at it several times.  It gets easier the more we do it.

It has recently developed a squeak to it, which I am not sure why, but I've been wanting to dump a touch of cornstarch on it to see if that solves the issue.  it doesn't impede the game at all and means I am more aware of how I am moving the stick.. which perhaps is why it is occurring, to make the user more aware and therefore more careful, definitely adds an extra level of difficulty to the puzzle.  :)

The Game is not hard.  You shake up the puzzle to rearrange the pieces, then you use the stick to line them up and then to move the pieces from the wrong location into the right one.  You need to carefully shake the tube to help turn pieces around (while using the stick to keep the correct ones in places).   The wavy lines of this level two puzzle I found to be very helpful in getting them to stay in place nicely.

Selling for $24.95, this durable, self-contained puzzle (so you can't rearrange the stickers or lose any pieces) will last a long time.  The puzzle I received had the picture of the final image printed on the bottom in case you got it mixed up.   It has definitely served our family well as a travel game, boredom buster for international student, pain-distractor for an injured person, and an advice aid, helping my lad clearly articulate what he thinks the next move should be.  (You do need to state it more clearly then move the stick thingey over that world and turn it over) 

If you are looking for a game to help your child think critically, that might take a bit of encouragement to get them to do, looking at a long car trip and needing a distraction for them, or even have a child needing to articulate directions well...this self-contained puzzle game should do the trick!   (but that's just my opinion)   :)

Social Media Links:

Product Accounts
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Company Accounts
Facebook: www.facebook.com/enlivenze
Twitter: www.twitter.com/enlivenze

"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:33

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.  

Chorus: I surrender all,
  I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
    I surrender all.
2
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
4
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory to His name!

Born into a Christian home, author Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855-1939), became a Cristian in his late teens.    He was a musician through and through, mastering 13 different instruments, as well as singing and composing music.  (source)

This song was born from resolving a conflict in his life, as Van DeVenter says

As an evangelist he travelled throughout the United States, England and Scotland, this hymn is one of 60 that he wrote.  When he retired from being an evangelist he worked as a professor of Hymnology for four years. He retired to Florida, staying active in his church.

Dr. Billy Graham wrote a tribute for him, in a book called Crusade Hymn Stories:

Dear Fellow,

You know who you are, the man that is involved in the lives of a homeschool parent.  

You might be the grand-dad sharing the joy of a child saying "This is what I did today Grandpa!"  

You might be that dad, working hard to pay the bills, so school materials can be purchased, and wife held at night as she recounts the struggles of the day.

You're that dad, that tags along on field trips.
You're that single guy who sees a friend needing an extra hand and helps out, whether it be fixing a car or a leaky faucet.

THANK YOU;

You drive when I'm too tired to do so.
You pick up the slack when children are running a muck.

Sometimes you yell.
Sometimes you get frustrated.
Sometimes you tossle a head, or say I love you, or give a hug... even to an unwilling child!  :)  Boys who are growing up and learning how to be a man.   They need hugs whether they know it or not.

You know who you are and you need to know dad, friend, grand-pa, uncle... You are so appreciated and your help is always needed.

Thank you for your hard work.
Thank you for driving.
Thank you for the dollars to buy curriculum.

Just thanks for being there.  it's a good thing.
Please ... Do Not Stop.  

We could not do any of this without you.