The year 2010 is fast approaching and I am quickly tying up the ends of all my New Year’s resolutions and goals. One of those goals is to make this blog the best it can be and to improve the content to match what my visitors want to read. In view of this would you please fill out this survey (it’s FREE!) and let me know what is important to YOU! Thank you.
Photo credit: RAWKU5
Recently Crayola sent me through MyBlogSpark Beginnings Color Me A Song, Color Explosion Glow Dome, and Glow Station to review. I am excited to tell you about these products because they are perfect for any children on your Christmas list! *By the way, make sure you read this review. You might find something cool at the end!*
As we all know Crayola provides quality children’s art products. I used Crayola crayons and markers growing up. Now my children use the same. In fact one of their favorite things to do is using Crayola’s Color Wonder papers and markers. It is a huge relief to know that they are able to bring out their artistic genius while I can relax knowing that my walls, floors, and furniture will not be marked up.
In case you did not know, Crayola makes other items besides markers and crayons. Oh yes. Their product line is expanding to touch on the more technological. I didn’t have these when I was a kid so long ago. These new things are fascinating to both child and mother alike and we could play with them for hours.
Let me share a little bit about what I received.
First up, Crayola Beginnings Color Me a Song
Designed for 24 months till 6 years of age, this is really neat! Your little one puts a piece of paper on this and as they draw a melody plays. If they start drawing fast the tempo picks up and once they slow down it matches speed. They can choose from four different instruments: banjo, piano, drum, and trumpet. It comes with four triangular-shaped crayons that make for easier holding for smaller hands. There is a little trouble keeping the paper on the device so be aware of this. This is retail priced at $24.95.
Crayola Glow Station
This thing is awesome! (I really think this was made for us moms.) Retail priced at $27.99, this will provide hours of entertainment. This is something that is especially fun at night time. Don’t know what to do before bedtime? Turn off the lights and let your kids draw! What is it exactly? Well, simply put, it is “glow-in-the-dark” canvas. It comes with a wand that can be used either free-hand, or to draw with the provided stencils. (Do your children love stencils as much as mine do?) My kids love drawing starts; it is easy to do with the little star attachment you can add on the end of the wand. I highly recommend this product!
And last but certainly not least, Crayola Color Explosion Glow Dome
I think I am noticing a trend with myself. I like these glow-in-the-dark type toys! Basically, your children draw something on the dome and the center panel, then you watch as the drawings “dance” around. It is simple and easy to use. There are different speed and light settings that you can adjust and play around with. I will warn you, though, this thing eats batteries! This is retail priced at $29.99.
These items can be found at any major retail store as well as from the Crayola Store.
Now. For the especially fun part: a giveaway!
Yes, all you have to do to win one Color Explosion Glow Dome is leave a comment. That is all! There are additional ways to enter, so please keep reading. Contest is limited to the 48 contiguous states. Contest ends Saturday, December 26th, 11:59pm.
For additional entries (make sure you leave a separate comment in the comments section of this post for each additional entry):
One of my fondest memories of childhood was going to the symphony when I was around 13. My piano teacher took a few of her students to our town’s local imperial symphony orchestra. The ISO was holding what they called “Cookie and a concert.” Scheduled during the day, the ISO performed Peter and the Wolf for school-aged children. During intermission they served milk and cookies. It was special! The performance made this classical piece come alive for me.
Maestro Classics has produced something similar, except these are CDs that you and your children can enjoy in the comfort of your own home! As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received their The Tortoise and the Hare musical adventure. I really liked this product so I am excited to be able to tell you about it.
A little background about Maestro Classics
“Stories in Music™ is a collection of works for symphony orchestra and narrator designed for children ages 5 and up. These recordings are the outgrowth of years of successful concert hall programming at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC where Stephen and Bonnie [Simon] produced their highly-acclaimed parent-child educational concerts with the Washington Chamber Symphony. Ever convinced that the “Peter and the Wolf” genre is one of the most successful ways to introduce people of all ages to the wonders of symphonic music, the Simons began collecting, creating, and performing works for their young concert hall audiences. Some works were created by adding narrations to well-known music, such as Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice; some were new music composed around well-known stories, as in Casey at the Bat and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel®; and some were just totally irresistible unknown works, such as Juanita the Spanish Lobster. At long last, these wonderful works are being made available on CD for children, parents and grandparents to enjoy together.”
Using narration The Tortoise and the Hare is told while the London Philharmonic Orchestra performs an original scored created by Stephen Simon. The music keeps the kids’ attention as it provides their minds with that visual only music can give. My kids loved it and asked to listen to it again. And since I had been desiring to introduce my children to classical music this was a great start! They asked lots of questions and they were so happy when the tortoise won the race.
Also on the CD were:
As if the CD and musical experience wasn’t enough, the Simons – the husband and wife team who created Maestro Classics – provide a little booklet in the Tortoise and the Hare package. This was very helpful because it showed pictures of the different instruments in an orchestra (such as the timpani, oboes, French horns, etc.). I was able to point out to my children what instrument was making that sound and it made it more succinct for them. Also, notes, fractions, time signatures, and the like are explained. My children really weren’t old enough to understand those but for older children who have no musical experience this is a great starter! Other facts and games are provided in this booklet as well.
The Tortoise and the Hare set is priced at $16.98 which I believe is very affordable.
I personally look forward to purchasing some other stories they have in the series, especially Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel which was a story I loved to read as a child.
Other titles are:
Make sure to visit Maestro Classics to learn more!
This has been around on many of the blogs I visit but in case some of my readers missed it, here is the 411:
Amazon has up for FREE (yes, you read that right) their Kindle version of Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining. Normally the digital price on this is $19.95 so you can see this is a great find. Don’t have a Kindle? That’s okay. If you download WhisperSync to your PC you will be able to read any Kindle book right on your own computer.
How’s that for a great deal?
(Thanks to Money Saving Mom and The Happy Housewife for the the heads up on this great offer!)
My home is one of the barest homes you will ever step foot into. Walls are devoid of pictures, windows are not covered except for blinds. Even the outside is boring.
I stink at decorating.
Now I really do have good excuses. I am the mother of four children ages six and under. Who has time to decorate? And really, if one is going to decorate it will have to be child-proof. And child proof is not pretty.
Another thing is, we are renters. We do not own this home and the less holes the better. I doubt our landlord would appreciate his yard dug up so we have no control on the outside.
Still.
I have seen people who rent who are able to make their homes look lovely. With a snap of their wrist they are able to put together a homemade centerpiece or make up the perfect curtains. They have cute little kitchen mats and their fireplace mantles house beautiful displays. Everyone who visits their home knows that that woman is creative.
I am not that woman.
And when I visited some of the homes on The Nester’s Christmas Tour of Homes 2009, I will admit at a little bit of creativity-envy.
Okay. A lot of envy.
Our Christmas decorations consist of one homemade wreath that I made the first Christmas we were married. Colored lights on our tree with whatever ornaments the children have not broken or I have not tossed because they were too dangerous to be around kids. A little Christmas village on the mantle and a felt advent calendar complete it all.
I tell myself “Next year. Next year I’ll have a beautifully decorated front door and people will step inside and think “Wow!”
Ah. Dreams.
Slowly, though, I realize that regardless of my inability to decorate the inside of the home, I am able to decorate the hearts of my children.
Wow.
Sitting them on my lap and sharing why Christmas is so important. Sharing continuous conversation about what God did in giving us the precious gift of His Son. Watching their eyes marvel and wonder about a Gift that no earthly present from Mommy and Daddy could top.
So next year – yes, I will make an attempt make our home more festive. I plan on adorning our home with Christmas splendor. Until then I will be very happy with telling with joy the good news of Christ’s love to my precious children.
Photo credit: MeiTeng
In February of 2010, 500 bloggers, speakers, and sponsors will convene in Nashville at one of the most popular blogging conferences around. Blissdom ’10 features topics of interest to bloggers who want to “up the ante” on blogging and learn how to take their blog to the next level. While there, major networking will take place and friendships and partnerships will be formed. It’s going to be big.
I am one of those bloggers who wants to learn how to enhance her trade. To this end I am looking for companies or individuals who will sponsor me to attend this much talked about conference. Below you will find out why you should sponsor me and what levels of sponsorship I offer. (I also offer a media kit that can be emailed upon request) I look forward to doing business with you!
Why should your company sponsor me?
Because my blog topics cover many different areas (Christianity, parenting, marriage, homeschooling, cooking, organization, humor, healthy living, and more) I reach a wide variety of readers. My feed subscriber numbers are growing at a consistently quick rate as are my unique visitors. Because I interact on a daily basis with over 1300 people on Twitter and over 300 people on Face book I reach a large audience. Your service or product would receive the promotion it deserves!
Blissdom personal sponsorship guidelines prohibit bloggers from passing out information on the companies they are receiving sponsorship from. Instead, personal sponsor badges will be displayed on the Blissdom Conference website here.
Email me ( wisdombegun @ gmail. com ) or use the contact form above for more details.
*Ads must be family friendly.
It used to be that any children’s computer items were not feasible in our home. With a fast-growing 6 year old we are finding that this is not so anymore. A real treat for her is allowing her to use the computer. And using it for math? That really makes her day. I was excited for Sally when I got the email from Mathletics letting me know that I would be getting a free trial to review.
Sign up was very easy. I went to the member login and I signed her up for her account and I received a parent account as well. (More down below on what is involved in each type of account) Then I allowed her to use my laptop to login and let her try out what is offered in this program.
Before we go on, let’s cover what exactly Mathletics is.
Sample screenshots
Overall I like this program. It is easy to use and fun for my daughter. The ability to play against other children from around the world is very exciting for her. (And just so you know, this is very safe. There is no chatting allowed, as far as I can tell). The Parent Center is also helpful; it is a separate area where you can view your child(ren)’s progress, print out workbooks, print out certificates, etc. One thing that I really love about the Parent Center is the Task Manager. This is an area where you can assign activities they need to complete successfully before they can move on to other things. Also, the Instant Workbooks are great. These are easily printable and teach math concepts as well as provide the teacher (you!) the answer key
The price is comparable to a regular math curriculum. The only difference is that Mathletics is intertwined with computer activities and games that help break it up for your child. I am actually considering renewing our subscription when the free trial ends.
Last week I planned out a new menu for the next four weeks. Mr. Incredible did the grocery shopping for me and so other than basic necessities that will run out before next shopping day, that is one thing we can cross off our list! You will notice in my menu plans that we eat a lot of oatmeal for breakfast. This is mainly because oatmeal is healthy and cheap. My children are not big fans of it and neither am I but I have found that if you dress it up different ways it is more palatable. Our favorite combination is Honeycrisp apples, honey, cinnamon, and pecans.
Lunches are simple. We are at the peanut butter and jelly stage of our family life. Eating peanut butter and jelly so much used to bother me then I realized that it is all part of where we are now. Later on we’ll have time to eat a wider variety of lunch foods.
Monday -
Breakfast – Oatmeal
Lunch – PB&J Sandwiches
Dinner – Cheeseburger Pie
Tuesday -
Breakfast – Banana Muffins
Lunch – Pepperoni Pasta Salad
Dinner – Rodeo Chicken Sandwiches
Wednesday -
Breakfast – Oatmeal
Lunch – Breakfast Tacos (This consists of tortillas filled with scrambled eggs and cheese)
Dinner – Enchiladas
Thursday -
Breakfast – Chocolate Chip Muffins
Lunch – Sandwiches (probably meat and cheese)
Dinner – Beans and Rice bowls
Friday -
Breakfast – Coffee Cake
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Macaroni and Cheese
Saturday -
Breakfast – Daddy’s French Toast
Lunch – Sandwiches
Dinner – Homemade Pizza
Come on? Game tutorials? Those were my initial thoughts when I got the email in my inbox letting me know I’d get to review this as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I begrudgingly downloaded the necessary items and sat down one nap time to watch the first tutorial. “This isn’t my thing. My kids aren’t old enough for this. Blah.”
Making a race car game? Not something I thought I would ever do. I added my race car, set up the direction and speeds in which the car would travel, and put up some trees, flags, poles, bushes and walls around the track. I added an opponent car – racing by yourself just isn’t a race, now is it? – and set his direction. Before I was finished I was having fun. While this isn’t something I would want to do for a living I now understand some of the processes that go into building a computer game.
Before I go on, a little background on what Tektoma is:
What did I like?
I loved the tutorials. They were well done and easily followable. The racing tutorial was basic enough to get a child started without overwhelming them with too much. It was a little over an hour in length so did not take up much time. I I would call my first game-making experience a success however after I added some trees and walls to my racetrack my car suddenly would not speed up. It just sat there and it was capable of rotating in any direction. But it would not move. This is because of operator error (me!) I believe. Still looking on how to fix that.
When and if my children ever show interest in this sort of thing I would be more than comfortable letting them use these tutorials. They are safe for children with no objectionable material surfacing up at any point. If you want to try this out before you purchase there is a free 14 day trial you can sign up for.
What I didn’t like
Nothing really. I think the cost is prohibitive for many homeschooling families and that is really all the negative I can say about it.
Visit the website, see if it is something you could use in your home education, and try it out!
I asked ”Where are all of the older women?” My reference to Titus 2 and the command given to women who are wiser and have been there, done that was a plea. Today is different. I want to address an issue with us younger women today. And this may be one reason why the older women are so hesitant to teach us.
Unteachable spirits. Yes, you heard me right. Some of us just do not want to be given wisdom.
I had a friend once who was always complaining how the older women at her church kept “telling [her] what to do.” When I explored a little bit more it turned out that these women were providing advice when she mentioned problems with her children, homeschooling, marriage, etc. Giving from their experience and years they were giving her the gift of wisdom. She just did not want to hear it because she had an unteachable spirit; a heart that rebelled against honest, loving wisdom.
Just what is a teachable spirit? Proverbs 1:5 says
“A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. . . “
Further down the passage, at Proverbs 1:7b:
“. . .but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
A teachable person is someone who seeks out “wise counsel” and literally opens their heart to receive instruction. While there are many wise younger people, you just cannot exchange that for the experience and wisdom of those who are older. Our society curses and mocks aging. It is seen as a terrible thing, something to be stopped. (Just look at all of the anti-aging products on the market!) Yet the Bible views growing older differently:
“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory. . .” -Proverbs 16:31a
[quote]
If you are a young mother (or a not so young mother!) and you need guidance, I implore you to learn from the older women at your church. Walk straight up to them and ask them questions. Do not wait for them to come to you. Pray and ask God to provide instruction from the older women you know and at your church. Ask Him to open your heart and give you a teachable spirit.
I have had the blessing of Titus 2 women in my life. I had two wonderful, godly women I learned from at my last church. My mother has also given me wisdom when I have needed it. These women have blessed my life in an amazing way and I have -I hope!- matured wonderfully because of their instruction. It is not easy admitting that you just do not know and sharing with someone else your inexperience. But you know what? It’s okay.
Just as you want your little ones to open their ears and listen to your instruction you should open your heart and learn as well. The beauty of this life is that we never lose the opportunity to learn new things, to grow and gain new branches. We do not have to remain stagnant and mired in our own ineptitude. God provided a way for us to go this journey leaning on the wisdom of those who have gone before.
I do not know about you but I find this a wonderfully rich blessing. Don’t throw it aside. Count it a gift and grow.
PS I know the above picture are the hands of someone elderly. Just keep in mind that there may be a woman who is only a few years older than you that may be wiser and have more experience that you.
Photo credit: juliaf