Fresh from the Bookshelf: The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay {Book Review}

It's been a little while since I've shared a book review with you, so I thought a nice rainy day like today was a good day to do it! As usual, I have books coming and going all the time and some are worth mentioning and some are a hard pass. I read all types of books, and one area that I find lacking overall, are books with characters who have handicaps or mental illnesses. I was pleasantly surprised to discover such a book in The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay. Join me today as share my review of this book I received from the Thomas Nelson Fiction Guild.


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About the Book

The Austen Escape follows the life of Mary Davies, an engineer in a small firm who has hit a brick wall with her job thanks to an

Supercharged Science ~ Revisiting an Old Friend {Curriculum Review}

Five years ago, I was introduced to a science curriculum which was much loved by my oldest son. It brought together his audio/visual learning style with intense scientific study. He loved the experiments and we were sad when our subscription ran out. Needless to say when Supercharged Science popped up in our crew review list again this year, BOTH my boys were eager to give the e-Science Homeschool Science Curriculum another go! Join me now as I share my review of this full hands-on science curriculum.

About Supercharged Science

Supercharged Science is an e-Science online science curriculum created to generate a LOVE of science in your children. There are NO textbooks. No boring long ridiculous information about the cosmos. Instead, you get fun videos

Upcoming Reviews for June/July 2019: What Are Our Summer Reviews?

Summertime! Well, maybe not quite yet...but soon! Here in our homeschool, we finish all of our regular daily school stuff and then only do review products throughout the summer. We don't know what we'll have in any given summer--sometimes we have a lot of regular curriculum like stuff (English, math, etc), but sometimes we get quick and easy things (movies, games, etc). So what is in the work so far for our summer reviews? Here's the rundown of what we've got to work on and when you can expect to see the reviews go LIVE.

UPCOMING REVIEWS FOR JUNE 2019

1. Life with Dog, Mill Creek Entertainment
Here's a little blurb about this movie: After losing his wife Alice (Marilu Henner) in a mysterious bike accident, Joe Bigler (Corbin Bernsen) is left alone without faith to help him grieve. That and the circumstances of Alice's accident leave more questions than answers, and Joe begins a fast descent into the dark abyss of uncertainty. But his salvation arrives when a dog wanders into his garden and won't leave despite Joe's many attempts to rid him. Without so much as a single bark, "Dog" as Joe has named him, shares his voice; a deep love and comfort that Joe has never experienced before. With Dog's love comes the discovery of God's love, and a faith that not only helps Joe toward the road to recovery, but also the unsolved mystery surrounding his wife's accident, and the ability to finally grieve her passing. Our Review of this movie will go LIVE June 3, 2019.

Typing Tournament Online and Math Invaders Online from EdAlive {Product Review}

As we've done homeschooling over the years, there is one thing that I have learned about my boys--they really enjoy online programs. We limit our screen time in general, but if they have an online resource they are told to work on, they typically do it without asking. Therefore, when I had the chance to review two online apps from EdAlive, I was pretty confident without even asking them that the boys would be happy to work on them. Today I'm going to be sharing about the Typing Tournament Online and Math Invaders Online and what the boys actually thought about them. 

About the Product

EdAlive is an educational apps program developer based out of Australia. They have a long list of apps under their belt including Typing Tournament Online and Math Invaders Online. 

Baby Girl Crochet Goodies {Wordless Wednesday}

I'm really meaning to post a few Adventures in Crochet posts since it has been awhile since my last one. I also have something super exciting coming up relating to crochet. But for today, I'm just going to share a couple little crochet dresses I recently made for my soon-to-arrive two nieces being born in June and September!

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These were made with the same pattern. The top one is for 3-6 months, the bottom is for 0-3 months. I love the bottom one the most. I plan on making a few more of these kind of dresses--because I'm finally getting girls to pamper! LOL!

God is Better Than Trucks by Sarah Reju {Book Review}

I am always on the lookout for books to snag for my nieces and nephews—and not just your run of the mill ones. I’m always looking for beautifully illustrated books which also are a delight to read. If they have a biblical message, that’s even better! Needless to say, I was very curious to read and review God is Better than Trucks from Christian Focus to see if it is worth adding to our collection. Today I’d like to share my review with you!

About the Book

God is Better than Trucks is written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Roger De Klerk. It is an A-Z Alphabetical book which teachers about Ambulances, Bulldozers, Car Carriers to the Zamboni and shares about how God is better than all of them. The theme of the book centers around how all of these vehicles are super cool and can do amazing things, but how our God is even better than the most awesome vehicle.

Mother's Day at Fort Boonesborough {Wordless Wednesday}

We had the pleasure of enjoying Mother's Day at Fort Bonnesborough with my parents, my husband, and my brother with his fiance! We had a simply wonderful time exploring the former home of the American hero Daniel Boone. I love living so close to so many historically important locations!Here are some photos from our adventure!

Watching how an heirloom 18th century loom worked.

Measurements used during this time period

More fiber work! Learning how they used a drop spindle and did spinning

The blacksmith making a candle holder

I especially loved speaking with the women who specialized in fibers and medicinal herbs. I would have bought some of the handspun yarn if they had made the ones I wanted for purchase. But I loved squishing it. And I loved seeing them doing the natural dyes. The boys got hand made candle holders from the blacksmith. My mom and dad absolutely love it! It was the perfect day for Mother's Day!

Nothing by Natalee Creech {Children's Book Review}

It can be a challenge at times to find children's books which are not only rich in text, but also biblically based AND beautiful to look at. I don't like to get your run of the mill books as gifts, so I am always looking for something exceptional. Enter Nothing by Natalee Creech, a book I was given to review by WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. From the moment I laid my eyes on it, I had a feeling it was going to pass my test. Join me as I share my review of this illustrated children's book today!

About the Book

Nothing by Natalee Creech is an absolutely gorgeous book! The rich blue on the cover grabs your eye and makes you want to open it. Opening it, you will discover a beautifully illustrated children's book that emphasizes the amazing love of God. Based on Romans 8:38-39, the book shows the reader how there is no place anywhere in creation that can take you out of the realm of the love of God, but also that there is nothing that you could do which would make Him stop loving you.

Critical Thinking Detective™ – Vocabulary Book 2 {Product Review}

We are big fans of The Critical Thinking Co. and the products they offer. I have reviewed several of their products before and always look forward to having more to explore. We recently were given Critical Thinking Detective - Vocabulary Book 2 (Grades 5-12+) to review with my boys (ages 8 and 13) and I looked forward to seeing how this product would work for us--especially since expanding our vocabulary is one of the goals I had for this year.

About the Product

The Critical Thinking Co. is an award-winning company for a reason! Their materials continue to be top notch resources for all things--critical thinking! Offering full lines of choices over the traditional subjects and electives, there is something for every grade! A few of the selections include:

Spontaneous Adventures {Wordless Wednesday}

We took a spontaneous trip to Cave Run Lake, KY for a day out on a Party Boat with my parents. It was the perfect day--hot enough to even go swimming! It was just what we needed before finishing our school year! :) 

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Pathway to Liberty's US History Curriculum {Curriculum Review}

I am always on the lookout for good history curriculums and I've been blessed to have been introduced to several through the Homeschool Review Crew. For the last several weeks, we have been reviewing a new (to me) history company, Pathway to Liberty Homeschool Curriculum, and have been working through the Pathway to Liberty's US History course from the Pathway to Liberty's History Curriculum collection. My hope for this curriculum was to discover another great American History curriculum which I could use for both boys at the same time, even with their different grade levels and learning styles. Join me today as I share our review on this curriculum and you can learn if this material fulfilled my requirements!

About the Company

The Pathway to Liberty's Homeschool Curriculum was created by founder Jayme MacCullough after she couldn't find what she was looking for in the homeschool material world. She wanted a strong

The Hamelin Stoop Series from 12 Gates Publishing {Book Review}

One of the age groups that is lacking in quality reading material--as in books I'd actually allow my children to read because they aren't filled with smut--is the post-elementary, pre-young adult genre. What is technically considered to be the "middle school" genre. Many of the chapter books for elementary are too young for this grade, yet the young adult genre is really more geared to ages 16+ and deals with a lot of less than desirable content (what I like to call smut!). It's even HARDER to find a good fantasy series to bridge this gap! 12 Gates Publishing is trying to fill this need starting with The Hamelin Stoop Series by Robert B. Sloan. Join me as I share our review of the first two books [Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge (Book 1)
 and Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna (Book 2)] in this new fantasy series for all ages!

About the Book

"The campfire was almost out, but it didn't matter that they were letting it burn down to its last smoky smell. The trackers were coming, but for just a moment longer, Simon wanted to look at her lying in the crook of his arm and at the infant asleep between them. Funny what you think about when you should be panicked..." (The Eagle, The Cave, and The Footbridge)

Thus the world of Hamelin Stoop opens to the reader immediately thrust into the middle of the adventure. Hamelin Stoop is the name given to a baby boy who is discovered in an old tomato crate

Homemade Bread {Wordless Wednesday}

I just bought a fresh jar of yeast, so naturally, I needed to try it out.

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