Proud Mom Moment

Another "proud mom moment" here - My oldest was awarded the "Faculty Award" from the McClane College of Business at UMHB.

Like everything right now, it was a Zoom meeting presentation.  On the bright side - I did get to be physically present to see him accept the award - and to hear the wonderful comments made by the business professors that have been pouring into him these past 4 years. 

We're so proud of you Sam!  Way to be the world changer I've always told you to be!

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal from The Hidden Message, LLC: A TOS Crew Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How Foundational Truth From The Dawn Of Liberty May Rescue A Republic In Peril from The Hidden Message, LLC

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How Foundational Truth From The Dawn Of Liberty May Rescue A Republic In Peril from The Hidden Message, LLC is a fascinating read!  Once I started, I had a hard time putting it down.

This beautiful 260 page softcover book will take you on an exploration of the allegory behind our National Seal.  The author, Michael Kanis has a BA in business and MBA in Finance and Operations.  He's a strong Christian with a varied background in business, technology and now as an author. He has devoted thousands of hours to researching this important subject.

First, this book is truly beauiful!  The photographs throughout are all full color, and the pages are thick and glossy. The 9x12 format makes a great coffee table book and is great for reading aloud together from. 

In the 24 chapters, Michael gives us a glimpse into our history by uncovering the symbolism and meaning behind our National Seal, probably one of our most widely reproduced - but, not completely understood symbols.

He consistently weaves Scripture throughout this book, showing us the faith of our Founding Fathers and the principles that guided them.  What a timely reminder for us at this time in history!

I was fascinated as he introduced me to characters in our American story that were new to me.  For instance, Charles Thomson - an important American that I had not had the privilege of learning about... until now.

Charles Thomson became the Keeper of the Seal.  No other single person in our history was more qualified to hold this position - he had been present at every important meeting as our country was being birthed, was a intimate friend of our founding fathers, an expert in Greek and Latin, and most importantly - a man of Faith in God. It was his job to "cast the character and image of the American people in the form of the Great Seal". I loved being introduced to this important person in our history that is often overlooked! Michael Kanis storytelling style is very easy to read, and the information is truly deep and thought provoking.  

This book is filled with these types of gems. The information is quite in-depth as the author ties a panorama of world history into our American heritage.  I feel like it would make a great addition not only to your upper level history studies - but, also as a great read for your government and economics students as well.  

Throughout the book, the author uses sidebars and bullet points to summarize information.  The book is filled with primary source quotes, as well as, beautiful images.  It's very nicely done.

I enjoyed this book immensely.  I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to truly understand the foundation of our American history. 

The author has given us a special discount - good until May 30, 2020 - "The book can be found on Amazon for $29.95, but I have included a coupon code for 50% off the cover price for any of your readers/viewers who wish to purchase the book from our web site, thehiddenmessoage.org. As always, shipping is free. To receive the discount, your readers only need to apply the coupon code: HOMESCHOOL at checkout."

Hashtags:

#hsreviews #thehiddenmessage #nationalseal

Want to know more?  Check out an interview between Michael Kanis and Eric Metaxas -

See what other members of the Crew thought here

Dinner Challenge... Bentz Style

I'm tired of making dinner every.single.night, anyone feeling it with me?  How many ways can one cook chicken?

I looked around and noticed that - I HAVE A LOT OF KIDS!  Why haven't I notice them before?

I had an inspired idea...why no match up siblings (youngest-oldest, and on down the line) and create a Dinner making challenge? It will teach them some valuable life skills while lightening my load.  Brilliant idea... the experts were right, with all this isolation and quarantine, we're getting more creative!

Rules were simple - make a home made meal for 9 of us that includes a main course and a fruit or veggie as a side item. Grocery supplies were to be added to the master list before I left for the store, or you had to create from the pantry.

Here are Week One results:


Night One: Oldest and Youngest sibling paired up to bring us - world famous Bentz Butter Burgers fresh off the grill with fresh strawberries and blueberries and a side of kettle cooked chips.

Night Two - Chicken Fajita Quesadillas along with grapes and chips/queso.

Night Three - the much anticipated girl duo presents Bacon Wrapped ranch chicken with a coleslaw and bacon salad and Sun Chips. They added a bonus dessert - cheescake chess squares for a shot at winning it all.

Night Four - the all boy team (who accepted the challenge to cook from the pantry) brought us Taco night with all the fixins' and pineapple slices and mandarin oranges.  Not to be outdone... they focused on the ever important aspect of "presentation is everything" and made homemade lemonade.

So what did we learn?  Cooking for the family can be fun, planning ahead is a necessity and we love to eat!

I am already looking forward to next week's challenge.  I'm pretty sure I'm never cooking dinner again...

30 Prophecies: One Story from Christian Focus: A TOS Crew Review

30 Prophecies: One Story from Christian Focus 

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way

   

We've been enjoying 30 Prophecies: One Story from Christian Focus.  This hardcover book is designed for your 5-12 year old  and contains explanations of 30 prophecies in the Bible that relate to Jesus. It's a great way to build Biblical literacy together!

Paul Reynolds, the author, desires to show children how God used the prophets to show us Jesus, and how we can get to know Him better.  The book is written directly to the readers in a very easy to understand style. The book also includes 10 Key Memory Verses about Messianic Prophecy you can memorize together and Character Profiles of some prophets to get to know better.

The handy timeline in the front is a great visual. The chapters are arranged into Three main Sections:

• From the Fall to King David
• Major and Minor Prophets
• Prophecies Made By Jesus About Himself

Each prophecy is about 2-3 pages long.  It's designed for you to read with your children, or easy enough for your young readers to read on their own.  We used this as a read aloud together addition to our regular Bible reading.

Each chapter contains the same structure:

• Prophet/Dates - who said it and when
• Prophecy Made & Prophecy Fulfilled - directly from the Bible
• Then and There - what it meant to original hearers
• Prophecy Fulfilled - how Jesus fulfills the prophecy
• Scarlet Thread - how this prophecy fits into the "One Story" of God
• Application - what does it mean for you
• Prayer - some ways to pray

I love how the author has made Biblical prophecy something everyone can understand. I really appreciate how he shows the Bible as "One Story" and Jesus throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  This book is a wonderful tool in helping our children see this.

The Then and There sections and the Scarlet Thread were our favorites.  They connect the Bible together and give us insight.  The Application section is filled with wonderful discussion starters. 

Overall, I recommend this as a wonderful addition to your family's Bible study!

Be sure to check out several other selections the Crew is reviewing from Christian Focus -
Psalms for my Day & Not If, But When

 Find Christian Focus on Social Media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristianFocus4Kids/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Christian_Focus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianfocuspublications/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9n_TTQulXBNqM7LtEALtJg/

Hashtags:  #hsreviews #christianfocus

See what other members of the Crew thought here

Making Masks

The world has gone crazy...Corona Virus 2020

All of a sudden, all that quilt fabric I've been hoarding has become a true treasure. 

My daughters and I have been sewing like crazy - making the "required" face masks for our neighbors, friends and family.

Here's a link to our pattern - and some of our custom creations.

And here's a link to our FB video showing you how to make one!


 You know it's taking off when you see that even the DOLLS are wearing our fashions...

In a world gone crazy, it feels great to be able to help in some small way!  Thanks for teaching me how to sew mom :-)

History on Horseback: The Early Years from Sonrise Stable Books: A TOS Crew Review

History on Horseback: The Early Years from Sonrise Stable Books

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way

History on Horseback: The Early Years from Sonrise Stable Books takes a unique approach to studying history.  In this first volume - readers follow history from 1493 to 1866 as told from horseback.

Designed for readers 12 and up, this book can be used as a delightful supplement to your history reading.  I love books that help history come alive for my students, and this is one of those.  No boring repetition of dates, this book gives us a glimpse into history on the back of one of our favorite animals (and history makers) the horses.

I have several "horsey girls" here, and they loved this perspective.  The softcover book has 53 short chapters, very easy to add this to what you are already reading.  The author, Vicki Watson, is working on a supplemental activity book that will include maps, timelines, questions, research and writing activities you can use to make this into a full history study - watch for it, it's coming in 2020.  Volumes 2 & 3 are also in the works.

Each chapter focuses on specific event or people in history - starting with Cortez, the Spanish conquistador  going all the way to the all black cavalry of the the Civil War.

The stories are not about horses, per say- but, you will learn quite a bit about horses along the way.   The chapters are short -usually just 2-3 pages with black and white illustrations.

The illustrations are often photographs or images of famous artwork (a side study in itself - be sure to check out the photo credits in the back). Many of the chapters include interesting side-bars with additional information to interest your students in learning more.

We have enjoyed all the new tidbits of history we have been learning:

• How Thomas Jefferson kept a detailed record of all his horses, and their names, and Napoleon did that as well.  
• We learned what livery stables were - and why they were important, like historical "parking ramps" for horses in New York City in the 1800's.  
• The missionaries on the Oregon Trail with a peek into their letters and lives.
• The way horse power transformed our transportation from horses towing the canal boats to racing the locomotives. 
• The role the horse played in industry with the pit ponies that kept mining going.

We found the stories very interesting, and the author has done her research well. The Bibliography is filled with links that will help you uncover more information too.  History study should help bring the past into our present, and these stories do that well.   What a delightful way to tie horses and history together!


 Find Sonrise Stable Books on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sonrise-Stable-Books-103077887775920
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonrisestable
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonrisestable/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sonrisestable/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWR9ePmbbqS7gbXNgELVY_Q

Hashtags: #hsreviews #historyonhorseback #sonrisestablebooks #christianhorsebooks

See what other members of the Crew thought here

Psalm 91

 I memorized this in 4th grade, I can still remember my Sunday school teacher telling us how all the men in his military unit had it memorized and they didn’t lose a single one in battle.

Right now, with the corona virus spreading fear - we need to center our minds on God's promises!

We are working on memorizing this together - here is a great image you can download to help - If you're looking for a Bible Study to go with this beautiful passage - check this out!

Who's going to join us?