after the storm

Notable Novelists ~ a game

     "Notable Novelists is a card game($10.95) that increases awareness of and knowledge about 18 different 20th century authors." The game is played similar to Old Maid with a few twists. Each author has three cards. Players ask specific opponents if they have specific cards (an author card, bio card, or library card) for a specific author, so there is also a memory component to the game. After playing several times, the authors names became more familiar to us, so we were able to more quickly make sets. We only had two questions arise that were not covered clearly on the instruction card and we made our own rule for those. This game can be adapted by making changes to the rules.

     The author card has a cartoon character sketch of the author as well as their birthplace. The library cards each list three of the author's famous novels. The Bio cards share a brief biography of each author.

     My children and I all enjoyed this new game and played again repeatedly. I like that it is easily contained in one small box which was ideal for our camping trip. My 8 year old son observed during our first round that we weren't really learning anything when we just laid down the cards without studying them. My older daughter shared that she found it more challenging than go-fish. If you choose to study the cards in your hands while holding them, you learn about the authors and learn the names which helps later in the game when you ask for cards that are not in your hand. My younger daughter decided it is a fun way to learn about authors. She likes the author information shared as well as the picture cards.

     Challenging enough for my 14 year old yet easy enough for my 8 year old to play- this is a game for the whole family. Heather suggested that she would like to also have additional sets of cards for other time periods. 

     Find Notable Novelists on Facebook and learn even more about each of the authors through multiple links shared. 

From their website:

All of the authors in the deck have made valuable contributions to literature, helped define the modern novel and influenced generations of writers. Many of their novels, essays and short story collections appear on "top 100 books of the 20th century" lists. Many are Pulitzer, Nobel and National Book Critics Circle Award Winners.

To give the game a timelessness, we only chose authors who are deceased and wrote the game in such a way as to include as many authors as we could.

  We received a game as shared about above at no cost to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. See what other crew members shared in their reviews here. 

Happiness!

Costumes with Character

     As my girls have grown they have outgrown and passed down many "dress up" clothes. It kind of makes me sad to see bits of their childhood outgrown. They do still like to dress up, and both of them enjoy sewing, too. This review fits with both of those activities. I didn't see an age range specified but there is a formula included to adjust patterns for smaller sizes.

     The Costumes with Character e-book explains how to change up just one dress for eleven time periods, a total of fourteen costumes and create forty-seven different items! They can even make matching dresses for their dolls! Currently on sale for $29.60 printed or $17.60 as an e-book, the 72 page full color book also has a bonus book with patterns. We were able to create our costumes without the additional full size pattern bonus using the scale versions in the e-book. (The printed patterns are now available.) You can view the table of contents and sample pages online. 

     One of my great-Aunts was known for not just reciting but living by the saying made famous in the Depression "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I think she would approve of the concept shared in this book of using one dress for multiple costumes. We went with my mom to a thrift store to find the perfect dress for each of the girls to use with this when nothing in our closets quite matched the style. Some of the things you create, such as the fan, are even used with more than one costume. My daughter's tip: "You can choose your own fabric (you don't have to make it exactly like they say) so that all of your pieces will coordinate with your dress." (Think outside the box!) 

     There are 47 different items to make with all instructions included (hats, collars, aprons, parisols, and more.) There are 14 total costumes for 11 different time periods. Each time period has a 1-3 page summary as well as a list of recommended resources. At the end there is additional information about having a tea party, and it includes different games to play, how to make invitations and place cards, and it also talks about the food you can eat at a tea party.

     Some of the items are a bit more complex to make. My husband helped the girls prepare the popsicle sticks for their fans after a trip to the hardware store for just the right size nut and bolt. He actually couldn't find one as small as was recommended but was able to make it work with one just a little larger. 

     I requested and received permission to download an additional copy of this e-book on my daughter's computer then let my daughter choose her own pace for this book. She was delighted with it from the start. "There is a section about each time period before the instructions to make each outfit so you not only get costumes, you get to learn the history about the time period that those costumes are from." The first item Heather cut out was the fabric for the bonnet, but she set it aside until we were able to shop for the fusible interfacing which we found this weekend so she has just begun to assemble it. Her favorite two from this book are the pioneer and the civil war costumes. 

     Heather found the instructions easy to understand. There are pictures to go with each step that you do to go with each accessory that you create. Pictures of real clothing from each time period are also included. There are instructions explaining the more complex steps such as ironing on the interfacing. The items that are made for more than one costume are to be made of solid colored fabric so they will match all of the different time periods.

     More from my daughter: "Since I understand how to make this now I can do it again with variations like fuller ruffles or different trim. I like the way that you can use different costume pieces with different costumes so that you don't have to remake everything for each costume. Nothing is attached to the dress so you can mix up the pieces and make a different outfit with all of your pieces- you don't have to use certain pieces just for certain outfits."

her Pioneer costume:

     
     Other reviewers on the Schoolhouse Crew have tried out this and these other e-books from Golden Prairie Press: Heroines of the Past Bible Study,  Ten Girls from History, and Uncover Exciting History.

     We received this e-book at no cost to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. See what other crew members shared in their reviews here.

 

Hurricane Preparedness

     My oldest daughter surprised me about eight years ago with a grin accompanying her comment a few days before her birthday. "I know what I'm getting for my birthday!" What parent wants surprises ruined? A little downcast I asked her how she knew. "I get one every year." Okay, that puzzled me. What are you getting? "A hurricane!" Now I don't have any problem remembering when hurricane season is as I remember it falls the same time of year as her birthday. 

     Before the storm we have a bit of time to prepare, but when everyone is trying to gather essentials this is what our local Walmart bread aisle looks like:

     We live on a multi-generational farm so our pre-storm preparations are always for more than just our house. My husband watches the weather and is the one who gathers all of the empty gas cans to fill and have ready to fill generators.

     Another mandatory step is gathering up loose items outside. Simple things like my small gardening trowel left on the porch near the front flower bed can become a projectile in the strong winds. Everything that could pottentially fly through the air and break a window has to be picked up and securely put away or tied down. This doesn't just mean little things but also outdoor furniture, wheelbarrows, etc.

     In years past we also made sure my Daddy who lived on the coast was safe. During hurricane Katrina he lived with us here for two weeks. He actually had electricity and was able to return home before power was restored at our house. There are positives and negatives to country life. Having our electricity out a little while is expected. Because of that, laundry needs to be all washed and dried before the storm. For those who really plan ahead a month before hurricane season would be a great time to clean out the deep freezer. Instead for us, that is one of the things that we keep the generator attached to.

     The wind is already blowing outside and will continue to get stronger. Please pray for those who are hurt by this storm.

HURRICANE PARTY!

     We are right in the path of hurricane Issac and to lighten the mood are having a hurricane party! Won't you join us? It is a Lilla Rose mystery hostess party which means one of you who join the party and place an order will receive all of the hostess benefits! 

     How it works:

Click here to go to the party and place your orders. All party orders over $20 receive free shipping! 

     Extra details:

Signing up and ordering through the party does not make you my customer. If you don't already have a consultant please go to my website and sign up as a customer, too. http://www.lillarose.biz/PrettyHair/ Be sure that it still says prettyhair in the url after you link over. If not, click the tiny print in the top left corner asking if you are looking for Jennifer's website. Then click shop now and create new account. But for this party, use the party link to place your actual order and claim the free shipping over $20 special offer. 

    Mystery hostess details:

All hostess benefits are based on party sales. Click here to find out more about hostess benefits. You can even schedule a party, too, just let me know.

     Party games:

Its a virtual party so grab your favorite snack as you watch the sizing and styling video. If you want to watch the hurricane, too, the weather channel offers a live tracker. And if you are too close to the storm pack up and find shelter! 

     Style ideas:

UP1-1920 Antique Style You-Pin in an elegant twisted bun

Lilla Rose flexi-clips are pretty in all shades of hair

and pretty for all ages (3-1214 Soaring Butterfly)

This French braid is elegant with the ends tucked and secured with the 2-0658 floral design. 

     Wrapping it up:
All good things must come to an end. The party ends Thursday night at midnight, so go ahead and join in now before its too late! One name will be drawn from all who place a party order and a winner will be announced Friday unless the hurricane causes a power outage in which case it will be announced ASAP!

 

A day in the life…

     Some days we are able to spend most of the day at home. You can view one here, our “first day”post of pictures August 1. It wasn’t a typical school  day, but typical isn’t our norm anyway. For a glimpse of a recent day though I’m sharing about Saturday, also not a typical day for school. Homeschool for us is a lifestyle. We turn everyday events and special occasions into educational opportunities. Since we aren't completely into our fall schedule yet, this gives a better glimpse of our life anyway.

     This weekend marked the end of our summer studies for the National Bible Bee. When I received the e-mail earlier this week that registration closed at 7:50am and anyone who arrived after that would be disqualified I realized we needed to rethink our plans of just driving over for the day. We went the night before to the city where the closest “local” competition was offered. It just happened to be the city where my husband and I met, married, and spent our first wonderful years together. We still have family and friends there so every trip back is looked forward to by all of us.

     Saturday morning we woke up EARLY for us. Our typical hotel stay involves me and one or more kids going down for breakfast and bringing a bagel back to the room for my husband who enjoys sleeping in on his rare days off work. He got the bagel after the rest of us enjoyed our hot breakfast but he didn't get to sleep late this time. We checked out of the hotel, stuffed still wet swimsuits and hastily packed bags into the car and left for the competition.

     We made it to registration on time then got to listen as each of our kids recited their passages for the judges. They didn't get all of them perfect, didn't score in the top five in any of their age brackets, but they all impressed me greatly. Hiding God's Word in their hearts makes them all winners in my opinion. Watching them all stand in front of the judges made me consider again just what I am teaching them. I worry sometime a lot too much about what other people think. My son as he tried to remember one of the passages that he just didn't know stood and tried and never gave up. He didn't break down and cry or say "I can't." But I watched the judges thinking they might want to jump out of their chair and accuse me of wasting their time as he could not recite 20 passages. Silly me. He did know a few - more than he knew three months ago. And later one of those judges complemented him for his effort. Then the written part of the test. They had 200 questions to complete on a scantron form in one hour. We found out ahead of time that would be the format so I was able to prepare my youngest two who had never done a standardized test in that format before. Test taking skills aren't typically a part of our day. Sitting still for that long is also not the norm for my energetic boy child. We didn't accompany the kids to the written testing part and I wondered if he would ask them if he could take a break and run around outside a bit as he does often at home. Apparently he didn't. :) The whole experience was positive. The kids all want to do it again, so we are already planning to sign up next year. We will find out in a few days their exact placement score in relation to all the other kids in the nation that tried this. 

Joseph enjoyed the "family fun room" during break time. 

Maybe a Lego table at home would be a neater alternative to the floor in his bedroom. 

     When we left the bible Bee competition we went for a late lunch at a Japanese hibachi restaurant. The meal is almost like a dinner show as the chef prepares the food right there in front of you. That was a delicious treat.

     I mentioned we used to live there. It would be nice to visit even more friends, but we could only fit so much into one day. We had called a friend with girls my girls age and spent a few hours with them while Mitch and Joseph went to a gun show. That time flew by. We moved away when our oldest girls were about to begin Kindergarten and now they are both in high school- that time flew by, too. It was after 5 when we left our friends and picked up our guys from the gun show. We decided then that we couldn't head home without a walk on the beach.

She  thought she just found a pretty shell till the hermit crab started crawling out and surprised her! 

The kids found quite a few more and brought seven home to join the lonely one in the tank.

     Sandy feet wiped off, the trip didn't end there. We found a box for the newest additions to our pet collection and literally took a drive down memory lane. We drove by the house we lived before we had kids and when the girls were little, the church where we married, and the elementary school they would have attended had we not moved. We joked about moving back but my daughter somehow didn't appreciate our sentiment that we would have to start her back in Kindergarten if we did instead of 9th grade. Our move led to homeschooling. I'm thankful we did.

     Recently I read that we have 940 Saturdays with our children from birth until their 18th birthday. For my girls those are more than halfway gone. I hope we have many more as fun filled as this one. So- a day of our life- not so different from the norm or far from your imagination of typical? Either way that is who we are and how we homeschool= how we live.

where we walked

This post linked to:

http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/category/not-back-to-school-blog-hop/

 I'm linking with iHomeschool's not Back-To-Homeschool Blog Hop. See our posts about our curriculum plans, our school room, and our (not) back-to-school picture.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog cruise about fitting it all in,

and  the Carnival of Homeschooling.

Bible Bee

this post linked to:

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers

   
     The story of Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Maker by Douglas Bond has a similar style to an out of print series that I enjoyed as a child from my Grandmother's bookshelf. Though it has a wholesome nostalgic feel, the setting is modern. Two children travel to a quaint English village and meet interesting characters including Mr. Pipes who they initially discover playing the pipe organ in a church. As he spends time with the brother and sister Mr. Pipes shares stories of hymn authors.

     In our family we read this book together (I read it out loud to the children.) The 298 page book has very long chapters, but it kept my kids' attention. Though listed online as a book for 7th-10th graders the story seemed to be geared to young children. My only complaint is about some of the words. Though nothing lewd, the name calling was just rude. As I read the story out loud I edited out "stupid" and similar nuisances.

     A friend shared this link to the Tallis Cannon on You-tube which is one of the first songs that the children in the story hear Mr. Pipes play. It leads to their discussion of the Doxology and Thomas Ken. One of the first hymns that my oldest daughter learned to play on her violin was the Doxology, so the discussion of that song in the story was an interesting one for it to begin with.

     Other chapters focus on Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, William Williams, John Newton, William Cowper,  Augustus Toplady and Thomas Kelly, Scottish hymn writers, Anglican hymn writers of the nineteenth century, women hymn writers, and John Bunyan. Maps and black and white drawings are included throughout the book. Additional British hymn writers are also listed along with their songs. This story is an interesting way to learn about British hymn writers.

     This story is available as a download (currently $8.79) from Christian Liberty Press or as a print version. Christian Liberty Press has many other resources including their Nature Readers which all of my children have enjoyed reading.

     We received a download of this e-book at no cost to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. See what other crew members shared in their reviews here.

GREEN CLEAN LINK-UP

<a href="http://glimpseofourlife.blogspot.com/search/label/GREEN%20CLEAN%20LINK-UP " target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV39hXHS4oExjGAti1aiT12xdK0IxQkRIq_7-E5d9SmpSw1TJlDqIfcuXVp_i2ZZb9SZGb42Y4UbP5Uy4fG142OpMa5wVxhCEO1_tjI2mIkXPHjQfpKthmbER6Yrz2wlq7d0yrtR7FhjHm/s250/Green+Clean+Link-up+(1).jpg " /></a><br />

     Have you tried any of the tips from last week? Share in the comments a tip that has worked for you. And be sure to come back every week for some new ideas to try. Link up your blog posts about cleaning.

     Lorin of Dazzles and Doodles Design made my button above. Isn't it cute? Grab the code and share it! Visit her on Facebook, ask about her $1 sale, and tell her Jennifer at glimpse of our life sent you there. 

scared

     Powpow's dog ran in the door lightning fast when he got scared during the storm. After we tried to coax him out from behind Powpow's chair he went further into hiding- behind the fireplace insert!