It's Been Awhile and Brain Dump

Zman

             
It's been awhile. I've thought about this blog from time to time but only in a small way time has been passing so quickly there really hasn't been time to sit and think of what I'd want to say and really the years have been unkind to me. I never wrote on the blog to be anything but open about our life and share it with friends and family. Later I started reviewing homeschool curriculum to see if there were any others I'd be interested in using but now I'm really comfortable with the method we use and don't need to do that any longer. We found out that Pumpkin now on here as Beany has autism and that's been an interesting road.  My little guy Zman is now 5 just this month wow!  So much.  Yet it really is just a blink of an eye.....

Really at this point I want to just dump here on this blog.  I want to just think out things even if it doesn't make a lot of sense to others and I still want to share about my family from this point on.  I don't mind if you want to come along with me or really if you aren't even here any more that's ok as well.  I'm going to journal.  So here it goes..

Zman

Monkey now called Mr. O

In my bullet journal this is what I'd call my brain dump page.  It's what I use when my brain gets filled up and I feel chaotic. I just start jotting things down and it frees up my mind again.  Right now I really need a brain dump.  I've experienced so much lately and its exhausting to constantly be thinking about it.  I don't know what you're supposed to do with feelings related to a hurricane though.  We had hurricane florence come through our area and months later we are still struggling in our towns and communities. I help distribute items to the people that others have donated. Sometimes I just drive through the hard hit areas and hand out food, blankets, coats, soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and so much more.  There's soaps for cleaning the mold and cheap mops so they can be tossed without guilt as the mold spreads.  I drive and hurt. It's almost like survivors guilt.  Our home remains intake with just a bit of shingle damage and a few pieces of siding that needed popped back on and aside from that our shed looks like a can open peeled it open and laid it out there is no hope for it.  While the storm raged we were first in tents in another state but as the rain and heat got us there with our four kids, two dogs, a cat, and a turtle we left for a camp in another state where they fed us like we were at church picnics every day and the beds were nice and dry.  The wind wasn't howling at our doors in the cabins and we slept well. We were there with my extended family and a couple other families.   As the days went on we found out two homes were damaged one being completely flooded of the other families. There were tears and hugs.  As emotions grew so did a bit of bickering in the camp and my mother ended up in the hospital for a few days suffering some sort of attack.  19 days after leaving home we returned.  It was surreal.  Tree limbs blocked my driveway and branches mounded up in my driveway a limb hung from the lines out front and power had been restored only a few days prior to my return. I looked around at the mess and the sea of blue tarps on the houses all over town and wanted to cry. I am not a crier I think it has something to do with being bullied for crying on the playground over my baby sister who passed just 15 hours after birth when I was 11.  I can't stand out of control emotions so although I felt like crying I couldn't.  What I could do is step up and help and so our organization got busy. We took in supplies and delivered supplies we coordinated rescues and more. I think of a few weeks ago as I brought my friend a coat for her daughter and some clothes I still had a few supplies from driving around handing them out and I gave them to her and we both were tearing up I tried to wave the tears down but couldn't her needs being so simple and her fight to get her home livable again after flooding half of the first floor is so huge that it breaks my heart. You just think why did it happen? Why not my house? Why am I struggling even though my house is ok? Why don't I have more to give? I need to do more.  These are my thoughts and I haven't even shifted to Floridas horror yet.  The more after a hurricane problems you hear about the more heartbreaking it is.  If you haven't been through one yet believe me there is so much going on and so many messed up things that it's hard not to want to run away but you have to keep going. You have to fix your home you're still paying for while trying to find somewhere elses to live and afford.  You have to find clothes and necessary items while paying for both places. You argue with insurances, FEMA, and counties.  You try to get payments deferred with companies some nice some not so nice.  There is so much going on....

Our evacuation camp kitchen

Evacuation camp hall

Evacuation camp hall with donations

Out the camp kitchens window so peaceful while inside I felt like a mess. 

Zman at the campgrounds when we were in the tent 

My brother playing guitar a guy from the local church loaned him

A local school to our camp made us this delicious stew 

Zman found an umbrella

Love the fall colors popping here and there 

Zman helped me peel apples for a camp lunch.

Someone donated a ton of tomatoes to the camp aren't they pretty?

Zman was given this umbrella and he was pretty happy

Zman

I went to California to say goodbye to my husbands cousin who passed away at 39 by colon cancer. My cousin also passed away because of colon cancer at 32. It's so sad.  Quick insert to say get your butt scoped it's not to early.  While there I began to get sick and I am still sick. I think when I sat on the plane that was it my body relaxed and the sickness settled in. I didn't do much while gone because my in laws live off the grid down a mountain dirt road on the side of a cliff off the grid. The smoke from the fires over there got to me as well. I kept thinking of all the people I should be helping right then as I sat there and as I continue to try to rest and get back to health.  How many needed me? How many need food or a coat? Here I sit.... but I remind myself that I can't do anything If I continue to decline and so here I am. I've watched holiday movies and soaked in more baths than I have maybe ever in my life before but it's felt good. It's felt good reconnecting to me. I finally feel today as though I'm on the mend. A few more days and I might be back out there of course Thanksgiving I'm supposed to be giving a brief speech to open a race and then hosting Thanksgiving for friends some new from the hurricane and some long time friends as well as family. It'll be a great day but I'll be thinking of those without and those alone. I'll be thinking of those in tents and campers who couldn't have a Turkey cooked and I'll want to be saving them I already am wanting to but I have to remember the ones coming to my house already need me and I'm doing what I can.

It's late and I'm tired.  I feel a bit better getting a few things off my chest and now I'm thinking about all the work that needs done in the next day to prep for Thanksgiving and my speech and my project for Saturday yikes.....  tomorrow I pray I wake with good health and lots of energy and I pray the same for you as well.

Pumpkin now called Beany and I.

Mommaraff

Review: Memoria Press Prima Latina

I have wanted to teach my boys Latin since I began homeschooling but I didn't know where to start.  Then I found the review from Memoria Press for the curriculum called Prima Latina and quickly signed up for it.  When I received the package in the mail I was actually quite surprised at how much comes with it.  There's a soft cover teachers manual, a soft cover student work book, an instructional DVD, pronunciation CD, and a ton of flashcards.

I began by looking through the teachers manual and just reading it for myself then I watched some lessons on the DVD and was quite impressed with how much they covered in just the first few lessons.  I only had my oldest, Mr. A, do the lessons and it was a little tough since he hasn't done any grammar work yet but not enough to cause a problem.  We have also started Classical Conversations and as we went through the book we found some similar things to our memory work like what a preposition does and the declensions.  It's so easy to use a lot of the words your learning in your everyday since they all watched the videos and thought it was fun they could all say some of the words.  With the flashcards I loved that they were the same size as our Classical Conversation memory work cards and so I could just add them to their memory rings (book binder rings) after hole punching them.  

I would have to say that the easiest part of the the program is the fact that with the DVD I don't have to try to read all the words and guess what they say or try to get my son to sit there listening to me dryly talk.  Leigh Lowe is the teacher in the DVDs and she was actually very interesting and easy to listen to.  She also repeated the words several times and gave the boys time to say it with her those times and then alone.

I loved that the curriculum is Christian and the boys learned some Latin prayers along with just the normal vocabulary.  It was quite a fun time to say are your ready to learn your Latin?  I will be looking for more of their books to extend the learning we have done.  I also want to get some new student workbooks for my other two boys so when they get ready they can go back over the books and video again.  

One thing that I didn't like is that the vocabulary for the day didn't have their own flashcards I'd really have liked to have flashcards for it all so that I could quickly refer to what we learned.  I would have liked the hellos to have one (hello to one person is salve and hello to more than one person in salvete.) they would have been easy reference for me and the boys.

If you couldn't tell I would definitely purchase this product and like I said I will be getting some more workbooks for the other two boys.  I think for the quality and productivity of the learning we received it would be well worth the price.  

The Prima Latina student book is $14.00

The teacher manual is $14.00

The Pronounciation CD is $4.95

The Instructional DVDS are $45.00

The copybook is $14.95

The flashcards are $14.95

The only thing in that list that I did not receive is the copybook.

Sincerely,

Mommaraff

If you'd like to see what others are saying about Memoria Press click here. 

Another Sad Trip

I've been talking for awhile about my family and how we are losing so many of them.  The first was my Grandpa on my mother's side.  It was just after Mr. A turned two weeks old so it was in 2004.  The second was my Uncle who was killed while on his motorcycle that was in 2007.  The third was my uncle who passed in 2010 and then was followed the next year by his daughter who passed of colon cancer she was 30.  This year my grandpa passed in fact it was just last Tuesday.  That's three deaths in three years alone.  It was my dad's father, brother, brother in-law, and niece.
                                                                   

My grandpa.

The hardest part has been the fact that we moved far from them when I was 15 almost 16 and could never afford to go back and visit so the only time we got to see any of them was when the came out to see us which we only ever saw my grandparents and a few of my aunts and uncles.  I didn't get to see my first uncle that passed since we left.  I saw my second uncle that passed when my first grandpa passed and then not again until he passed.  At that point I saw my cousin a couple of times and made a special run up to see her while she was in the hospital.  I got to play with her little ones and I thought she still had time.  I think I live in denial when it comes to my family but I really thought she'd be there.  Then I didn't go back for her funeral.  I got to see her before and that was enough for me. I spent many days sobbing though.  I kept thinking of my aunt and all that she had lost, I thought about my cousins and how they just lost their dad and sister, I thought about my cousins children and how they would not have their mother around and all the things she'd miss out on with her children that she should have had.  I thought about her husband and now doing it all alone and what the future might hold for him.  Maybe I should have gone but I was a mess and I could only imagine the mess that they were all feeling.

I wasn't ready for my grandpa to pass either.  I know he had been sick off and on with infections and other issues but I thought that this year was going to be a good one.  My great grandma is turning one hundred this July and we were all going to meet up for her birthday and have a family reunion.  Yes this year was going to be a good one and then I got the call.  I didn't cry just hung up the phone and then the questions came

I really thought maybe they could still save him and maybe he wasn't really gone but then I did cry and as the information of his passing reached me I realized that there hadn't been a way.  It was his time.

Time.  

That's an interesting word.  

There never seems to be enough of it. 

We always fool ourselves into thinking there will be.

We put off things until tomorrow because there will be more time tomorrow but there isn't.

Sometimes tomorrow doesn't come.

I'll always wish that I had more tomorrows with each of my family members. 

I'll always wish I had done more or contacted them more.

Saved more, traveled more, and just said more.

I didn't and I can't.

Can I change it all now?

I need to stop lying to myself and start changing it all.

There might not be a tomorrow and it can be that way for the youngest of us.

I can't wrap this all up in a neat bow and make everyone feel the way I feel

which is this desperate need for connectedness with my family

but I hope you at least think of all the family

you have and maybe the ones you've already said good bye to and maybe you'll want to forgive,

reach out, comfort, or just drop a note or flowers off to one of them.

Just remember your family forever no matter what and one day your

time with them will be over one way or the other

and what do you want your last memories of them to be?  

When do you want that last conversation to have been?

I want mine to have been recently.  

I want mine to have been in a happier or at least a time where I'm loving on them even in their struggles.

I want to be there even if it's just in a note or phone call.

And that's as neat as I can tie this all up

go out and live today.

Love,

Mommaraff. 

Review: Spanish For You! Estaciones

I reviewed Spanish for You!  Estaciones.  (if you click on Estaciones it will take you to a sample page)  It's for third through eighth grade and an easy introduction to 

Spanish.  I received a paperback teachers book and then downloadable audio files and pdf's.  

I am so thankful for the audio files since I know nothing about Spanish at all.  

One problem I noticed with the downloads is that they come in a jumble and I had to search through them to find what I needed for the lessons but the author has assured us that it's all taken care of now and easier to download too.

I actually used the audio with all three of my boys Pumpkin being only four had a little bit of a hard time but it was fun to hear him try to say them.  As for the writing and flashcards I used those primarily with my nine year old Mr. A.  We are actually going to go back over the book and start all over and I plan on making smaller flashcards and putting them on a book ring so I can throw them my bag and take them with me so we can review them on the go.

There is a ton of information in the book and the audio.  I would play the audio for the common phrases and read from the book what they meant and have the boys repeat them back to me.  We tried to use them through out the day but I had a hard time remembering them so when we go through the book again I'm going to use some little cards and stick the words around the house so we can remember to use them having the flashcards on the rings to bring with us will really help with that activity too.

Speaking of activities there are actually three pages in the teacher book with ideas of games and activities you can do.  A lot of the games need two or more players but that was okay because I played with my son and I needed the practice anyways.  I love being able to learn along side my children it's one of the joys of homeschooling.  Can I really speak Spanish right now?  Not really but it's more my fault than the books so that's the reason we are going through it yet again. 

There are five lessons for the third and fourth grades I focused on it lasts for about 27 weeks.  Each day takes about 10-30 minutes I think we took 15-20 minutes.  You can also just go at your own pace.  I really liked that the company was there for me if I had any questions or concerns which I actually didn't.  I would recommend it to my friends if they want a nice, easy, and affordable approach to Spanish.

The teacher book costs $64.95 for grades 3-8

and only $39.95 for just two grades like the 3-4 one.

Extra books are $12.95 each

There are teacher lesson plans you can buy the Estaciones one is coming soon but Feistas is already up and the cost from $14.95 to $12.95 and are only needed for classroom use.

You can purchase this and other products from Spanish for You! here.

Read other reviews from The Review Crew here

Surprise!

I've announced it every where but here now so here it goes We are Expecting!!!!

So I've known now for about a little over two weeks and we are

thinking that I am two months along

and we are in a 

state of shock. 

Yes we know how babies are made and such but we really didn't 

plan for this or expect it.

This will be our fourth baby and I'm honestly hoping for a girl because I have three boys

already and I'm a little over run lol.  Have you seen all

the cute girl clothes and the little headbands and bows not to mention the shoes.

The truth though is that I would take another boy willingly.

I have saved my sons clothing just in case and while looking through

it the other day I was imagining another little boy in them and I got a little excited.

You see with the shock it's been really hard to get on board with it

I've taken to talking about being a pregnant person more

often than I have before because I'm trying to get the idea of it all to stick.

'Hey the pregnant mom gets all the pickles off the burgers so lay off'  was what the

joke was yesterday as my two youngest handed up their pickles and Mr. A tried to eat them lol.  

The morning sickness right now is kicking my butt.  I hate feeling this way all day.

I've also started watching a one year old which I get between six thirty and seven in the morning until two thirty when we pick his five year old sister up from preschool

and then I take them home for about an hour and a half to two hours when their mom gets out of work 

and picks them up.

This along with the pregnancy tiredness is making me extra tired.  By the time the kids go home

I just crash out for a bit on the couch resting or I take a shower to recoup.

It's gotten easier since I started and I can't 

wait for the first trimester to be over so I can have my energy back.

The great thing is that the one year old is a really good kid.

He's so sweet and honestly quiet.

He does like me to hold him a lot so my cleaning really doesn't get done until weird random times 

but that's ok it's all a season right?

Well there you go now you know what's been going on with us here :)

after my first doctor's appointment I'll let you 

all know my due date and other information.  

Have a great day!

Love,

Mommaraff.

Review: Math Rider a Learning Game

I got a chance this month to review a learning game from Math Rider.  Mr A is still working on his addition and subtraction because he really needs to work on his speed.  When I saw this review come up I really thought it would help him pick up his speed and it worked!

Let me tell you more about the game.  You can actually sign up more than one user up to 8 on one license.  I have three signed up which is just myself, Mr. A, and Monkey but Monkey didn't try the game out because once I tried it I realized that he's just not ready for it.  The game works on the basic operations addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division for number 0-12.

We worked through the addition so that we could improve his speed in that.  Math Riders starts off with a story of a young boy who's mother is sick with the addition flu.  The only way to cure his mother is to go off to the math lands and get a flower that will make her better.  You go off on your horse to save your mother.  The math problems are actually jumps for the horse and each jump has a new problem on it.  You quickly type in the answer and hit enter (which is a little harder on a laptop than I thought it would be for a nine year old oops) It took Mr. A a little while to get used to the number locations so at first I thought it wouldn't work out but then the more he tried it the better he got and his speed increased.  After you finish the first round of questions you get to see the map progression.  After several rounds you get to the flower and pop back to your own home where you heal your mother but wait that's not it.  You didn't get the master flower so you need to go back or she could get sick again.  The point is to get to the mastery level of addition with your timing and practice then your mother will be healed for good.

Aside from the fact that I love the fact that it increases speed my favorite part of the game is that it tracks the information.  So I signed into Mr. A's account and I clicked on statistics at the top you click with operation you want to look under so I click on addition and right there it shows me how well he knows the different problems.  It really was good information for me.  It also shows me where he was when he started out and where he is now.  There is also a colored area where it shows me his mastery level.  

Okay so this is where I have to admit that I also played the game (bet you guessed that since I said I made myself an account lol) anyways I tried it out and honestly I started out with addition too and I really needed to work on my timing.  It was fun though and much better than going through flashcards for sure!

The age group for the game is second through sixth or 6-12 years old.  It does not require an Internet connection for playing.

Here is the link where you can see if you have the system requirements.

Click here to read more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Love,

Mommaraff

Review: Leadership Garden Legacy

I got a chance to review for Leadership Garden Legacy I was given two sets to look through

but I primarily used the childrens' book called U.N.I.Q.U.E. Kids: Growing My Leadership Garden.  

With it came a book, pdf download of the accompanying activity guide and two audio files of the book being 

read to the children.  I didn't actually use the audio files while working through 

the book with my children but I did listen to it afterwards so I could tell you about it.

During the review period I actually read the book aloud to the three boys which made it easy

for me to stop and explain the new concepts and answer any questions that came up as we read.

I also didn't use the writing pages in the children's activity guide because I only have one child old enough to write and he hates it.  I really wanted him to enjoy the book and focus on the lessons not on the 

fact that he'd have to write afterwards so we answered all the questions out loud together.  I must say though

that the voice on the audio is very pleasant and I really enjoyed listening to it and will

probably play it for the kids during quiet time since they enjoy the story so much.

Well now that I have given you all that information let me tell you what the actual product is all about!

The book is written for ages 5-12 but I read it to all three of my sons the youngest being 4 and they all 

enjoyed it.  I could see that my youngest didn't get as much from it but I think he did still learn some and he

really enjoyed listening to the story.  The story is about a sheep named Hugh that wanders onto a farm that just happens to be the Leadership Garden.  He meets the farmers and lots of different animals that all help him on his way to growing his leader within and to take out all the weeds in his life.  

He learns that he gets to choose how he responds to things and to pick what kinds of things he wants to

grow in his Leadership Garden.  There was so much information given that you really need to take 

the time to go over it so that your children really have the time to let it sink in and 

really help them learn it.

The activities in the activity book really went along well with the book.  You even make the same graph as Hugh does in the book to learn if you are balanced or out of balance in your life.  When you fill it

out you color code it and it's very obvious where you are out of sync.

The questions really made me think and my children gave some really good answers sometimes the questions

were a bit much and they didn't know how to answer but after I would do some more explaining

or give them an example myself they would then be able to answer most of them.

I did use the adult book too.  It's called U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within.  I didn't enjoy it as much as I did reading the children's one to them but I did work through the workbook that came with it.  

It had a lot more questions and things to work out then the children had (as it should since it's for adults!). 

This is also something that you really needed time to work through.  The questions

were so involved that I had to sometimes take a few days to think through the answer.

It really pushes you to realize what you think of yourself and what are the leadership seeds your growing and what weeds your allowing to grow.  It also empowers you to realize that you are in charge of how you react to things in life and how you see yourself and others see you.

I really appreciated the prologue to the adult book where the author Debra J. Slover, tells us about herself and the struggles she went through in her life.  It really makes her a real person to me and not

just someone who has it all together and is trying to tell me how to be her.  

Okay so now some more information on the books namely the prices and a special offer!

U.N.I.Q.U.E Kids: Growing my Leadership Garden costs $18.95 but you could also download 

it for $.8.95

U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within also costs $18.95

The kids activity guide is $8.95

The mp3 dowload is $8.95 but you can also get them on cd's for $18.95

This is the special offer!  Make sure you see that the offer ends on May 31, 2013!

Leadership Garden Legacy is offering the TOS Community a “Spring Special Discount” of 20% on all our Empowerment Tools. This is in addition to our already discounted Tool Kit bundles.
 
To receive your discount, enter the discount code: TOS-SS20D upon checkout. This is a limited time offer and the code will expire on May 31, 2013.

Preview the bundled Tool Kit Discount options at:
http://www.leadershipgardenlegacy.com/catalog/tool-bundle
 
Preview all product tools at:
http://www.leadershipgardenlegacy.com/store
 
Visit the Leadership Garden Legacy to learn more at:
http://www.leadershipgardenlegacy.com
 
With the bundle price of the Family Empowerment Tool Kit and the TOS extra 20% discount this is a $28.70 TOS savings off the retail price of the products. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this review!  If you'd like to read more please visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew here

Love,

Mommaraff

Review: Supercharged Science!!

Mr. A has a favorite subject I'm sure I've talked about it before but if you don't remember what it is

it's science!  A review for an online science program came up called Supercharged Science and I 

got it.  To start off you really need to watch the start up video and do some reading and looking around on the website to understand how to use it.  I don't want that to sound daunting but it really does help because there is a lot on the site.

I keep saying it for all my reviews this month but again we had the flu so pictures are not included.

The good news is even I am just about well again yay! 

So right away on the home page for e-Science before you even get to the lessons there's a latest news section where you will find a couple of articles that have experiments in them.  Next to the news section is the parent resources and right now there's a game available on there called Space-opoly.  Space-opoly is a game about space that is just like Monopoly and looks like a lot of fun.  Below that there are two more sections one is where you'll find the syllabus and schedule and the outreach program where you can earn e-science for free by telling others about the program you'll have to go there to read more about that.  You can see those sections in the picture up above.

At the top of the page there are tabs for the different pages if you click on Topics it takes you to the study units.  There are up to 19 units available right now with the 20th coming soon.  There is also a section for the Scientific Method, award winning science projects, mathemagic, and a section where you can learn about their science e-camp.  I did tell you there was a lot on here!

So how did we use the program?  Well I had all three boys sit down at my computer and played the video from the unit we were learning and then we listened in to the teleclass.  My boys heard about the science notebooks so they ran off and got some notebooks off our shelves and started drawing from what Aurora (the owner of Supercharged Science and teacher) talked about.  Even Pumpkin got involved...for a time.

He didn't last very long honestly during the second unit he just didn't want to participate any more and if I tried he just distracted his brothers (hey he's four right?)

Mr A and Monkey loved to listen in though and yell out answers when Aurora asked questions and do the little 'experiments' that she had them do during their teleclass.  Checking out gravity on how it pulls us and every thing back down to the earth was quite fun for them.  What boy doesn't like dropping things?  The boys were also really excited about magnetic cereal!  How cool we did not know that!  There were several more experiments and some pages to read like the one on Newton's laws.  After you do the reading and the experiments there are exercise pages where you and your child can see what and how much they learned from the unit.  If you need the answers though there is a button for the answers so you can check your answers.

I would pick out a favorite part but honestly my boys really enjoyed listening to Aurora teach when she talks it feels like she is right there and she talks well but on their level so it's not to complicated.  They really enjoyed the experiments and even journaling which I thought they would never do since Mr. A hates writing but he mostly used it to draw out what he liked from the lessons.

Another bonus to the site is the tab at the top of the screen that says shopping lists and you can pick what unit your on and see what you'll need or what you have already on hand.  I had a lot on hand but there was also a lot that we needed to get with some of the experiments.

My overall opinion is that it's really a worthwhile program it's $37 a month for the K-8 and $57 for the K-12 program.  You do need a good internet connection to watch the videos. It starts out with a limited number of units and you get one or two more a month as you go through the lessons.  Click on this link to go see the pricing for yourself and get some of your questions answered that you might have about the program and what's included  Get started .  One more thing I love how accessible Aurora is.  She will answer any of your questions and she's there commenting with you on the site.  I just love that she's really involved.  She also really seems to care and love to teach the children.  (Ok that was more than one thing lol)

To read some more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew click here.

I hope you enjoyed this review I really enjoyed the program and the chance to use it!

Love,

 Mommaraff

Review: Through Stress and Strain

A picture of the book we read.

Salem Ridge Press offered up a few books for review and I chose one called Through Stress and Strain A Story of the Huguenot Persecution.  The book is for ages 8-adult but I read it aloud to my three boys

and although it was hard at times for them to understand since it is an older Victorian book first published       in 1887, they really enjoyed it.  It starts in the year 1666 when a family of Huguenot's (which are French Christians) finds out that their oldest son has been taken away to live in a convent where he will

be taught the King's religion which is Roman Catholicism.  To the Huguenots this 

seemed worse then the news of their sons death would have been.  I don't want to give away to much

but I will say that the books goes on to show the persecution that the Huguenots had to 

endure under the King's laws including and maybe mostly the loss of their children to the convents if they even so much as seemed interested to hear what the King's religion was.  Once they said they wanted to know what the religion was they were considered Catholic and not allowed to ever leave the faith.  Some families lost their only child and some lost several of their children.  This was very disheartening to the people of the simple faith who wanted nothing more than to worship God as they saw fit.  My boys were so sad when the son was taken away and to hear of the trials that they were facing.  

Every now and again I'd have to stop and reiterate what I had just read to make sure that they were

understanding what had just happened since it had political talk and a lot of bigger words in it.

I really loved that at the bottom of the pages there was a definition for a  lot of the bigger words sometimes it was a French word or term that was described and it really helped even me understand what somethings were.

Here is a picture of the pages the print is larger and you can see at the bottom where they put the definitions

My favorite part of the book is the talk about God and their love for him.
At times I was a more than put off by the Roman Catholic church and I wondered how
Catholic people might feel about the book but it is a part of their history and so must
understand that.  My second favorite part of it is that there wasn't anything that I had to
keep out.  It was very clean and tasteful, free from any twaddle (Charlotte Mason word for books
that are just full of junk and are not good reading I'm sure there's a better description out there for it).
I felt while reading it that I was really reading something worthwhile to my boys and that they
could really learn a lot not only about religions and our history but better vocabulary and honestly a better way of writing in general.  People back then were not dumbed down as they are today and
they could read books with this type of language without it being a problem.  I love that we can
revisit that type of writing.  I think we might even revisit the vocabulary words
and add them to our list to learn.  Some of the French ones we probably won't go
back over but the other's would be fun to hear my children say in normal conversations.  We read the book a chapter a day sometimes a bit less if their attention spans were not with it that day.  It was perfect
because having the flu was so tough on us and we had something good to read together but that was short enough that we didn't have to rush through it.

I really want to read some of the other books that were offered up.  After reading this one it
really gives me hope in the others.  When I finished reading this book with my boys
they all agreed that they really liked it.  You can purchase this book for $12.95 in softcover or $22.95 in hardcover.  There was 149 pages and the print was a nice size not huge but not small either making it easy for my 8 year old to read it on his own which he did several times.  We are going to be finishing up this lesson on Huguenots with a search of more information on the internet.  I plan to use this book as a launch into history during this time period how
useful to have this story and see into their lives before we dive in.

You can read more review from the Schoolhouse Crew of either this book or the others one that were offered up, here.

Beautiful Weather and More

Since we have been down with Influenza for the last month and

 haven't even really left the house, it's been really nice to have 

the great weather the last few days.  

The boys have been outside so much and at first it took me a bit to 

push them out there but now they beg to go out

so I'm very happy with that.

I think we need a bigger sandbox lol!

Pumpkin's favorite thing is his sandbox in the backyard. 

The other two will swing for the whole time and there's Pumpkin in the sandbox.

He's also the one that gets the most excited when we go

to the beach.

Just before we got sick Mr A had a Scout camp that we attended and here are 

some pictures from that.

Monkey watching the fire

Pumpkin getting Kool-Aid

Monkey still by the fire

I'm being beckoned over.

Some camp sites.

Pumpkin really wants to go into the tents

They are over there cooking

Mr. A making pancakes an a tin can

The pancakes are looking good.

Now for the taste test yum!

Mr A by the fire.

Some of the boys crossed over into Boy Scouts.

The moon

and then I zoomed in on it so beautiful

And now for some photos of my parents house all finished.  

My mom's curtains.

The flooring to the back wall.  I don't know why the wall looks dark yellow or tan

It's actually so pale of a yellow it almost looks white so that's a weird trick there.

The wood looking tiles.  We really love these.  The grout is actually black I think this 

is just another light trick.

The kitchen floor and the family dog.

The wood tiles again

My mom's boat she bought of Craigslist and loves.

The counter tops we made and the back splash

The downstairs bathroom.

Downstairs bathroom still

The stuff in the bathroom lol.

That's all I have for you now which is pretty much all I just need

to take some pictures of the upstairs bathrooms.

Yesterday we went to the park and stayed there for two hours

it was a lot of fun.

I have only one picture though because the park we went to isn't really picture friendly

unless your standing on top of your child so I leave you with

Monkey swinging dirty feet and all :) I guess his flip flops don't work on the swing

Mr A and Monkey kept kicking them off every time

they got on the swings.

Well the kids really want to start their school so they can head outside so have a beautiful day!

Love, 

Mommaraff.