Enjoying the Chaos

I am a slightly over protective Mom. Those of you who know me personally already know this. Those of you have read my blog for a while might have guessed it. Since my four year old is not in a stroller (much) anymore it has been important to try to teach him to stay safe. Introducing Greene Bark Press and the book Little J and I reviewed together Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again . Let me tell you a little about Greene Bark Press . Greene Bark Press is a family owned publishing company based in Pennsylvania. They are devoted to publishing books that are original, colorful, imaginative, and have some value to add to the growth and learning process of young readers.They also sell products from other companies who have the same values and ideals. Little J loved this book. He didn't take any convincing to read it with me. In fact it didn't take long at all and he was quoting little parts of the book especially the important message 'Look Left, Look Right, Look Le...

My husband and I are originally from England. We never attended an American High School. Now we homeschool our children. So when it comes to preparing my children for College here in the US we are quite clueless. I was recently given the chance to review a book from  College Prep Genius called  High School Prep Genius Price 29.95 - paperback The book was written by Jean and Judah Burk a mother and daughter team. Jean Burk is the author of College Prep Genius and has written articles about the SAT and PST/NMSQT, college prep and scholarship search techniques. She homeschooled both of her children. Judah Burk is the daughter of Jean Burk. She graduated summa cum laude from her University with a B.A. in mass communications and went on to receive a Master's Degree in international relations with a 4.0 in 2012. About the Book This book is designed to be used by the student to help them make choices that will ultimately prepare them to attend college. Each chapter...

We have been using ARTistic Pursuits for the last month or so. Jam has been using the 'Newly Expanded Edition' (Third Addition) Middle School Book One The Elements of Art and Composition. Jam was very excited to be the one to review this book. He LOVES to draw and I encourage it. So when this came up for review I jumped at the chance and Jam jumped too (literally). When the book arrived I quickly took it so I could become familiar with it before handing it over. I was very impressed with the layout - It is so easier when a book opens flat on the table (the binding allows perfectly for this.) The description (on the front cover) says 'A comprehensive Art Program Designed to Involve the Student in the Creative Process While Developing Observational Skills'. I can honestly say we have both enjoyed this book. I love that it features many famous and not so famous works of art in the lessons. There are 16 Units in the book each one...

I have been doing a lot of reading to little J this week. On Wednesday's we take Jam and Boo to their piano lessons and we get to spend one hour alone. It is a special time and I try to make sure he enjoys it. Sometimes we head to the 'Pirate park' - to pretend to be 'Pirates' (most Mothers of three year old boys will understand). However this last week we went to the library. Little J chose a huge pile of books and since it was raining we asked if we could sit in the back room and read. (We get a little too noisy to sit in the rocking chair in the children's section). His eye therapy makes it hard to sit still and read at the moment so a book has to really capture his attention. I thought I would share a few that we have read OVER and OVER this week. They are not in any particular order - however I will let you know I saved his FAVORITE for last. Press Here  by Herve Tullet I didn't know if he would like this one, but following the direct...

I was given a copy of the PDF book 'Take 5' from   Kaye Hagler  in PDF format to review from  Librarything . I was very interested in reading about her ideas for building 'Critical Thinking'. After reading through her introduction there are 182- ready to use templates which the author calls 'prompts' that are ready to use or modify to individual needs.  Here's a copy of the first one: act quickly In literature, the antagonist is often seen as the bad guy or villain. The antagonist, however, isn’t always a human being. It can be anything that creates conflict with the main character. If a character gets stranded in a snowstorm, the storm can be the antagonist. The antagonist could be a disease, a temptation, an opposing team, or even yourself! If it causes a problem, then it’s probably an antagonist. you are the hero in this story. As a hero, you must battle many forces. These are your antagonists. You have just scaled the wall of a castle. It se...

I was recently sent a copy of this book through the Library Thing  giveaway program.   Ox Cart Angel is a story of a young girl in the 1800's set in the Dakota Territory. Although at first this seems a very simple story it is full of examples of struggles and triumphs.  The book itself is well written and would be good for Adults or older children alike.  The book deals with topics like racism, loss of loved ones, and over coming adversity in a way that is very captivating. This book reminds us that life does not always end up being what we imagine or hope for, however we can endure and even enjoy the journey. A well told story that sets the stage for future adventures. This book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced.  The thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

Hogwash by Karma Wilson My three year old found this book at the library! He brought it to me and asked to check it out! (Yes he has his own library card) Talk about addictive!! This is by far his favorite book ever! I think I read it 10 times yesterday, not including the number of times he got his older brother and sister to read it! The humor, rhyme and excellent pictures make this a delightful fun read!! You can find it here  on Amazon. I am excited to check out other books written by Karma Wilson check out her website  here . Here is little Jam posing with our copy that has been checked out from our library for weeks I think I will have to buy our own copy soon.

We went to the library last week.... Jam ran off by himself to find 'Inkheart' ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkheart ) - but that's a different story!! Boo wanted help choosing a new chapter book.... Anyway so here's how it went... Mom   " Why don't we try 'The Boxcar Children' series." Boo    "Boxcar children .. sounds weird!" Mom  "I'll order the first one and you can try it." Boo     " But Mom, what's it about!" Mom   " Just wait and read it" .... Fast Forward 4 days ....(waiting for book and finishing current book) Last night... Boo "Mom 'The Boxcar Children' is AWESOME!" Phew!! I have just gone up a few pegs in the ability to recommend books!!! YEAH!!! Here's a link to the series list on wikipedia just in case anyone else has a 8 year old they want to keep reading this summer!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Boxcar_Children_novels Have a gre...