When Calls the Heart Season 2 and {A Giveaway}

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I am so excited about today’s When Calls the Heart season two promotion. When I found out I was chosen for this opportunity, I had to call my sister to get caught up on all the gossip of Coal Valley since we no longer have access to the Hallmark Channel. Just maybe the Hallmark Channel will do something about that for us Roku box users in the near future.



Last week, I previewed the first two episodes of the second season and all I can say is “oh my goodness”. The new season picks up with the court proceedings about the explosion in the coal mine and Jack experiences Elizabeth’s high society-family life. Since I have a hard time with keeping secrets, I’m not going to tell anything except there is LOVE, DRAMA, and TWISTS AND TURNS that you will not be expecting in the new season.

The two-hour season premier is THIS Saturday, April 25th, so set your clock (8:00 est) and/or DVR; you don't want to miss the When Calls the Heart season 2 premier.

Are you on Facebook? When Calls the Heart has their very own fan page and you can even connect with other WCTH Hearties in the Facebook group.

If you're on Twitter, you'll want to follow When Calls the Heart.

Now, for the awesome part - THE GIVEAWAY! Word Films is graciously providing one of you a complete set of When Calls the Heart Season 1 on DVD; the whole first season for you to watch at your leisure. The giveaway is open to US and Canada only.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and then click on the Rafflecopter app to get your comment counted; that’s it because I hate jumping through hoops for giveaways.



If you missed out on this giveaway, you can purchase your own copy of (aff link) When Calls the Heart DVD set.
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Apologia Around the World in 180 Days Review

The first time I read, “It’s a student research program, no textbook reading”, I turned up my nose; the thought of my son having to search out answers for a list of questions just did not appeal to me. Of course, that was several years ago and my son was not at the level where he could explore a subject on his own and really learn. He is now at a point where studying and researching on his own is more favorable than mom teaching, so he is really enjoying this study.

Apologia Around the World in 180 Days Review

~This post contains affiliate links~

Apologia Around the World in 180 Days is a “research” World History/Geography curriculum. There are no tests or quizzes; in fact there are no lesson plans. The absent lesson plans was the biggest hindrance for me when researching this curriculum. I love to have things laid out for me, or at least have some idea of what I will be up against. (I’ll share more about lesson plans further down.)  As for the tests and quizzes, you could definitely make your own. Another thing, I would have liked to have found in the student workbook – maps. There are no map outlines, so you'll have to either purchase a book or download them from off the internet.

Resources: While Sherrie Payne lists several options for textbooks to use as a spine for extra learning, I have found that we have only used Abeka’s World History and Cultures one time in 18 weeks of school. Most of the reading and researching came from the internet. It is possible for students to get by without the textbook. Each continent has a resource page which includes books of interest, missionaries to read about, and other important people pertaining to the history and geography of that area. While, we have used many of the books listed, there are also videos that bring the area to life. Believe me when I say this, your library will be your best friend for this course.

Sections: There are five learning sections for each continent, except Antarctica which has three. The sections include: Geography, History, Religion, Culture, and Current Events.

In the geography section, you will find things to identify using the textbooks, other books or the internet. Defining of terms, and geography questions such as explaining the seasons in Australia, then there are map activities – labeling states, bodies of water, deserts and mountain ranges. Suggested activities are activities the parent assigns/student choose for further learning.  The history section includes defining of terms, study questions (telling who the prime minister is, or what the national capital is) and further research. The research activities get the student to researching a particular thing and then report on it. The religion section, students will research the beliefs, denominations, predominate religions. There is also a further research that covers missionaries.  The culture section, students will learn about items, foods, clothing, musical instruments, and recreation that pertain to a specific area.

Current Events are assigned weekly. There is a record sheet for recording where the news articles are found. Honestly, we're not using this record sheet. My son types up his current events with the link to the article and a copy of the article is attached to it.

Many of the activities have a label according to grade level: [HS] high school, [UE/JH] upper elementary/ junior high. While much of what is being covered is basic information, I have added a little more research to deepen the learning for high school credit.

Now for lesson plans, back in the spring I began searching for clues from other families on this matter and I found a goldmine from Susan Bower. She took the book and the resource pages and came up with wonderful lesson plans that she is willing to share with other home educating families who will be using this curriculum. She even has included some wonderful links to interactive maps and videos. If you watch the linked videos, make sure you have a snack in hand, because you will be pulled in and find that a 5 minute video turned into an hour-long session. :)

Just remember this is not the kind of curriculum you can put in front of your third grade level student and expect them to know how to research the information. If you are using this book with younger students, you are going to have to do some work to help them learn. Depending on the capability of upper elementary students, you may have to help them. Junior high and high school level students should be able to handle the research for this book.

Something I have learned in the few weeks of using this curriculum...  Learning without an actual textbook is rewarding.  The freedom and excitement of researching a subject and learning from the actual research is beyond words.

Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker Review

I am so excited about the Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker! Yes, I paid for the ice cream maker, but I didn't pay full price for it. Here's a little story on how I saved a ton of money on mine. Back in the early spring, I began looking for an ice cream maker that didn't call for ice. I knew Kitchenaid made an attachment for my mixer, but knowing I am getting a new mixer for Christmas, I did not want to spend the money on the attachment.  I began searching on Amazon and stumbled over the  Cuisinart ICE- 20 Ice Cream Maker. After reading the reviews, I knew this was the maker for me.

This post contains affiliate links.

Since I wrote this post, Cuisinart has come out with an updated model of the ice cream maker.

The price at that time of my search was $90 and I knew I was not going to pay that for one.  I had SWAGBUCKS tucked away for a rainy day, but  I didn't have enough for a $90 ice cream maker, so I asked the Lord to give me one and He DID just that.

In June, a friend posted on Facebook that she had the exact ice cream maker for sale with it only being used once. I snapped it up! I couldn't resist since the savings was $75.  If you're like me and can't do math in your head, I paid $15 for it.

The ice cream maker has four parts. The base, which has the motor in it. There is a small compartment on the bottom to store the power cord. YAY! I love that little hide the cord hole. The bowl, this is where all the magic takes place; it is filled with a liquid that must be frozen for the machine to work.  I keep mine wrapped in several plastic grocery bags and stored in the big freezer for spur of the moment usage.  Again, this bowl MUST BE completely frozen. I have found that if it is not in the freezer for at least 24 hours, you won't have ice cream in any form other than a liquid. The paddle fits into a little notch at the bottom of the bowl.  The lid easily twists into place and has an opening at the top, for you to pour your liquid ingredients into. The one major factor notated in the instruction/recipe book is the machine has to be turned on before you pour the liquid into it.  I have found as soon as the liquid hits the bowl, it starts freezing, so you want to make sure your paddle is locked into place with the lid on and the motor running; like a get-away car :) .

Chilling the bowls before serving the ice cream helps in keeping the homemade goodness from turning into a liquid quickly. This ice cream is a soft serve type, but freezes very well.  Letting it sit on the counter for 2-5 minutes after pulling it out of the freezer will soften it up for you to stick your spoon in it.  You will have to transfer the ice cream to another bowl before placing it in the freezer.

Clean up is really easy! When I finish scraping the bowl with a spatula, I let it sit in an empty sink overnight so it can thaw before I run any water in it. The bowl IS NOT dishwasher safe.

Things to consider when using the ice cream maker :

• No ice or salt needed
• Bowl must be completely frozen
• All of your ingredients are cold before adding to the bowl
• Turn the maker on before adding the ingredients
• Chill serving bowls
• Non dishwasher safe

We are kinda picky about our ice cream, so we've used only two of the recipes in the book so far. One thing, I have found after making several batches using the recipes in the book, you DO NOT need all the cream some of the recipes call for. We don't care for the creamy, lip balmy feeling that we encountered with all the cream, so I cut the amount in half with no ill effects to the ice cream. While chocolate is the favorite of the other two, good old vanilla is always at the top of my list.

Do you have Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker or a different brand? I'd love to hear your experience or even some of your ice cream recipes. Leave me a comment below, Tweet me or visit me on Facebook.

Conversations from the Garden a Review and Giveaway

When I was asked to review {affiliate link} Conversations from the Garden: Forty Days to Build a Biblical Worldview by Marcia Harris Brim at Brimwood Press, I was excited. I knew I was not going to be disappointed since I've used other products from Brimwood Press.

 

Conversations from the Garden is based on Genesis chapters 1-3 and shows how everything throughout the scriptures are based on those chapters. Conversations is a Bible study guide, but without answers; you are going to have moments of thinking and conversations about each topic. While the recommended ages are for 10 and older, I believe many younger children will benefit from listening and conversing about the topics. It's never too early to start them out on a Biblical worldview.

The primary use of the book is for dinner table discussions or daily family devotions. However, it is written in a way where it can be used in Sunday schools, youth groups and Christian school classrooms. Don't be led to believe it is not for individual use, because it could very easily be used as a personal Bible study.

Some of the questions you will find in the book are:

• What does looking at the world teach us about what God is like?
• From the creation story, how do you know God is good?
• Who did God the Father relate to before He made Adam and Eve and the angels?
• Does history provide evidence that Satan is man's bitter enemy?
• Can you imagine Adam and Eve’s joy to touch the hand of their savior, to see Him face to face, to be free forever from Satan’s grasp?

You can read about why Conversations in the Garden was written HERE. There are now SAMPLE PAGES for this book on the website. I have also been told about a new PARENT GUIDE coming in October.

For my readers, I'm giving one of you my copy of Conversations from the Garden. There’s no hoop to jump through for this give away, all you need to do is leave me a comment about why you would like this book. I’ll choose the winner at noon (MT) on Friday, September 5th. Click the ENTER TO WIN button on the Rafflecopter app after you leave your comment.

*****NOW CLOSED*****

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Psst... have you liked Frog's Lilypad's FACEBOOK PAGE? If not, what are you waiting for?

Bluebonnet Bride - A Book Review

the post contains affiliate links

At the turn of the 20th century, Elli Korpela boards The Baltic with hundreds of eager women, all seeking new beginnings and brighter futures in America . . . as mail order brides.

Escaping a forced engagement, Elli seeks refuge in a faraway marriage, desperately needing her new life with a Texan named Nathan White to be safer than the one she left behind in Finland. And as she glimpses her future husband and his darling niece at the train station, she instantly knows her risk will prove the best decision she's ever made.

Until he became the guardian of four-year-old Hannah, Nathan White never took an interest in marriage, arranging a mail order wife to simply love and care for his orphaned niece. That is, he never took an interest until he laid eyes on the beautiful Elli Korpela.

After a fairy tale ceremony in the gardens of the grandest estate Elli's ever seen, a place called Butterfly Palace, their peaceful beginning takes a disquieting turn as an intruder brutally attacks Elli in the middle of the night. Nathan intervenes, but the devil escapes unidentified, leaving Elli to face two chilling possibilities: either the attack was arranged by strike workers in Nathan's employ or her shadowy past followed her into the present – and across the sea.

As the danger mounts, Elli and Nathan must face their enemy together, fighting to stay alive – and fighting to stay man and wife.

I love Colleen Coble's writing, her books are usually not a disappointment to me. Bluebonnet Bride is a short, fast pace story. Anything "mail order bride" related always grabs my attention. Since this was a short story, I didn't feel like I could "get to know" the characters and enjoy learning more about them before the end of the book. Bluebonnet Bride is the sequel to The Butterfly Palace but it can stand alone.

If you are looking for a good, quick read then Bluebonnet Bride is a good book to read.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


You can buy your own copy here.

Bluebonnet Bride: A Butterfly Palace Short Story - eBook By Colleen Coble / Thomas Nelson

Brimwood Press Worldview Curriculum Review

We live in an age where we meet people of ALL WALKS OF LIFE all the time. People in general can be different in their way of thinking more than we really want to admit sometimes and it can be hard to understand why they believe the way they do.

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When I was asked to review a Worldview curriculum by Brimwood Press, I was very excited because this is something I was planning on teaching in the fall. One thing I noticed quickly about A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview way before I even received my package (I came across this from just reading the website) it is not strictly a Christian curriculum book. There are Christian leanings but it is an overall NEUTRAL worldview. That means other religions could feel at ease in choosing this book to study worldview from their point of view. These books are written for children between the fifth and eighth grade ages.

In the Worldview bundle I received:

A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview

Secret of the Scribe

Christian Theology and Ancient Polytheism

A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview
In four lessons, students and their families gain a solid working understanding of what worldview is, how it impacts culture and history, and its importance to their lives personally. Rather than studying individual belief systems, the guide helps students understand the basic beliefs of four worldview families. Contained within each family is a variety of specific religions and philosophies. Through learning about worldview families, specific religions and philosophies can be understood in light of their "family resemblances". 

This is where we started; we learned what a worldview is and how it influences our culture and our past. Our worldview affects our daily life and how we accept the challenges we face each day. This is a four lesson study, so you can finish up within a week or divide the lessons up between a couple of weeks, like I did. Each lesson consists of the “teaching” section, hands on activity section and a table talk section, which is extremely neat so families as a whole can join in on the learning whether they are there for the actual learning time or not.

This is a wonderful hands on approach and the book comes with the boxes and paper that is needed.

Secret of the Scribe

Born to a slave woman in the palace of a Sumerian queen, Tabni is raised amid splendor far beyond her lowly status. But when disaster strikes, she is thrust alone into a harsh world and forced to rely on the one possession she cannot lose – the ability to write. Struggling to survive, Tabni makes a daring choice that threatens to turn all the gods in heaven and earth against her. It is only a matter of time until the gods unleash their fury and exact vengeance.

This is a wonderful historical fiction book. It is written in the first person and Tabni draws you in, very quickly. It is the companion book to Christian Theology and Ancient Polytheism.

Christian Theology and Ancient Polytheism

Christian Theology and Ancient Polytheism (CTAP) is a nine month curriculum that compares and contrasts ancient Near Eastern myths with Old Testament stories to teach Christian theology. Through this in-depth study of the ancient struggle with idolatry, students gain a compelling view of the uniqueness, coherence, and beauty of the Christian faith. The student is engaged in a journey that reveals just where the ideas of ancient polytheism and Christian monotheism lead. Along the way, they will discover that the misconceptions and temptations of the ancients have profound relevance for youth of the twenty-first century.

CTAP enables young people to grasp the grand narrative of God's Word and to recognize its central plot, characters and themes. This literary approach combined with the method of comparison and contrast cultivates higher level thinking skills and gives students a rudder with which to navigate the sea of competing ideas.

CTAP is the Christian reader's guide to Secret of the Scribe and contrasts the worldview of both the novel and its historical setting (ancient Mesopotamia) with Christianity. As a comparative theology arising out of a historical narrative, CTAP facilitates explanation of Christian belief within a setting that shows the student why these beliefs matter.

CTAP has twenty five lessons; each lesson can take 2-3 days to complete depending on your schedule. Each lesson has a different “subject” that is explained along with discussion questions pertaining to the subject. Most chapters have a section that asks you to READ Bible scripture and answer questions regarding the scriptures. I love, love, love the idea of being able to take the Bible and show Jamie this is why we believe what we do.

We are at an area where we are taking a summer break from this curriculum, but I can’t wait to jump back in, come August.

I received this curriculum bundle to review in return for my honest opinion and the links are affiliate links which will cost you nothing if you choose to make a purchase.

ScriptureTyper a Review

To help with Bible memorization. We use ScriptureTyper.

We've been using THIS method of Bible verse memorization for a good while now and love it. It's easy to use without spending a lot of time memorizing.  To take it up a notch, I found ScriptureTyper several months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed using their system.

ScriptureTyper accelerates memorization by utilizing both visual AND kinesthetic memory.

Tap into your kinesthetic memory which combines your sense of touch and your innate ability to remember patterns and feelings.

Combine touch typing with Bible memory and feel the patterns of the scripture as you type them so that you memorize faster, increase retention, and enhance your capacity to memorize verses.

This wonderful website, has two options you can use ~ their collections (over 60) of verses or you can add your own verse. There are several versions of the Bible in the system, so you can choose which is best for you. You'll find these under your profile settings.

A really neat thing about ScriptureTyper, they keep up with your words per minute when you type. This is a neat function that would be great for beginner typists. Instead of buying a program for typing, Bible verses are amazing to learn to type to.  I use it with Jamie and he can see his wpm when he is finished typing.

If typing is not your thing, then you have an option to printing off verse cards to use in memorization.

With ST, you can join groups or start a group for your church or community. There are quite a few across the country and even in a few other countries.

When it comes to memorizing Bible verses, I work to memorize them, so they will stay with me. I'm not competitive, nor do I really care what others are doing when it comes to memorizing the Bible. But if you are one who likes this sort of thing, then you'll be happy to know when you master a verse you are given points. Those points will rank you among the other users.

ScriptureTyper has several videos on how to get started with their site, but truthfully, it so easy you may not even need them.There is even an app for the iphone and is working on one for the android. They are hoping to release the android app before the end of the year.

The best part about ScriptureTyper, it is a free service.

** I did not receive anything for this review. ScriptureTyper is a service I have found useful in our home and wanted to share it with you all.**

All American History

I'm not sure how much my love for HISTORY shows, but I have an abundance of love for the subject. Whether it is Biblical, World, United States or even Family history, there is always something you can learn from it. We all know the statement about history repeating itself and some of us have seen it happen in our lifetime while many of us have read about it in the history books. Studying history is a necessity.

This post contains affiliate links.

Last summer when I was deciding on a history curriculum for this year, I knew I wanted to do a year long American history study. There are several Christian based home school curricula on the market and after I read review on top of review, I decided on All American History. With AAH, you have two volumes; perfect for two years and depending on how you use the books, maybe more. During our homeschooling years, we used both volumes.

Volume 1 The Explorers to the Jacksonians.


Volume 2 The Civil War to the 21st Centrury

There are three books that make up All American History for each volume. 

1. The Teacher's Guide ~ In this book you will find everything you need to make this a fun study. Activities based on what is being studied, games, answer keys, master copies of images and the student worksheets, and of course the book lists. These lists has been more valuable than gold to me this year. Because of these lists, we have been able to read some amazing books we probably would have missed without the lists. For each lesson you will also find  some incredible information on certain subjects that is a little more detailed than in the reader. 

2. The Student Reader ~  The book is not written like many history books ~ facts on top of facts needing to be memorized. The book is more like a story book; and that's a good thing.

There are 32 weeks of lessons in the book with some lessons being a little longer than others; those lessons can be studied longer than a week. This is something that we have done this year. Each lesson is broken down into three sections: the atmosphere, which is the setting of the events that took place; the event, the when, where and how that took place; the impact, a short run-down of major happenings in the chapter.

Within the first two weeks, I realized there was a good bit of bouncing around through the atmosphere and event sections. Because of this there was some confusion with the explorers in those chapters. I did a little more planning to keep this from happening throughout the year by using sticky note flags in these sections to be able  to read only the atmosphere and impact of the one person/place at a time.  Clear as mud?  :)

3. The Student Workbook ~ It's a must! In this consumable book you will find notebooking style worksheets, review pages ( I used these as quizzes) maps, photos of historical people, and flags. There are also some additional, optional worksheets for students to use to help further their studies.  I had my binding cut and placed the book in a three ring binder for easy removal.

As I mentioned earlier, the bouncing around and confusion in the atmosphere and event sections; that is the only thing I disliked about the reader but it can be easily remedied if you plan ahead.  I love, love, love this curriculum; it is a fantastic, in depth study and put together set of books.  You have everything you need at your finger tips.  I can't wait for the fall so we can begin working on Volume 2.

For the younger lovers of history there is an All American History, Junior. From what I've read it is not quite as detailed as the regular volumes.