Six Days by Ken Ham: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Have you ever wondered why it matters if you believe God created the earth? Creation scientists argue it matters because it undermines biblical authority. When the authority of God’s Word is put into question from the very beginning of Genesis, questions arise about its validity throughout. Ken Ham‘s life mission is to show how science confirms rather than contradicts Scripture. His newest book, Six Days (from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing), delves into the damage done by compromise.
I’ve been studying and reading for the last two years about the origins of life and how we can reconcile the fossil record with the words given to us by divine inspiration in Genesis. I’ve attempted to learn as much as I could about as many views as possible from biblical creationists to atheistic evolutionists. I haven’t been trying to decide where my belief lies, but rather understand why each holds their different beliefs. Six Days is a great book to begin with to understand the perspective of creationists. 
I appreciated first that Ken Ham clarifies he and the Answers in Genesis ministries do not claim this is a salvation issue. Unfortunately many say this is true and it simply is not. What he does say is believing one must ignore Genesis in order to reconcile current scientific thought is dangerous because it can undermine belief in the gospel. Ham explains that since no one was around to observe biological evolution when referring to molecules evolving into new creatures, it is necessary to have faith in order to believe it.

In Six Days Ken Ham lays out the basic arguments for why believing the earth is young is a reasonable. This book also explains how the fossil record can be interpreted begins with your starting belief. Those who start without a belief in God will look for ways to explain our origins without Him. Interpretation of the fossil evidence will therefore be shaded by those lenses.

Six Days also explains how those within the church community who have relegated Genesis to mythology are undermining the authority of God’s Word and ultimately leading younger generations to doubt the credibility of Christ. I believe all young people who have grown up in the church go through a questioning period when they must define what they believe for themselves. This is not a bad thing, but when many have been taught the Bible cannot be trusted in one aspect is it any wonder they turn away from God and doubt He is who He says He is?

Ultimately Ken Ham is correct in that a belief in a young earth or old earth, evolution or divine creation does not determine your salvation. The intense and often hostile dialogue occurring currently between creationists and evolutionists leaves me wondering how to engage in a respectful dialogue where I can articulate why I can believe what I believe without being barraged with insults and treated as if I am uneducated. This book has gone a long way in helping me know how to do this.

Mere Christianity Critical Analysis Journal: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I remember reading The Chronicles of Narnia as a child and simply falling in love with this land of adventure and magic. When I was in college I discovered there was more to the man who wrote this delightful series and I learned of his deep faith in Christ as I read his autobiography. Two years into our marriage A Grief Observed comforted me after the loss of our first child to miscarriage. The Screwtape Letters has challenged me to recognize the very real nature of spiritual warfare. Now Mere Christianity is reminding me of the basics of my faith and challenging me to share those who do not believe. The writings of C.S. Lewis are classic, yet timely for every generation.

Although I thoroughly enjoy everything C.S. Lewis writes, he is deep, very deep. His writing has beautiful structure, but it is complicated, especially when I am years away from the collegiate world and I’m more likely to have Dr. Seuss in my hand than anything else. When I pick something like Mere Christianity up I need a little help sometimes. I’m thrilled to be able to review the Mere Christianity Critical Analysis Journal by Stacy Farrell. This is the type of resource I love when I’m studying on my own. It has helped guide me through the various chapters and I am getting much more out of it this for this reason.

I appreciate there are questions within this journal which fall into the many levels of Blooms Taxonomy. Having a background in education I see the unique value in this and appreciate the effort clearly made by the author to ask questions on many levels. My girls are young now, but I plan on using this journal once they reach middle school or high school. I think it will solidly benefit their learning experience and enable them to better understand what they are reading.

Something I found throughout this study is being challenged to truly own my faith. I grew up as a pastor’s daughter so the foundations of my faith were imparted to me from my earliest memories. I accepted Christ at a very young age, but I remember clearly the moment when I realized my faith was personal, not just something I inherited from my parents. At this point I began to seek a deeper relationship with my Savior. My Christian life became more than just a set of moral guidelines. It became a daily process of seeking obedience to Christ as the result of deep love and gratitude I felt from fully understanding all He sacrificed for me. The Journal has reminded me of these things and helped me recall some of those early moments when I was really discovering my faith as my own.

Mere Christianity started out as a series of radio broadcasts during World War II. I never knew that. Lewis was commissioned to bring a series of talks to the British people to encourage them in their time of discouragement during the war. The BBC says many came to Christ as a result of these talks. Lewis did everything he could to bring the basics of the Christian faith to the world and leave out all other denominational differences. In doing so he gave what we can think of as the bare bones of the Christian faith, what all believers can agree on as they debate. I love how the journal reflects this and stays right on target with the purpose behind the original radio talks. While ever reader will glean something different it is important they reach their own conclusions without an author bias.

My purpose in reading Mere Christianity is to strengthen my own faith as well as challenge myself more academically. As I said before you are more likely to find a picture book in my hand than much else at this stage in my life. While there is nothing wrong with this I want to grow intellectually as I teach my girls. C.S. Lewis is a great starting point for this!

I know you are all wondering when you can get your hands on this now! Well, you can’t until tomorrow night (1/16/14)…but there is a fabulous party to hang out at when it will go live! Tons of fabulous prizes will be given away and you can save on the journal with this coupon code as well! I hope to see you there! 

Girls of American History ~ Felicity: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Girls of American History

There are very few girls over the age of five living in America who are not aware of the American Girl collection. When I was a little girl I looked forward to getting my Pleasant Company catalogs in the mail and one birthday I received Felicity, the doll I had dreamed about for so long! Felicity still graces our home and my husband sweetly expanded her wardrobe for Christmas one year.

My girls are now at an age where they not only love the dolls they appreciate the stories which go along with them. It is the perfect opportunity to begin teaching unit studies and I was blessed with the opportunity to review a unit from the Girls of American History created by Justine Gamble which incorporates a multisensory approach to learning. Since we already own the Felicity series this was a great place to start. I love how each unit is structured in itself. You can choose to travel through history or simply pick the units you want to study. 
The Felicity study has been much fun for my girls. My oldest two especially enjoy our story time each day. Story time is something I have been making an effort to do more faithfully. Schooling three lovely ladies alongside working part-time has been a balancing act. There are lots of good things I’ve let slide and this has been an excellent way to bring reading aloud back to our day. Quite often the girls draw or color while I read and it is such a sweet time for us. The books are easy to finish in a week’s time and this is just the beginning of the fun!
Unlike traditional literature studies, there is not a question an answer guide for the books. As an English teacher I was surprised by this, but not disappointed in any way. The idea of these units is to engaged children in literature and history through active learning rather than passively answering questions. Student can create a lapbook as they study, there are excellent arts and crafts activity suggestions, and an extensive list of resources for further study on history, biographies, and geography. This is such a unit which allows you to go in any directions you want…or many directions at the same time! 
One of the suggested crafts was embroidering a bookmark. Rose already had a cross stitch pattern started which she continued on with. She has gotten quite good at this!

She also studied about George Washington as well I really how easily it is to add in more history with units likes this. The girls love history already which I attribute strongly to our use of living books. Seeing them excited to learn is every teacher’s dream. 
At the beginning of our unit we took a trip to Williamsburg with their grandparents. It was such a fun time and you can read more about our trip here! 
They all had colonial dresses and were simply adorable. My favorite part of the trip was the tea house. It was so very yummy and very interesting. Grace really loved this too. Since she is only 4 her interest was not as fully with me for the majority of the unit. However, experiencing history and some of the same activities has been excellent for her and a great start to planting seeds of historical interest for the future. 
After our trip the learning continued with more books and more activities! I usually stick to a prescribed curriculum, but it was a nice change of pace to let the girls explore things they found interesting on their own. Beth became very interested in colonial dress and has thoroughly enjoyed coloring in her book and reading about the different styles. Rose enjoyed learning to write with a quill pen and has written a handful of letters and poems using it. She now very much appreciates writing with a pencil! 
Each of these 12 units are intended to last 6 weeks, but they can be lengthened or shortened based on your needs or desires. I love the flexibility of this type of study and think we will look at some more of these to use over the summer. For anyone looking for unique unit studies this is a really good fit and I believe your children will be thoroughly engaged throughout our time with them! 
Disclaimer: I received the Girls of American History Felicity unit in exchange for my honest opinion and review of the product. I was not required to give a positive review. These opinions are my own. 

Week in Review: January 6-10

Grace-Filled Writer

Back at it again…

It is good to be back at routine, isn’t it? I enjoyed our break very much, but the girls were long overdue for some structure. Everything started back up this week, which made for a really busy start, but it was quite smoothe actually. You can read about our Christmas to see all we did!

While I was busy undecorating and redecorating Grace helped Daddy put together a rolling cart storage for me. I’ve always thought these looked great for crafting. My girls love to be given a bunch of supplies and creating whatever they are in the mood to do at the time. The school room isn’t set up for this type of creativity because of space issues and now they can roll their supplies to the kitchen table with ease.


Little Hands to Heaven: Off Week
I only have 2 more weeks to complete in this guide and I planned on squishing them into this week, but wouldn’t you know it, Grace came down with a cold and really wasn’t up to a lot of formal work. She really wasn’t all that sick, but she was incredibly tired and not in the mood to focus a whole lot until the end of the week.

On Thursday she finally asked to do some work. Her first request was the animal activity cards from our Fundanoodle sets. She loves these and so do I! They are really fun and I’ve seen firsthand how much they help her focus if we do them first.

I have quite a few file folder games I have put together for the girls to play alone or together from the dollar sales at Scholastic. Grace is now at the point where she can do a handful on her own and actually enjoy them. This one matches letters which are randomly placed on the board. While it isn’t anything fancy she really likes the activity and is good practice for letter recognition.

(You have to love a 4-year-old’s sense of style!)

After being away from our reading lessons for almost a month I wasn’t sure how our first one back would go. I love how well young minds retain information because she recalled most of the letter sounds on her own. She struggled with the one she learned most recently and after concentrating on it for a few seconds said in her chirpy little voice, “Mama, I don’t bemember that one.” After I reminded her she said, “Oh yeah…I actually did bemember that!” I have so enjoyed teaching reading this time around.

Here she is all ready to go out into the snow…of which we had none! We did experience a lot of cold, but no snow in our neck of the woods. I thought it was very cute how she bundled up in one sister’s hat, another sister’s scarf, and my boots to go play in the snow. Then I saw what “snow” she meant. She had taken Styrofoam out of my decoration boxes and crumbled it everywhere in the living room while I was teaching her sisters! Oy…

Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory: Unit 12

Beth has begun asking me, “Do we have to do school again today?” I’m grateful when I affirm that we do her answer is most always a cheerful, “Oh, okay Mommy! I just wondered.” Even though she asks she rarely complains about any of her work. We studied about Thanksgiving this week and she has really loved reading so in depth about the Pilgrims. I read how some families feel their children tire of the amount of time spent on this particular period of history, but neither of my daughter’s have expressed this. Rose frequently pipes up during our history readings with comments about what she remembers or a particular part she liked the first time around.

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain has been as much fun for Beth as it always is for me. I love this story and I’m really glad she does too. She does a great job at narrating what she reads although I don’t even ask her to very often! She just really enjoys telling me about her reading for the day. I’m sad we are done with this one, but I know her next book will be a lot of fun too! Just like her sister it seemed to be Christmas break which was the magical moment when she felt grown up to read other chapter books on her own. She’s been picking up just about everything she can get her hands on for her afternoon quiet time and voraciously reading it! Of course it did help for her Sunday School teacher to give her a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas. Each of the girls’ received one. It was such an incredibly thoughtful gift for our family!

She struggled a little bit more with her spelling words for this unit than she has, but they were much harder words. Since we use both All About Spelling and the Heart of Dakota spelling I’m not at all concerned. I know she will cover these words again and so we will move on and revisit them again later.

There are two areas which I add a little extra which isn’t included in the Heart of Dakota guide. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly feel the guides are full programs without any additions needed. My personal feeling, probably because of my background as an English teacher, is I like a bit more focus on creative writing and vocabulary. I have books from Scholastic for both areas which I do really like for these areas of language arts. She especially enjoys the word laddre vocabulary activities because they have a lot of riddles.

Preparing Hearts for His Glory: Unit 8 (1st half)

After some evaluation of how things were going for the 3 weeks of this guide we moved forward at full-speed I decided to go back to half-speed for the rest of this year. I think this slower pace fits where Rose is at the moment and is allowing both of us to enjoy the guide more fully. We are continuing with math and language arts at a full-pace speed, but all else is slowed down to half speed. Rose seemed to greatly enjoy history this week and it is good to see her excited rather than overwhelmed. Being at the young end of this guide I don’t mind at all as I am trying to learn to follow the needs of my children and not push forward simply because I want to get done.

Rose is incredibly mature when it comes to her understanding of the Word of God. I think many people think it is innately in her simply because she is a pastor’s daughter, but this simply isn’t true. Although we have always made Bible reading as a family a priority I believe Heart of Dakota has prepared her heart to be more tender towards understanding Scripture. It is so gentle, but so clear and guides children to become more spiritually mature. I’ve seen it before my own eyes and this one reason is why I can’t imagine using any other curriculum.

I informed her before our break that I would expect all of her work except spelling to be in cursive. She’s met the new standard without much complaint and I’m very pleased that after two years of cursive instruction her handwriting is quite lovely. She sometimes has to check how to write a letter, but this is becoming less frequent. We’ve also moved to doing all 5 vocabulary words for each unit instead of only 3.

Her creative writing is progressing well and I’m pleased with how well her thoughts are translating into writing. She does very well for her age and grade-level. This is an area I add in addition to what we do with Heart of Dakota as well. I have a harder time teaching her writing because I am used to working with older students so teaching the writing process from the beginning is a bit of a challenge at times. We’re working through it and I am learning as we move forward. I appreciate having experienced homeschool moms who are kind enough to help me through this process as well. I am looking at other writing programs but haven’t found anything I’m completely sold on yet.

Our first week back was full-force, but still a lot of fun! We ended the week with a fun day of play with a family of girls still on break from year-round school. Fun times!

I’d love to hear about your week!

Christmas in Review: 2013

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m a little late with this, but I decided to take a full break from blogging for the holiday.

Our Christmas was blessedly uneventful contrary to last year which was waaaaaay too eventful! Last year as a whole was too eventful and I must admit I have been eagerly awaiting 2014 and the feeling of a fresh start. I felt a wide range of emotions as we began the holiday season. What if we had another emergency? What if we received pain-filled news again? What if…what if…what if…

These emotions crept upon me, all cold and empty. The girls decorated on and I pretended all was well inside. As we shared stories of each ornament placed on the tree Rose reminded her two younger sisters why we do this thing we call Christmas. She told them the Christmas lights reminded us of Christ being the light of the world. She retold about the angel appearing before the shepherds with the birth announcement of our Savior. Her innocent truth-filled chatter reminded me to cling to the One whose birth we were celebrating. What a blessing my girls are to me!

We filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child…

Enjoyed box seats at a hockey game with Diego…

Watch some classic Christmas movies…

Celebrated with our church family at the annual Christmas dinner…

Played in my Christmas piano recital…
(This was the first time all three of my girls played!)
Learned how to ride these cool scooters…
Investigated an owl’s nest

Celebrated Christmas not once…
(Our house)

Not twice…
(Grandma and Grandpa’s House)

But three separate times!
(Grammy and Grampy’s House)



Made some awesome memories with cousins…

And celebrated the new year with these crazy kids…10 cousins in all!

What a difference from last year…what wonderful blessings…each moment more appreciated and special because of all God had done for us in this past year. 
God’s graciousness brought me to a new place in this season. I shed more tears than I normally do and felt more peace and healing. Each memory was cherished and in every moment I was fully present. 
God in the moment…God with us…Emmanuel

Parenting Cheat Sheets from Christianity Cove: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Parenting is hard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but there is so much more to parenting than I realized before actually becoming a parent. As a full-time teacher I mistakenly convinced myself parenting would be easier than maintaining discipline and order in my classroom. After all, they were my own. Boy was I ever wrong! The reason it is so difficult sometimes is because they are my own. I am concerned with more than just keeping them quiet for a certain period of time during the day. Their heart condition is more important to me than following my directions for any given task. There is just more involved. Parenting is even harder in our society of fast-paced, in-your-face multimedia. Sometimes we need a little help along the way and thankfully there are many resources available now to help. 
Mary-Kate Warner from Christianity Cove has compiled a simple to use resource for families called Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets. The name explains it all! Now when you have one of those moments when you don’t know how to respond, a quick reference guides are available for 27 different areas. Available in a printable e-book these can be kept handy as a hard copy or on your tablet. I printed these and keep them in a notebook in our schoolroom so I have them as a handy resource whenever I need them. 
I appreciate the many different categories. As I read through the list of what is included there are many which I wouldn’t have thought to include. I love how they can be used both in the moment of crisis as well as in advance as I disciple my girls. It is important to be able to address theses issues biblically at both times and these are incredibly helpful. 
I was blessed to be raised by Christian parents who strove to parent me biblically, but even with this great example there are moments when I feel at a loss in how to deal with a situation or to know what words to say which will speak Christ into their lives. These have been a great blessing to me for this reason. I know many parents who have stared their walk with Christ later on in their lives and think this an invaluable resource for them as well. I often find myself being challenged as I teach and train my girls. 
In addition to these everyday helps, Mary-Kate Warner has also compiled a holiday edition! These are a really neat way to focus on Christ no matter what the holiday is.  Some holidays are Christian in their origins anyway, but all celebrations can be used to point our children to the Savior. Each holiday includes Scripture to study as well as activities and projects to focus on during and leading up to the day. The 10 holidays included will give you new ways to focus on Christ throughout the year. 
I highly recommend this resource to parents looking for new ways to train their children in godly virtues and discipline with grace and love. You will find every moment you spend with Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets a blessing on your journey. 
Disclaimer: I received the Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets in return for my honest opinion and review. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Forgiveness: Booksneeze Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Forgiveness is hard whether you are extending it or receiving it. Forgiveness is one of the most difficult graces from God to respond to appropriately. We don’t feel others deserve it from us. We are hesitant to ask for forgiveness, especially when we don’t think we did anything wrong. We can’t imagine God actually giving it to us. We should feel blessed God knew this would be an issue and gave us so many verses to help us in Scripture. While I would encourage anyone to start with Scripture, sometimes hearing others’ stories of forgiveness is helpful.

Matthew West is known for beautiful music which speaks to the soul. Several years ago he asked for stories. He wanted to hear stories from real people about forgiveness. He has collected several of these stories in his book, Forgiveness. Each story is followed by thoughts from Matthew West about each story. I really appreciated these insights after each story.

It is divided into four sections: Forgiving Others, Asking Forgiveness, Forgiving Yourself, and Accepting God’s Forgiveness. I appreciate they are categorized this way because there are so many different facets to forgiveness. Matthew West’s responses are grounded in Scripture. He has spent significant time studying God’s Word as he gives incredible insight for each story presented.

This light read will get you thinking deeply. Although it is a short book it is not one to be read in one sitting. The way to get the most out of this is to read it thoughtfully one section at a time in order to let it rest in your heart and mind. Whether you feel you are struggling with forgiveness or just want to explore the theology behind it, this is an excelling devotional to get you started.

Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Stargazers Guide to the Night Sky from Master Books: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
I never liked science very much in school. I did when I was younger, but by the time I reached middle school and high school not so much. I’ve been wondering why recently and think it may have to do with the effort I felt it was taking to sort out what was factual and what was being based on evolutionary theory. I couldn’t tell whether what I was taught was actually based on observation because of how things were worded in my science books. The only teacher I knew I could trust was my AP Biology teacher my senior year because she told us from day one she was a Christian and did not believe evolutionary theory. Now, I’m working to remedy my apathy for all things science mostly because of my science-loving daughter!

While there are several groups who publish materials which are Creation based my favorite thus far is Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing. Not only are their books educationally and scientifically sound, they take time to make sure they are beautifully published and engaging to read. I now find science interesting where I once was turned off by it. The most recent book I had the opportunity to review was the The Stargazers Guide to the Night Sky. Wow! This book is jam packed with information and beautiful pictures.

I appreciate there is information for beginners as well as those more experienced. I’m certainly a beginner, but for those who already know a bit about the heavenly bodies will learn as well. The best part is that the purpose is reflected in the title. Lots of information is given, but everything relates back to observing the night sky. We know the stars are a revelation of the wonder of our Creator and understanding which is honoring to Him.

The moon one night while we were camping this summer

No matter what you are hoping to learn about astronomy, this is an excellent starting point. The moon is an excellent place for beginners to start and is fascinating for students of all ages. My girls love looking for the moon each night and have begun to realize it isn’t always in the same location. The chapter on the moon and sun explain a lot about the moon’s position and movement.

My favorite chapter so far is about the basics of using a telescope. I purchased a telescope for our homeschool over the summer and it wasn’t as easy to use as I’d anticipated! Although it was not a complicated telescope, I had no experience using one and needed some guidance. Thankfully we were all able to enjoy a beautiful view of the moon one evening when it finally stopped raining! We were also blessed that evening with an unobstructed view of the moon.

The hardest part about using a telescope is keeping it focused for all three girls! They really enjoyed looking at the moon, but I’m definitely going to be taking more time to read this chapter of the book so I can understand how to use it even better. I know there are many more ways to use this telescope and I’ve only just begun to learn! 


The pictures in this book are breathtaking…simply stunning. Even if you aren’t able to see the night sky because of bad weather, this book can give you an up-close view. In case you’re interested in photographing the evening sky there is also a wonderful chapter on this. I doubt I’ll ever be to that point, but my girls might be one day. One of their favorite past times is photography. They each have their own digital cameras. While their current cameras are nowhere near high powered enough for night-time photography, I can certainly see them studying photography more in depth as they get older. I’m sure this book will be one of the first places they’ll start.

Master Books has become a trusted source for our family and they definitely don’t disappoint with A Stargazers Guides to the Night Sky.

Disclaimer: I received The Stargazers Guide to the Night Sky from Master Books in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I was not required 

Motivated Mom: Review and Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited about this review and giveaway! Most of the things I am blessed to review and give away are more for the kids. THIS is for you, Mom! Just for you…and maybe a dad or two if they’re interested!

If you had to pick one area in your life which your struggle with most what would it be? Lesson planning? Discipline? Keeping it all together? Ding ding ding! This would be me. Just keeping things running smoothly and the house mostly in order. I don’t expect perfection, but neither am I okay with just “letting things go” as I’ve heard from some. No matter what anyone says, it is possible to keep your home in order and homeschool successfully. You can even throw in a part-time job if needed and keep the home nice. The hardest part for me has always been coming up with and sticking to a plan.

Until now…

Let me introduce you to Motivated Moms. I just love their motto: Make every day count! This wonderful system was developed by a mom who saw a need for an easy way to keep up with all of the responsibilities we moms carry. Often times the reason why I see things fall apart around me is because I feel so incredibly overwhelmed with the many responsibilities I have. I also find when life gets crazy getting back on track can sometimes feeling close to impossible. Motivated Moms has tools to help you whether you’re feeling swamped or looking for help with maintaining the order.

There are two different formats you can go with from Motivated Moms. If you are into mobile devices there is an app available for both android and apple devices. If you tend to be more of a pencil and paper type you can purchase a printable e-book in a variety of formats. Both include the same helpful lists, just presented differently. I have enjoyed reviewing both and am going to give you an idea of the differences.

E-Book

The printable e-book is available in black and white or color. You can also choose from full-page or half-page, 1 day per page or a week per page, and whether or not it includes a daily Bible reading. Wow! I really appreciate how many choices are provided, no matter your preferences. They really thought of everything!

I prefer the week-at-a-glance view because my days rarely always go as planned. I like being able to look ahead if I have a few extra minutes to get ahead and to know what I’ve missed along the way. I also appreciate the several  extra lines available to add in anything you want.

Each task has a small check box ready to fill. Who doesn’t love checking things off? I’ll admit I’m one of those who will add items to a list just so I can check them off! Seeing all those little boxes filled in just make me happy.




App

I recently purchased an iPad and am loving how easy and fun it is to use apps to organize my life! Although I’ve been a pencil and paper kind of girl for the most part, the ease of apps for keeping up with things is a beautiful thing.
The interface of the newly updated app is quite lovely as well as functional. Simply click the chore you have finished and it moves to the bottom with a check mark. I like this because I can see what I’ve accomplished! The pre-loaded chores are a great place to start and adding or hiding individual chores is a breeze.

One really nice thing about the app is the ease in adding chores. When you add a chore you have the option of repeating it on specific days, weekly, or every day. You can also very easily assign chores to individual with a unique color coded system. Initially the setup takes a bit of time, but once it is finished you are all set! Another cool feature is that each year as the app is updated you can easily import the settings and changes you have already made.

So, how can you choose? It is really hard, but here is a breakdown of the differences and similarities.

What they both have…
1. Daily and weekly chores
2. Space to add new chores
3. Ways to check off chores
4. Every possible chore you could consider to keep your home in order!
The differences…
1. The app allows you to assign chores to individuals. 
2. Chores have to be added each week on the e-book pages, but can be done only once for the app. 
3. Only the e-book allows you to see a week at a time. 
4. Only the app allows you to push scheduled tasks to the following day. 

There are a couple of benefits to the app compared to the e-book. The first is with the e-book you have to write in weekly or daily tasks each time. This isn’t a big deal I suppose, but I really like the one-time deal with the app. The only other benefit is keeping an e-book with you is not nearly as handy as a device you already have. There are times when I’m able to complete tasks on my list (usually related to homeschool) and I wouldn’t have my printed e-book with me. The app, however is right there.

The one main benefit I really liked with the e-book was being able to see everything for one week in front of me. I work about 18 hours a week part-time and my days are not always predictable. Being able to see chores I have missed allows me to determine what absolutely needs to be done. The app does have the feature mentioned which allows you to forward tasks ahead though which helps make this easier.

Overall you can’t go wrong with either one. It simply is a preference thing. The best part for me is when I’m following Motivated Moms closely our home is peaceful and attractive in less than an hour a day (honest!). When life does happen and things fall apart (like last week when we ALL got sick!) it doesn’t take very long at all to get back on track.

So, which would you choose? The wonderful people at Motivated Moms is giving away 1 app and 1 copy of the e-book! There are several ways to enter so hurry to do so now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received the Motivated Moms app for iPad and the printable e-book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Timeline App from Knowledge Quest: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
One of the wonderful blessings of homeschooling is having the opportunity to focus on history in the younger grades. Our curriculum is already based this way, but I’ve come to appreciate it even more as I find out how little time is spent on history in most traditional schools. Part of our curriculum includes a timeline which the kids create. While I still like the idea of my kids creating a timeline they draw themselves, I was intrigued by the idea of building a timeline with the iPad.
Knowledge Quest has created a lovely iPad app called Timeline Builder which is simple to use and has multiple applications. I love how beautiful the opening screen is and the lively music is incredibly fun! The multicolored tabs are easy to use and navigate with.

Photo Credit: Knowledge Quest

I really like that it comes with a sample timeline to play around with. This gave me lots of experience so when I was ready to make my own I knew exactly what to do. I decided to make our Heart of Dakota timelines with the app to go along with our studies. It was very easy to create what I wanted for both Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory as well as Preparing Hearts for His Glory. I did accidentally put the wrong dates in at first, but editing your timeline after it is created is just as easy as making it. With just a couple of clicks I was back on track.

Beth working on her timeline

I really love how easy it is to add a picture to each entry. The app is linked directly to Wikipedia so you have immediate access to royalty free photos. You can also use photos from my iPad which is a neat way to incorporate the girls’ created timelines. All I have to do is snap a quick photo of their entry for the week and use it on the timeline. My pictures are small right now because we are going to fill this very quickly. With the ability to resize the photos as well as move the pictures around on the screen to find the best layout, this app is very functional and just so easy even for a newbie at the iPad and apps like me!

These are images from Rose’s timeline

I also really like how this timeline is applicable to so many different things whether your are studying history, science, a novel, or even your own family. I have plans to map out our family history using this app. You can access photos easily from any online source, so pairing this with an ancestry site would make creating a family history very easy. I can’t think of a more unique or fun way to teach my girls about their past.

My father and a fellow seminary professor
visited our class for the unit

As an English teacher I also see the opportunity to apply this to any novel. I teach 13 junior high homeschoolers writing and literature every Monday. We recently studied the novel Across Five Aprils. If you haven’t read it yet, this classic novel centers around the five years of the Civil War from the perspective of a young boy who was not old enough to go to war. His unique perspective is a wonderful way to study this tumultuous time in history. The app helped easily show my students where events in the novel fit alongside the actual events of the Civil War which are mentioned throughout the story.

Whether or not history is an integral part of your studies yet, this is a resource you won’t want to miss. You can keep track of so many things with this app in an interactive way which your kids will enjoy and can review for years to come.

Disclaimer: I received this app from Knowledge Quest to review for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and these are my own opinions.