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City on Fire: Booksneeze Review

October 23, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m a huge fan of Christian historical fiction and I’m usually game for trying new authors. This is my first time reading a Tracy L. Higley novel and I was hooked from the first chapter.

The story opens with the burning of the temple in Jerusalem and quickly fast-forwards several years. The young Jewish girl introduced at the beginning has been enslaved by a hideous senator in Rome. She is able to escape by pretending to be a male gladiator. While she is still enslaved in this life, it is better than the treatment she received by her other master. As the story unfolds she is introduced to a kind Roman who increasingly dislikes the incessant lust and violence pervading the culture and chooses to fight against it in the political realm.

It is set in the final days before Pompeii’s destruction. I very much enjoyed following their spiritual journey as they encounter Christians and the early church. It was a different view of this time than I have seen before.

I was also struck by how much the Roman culture mimics our own today. The insatiable desires for things which go against God’s Word is unmistakable throughout the novel and I could not help but compare it to our on society.

This is my first opportunity to read a novel by this author, but I am certain it will not be my last. The character development was fantastic as was the intertwining of historical facts. I appreciated that I learned a lot without feeling like I was reading a history book. The plot took unexpected turns which kept me turning pages.

I also liked how the feeling of impending doom from the volcano was included as an aside from the story. The parallel between the citizens physical fate and their spiritual fate is beautifully implied and left me feeling so sad for those who died without knowing Christ. It also urges me to share the gospel more with those around me who don’t know the truth of where saving faith really comes from.

I highly recommend this book even if you don’t typically read this genre. Although I love historical fiction, this particular period has never interested me before. Now I’m very intrigued and interested to know more. I would strongly suggest this for adults only because of some of the intensity of the content and implied actions of the Romans.

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.

VocabularySpellingCity: Review

October 23, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

One of the first sites I stumbled upon as we began our homeschooling journey was VocabularySpellingCity. I thoroughly enjoyed the site and felt it was very helpful from the start. Getting to use the premium membership ($29.99 for up to 5 students) has been even better! The extra content which is now available to us has really been fun for Beth, my 1st grader, as she works on her spelling words each week. This is a great internet-based program for grades K-12. Not many cover this wide age range!

Since our iPad is new and shiny I’ve enjoyed finding learning apps for the girls. I was so excited to find out I could use this for Vocabulary Spelling City and she was too. I give my daughter a pretest of 20 words each week, then the words which she misses or she had to think longer about become her spelling words. I don’t believe in busy work and in my opinion including words she already knows is busy work. This program allows me to include only the words I want which can range from 1 all the way to 51. She has been averaging about 6 a week.

Once I enter the words under the parent account she can log in under her account (which is connected to mine) on the computer or the iPad. She of course typically chose the iPad! I really like that when I enter the words I also chose a definition from a pre-selected list which also created a vocabulary aspect to her spelling lists which hadn’t been present before.

There are so many games to choose from for practice. She liked to try them all and when I asked her which was her favorite she said, “I don’t know. They were all so fun!” It is great to have something fun to add to our spelling. She is already learning spelling rules which she seems to enjoy, but a change of pace is always a welcome diversion for any subject. The games are colorful and fun with immediate feedback so she knows if she made a mistake and how to fix it.

This past week I let Beth enter the word list herself instead of doing them for her. She felt so grown up to be able to do the parent’s part and it was also great practice. She choose the definition she thought fit best and I was pleased she did this with ease. I also really like the option for a spelling test. The program calls the word out and she types out the correct word. Since everything is scored and recorded with the premium account her weekly spelling tests have been a breeze!

Rose, 3rd grade, has also been using the site, but only with the supplied grade-level appropriate lists since she doesn’t have weekly spelling tests at the moment. I love that even without imputing a list my girls can practice their spelling skills and find it very enjoyable. Even Grace, four-years-old, has been wanting to spell! She watches her big sisters play on the site and will try to help them. She doesn’t quite understand it all yet, but she does know letters have to go in a particular order to spell correctly so she too is gaining insight from this website.

Click here to see what my Crewmates had to say about the site!

The War on Christmas: Review

October 22, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Christmas in our family is a huge holiday. We start decorating early in November and enjoy every single minute of holiday fun. This year is going to mean even more because I spent last Christmas in the hospital unexpectedly. I felt I missed so very much, but even in the hospital I was able to keep some of our traditions with my girls. I was especially aware of Christ Emmanuel last Christmas because of the unusual circumstances and I don’t want to forget that this Christmas.

The War on Christmas has been a great way for me to already begin focusing on the season and how to put more focus on Christ. This beautiful book intrigues the reader with the rather bold and honest title, not to mention the clever cover illustration. Upon opening the book the reader is treated to beautiful photography which captures the essence and feeling of the season. Even more interesting is how Bodie Hodge delves into the meanings behind our traditions, the reasons they have become so offensive to our society, and how as Christians we should react to these battles.

Because of the title I expected this to be a defensive, possibly in-your-face defiant response to those who wish to take Christ out of Christmas. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Bodie Hodge artfully expresses the biblical account and shows the reader which of our traditions are from Scripture and which ones aren’t in a very gracious way. I have thoroughly enjoyed once again being reminded of the details of the historical account.

Like all books from New Leaf Publishing the gospel is clearly presented and the importance of believing the biblical account of creation reiterated. I love that. I know I can recommend any title from this company even before I read it because I know their primary goal is to point others to Christ. True to form the last several chapters deal with the truth of Christ and why He came to earth in the first place. It also deals well with the touchy subject of Santa Clause which I appreciated. Practical ways to keep your family focused on Christ are presented as well as how to respond to the unbelieving world who seems to attack Christianity more harshly at Christmas than any other time of the year.

This is a great read and an excellent way to prepare for the Christmas season.

Disclaimer: I was provided with both a digital and paperback copy of The War on Christmas as part of The War on Christmas Launch Team in exchange for my honest opinion. I did not receive any other compensation. I was no required to write a positive review.

Gunpowder Tea: Booksneeze Review

October 20, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I’ve just finished the second book in a month just for me. It has been so long since I was able to read just for my own pleasure and the latest title from Booksneeze was a lot of fun.

Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley is the third installment in The Brides of Last Chance series. I have not read the first two, but am now very interested as characters were referenced from the earlier novels. An unlikely friendship develops between Annie and Branch, undercover agents seeking to track down a criminal who has become quite a nuisance in the local area. Their undercover work sets them both on edge and sometimes at odds until their true purpose for being at Last Chance Ranch is finally revealed. An unspoken attraction develops and realizing they are actually on the same side of the law only serves to complicate matters.

This lighthearted mystery/romance was a relaxing and fun read. I often shy away from mysteries because of their tendency for intensity, but the comic relief provided from the colorful characters made this simply fun. I enjoyed the banter between characters as well as trying to solve the identity of the criminal before Annie and Branch. There were times I was confused as the author would switch back and forth between the characters assumed identities and their real names. There was also a bit more description of the physical attraction between the two than I usually like to read about. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate at all, but in my opinion the focus on this aspect didn’t particularly add to the story.

I loved the character perspective change throughout the book. This unique use of the 3rd person limited point of view has become quite popular in modern literature and I enjoy the character insights which it provides the reader.

This was a lot of fun to read and I stayed up very late several nights to read just one more chapter. A sure indication this is a good read!

2 Weeks in Review: October 7 – October 18

October 18, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

We’ve had a very busy couple of weeks…our church’s fall festival, visits from the grandparents, haircuts with grandma…and school of course! We were lighter on the HOD history this past week, but planning to get back on track next week. Some weeks we just focus on math and language arts when life gets busy and that is where we’ve been. I’m still working to get my low iron up to where it needs to be which leaves me feeling tired much of the day. Not a good feeling, but we’re hanging in there!

Have you checked out the giveaway this week? Don’t miss out! This is such a great DVD and the girls have had so much fun watching it!

Grace: Little Hands to Heaven

We’ve been mostly focusing on reading and handwriting. Grace has enjoyed learning to read and finished up lesson 28 this week and is doing so very well! I’m not sure if it is from listening to her sisters or the fact that this is my third go at teaching reading, maybe a combination of both, but this time has been much easier for me. Our curriculum is no frills, but solid and works extremely well. I would highly recommend All About Reading to anyone just starting out if you have the funds, but it not, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is more than adequate.

Beth: Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory

Beth has been enjoying some new computer-based resources I’m reviewing for math and spelling the last few weeks on our new iPad. She does beautifully with the spelling lists and is still loving math. She has been averaging 4 words for spelling a week. I give her a pretest of 20 words to determine our words for the week. I am so pleased to see our efforts with All About Spelling paying off in big ways. She’s spelling words far beyond what is expected for 1st grade and really thinks about it as she goes along.

Math is still really easy for Beth and I hope it continues to be! She frequently wants to do more than one lesson a day. I certainly don’t mind that, especially since we had some lighter weeks.

Rose: Preparing Hearts for His Glory

Although Rose has enjoyed the slight change in routine, she misses our regular history study. We were reviewing a biography of George Washington from YWAM which has been a lot of fun for her.

She finished the first Life of Fred book, Apples, and started Butterflies this week. She’s doing so well and I love learning alongside of her! She’s learning her times tables and after working with her on her addition/subtraction facts I’m making sure we don’t move too quickly. She is doing so well and feeling successful, which is the most important thing!

Sometimes when I’m working with Grace, the girls help each other with their AAS spelling. I’ll do the teaching portion and they take turns calling out the dictation portion. They enjoy this and it helps me get through everything. I also think it’s good for Rose because she’s reviewing some of the earlier rules.

The review year for the TOS Review Crew is coming to and end and we’re very busy getting our last several reviews completed! I’ve also really enjoyed reviewing for New Leaf Publishing through Moms of Master Books as well as Booksneeze. Below are several of our most recent reviews you may have missed!

Diary of a Real Payne (children’s fiction)
God’s World News
Beloved (adult Christian fiction)
The World of Astronomy
Don’t Miss the Boat
Fundanoodle
Robert Griffin III (Biography)
Seed Sowers
Lakeshore Learning’s Roller Coaster

Hoping to be back to our regular routine next week!

Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story from Barbour Publishing: Review

October 18, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

All of my girls are avid readers. They come by it genetically probably. Just like their mother, they’ll read anything they can get their hands on even if it is just a cereal box. Although they read anything and everything, they are very honest about their opinions about what we read. If they don’t like something, I know it immediately. I knew we had a winner in Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story almost immediately!

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Annie Tipton has written a truly engaging story with a Christian world-view brought to us by Barbour Publishing. Diary of Real Payne Book 1: True Story ($5.99) follows precocious EJ, a 4th grader, who keeps a detailed diary of her life. Geared towards children ages 8-12, this is a delightful story sure to engage readers both younger and older.

Rose just turned 8 and absolutely loved every word. We read this for the humor genre in our literature studies although it could also fit for realistic fiction. I asked her to read a chapter a day…and she begged to read more. She would hide under the table and read ahead, as if I would have banned her from reading or something!

She read long after lessons had ended for the day and would bring it with her in the car. The first thing she asked at the start of school each day was, “Can I please do my literature first?” Seeing my girl so excited about reading always makes me happy. I’m very much the same in that when I find a book I love I can’t put it down. To make this even better, the Christian worldview presented in each chapter left me feeling confident this was a book I wanted her to read. There are many engaging works out their for girls her age, but I know few will leave her with a God-honoring mindset.

Rose completes a book report poster for each genre we complete. It was fun to discuss the different literary aspects of this novel. My favorite part was the blend of 1st person perspective alongside 3rd person narrative. Each chapter opens with a diary entry from EJ and closes with a narrative portion. This unique blending of both points of view provides a lively story-telling medium which keeps the story fun and full of laughter.

The best part? Book 2 is coming out soon! You better believe it is already on my daughter’s wish-list.

Read more reviews from my Crewmates by clicking below!

Mrs. Kate Carpenter’s Hug-a-Bug-a-Boo DVD: Review and Giveaway!

October 14, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Mrs. Kate Carpenter has been a friend of our Family for a long time. Not only is she a dear friend, she is also an amazing song-write and singer! Her fun folk tunes engage audiences of all ages. We had the chance to have her in concert at our church a few weeks ago and the girls were so excited to see Mrs. Kate in person! If you didn’t read it yet, check out the field-trip post!

Hug-a-Bug-a-Boo is Mrs. Kate’s newest DVD release. We own several of her DVD’s as well as her first DVD. I’m glad it’s not a VHS because we would have worn it out by now! Mrs. Kate uses song to teach kids about manners, positive behavior, nature, and more. She even has a potty-training song included which leaves all of us laughing. Mrs. Kate and her guitar will have you humming and dancing as you follow along with the motions to the catchy tunes.

My girls love these songs. Some they knew already and others were new. One of my new favorite songs was Habit the Rabbit. Habit teaches kids all sorts of important manners such as not interrupting (except for emergencies!) and texting while interacting with others.

My girls favorite new song from the DVD Colibri which is Spanish for hummingbird. We have thoroughly enjoyed the hummingbirds around our feeder this past summer and this fun little song has left us anxious to see them again next year!

I love that Mrs. Kate’s faith comes through in all her music. Even if the songs do not come directly from Scripture her heart for Jesus shines through with every note. She often has the opportunity to present anti-drug and anti-bullying programs in schools, both public and private as well as community groups and libraries.

Take some time to listen to all of Mrs. Kate’s music on Broadjam!

And now for the awesome giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

God’s World News: Review

October 14, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I remember reading a children’s news magazine when I was in grade-school. While I don’t remember the name of it, I remember really enjoying it! I loved learning about what was going on in the world, seeing news which impacted children in other lands, and keeping up on the latest science discoveries. I was looking around for something like this for my girls several months ago, but I was not happy with what I found. My main struggle was the world view from which they were written. When the opportunity came my way to check out a magazine with a biblical world-view I started getting excited!

God’s World News publishes a variety of new magazines for all ages from preschool through high school. Each magazine is geared towards specific age levels so you know the content will be appropriate. I love how the age ranges are divided by ever two grade levels for the younger readers which ensures appropriate reading levels. A 1-year subscription for any level costs $28.00.

I received Early Edition, the 1st-2nd grade level, to review. My girls range from PreK-3rd grade so this was a nice middle-of-the-road choice for them. The magazines are filled with beautiful photos and illustrations. The content is interesting and my girls have enjoyed reading the issues they received. They also received a full-sized wall-map so students can locations the articles are referencing.

One article in particular which I really liked was about the T. Rex. There are such a variety of views on when dinosaurs lived even within Christian circles. I’m always cautious when reading information about dinosaurs because of this. What I loved about this article was it provided observational scientific facts. I appreciate the magazine’s statement of faith includes the affirmation that God created man in His image and did not contradict this in their coverage of a new dinosaur which was found.

I also appreciated the extra articles and curriculum available online with your subscription. Old issues may be viewed and extra activities are there for students to learn from. There are more quizzes as well as ideas for curriculum implementation available. One lesson which was particularly timely for us was about new treatments for cancer. Our neighbor’s son was diagnosed with kidney cancer this past summer and has spent quite a bit of time with my girls. They are very much aware of his treatments and how difficult they can be. Learning about new treatments was good. Having age-appropriate discussion questions was extremely valuable. I sometimes don’t know how to address the issue of cancer because it is so close to them now. I very much appreciated how it was handled in the online article which gave further study to an article about helping cancer patients keep their hair.

There is also a newly launched site (http://kids.wng.org/) which gives even more information for kids to explore! This is a safe site which is user friendly for kids and gives them access to even more articles and activities.

So far both girls have loved the activities within the magazine the best. They hurry to find these pages first and anxiously work to figure them out! Rose has enjoyed having some new reading material for our afternoon quiet time.

Beth was thrilled to find an article about horses! The reading level seemed appropriate for both girls. It was simple enough for them to read and yet not overly simple. The articles were written creatively from biblical standpoints and did not bore them.

I highly recommend this magazine for Christians who are looking for a children’s news magazine. Interesting, informative, biblical world-view, curriculum ideas…God’s World News has taken care of it all!

Beloved: Booksneeze Book Review!

October 11, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

It has been a really, really long time since I have read a book purely for my own pleasure. Yes, I did receive this through Booksneeze to review, but it was a joy to read and fun to have something just for me for a change.

I’ve been a fan of Robin Lee Hatcher for a while. Her other books have captured my interest because of their historical background. I love historical fiction, but am very picky about my pleasure reading material. Robin Lee Hatcher has the unique ability to be historically accurate without sounding as if she is writing a history text as she weaves captivating tales of love and faith for her readers. I know whenever I pick up one of her books I won’t be disappointed!

Beloved from Zondervan is the final novel in a trilogy about the life journey of siblings on an orphan train. Dianna Brennan is the female protagonist whose is immediately thrown into turmoil in just the first few pages. I was hooked from the first paragraph and caught myself reading way past my usual bedtime. I couldn’t wait to see what happened in her life!

One unique aspect of this novel was that each chapter ended with a flashback which gave a glimpse into the characters’ back-stories prior to the opening of the novel. This unique way of story-telling was interesting and helpful for explaining the various moods and actions of Dianna and her once thought-to-be-dead husband, Tyson. I love also how the plot ebbed and flowed with emotion. It was not all high intensity action and I found myself laughing at many moments.

I haven’t yet read the first two books in the series, but I’m anxious to do so. I cannot wait to hear the journeys of Dianna’s older brother and sister.

Why My Daughters Attend Prayer Meeting

October 10, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

This summer I started bringing my girls to prayer meeting at our church. While this ministry of our church has been in place since its foundation in the mid-1970’s it is not our best attended service. I haven’t attended very often because of my girls’ ages. I was so afraid they would be a distraction to all the other adults. I used to meet with a friend to pray once a week in the morning, but when I started homeschooling this wasn’t as practical. I was ~~whining~~ lamenting that I didn’t participate in prayer meeting to my husband-pastor whose response was a raised eyebrow and a question:

What don’t you just bring them?

My eloquent response? Ummmm…I have no idea. I listed several reasons including their ages, their destractibility quotient, the later time in the evening, and some others I don’t quite remember. He said it was up to me, but his opinion was it was fine. My husband has always encouraged families to attend all of our services together. We do have an optional children’s church for the young elementary students, but by 3rd grade the kids are worshiping with their families and many choose to keep their children in the service rather than attend children’s church. You see, he loves children and loves families coming together. He does not support the idea of separating generations for services no matter how large the congregation and encourages the mingling of all ages.

So ever since this summer they have been coming to prayer meeting each week. I was surprised to find out after a few weeks they actually enjoyed going! They stay with the adults for the short Bible study and discussion my husband leads. Then I take them to the library which is in the sanctuary where we have our own prayer time. This way I can teach them how to pray and help them become comfortable praying with others without the pressure of the other adults. I want them to be in the habit of praying corporately. I want them to know why we pray. I want them to move beyond their meal-time and bedtime prayers and think about conversing with God at other times as well.

If you ask a child to pray for something they often may not know where to start. I use praise pails and prayer folders to help them get started. The praise pails are something I came up with on a whim and the girls love them! Several decorated boxes with handles have craft sticks sticking out of them. Each stick has been the tip colored to correspond with a different thing to praise God for which is written on a poster and hung on the wall. They choose a stick and praise God for something which fits into the category. Some of these include family, friends, God’s creation, and our church. I also give the girls the option of praying aloud or silently although I love it when they pray aloud!

Our prayer folders are the kind you buy from the office store for $0.10 during the beginning of the year school supply sales. I put a variety of colored paper inside and the girls wrote a different topic at the top of each page. Some of these pages include themselves, family, friends, people who don’t know Jesus, our government, school, and missionaries. This has been a great way to help them diversify they’re prayers and teach them God cares about all areas of our life and world. I let the girls decorate their folders on the outside and also write down things to pray for in each category on their own. We add to it now and then, but usually we just go through and pray for names and things already written down.

Praying with my girls has been a great blessing, but I can’t say I was expecting it to be so in the beginning. Even on nights when I’m very tired and worn out from the day I leave prayer meeting feeling refreshed. The simplicity and honesty my girls pray with makes me feel even closer to God. They don’t worry about how they sound or who might be listening because they haven’t learned to feel that way yet. My biggest hope is as they grow up and become young women on their own they will have a desire to gather with other believers and pray.

I cannot help but feel we are headed towards a period of trial for believers in our country. I don’t think it will include physical persecution as we see in many countries, but I will not be surprised if standing firm on the teaching of Scripture will include financial persecution and possibly other things. It is becoming more difficult to stand for what God says is right as our society drifts farther and farther away from absolute truth. My oldest two girls have already made the decision to follow Jesus as their Savior and now my husband and I are charged with their discipleship and spiritual growth. I take my job discipling my girls very seriously and realize I must prepare them for a world growing increasingly hostile towards believers.