Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets Review

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November 2, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets are a great way to start the morning right!

dr-mercolas-complete-probiotic-powder-packets

The kids and I love the raspberry flavor. It’s like a raspberry lemonade. Light and just the right amount of sweet and sour, with little aftertaste.

It’s super easy to mix the powder packets in water or juice. Perfect for anywhere, anytime, on the go or at home.

I love the Dr. Mercola mixing bottle with included whisk. I’ll be using that for so many things.

whisk-in-the-shaker
probiotic-powder-packets-in-water

The kids enjoyed shaking the mixing bottle.

shaking-the-probiotic-in-water
pretty-pink-probiotic

Two of my kids absolutely love Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets in water. My other two kids didn’t care for it in water, but thought it was ok mixed with 100% cranberry juice. I love it either way.

trying-dr-mercolas-complete-probiotic-powder-packets

We don’t often eat junk. We know that processed foods aren’t good for us. I know that chemicals and dyes in food can affect physical and mental processes and even behavior. I do my research.

I love that these contain no added sugar and use natural flavorings and colors.

Dr. Mercola products are a brand that I can trust!

These probiotics came at the perfect time! With holiday treats everywhere, I feel bloated and lethargic after indulging.

I anticipate feeling more energetic with these probiotics as part of our health routine.

About Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets

• Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets for Adults pack 70 billion beneficial bacteria in every one packet serving, while Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets for Kids pack 10 billion beneficial bacteria in every one packet serving—what Dr. Mercola believes to be the optimal dose for most children.

• Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets contain 10 strains of bacteria, including super-strain lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1, and promote an optimal environment for the growth of “gut-friendly” bacteria.

Probiotic Packets for Kids and Complete Probiotic Packets contain:

  1. Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1
  2. Bifidobacterium lactis
  3. Lactobacillus plantarum
  4. Lactobacillus casei
  5. Lactobacillus rhamnosus
  6. Lactobacillus brevis
  7. Bifidobacterium longum
  8. Lactobacillus salivarius
  9. Lactobacillus thermophiles
  10. Bifidobacterium bifidum

• Available in a great organic raspberry flavor, Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets provide critical support for your immune system health*, aid in the breakdown and removal of harmful toxins*, and help support blood pressure levels that are already in the normal range.*

• Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotic Powder Packets are great for adults who have difficulty swallowing pills and are convenient for everyday living and travel—no refrigeration required.

• One box of Complete Probiotics Packets for Adults (30 per box) retails for $41.97, and one box of Complete Probiotics Packets for Kids retails for $29.97.

Not convinced yet?

11 Powerful Reasons Why Probiotics Should Be Your Priority:

  1. Helps maintain the ideal “good” to “other” bacteria ratio by promoting an optimal environment for the survival and growth of beneficial bacteria*
  2. Supports your immune function*
  3. Supports the production of vitamin K and B vitamins, especially folic acid and biotin
  4. Promotes the absorption of minerals*
  5. Supports protein and carbohydrate digestion*
  6. Supports healthy metabolism and the breakdown of toxins*
  7. Supports healthy weight management*
  8. Helps maintain appropriate bowel transit time*
  9. Produces lactic acid for support of your digestive processes and colon pH balance*
  10. Helps maintain serum lipid and blood pressure levels already in the healthy range*
  11. Helps support your oral health*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Connect with Dr. Mercola’s online to see their latest products and get exclusive access to discounts and special offers!

shop.mercola.com

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I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: health, review

Oster Pro 1200 Plus Food Processor Review

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October 28, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We loved reviewing the Oster Pro® 1200 Blender Plus Food Processor!

I’ve always loved and trusted Oster products. They have exceptional customer service. When our old glass blender got a little crack in the plastic bottom cap, we contacted Oster and they sent us the free replacement part!

I love the professional look and feel of this Oster Blender.

Oster Pro® 1200 Blender Plus Food Processor Review

It blends super fast! I was surprised by how quickly and smoothly it processes.

It’s very easy to clean, even after leaving it on the counter with my smoothie remains dried in it all day. I was worried that it’s plastic, but it cleans up quick and easy.

I tested it out with my morning smoothie.

I mix my greens with coconut water, then add in my fruits.

I’m very impressed. It has a smoothie button!

I love how I don’t have to twist and lock the blender into the base like in some others I’ve used. It fits in nicely and is pretty quiet, even when chopping frozen fruit.

Smoothie in my Oster
Great Smoothies with Oster

Blender Tips:

  • Make sure there is enough liquid for the fun vortex action to happen. At first, I didn’t really measure and it kinda got bogged down. I added an inch of more liquid and voilà!
  • Handy filler cap for adding in ingredients while blending. Don’t remove the lid, duh!
  • Remove filler cap to vent steam when blending hot foods.

The Oster Food Processer is the perfect size.

It comes with a blade and a shredder/grater/slicer attachment.

Oster Food Processor

I shredded 2 cups of carrots for a lovely carrot cake. It shredded the carrots just beautifully. No waste.

Shredded Carrots in Oster Food Processor

I also grated some cheddar cheese.

We used to buy huge blocks of cheese and grate it as needed. It saves money and tastes so much better freshly grated than the storebought bags.

I sliced the cheese block into strips.

Cheese to Grate

The book recommends one inch cubes for grating and shredding.

One of my cheese wedges slid sideways with the friction (and it softened a bit while sitting on the counter), but other than that, there was little waste. It made long, pretty cheese shreds.

Grated Cheese

Food Processor Tips:

  • The chart in the instruction booklet is handy for which speed to use when shredding or dicing different foods.
  • Recommended to cut foods into 1-inch pieces.
  • No hot or frozen items should be processed.
  • If a knife can’t easily pierce a food, then it shouldn’t be processed.

This Oster® Blender and Food Processor is a great addition to our kitchen. I look forward to using it with many of our recipes and to make it easier for our entire family to cook together. It’s easy for my kids to use!

Details:

• Offers Smart Settings™ Technology and 7 Speeds, including 3 preprogrammed settings for the most common blender creations, Dual Direction Blade Technology for extra blending power to chop and grind with precision, and an extra wide 3.5” blade system that allows ingredients to flow down into the blade easier for faster and smoother results.
• 1200 power watts and 900 watts of ice crushing power plus a pulse feature to help blend with precision.
• Sleek and modern design, metallic grey finish and compact footprint 7” x 7” x 14” will look great in your kitchen
• Legendary All-Metal Drive system offers durable metal-to-metal connection which allows you to blend up to 10,000 smoothies.
• Product includes an Extra Large 8-cup BPA-free TRITAN™ Jar that’s dishwasher safe and impact and temperature resistant and an Extra Large capacity 5-cup Food Processing Bowl, stainless steel slicing disk and chopping blade.

Save $10 off any Oster® Blender $39+ at Target. Simply print the $10 off coupon. Download Target’s Cartwheel app for more savings! There will be other Oster Blender® offers on the app throughout the holiday season!

About Oster:

The Oster® brand’s NEW Oster Pro® 1200 Plus Food Processor offers power simplicity and versatility within reach! With its ease and affordability, it is the perfect partner for health-oriented moms living active, busy lives to create tasty and healthy meals, drinks and snacks. The Food Processor attachment can really get things chopping in the kitchen with slicing and dicing ability too! Versatile attachments make food prep and smoothie creation simple! Smart settings are conveniently programmed to blend the perfect smoothies, salsas and milkshakes in just one touch so you never have to guess how long or what speed to blend your ingredients. Oster’s legendary durability, easy operation, recipes and ideas make it easy to create fresh meals so that families everywhere can spend less time in the kitchen and more time together.

 

Connect with Oster® online to see their latest products and get exclusive access to recipe ideas and special offers!
oster.com
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instagram.com/osterkitchen

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

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Canvas Factory Review and Giveaway

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October 3, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert

I’m very impressed with the quality of Canvas Factory.
canvas-factory-review
I used the code provided for my review and I also bought another in a different size.

They’re wonderful and lightweight. The canvas quality is wonderful.

The canvases arrived secure in bubble wrap, with corner protectors, and covered in plastic. I’m impressed with all the care taken to make sure they’re safe during mailing.

Nice little metal hooks are bolted into the frame for hanging.
canvas-factory-packaging-and-back
packaging-and-hanger
I chose a picture my husband took on our trip to Normandy, France, of two of our kids and me on Omaha Beach waving at a vintage plane doing flybys up and down the beach. I edited it to be black and white, keeping with the vintage feel.

We adore it.

black-and-white-on-the-beach

I also ordered a picture I took of the Eiffel Tower a couple years ago.

I edited it with a vintage finish. I am so pleased with how it turned out.
la-tour-eiffel

I hung the beach picture over our bed. I think the black and white works nicely with my neutral bedroom color scheme.

black-and-white-canvas

I hung the Eiffel Tower picture in my office. My office theme is adventure and travel.

eiffel-tower-canvas

I already have a few more pictures in mind to turn into canvases. I just need more wall space!

The easy process:

  1. Select canvas, acrylic glass, or aluminum.
  2. Select style: single, split, display, or collage.
  3. Select from the various sizes.
  4. Upload a photo. Adjust and choose an effect or add print. See FAQs for help.
  5. Add to cart and complete checkout.
  6. Anxiously await the mail.
  7. Hang your lovely creation and receive compliments.

Do you want a canvas of your very own?!

The giveaway is open only for USA and Canada residents.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Easy Stir Fry

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September 25, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We are SO PLEASED to review THREE SAN-J products!

san-j-review

We love SAN-J and it’s our preferred brand of soy sauce. These three fun sauce flavors are now pantry staples.

We love San-J because it’s gluten free. We never realized that other brands of soy sauce contain wheat when we had a friend with Celiac disease have a reaction at our dinner party one night. I felt terrible.

Ever since, we’ve only purchased San-J Tamari. I prefer its rich flavor for marinades and it always stays on our table as a condiment.

Mongolian – sweet and salty. This was a favorite! I want to try it on steak!

Orange Sauce – sweet citrus with a little spice. Nice and thick. I would love this on chicken nuggets!

Thai Peanut – salty, nutty, tangy, and spicy. Perfect for grilled meats!

san-j-stir-fry-pork-and-vegetables

We made a simple pork stir fry with San-J Tamari and provided dipping sauces: San-J Mongolian, Thai Peanut, and Orange Sauce.

3-san-j-dipping-sauces
san-j-dipping-sauces

Cooking is usually a family affair. We often have at least 2 kids in the kitchen, helping.

Tonight, Katie was our helper. Tori set the table. All the kids help clean up. Liz was on a babysitting job, but she came home afterwards and enjoyed the meal while it was still warm!

I chopped up the meat.

chopping-meat

We marinated the meat with San-J Tamari, sherry, sugar, and cornstarch.

marinating-the-meat

Katie helped with the marinade.

marinating-meat

We made my sauce with San-J Tamari, chicken stock, ginger, and sugar.

Katie grated the ginger.

grating-ginger
stir-fry-sauce-with-san-j-tamari

My assistant (husband) stir-fried the meat.

stirfrying-the-meat

The kids were super excited for one of their favorite meals!

ready-to-eat
simple-stir-fry
enjoying homemade stir-fry

Get the Simple Stir-Fry Recipe with San-J Tamari.

It’s super easy and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or prefer to make a simple stir-fry. Adding dipping sauces and a variety of vegetables make this a crowd-pleaser!

Print

Simple Stir Fry

Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 large or family package boneless skinless chicken breasts or pork loin chops sliced into cubes
  • 2-3 T cornstarch
  • 1 T sugar
  • 2 T San-J Tamari
  • 2 T dry sherry or Mirin

Sauce

  • 1/3 c chicken stock
  • 1 T sugar
  • 2 T San-J Tamari
  • 1 T grated ginger
  • 1 t sesame oil

Add-ins

  • 1 can sliced water chestnuts
  • 1 carrot sliced thin diagonally
  • 1 bell pepper (any color but green is pretty) chopped into large chunks
  • 5 button mushrooms sliced
  • 1 small onion chopped into large chunks
  • 1 c Napa cabbage chopped roughly into large chunks
  • 4 green onions, chopped for garnish

About San-J

In 1804, San-Jirushi, the founding company of San-J, was established as a Tamari soy sauce and miso company in Mie, Japan. For more than 200 years, their brewing mastery has been passed down through the generations. In 1987, the first Tamari brewery outside of Japan was built in Henrico, Virginia, and San-J was born. Today, San-J president, Takashi Sato, is an eighth-generation member of the founding family and faithfully continues the tradition of quality with a variety of Tamari soy sauces, Asian cooking sauces, salad dressings, soups, and rice crackers. San-J is a trusted soy sauce brand in the natural market, committing itself to ingredient health.

Just The Facts

  • San-J Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce is made with 100% soy and no wheat while regular soy sauce is made with 40-60% wheat.

  • The higher concentration of soy protein gives San-J Tamari a richer, milder, more complex taste.

  • Fermented for up to six months with Japanese brewing methods, San-J Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce is made without artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors.

  • San-J Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce is certified organic, gluten free, vegan, Kosher, and Non-GMO Project verified.

  • A 10 oz. bottle of San-J Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce typically retails for around $4.45.

Where To Purchase

San-J products can be found at natural food stores such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmer’s Market, Earth Fare, Fresh Thyme, and other major grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, visit san-j.com/product-locator. We buy it at our local military commissary!

I received these products for FREE from Moms Meet, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Many photos by Katie, 9 years old!

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: recipe, review, rice

Life is an Adventure

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September 23, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Life is an ADVENTURE!

I kind of knew what I was getting into back in 2005, marrying an Air Force officer.

I knew the military life, even though my family was never transcient. My dad was in the Army. I grew up familiar with military protocol and all that.

We got married in January, and the Air Force scheduled a deployment for spring, that got canceled when his father suddenly passed away. Then they PCSed us in June. I found out I was pregnant the day the movers came to pack out the house.

It was the first time I’d ever lived outside my home state of Georgia.

The transition was a bit brutal for me, being away from all family and friends.

We had our two middle girls during the two years we lived in Texas. My husband’s mother passed away suddenly.

Then we moved to Hawaii and had our son.

Then we lived a rather uneventful four years in Utah, though my husband did deploy during my first winter season ever in my life.

We live in Germany now and are preparing for another PCS this spring, probably back to the States.

Life is definitely an adventure!

I have the T-shirt to prove it!

I love the soft material and V-neckline! It’s a dressier tee shirt than most. A great length and feminine shape. Cents of Style is the best!

life-is-an-adventure-tee-shirt

Military life has taught me a few things:

I’ve learned to handle stress well.

We experienced almost all the major life stress events within our first two years of marriage (marriage, deaths, births, moving) and we survived. It made our family stronger to overcome these events.

I’ve learned to be flexible.

Orders change. Things happen. I am not in control. I look to God for my strength.

I’ve learned to be optimistic.

Every military base has benefits and interesting things about the location. There’s no sense in being miserable when we must live there for 2-4 years. We knew people who hated living in Hawaii! Having a good attitude is important and modeling optimism for my kids teaches them how to be content in all circumstances.

We love to travel.

We’ve gotten the opportunity to go to the Hawaiian islands, Yellowstone and the Tetons, camping and fishing in Utah, road trip from Utah to Georgia, visiting my husband’s two sisters in Illinois, and explore all over Europe. We homeschool, so I can teach my children wherever we are, focusing on historical and cultural places I only learned about in books.

We look forward to more exciting adventures!

I’ve learned that military life is…an adventure.

life-is-an-adventure

Get your own Life Is… tee shirt!

Fashion Friday Story – 9/23/16 – Life Is Tees for $15.95 + FREE SHIPPING w/code LIFEIS1

This weekend, the code is LIFEIS1 and it will make the Cents of Style NEW Life Is Tees $15.95, with FREE SHIPPING! The code is good Friday, 9/23 – Sunday, 9/25.

Photos taken by my 10-year-old daughter, Victoria!

The necklace is also by Cents of Style. We love their accessories and leggings!

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: milfam, military, milspouse, review

Black Chicken Host Review

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September 9, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I had become displeased with a large website hosting company for several months. My sites were down too often, for no reason. There was no personal customer service. When I canceled, I was not issued a refund.

I switched to Black Chicken Host and I was amazed at the difference immediately.

My Black Chicken Host Review

After I placed my online request to transfer my two blogs’ hosting, Erin replied so quickly and we worked out payment since I live in Europe. Their system flagged me as SPAM since I wasn’t in the US or Canada. No problem.

When I sent all my information, Erin emailed me that they would transfer my sites over that weekend even though she was undergoing major surgery and was medicated during her recovery.

I was blown away. I was in no hurry. I don’t have products. I wasn’t worried about downtime.

They treated me like a problogger or something.

Black Chicken Host treats everyone like a superstar.

Black Chicken Host came highly recommended from a group of natural bloggers.

I love how they support sustainable living. They share green blog posts on Facebook regularly.

“We know “living simply” is far from “easy living”; committing to a sustainable lifestyle requires more hard work than buying from big-box stores.” Black Chicken Host

See a fabulous list of reasons to choose Black Chicken Host.

They are family-owned and -operated and I love feeling welcomed into their family.

They don’t use GoDaddy Cloud Service. That’s a bonus for me. I’m not impressed with GoDaddy’s service or their advertising campaigns and haven’t used them for my new domain purchases, but my original blog still was connected to them. Black Chicken Host took over and removed all affiliation with them and I’m happy about that.

Whenever I have a question, I always hesitate to bother Erin and her team. I try to Google or ask my techie friends, but she assures me that I’m no bother and they are always quick with a reply! They suggest privacy and security plugins and updates and help me cut down load time.

I love feeling like I have a friend hosting my blogs. Black Chicken Host cares about all the details.

I am so happy with Black Chicken Host!

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Economics for Everybody Review

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August 4, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Liz and I reviewed Economics for Everybody Curriculum by Roman Roads Media.

I like the Pinterest-ish, retro chalkboard look of the cover!

This is a Christian worldview economics program.

Liz attempted to begin the series on her own. She was not too successful because the content was unlike what she’s ever done before. I rearranged our school schedule so I could sit with her in the afternoons so we could view the video lessons and work through the questions together. I preview the outline with Liz and then we watch the videos together. We discuss and answer the short answer and discussion questions together. There is an answer key and additional links in the downloadable scope and sequence.

This material is pretty advanced! I took a high school economics course (which was nothing like this!), a great marketing class, and lots of history studies…and I have more life experience. I still find the material pretty dense and awfully quick-moving. The first couple lessons were a great overview and introduction, then lesson three is like, whoa – really meaty, loads of info, and lots of examples not mentioned in the video that we have to read in the outline for full understanding. It moves very quickly from then on and you can’t get distracted or you have to watch it again for comprehension.

I know why Liz was lost. She’s only 13. She doesn’t have the life experience to make the connections and understand a lot of the discussion questions or examples, but she was able to relate to the history mentioned and loves the old movie clips.

I really like the film clips from old movies, newsreels, and historical films that drive home the messages in the lessons.

Since we’re just now beginning year 4 in our history cycle, this program is a great supplement to our studies. And I think it will be a great plan to have Liz repeat this program when she’s older, for reinforcement.

What I love:

  • Combining worldview and economics. Academics and theology. Use of Bible verses, doctrines, and principles. This is not some mathematical “dismal and dreary” class. R.C. Sproul, Jr., mentions that successful economics cannot be divorced from God. God is everywhere and in everything.
  • Great for several different learning styles. Visual learners get the videos to view fun old movie clips and fast-paced examples to the lecture. Aural learners get the ability to listen to the audio portion of the video. Verbal learners get to read along with the outline (I love the outline!).
  • Several different levels of assessment: multiple choice questions, short answer, and discussion. Liz aced the low-level multiple choice, but struggled on her own to answer completely the short answer and discussion questions. I prompted and guided and discussed where he mentioned the answers in the video and outline.
  • Extra resources for further study: Christian economics textbooks, Christian materials, and very academic economics books are listed for more information for further study. I doubt Liz will want to explore all these on her own, but they’re a great list for someone who loves economics and history.

What is confusing:

A Christian worldview economics program, with 12 short video lessons with accompanying outlines, multiple choice questions, several short answer questions, and several discussion questions for each lesson – recommended for 1/2 credit of high school economics.

From FAQs on the high school credit: “by itself as a lighter study to introduce basic economics concepts (9th/10th graders), or used together with another economics textbook as a more in-depth study for students with worldview training (10th/11th/12th graders).”

I do not feel comfortable counting this video as high school credit at all. Suggested resources include three texts: the advanced Foundations of Economics by Shawn Ritenour, the highly recommended Basic Economics by Carson and Cleveland, and Prosperity and Poverty by E. Calvin Beisner which is very similar to the concepts presented by R.C. Sproul, Jr., I plan to purchase Basic Economics and review the material so my kids can get high school credit.

Is it a Bible study or an economics course? Perhaps I was expecting more of the economics. The short lessons move so quickly that most of the vocabulary is barely skimmed, certainly not learned. The concepts are so complex, yet the program glosses over the history and explanation to drive home the anti-socialist beliefs of the speaker. I would prefer more comprehensive lesson plans that dig deeper with the economics. This is more a worldview study than economics. There is little practical here.

Liz loved the mother-daughter time with the viewing and discussion.

Lessons 1 to 5 introduce key economic principles. Lessons 6 and 7 explain the relationships between theology, philosophy, and economics. Lessons 9 to 12 examine the application of economics in real-life systems.

2 DVDs, Spiral-bound guide, 236 ages is $45.00 (download coming soon!)

The recommendation is for 6th grade and up.

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HomeschoolPiano Review

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July 21, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

HomeschoolPiano is a program exactly like I was looking for. A comprehensive music program with solid lessons and every component to learn how to play piano well. And I don’t have to drive anywhere.

We were given a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION for up to five students to: HomeschoolPiano.

I had planned for the kids to view the lessons at their own paces on their iPads, but we haven’t gotten Internet at our new home yet. So we cluster-watched the videos at the library a few times each week and practiced what we learned at home using the workbooks.

Homeschool Piano Review
 
This also comes on disk.
Homeschool Piano Review

I don’t have to drive anywhere. I don’t have to pay for 30-45 minute weekly lessons with a teacher I don’t know – with lessons that seem to consist of too much time wasted with checking answers in workbooks than teaching.

The kids can watch videos and listen to the audio and complete their lessons and practices on the piano keyboard with accompanying workbooks.

Each lesson is very complete and consists of 7 components:

  • Technique
  • Rhythm
  • Ear training
  • Reading music
  • Song
  • Improvisation
  • Bonus

My three girls did great with their lessons and aced their quizzes on rhythm and listening to measures. I am so proud of them!

The first set of lessons is Core Piano and teaches all the basics from the black and white notes on the keyboard to sitting correctly and proper hand and finger movements.

Book 1 is 6 units and 52 pages. Book 2 is 6 units and 30 pages. Book 3 is 6 units and 39 pages. And Core Piano has 46 pages of practice notation to play.

Kate especially loves this program. She can retain the info she watches in the videos (we have to use the library wifi since we haven’t gotten home Internet service yet in Germany). When we get home, she practices with our full electronic piano keyboard. She likes to show off and teach her sister.

sisters at piano

Kate really is learning lots of basics. Dad and big sister help fill in any blanks if she has questions.

Dad piano lessons

I am very not musical and thankful that Dad and Liz are and can help when I don’t understand her questions.

Big Sister Piano Teacher

She was very obedient to practice her scales and learn her notes before moving on to the fun stuff. She is so excited to play several little songs for us now.

Alex is learning some basics and wants to sit at the piano. He is really good at rhythms. He so wants to be like his sisters!

watching piano videos

Dad thinks there are gaps in the program and it moves too quickly, skipping some basic important lessons. He took music classes for years in piano, voice, and trumpet. He likes old-school and traditional. But this is working for Kate really well. Tori and Alex may enjoy it later when we have home Internet and they can watch and play and rewatch the videos for full comprehension.

HomeSchoolPiano has two payment packages:

1. Success Package (One payment of $299)
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.
2. Payment Plan (Payments of $99.97 per month for three months):
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.

For all ages.

View this blog post to see updates on their video program. Lots of improvements! We look forward to learning more piano and completing this program. Kate loves it.

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Progeny Press Review

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June 2, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

The kids and I loved reading the novels and completing the literature guides for Progeny Press.

We reviewed the literature guides for The Hunger Games and Little House in the Big Woods.

Liz had begged to read the Hunger Games books and this was perfect timing. She hasn’t watched any of the movies yet. So we have a deal.

Progeny Press Review
Little House in the Big Woods is a perfect accompaniment for our history studies.  The girls loved this book!

We visited Stately Oaks Plantation in Jonesboro, GA, that was about the same time period and the girls were fascinated.

Many of the items in the historic home were items mentioned in the book and the girls loved seeing them in person.

Another tourist mentioned he had just visited and toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and he told the girls about some of the highlights he enjoyed.

The girls were very interested in the simpler time where Laura had never been to a store and Ma and Pa lived off what the land provided.

The files are interactive pdfs. I had Liz complete The Hunger Games lessons on my laptop, but I printed out two copies of Little House in the Big Woods guides for Tori and Kate and placed them in colorful pocket folders with prongs for them.

Teal and green of course.

Little House in the Big Woods study guides

Tori and Kate loved the vocabulary pages! They begged me to read and discuss and help them with their notebooking each evening.  We completed lessons before bedtime and they wanted to stay up later for more!

Notebooking in TLF

They begged to continue working at Grandma’s house. They love the story of Laura and want to read the whole series now.

We did the discussion questions orally, otherwise it’s a lot of writing.

The activities at the end of each lessons were fun and engaging. We have done many in our history studies recently. We made butter and have studied pioneer ways. The girls really loved making a calendar and drawing pictures for that (see their folders above).

notebooking at Grandma's house
Click here

Liz works independently on my laptop and uses the actual book a friend gave her for review. I then bought her the whole trilogy on Kindle.

I like the different levels of questioning in this guide that encourages Liz to think. Some were just basic comprehension and others were more intellectual and required her to research the symbolism. We had some great discussions about the vocabulary, questions, and thinking skills. I explained literary terms to help her. I’ve read all the books too.

I plan to have Liz complete the optional activities once we get more settled. It’s a great incentive before she sees the movies.

She’s been writing fan fiction too!

completing online notebooking

These are good quality literature guides with lots of options – from vocabulary and multi-leveled questions to fun extension activities. I am impressed. I don’t usually use lit guides when we read books, but these are really great and the girls enjoyed them and begged to do their work each day and didn’t want to stop to do anything else.

The Hunger Games eGuide is recommended for grades 8-12 and the Little House in the Big Woods eGuide is recommended for grades 3-5.

The groups are divided like this:

High School: Recommended for Grades 8-12
Middle School: Recommended for Grades 5-8
Upper Elementary: Recommended for Grades 3-5
Lower Elementary: Recommended for Grades K-3

The eGuide for The Hunger Games is $21.99.

The eGuide for Little House in the Big Woods is $16.99.

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Apologia What on Earth Can I Do Review

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May 27, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We love, love, love Apologia Educational Ministries and are thrilled to review volume 4 of the What We Believe worldview series! Apologia Review

We received the following:

  • What on Earth Can I Do? (hardback book for ages 6-12)
  • What On Earth Can I Do Notebooking Journal (for ages 10-12)
  • What on Earth Can I Do? Junior Notebooking Journal (for ages 6-9)
  • What on Earth Can I Do? Coloring Book (perfect for preschoolers)
Apologia Review
Apologia ReviewApologia Review

Liz has completed the whole series now.

What is covered in the What We Believe series?

The series includes four volumes:

  • Volume 1 – Who Is God? (And Can I Really Know Him?) Biblical Worldview of God and Truth
  • Volume 2 – Who Am I? (And What Am I Doing Here?) Biblical Worldview of Self-Image
  • Volume 3 – Who Is My Neighbor? (And Why Does He Need Me?) Biblical Worldview of Servanthood
  • Volume 4 – What on Earth Can I Do? Biblical Worldview of Stewardship

Why do we love Apologia Christian worldview curriculum?
We are bombarded with the world all the time – through TV, radio, Internet, billboards, print media, friends and family, and even church. I am continually amazed at how Christians compromise the gospel and teachings of the Bible in favor of the world and concern over offending someone.

I say: “Take back your family and stand firm in your convictions that are Bible-based.”

I have never found a discrepancy Apologia worldview helps immensely by affirming our beliefs and why I teach my children what I do.

We are different and I am ok with that.
What did we do with this curriculum?
I read aloud from the book each morning and we discussed the lessons, stories, biographies. The journals have schedules for each day, but we found ourselves reading, reading, reading and loving it so much that we did above and beyond the daily lessons. The journals make things so easy, but they’re not necessary to have.

Alex was super excited to have a coloring book and he’s just the right age and ability to complete a page during or after our read aloud time. The coloring pages are the same as in the junior journal and he loved coloring in his book while his sisters colored in theirs.

Apologia Coloring Book

Tori and Kate shared the Junior Notebooking Journal so sweetly (since I couldn’t find an additional one for a few weeks). Tori was thrilled when her own journal arrived!

The girls love the lapbooking components, coloring pages, copywork, and puzzles. Some of the free writing assignments we skipped since the girls weren’t ready to do those. Kate and Tori really loved making blueberry and lemon walnut muffins as one of the assignments.

Sharing the Junior Journal

Liz had her own Notebooking Journal and completed the assignments daily. Occasionally, she had to complete the reading if she missed the read aloud time.
Catching up

I am amazed at how God has orchestrated events in our lives the past couple months.

We’re in the transition of moving from Utah to Germany and it’s been quite stressful and confusing for our younger three who have no memory of past military moves. (My husband is Air Force and this is the first PCS I’ve experience not being pregnant or nursing a newborn!)

The opening stories in the first few lessons about World War II and German and British characters delighted my kids who are eager to learn everything they can about our new home. Great images and biographies accompany the stories. And we all love history.

We haven’t quite reached this era in our history studies, but God’s timing is always perfect. My children immediately related Colin and Jenny’s experiences to the Pevensie kids in the Narnia books! They’re excited to visit these historical places mentioned and read more about the historical events. And they’re tickled to realize that the BBC existed that long ago as a radio station before the modern TV station with the Doctor Who shows they know and love.

Even Dad enjoyed listening to the read alouds during our roadtrip. The stories and fictionalized retelling of Jesus’ parables are real page turners. This is my favorite in the series, I think.

We continue to read our lessons aloud and complete the journals while we are staying in temporary housing on Ramstein AFB in Germany. We found a house and are awaiting our household goods. How appropriate is our lesson on greed and not coveting too much that we don’t need. We downsized a great deal before we moved, but we will not have room for some of our stuff in our new German house. I love how God is pruning us in this area. Good thing I don’t really have emotional attachments to many of our things.

I discovered neato devotional on YouVersion app called What On Earth Am I Here For. It’s so complementary!

No teacher manual needed. Great for the whole family. My kids are 4, 7, 8, and 13. The lessons are even powerful and interesting enough for family devotional time.

What on Earth Can I Do? is $39.00
What On Earth Can I Do Notebooking Journal is $24.00
What on Earth Can I Do? Junior Notebooking Journal is $24.00
What on Earth Can I Do? Coloring Book is $8.00

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