Category Archives: Reviews

Books, Movies, Music, Games, even Blogs that we review.

Tuesday Tips for Parenting – Play a Game

October 8, 2007 KME 11 Comments

This tip is so basic, I feel a bit sheepish posting it, but I still think it’s worth sharing.

Take the time to play a game with your child.

That’s it.

Ignore the mess in the family room. Let the dirty dishes sit in the sink for an extra hour or two. Don’t worry about folding laundry. Screen calls and allow the answering machine to do its job.

Put on the kettle and make tea or hot cocoa. Pop some popcorn. Turn an everyday, average afternoon or evening into Game Night.

I know it’s difficult to set aside time with dance, gymnastics, and sporting events eating up the week days. And don’t even get me started about homework. What joy, however, to carve an hour out of the day to sit together and play a game. The laughter and time spent as a family will create precious memories and a legacy for your children.

For a great collection of game reviews (complete with pictures and detailed information), go to Callapidder Days. Katrina regularly share games that her family enjoys. I’m planning to plunder her site for Christmas gift ideas this year.

Games don’t have to take hours and hours. Gamewright sells dozens of card games, almost all of which can be played in less than 40 minutes, many in only 20 minutes. The website sorts the games by recommended age and is a wonderful resource of kid friendly games.

We played Citadels this evening, one of Joshua and Tim’s favorites.

Another excellent source for games of all kinds (with categories for card games, children games, dexterity based ones, 2-player games, party games, and on and on) is Newspiel. We have purchased many games from this company over the years and been consistently pleased with their prices and selection.

We are always looking for new and fun games to add to our collection. Leave a comment and share your family’s favorites.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 281

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WFMW -- Blogging Niche

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Walk Away

Tuesday Tip for Parenting -- Tomato Staking

Bible Study, Movies, Project 365

If Someone Were Watching …

September 30, 2007 KME 12 Comments

Today our pastor preached the fourth sermon in our month long Choose stewardship campaign. The four topics were Invite, Belong, Serve and Give. This morning’s sermon was on giving, looking at the story of the widow’s coin in Luke 21.

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)

You decide, are these two giving out of their wealth or poverty?

It was an excellent sermon, encouraging us to give generously and delight in God’s blessing in our life as we serve Him with our time, energy and finances. I was struck by the picture of Jesus visiting the temple and observing people as they placed their gifts in the offering.

“What would it be like to have Jesus watching you as the offering plate passed by?” I whispered to Tim, my eyes wide at the thought.

“Um,” Tim’s expression was a bit puzzled, “Kathy, He is watching you.”

Ouch. Somehow the image of Jesus sitting next to me and looking at me while I take and pass on the offering basket was very convicting. Thinking of Him searching my heart and counting all the treasures I’m storing up here on earth, brought a flush to my cheeks.

Maybe we’ll find all those missing socks when we get to heaven.

This afternoon we watched a portion of one of our favorite family movies, FlyWheel. Flywheel, produced by the church that filmed Facing the Giants, has a low-budget but an incredible message. I encourage everyone to go out and find a copy of this movie! It is slow in places and the acting “raw” but the transformation of the main character, as he decides to trust God with his whole life, is remarkably powerful.

Early in the movie the family attends church together. When it’s time for the offering, the father takes out his envelope, makes sure it is EMPTY, and then very carefully places it into the basket. His wife sees him and shakes her head with disgust.

If someone were watching…

Jesus sees what I do with my time and my money. The scriptures are full of promises regarding rewards the Lord will give those who are faithful, loving, and generous. Do I trust His Word? Do I believe the treasures I can store up in heaven are worth more than the temporal things of this world?

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:26-27)

It was a day full of conviction and challenge. What would it look like, I wondered, if I gave sacrificially, loved with my whole life, and said “Yes!” to the Lord? Am I willing to be stretched? Do I believe He is watching?

Kathy
Project 365- Day 273

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P365 - Day 49 Noah's Terrible Journey

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Making the Most of Mealtimes

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Throw Out Your TV!

Daily Life, Movies, Project 365, Rachel

“I Always Have Something to Say”

September 28, 2007 KME 8 Comments

So says my beloved, 11 year old daughter. No doubt she could write today’s blog in her sleep if I would just do the typing for her.

Here Rachel is saying, “I’m cold, stop taking my picture and get me a sweatshirt.

I’m hungry but it’s close to bedtime and I’m trying to be careful not to eat late at night. I had a lovely cup of tea but somehow it wasn’t quite as tasty as the huge bowl of popcorn Tim and the children devoured. Go figure.

We watched The Ultimate Gift this evening. It was a moving tale about a spoiled young man who receives 12 gifts from his deceased grandfather. Each gift (or task) is designed to teach him a lesson about life. There are some intense scenes of peril in the second half but our entire family enjoyed the movie.

The Ultimate Gift certainly made me wonder if I am teaching my children the lessons illustrated in the movie – the gift of work, true friendship, the value of money, how to help others, etc. It is so refreshing to find movies the entire family can watch together.

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 271

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Project 365 - Day 16 (Daily Bible)

P365 - Day 67 (Chips Ahoy)

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Notes for Pennies

Music, Project 365

Barely even a blog

September 28, 2007 KME 9 Comments

When you find yourself crafting opening blogging sentences throughout the day, you know it is a sign that blogging has become a serious hobby. I don’t know if that is efficient or obsessed. Hey, that might be an interesting poll.

Kathy and Tim are:
1) Efficient bloggers
2) Totally obsessed bloggers who need to get a life
3) My blogging heroes
4) Who are Kathy and Tim?

Maybe we’ll save that poll for another time. It turns out I actually do need sleep to function well as a homeschooling teacher and mother of five children. Over the summer I could stay up late blogging and reading, sleeping in each morning. With a full homeschooling schedule, that ISN’T a healthy life plan.

All of which to say, I’m not going to blog tonight. No, I’m not. I’m going straight to bed. Someone else can take over the insightful, amusing, creative blogging for today. I’ll leave you with a picture of my younger two cutie pies and a link.

David and Sarah pose for pictures – this is their “serious” look.

A homeschooling friend recommended Crosswalk as a source of Christian online music. They have 10 music “channels” with everything from hymns, rock, kids and praise music. Crosswalk requires you register to enter the site but there is no cost and the music selection is incredible. As a serious variety chick (always interested in new and fresh music), I love having a new source of music available at my internet/fingertips. I mean, just now I got to hear a rocking version of the Veggie Tales theme song by Rebecca St. James. Wow! Have you heard that one? It’s wild.

P.S. Oh dear, even when I’m not blogging, I end up using up more than my share of the blogging web space. NIGHT!!

Kathy
Project 365 – Day 270

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Project 365 - Day 16 (Daily Bible)

WFMW--Homeschool Faves

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Throw Out Your TV!

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WFMW–Bible Devotional Favorites

September 11, 2007 KME 13 Comments

Last week I shared a few of my favorite homeschooling books and programs. This Wednesday I thought it might be interesting to begin a discussion on devotional Bible books for children. I am a true bibliophile or bookworm and have an insatiable thirst for new books, novels, textbooks, tomes, and other works of fiction or non-fiction. I’ve never met a book sale or book store that didn’t call my name, usually loudly. Our family is continually on the search for inspiring and character/life changing devotionals. Over the years we have filled our shelves with excellent reading material.

When I showed my tall stack of books for today’s post to Tim, his eyes widened and he suggested, oh so gently, that I cull my list a bit. Gasp! How could I possibly do such a thing. As it is, I’m sure I am going to forget a precious gem, a beloved favorite, a truly powerful and influential devotional. How could I possibly leave one out??

Hearing a comment like that really makes you wonder what kind of person you married. Sigh.

Never fear, instead of scaling the collection of reviews back, I decided to break the blog into pieces. I’d hate to bore anyone to pieces with paragraphs and paragraphs of book discussion any more than I want to ignore a beloved devotional. Come back during the week for additional conversation.

I sincerely hope you find some new treasures in our collection as well as recognize a few old friends. Please, please, please leave a comment with the names of some of your own personal favorites. I still have room on my shelves for more books.

Bible Devotionals for Younger Children

David (age 6 1/2), Sarah (age 5), and I are currently working our way through The Children’s Every Day Bible illustrated by Anna C. Leplar. The stories are succinct, colorful and aimed for kindergarten to 4th grade.

After we read our Bible story for the day (or multiple stories, if we are, ahem, behind) we turn to a devotional book. There are several little books we enjoy throughout the week. Right now are just about finished with My ABC Bible Verses – Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt. Each letter of the alphabet has a corresponding verse. The verse is explained in easy to understand language and then followed by a sweet story about siblings, Missy and Bill. The lessons are only two pages, and conclude with questions about the verse, a simple prayer and instructions to repeat the day’s verse and review earlier verses. I love watching David and Sarah absorb scripture and learn more about God’s Word.

Kids-Life Devotions is an old and much-loved favorite. Joshua, Rachel and I read these stories when they were toddlers, pulling the little book off the shelf over and over the until the binding and cover were completely worn out. I was thrilled to find a copy of the book in a store here in Washington and snapped it up as fast as I could. The illustrations are creative and varied, each story has its own look and feel.

This is one of David’s favorite tales.

There are many amusing children’s books that we have read and re-read over the years that reinforce godly character through their entertaining tales. The Adam Raccoon series by Glen Keane have delighted the children since Joshua was a young boy. Of course, Tim’s mother has written her own raccoon tale so we have a soft spot for raccoons in this family. Or at least books ABOUT raccoons.

The Building Christian Character series by Michael P. Waite are hysterical books, teaching lessons through silly stories and rhyme. Joshua has several lines memorized from these books as he is often called upon to read to the younger children.

Handy-Dandy Helpful Hal, the Pooped-Out Parents’ Perfect Pal.

A recent discovery that has all the kids begging for more, is Gid the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits. I found this wonderful, entertaining treat at last month’s homeschool conference. The authors’ mother was one of the speakers. I immediately fell in love with this brilliant story, placing Gideon (Judges 6-8) in the old west. The authors and illustrators, brothers Christopher and Allan Miller, incorporated 3D computer graphics into their story-telling. The result is a fresh, vivid and appealing book. I promptly bought a copy for our family as well as one for my mother in law. I wish I had been able to afford more as this would make an excellent gift. Gid the Kid is book one in the Heroes of Promise series. We are all eagerly awaiting the next book.