What Are We Reading? - October 2020

Hey, y'all!  I know it has been a LONG time since my last post, but it was a nice, much needed break.  So, how are y'all?  How is your school year going so far?  We started our school year a little later than normal, but we are back in the swing of things, thankfully.

Well, here is what we are reading this month.  

Elizabeth Prentiss - Book Review

Hey, y'all!  The kids and I have just finished reading another great read aloud, Elizabeth Prentiss More Love by Claire Williams.  Our family truly enjoyed this heartwarming story and it led to great discussions.  Elizabeth Prentiss is published by Christian Focus and is a part of the Trail Blazers series.  We received this book in exchange for our honest review.  Go grab you a cup of coffee or tea and join us as we tell you all about this inspiring story.

The Hamelin Stoop Series Book Review - Kaela's Corner

Have you ever read a book that was not a genre you would normally be interested in, but then found yourself flipping page after page with excitement, anxiously waiting to see what would happen next? Well, that has been me with our latest read aloud!  I am normally not a fan of young adult fiction or fantasy books, however, when the opportunity arose for us to review The Hamelin Stoop Series, I decided to give it a try.  First, let me just say that I am so glad I did!  We received Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge (Book 1) and Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna (Book 2) in exchange for our honest review.  Both books are published by 12 Gates Publishing.  Normally I would be giving you guys the review, but my oldest daughter enjoyed the first book so much (she is just about to start book 2) that she asked if she could tell y'all about it.  I will check in later to add my two cents.  

What We Read in April

I missed posting what we read in March because we were so busy with the move, and now I don't even remember what all we read. Anyway, I do have what we read in April ready for you. I still can't believe we are already in April I mean where did the time go? Go grab your coffee or tea, pen, ad notebook and join me as I share with you what our family read in April.

Transcripts Made Easy - Review

Hey, y'all! How is life?  We are just about settled in our new place, finally.  Most of you have been asking and waiting for me to talk more about high school well, today is your lucky day!
As a homeschool mom of two teens, I get asked on several occasions how I do it. A few of the things most people want to know is how do I create a transcript, how do I organize their paperwork, how do I choose their classes, etc.  Most of the time my answer is always the same, "Girl, we are learning as we go because I have no idea. However, Pinterest has a plethora of things."  
Well, moving forward I will have more concrete answers!  As part of the Homeschool Review Crew, I was blessed to be able to review Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork, written by Janice Campbell and published by Everyday Education. 

What we Read in February

We are plowing through this year like a snow plow in a Winter storm.  I can't believe I am already sharing what we are reading in February!  The kids were able to read more books this month than last.  They had some good ones too.  Do you have your pen and notebook ready so that you can be ready to add to your "to read" list?  Well, what are you waiting on?  We are going to get right to it, so go grab everything you need and don't forget your coffee.

February Morning Basket

I'm sure you hear the talk about morning baskets all around the homeschool streets!  Well, we have always set aside time in the morning for things we like to do before we start "schooling" sort of like a warm-up.  I just never called it morning basket until now.  We are officially on the morning basket train, well almost official, I still need to find a basket.  I wanted to share with you what we have in our morning basket for the month of February.

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls - Books 3 and 4 Book Review

Hey, Y'all!  The kids and I are back with an awesome book review, just for you!  This series is one of the kids' favorite.  We all love to read for the most part and we are always looking for a good book to listen to or curl up on the couch and read. It can get tough sometimes trying to find appropriate books that are entertaining and give good life lessons or morals.  I was very curious when we were offered the opportunity to read books 3 and 4 of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.  We had never heard of the series or of the author, M.J. Thomas, so I did some research.  Needless to say, I was impressed, so go grab your coffee and join us as we take you back to Bible days.

What we Read in January

Happy New Year, y'all!  It has been a while since my last post.  I took the month of December to spend time with my family.  Christmas is our favorite holiday, and we like to focus on the true reason for the season.  We take time away from work and school and just enjoy each other.
So, you should have read a post from my goofy daughter, last week, about her tenth-grade expectations vs reality for the first semester.  If you haven't read it yet you should go check it out, she is hilarious! You can be expecting to hear from her hopefully once a week here on the blog.  Anyway, let's get into what we are reading this month.

Forensic Faith For Kids - Children's Book Review

David C Cook along with Case Makers Academy sent us Forensic Faith for Kids to read and review.  Do you guys ever struggle with making Bible fun? I know a lot of times it can be a bit confusing for younger kids to understand. Even though I typically do an excellent job at explaining it to my kids and they understand it pretty well, I'm always looking for ways to "spice it up" but still hold true to what the Bible actually states. So when I received the email to review Forensic Faith for Kids I was ecstatic especially since we are already familiar with the author.  J Warner Wallace did a great job at explaining Jesus to and his identity in a way that younger kids could understand.
*Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That just means if you click on them and purchase something I will make a small commission from it with no additional charge to you

By the Way Review - Science, History, and Geography from a Biblical worlview

Geography, history, and science are all subjects that my children do together as a group.  From time to time we like to veer off from our curriculum and learn about something else.  That's one of the many things I love about homeschool!   So recently we put our study of the Romans on hold so that we could check out By the Way. We were given the opportunity to read and review New York City - By the Way, one of the books in the By the Way Book Series.  My youngest son has wanted to take a vacation to New York since as long as I can remember so, I knew I would enjoy reading this to him and the other kids.  However, this is not just a book you can read, this is a book you get involved in!  Many discussions and activities sparked from this book.

How Can Children Learn About The Lord Through a Comic Book- Book Review

Bible is the one subject I try to get to each day.  I love incorporating games, good discussions, and anything to be sure my children are engaged.  We recently were offered the opportunity to review Book 1, Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith in The Captain Sun Adventures series.  It is no secret that I love reading, and for the most part, my children do as well, but having a story/comic book/Bible devotion all in one is taking it to another level.  After, reading the first book in the series, I know that our family will be happy to add The Captain Sun Adventures entire series to our bookshelf. Continue reading to find out more about the story and what my children and I thought about it.

Kingdom Files (Barbour Publishing) Review

I have several posts about books and reading so you all already know how we feel about it.  It is just getting harder to find my definition of "kid-friendly" books.  Recently I heard about Barbour Publishing through the Homeschool School Review Crew.  They have a series called Kingdom Files and we had the opportunity to read and review two of the books from that series, Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?.  We finished one and we have started on the other and man I am impressed with the way they are written and how engaging they are.  Have you ever read a non-fiction story that opened the door to many different discussions throughout the story?  Well, that is exactly what happened as we read.

God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn - Book Review

It is the beginning of the new homeschool year for most homeschooling families or this is the time when they do all their planning and purchasing of their new curriculum.  We homeschool year round with occasional breaks here and there, however, this is the time that I start buying curriculum, planning, and making changes to our homeschool.  In the midst of all of that, we sometimes forget to stop and ask God what He wants for our homeschool.  I have come to realize over the past 5 years that I have been homeschooling that when I try to do it my way it never works!  So I learned early on to pray and seek God help daily.  I don't see that a lot in the homeschool community though.  Most moms, myself included sometimes, are frantic about if we are doing enough, are our children getting it, what will people think of our kids if they are not on a certain level, etc.  This is why I was happy to read and review God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn written by Julie Polanco.  I needed the encouragement before planning out our school year so it was timely. 

No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope - Book Review

I have been a parent for 15 almost 16 years and I can still remember when I was pregnant with my first child all the warnings I got about the baby keeping you up at night, or the "terrible twos" and even the sassiness of girls, and roughness of boys.  I made it through those stages with flying colors all 4 of our children were great babies and toddlers.  I remember thinking "wheew" we made it.  However, what everyone forgot to warn me about were the tween and teen stages, so my husband and I walked right into them unprepared. You know what? Come to think of it maybe they did, but we just ignored it because we made it through the other stages clear of disaster.  As parents of 4 children, we pretty much thought we had this parenting thing down to a science.  I mean love them, discipline them, feed them, teach and train them, provide for them, nurture them, and most importantly share the Word of God with.  We thought it would only get easier the older they get. LOL  If I can be honest for a second, well I'm always honest, but it seem like the right thing to say in this sentence, ok back to what I was saying the tween years of 10-14 has been the most challenging for us in our home for both the child and us so I am glad I had some help from Great Waters Press with their newest title No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens with Grace and Hope.  I received this book in exchange for my honest review and I will start by saying it is amazing!!

T is for Tree: A Bible ABC book for toddlers - A Book Review

First of all is it really almost June already?!?  This year is almost halfway over.  Where did the time go?  I hope you are getting your summer book list ready.  Still gathering suggestions for your list?  Well, that's great because today I want to introduce you to a sweet Christian children's book titled, T is for Tree: A Bible ABC from Reformed Free Publishing Association.  I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.   My niece has enjoyed listening to me read it to her as she looks at the pictures but even more so she has enjoyed talking over and trying to read it her self.  LOL

Planet 316 Story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App Review

The most important part of our homeschool is Bible study.  As a Christian, it is a must that our children know and have a personal relationship with the Lord.  Although, all of my children have learned to read the KJV of the Bible my youngest son and my niece still enjoy bible stories with fun colorful pictures.   Planet 316 and WorthyKids/Ideals provided us with just that and more with their Planet 316 Story Bible and the companion Planet 316 Story Bible App.  They have brought bible bed time stories to life with their augmented reality in our home.  We were thrilled to be able to review this and share it with you all.

Carole P. Roman books and collections - Review

You all know how I feel about reading to my children and how important I feel it is for you to read to your children.  I mean it's so beneficial and it gives you a free cuddling pass when you are tired of house chores and want an excuse to sit down.  The review crew was given the opportunity to review some books from Carole P. Roman books and collections.  Children's books like those written by Carole P. Roman can be such a fun way to explore history, culture, or even practice reading.  We were blessed to receive three books to add to our forever, growing home library.

What we read in February in our Homeschool

I can't believe the month of February is already gone!  The days seem to be going by a lot faster lately.  The kids and I did not do as much reading this month.  Life got hectic and we just had a lot going on.  We did get some reading in though and we even listened to an audiobook, which we absolutely loved!  Even though we did not read as much as I would have liked to this month we could still meet our reading goal for the year.  Well, I will meet my goal, I didn't set one for the kids I just want them to read and enjoy it.  As promised I will be sharing with you all what books we are reading each month. So, here is what we read in February.

Wulf the Saxon Review

Our family enjoys jumping into a good book, especially when it is being read aloud.  The kids love to stop me so that they can ask questions or try to predict what will happen next and I love to leave them hanging in suspense at the end of some chapters.  We just love a good story.  I've heard so much, from friends and other homeschool moms about how exciting audiobooks were and how it would free up my time so that I could get other things around the house done.  We tried some and some were ok but for the most part we just never really got into them because, to be honest, they just didn't have a lot of excitement to them.  The reader read in monotone and we couldn't tell which character was which.  A couple months ago we were offered the opportunity to review Wulf the Saxon, the newest release from Heirloom Audio Productions'  series.  I was hesitant at first, but the storyline and cover art caught my attention and I decided to give it a go.  Boy, am I ever glad that I did!  The story was engulfing, my children and I were able to truly live the adventure, it was as if we were right there back in the 1060's.  Yes, this audio drama was that good.  I would love for you to join me on the adventure, so grab your things and let's go!

Heirloom Audio Productions' Wulf the Saxon