Yes, this post is about the big announcement that I'm going to make tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is my fantastic middle child's birthday, but, no, it doesn't have to do with Joshua. It does have to do with something that you can give as a birthday or Christmas gift to your child...AND...I'm going to announce a big giveaway for not just one of these great gifts. Still can't tell you yet. I'm sworn to secrecy. Tune in tomorrow morning to find out!
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You'll find out December 1st!
Okay, I know it's lame, but there really is a neat gift that I'm going to be blogging about on Thursday. It's a TOS review that isn't a curriculum. It's actually a toy. But it's one of the neatest toys. We got it today and the kids love it. I'm pledged not to say anything specific until Thursday. So, tune in on Thursday to find out what that absolute neatest, coolest, most original toy is!?!
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You all know how much I love Compassion International. A little over a week ago, as a member of Compassion Bloggers, I was invited to blog about a new partnership that Compassion International has with Mission in Action TV. Mission in Action TV is a brand new organization that is going around the world and reporting on the amazing things that God is doing through it's member organizations. Compassion International is one of those organizations.
I'm a little late in getting started - Mission in Action TV has already aired four episodes and I am just today posting the first one! In the weeks ahead I will try to post each as they come out, or, you can watch each episode on the Mission in Action TV website and read more about this organization and the mission organizations that it partners with. Just click here or on any of the hi-lighted links above. If you wish to know more about Compassion International click here.
Enjoy the video.
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For the past few years I have endeavored to celebrate advent with my family. Some years it has been a great success. During other years we have struggled at times. Still, we enjoy being together as a family. This year, again, we are going to celebrate the advent season. Today was the first day of advent, but we will observe it later this week. We are trying something new this year. Something I am anxious to blog about. As in previous years I am going to blog about our successes and failures, but this year I am also going to take part in an advent blog meme. Each week I will link up my post with others who are taking the "40 Days of Seeking Him - Advent 2011" challenge. Whenever I post I will be displaying the banner above. Click on it to see what others are doing and how their family advent times are going. Perhaps we will glean from each other to make this advent season a special and joyous one.
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So, are you worn out from your Black Friday shopping?
Did you not get everything you wanted?
Could you not find that gift for the "person who has everything"?
Have you sworn yourself off of Black Friday forever?
Well, never fear, Tim is here. You all know that I preview all of my affiliates and recommended companies ahead of time to make sure that they are family friendly. Well, I have found some family friendly companies and deals for you. I'll list my affiliates today so that you know which links I will profit from if you buy from them, and then I'll list some other recommended links in the days to come. There's going to be a lot of great sales going on this month, so keep checking back.
Affiliates:
This is one of my favorite companies of all time. I love Vision Forum! Click on the above banner to find out why.
I love JM Cremps. It is run by a Christian family that has five boys. So, they know what works for boys and what doesn't work for boys. There selection of merchandaise proves that. Check out their website by clicking on the banner above. Right now they are having a great sale on stocking stuffers as well as other things.
I have grown to love The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) family and I'm not just saying that because I'm on the TOS Homeschool Crew. In fact it's because I work with them that I can truthfully tell you that they are run by some of the nicest folks around. They are having a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale going on right now. Click on the banner to check it out.
Buy ClickN READ Phonics & Get 50% off ClickN SPELL Use Code:holidaybogo $25 Value! exp. 11/30/10
We found Click N Read a few years when Joshua was just learning to read. It's a great program. This may not seem like a typical Black Friday/Cyber Monday item, but...why not? Click N Read is a really fun game that also teaches you to read. Click on one of the banners above to find out more about it. The second link/banner takes you to a special deal that they are having until the end of this month.
The above banner talks about Teaching your children the Bible. That is an important part of Nest Entertainment, but it is much more. They have Christian games and toys, videos, movies. Click on the banner to find out.
Although Currclick is a company that primarily deals with curriculum (currclick), they have a lot more. AND, they are going to be having a great Cyber Monday sale as well as the sales they have going on right now. Click the banner to find out what's going on.
This really isn't an affiliate, but it is something that a member of my family will benefit from. Click on the wreath above to find out about the great aromatic, Maine balsom fir, wreaths that John Allen is selling. At checkout, click on John Allen's name in the provided drop down box.
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Forget going out at midnight! Sleep in and then check my blog tomorrow for some great online Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. All compliments of my great affiliates (and a few other great sites). Remember, all of the sites that I recommend are chosen personally by me to be family friendly. Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. See you tomorrow.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
To all of my faithful readers...my friends.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5
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John Allen is at it again. He's selling Christmas wreaths from Wreaths of Maine! This is his fourth year selling and he loves doing it. These beautiful wreaths are made from Balsam Fir trees. But, they don't just sell wreaths, they sell swags, sprays...even roping for around your porch posts. They are great for decorating businesses, homes, or to give away as gifts.
The first year John Allen sold he donated his profits to help buy homeschool supplies for our family homeschool. Another year he (with a little help from us) bought himself a laptop computer. This year has been really special, he's been talking about all of the gifts he can buy for the family for Christmas. He's even mentioned the gifts he can buy for our pastor's twin boys.
Wreaths of Maine is a company that primarily works with homeschool kids as a way to help them earn money. I found them when I was looking for something for John Allen to sell and make a little money on his own. I remember selling all kinds of things when I was younger - from Christmas cards to green mints. I learned so much from being a salesman. I really think it has helped John Allen build confidence in speaking to others as well.
We would love it if you would consider buying a wreath. Although we would like to be able to come to your house to tell you about them personally, we can't be everywhere at once, so this year Wreaths of Maine has made a way for you to purchase a wreath online and John Allen still get the credit. Just go to the Wreaths of Maine website by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above and look over their great wreaths. When you get to checkout, there will be a place where you can click on John Allen's name and seller number (4086). Thanks ahead of time from a proud father!
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Most of you know that Sarah and I direct a ministry called Good News Mission. To tell you how we ended up living and running a ministry right across the street from the projects would be too long of a story to tell in one post. Maybe a series of posts someday, but not this one. However, I am truly grateful to God for the ministry He has given us and, more importantly, the people that he has us ministring too.
So many times, they minister to us far more than we to them. Take Miss Glenda, the 60 something year old Grandmother who faithfully comes up to the mission every Sunday. She's outlived two husbands but still has a fantastic attitude and loves the Lord. And boy does she work and help others! You can find her at 4am (yes that is 4am in the morning) outside sweeping the sidewalks in the projects. During the day you'll find her visiting the sick, elderly or lonely or helping the maintenance men clean apartments. Don't bother trying to visit after 6pm though. Her blinds will be down and she'll be in bed.
Or take Lauri. She has three daughters - one mentally and physically handicapped. I call her "Martha" because she is constantly up and about working. Even during the Mission, she doesn't sit down. She'll be listening to the lesson while cleaning up the food serving table or doing some other chore. I'll often have to say "Martha sit down!". She may be rough around the edges but we love her.
Or take Diane who is constantly thinking and praying for others. You'll often find her in tears over someone's illness. Or Theresa...or JoAnn...or Ann... they each have their special qualities and we love them all.
And that's just the ladies. We have some wonderful kids that attend the mission as well. Kids who you would never think were listening if it weren't for the special insights that they often give.
I could go on and on about the folks that minister to us just as much as we minister to them, but there wouldn't be any room. We are so thankful for them and for the ministry God has given us.
Thank you Lord for this special ministry that you have given us. Thank you for the dear people that are so special to us. Please bless them tonight even as I right this. Help them to know how much they mean to us and how much we love them. Amen
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I've got the perfect Christmas gift!
It's perfect for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers.
It's a gift that will keep on giving.
It's a gift that will help others and be really fun for kids and adults alike.
It's a gift that won't have your kids sitting in front of a game system all day long.
It's a gift that you can buy for the whole family and would cost less than a lot of other gifts that you might by.
It's a gift where you can spread the payments out all year long.
It's a gift that won't break!
It's a gift that will have life long value.
It's a gift that is tax deductible!
It's a gift that you can give to someone who "has everything"!
It's a gift that's easy to wrap but your family will still be surprised.
It's a gift that is perfect for asperger kids (like my Joshua), handicapped kids, the elderly...really for everyone.
So...what is this fantastically, too good to be true, wonderful gift?
You promise not to exit my blog when I tell you?
You promise to read further?
You promise to really think about it and consider giving this gift?
Then I'll tell you.
How about giving a...
this Christmas?
How can a Compassion Child be a great Christmas gift?
Can it really be all of the things I said above?
I can be all of those things plus more!
It can be inexpensive:
It can be educational:
).Sponsoring a child is very special and rewarding:
Esteemed sponsors, Tim and Sarah Tinkel. Ismael hopes that you're in good health next to your children and loved ones. He tells you that he has been in sick, but he already feels better. he's happy, because he started his elementary school this year and he really likes to attend to school. He learns many Bible stories at the project. He says that he has heard Moses' story and he was surprised to know how God led the people of Israel through the desert and what attract his attention is how God with his power did go past to all the people of Israel through the sea. He says that God is almighty and merciful with us. He says that he's praying a lot for you and he hopes that you pray for him, because he wants to become true his dream. He hopes to travel someday to know snow and he has to study a lot to do it and that's why he asks for you to pray for him. He hopes that your wife's mom is better. He continues praying for her. He thanks God for having you. he hopes that you're well. Is in good health your wife's mom? He hopes so.
With love, Ismael Jose Arias Narvaez
This letter was written with help of the teacher Juania Navarrete.
I didn't correct the language errors because I wanted you to know what a real letter was like from your sponsored child. I had asked him what his favorite Bible story was and we had been talking about snow. That's why he made references to those things. And, yes, Sarah's mom is doing fine. Could it be in part because of the sweet prayers of a little seven year old from Nicaragua?
Sponsoring a Compassion International child really is a special thing. Please pray about giving the gift of sponsorship to your family and to a special international child this Christmas. Just click here or on the banner above for more information.
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Tonight I want to thank God for our international children:
Marcelo from Bolivia
Feyber from Colombia
Somi from Indonesia
Emmanuel from Tanzania
Ismael from Nicaragua
Yvone from Rwanda
These are all of our Compassion children in the order in which they were adopted into our family. Marcelo we have supported for almost two and a half years now and Yvone for just nine months. Marcelo we support financially and the rest we are correspondence supporters for. But, we love them all the same. They are all special to us. From Marcelo - who wants us to pray for his parents to go to church with him - to Feyber - who, after some encouragement from me - is beginning to read his Bible more - to Somi - who is fascinated with every snow picture that I send to him because he's never seen snow - to Emmanuel - our oldest child for whom I am praying for a Godly wife - to Ismael - our youngest child who has to have his teacher write letters for him but draws wonderful pictures for us - to Yvone - our only daughter - who calls us her Mother and Father - we love them all dearly and we pray for them all affectionately.
Thank you, Lord, for our wonderful Compassion children. Please bless them all right now whether they are sleeping or awake. Thank you for Compassion International who is rescuing children from poverty one child at a time. Please raise up more supporters for children who are still waiting for the love of a sponsor. Amen
If you would like to share the joy and love we have for our Compassion children, please click here to get to the Compassion International website.
It's homemade pizza night
in the Tinkel household!
The Pizza Dough - Made in the Bread Machine
The Ingredients
The Preparation
The Masterpiece
The Mess
The Unhappy Father Who Has to Clean Up
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Some of you smiled when you read the title of this post. Others of you have no idea what in the world I'm talking about. Here's a little help to you unknowledgeable ones.
I don't know that we have a "Mikey that hates everything" in our house, but whenever a product comes along that my children really like, it makes me stand up and take notice. Ooka Island is one of those products.
With all of the review items that John Allen and Joshua have been getting lately, poor Jacob has been left out. Well, this game was made just for him. Since Jacob is five years old now, we decided to begin doing more formal school work with him. We found a curriculum that we thought would fit him to a "T" at the homeschool convention last spring. Sarah looked it over carefully and liked it better than what we had used with Joshua, so at the beginning of the school year she was excited about teaching him. Unfortunately, he was just not ready for it yet. Maybe we'll try again in January. However, when Ooka Island came around he took to it right away.
He loves that it's a computer "game" that he can play just like his big brothers do. After an easy sign-in process, where the child is given a special picture that is his "password" for the game, you are ready to play. The characters, from things that look like pigs...to robots...to elves...to real people...all are really appealing to him. And, the way the game is set up, you can see the different areas of the island on your 3-D map. It's very tempting to jump around and try something new, but the program won't let you. It's set to only allow a child to move ahead whenever he is ready. Since Ooka Island was developed for children that are emergent readers to second grade, the game automatically adjusts to where the child is. It's really a very controlled but fun game. Watch this clip and I think you'll see why he likes it so much.
It's really hard to tell you what all Jacob has accomplished because he likes this game so much that the little bugger has snuck the laptop to go play when I haven't been around. So, I can only give you a brief synopsis of what I have seen him play, and what he has told me he's played.
Jacob began by traveling through a mine tunnel to listen for a sound. Every time he came to a stop, he heard a sound. If it was the special sound that he heard at the beginning, then he could click the mouse and it would allow him through that gate. If he clicked when the wrong sound was heard, then the game patiently repeated the sound until he heard correctly. All this was done with just the sound. No letter was connected to the sound yet. This was excellent for him because he has a speech problem and this is teaching him to hear the sounds correctly.
Next, they put a letter to the sound. And there are several games that he played to make sure he knew what letter goes with that sound. I've seen him play the magnifying glass game that you saw on the video plus a matching game that he loves.
He has gone through a series of those same games with different sounds and letters. Now, after he completes so many tasks, he gets to unlock a book. The books start out simple - right on the level that he is at - and, as he learns, they become more difficult. The book is read to him or he could (if he were able) to read it himself.
Finally, after he's done reading his unlocked book, he gets to have some free play around the island and have some fun!
When we talked about all of the games that he had played, he mentioned two games that I haven't seen him attempt - the skateboarding game, which he said was a lot of fun, and the cake decorating game. When talking about the cake decorating game he sadly hung his head and said "Dad, I didn't do too well with that one."
Jacob absolutely loves Ooka Island. This is a keeper for us, and I'm sure it will be a keeper for you as well. The only downfall that I found was that it does take a long time to download. But, after downloading we had no problem whatsoever. Although, you download the game onto your computer, in order for the game to know how your child is progressing, you need internet connection. Our DSL connection has worked fine.
Pricing for Ooka Island is also a plus. If you choose to purchase one month at a time, the cost is only $12.95 for one child or $19.95 for up to four children. Six month pricing is $59.95 for one child and $99.95 for up to four children and twelve month pricing is $99.95 for one child or $129.95 for four children. BUT WAIT...if you use the PROMO CODE: LAUNCHSPECIAL30, you will save 30% on a monthly subscription! To find out more about Ooka Island, just click here or on any of the hi-lighted links above. And to find out what other members of the TOS Homeshool Crew has to say just click here. Since this game is wonderful for homeschoolers - it can be used as a complete curriculum - or for non-homeschoolers who just need a little extra help in reading, then I'll close by saying "Happy Home Educating"!
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free limited time membership to Ooka Island in order to try out and give my honest review on this blog.
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