Families Again

You are so BeeYoutiful to Me!

2012-02-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

♫♪ You are so beautiful ♫♪
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

That's one of those songs that I sing to my wonderful wife and children periodically. It's one of those old songs that stick in my head and I often find myself whistling or humming the tune. It reminded me of the great line of products that we have been using lately. But, in that case, it should be "You are so Beeyoutiful" to me because the line of products is from the great company Beeyoutiful. We reviewed this great company of natural health care products a couple of years ago and loved it. Back then we were given a product called Tummy Tuneup to use. Click here to get to that review.

For a long time now, my family has been trying to live healthier. I've blogged about it, here on Families Again and talked about it personally to many people. We don't go overboard, or spend lavishly, but we do our best to eat right and use natural, healthy products. Beeyoutiful is one of those companies that we turn to when looking for one of those natural products to use. I don't usually cut and paste something from a companies website to use in my reviews, but I really liked this statement from the BeeYoutiful website and I don't think I could say it better myself. Here it is:

At Beeyoutiful.com, we believe that each individual is responsible for their own health. It is not a doctor's responsibility to keep you in good health. Instead they are a tremendous resource, especially for those times when urgent care is required. But, they are only one of many resources. And the tools they use, while powerful, are not the only tools available. But a tool is worthless unless one knows how to use it.

I really like that motto, and it speaks to what we have really attempted to do in our household. And, when you look at it, healthy, natural preventive care is a lot cheaper than expensive medical care. And, what I like about Beeyoutiful, is that it really attempts to use all natural - all healthy ingredients in their products. I'm tired of putting unnatural yucky stuff on my body or, worse yet, inside of my body.

This year, instead of Tummy Tuneup, we were sent two fantastic products that worked great as well.

B.A.L.M.: Beeyoutiful All-natural Lip Balm - In our house, chapped lips during the winter - well, really during any time of the year - is a big problem. We are constantly buying some type of lip ointment for our kids lips. Well, while it's hard to put a lot of unnatural, unhealthy ingredients in a lip balm, there still can be some food coloring or some "not too good for you" ingredients in some of the mass produced products. Remember, Beeyoutiful uses natural ingredients in their products. We got the peppermint lip balm this year and loved it. Joshua had a case of really bad chapped lips and this was just the trick. He loved the taste and, as we are used to with Beeyoutiful's line of products, it worked quickly and efficiently.

Ow!- Ease: Okay! You know that we have three boys. Three rambuncious boys. Three rambuncious boys that love to do things like wrestle, sword fight with sticks, chase each other, get angry with each other and throw fists periodically (What! The Tinkel boys throw fists!!! Never! ). Anyway, I think you get the picture. Well, along with all of this energy comes frequent bruising and tears. Guess what other product we received in the mail from Beeyoutiful? Ow!-Ease! I never would have guessed that a nifty little product like this would work. It comes in a fat tube, kind of like a lip balm tube but much bigger and fatter. All you do is just rub a little of this product on the injured area and, Voilà, the pain goes away. And it speeds up the healing. Ow!-Ease is not just for bruises, though. It also works on sprains, strains, torn muscles, etc. Right after we got our tube of Ow!-Ease in the mail Jacob fell and bruised himself. I opened up our handy-dandy tube, rubbed it on, and never heard another complaint out of him. It worked!

We are really sold on Beeyoutifuls products. Their All-natural lip balm sells for $3 a tube and the Ow!-Ease can be purchased for $15 a tube. Some of the other TOS Crew members received other Beeyoutiful products that I am a little jealous about. I would have liked to have tried the Tension Tamer, Miracle Skin Salve or Berry Well. Want to find out what they are? Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to get to the Beeyoutiful website, or click here to get to the reviews that the other TOS Homeschool Crew members wrote. Happy Healing - or, hopefully - Happy Preventive Healing!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free tube of B.A.L.M.: Beeyoutiful All-natural Lip Balm and a free tube of Ow!-Ease to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

What is this all about...

2012-02-26T20:49:00.001-08:00

and who is that bald guy sitting about three rows back on the right side?

Actually I think it's just the light because I don't think he's that bald! Anyway, you'll find out the story behind this picture tomorrow.

Today Was Cleaning Day...

2012-02-25T22:00:00.001-08:00

Just got done mopping the floors. Late at night is the best time when you have three rambunctious boys and an ornery dog! I thought about this song while I was working...

Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My GFC Gone...

2012-02-24T21:39:00.001-08:00

Oh Where, Oh Where, Can it be?

GFC stands for Google Friend Connect and it has been doing some crazy things lately. In fact, my Google Friend Connect that has 105 followers listed disappeared for a little while today, and it may disappear for good sometime next week! It seems that GFC is only going to be available for blogger blog platforms and not for any other blog platform. Now, I know that Families Again is a blogger blog, but the GFC that has most of my followers on it was transferred from my angelfire blog. So, the GFC computers (where ever they are) recognizes it as being on a non-blogger blog.

It's all confusing and I don't expect you to understand it. Hey, I don't even understand it all myself. Here's what I am asking though. If you think that you are one of those 105 followers in my big Google Friend Connect box to the right, could you please re-sign up using one of the other methods that I have. The new connect box right under the 105 GFC box is a "Linky Follower" box. It's just like GFC but it is new and done by the great folks that do the Meme and Blog Carnival link tools. Under the "Linky Follower" box is another Google Friend Connect box. This one, however, is one that I know will stay and won't get deleted next week. If you like GFC and want to stay with it, then that's the one for you. The last method that you can use to sign up is through NetworkedBlogs. They're the folks that are on Facebook. If you sign up through them, then you just check on Facebook to see if I posted anything new.

For those of you who are used to this type of thing I know that you'll figure it out. For the rest of you...I know, I know...it's all so confusing. I'm thoroughly confused myself. I need a hot shower and a good nights rest. UGH! Why do things have to be so complicated?!?

It's Picture Day!

2012-02-23T21:58:00.001-08:00

I used to love those words when I was a kid. It was always so exciting to get my picture taken at school, then, a few weeks later, get a packet of school pictures to take home. I know, some of them look corny now, but it was always fun back then.

Those words are still exciting to me, but not in the same way. I'm certainly not in school anymore, and, since my kids are homeschooled, we don't have the same type of "picture day". They're exciting to me because it means that new pictures of one of my Compassion International kids have come in the mail!

Many of you know that we sponsor six Compassion International children. No, not all of them financially. I wish we could afford to sponsor more than six financially though. Really, though, we only sponsor one financially and we are correspondence sponsors for five others. Compassion International assigns correspondence sponsors when a child's regular sponsor is unable to write or doesn't want to write. Writing to your sponsored child(ren) is a big thing with Compassion International. They say that it is equal to the financial support. We enjoyed writing to Marcelo, the boy that we sponsor, so much that we took on five more children to sponsor. We get regular updates about our correspondence kids just like we do Marcelo. In fact, we are treated like, and they think that we are, their financial sponsor.

It is such a joy to sponsor these kids. We write all of the time and get regular letters back from them. The cream colored envelope says "It's a letter from your sponsored child!" on the outside and we can't wait to open it to see who it is from. Every two years we get a special envelope. It's an envelope with updated pictures in it. Yes, we have to wait two years to get new pictures. Sometimes a Compassion country office will send pictures of the child with purchased items if you sent the child gift money, but usually we only get new pictures every two years. Boy, the changes that we see. Sometimes we hardly recognize them. I remember when we first got an updated picture of Marcelo. I didn't think it was him. I thought Compassion had made a mistake! Take a look and you'll see why!

That comparison was done a couple of years ago. We're now on our third picture of Marcelo. Take a look at our handsome 15 year old Bolivian son now!

Can you imagine, though, what it must be like for some of the Compassion International kids to get their picture taken? Some of them have probably never gotten their picture taken or seen themselves in a picture before. Think about Somi, our Indonesian child. He lives in a round hut with a grass roof. You can see one of those types of huts behind him in this picture.

Sometimes I marvel thinking about things like that. We take so much for granted here in America. Anyway, I've talked so much that I almost forgot to post the pictures the new pictures that we got. There of Ismael our Nicaraguan boy. He is our youngest child at 7 years old. I think the original picture was taken when he was four. See how much he has changed?

It has been a joy to sponsor kids through Compassion International. Financial sponsorship costs less than a cup of coffee a day. If you would like more information on Compassion International or on sponsoring a child, just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. You won't be disappointed.

So, what do you like best about Families Again?

2012-02-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

I've been lazy! I know. I have plenty of things I could use as an excuse. Our church is going through a challenging time. Our ministry is going through a challenging time. We have homeschool, therapies, shooting...etc. etc. etc. Our lives are extremely busy. Realistically, though, I've been lazy in not posting. I've missed days and I've missed opportunities to post. I need to get back "on the stick" as my mom would say.

Actually, though, I've enjoyed the time off a little. I've enjoyed not having the pressure of having to post something every day. Don't get me wrong. I love my blog, I writing posts, and I love my readers. Sometimes, though, I go through writers block. I just can't think of anything to write about. I feel like you all tire at me writing about what's going on in our life. Or about BCM International or Compassion International. Or about goal setting - which, by the way, I know my goal setting post is late. Or reviews.

Hey, maybe that's what I need to do. Ask you all what you like best about my blog. Do you like the homeschool product reviews? Do you like reading about my family and/or ministry.? Do you like my goal setting posts? Do you like my posts about BCM and or Compassion? Do you like my general posts? What do you like best? I don't think I'll stop blogging about any of the above things altogether, but it would be nice to know what you all enjoy.

Leave me a comment and let me know! This might be fun.

Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?

2012-02-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

I grew up in an old coal mining town. My grandfather was a coal miner and even had his own small mine. Grandpa was very old fashioned. Although he was retired, he was still very active and had a huge garden and a small farm. We moved in with him half way through my second grade year. My parents thought that, since he was getting older, he needed someone to take care of him. So, we moved back to the old homestead - the house that my mom was born in.

Glen Richey was not a bad town. There were a lot of good people that lived there. They were hard working people. The kids worked hard too. And, they played hard. They were taught how to defend themselves. Unfortunately, though, just like any town, there were the bullies as well. And, unfortunately, I was a preachers kid from out of town, and was never taught how to defend myself. To put it plainly, I was a wimp. The fact that my last name was Tinkel didn't help either. I was picked on unmercifully in elementary school up through seventh grade and then even a little through high school. Oh, my classmates were all very nice to me, it was older kids that picked on me.

I had a terrible inferiority complex. I really could have used the Apologia Press course Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? by John Hay and David Webb. It's part of the Apologia Press series called What We Believe. The subtitle for this wonderful study is "Biblical Worldview of Self-Image". We didn't have ANY courses on self-image let alone a Biblical course when I was growing up. I'm sure glad that Apologia decided to make one for today's young men and women.

This wonderful book has eight lessons (click here for a download of the table of contents). Each lesson is designed to be completed over a six day period. In fact, the recommended schedule divides each lesson into a three week period with a student working with Who Am I? And what Am I Doing Here? two days each week. Although the Apologia website says that this book is written for children ages 6 to 14, it is written on a fifth or sixth grade level, so a younger child may need the text read to him. Really, with some adjustments, this course could be used with any age child even through adult. It is part of Apologia's What We Believe series.

John Allen has really enjoyed this book. It combines interesting stories along with scripture to lead a child in having a healthy self-image. One that is based on God. After all, we are made in His image. We received a Notebooking Journal along with the text. The journal guides the student in what to do every day. This truly is a self study course. No teacher preparation is needed. The only requirement is that you listen and discuss when a discussion time is called for or whenever your student just needs to chat.

You can purchase the hardback well bound text for $39 and the spiral bound notebooking journal for $24. There is also a coloring book for younger students (or older if they still like to color) for $8. There is even an audio CD of the textbook that you can purchase for $19. This would be handy for the younger student. Click here to find out more about Who Am I? and to download a sample lesson. You can find out what other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew thought about this product by clicking here. Happy Home Educating.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free copy of the Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? textbook and notebooking journal to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

Wow! Just watching this video makes me amazed at how different cultures can be!

2012-02-19T22:24:00.002-08:00

Take a look at a Compassion International sponsored boy from Bangladesh lives.

2012-02-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

This week has been a real doozy! On top of our usual homeschool and ministry schedule, we have had some church related events and some extra ministry situations to deal with. Them, as you probably know by now, two of my children are competitive rifle shooters. John Allen has a big air gun match - his first big one - this weekend so we have been trying to fit in extra practices. Please pray for all of the things that are dealing with, and for John Allen this weekend. Thank you ahead of time.

Now, in honor of my rifle shooting boys, I was forwarded this poster in an email and thought I would share it here.

OH MY! I Missed A Post!

2012-02-15T09:16:00.001-08:00

It doesn't happen very often, but I missed a post! I usually post every day.

Anyway, I can't fully tell you why I missed, but it has something to do with ministry. Things have been happening around here and, although something "challenging" has happened it could potentially be breakthrough in some aspects of our ministry.

Please pray for the "situation" that I can't fully explain right now. Thanks all, and, hopefully, I will write again tonight.

Tim

What A Neat Couple!

2012-02-13T22:03:00.004-08:00

A few days ago I posted a video about a couple who were both over 90 playing the piano in the Mayo Clinic atrium. I just found this follow up video of them. What a neat couple. I want to be like them when I'm 90!

See-N-Spell Spelling and Vocabulary Reference Guide.

2012-02-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read a story, heard a sermon or listened to a song and wondered how in the world the author/composer knew you or what you were going through? It was almost as if they were describing your life or speaking right to you.

That's the way it felt when I was first reading the introduction to See-N-Spell Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide. It was like they were describing me! They hit the nail right on the head. They were describing how writers sometimes have a word that they want to use but, although it is in their speaking vocabulary it may not be in their written vocabulary. They may know how to use it correctly, but they don't know how to spell it correctly. So, instead of running the risk of spelling it incorrectly, they just choose another word. A word that they can spell but may not really convey what they are trying to say.

After reading that I thought "How did they know? How did they know that is what I do almost every time that I write?" I've been doing that for years. Boy do I wish that I had this simple little book when I was younger. Boy do I wish that I had this simple little book last week.

It really is a simple little book, but boy can it do wonders for a student, a writer, a homeschooler,...you name it. See-N-Spell has so many uses.

See-N-Spell is divided into three sections. The first section has over 300 commonly used words arranged on alphabetical order pages. The "A" page has all words that begin with the letter A. Each letter page is further divided up into parts of speech. So, if you couldn't remember how to spell a word but you knew it began with B and you knew it was a noun, you would just go to the B page, find the noun list and scan the words until you found the one you were looking for. All of the parts of speech are listed along with a section of Homophones - words that sound the same when you say them, but have different meanings.

This is something I've needed for a long time. In fact, I found myself checking it just a few minutes ago as I was writing this review!

The second section is a list of commonly misspelled words listed in alphabetical order. Again, I used that section just a little while ago.

The last section is blank section where you can write in your own "Special Interest Words". Those are words that perhaps you have trouble spelling or using correctly but aren't listed in the other two sections.

I am really loving this book. Not only is it of so much help, it has so many uses. How about -

A quick reference guide for writers or students when they write.
A handy spelling list for homeschoolers. They can use the commonly misspelled word list.
A grammar guide for how to use a word in the correct context.

I could go on and on about how much I like See-N-Spell and the versatility of it.

It also came with a handy dandy See-N-Read. I reviewed the See-N-Read's last year. They are those awesome tools that are plastic with a slit in the middle that allows you to see one line of text at a time. This prevents a person from skipping lines and also help a student eliminate all of the clutter on the page so that they can concentrate on reading better and help them keep their place while reading.

So, how much is this great too you ask? The See-N-Spell is just $9.99 and comes with a FREE See-N-Read reading tool! You can find out more about them by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. The website also tells you more about the See-N-Read reading tool and how to purchase one separately. Again, many other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed See-N-Spell and you can find what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Spelling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free See-N-Spell and See-N-Read reading tool in order to try out and give my honest opinion on this blog.

Miracles

2012-02-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

I remember when I first saw this video. It was during my single days right before I got married to Sarah. I would sometimes sit at home and watch VH1 back when it still played music videos and didn't have all of the stuff it has on it now. There were some good songs that played back then. I remember that it brought me to tears even then. This was long before I ever dreamed of working with the low income folks here in Livingston. But, for some reason, I still had a heart for the less fortunate or folks that were down and out. I know that many of the problems that low income folks face are of their own doing. The projects are full of alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex.

Many folks have an attitude of "Why should I help them? They got themselves into their own mess. They can get out of it." I can't really blame folks for thinking that way. I've often felt the same way. Many times, however, I've caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and it dawned on me that I'm not really that different than the folks in the projects. How many mistakes have I made? How many messes have I gotten myself into that, if not for the Grace of God, could have turned out a lot worse than they are.

I'm reminded of the Christian singer that was lambasted by a famous evangelist because the beat of her music was a little too rocky for his tastes. Soon afterward he was caught having an affair. A reporter asked the Christian singer what she thought. He was hoping to get a juicy piece where she got her revenge. Instead she simply answered "By the Grace of God it wasn't me (that fell into the same sin)."

I don't know what caused the death of Whitney Houston today. It could very well be because of drugs or alcohol or the effects that those things had on her body from earlier years of abuse. Already there is talk on Facebook and comments such as "It's terrible but I'm not surprised." I also know, though, that despite the drug and alcohol abuse Whitney Houston did a lot of good for a lot of people. The movies that she made and the songs she sang were always full of hope. I also know that she was raised in the church. I hope and pray that she did indeed come to a personal relationship with the Lord.

Many will judge Whitney Houston by the mistakes that she made. I am no champion of Whitney Houston. I don't own any of her albums or movies. I am well aware of her past. But, I choose to not look at the speck that is in someone's eye when there might be a log in my own (Matthew 7:3-5). I choose to hope and pray that the songs and movies that she did will continue to inspire and work miracles in others lives just as, many years ago, this song moved me to look differently at others.

The Adventures of Joshua in the Wonderful World of Mathland!

2012-02-10T07:52:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Joshua. Joshua was a highly inquisitive little boy. His parents homeschooled him and could barely keep up with all of his questions. When something caught his interest he would spend months researching and reading almost all that he could on the subject. He could tell you details about things that some educated adults didn't even know. His mother would call him "The Little Professor" because that's what he would become if he took an interest in something. That was IF he took an interest in something.

Unfortunately there were some areas in his life that were more difficult than others. Math was one of those subjects. For some reason Joshua just had a hard time figuring arithmetic out. Even as he entered the third grade, he still had problems knowing all of his addition and subtraction facts. His parents searched for a math curriculum that would fit his needs and found the perfect one, but it was still slow going. Joshua just needed an extra boost. He needed a little something more than the excellent curriculum was giving him.

One day, unbeknownst to his parents, Joshua woke up one morning to a noise outside of his bedroom window. As he leaned on one elbow and rubbed his sleepy eyes he heard the noise again. It sounded like the whinny of a horse. He quickly pushed aside his curtains and, lo and behold, there was, indeed, a horse gently nibbling the grass right out side of the window. Silently, but quickly, Joshua got dressed and went out to see this wonderful spectacle. Normally he might have been afraid, but, for some reason, the horse seemed to beckon to him. Immediately there was an understanding between the boy and the beast. An understanding that the horse was not going to harm Joshua and that Joshua, in turn, would not harm it. Without hesitation Joshua hopped onto the already saddled back of the kind creature. Joshua had never been on a horse before. Where the knowledge of how to handle a horse came from he did not know. He did know, however, that it felt natural for him to be there. After a few more chomps of grass, the horse looked up and then began to gallop down the lane and into the morning fog.

Suddenly the fog cleared and Joshua was in a land that he had never seen before. It was a beautiful land with a large field of lush green grass. He could see, far off in the distance on the other side of the field a house with a forest behind it, and behind the forest were tall majestic mountains. He was so enthralled with the sight that he hadn't noticed that the horse had stopped. As he looked down he noticed a huge gully separating he and the horse from the field. He was about to despair when he saw a bridge crossing the gully.

He tried to urge the horse on, but couldn't. He became so frustrated that he kicked at the horse with his feet but then stopped as he heard the most surprising thing he had ever heard. He heard the horse talk!

"Why do you kick me so young one? I move not because you must understand what will happen if you choose to cross that bridge." said the horse. "You see, across that bridge is Mathland, a magical country that helps you learn math. In Mathland you and I will go on wonderful quests doing heroic deeds, but, you must be warned, in order to complete those brave deeds, you must complete math problems. At first the math problems will be of an easy type - addition from 0-5. But soon, the addition problems will get more difficult until you are able to work addition problems up to 12. Then, you will face subtraction problems that range in difficulty and eventually multiplication and division."

"Ugh! Math!" cried Joshua. "Why did it have to be math? You see, oh noble horse, I don't do well with math. How would I ever be able to complete the quests that I am sent on."

"Worry not, my child. I, your faithful horse, Shadow, will help you as you go along. You will find that, although the math might be difficult at first, it will become easier with time. And, you will see, that the rewards will be great."

"Well, I'm still not so sure, Shadow. But, if it will help me with my math, and if you will help, then I will try."

So, Joshua, reluctantly agreed to cross the bridge. Soon they were given their first quest. They were to go into the depths of Mathland and retrieve a magical flower. They could only do so, however, if they answered addition questions that dealt with the numbers 0-5. Soon they were galloping off across the countryside. Before long they came to sign that said "1+2=". Joshua did not know what this sign meant so he ignored it. Ahead was a gate that Shadow was to jump over.

"Oh, what fun." thought Joshua "We are going to be doing some jumping."

But, to his dismay, Shadow didn't jump but ran right through the gate. And he heard a voice say "1+2=3"

Another sign that said "3+2=" appeared, and also another gate, but Shadow ran through that one as well. Another voice kindly said "3+2=5".

Frustratingly Joshua said "Why aren't you jumping, Shadow? I want to have some fun."

"You must answer the math problem, young one. That is the only way that I can jump the gate. Oh, and please do so quickly. Running through these gates is not fun at all."

Soon another sign appeared that said "2+2=" but this time Joshua knew what to do.

"2+2...2+2...I know this one, I really do..." he said aloud as he began counting on his fingers. Just as they got to the gate Joshua shouted "Four!" and immediately Shadow took a huge leap and jumped over the gate.

Soon the original "1+2" sign appeared again.

"I know this one." said Joshua. "The kind lady told me the answer."

"Three!" he shouted. Once again Shadow leaped over the gate.

Now that he knew what to do the adventure became more fun. Joshua struggled with some of the answers at first. He would have to use his fingers on some. Most he answered correctly, but on others, poor Shadow would go crashing through the gate instead of jumping. True to his word, however, Shadow was a help. Joshua found that his faithful horse would sometimes slow down. He realized that it was when he was having difficulty answering a problem. When Joshua got into a rhythm, Shadow would speed up. They would answer problems and jump (or crash through) about thirty gates and then would stop for a rest before venturing on to face another thirty gates. It seemed that as questions reappeared it became easier for him to answer them. And the quicker he answered the questions, the further they went on their journey.

It took quite a few sets of questions to complete the quest, but soon they were done and it was time to journey back to their home base - that wonderful green field. As they road over the bridge, something was different. A beautiful flower had appeared in the middle of the field.

"Where did that beautiful flower come from?" he asked Shadow.

"It is a reward for you, young one. It is because you completed the quest."

Joy appeared on Joshua's face, but soon the smile turned to a frown.

"What is it, young one." inquired the horse.

"Is this all?" Joshua said with a sad voice. "Do I have to leave you and go back now."

"Not if you don't want to." assured Shadow. "There are more quests to venture on if you so choose."

That day, Joshua and Shadow went on many quests. Not all quests were easy, however. As Joshua was learning his math facts, the problems became more difficult and challenging. Many gates were crashed into along the way, but many gates were jumped as well. And, always to Joshua's amazement, when he got back to the lush green field, more rewards awaited them. It might be a beautiful pole with a gem on top that decorated the entrance to the bridge, or it might be another flower taller and more beautiful than the one before. Shadow assured him that when he was able to do the multiplication and division problems even more beautiful things would appear.

Soon it became dark. Joshua was worried about what his parents would think and sadly asked his new friend to take him home.

Before entering his home Joshua asked with tears in his eyes, "Will I ever see you again."

To his joy Shadow announced, "I will be waiting here for you in the morning, young one."

With joy in his heart, but also nervously because of his parents, he skipped away and entered the house.

To his surprise he found that his parents weren't upset at all.

"Are you ready for something to eat?" asked his mother. "You've been on many adventures today."

Joshua bewilderingly took the sandwich that was offered him and began to eat. For truly he was famished. As he ate he wondered how his parents knew but did not ask.

Later that evening he noticed his father going through a door in his house that he had never seen before.

"Such wondrous things are happening in our house." Joshua thought. "First a talking horse and a magical Mathland. Now a secret door."

Joshua crept up to the door to see what was inside. Inside he saw his father manipulating woundrous charts and graphs by stepping on them. When his father saw him standing at the door, he motioned for him to enter.

"These charts and graphs are telling me how you are doing on your quests in Mathland." said his father. Joshua was taken aback and wondered how his father knew about his secret place but before he could ask, his father continued. "See," he went on, "When I step on this button, it tells me that you have mastered the addition fact of 3+3. This one tells me, however, that you are still having a hard time with 4+7. But I'm proud of you, Son. Since going on these adventures in Mathland you have been really doing a lot better in remembering all of your basic math facts."

Joshua and his father had a wonderful time in that amazing room. It had so much information that helped he and his father know how he was doing. With just a click of a button his father could see anything he wanted about Joshua's adventures.

That night Joshua slept soundly. There were no more worries about doing math. In fact, Joshua was beginning to actually like math. He was looking forward to going on more adventures with his new friend, Shadow, and learning more things in Mathland.

And, they lived happily ever after.

*********

Oh, all right, you caught me again. This story is about my Joshua and he really didn't see a horse out his window and there really wasn't a door that appeared in his house. All of these things really happened on our computer. All of the other things, however, are true. We really do love this intelligent math game and Joshua has really learned so much by using it. Want to try it out for yourself? All you have to do to get to this wonderful downloadable game called Math Rider is click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. Math Rider offers a free trial so that you can check out the game with no purchase necessary, but, don't take too long to decide! Until February 15 the price is just $37 but, after that it will increase back to $47.

As usual, other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed Math Rider and you can find out what they have to say by clicking here. Happy Riding!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free limited time download of Math Rider to try out and give my honest review on my blog.

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It's not the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but it's Really, Really, REALLY Cool!

2012-02-08T22:12:00.001-08:00

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius
Aquarius! Aquarius!

No, I do not believe in astrology, but, remember, I was a child of the 60's and the 70's and, yes, I know quite well who The 5th Dimension is. In fact, I love to sing some of the songs from The 5th Dimension. Just ask my kids. They often roll their eyes at me when I loudly break out singing a strange song from my youth. But, I digress. I added the above song to this post because it reminded me that, although Jupiter and Mars aren't going to align in the near future, Jupiter and Venus actually are going to align early next month.

Now, how do I know that? Because of Jay Ryan's "The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack" February 2012 edition! Jay Ryan, the great author of the "Signs and Seasons" homeschool astronomy curriculum, just began publishing his monthly Celestial Almanack in January 2012 and plans to continue at least through this year. You see, Jay Ryan loves the night sky. He loves the planets, the stars, the moon...he just plain old loves astronomy. He's been writing about it in one form or another since 1990. He decided to start "The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack" partially because the year 2012 is going to be an exciting astronomy year. You see, not only are Jupiter and Venus going to align, but also, later this summer, there's going to be a conjunction of Mars and Saturn and even the "Transit of Venus" this June. Don't ask me what all of that means. I just know that many of the events happening this year are very rare, once in a lifetime experiences. That's what this wonderful resource is all about. It's a guide to the night sky.

Now, I've been interested in astronomy for a long time. I remember when I was in college ad Haley's Comet came close to the earth. I also remember our trips to Florida when I was young and then, later, moving to Florida. Kennedy space center was always a fascinating place for me, and, the Florida night sky is always beautiful. I remember reading about rare celestial events and hearing about them on TV, but, it was usually too late to be able to make plans to see these amazing things happen. Computers were just new and, the internet hadn't taken off. Even today, it's difficult to search through all of the information on the night sky to find something that is easy to understand. I know. I've tried it before. I am so glad that I was chosen to review this new venture by Jay Ryan, because it is so easy to understand, yet packed with information.

The February edition of "The Celestial Almanack" has 21 colorful pages in it. But, as I said, it is packed full of information. Do you know why the month of February has 28 days? I didn't. You find out in this months edition (it has something to do with Julius Caesar ad Caesar Augustus). It also talks about the sun, what it is doing in during the different seasons of the year, and it's "declination". What is the suns declination? That's something else you'll have to find out by buying this months edition.

All of the above things were fascinating, but, not as fascinating as the night sky. Jay Ryan explains in such simple terms what is going on in the night sky and how to find the different constellations. And, he teaches all of these things using Classical Astronomy. Classical Astronomy means that you use nothing but your naked eye to find things in the sky. No binoculars, no telescope...nothing but your eyes. And it really works! I have never been able to find the different constellations except for maybe the big and little dippers. "The Celestial Almanack" teaches you how to find these things using what Jay Ryan calls the one star method. If you can find one or two major stars then you can find almost all of the constellations (if they are visible that is). The full color charts in this downloadable book help as well. The first night out I was able to find Orion, Canis Major and Taurus. I was fascinated and hooked! I went out again later that week (after a couple of rainy nights) and was able to locate Canis Minor, Gemini, Zenith, Perseus and more. I was even able to identify Mars and Jupiter. This might be common stuff for some of you, but it was never easy for me.

I am fascinated. As I said before, it is so easy, and all along the way Jay Ryan artfully teaches about God's great night sky. Yes, Jay Ryan is a Christian and teaches all of this from a Christian standpoint. Not, to worry, though, if you would rather not have something taught from a Biblical perspective. Everything that he writes is backed up scientifically and he also explains things in a scientific manner (in an easy way of course). As I said before, he also throws in a lot of fascinating facts. "The Celestial Almanack" is really great for the night sky savvy individual or one that is a novice like me.

So, how do you get this great monthly almanack? Is it for sale on a news stand? Nope. Do you have to subscribe to it? Nope. All you have to do is go to a great site called Currclick and download each edition monthly. To get to this months edition just click here. Each edition is only $3.00! The January edition is even on sale for $2.00 right now. I am here to tell you it is worth every penny! We have loved it. Again, just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to get to this months edition. As usual, other TOS Homeschool Crew members have reviewed this great resource and you can find what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Night Sky Watching!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free download of "The Classical Astronomy Celestial Alamanack" in order to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

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Goal Setting Monday - Week 5

2012-02-06T22:11:00.001-08:00

Well, this week officially marks the one month anniversary of my goal setting! If you remember, I divided my goals up into four areas - Healthy Living, Christian Life and Ministry, Family, and Home Improvement - blogging about a different one every Monday of each one. Today I'm back to week one - Healthy Living. Previously I've been updating you on how I've been doing on all of the goals, but that's beginning to take up a lot of space and time, so I've decided to normally update you on whatever goal area I'm blogging about that week and, if anything special has happened in another area, I might update you on that as well.

So, how have I been doing with my healthy living goals? Well, I'm happy to say that I have pretty much kept with almost all of my goals! I've been drinking a healthy juice or smoothie every day as well as introduced my family to it. They are loving it! I've baked at least one loaf of bread in the bread maker a week. I've limited my intake of coffee and soda and I've increased my intake of water. In fact, buying a case of water has become a habit every time we go to Wal-Mart! The kids are drinking a lot of water as well. We no longer have a gallon of sweet tea in the refrigerator nor a two liter of soft drink so, if they are thirsty, that's what they get. The only downfall is I've not been exercising as much as I should. So, guess what's going to lead off my goals for this week? You guessed it and here goes:

Exercise more. I really need to do this. It is coming, but it is coming slowly. I need to walk or do some type of exercise every day.

Making a double portion of some of our healthy meals and freezing half so that we have something quick to heat up on busy days. We are notorious for grabbing something at McDonalds or buying frozen pizzas on days when we just don't feel like cooking. This week was week five of Vintage Remedies' 8 Weeks to Healthy Living newsletters and it talked about just this thing. The newsletter had some great recipes that are perfect for doubling and freezing. It even gave detailed instructions on how to do it! I'm going to try to make and freeze at least one meal a week.

Research and join a CSA with some of our income tax return money. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's where you agree to buy so much fruit and vegetables - usually a bushel - on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. If we can join a CSA, then we can have plenty of fresh, local vegetables coming in throughout the spring and summer. So much so that hopefully we'll have enough to freeze or can some. That will be an adventure!

Haul off our old broken down freezer (and other old broken down appliances) so that we have room for a new freezer to store all of these things that I am planning on doing.

Begin planning and plotting our garden. More fresh produce!

Continue juicing, making smoothies, baking bread, etc. from January's goals.

That should keep me busy for this month. How about you? What are your goals for this week. Leave a comment and let me know. Don't forget to join the "Goal Planning Monday" meme. You can find it by clicking here.

Happy Goal Setting!

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Saw this on Facebook and had to share it on my blog!!

2012-02-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

It will make your heart feel good! This couple is in their 90's and they have been married over 60 years! Enjoy.

Ugh! When it rains it pours!

2012-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that my boys are competitive shooters. John Allen was the best shooter at the Jaycee BB Gun State Match last year and both John Allen and Joshua went to the national competition in Rogers, AR. last summer. This year John Allen is shooting air rifle and Joshua is still shooting competition BB guns.

Anyway, the team practices every Saturday morning but we usually go one or two times a week extra to shoot (one of the advantages of being a homeschooler ). Well, yesterday on the way home from practice we hit a rut on a back road and, sure enough, got a flat tire. When I pulled over to change it, I couldn't get the spare tire to come down from underneath the van. I called a good friend of ours that owns a Goodyear tire place and he made a "house call" but, even he couldn't get the tire to come down. So, he jacked up the van, took the tire to his garage and was going to send one of his guys out to put the tire back on. In the meantime, Sarah and I were supposed to have our taxes done by another friend at her office. Sarah ended up walking down to her office (about a mile) as I called another friend to come and pick up the boys and I and then go to the tax place so I could sign the papers and we could pick up Sarah. Thank you, Lord, for good friends! Well, the rim of the tire was bent, so they couldn't fix the tire. They took the tire back to the van and left it there because I had locked the doors with all of the lug nuts inside. Back out to the car we went (thanks again to our good friend), put the tire back on, waited 45 min. for the AAA tow truck (which we found lived right down the road ) and then followed the tow truck to our friend's Goodyear place and left it there until probably Tuesday. We are without a spare car right now so we are sitting at home, thanking God for groceries and a grocery store within walking distance if need be. Church is also within walking distance if it's not raining.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch. I was looking at our spring schedule and trying to work out mission's conferences, shooting matches, homeschool conventions, etc. while Sarah researched good used cars to spend our income tax return money on, when I noticed this:

April 20-22 - BCM Southeast Missionary Retreat - the one that we really need to go to because our "boss" will be there.
April 19-21 - Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. - our favorite and the one we go to every year.
April 21 - Tennessee State JAYCEE BB Gun Championships - the one that we work all shooting season on and the one that qualifies us to go to Nationals.

As you can see we can't be in three places at once. However, we think we have made a plan. A missionary friend of ours lives in Toccoa, GA., the "Teach them Diligently" homeschool conference is about two hours away from her in Spartanburg, SC, and our missionary "boss" and his wife (I say that tongue in cheek because, although he is our boss, they are very good friends of ours) live in Alabama, about three hours away from Toccoa. So, it looks like we will be making a trip to visit our friend, go to the conference, and, hopefully, meet our boss and his wife for a day. And, we won't be missing any major shooting events!

Isn't life fun sometimes?!?

2012-02-03T08:07:00.001-08:00

I have be honest, when I heard that the TOS Homeschool Crew was reviewing Kinderbach again, I was not overly enthused. After all, we have already reviewed this piano/music theory program for kids ages 3-7 twice before. Click here to get to last year's review. It's not that we don't like the program - we love it. I just thought to myself, what more could I write about this wonderful program. Well, when I told my 11 year old asperger's child that we would be reviewing it once again my attitude changed quickly. His first response was "You mean the one with Dodi? Yeah!" and he began to jump up and down in joy.

Dodi is one of the great characters that Miss Kari, the creator of Kinderbach has created. The characters are just one aspect of this program that Joshua loves. I've written about the characters in previous reviews, though. This time, after watching Joshua continue to enjoy the program, I thought I'd focus on why I think this program is excellent for kids like him. You may have noticed that I mentioned that Joshua is 11 years old yet I said above that Kinderbach was for ages 3-7. One of the great things about homeschooling is that when you homeschool, you can often go against the norm. You don't have to stick with grade or age level material with your child. Joshua has asperger's syndrome - a form of autism along with ADHD. Often traditional learning programs and learning styles don't work for him. Although we have never tried it, I am quite confident that regular piano lessons probably would, more than likely, either drive him crazy if not the instructor first. Kinderbach has been great for him and as I watch Joshua use the program, I can see why it is perfect for him. Here's why:

It is captivating. The characters in this video based program are really appealing and keep the student's interest. As they are introduced, they become Joshua's friends. What a great way to learn - with your friends! The mixture of a live teacher and animation is really entertaining. Miss Kari is entertaining as well. She speaks right to the child and makes the child want to get involved and learn. Which brings me to the next point.

It's interactive. The student isn't just sitting in front of a keyboard or piano and plunking on the keys. Miss Kari has them up and down and moving quite a bit. With some of the lessons, if someone walked in and didn't know what was going on, they might think Joshua was doing aerobics!

It's short and sweet. Joshua could never sit through a normal 30 min. to an hour piano lesson. The lessons in Kinderbach are all less than 10 min. each, but, the Kinderbach series is divided into six levels with 10 weeks in each. Each week has four lessons in it. So, really you are getting four lessons a week of about six or seven minutes each. That would be close to thirty minutes a week. The same amount of time that you would get in a regular piano lesson but broken down into small chunks. Since Joshua is a little older and can handle a little more, I sometimes allow him to watch and complete a couple of videos at a time, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes there is more to do than just watch the video. Which brings me to my next point.

It's repetitive. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. Kids with aspergers syndrome often need repetition. Miss Kari always knows when and how to review something that they have learned in the past. Plus, there are also coloring sheets and a workbook that go along with the program. The workbook may have you cutting and pasting, drawing, or doing a simple but relevant pencil and paper activity. It all goes wonderfully together.

It's convenient. It's convenient in a lot of ways. Remember, Joshua has aspergers. Aspergers kids need schedules, but they often have off days. If I were to take Joshua to a piano lesson on one of his off days, it would be a waste of the teachers time and my money. He can watch Kinderbach when he is ready. He isn't confined to a certain time, or even area. You can even watch Kinderbach while you are on the road. While many of the lessons encourage you to use a piano or a keyboard, many do not. He can watch the video on our tablet or even on our phone and do the activities later.

I really could go on and on about Kinderbach and how it has been great for Joshua, but if I did, this review would be way too long. Click here to get to the Kinderbach website where you'll find a video that talks about the program a little more. Then, why not try it out for yourself. You can try the first two weeks of Kinderbach for free! Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. Kinderbach regularly is priced beginning at $7.99 a month for the online program. Or, you could purchase a DVD/CD package for $40.45 per level. Additional plans and materials are also available on their website. But wait! When you are ready to purchase, Kinderbach has offered a discount just for the readers of the TOS Homeschool Crew blogs! You can take 30% off any order for by using the Coupon Code: TOScrew2012. As usual many others from the TOS Homeschool Crew members have reviewed Kinderbach and you can find what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a limited time subscription to Kinderbach's online program in order to try out and give an honest review on my blog.

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Retread from February 2, 2011

2012-02-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's Compassion International post, I thought perhaps today wouldn't be a wise time to post another Compassion International offering, but how could I say no to this one. It was one year ago that we began sponsoring our dear Yvone. Yvone is the only girl that we have amonst all of the boys that we sponsor. She has been a real joy to correspond with. So, in celebration of our one year anniversary with Yvone. Here's my retread from February 2, 2011.

We did it again! We've taken on another correspondence child from Compassion International. If you remember, Compassion has many companies (or even individuals) that give quantities of money to sponsor a child or many children but can't are aren't willing to write to that child. Writing to the child is a big part of Compassion's ministry, so, Compassion began the correspondence program. That's when another sponsor can sign up to write to a child that doesn't have anyone that writes to them. You then become that child's correspondence sponsor. We sponsor one child through Compassion - Marcelo from Bolivia and have four other boys that we correspond with - Feyber from Colombia, Somi from Indonesia, Emmanuel from Tanzania and Ismael from Nicaragua.

Well, John Allen and I had a great idea for a Christmas gift for Sarah. We requested another correspondence child and, you probably can guess from the font color, this time it's a girl. We thought that perhaps a girl would make Sarah a little more interested in Compassion. Up until now she has listened to the letters and prays for the kids, but the writing has always been mine and the boys thing. Well, she's promised to write to whomever Compassion sends to us. We didn't get her for Christmas, but received word the other day that Niyonsenga "Yvone" from Rwanda is our new daughter!

Sarah was particularly excited that she goes by Yvone because Yvonne (two n's) is a family name. Both her mother's and sister's middle names are Yvonne and I think it goes back even further than that. Anyway, here's our new Yvone's picture and information. She is 13 years old and her birthday is June 20. Please pray with us as we write and try to disciple Yvone. Her father is dead and, although it seems her mother is alive, she lives with her grandmother. Thanks for all of your prayers for Yvone and our other Compassion children. If you want to know more about the Compassion program please click here. You won't regret it!

Niyonsenga Yvone

Do you think that you don't have any spare money to sponsor a Compassion International Child?

2012-02-01T21:21:00.001-08:00

Watch this video and think again. Oh, and don't forget the tissues.

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Goal Setting Monday - Week 4

2012-01-31T21:51:00.001-08:00

Boy has this been a hard past couple of weeks, and boy am I glad that there are five Mondays in this month. Of course, if I don't get this done tonight then it will be posted in the month of February instead of January, so I'd better get typing.

So, how am I doing with keeping my goal? Well, it's been so-so. My healthy eating goals have been doing great. We all have been drinking a lot of healthy smoothies, and I have been juicing and drinking a lot of water. I've kept my goal of only one cup of coffee a day, and have only drank one glass of soda when I had an upset stomach, and one glass of sweet tea. We all have been trying to eat healthier food. So, my healthy eating has been great.

My spiritual goals have continued to be half and half. I have continued to read "The Love Dare", but not been as faithful in my New Testament in 30 days. I continue to pray for my family, but not necessarily at a set devoted time every day. One bright spot is that we have started to plan for our summer ministries.

My personal and family goals have also been lacking. I have begun to plan for a vacation this year, and I do spend at least 15 min. a day talking with my wife. Spending 15 min. a day with each of my children hasn't always happened. Some days it's maybe one or two of my sons and other days it's all three, but it's been hit and miss. Family devotions have been nil.

Well, next month is another month and the monthly commitment for each of these things isn't over. Remember, even though I am setting goals weekly, they are for four different areas of my life. For each area I write goals that last a month. So, some areas I still have two or three weeks left to accomplish my goals.

This week's goals are my "home improvement inside and outside" goals. Remember I said that this is kind of like my honey-do list and I wasn't kidding. There is a lot of doing for this honey to do. Let's start setting some goals.

Begin to organize the kitchen. Although you would think that the kitchen is the woman's area of the house, it's also my area. I'm the one that does the juicing, smoothie making, and do part of the cooking. I'm at least half responsible for the kitchen and I can do my part by beginning to organize it to make it more functional. But, let me be specific as to what I need to do. I'll divide it in to four weekly goals.
1. Clean off all counter tops and put things where they should go. A minimum of stuff should be on the counter tops. Clean countertops and appliances thoroughly.
2. Organize cabinets. They have gotten to be a mess again! They need to be cleaned out, stuff sorted and thrown away, and stuff organized so that it is more convenient.
3. Clean out junk corner. There is one corner of our kitchen that desperately needs to be cleaned out. It has become a junk corner. Part of that cleaning out needs to be to haul our old broken down mini-freezer to the recycling place.
4. Clean what's left. The above three things should help a lot, but there are still nooks and crannies that will still need to be cleaned and washed down. I'm thinking of our backers rack for one. All things need to be taken off of it and it needs to be cleaned well.

Haul of other appliances as well as the mini-freezer listed above. We have a washer and dryer downstairs that needs to be taken away and a dish washer that is sitting on our front porch, yes I said front porch!

Clean off the rest of the front porch after I get the old dish washer hauled.

Pull up the rest of the carpet in the living room. A couple of months ago we pulled up all of the carpeting in our house. Unfortunately I couldn't (or really it's "I didn't" pull up the carpeting under the piano and large desk in our living room. It needs to be done.

Well, that's all for this month. That's really enough, don't you think?! Now, I'm off to link my post up with the meme Goal Planning Monday on my friend's blog - Mama Manuscripts. Just click here to check it out! Until next week - Happy Goal Setting!

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What Does The Future Hold?

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

Find out February 9!

Boy I've been mysterious lately haven't I? Yes, this is a really neat item that we are reviewing for the TOS Homeschool Crew. You'll have to find out my views when you read the review though. In the meantime, tomorrow, I promise, I will have the long awaited Goal Setting Monday post! I know. I know. Promises, promises!

Missions In Action!

2012-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

You know, I post these videos about once a week or so, and I don't say much about them. By the amount of hits that I get on these posts, I can tell that many people just look at the title and just scroll on by without even bothering to watch them. If you are one of those people, please stop and watch. Yes, all of these videos are about ways that you can help the needy in other countries. Some of you may think that we need to help the needy in our own country before we reach out to the poor of other nations. Some of you may think that these videos are always asking for money and most of the money goes to the organizations and not really to the people. I know from first hand experience that the great organizations that Missions In Action represents are very careful to keep overhead down and make sure that almost all (if not all) of the money you send in goes to the children or needy folks that you are sending to. I also know that there are plenty of needy at home that need our help but, if you really think about it, don't we really have enough money to help both those here at home and those abroad? Some of you really may not have the money, or you give to other places. That's fine too, but you can pray. God loves to hear the prayers of His children. If you aren't watching these videos please watch them today. You are missing out on heartwarming stories and/or perhaps ways that you can help those that are less fortunate than you. Here are the next two videos in the series:

Episode Eleven

Episode Twelve

Retreads!

2012-01-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

No, not tires, posts. I've decided to go back in time and see what I wrote in past years on this date. I was just thinking about this post today, and, wouldn't you know it, this was originally posted way back in 2009 on this date. Here it is again. Enjoy!

Recently, due to the wonderful technology of Facebook, I have been getting back in contact with some of my high school friends. This post is dedicated to them, but I think all of you will enjoy it. The above picture was taken from our senior year book. I hope there is no copywrite!

I had to laugh today when President Obama made his comments about his girl's school closing because of snow. I had a similar experience when I first moved to TN. First let me tell you about snow in Pennsylvania. I lived in the small town of Clearfield, PA from 2nd grade until I graduated (really I grew up outside of Clearfield in the "Village of Glen Richey", but I'll save that for another post). Winters in PA began in November and lasted until around Easter and sometimes longer. I can remember when it would snow a foot or so, then have a few clear days but not above freezing, then we'd get another layer of snow, then have a few more clear days etc. etc. The snow drifts would sometimes be over my head! Of course that wasn't necessarily very high when you are nine years old, but you get the point. Do you think they ever canceled school? Never! One day I went out to go to school, stepped off of our front porch, and promptly fell down. There was a layer of ice on the sidewalk and no matter what, I couldn't get up. Mom thought I was joking until Grandpa came around the house. We lived on a small farm, and he had been down feeding the pigs. It seems he had fallen and slid all the way down the hill to the pig pen - slop buckets in hand. He promptly said "Get back in the house Tim. You're not going to school today!" Did they cancel school? Nope! Another time our bus had to go down a steep hill on a back country road. We started slipping down the hill until the bus was actually sliding sideways. Thankfully the road was not as wide as the length of the bus and the two ends of the bus got stuck in the opposite snow banks. The bus driver told us to get out and walk home, there was nothing she could do. We found out later that a local farmer came and pulled the bus out with his tractor. That is no joke! That really happened. It would never happen today!

Fast forward, twenty years, to when we first moved to Tennessee. One night it snowed and I woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground - what we would have called a "skiff" of snow in PA. After a while I heard the neighbor kids out playing so I went out to ask what was going on. They informed me that school had been called off. After I picked my jaw up off of the ground, I asked one of the parents about it. It seems that it doesn't snow enough in TN to warrant counties buying all of the snow plows, salt trucks and coal trucks that cities up north have. But, that's not all! School was called off for the rest of the week, even after it seemed the snow had all melted. I was told that on some of the back roads it was so shady that there may still be "black ice" and so they couldn't take the risk of allowing busses to drive on them. If PA would have had that same rule, we would have had to go to school all year long, and we'd still be in middle school! Ah, the good old days! I'd love to hear about some of your snow experiences when you were a kid. Write and tell me about them.

Can I Take a Week Off?

2012-01-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Am I allowed to take a week off from serious blog posts? I'm just tired. I have no energy to write a serious post at all. I just want to "spaz" and do things that don't make me use my brain. Is that bad? Is it bad that I haven't written my goals for the week? I'm still trying to keep my goals but I just don't want to write about it. I don't have any reviews due and I am kind of glad. I just want a break. But, I kind of want my cake and eat it too. I still want a daily post, but I just don't want to write a serious one. Oh well. I've done my duty today. A post has been written. So, I guess I've accomplished something. Does it make sense? I'll let you decide. I need to get back to my playing!

Agnomen Olympicum

2012-01-25T22:04:00.001-08:00

Anyone know the meaning of that? I'll tell you why I ask tomorrow. And, hopefully, I'll finally have a Goal Setting post up tomorrow! Oh, and, by the way, have I ever told you that I love Vision Forum?

Goal Setting Monday will happen on...Wednesday?!?

2012-01-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

Well, ya know, life just kind of happens. And it has happened for two days in a row. I'm not going to go full into it, but it involves kids! Need I say more?

I know of a great blogger who once or twice a week goes to a coffee place like Starbucks and writes a weeks full of blog posts and then schedules them to post on certain days. I'm just not like that. I wish I were but I'm not. I write from day to day and if life happens that I can't blog on a certain day then you get something like this.

Anyway, hopefully my Goal Setting Monday post will happen tomorrow so check in again in about 24 hours.

We Choose Virtues

2012-01-23T08:33:00.001-08:00

Most of you know that my middle child, Joshua, was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome a couple of years ago. Asperger's is on the autism spectrum. We think that Jacob, our youngest, is on the autism spectrum as well, but has never been diagnosed. It's difficult to have an asperger's child. They look normal in every way, but they definitely aren't normal. I won't go into all of the details right now because that isn't what this post is all about. But, some of Joshua's tendencies and the way that he acts will help you to know why I think this great Product, We Choose Virtues, is perfect for him.

One of those problems that Joshua had was that he was very phobic. He used to be afraid of everything! He was afraid of the dark. He was afraid of bugs. He was afraid of dirt. He was afraid of everything! He was even afraid of getting into the car if there were bird droppings on the windshield! I remember one summer when he was very afraid of moths. Of course, moths and summer go together in a state like Tennessee. He could not even go to the restroom at night if he thought a moth had gotten in the house and had flown that way. Finally, in order to get him to feel better, I came up with the idea to name the moth. We named all moths "Martha the Moth". We would just say "Oh, that's just Martha Moth. Don't worry about her." Any extra moths flying around were Martha's family. That seemed to do the trick. It didn't happen overnight, but, for some reason, that calmed him down until he wasn't afraid anymore.

That was when I realized, that, at least with Joshua, in order to help, we needed to put a name to things. Things like moths...or...like virtues. That's why he likes We Choose Virtues so much. Because they put a name to virtues (good character traits). We received the elementary set of virtue cards. Here's how the website describes them:

There are 12 Virtues in the Early Childhood through Elementary set. They are…I am Diligent, I am Kind, I am Helpful, I am Obedient, I am Forgiving, I am Perseverant, I am Gentle, I am Patient, I am Self-Controlled, I am Content, I am Honest, and I am Attentive.

One of the products that we received was a set of twelve pocket size virtue cards in a really neat clear plastic pouch. We take one card to work on a day. Other children, I'm sure, could work on more cards per day, but, with Joshua, one card and one character trait was about all that he could handle. One of the first virtues that we talked about was forgiveness. We talked about what forgiveness was, and the dos and don'ts of the proper way to forgive and the "not so good things" to do. For example:

I am forgiving. I choose to love when others hurt me. I am not hurtful or angry and I don't stay made, gossip, or try to get even.

The card has a picture of a girl with a feather (perhaps to remind them to be gentle). Her name is "Heather Feather" - Feather is a catchphrase to help them remember to be Forgiving. All during the day, Joshua carried that card so that it was on top and could be seen through the plastic case. If I saw him having a hard time being forgiving with one of his brothers, then I would say something like "Remember Heather Feather" or "Look at your card" and that would give him a clue as to how he was acting. It's been a process but I can see it beginning to work. The catchphrases really help with him and make it stick (remember Martha Moth?). We also received a coloring book of all of the characters (like Heather Feather) for Joshua to color as an extra reminder to him about what forgiveness is all about. One of the best things that we received was a set of Bible verses with a Bible Hero or Truth that goes along with each character trait. Of course, who do you think the Bible character was for forgiveness? Jesus Christ! And the Bible verse was from Psalm 25:11. The teacher's book that we got explained a lot and gave some good ideas as to how to use the cards and other materials that you can order to go along with your family. We also got a neat evaluating chart to evaluate how everyone was doing.

We really enjoy We Choose Virtues and I have found it an excellent tool to use with Joshua. You can order all of the things that I listed above separately - the neat cards that I mentioned are only $5.99 -and they also have neat kits - like the homeschool kit with A LOT of neat stuff in it for $99.99. The items that I described above are geared for children from 3-11 but they also have youth items for kids from 12-18. Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to check it out. As usual other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed We Choose Virtues and you can find out what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Home Schooling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I receive various items from We Choose Virtues in order to try out an give my honest review on this blog.

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Not a Good Night!

2012-01-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

I have a splitting headache, storms are coming (but, thankfully are expected to calm down before they finally get here), and I have a half written review due by 11am my time. I would do this if my head weren't hurting so bad!

And the new season has begun!

2012-01-21T22:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't taken any pictures from this year yet so I decided to post these from last year. John Allen's shooting air rifle this year and has three big matches coming up in the next couple months. Possibly resulting in a trip to the 4-H National's in Grand Island, NE. Joshua is shooting BB Gun again this year and would love to go to National's in Rogers, AR again. Both are kind of a long shot, but, who knows? Stranger things have happened! Both are doing great so far in this young season.

What are the Tinkel's Reading Right Now - A Year in Review!

2012-01-20T21:58:00.001-08:00

I've made a goal for myself this year. I want to read two books a month. Now, I've always said that I read a lot, and I do! But, I don't always read books! I read magazines, books, articles and blogs on the internet, newspaper, the cereal box - you name it - I read it. I need to read more books, though. It seems like I'm always reading a book, or two, or three, but it just takes me forever to read one. So, I've set a goal (I'm really into goals these days - aren't I) of reading 24 book this year. Well, I'm behind already. If I'm going to read 24 book, I'm already one book behind. I need to get started quick!

After a discussion I was involved in about favorite books, I decided to reflect on what I had read and really enjoyed last year. For most of the year I was really into classics. I read a couple of Dickens novels and really liked them - Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. I also read Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and really enjoyed it. Last spring I began reading classics to preview for my children and appreciated The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham and Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. My dad loved Gene Stratton Porter because he grew up in Indiana and that's where most of Porter's books take place so, I read a couple of them and loved them as well Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost. Canadians might find it interesting that I read one of Canada's classic authors last year - W. O. Mitchell. Who Has Seen the Wind is now one of my favorite books. It's not for everyone, but I loved it. If you like Disney World and adventure, you would like The Key to the Kingdom by Jeff Dixon.That was one of my spring readings as well. I also read some religious authors - I like Andrew Murray, but some of his stuff is deep. For some reason, the Lord really helped me read and spoke to me through The Deeper Christian Life. A fantastic book. I also read a biography of Martin Luther but I don't have the book in front of me and the author slips my mind at the moment. It, as well, was a very good book. I'm sure there are some books that I'm missiong that I read. How many do I have listed though? Eleven! Well, that's almost half of my goal for this year!

But, no more time for chit-chat! I've got work to do. I need to read! What am I reading now? Well, as usual I've got two books going - Radical by David Platt and Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Unfortunately the latter is downloaded on my phone and John Allen is also reading it for school. So, in order not to confuse the page that he is on, I have put it aside for a week or so. Perhaps I'll find another great book and start reading it. Almost all classics are free for download from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You don't even have to have a Kindle or a Nook, just download the application on your phone, other tablet, or even computer.

So, what are you reading? Leave a comment and let me know. Happy Reading!

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Have You Checked out The Old Schoolhouse Magazine lately?

2012-01-19T21:49:00.001-08:00

Have you checked out The Old Schoolhouse Magazine lately? It's all digital and it comes out every month now instead of quarterly! If you homeschool, are thinking about homeschooling, or just looking for ideas to help your public/private school kids or supplement their education, you need to check The Old Schoolhouse Magazine out today! Just click on the magazine above to find out more.

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Missions in Action - Continued

2012-01-18T22:00:00.001-08:00

Episode 9

Episode Ten

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Sometimes I get so mad, but I'm trying to choose to be positive!

2012-01-17T21:26:00.001-08:00

I read a lot. I read books. I read things online. I read magazines. I just read a lot. Often, though, the things I read will really get me aggravated. Sometimes it's something about life in general. Sometimes it's something that goes against my Christian beliefs. Sometimes it's political. However, everything I read, everything I believe, every political candidate that I look at, I try to measure against a biblical standard. I am not ashamed to call myself a follower of Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is God's son and that God gave us His word, the Bible, for many reasons, one of them being a guide to live by. I believe what the Bible says and I really try to live by it. Very often I fail. I am not perfect by any means. But, I endeavor to live a life that is pleasing to God. I believe that the Bible teaches us how to live that life. I believe that the Bible gives us absolute rights and wrongs. That's what I believe.

I can't make anyone else believe the way that I believe. I can show them and teach them what the Bible says and allow God to work in their lives, but I cannot force them to believe in any way. All I can do is in my imperfect ways using my imperfect mind in my imperfect flesh try to please God. But, I still get aggravated when I read something that I feel goes against the God that I believe in and His word. Sometimes things make me so upset that I want to respond or debate in ways that would do no good. My wife Sarah often says "You can't argue with Pharisees". Often, though, the flesh in me wants to argue. When I do, however, it usually ends with me becoming even more aggravated.

Earlier this evening, I was about to start one of those no-win debates with someone on Facebook until something else caught my eye. It was a short video clip that refocused my attention. It made me realize once again how I need to devote my energy. It made me realize that all I need to do is continue to follow my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ. I need to keep on loving, teaching, following His word, and listening to His still small voice. I just need to continue living for Him.

Here's the video that I'm talking about. It's nothing big. It's not very long. It probably won't affect you the way that it effected me but I pray that it makes you stop and think what life is really all about. The video is about Helen Keller, a powerful lady. I am well aware of Helen Kellers political stance and religious beliefs. This post is by no means meant as an agreement with those things. I think I've stated in this post and in previous posts what my religious beliefs are and my political leanings. This video does not bring to attention her political or religious views, but it does point out the tremendous physical obsticals she overcame and the joy in which it seems she tried to find in life. I want to have the joy of the Lord in my life no matter what circumstances I am presently in.

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Goal Setting Monday - Week 3. Why is it so hard to keep spiritual goals?

2012-01-16T22:02:00.001-08:00

Well, I failed. Oh, not with my healthy living goals, but with my spiritual goals. There have been a few that I've half kept, but mostly I failed. Why is it so hard to keep spiritual goals? Is it my mind set? Is it Satan attacking? What is it? I don't understand. I've done well with my healthy living goals. Why can't I keep my spiritual goals? I don't think the goals were too hard. Let me go over them one by one.

Read the New Testament and 30 days. – Well, that's not going to happen. I suppose I could start again or just start where left off.

Have a devoted time of prayer every day. – Well I do pray every day but I can't say that I've had a devoted time of prayer everyday.

Continue reading through ." The Love Dare". – That is something I have done. And, even though it times it's been hard and even though I've often failed, I have tried to follow it.

Make daily contact with someone that comes to Good News Mission. – That's one of my half done ones. Some days I have some days I haven't.

Beginning in planning for summer ministries. – I guess this is another one that was half done. I have begun to pray about them but no planning has been done yet.

Well, a new week is upon us and as the saying goes, I can try try again. I really endeavor to be more consistent spiritually, please pray for me. Making and keeping spiritual goals, at least for me, is not easy.

As far as my healthy living goals go, I've kept those. Last week however we tried drinking smoothies. Today I started to make juices again for myself and I made smoothies for all of us. I'm still limiting myself to one cup of coffee a day, I haven't joined any sodas, and I've drunk lots of water. Although, I haven't drunk as much water as I should have. I've continued my healthy bread making, but haven't quite met my goal of exercising every day.

Well, now that I've talked about my successes and failures, it's time to move on to my new goals for this week-Family Goals. Family goals are kind of hard to pinpoint. After all, so many family goals are also spiritual goals. The two seem to bleed together sometimes. For example, one of my spiritual goals is reading through " The Love Dare". That could also be a family goal. One of the family goals that I'm going to write down could also be a spiritual goal. Oh well, I guess that is just going to be the nature of the beast. Let's get started –

Spend at least 15 min. a day doing something fun with each one of my boys separately. I'm always with my kids. I take them to shooting practice. I homeschool them. I take them to church. We are always together. But, how much individual quality time do I give to each one of them? This week, I'm going to try to stop to listen and play and just be with my children.

Spend at least 15 min. a day listening and talking to my wife. We've are ready made the habit of going out at least once a week by ourselves. Sometimes we actually go out more than once. When we do go out, we do talk about what's going on and I do try to listen to my wife's feelings. But what happens on the days we don't go out? Do I try to spend quality time with my wife? Do I listen to her? This week, I'm going to endeavor to spend at least 15 min. a day listening and talking – mostly listening – to her.

Attempt to start family devotions once again. This is kind of been a thorn in the flesh for me. I've tried many times before but failed. Some of it is just plain disciplining myself to do it. But some of it has to do with the challenges of having one autistic and very probably another autistic child. Another problem could very well be the age range of my children. But, really, none of those things is a good excuse. There have been many families that have autistic children have had successful devotional times. There have also been families that have children of all ages have successful devotional times together. Probably the biggest reason I have failed in this area is discipline. I can blame it on a lot of things – time, children's attention spans, etc. but that still is no excuse. It doesn't have to be very long. Just a short time of devotion and prayer. Even getting together and reading one verse and having a short prayer is better than nothing at all.

Pray for each member of my family every day. Oh, I do this every day, but this needs to go with my spiritual goal that talks about a concentrated prayer time every day. I need to make a list of specific prayer items for each member of my family and pray for them every day.

Begin to plan an actual vacation for my family. We have been talking about this for a long time. We do have what we call vacations, but they're not really vacations. They are usually one or two fun days that we tack on to the missions conference or something of the sort. This year, we'd like to take a real family vacation. One that isn't shared with something else. I don't know where we'll go or how we'll do it, but I want to plan a family vacation for this year.

Well, after my failures from last week, I think those five goals had better be all for now. As I said before, some of my spiritual goals and even some of my healthy living goals also have to do with my family. How did you do this past week? Leave a comment and let me know. Don't forget, I'm also taking part in a meme called " Goal Planning Monday.". Click here if you would like to participate or to just check it out. Happy goal setting!

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Hilariously Funny!

2012-01-15T20:38:00.001-08:00

I'm not too fond of the cigarette, but other than that it is clean and, as I said in the title, hilariously funny. Enjoy!

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A Video That Gives Me Hope

2012-01-14T21:58:00.001-08:00

I shared this video on Facebook a week or so ago but I thought I would share it on my blog as well. As a parent of a child with Asperger's syndrome, I have first hand experience with a person like Scott James. This video shows that autistic children are special people.

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A Blast From the Past

2012-01-13T21:56:00.001-08:00

My family is full of stories. My siblings and I met a very interesting life, as did my parents and their parents before them. My brother, sister and I always said that we were going to give my mom and dad a tape recorder to record all of the stories of these to tell us. Unfortunately that never happened. My parents are both gone now and, since my brother is also gone, it is now up to my sister and I record all of the stories that my parents used to tell. I want my children to know about the rich and interesting past that their ancestors had. Earlier today I was recalling a story from my childhood, and it dawned on me that I could use my blog to start recording some of the stories that I remember. So, here's the first one.

My father was a minister and because of that we had to move around quite a bit. Fortunately for me,, we moved back to my moms old homestead to live with my grandfather was aging and needed someone to take care of him. We lived there until I graduated from high school. Not so fortunate or my brother and sister were both older than me. They both moved around quite a bit during their younger days.

One of the many places we lived before moving in with Grandpa, was a children's home. The Preble County children's home near Eaton, Ohio. No, we worked wards of the home, my parents for the superintendents. I was a toddler at the time, not even in kindergarten and it was heaven for me.. I had lots of boys and girls to play with. I remember one time when one of the older teenage girls decided to run away with her boyfriend. Finally, after a few days, they caught up with her. When asked if you wanted to take her back, my father said, " Of course.". There wasn't any place else for her to go so my parents naturally took her back.. Unbeknownst to my mother,. the girl decided to bring some little friends back with her. LICE!

So, my mom set out to find all of the lice treatment shampoo that she could find in order to treat all of the kids and the children's home. Well, there weren't any Walmarts back then, so mom had to go to several drugstores, just to get enough medicine for everyone that she had to treat. She ended up getting two different kinds of shampoo. One shampoo you were to leave on for 15 min. and then wash out. The other shampoo, you were supposed to leave on all night and then wash it out in the morning. Well, after a busy day of washing all of the kids hair, she decided to wash my hair as well. After all, I played with all of the kids. Since it was late, she decided to treat my head with the overnight shampoo.

All night long . I squirmed and hollered out in bed. Something was wrong. My head didn't feel right. Finally, after couple of sleepless hours visit my yelling, mom came to see what was the matter. Finally, after looking at my head, she gasped in horror. She had put on my head the wrong shampoo. She had accidentally put the 15 min medicine on my head and left it on overnight.. My scalp was red as a beet. She had nearly burnt the skin off.

Yes, living at the children's home was an interesting experience. I could tell you stories, and someday will, about eating the dog food, or getting lost in the corn fields while following the puppies. But, those are stories for another time..

How about you? Do you have any fun stories from your childhood that you would like to share? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

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Not an emergency, but please read if you have the time.

2012-01-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

Recently I opened an email telling me I had missed a book review for the "Triple Dog Dare" devotional by Jeremy Jones.. However, I hadn't even received the book in the mail! Unfortunately it seems the book got lost in the mail and I didn't even know that I was supposed to be reviewing it. Having been a reviewer of homeschool products and books for a couple of years, I know the expense and the effort that the companies go through to have their products reviewed. Thankfully this is a First Wild Card blog tour book and First Wild Card always has a skeleton write up that reviewers can add to if they want. Although I didn't actually review this book, I have reviewed books from this company before and all of their books that I have seen are excellent. Below is First Wild Card's write up. Please take time to check out this book or click one of the links through to the company. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks,

Tim

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jeremy Jones

and the book:

Triple Dog Dare Devotional

David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeremy V. Jones is an award-winning journalist who has served as senior associate editor of Breakaway magazine. He has authored several books, including Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story and The Keeper: The Tim Hoard Story. He also writes for magazines such as Clubhouse and Christianity Today. He resides with his wife and two children in Colorado.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Boys want action. They don’t want to sit around and talk—that’s for grown-ups and girls. They engage life and relationships by doing something: skateboarding, playing games or re-creating favorite movie scenes. So why should faith be any different? That’s why Jeremy V. Jones created Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys—to provide the action boys need in order to grow their faith.

The Bible is full of action. Remember how David slew Goliath, Daniel faced those lions, Paul survived a shipwreck and Jesus stood up for a woman about to be killed? God made boys to take His truth and do something with it, to man up and change the world. These action-packed devotions for boys ages 9 to 12 are filled with godly truth and bold spiritual challenges that transform time with God into the adventure of the day.

Triple Dog Dare connects God’s Word to boys’ hearts and hands with real-life scenarios and activities. Each day is filled with short Scriptures, concise biblical truth and a daily dare, all challenging them to put their faith into practice. Scripture readings from every book of the Bible open up the action-packed Word of God. Whether it’s drawing comic strips of biblical battles, dreaming up a life list of goals, making snack packs for the homeless or producing Bible-based movies, boys will go on daily dynamic experiences with God, taking faith off the page and setting it into motion. Themes cover the daily realities of pre-teen males, including bullying, peer pressure, girls, sibling rivalry, honesty and more.

These exciting devotions will inspire boys’ hearts toward godly characteristics such as integrity, generosity and kindness. Parents will appreciate watching Christ-like traits emerge as each dare is undertaken. It is a manual that will deepen boys’ friendships with Jesus as they look forward to spending time with Him every day. So if you know a boy who is up for the challenge, triple dog dare him!

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781404576
ISBN-13: 978-0781404570

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER (Click on images to enlarge):

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Z-Guide to the Movies - No, I'm not Speaking French, but I am Talking About Something Special!

2012-01-11T08:08:00.001-08:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. WE LOVE BOOKS! We have book shelves lining our hallway, in our bedrooms, in my office over at the mission, in baskets, in stacks, in crates...there are books everywhere in our house. Probably too many of them, but that's a discussion for another post. We have even chosen specific curriculums because of the literature content. I don't want my kids just reading good novels, I want them understanding them as well. One such curriculum is a history curriculum that basis all of their lessons on good historical books - some fiction and some non-fiction, but all are excellent reads.

The other day, however, I remembered my school days. Every once in a while, the teacher would show a film based on whatever we were learning in class. Some were documentaries based on what we were studying, and some were just plain, old, good movies based on what were studying. That sounds like it would be fun for our kids as well. There are a lot of good movies that my kids would like to watch. Take, for example, "The Great Escape" or "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". Those are a couple of movies that you could really learn from. Oh, I know that the kids could always read the books and I could purchase a good study guide from one company or another, but, although I encourage reading, sometimes watching historical movies can be educational and fun as well. Where, however can I find a study guide for them? Is there such a thing? Am I just doomed to watching the movie with my kids and trying to explain it?

Nope! Enter Zeezok Publishing's "Z-Guide to the Movies"! I found out about Z-Guide to the Movies when I was selected to review one of the on the TOS Homeschool Crew. We were given a choice of what movies we wanted a Z-Guide for and, when I saw that the hilarious but also historical movie "Father Goose" was on it, I put that down as my first choice. When I downloaded this High-School level movie guide, I was amazed at all of the material that it contained. It was 41 pages packed full of 10 regular activities plus two bonus activities that your high school student can complete. These activities not only teach your child about the historical period, but also, at least with my guide, taught about interpersonal relationships and honesty. And, the activities are fun! What highschool student would want to pretend that he is a coast watcher and prepare for his stay on the island where he is stationed? Or, do a word search finding words that have to do with coast watching and World War II. Not all of the activities are puzzles, however. Some are really thought provoking. Like the activity that asks the student to watch the movie again and analyze the conversations that Mr. Eckland and Miss Freneau have and how some of there words can be hurtful. The student is then to write an honest essay about the things he says, how they have spoken hurtful words, and how they can "make their tongue an instrument of blessing rather than evil".

John Allen has had a grand time with this study. The movie is not only a plain old good movie, but gives a real example of what it was like to be a coast watcher during the second world war. We are still working through the Z-Guide and I can't wait until he gets to develop a code system to confuse the enemy or think deeply about his world view by writing about some of the decisions that the different characters made in the movie.

I am really impressed with the Z-Guide to the Movies that I received from Zeezok publishing. It really makes me want to look at the list of other guides that they have available and fit them in to our homeschool occasionally. The Z-Guides are priced at $12.99 each and for many of them you can purchase the movie as well if you don't already own it. Zeezok has many other great homeschool items that you can buy as well. Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to find out what they have to offer. There are Z-Guides for all age students and many of the TOS Homeschool Crew members reviewed other levels of Z-Guides You can find out what they thought by clicking here. Happy Homeschooling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free download of Zeezok Publishing's Z-Guide for the movie "Father Goose" in order to try out and give my honest review on my blog.

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How can you help the less fortunate?

2012-01-10T22:01:00.001-08:00

I love sponsoring a child and being involved with Compassion International. I also love the videos that Missions in Action has produced. I know these past few videos have not been about Compassion International, but about World Vision, but World Vision is another excellent organization.

Here are another two videos that highlight areas in the world where you can get involved in helping the less fortunate.

Episode 7

Episode 8

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Goal Setting Monday – Week Two!

2012-01-09T22:38:00.001-08:00

Yep, it's Goal Setting Monday again. So, how did you do with your goals last week? Well, if you're like me, some goals went well and some goals didn't go well. Before I go on to setting some new goals, let's review how I did this past week.

Drink at least one healthy real juice or smoothie a day -Yes! At the beginning of the week, I took $10 and went out searching for good vegetable and fruit bargains. Surprisingly, I was able to buy more than what I thought I would. In fact, after a whole week of juicing, I still have more vegetables left over. Trying new vegetable juices has been an interesting experience. Some I have liked and some I haven't, but it is been fun learning. Today, I took some frozen fruits that had been given to us and decided to try to make a smoothie. It was better than I thought it would be and, the recipe made a double batch. So, I made enough for the whole family. They all thought it was delicious for the first try. This week I'm looking forward to shopping for some new vegetables and fruits and try some new juices and smoothies.

Limit my sodas to one or less a day – Yes! In fact, after the first day, I haven't drunk a soda since!

Limit my coffee to one cup a day – Yes!

Drink lots of water – Half and half. I have drunk a lot more water than usual, but I haven't drunk the recommended amount that I should be drinking per day. 100 ounces of water is a lot!

Introduce my family to drinking healthy juices and smoothies – Yes! I've already told you about the smoothie that I made this evening for the whole family. Throughout the week, I also let them taste some of the juices that I made. The boys think it's interesting, but I'm not sure that I've won over Sarah yet.

Bake at least one loaf of healthy bread in the breadmaker every week – Yes! The breadmaker hasn't worked quite as well as I wanted it to. It's a little different than the last breadmaker we had and I'm having to get use to the right amount of ingredients to use.. It's been a little finicky. If I use just a little too much flour it gets clumpy and doesn't come out right. But I have managed to bake one good loaf of bread and make some homemade pizza dough.

Walk or do some sort of exercises for at least 15 min. every day – A big fat no! I'm embarrassed to say that I have failed so far in exercising. But, tomorrow is another day.

Well, 5 1/2 out of seven isn't bad. But I still have some work to do. I'm going to keep the same goals for this week and I'll update you again next Monday. Maybe not in as much detail, or these posts will go long!

Now for my Christian life and ministry goals. Last week I told you that on the second Monday of the month, I was going to talk about my Christian life goals. One of my missionary friends said that I should include my ministry goals as well. So that's what I'm doing. Really, I feel bad, because I should make my Christian life and ministry my first priority and I should have listed them in the first week. It's too late for that now, but whether or not they're listed the first week of the month I'm going to make them my first priority. Here are my Christian life and ministry goals:

Read the New Testament in 30 days. I've talked about doing this a little bit on my blog but now I am stating that that is going to be my goal for this month. I've already started, but, alas, I'm already a little behind. Pray for me as I try to catch up.

Have a devoted time of prayer every day. I do pray every day, but I am remiss in having a devoted time per day that I talk to the Lord and listen to the Lord. I need to make that a priority in my life.

Continue reading through "The Love Dare". Shhhh! Don't tell Sarah, that I've been reading through "The Love Dare" from the movie Fireproof. There are 40 days in this devotional and I'm on day eight. So, it would take me about another month to complete.

Make daily contact with someone that comes to Good News Mission. I really do that already, because the boy next door comes the mission and is always over here to play with my boys. There is also boy down the street that comes up to play nearly every day. But, I need to be encouraging other folks that come up to the mission. I need to somehow be ministering to them, not just on Sundays and Tuesdays, but throughout the week.

Begin praying and planning for our summer ministries. This summer is one of our busiest times here at Good News Mission. We have a breakfast program for the local children and we have day camps every other week. It's never too early to start planning.

Well, those are the goals that God has given me so far for my Christian life and my ministry. I'm sure as time goes by, God will reveal more goals that I should be setting for myself. But, for now, these are the ones that he is impressed upon my heart, so, these are going to be the ones that I concentrate on.

What about you? How have you been doing with your goals for the month? Leave a comment if you'd like and don't forget to pray for me as I continue to endeavor to do better in all aspects of my life.

Also, don't forget to participate in." Goal Planning Monday." It's on the blog." Mama Manuscripts." Just click here to get to it.

Happy Goal Setting!

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The Toydle Toy Fort – The Rest of the Story

2012-01-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

It never ceases to amaze me how God places things in our life, right when we need them. life is never easy in a household that has one child is autistic and another child that we think is autistic. Our teenage son, John Allen, the only one of our three children that isn't on the autism spectrum, often seems to get "the short end of the stick". Being a teenager in and of itself is difficult without having two disabled brothers. John Allen's wishes and desires often have to Be put on the back burner because of therapies, doctor's appointments, or other things that pertain to his two younger brothers.. There is often resentment and contention in the ranks. Sarah and I are always looking for things and ways that promote unity in our household.. When we received a Toydle Toy Fort to review for the TOS Homeschool Crew, we had no idea what a blessing it would be.

I gave a brief blip about the Toydle Toy Fort a few weeks ago. You can find that informational review by clicking here. Everything that I said there is true. Toydle Toy Forts really are:

Well made in America

Sturdily made of quality PVC piping.

Easy to put up.

Easy to take down and store away.

Creative.

Educational

Guaranteed

Just plain fun.

but for us the Toydle Toy Fort was much more. It was something that brought our three boys together. While building the Toydle Toy Fort they learned to:

Work together.

Plan together.

Listen to each other's ideas.

Cooperate with one another.

Be creative together.

Have fun together.

Enjoy something other than video games.

Get along with one another.

Sarah and I looked on in amazement as these things were occurring. While we watched, we also learned something about each of our three sons. When given the chance. John Allen can be a good leader. Joshua is a fantastic organizer. Jacob is fearless and thinks that he can do anything that is two big brothers can do. take a look at some of the pictures that I took while the construction was going on. I think you'll see what I mean.

Now, I'm not saying that everything has been hunky-dory since we received our Toydle Toy Fort, but it has shown us that there is hope. I'm also not saying that the same reaction will occur in every family. But I do know one thing – no matter what your kids will have fun.. The Toydle Toy Fort has been one of the best items that we have ever reviewed. I would recommend it for any family. It's easy to use. Really, it reminds me of a giant set of Tinker Toys but much sturdier and much better. And, one of the best things is, that it is fully guaranteed. If one of the PVC pipes happens to break they'll replace it for free. If you happen to leave when of the connector blocks out in the rain, don't worry about it, it's guaranteed as well. As I mentioned in my previous review, that Toydle company was started by a man named Robert Brownfield. After he brought a toy home for his son and it broke 5 min. after his son opened it, Robert realized that there was a need for well-built toys. According to the Toydle website, all of the things that his company makes are hand cut or hand formed by American hands. I can testify that Toydle forts really are well made. As you can see in the slideshow above, after my boys made the fort, they invited all the kids do come to the mission to play in it. Even with all of that wear and tear, not a thing was broken. When we finally needed the room in the mission, the fort was easily taken down and stored away in the convenient bag that it came in. As I said before, I would recommend Toydle forts to anyone.

Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to get to the Toydle website. The forts come in two different sizes. The regular Toydle Toy Fort sells for $149 and the Big Toydle Fort sells for $229.99. Each comes with specially cut, sturdy, tubes, hand made connector blocks, clips and a handy dandy carry bag. And don't forget, everything is unconditionally guaranteed! Check them out, you won't be disappointed. Other folks from the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed Toydle Toy Forts and you can find but they had to say by clicking here. Happy Home Educating!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a Toydle Toy Fort for free in order to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

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I'm having Olympic fever!

2012-01-07T21:48:00.001-08:00

I'm having Olympic fever this evening. I don't know why. Maybe it's the presidential debates and the fact that Mitt Romney was the head of the Salt Lake City Olympics. Maybe because the summer Olympics are coming up in a few months. Maybe it's because shooting started today (more on that later!) and Joshua had an excellent first practice. Whatever it was that sparked this fever, it made me think of the last winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I love everything about the Olympics. From the Opening Ceremonies to the Closing Ceremonies to everything in between. I watch as much of it as I can. I always have since I was a youngster. I just love it. One of my favorite things from the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics was the "Prairie Interpretation" segment. It's based on a book, "Who Has Seen the Wind" by a classic Canadian author, W. O. Mitchell. This part of the ceremony prompted me to buy the book and read it. It is a fantastic book and one that I would recommend to almost anyone. Not traditional Tinkel reading material, and some might not like it, but I thought it was excellent. Anyway, here's the video that started it all. The Olympics owns the rights to the television broadcast of the opening ceremonies, so I couldn't find the official film on YouTube, but I found this one. It's not perfect, but it's still pretty good. Here it is:

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Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Princess!

2012-01-06T21:04:00.001-08:00

Today is my wonderful wife's birthday. Happy Birthday, Honey!

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R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish is the Real Thing

2012-01-05T22:04:00.001-08:00

I've said many times on my blog, that my family loves languages. Maybe it's just me that loves languages and I've just kind of passed that on to my children, but at any rate, my children seem to enjoy learning different languages. I was really excited this year to see several language curriculums listed as items that we would be reviewing. R. E. A. L. Homeschool Spanish was one of those language curriculums that I was looking forward to reviewing and I got my wish.

R. E. A. L. stands for." Relax, Enjoy, Aspire, Learn Spanish" and it is just that. It really is a curriculum that allows you to relax and enjoy learning a language. Because of the Christmas holidays, Joshua and I haven't gotten to use this program as much as we would like but when we have used it, we have enjoyed it. The main book for R. E. A. L. Homeschool Spanish is divided into 10 units that each center around a theme. For example, unit one talks about reading and the question ," How are you?". Unit two talks about colors, numbers and telling time. Each unit is then divided into smaller sections. Each section consists of a vocabulary cluster and phrases that use those vocabulary words. Students can listen to the vocabulary words and phrases by downloading an audio of authentic Spanish speakers from Mexico. Students are encouraged to make flashcards to help learn each list of 10 to 20 vocabulary words.

Now, having said that, that's about as close to a traditional Spanish curriculum that R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish gets. I'll tell you right now, that our Joshua would never do will with a traditional Spanish curriculum. He needs more of a hands-on approach to learning. He would never do well with a." Learn a bunch of words and do a bunch of worksheets" approach. This curriculum is anything but that. Each unit comes with a multi page ideas section to help you incorporate what your child is learning into his everyday life. For example, the ideas in unit one suggest showing puppets interacting using the greetings and goodbyes, or, maybe, encouraging the child to create their own " greetings and emotions" cartoon. There are actually 13 ideas that you can pick and choose from along with the " tips to the home educator" that are also scattered throughout the text. There really is a plethora of activities that you can use to help integrate the Spanish language into your home.

But, that's not all! R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish believes in using all of your senses when learning Spanish. So far, the student has read the words, listened to them, and use them around the house. To help with the student that learns well using the tactile approach, there is also an activity book that includes pencil and paper activities. As I said before, though, these are not typical worksheet activities. They might include a crossword puzzle or matching activity or a word search or a dialogue completion activity or something completely different. All of the activities, however, do use some sort of tactile approach.

The all around approach of R. E. A. L. Homeschool Spanish is what really sold me on their program. This is perfect for a child with a learning disability or a child like my Joshua, who has aspergers syndrome. Or, for that matter, any child. Research says that children learn best when using all of their senses and this curriculum does just that.

R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish is recommended to be used with the whole family, beginning with elementary age children and on up. You can purchase a download for $49.95 for a hard copy for $89.95 by clicking here or on any one of the highlighted links above. Those links will take you to the website where you can download samples of this great curriculum. As usual, many other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish and you can find out what they had to say by clicking here. Happy home educating.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I was sent a free download of R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish in order to try out and give an honest review on this blog.

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Missions In Action - The Next Two Installments

2012-01-04T21:52:00.001-08:00

I hope that you all have been enjoying the Missions In Action videos that I have been posting. Here are the next two videos from the Mission In Action series:

Episode 5

Episode 6

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And the race is on!

2012-01-03T20:08:00.001-08:00

I love politics. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not about to get into politics, but I love to watch it and follow it. I write to my congressmen and senators, and I really, really, look into the policies and leanings of the different candidates. I love to read biographies of political figures and to read books about politics. I have political apps on my phone and tablet, and candidates websites saved on my computer. I am planning a primary/presidential race study for John Allen, if not Joshua as well. I pray, study, and really think through my choices. I don't just wait for the candidate of my party to be chosen and then fall in behind him. With that being said, I love following politics!

Tonight I'm watching the Iowa caucuses on, is there anything else, FOX NEWS! And, even though it is just a caucus, and not even in my state, I am on pins and needles as to who will win. There are some candidates that I like, and some candidates that I am leery about. No, I have not made up my mind, but I'm anxious to see what happens. Anxious to see if the three or four that I am liking do well, and anxious to see how the three or four that I really am not liking fair. This isn't a political blog and I don't wish to get into an argument with any of my readers so I won't enlighten you as to whom I like and don't like. About the only thing that I will admit too is something that is pretty clear to anyone who reads my blog - I am pretty conservative.

Okay, so what is the purpose of this little rant? Well, it doesn't really matter if you agree with me politically or not, but voting and praying for our leaders is important. I love the way that our country was founded. I love our constitution and the checks and balances of our government. I really believe that our country was founded on Christian principles. I really think that fervent prayer is of utmost importance and doing your political homework and political duty is also important.

Now, I don't expect you to have the zeal that I have over following politics, but I do want to ask one thing. Will you really, really try to pray first of all, then vote in the primaries and ultimately the general election next November. And, before you do, will you make an effort to do a little studying before you vote. Now, I'm not just talking about the presidential race, here, I'm talking about your senators and congressmen and even your state and local officials.

In the weeks and months to come, I'll try to pop in and give you a heads up to some websites that you can go to for your research. For right now, you can start with my favorite site - yep, Fox News. You can find it by clicking here. Happy Voting!

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It's Goal Setting Monday!

2012-01-02T21:20:00.001-08:00

Every Monday this year I would like to blog about goals that I'm setting from my life. On each Monday of the month I'm going to talk about different areas of my life that need improvement and the monthly goals that I'm going to set to help improve those areas.

This week I'm going to talk about setting goals for healthy living - including eating habits and exercise. The second Monday of the month is going to be devoted to my goals as a follower of Christ. At first I was going to not have this as a separate category because my Christian life is entwined in all of my life. I was just going to include those goals in my other weekly goals, but I changed my mind. I don't think that it would be a bad idea to devote a day of the month to set monthly goals regarding my walk with the Lord and then evaluating them. On the third Monday of every month I'll discuss my family goals. Finally, on the last Monday of every month, I'm going to talk about home improvement inside and outside of the house (and boy are there a lot of honey-do items that I need to catch up on). If there just happens to be a fifth Monday in any month we'll do a recap of what's happened so far. Of course, these will be monthly goals that I set and I will briefly update how I am doing in all areas every week, but each area of my life will get a specific Monday to reflect and consider what God wants me do regarding that area of my life.

The other day I found a post about goal setting on a website called Once A Month Moms. You can find it by clicking here. Okay, I know I'm not a mom, but it still had a lot of good ideas about how to set goals for yourself. It talked about breaking your goals down into small, reasonable, realistic, chunks. You know there are often times that I want to do everything at once. I look at all of these websites and read all of these books and I want to do it all now. But I've come to realize that doing everything at once wouldn't be good for me, my family, or our budget. Besides, I wouldn't know the first place to start. This is going to be a learning process as well as a life changing process. As I mentioned before in another post, we have already taken steps to to eat healthier and live healthier but it's come time to take it a step further since here are several areas that we are still lacking in.

Since I just got a new juicer, I was going to talk a lot about how I could change my drinking habits this week. No, not alcoholic drinking, but not drinking as many sugary soda's and things like that. Then, I signed up for Vintage Remedies' "8 Weeks of Real Foods". An eight week mini-course on turning your eating habits around and eating "real foods" instead of prepackaged, unhealthy, processed foods. Click here to get to their website to sign up. Well, guess what the first week talked about? Drinking Habits! So, I guess God meant me to concentrate on that area first. Since we got a new breadmaker, however, I'm going to set some goals for that and throw in some exercise goals as well.

So, after that long introduction, what are my healthy eating goals for this month? Here they are:

Drink at least one healthy real juice or smoothie a day.

Limit my sodas to one or less a day.

Limit my coffee to one cup a day (Eek! I can't believe I just said that.).

Drink lots of water. Vintage Remedies says to turn your weight into ounces and then divide by two. I weigh about 200 lbs. That means I should be drinking about 100 ounces of water a day! What! I'll drown! That's 12 1/2 glasses of water if the glasses hold 8 ounces! Ah, well, they know best I'll at least try to do that. Try being the operative word.

Introduce my family to drinking healthy juices and smoothies. Hopefully by the end of the month they'll be sold on them and drink more as well - maybe one a day?!?

Bake at least one loaf of healthy bread in the bread maker every week. I'm looking forward to using the bread maker, so that one shouldn't be too hard. This will benefit the whole family as well.

Walk or do some sort of exercise for at least 15 minutes every day.

Everything I've read says that our goals should be doable, and I think that the above goals are doable. Remember, this is a monthly thing. We have a whole month to work on them. If I find that I meet some of them ahead of schedule, I'm going to make some new ones before the month is out but I'm not going to sweat it. It may take a month for me to work up to some of these things (especially the 12 1/2 glasses of water a day!) but that's OK. I have to remember that I'm taking small steps.

So, how about you? What are your goals for the month. Leave a comment if you would like. I'd love to hear from you. I was going to start a weekly meme, but I found out that there is already a great weekly meme called "Goal Planning Monday". It's on the blog "Mama Manuscripts". I'm going to start participating. Click here if you would like to participate as well.

Happy Healthy Eating!

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Today is a Sad Day

2012-01-01T19:34:00.001-08:00

Attention! If you are seeing this, you are on the New Blog!

Below is the last post that I published on my old Angelfire Blog. I wanted to share the change with you, here on my new blog, so that you all could help me celebrate the big changeover!

Yes, today is the last day that I'm going to post daily on my old Angelfire Families Again blog. It really has been a good blog. It is served me well since I first started blogging way back in October of 2008. I remember the first couple of months that I blogged. I had just been through a very trying time in my life and in my ministry. I was searching for something that would serve as an outlet for me. I noticed that an online friend of mine had taken up blogging. At that time she was using Angelfire. Blogging had intrigued me for a couple of years. I really didn't know a whole lot about it, how to start a blog, or what to write. But, I needed an outlet and blogging seemed to fit. So, since the only blogging platform than I knew about was Angelfire, I signed up and started a blog. Back then there really weren't many blog designs that would fit men but, when I saw the refrigerator design, it reminded me of a ride at Disney World, The Carousel of Progress. The man of the house always seemed to be in the kitchen. His living room had been taken over by family members watching TV and he had no place to go. So, he ended up in the there. The kitchen always seemed to be the place where my family gathered as well and, since my blog was going to be called Families Again, the kitchen seemed to be the perfect place for me as well.

I'll miss the old green refrigerator. It has served me well for over three years. But, just as kitchen appliances need to be updated, so did my blog. The Angelfire platform is hopelessly outdated and I really need to do more with my blog that Angelfire could provide. So, after inquiring about other blog platforms, I decided to make the switch to blogger/blogspot and start a new Families Again blog.. I'd experimented with blogger//blogspot before and really enjoyed it so the switch wasn't that hard to make. This past month and a half I've spent designing and changing things over to my new blog.. As much as I'll miss Angelfire, I have really enjoyed working on my new blog and I really like the look. I think it will serve me well in the months and years to come. Oh, I'm sure, from time to time, I'll revisit my old Angelfire Families Again blog and may post something new, but those times will be few and far between.. From now on all of my main posts will be on my new Families Again blog.. If you haven't visited my new Families Again blog all you have to do is click here or on any one of the highlighted links above. If any of you have been so kind as to add five blog to your favorites don't forget to visit the new blog save that one to your favorites and delete the old Angelfire address. You can also follow my new blog using GFC (Google Friend Connect), NetworkedBlogs, or other popular blog following devices. All choices are found in the right-hand column of my new blog.

Thank you, my readers, for all of the joy that you've given me these past three years. I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and I'm praying that we all have a blessed 2012. I have many great plans for my new blog in the coming year I hope that you will all be part of it.

Until Tomorrow,

Tim

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Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T21:27:00.001-08:00

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And the countdown is down to...

2011-12-30T21:37:00.001-08:00

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Another's New Year's goal – helping others.

2011-12-30T21:33:00.001-08:00

My New Year's goals is to pray more for my children. I've been thinking a lot about specific things prayers that I want to pray for each one of my sons. Naturally, my wife and my biological children are the most important things in my life next to God and I'll be talking a lot about my family goals in future posts. I'm also developing prayer goals for my Compassion International kids as well, which brings me to my topic for tonight - Missions In Action. Quite a few weeks ago, I introduced you all to an online video series that is being produced by Missions In Action. Missions In Action is a fantastic organization whose desire is to "enable people to make a difference by taking action to help others around the world". Their goal is to post two or three short videos a week highlighting an organization that she can partner with to do just that "help others around the world". My goal was to post each one of their videos on my blog unfortunately, I am way behind. They are already on episode 13 and I've only posted two of them. So, today I went to post two more, both highlighting the work of Compassion International. If, after watching the videos, you would like to know more about Compassion International, just click here or on any one of the highlighted links above. If you want to know more about Missions In Action, just click here.

Episode Three

Episode Four

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And the excitement builds...

2011-12-29T21:16:00.001-08:00

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Can healthy eating really be less expensive?

2011-12-29T21:13:00.001-08:00

I asked that question on a forum that I belong to recently. There were mixed answers. If you've read some of my latest blog posts you'd know that one of my goals this year is to eat healthier. I'm wondering though whether eating healthier is also going to mean a more expensive food budget. Unfortunately, as full-time missionaries we don't have a very big food budget.. So, I've been looking for ways to eat healthy and not break the budget. In my research so far, I've rediscovered gardening, learned about food co-ops, educated myself about CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture), and found lots of good recipes, but I want to know how you all do it.

What are some ways to eat healthy without spending a lot of money?

I want my family to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, but how you do it without ending up in the poor house?

I don't mind baking my own bread (yes, I can bake bread as long as the breadmaker), but how do you do buy healthy flour and whole grains without spending a lot of dough (bad joke I know)?

And, speaking of fruits and vegetables, I got a juicer for Christmas, which I know is another thing that's going to squeeze me of all my money. (Okay, okay, I'll quit while I'm ahead).

Really though, I'm open for any ideas or hints that you can give me. I'll even share them in a post and give you the credit. Just leave a comment below. Thanks ahead of time.

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And the Big Blog Changeover Countdown Continues...

2011-12-28T20:30:00.001-08:00

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New Year's Resolutions or New Year's Goals?

2011-12-28T20:29:00.001-08:00

A couple of days ago I wrote a post on my New Year's resolutions. One of my readers commented that she doesn't make new years resolutions she makes New Year's goals. What she does is make monthly goals and then blog about them.. Her readers are her accountability partners. I kind of like that idea. Since my blog is switching to a new blog platform I've been thinking about making some changes to it anyway.. I'm thinking about setting goals at the beginning of the month and then commenting on my progress on a certain day every week. Maybe on the first Monday of the month I'll set my goals and then on each Monday after that I'll give an update as to how I'm doing.

One of my main goals this year is going to be eating right, exercising, and reducing stress. I hate stress. Unfortunately though, it's all around us. There's stress and our families. There is stress on our jobs. There is even stress and things of theirs not supposed to be stress in.. Just today I went through a stressful situation that had to do with one of my stress outlets. Last week the stressful situation had to do with ministry.

I think that a healthier lifestyle, along with one of my other New Year's goals, reading the Bible, will really help me reduce my stress.. I'm looking forward to setting goals, blogging about, and conversing with you all about ways to eat healthier and lead a healthier lifestyle. Hey, maybe I'll even start a meme – I think I fill my creative juices flowing. Who knows what will come of this? So, what do you think? Should I start a goal setting meme? Or, does anyone know of a goal setting meme me that's already in existence? Let me know which you think. We could be each other's accountability partners!

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Let the Countdown Begin!

2011-12-27T21:51:00.001-08:00

No, not the New Year's Countdown, the New Blog Countdown.

Oh, I've been blogging on my new Families Again blog - http://familiesagain.blogspot.com/ - for about a month now, but I've also posted on my old Families Again blog - http://tink38570.angelfire.com/familiesagain/ . Well, come January 1, that will all end. I will officially be a one blog person again. My blogspot blog will be the only blog on which I blog daily. Oh, I'll probably visit my other blog occasionally, but it's really time to say "Goodbye" to it. It has given me many great years of blogging. Really, I will miss it, but it has an outdated platform and Blogspot is up to date and looks really nice.

If you haven't been over to see the new blog yet, please do! Again, the address is - http://familiesagain.blogspot.com/ . The name is still the same - Families Again, and the content hasn't changed (although I'm sure some of you wish it would!). If you subscribe to my blog using NetworkedBlogs, Google Friend Connect, or somethng else, and you are still getting feeds to the old, green, refrigerator blog, then please let me know and I'll work on the problem right away. If you haven't subscribed to my blog yet, then please do. Just make sure you're on my new blog and then subscribe using one of the methods in the left had column.

And now, let the countdown begin!

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Do You Make New Year's Resolutions?

2011-12-26T21:54:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about New Year's resolutions this year. I don't know why. In years past I've sometimes made them and sometimes I haven't. Lately, however, I've really been thinking about what things I want to change about myself and ways that I can help to improve my family.

I'll save the family ones for later, but here are a few of my personal resolutions:

Learn how to use this infuriating Dragon program. (See yesterdays post.)

Read through the Bible at least once.

Eat healthier. (I got a juicer for Christmas to help with that.)

Exercise.(Time to get out the Total Gym again.)

Clean the basement.

Work outside more.

Plant a garden. (That should help with number three.)

Do A L O T of fixer upper projects around the house.

Start earlier getting ready for our summer day camps.

Be more organized in homeschooling. (The kids should love that.)

Well, there you have it, my top 10 personal resolutions for 2012 – not necessarily in that order. I'm sure I'll think of more before 2012 actually begins. I'll keep you posted as to how I'm doing.

So what are your New Year's resolutions for this year? Have you made them yet? Do you usually make them? If you want to share just leave me a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

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I'm Playing With My New Toy

2011-12-25T18:45:00.001-08:00

Yes, I indeed wrote the following all using my new Dragon - Naturally Speaking program. I know this is a cheesy post, but I really wanted to play with this new toy! Check it out by clicking here - Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home, Version 11. In all fairness though, I must tell you that I am an Amazon affiliate and if you click on the picture or the on the link, it will take you to the Amazon website and I will earn a small percentage if you buy anything.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and had an enjoyable day with your family. I sure did. First we read the Christmas story out of the Gospel of Luke and opened up presents at our house. Then, we went over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house where we had dinner and opened up more gifts.

I was very blessed this Christmas. I am really enjoying the new toy that I received. If you never had one you really need to look into it. It's called Dragon Naturally Speaking. Dragon Naturally Speaking is a voice recognition system that allows you to dictate and it will type the words for you. This is really going to come in handy during the next year since I plan on blogging every day. All I have to do is put on my headset, talk into the microphone, and voilà my words appear on the paper. In fact, I'm using it right now. What fun.

Well, again, I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and don't forget what the real meaning of Christmas is, to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T21:13:00.001-08:00

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 2:11

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Shopping for Christmas is Hard Work! Is it Really Worth It?

2011-12-23T19:14:00.003-08:00

John Allen and I went shopping today. Sarah had done all of the shopping for the boys and for me. She had shopped online and in store. She had shopped on the way home from therapies and while out with the girls getting ready for the big meal last week. She has shopped a little for the family, and a lot for others. She has shopped until she has dropped. Making lists and checking them twice to make sure everyone got something on the list whether they were naughty or nice. She has even baked cinnamon rolls for those that we couldn't buy for. She is good hearted that way. BUT, with all of her shopping and dropping, she hasn't left me time to go out and shop for her.

So, today was the day. Oh why do I do this? Why haven't I learned that the closer to Christmas the busier the stores are. Maybe they have been this busy. I don't know. All I know is that it I'm tired. The crowd were nice, and there were no incidents, but I am tired. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it all.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy shopping and giving gifts. And, many of the gifts that were are buying this year are going to help us live healthier and better. We never give really extravagant gifts. Still, I have that gnawing feeling that we are just doing too much in a wrong way. Do the kids really need that toy or video? Do we, even in the name of health, need that extra kitchen gadget? Should we even be giving to each other for Christmas? What am I teaching my children?

Oh, they know that Jesus is the real reason for the season, but do we really celebrate that? What are we teaching our children?

I don't know if I am even "speaking aloud" and asking you, my readers, this question, or if I am just musing to myself. My children do see us in action at Good News Mission - the ministry that we direct. They know that Mom is often gone helping this lady or that lady (she has a vibrant ministry helping the low income ladies in our town). They lived through the weeks that led up to and the day of our Christmas Meal where we fed 400 (with a lot of help from others). They write to our Compassion International kids and love getting the letters from them.

Still, with all of this, are we teaching that Christmas is a time of giving and celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ? Especially when I hear comments like "I don't know if I can keep myself from peeking at my gifts." or "Can't we open a gift early?". I think enough is enough. I really think that tomorrow and the rest of this holiday season we are going to focus on honoring God in all that we do. Talking abut the true meaning of Christmas. Talking about the birth of Jesus. Talking about giving more than receiving.

I don't quite know how we are going to do it, but it needs to be done. And it will be done. I need to think some on this and I'll let you know. Stay tuned for some interesting blog posts, and if you think of any ideas please shoot them my way! Thanks ahead of time.

Tim

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Do You Pinterest?

2011-12-22T21:58:00.001-08:00

A couple of months ago one of my online friends asked if I did Pinterest. I had no idea what they what they were talking about. Then I found out that a bunch of my online friends are really into Pinterest so I thought I would check it out more. It intrigued me at first. I thought it was a neat concept. For a little while I was "pinning" a lot of things. Then, to be quite honest, the luster wore off and I haven't pinned anything in weeks. Really, all I was doing anyway was just using it as a glorified "favorites" tab.

What am I missing? I know there must be more to it. I really do want to take advantage of it in the right way. How do you all use it? What can you do with it? Is it more than a glorified "favorites" tab? Please leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to learn more.

Oh, and by the way, if any of you want to befriend me on Pinterest, my pinterest ID is - tink38570. I'd love to hear from you.

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The Best Christmas Video I've Seen in a Long Time!

2011-12-21T21:26:00.001-08:00

I'd never seen this before, but apparently it has been around. I love it! Enjoy.

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The World's Greatest Stories

2011-12-20T22:08:00.001-08:00

A couple of years ago we had the great pleasure of reviewing a book series where, when it came time for the books to be put on tape, the author read his own works. The fun thing about this children's book author was that he used a different voice for each character in his books. The results were hilarious and very entertaining. It made the book on tape a lot of fun to listen to.

Imagine how entertaining the Word of God - the Bible - would be if the reader used different accents and voices. If it were done half as well as the author I described above, then children would flock to it. Well, that's exactly what George W. Sarris and the folks at "The World's Greatest Stories" has done. George W. Sarris has taken the Bible and read it like a real storyteller. Here's an excerpt from the website of "The World's Greatest Stories":

I couldn't agree more with that description. The day that I received our copy of Volume 1 - The Prophets, we had Bible Club scheduled for that afternoon. I decided to scrap what I had planned and have the kids listen to the stories on the CD. They loved them! They didn't want to stop listening to them. Even the adults in attendance enjoyed them. I had never heard something like this before and neither had they. I was hooked immediately.

The World's Greatest Stories is new, but George W. Sarris is not. He has been around for many years entertaining folks with his storytelling style of reading the Bible. And, that's exactly what he does. I may call it storytelling, but that's just the way that he reads the scripture - in a storytelling fashion. He is actually reading from the Bible, and paraphrasing or reading from a children's storybook. In fact, there are two versions of each volume available - a King James version and a NIV version. Actually, he isn't reading when he does the recordings at all. That's because he has memorized each passage so that he can concentrate on making it come alive. He has meditated and thought through each passage that he reads.

So far there are six volumes with more planned. We received volume one, but I'd like to order more. Here's what they have available right now:

Volume 1 - The Prophets

The Blazing Furnace

The Handwriting on the Wall

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Elijah & the Prophets of Baal

The Prophecy of Jonah

Volume 2 - The Life of Christ

The Real Story of Christmas

The Baptism & Temptation of Jesus

The Healing of the Blind Man

Things Jesus Said & Did

The Real Story of Easter

Volume 3 - Beginnings

In the Beginning

A Lame Man in Lystra

A Jailer in Philippi

The Story of Ruth

The Raising of Lazarus

Volume 4 - Joshua & Esther

The Battle of Jericho

The Book of Esther

Volume 5 - Joseph & His Brothers

Joseph & His Brothers

Volume 6 - Defeating Giants

David & Goliath

Namaan the Leper

Micaiah the Prophet & Jehoshaphat the King

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Gideon & His 300 Men

I'm not sure how long each of the CD's is, but I know ours was over an hour long. As mentioned before, each CD comes in either King James or NIV and you purchase them in either CD or audio tape. But, here's the best part. Each CD is only $7.95! You can find out more about The World's Greatest Stories read by George W. Sarris by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. Also, other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew reviewed different versions and you can find out what thy had to say by clicking here. Happy Homeschooling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free copy of The World's Greatest Stories Volume 1 - The Prophets in order to use and give my honest review on my blog.

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Finally the True Story!

2011-12-19T21:55:00.001-08:00

No more teasers. Yes, of course, that was me in thase ridiculous platform boots. Why was I wearing them? Well, this is little known fact number "who knows what"...

I enjoy acting!

We have a fantastic drama committee in a local church, First Baptist of Livingston, that, thankfully, allow folks that don't necessarily go to their church to participate.We used to go to this church years ago, and still love the people. We are still friends with the pastor and many, many folks that attend there. But, because of various reasons, the Lord brought us to another church. Anyway, I digress.

The drama team for First Baptist graciously still invites me to join them in some of their major productions. This is our fourth of fifth time doing "A Christmas Carol" and I revised my dual role of "The Ghost of Christmas Past" and, later, "The Undertaker". The folks who direct and put on this program are fabulously talented and the setting on the stage are first rate. The stage has three smaller revolving stages on it. Each side of the smaller revolving stage has a different scene. My oldest, John Allen, was a stage hand this year and helped revolve the stages between scenes and acts.

These pictures are from our final dress rehearsal. Yes the tall white gowned person is me. The only thing missing is my makeup. Sorry, I can't reveal everything. You'd have to come to one of our productions to see me in full gear! Enjoy the slide show!

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Vintage Remedies - Get Back to A Healthier Lifestyle!

2011-12-18T22:01:00.001-08:00

I remember growing up on a small farm when I was a boy. It was my grandfathers farm. We had moved back to the house that my grandfather owned - the house that my mother was born in, when I was in second grade because Grandpa was getting older and needed someone to take care of him. At various times, during the ten years that we lived there, we had cows, goats and pigs, but we always had a pony or two and we always had chickens. We also always had a very large garden. Every summer I would be down in the fields working with Grandpa. Grandpa would hitch up the pony to the old fashion plow that he had and we would plow the fields that way. We would grow hay for the ponies and all sorts of good things to eat. We grew green beans, corn, potatoes, rhubarb, mint, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelon...you name it, if it grew in central Pennsylvania, it was in our garden. Grandpa even financed a strawberry business in order for me to make a little money during the summers. Harvest season was always an adventure. We would sit out in the yard and snap beans. Dad was always busy cutting thing up with the electric knife. Mom was busy freezing and canning the vegetables. The rest of us stayed busy picking the crops and bringing in the hay. It was a busy time, and hard work. I didn't appreciate it until much older. Grandpa was very old fashioned and could be pretty stern and rough at times. He was, however, very loving as well.

It was also a very healthy lifestyle. We had fresh eggs and vegetables either straight from the garden or preserved using old fashioned methods with no chemicals and artificial preservatives. We would often have meat from grass fed or natural fed cows, pigs or chickens. We didn't go out to eat much, because there were no places to go out to eat in the small town where we lived. We didn't have as many processed foods because there weren't as many on the market.

When unhealthy foods finally did make their way on to store shelves, the research wasn't there to tell us these things were bad. Pre-packaged ready to eat foods; microwaves; things that lasted longer on the shelves - they were all great! Weren't modern things wonderful? Weren't we making leaps and bounds in the world of science and food preparation? It was truly the best time of our lives!

It wasn't until years later that we realized that things weren't as great as we thought they were. Oh, many of the advances in technology were awesome and great, but many of the things that we thought were fantastic really weren't good at all. Not for us, and not for mankind!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no green earth fanatic who thinks we should limit the population so that we can save the world or something as equally extreme, but, I do believe that God gave us our bodies and our planet, and we shouldn't be flippant about the things that we put into our bodies or into our environment. But, is it too late? After all, a whole generation or two has grown up with this unhealthy living. Have the old, healthier ways, been forgotten? Can we relearn them? Can we blend the old, healthier things with the good technological advances that have occurred these past four or five decades?

I think we can, and so does Jessie Hawkins and the folks at Vintage Remedies. Vintage Remedies began in 2005. Here is what the Vintage Remedies says about their beginning:

In the summer of 2005, Vintage Remedies was established to be the part hobby / part occasional job of founder Jessie Hawkins. She would offer her consulting services for local families and professionals that needed to learn more about healthy and natural lifestyles.

The website goes on to say that her consulting work quickly grew into a part time online school to teach more individuals about healthy living and then, even more quickly, turned into a full time business. Since then, over 500 individuals have gone through her courses and she has begun writing books for all ages.

Recently I received the book Vintage Remedies for Guys a healthy living workbook for boys ages 7-13. This neat workbook can be used informally in your home, or, more formally as a one or two year homeschool course. This great book has 18 chapters that are divided into three sections. Section One: Food, Nutrition and Culinary Skills covers such things as Healthy Drinks, Snacktime and Growing Your Own Food. Section Two: Health and Body talks about Healthy and Clean Bodies, Immunity and Prevention, Coughs and Colds, and Summertime Fun among other things. Finally, Section Three: Natural Living covers things such as Hospitality, Cleaner Cleaning and A Natural Home.

Joshua, our 11 year old asperger's son and I have been slowly going through Vintage Remedies for Guys and have so far covered the first two chapters, "Real Food", and "Kitchen Basics". We have loved the easy conversational style of the writing and have learned so much. Joshua has learned the history of real foods and processed foods and has learned how to identify real foods. He has begun to learn how to cook with real foods. Already we have made homemade pizza and baked bread together and we are going to learn how to make cheese (YES, I said cheese) and homemade yogurt soon! All using natural ingredients! Of course, all of these new things that we are trying require parental involvement. That's why I'm saying "we", but I am learning just as much as Joshua and having just as much fun.

It really is fun to learn about living a healthy lifestyle, and this book is fun to learn with. Each approximately ten page chapter begins with a conversational style four or five page explanation of the topic. Some chapters then have a fun one page "tips" section such as "Tips in the Kitchen" or "Tips for a Great Appearance". Then the really fun part begins - the projects. I've listed some of the recipes that we have been trying out (or will be) in the above paragraph, but not all of the projects are food recipes. Some aren't even recipes at all. In future chapters we'll be learning how to make our own natural deodorant and natural cleaning spray but we'll also be going on a "field trip" to our farmer's market and learning how to make "Green Gifts". Finally, each chapter ends with a section for parents who might be using this book for homeschooling or for leaders of a group that might be working through this book together. The appendix of Vintage Remedies for Guys also includes Chapter Quizzes, a section for family, homeschool and group scheduling, and a section that talks about further learning.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this book so far. I've been slowly striving to get back to a healthier lifestyle for a long time, and this book has helped me to accomplish that as well as teach my children how to start when they are young. It has also provided some great discussion times on how folks used to live and to talk about how I used to live. Now, mind you, I'm a little older than the average parent of young children, but you could always use this to open up conversations with grandparents, older neighbors or older folks from your church. The Vintage Remedies website lists this book for $45.00. Just click here or on any of the hi-lighted links above. They also have a Vintage Remedies for Gals and a Vintage Remedies for Kids book that others on the TOS Homeschool Crew have reviewed. You can find their reviews by clicking here. Vintage Remedies sells so much more than homeschool curriculum, though. They have book and courses on all aspects of healthy living. And, they are just a plain old great company to work with and buy from. Check them out today. Happy Homeschooling and Happy Healthy Living!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free copy of "Vintage Remedies for Guys" in order to try out and give my honest review on my blog.

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Teaser Number Two

2011-12-17T21:54:00.001-08:00

I promised I would reveal what the platform booted person was all about, but I am just too exausted this evening. So, I'm giving a second teaser. Where is this place and what is it all about? I would say find out tomorrow, but the last time I said that it didn't happen, so I'll just say find out soon.

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Fractazmic is Fantastic!

2011-12-16T08:13:00.001-08:00

Last year, we...err...I mean the father and his son...had great fun reviewing Pyramath. If you recall, Pyramath was a great game, made by "I See Cards" that helped you learn your math facts in a very entertaining way. Well, this year some of the TOS Crew Members were given another set of cards by "I See Cards", but it wasn't Pyramath...it was Fractazmic.

Like Pyramath, Fractazmic is another "I See Card" addictive game to help you learn basic math. This time it's fractions that you are learning.

The object of the game is to create as many hands as you can by combining different fractions of the same color to add up to one. There are three colors - suits- of cards. The sixteenth suit is red and contains the cards 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16 and 1/2. The blue suit is the twelfths suit and has 1/12, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 5/12, and 1/2. Finally, the green suit, i the tenth suit and 1/10, 1/5, 3/10, 2/5 and 1/2. You are dealt seven cards and you continue to pick up and discard until you can put down enough cards of one color to add up to one! Beware of picking up from the discard pile, because if you do, you have to use that card right away to form a hand (group of cards that add up to one). The rules are even lenient enough to say that you can pick up a card way down in the discard pile if you find that you need it. BUT...if you do you have to pick up all of the cards on top of it as well.

Here's another way to play Fractazmic. This version is called "Trap", but it will give you an idea of what the game is all about.

It sounds like fun, and it is! Imagine the things about fractions that your child will learn while having a blast!

With Fractazmic you learn fraction equivalents:

How many fourths are in a sixteenth?

How many thirds are in twelfth?

What is two fifths if I convert it into tenths?

You also learn to add fractions:

Does 1/2, 7/16 and 1/16 add up to one?

What about 1/2, 2/5 and 3/10?

Or, 1/3, 1/4 and 1/2?

And, the really neat Fractazmic cards make it easier for the kids. Take a look at the picture below and you'll see why.

Do you see how the blue cards had eggs in an dozen egg carton since the blue cards deal with twelfths? The green cards have a water bottle measured out in tenths, and the red card has a ruler that has the usual sixteenth lines on them. Those are visual cues for younger children to look at if needed.

Can you imagine the things in life that this will apply to? Do you remember using some of these skills while baking or building? What if you've lost your 1/2 cup measure, but you have your 1/3? Could you still bake? Do I have enough 6 1/4 inch tiles to cover a 6 x 6 foot space?

Since my two young ones aren't in to fractions yet, I played Fractazmic with John Allen. Even though he is in ninth grade, now, he still has a difficult time converting fractions in his head. This game was excellent for him. I'm going to teach Joshua how to play next. I think if I teach him the "hints" and perhaps play the game a little differently he will really enjoy it. There are a ton of different versions to this game, along with some other ideas for learning fractions on the Fractazmic website and in the free downloadable materials that are available there.

Oh, and do you remember the addictive online version of Pyramath that I played and played and played? You know, the one where you could win a free deck of Pyramath cards? Well, I See Cards has an online version of Fractazmic as well. It's not played quite the same way as the regular version, but you'll get the idea of the game. Just click here - but be warned, it IS addictive!

But, never fear! If you don't win a free deck from the online game, the decks are very inexpensive. They are just $6.95 per deck! That's cheaper than most learning games. Just click here or on any one of the Fractazmic hi-lighted links above to get to the Fractazmic website. You can also check out links to some of the other great I See Card games by clicking here. And, as usual, some of the other TOS Homeschool Crew members reviewed Fractazmic as well, and, I hear, came up with some interesting ways to use the cards to teach their children all about fractions. Just click here to get to their reviews. Happy Homeschooling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free deck of Fractazmic cards in order to use and give my honest review on this blog.

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Who is this man?

2011-12-15T21:36:00.001-08:00

Why is he wearing those ridiculous platform boots? Where is he? What is he doing? Tune in tomorrow for the answer to all of those questions and more!

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On the 6th Day of Christmas...

2011-12-14T21:48:00.001-08:00

...my true love gave to me:

Six Turkeys Cooking (Only 12 more to go!)

Five People Cleaning (Three were Tinkel kids and they actually did a good job!)

Four Trips to Hardware (For parts for the broken furnace - See below.)

Three Cats a Eating (Only one was ours and they were eating the bones from the cooked turkeys.)

Two Tired Tinkels (Both over the age of 30.)

And a broken furnace in the basement! (Thanks Harley - a good friend of ours - for working on it and putting up with one very unhandymanish person helping.)

Yep, this was my day today. Can I add in play practice, passing out flyers, deboning turkeys, decorating, and, and, and, to the list? The next two days aren't looking much better! Please pray that everything will come together for the big meal this Saturday. We already have about 150 take-out plates to shut-ins and the elderly that we are delivering meals to and we aren't finished!

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Don't Have a Cow - Give a Goat!

2011-12-13T21:14:00.001-08:00

I remember how excited I was to get the Sear's Wishbook Catalog when I was young. I would flip it over (the toys were always in the back you know) and I would pour over every page. Well, maybe not the Barbie and other doll pages - although it was interesting to see what new thing Barbie had going - but I digress. Anyway, I would pour over every page and even circle the things that I wanted. It was always an exciting time. It provided many a day of dreaming for a young boy like me. Of course, when I didn't get what I really, really wanted, I would sometimes be a little upset. I was terribly dissapointed - even as an adult - when they discontinued Wishbooks. It's an annual tradition that my boys are now missing.

Well, tomorrow is going to be another big catalog day. No, not the Wishbook, but another catalog. And this time it's not going to be innocently, but perhaps selfishly, looking for things for themselves. This time they are going to be looking for others. You see, the catalog that they are going to be pouring over is going to be the Compassion International gift catalog called "Gifts of Compassion". This is going to be our first year doing this and I'm hoping and praying that it becomes a tradition. Here's a short video that tells how "Gifts of Compassion" works.

This is going to be a real test of faith on my part. I'm actually going to let the boys choose which gifts to give. I'm planning on giving them $35 at the most to spend. I'm anxious to see what they do with the money! What combination will they come up with?

Mosquito Net - $10.00 + Garden Seeds - $10.00 + African Drought Survival Kit - $13.00 = $33.00

Household Items Kit - $15.00 + Building Materials - $20.00 = $35.00

Soccer Ball - $13.00 + Chicken - $16.00 + Bible - $5.00 = $34.00

The combinations are endless. There are more expensive things as well. Have a look by clicking here.

I want my kids to know that earth does not revolve around them. I want them to realize that there is extreme poverty all around the world.

Don't get me wrong. I believe in helping the poor and the needy around us as well. But, you have to remember, we are full time missionaries and direct a ministry to the low income folks in the town where we live. Our kids see the poor and the needy around us every day. This is a chance to give to others around the world that need help as well.

I want my kids to learn not to have a cow, but to give a goat - which, by the way, is only $45.00 through the "Gifts of Compassion" catalog.

So, this year, why not consider having your kids give a gift or two from "Gifts of Compassion". And, hey, if they really want to have a cow, they can give one of those, too. It's only $100. Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above.

Thanks ahead of time and have a very Merry Christmas.

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Tinkel Family Christmas Newsletter

2011-12-12T21:35:00.001-08:00

Sarah's done it again! She's created another great newsletter. For those of you who are on our email list, you will be getting one via email soon. I wanted to share what's going on with our family and Good News Mission with everyone though. So, here is our Christmas 2012 newsletter.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

Dear Friends and family,

It is so hard to believe that another year has come and gone….where is the time going? Around our house we have been very busy with family, ministry, church etc. God is and has been so good and faithful! He has blessed us with wonderful prayer and financial partners, a wonderful church, great Bible Studies, great friends, awesome family etc.

Our boys have been doing very well. John Allen is a 6’ 1 fifteen year old young man who is starting to ask if we would teach him how to drive!! We are SO not ready for this!! LOL!! On a serious note we are concerned about teaching him to drive and him being blind in one eye. We knew this day was coming…but time has gone by so fast that it is now here and we are a little bit jittery about this new phase in his life and in ours. Please pray with us that God would give us wisdom and discernment in this new season. This month our middle son Joshua turned 11 yrs. old! Again time is flying by way too fast for my liking. It just seems like yesterday I was holding him in my arms and now he is a tall inquisitive young man who loves Jesus. Jacob, our blue eyed boy who thinks he can do anything that his big brothers do, is growing like a weed. Pray for us this month concerning Jacob. Three months ago the eye doctor found a freckle in his eye. Because of our history with eye cancer for the next year we will be going every three months for the doctor to take measurements just to make sure that it is not growing. The doctor doesn’t think anything will come of it but it does bring back memories of another time with John Allen.

Tim and I are staying busy with the Mission. One of my ladies went into preterm labor in November and had to have an emergency C section. Little Chioz Jean weighing in at 3 lbs. 13 oz. is our newest member at Good News Mission. I love this part of ministry…being able to hold the babies and counsel young mothers on good and Godly parenting skills. We have started our Bible Clubs and are averaging about 12-18 children and adults. Here lately God has laid it on my heart that the people need to know the heart of Jesus. We have been learning how to pray for each other and learning how God loves our praise and how He loves to hear from us…and forus to listen to Him. They are learning to recognize His voice and most importantly of all learning Truth!!!

On December 17th from 12:00 – 2:00 PM we will be having our annual Holiday Meal at the Mission. (We call it our Holiday Meal because it is in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.). Last year we were able to feed 250 individuals. The majority of this was take-outs to the shut-ins. This is one of the bigger events of ministry that the Mission does during the year. Pray for the volunteers and for the hearts of the people to whom we will be serving. This is such a wonderful ministering opportunity for my ladies who help deliver and help serve. They look so forward every year to being able to be a part of what the Mission is all about…being Jesus’ hands, feet and voice. If you would like to help in some way….PLEASE let me know. We would be so blessed and honored for your help!!!

We would like to thank you so much for all that you do for us!! We don’t tell you enough how blessed and thankful we are for each one of you…we are tremendously blessed!! May God richly bless you over Christmas and in the New Year to come!!!

In His Service,

Sarah & Tim Tinkel

Tim & Sarah Tinkel                             BCM Intl.
829 Hi Tech Drive                               201 Granite Run Drive Suite 260
Livingston, TN 38570                          Lancaster, PA 17601
931-823-9320                                     1-888-226-4685
931-319-2551 (Tim)                            bcmintl.org
931-319-3113 (Sarah)
Acct. #0642

When sending in a love gift make checks payable to BCM Intl. and on a separate sheet of paper put our name along with our account number.

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How Many Turkeys is Sarah Going to Cook This Year?

2011-12-11T21:08:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! Time for our annual holiday meal at Good News Mission. This has been going on at the mission since before we became the directors of it and is a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well and, the rewards are great. Last year Sarah cooked, if I recall, sixteen turkeys in all. She always has four five turkey's going on at once in an oven or a roaster. Then, she de-bones them and stores them in the refrigerator. She'll used to start on Monday and the delicious turkey smells would be with us throughout the whole week. This year the refrigerator in the mission is broken and we don't have as much shelf space. So, she's going to bee cooking them all on Thursday and Friday. So, how many is she cooking this year? Well, I won't tell you how many she's doing yet, I'll save that until the end of this post. We advertise on the radio and pass out lots and lots of flyers. Last year we fed around 250 folks, but weather complicated our efforts. This year we are planning to feed around 400 shut-ins, elderly and folks that live in the projects. We do take outs from 10 am to 12 pm, then feed the ones who walk in. Here's the flyer we are giving out:

Now, I know most of you can't come, although you are invited and welcome if you live or will be in the area, but what we really need is your prayers. In fact, we covet your prayers. Pray that we will be a blessing to many in our area. Pray that Sarah will get everything done and all of the churches that said they would supply things will get them here and on time. Pray for all of those that will be helping. Quite a few have said that they will come to help. We need many that would be willing to deliver, serve, pass out goody bags and mingle and talk to folks to make them feel at home. Pray for our family, as this is always a busy week. On top of the holiday meal, John Allen and I are involved in a large production of "A Christmas Carol". I am in the play and John Allen is a stage hand. Please pray that all will get done and that no one will lose their sanity. Thank you ahead of time for all of your prayers.

So, how many turkeys is she planning to do? How about TWENTY! Yes, I said twenty in a two day period. Call us crazy, I know, but the blessings are immense.We are probably just as blessed by the people that come as they are blessed by our feeble efforts.

Lord I ask right now that you bless this weekend. Bless Sarah for all of the hard work that she puts in to this. Bless the workers that volunteer their time. And, Lord, bless the folks that we will be serving. Please be with us and among us. Thank you so much for the blessings that are going to be poured out this next Saturday. Amen.

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Oh, why do I do this to myself?!?

2011-12-10T21:51:00.001-08:00

I've started Blog Frogging again! Why I do this I'll never know. Don't I have enough to do with Facebook, and Pinterest, and Twitter, and my own blog, and the TOS Homeschool Crew, and the different Yahoo groups that I'm a member of and...and...and? I do it because I love my blog and I want my blog to be known. Not because I want the fame, but I do blog for the Crew and a couple of other reviewing groups and I want to do right by them. I also blog for BCM International and for Compassion International, and I want them to be known. And, not to forget, my own ministry and family. So, I get involved in these social groups. Anyway, sometimes I wonder when enough is enough. Can't I just wave a magic wand and get a 1000 hits a day? No? I guess not. So I get involved in all of these social sites. So, that's what I have been doing this evening, until I looked at the clock and realized I hadn't even written a blog post today. Oh well. If you want to join my Blog Frog community I'd love it. Just click on the Blog Frog badge in the margin. You can join in my misery. Really it's not that bad, I don't want to scare you off. But, you do need to watch that it doesn't suck you in! Happy Blogging!

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A lump of coal for Christmas? Why it could really be good for our kids!

2011-12-09T21:11:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm not really going to advocate giving lumps of coal for Christmas, but did you ever think about the things that you really played with as a child? Really, what were your favorite toys?

I remember that burning the trash was one of my jobs when I was a boy. I actually loved playing in the ashes and punching the trash down into the can with the long metal poker that I used. It was actually a lot of fun.

I know! I know! I must have had a rough childhood!

Realistically, though, are kids spoiled these days? I mean, with all of the computer games and videos and electronic toys and gadgets? Or, maybe we were the ones that were spoiled.

There are only a handful of bought toys that I really remember being my favorites. Sometimes the least expensive things are the best. After all, you always hear the complaints of parents when their kids play with the box more than the toy that came in it!

I read a blog post today that talked about "The 5 Best Toys of All Time". It's funny, but, in a big way, it's true. I'll let you click on the link to find out what they are. It really got me to thinking about what is really valuable in life. Is all of the glitz and all of the expense really worth it? Is it good for our kids? At Christmas time this is something that maybe we all should think about. I'd love to hear your comments. What do you think?

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Missions in Action - Episode 2

2011-12-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the very first episode of Missions in Action. Missions in Action is a really neat organization that was started to help promote missions. They are partnering with different mission organizations to help get the word out about how everyday folks can have a big impact in the world of missions and just the whole world in general. Compassion International, a group that you all know that I love, is one of the mission organizations that they are working with. Episode one and two both talk about how sponsoring a Compassion International child can have a big impact not only on the child's life, but in the life of the child's family as well.

Do you have all of your Christmas shopping done yet this year? Why not give a gift that will not only bring joy to your family but also the life of another? Pray about sponsoring a child. Sponsoring Compassion International children has made a big impact in our lives. We sponsor six children - one financially and we are correspondence sponsors (we write letters to) five others. Each one of our children are special to us. They are members of our family. I pray that the letters that we write and the small sum of money that we send will be a blessing to these children. The amount of money that it cost to sponsor a child for one year is less than some parents spend on one child for Christmas. Please watch this video and prayerfully consider sponsoring a child. For more information just click here or on the links that will be provided after the video.

Compassion International - http://www.compassion.com

Missions in Action - http://www.missionsinaction.tv

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A Letter of Thanks to Pitsco Education - From Tipster the Cat.

2011-12-07T19:42:00.001-08:00

*One December Afternoon*

Dear Pitsco,

As the head family pet, meow Tipster would like to thank you for sending the family children the Medieval Machines Homeschool Pack from your great company. Meow thinks it was wonderfully packed. Meow had a meowvelous time hiding beneath the box and Jo Jo, the family dog had a grand time playing with the plentiful packing that kept everything in the box safe. Things that arrive broken are often met with screams and yells from the Tinkel children. Screams and yells hurt meows ears. Meow does not like screams and yells.

Meow would also like to thank you for the excellent directions for the trebuchet and catapult that were included in the package. Meow does not like it when meows meowster (master - for those of you who don't speak Cat), Tim, has to put things together with unclear instructions. Meowster Tim tends to take his anger out on Jo Jo and meow. Meow does not like anger being taken out on meow.

Meow watched as Meowsters Tim and John Allen (the teenage Tinkel child) sat down together to build the trebuchet (cats are very curious, you know).They didn't know that meow was watching. They thought that meow was asleep but meow had one eye open. Meow heard Meowster Tim say that these kits were recommended for older elementary children (with adult supervision) and middle school/high school students. Meow was sure that Meowster Tim did not have to help John Allen, but that Meowster Tim was just as excited to build it as John Allen so he stayed to help. Meow was very glad that the younger Tinkel children were not present. Bored children tend to get into mischief and like to pull Meow's tail or whiskers. Meow does not like pulled tails and whiskers.

Meow was also glad you included almost everything in the kit. Only a few items were needed. Items such as pliers, super glue and a hobby knife (another reason meow was glad the younger children weren't present). If other things were needed then Meowsters Tim and John Allen would have to go and get them. That would create more of a chance that meow would get stepped on. Meow does not like being stepped on.

Meow watched as they carefully punched out the balsam wood pieces. As meow mentioned before meow was very happy that the instructions were easy to follow. It pleased meow that all pieces were very well marked. Meow breathed a sigh of relief that none of them broke and they were very easy to punch out. Meow thought that it was funny when Meowster Tim's fingers got stuck together with super glue. Meow was glad that it wasn't meow's paws that stuck together. Meow likes to laugh but does not like sticky paws.

It seemed like only a few minutes and the trebuchet was built but meow knows (cat's intuition) that it really took a couple of hours. Then, of course, the glue had to dry over night. Meow was present the next day when Meowster Tim and all of the Tinkel children tested the trebuchet out. Meow listened when Meowster Tim said to stand well back. Meow watched as they formed a small ball with the non-drying clay that meow is glad that you provided and then placed it in the pouch. Meow snickered when the first attempt fell well short of the goal that they had set up five or six feet away, but the weight was finally balanced using the mass plates that you also thankfully provided. Meow remembered to stay well back so as not to get hit by one of the clay balls. Meow does not like to get hit by clay balls.

Meow was not there when the catapult was built, but heard that it was just as easy. Meow wants to thank you for the hours of relaxation that meow has had since your Pitsco Medieval Machines Homeschool Pack arrived. Meow heard that it came with a wonderful book that provided a lot of interesting information and experiments for Meowster John Allen to perform. Meow has slept peacefully without having to worry that the Tinkel children were going to torture meow with some of their ridiculous games. Even without doing experiments the Tinkel children and Meowster Tim have spent many an hour playing with the sturdy machines that they built. Meow would like to thank you very much for that. It has kept them out of meows hair and out from under his paws.Why, meow even heard that they are going to build a real live "angry bird" set to shoot the clay balls at.

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*Sudden Interruption*

Hmm?...what's that? Oh what does that dog want now. Doesn't he know I'm in the middle of typing a letter. I'm all paws at this anyway without him interrupting!

You did what:? You told them to make a pig outfit for me and put me in the angry bird set?

I knew it was a mistake when you borrowed that "Lassie Teaches Dogs to Talk to Humans in 100 Easy Lessons" course!

Remember Jo Jo, you're only supposed to use your special powers to do good! You know..."Timmy's in the well!"....that sort of thing?

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*Later that Evening*

Dear Department of Paw Services (DPS),

I, Tipster, the Tinkel family cat would like to register an abuse complaint...

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*Added by Jo Jo*

Obviously you dear readers are having a ruff time reading this. Like Tipster said, he's all paws when it comes to typing and, when it comes to writing skills, well, let's just say he's barking up the wrong tree. He forgot to mention the price of this wonderful kit and where to find it. I figurrrred that would be good information to have so I thought I would add those details. After all, we don't want anyone growling to Tim about anything. Pitsco's Medieval Machines Homeschool Pack is only $21.95 and includes a Trebuchet Kit, Catapult Kit, Mass Plates, and the Siege Machines book. The Pitsco website says that it includes hands-on activities that cover three areas:

Science: Tension versus torsion, elasticity, gravity and levers, and force and motion

Math: Metric conversion, calculating averages, and prediction

Experiments: Mass versus distance, testing rubber bands, targeting, and more

You can find out more about this kit and other grrrrrrrreat homeschool kits by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. Other TOS Homeschool Crew members reviewed this kit as well and you can find out if any of them tortured any one of their pets by clicking here. I really doubt that any of the other crew members have pets as smart as Tipster and I...me! Well I think that's it. I'm dog tired anyway and I need to think of more ways to agrrrrravate Tipster.

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Note number one - Absolutely no cats, dogs, pigs or birds were injured with any of these products.

Note number two - As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I, Meowster Tim...errr...I mean...I was sent a Pitsco Medieval Machines Homeschool Pack in order to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

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Still Looking for A Christmas Gift? Try Bead for Life!

2011-12-06T20:38:00.001-08:00

I've mentioned Bead for Life before. Why not consider giving a gift that will not only be a one of a kind present, but also help others as well. Watch this video to see how then click on the above link for even more information. I've bought necklaces and earrings from Bead for Life for Sarah before and she loves them. Why not check them out.

Holiday Greetings from BeadforLife from BeadforLife on Vimeo.

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Test! Test! Test!

2011-12-06T12:52:00.001-08:00

Test! Test! Test!

Another Test!

2011-12-05T15:35:00.001-08:00

Okay, I've just made another change and I am testing my feed. Please forgive me for any inconvenience. I'm excited about switching blogs, but all of this extra maintenance type stuff is driving me up the wall!

The Easy Spanish - It's...Well It's Fácil!

2011-12-04T22:57:00.001-08:00

About the only thing this curriculum doesn't teach is how to type in Spanish! Fortunately, I can use online translators so I can look up words and then copy and paste them with their accents. But, let's not talk about my Spanish typing cheats!

But, speaking of the curriculum, let me think of some other Spanish adjectives I can use to describe ¡El Español Fácil! - The Easy Spanish! from "Great Commission Languages". How about genial (great), magnífico (superb), and fantástico (fantastic)?!? It's all of those things and more. This is a great...um...genial program.

So, why is it so genial, magnifico and fantástico? Well, let me focus on why it is so easy - fácil.

It's easy because it is flexible. This one curriculum can be used for multiple age groups. It can be used with younger students (even pre-school) and older students. It can be used with a parent/teacher (even one that doesn't know Spanish) or it can be used with an older student independently. The book has complete instructions on how to use it in different ways. It can even be used multiple ways with each group. If you have a pre-school child that you would like teach Spanish to, you can take two or three years to complete this first course. A high school student can use this book over a two year time or complete it in one year. There are goals and objectives for almost every scenario that you can think of. Since John Allen is also learning Latin, we plan on using the two year plan and alternating Spanish and Latin. Remember, though, that John Allen is in his third year of Latin, so he has a good grip on the language. I probably would not recommend trying to learn any two languages using any two curriculums if you were just starting out. I use John Allen as an example only to show how flexible this program is.

It's easy because it covers a broad spectrum of learning styles. ¡El Español Fácil! - The Easy Spanish was written with a Charlotte Mason approach in mind, and, if you know the Charlotte Mason, you know that she liked things to be taught using all of the senses to accommodate all kinds of learning styles. The author of this curriculum, Marie Filion, did just that when she wrote these lessons. Each of the 36 lessons begins with the student listening to a short dialogue on one of the two CD's that come with this program. The student is told from the beginning that there will be some English words in each dialogue, but there will also be some Spanish words that they will have to try to figure out the meaning of. It really isn't too difficult to figure it out though. The dialogue may go something like this:

Belicia: Marita, this is mi padre, tu tío, Señor Enrique Cordero Paco Fernández.
Marita: ¡Hola tío Enrique! Hello, uncle Enrique.
Señor Fernández: ¡Hola Marita!
Belicia: Marita, this is mi madre, tu tía, Señora Isabel Charo Viaña Fernández.
Marita: ¡Hola tía Isabel! Hello, aunt Isabel.
Señora Fernández: ¡Hola Marita!

This is taken from lesson two. Do you see how cleverly done it is? Without knowing any Spanish at all, you could probably figure out that "Hola" means "Hello", "Tio" means "Uncle", and "Tia" means "Aunt".

After the student listens to the dialogue, he listens to a list of vocabulary words that goes along with that dialogue. Sometimes the vocabulary list can be quite long, but that is the beauty of being able to use this course over a two or three year period. You can always cut the lessons down to do over a two to three week period if needed.

The first lessons are very basic and begin with how to introduce yourself. They then progress through learning Spanish words pertaining to your family, food, clothing, numbers, days of the week, animals, adjectives, and more.

The child listens to the dialogue and vocabulary every day during the week and also does other tasks that reinforce what is being learned. Not all tasks are to be done by all students each week (in a two to three year program, some tasks aren't even introduced until the third year) and all tasks can be adapted to fit your family. The following is a list of some of the tasks with a very brief explanation.

Activity - as it says, a short activity to reinforce that weeks lesson. Usually for younger students, but some for older as well.

Narration - a Charlotte Mason (CM) task where you recount (could be done in various forms) the story you have just heard.

Soy yo! It's me! - another CM method where you transfer yourself into the story.

CM Activity - usually done by an independent learner.

Teacher Helps - for the parent and/or independent learner to help them understand the lesson and language better.

Scripture Memory Work - ¡El Español Fácil! - The Easy Spanish is a Christian curriculum. In fact, the company that produces El Español fácil! - The Easy Spanish is called "Great Commission Languages" and was written to help folks learn another language so that they can have a impact on missions. Each week there is a memory verse that helps with that.

Cultural Notes - Just as it says, notes to help you understand the Spanish culture.

Trivia - Interesting things about the Spanish people or culture.

Notebook - Each student keeps a notebook that goes along with this course.

Front Cover Work - For the younger child,

Things to Remember - Little reminders for that lesson.

Everyday Vocabulary - Extra vocabulary of everyday words that a student should practice.

Independent Learner - These are activities geared toward the older student that is working independently.

Journal - Again, this is for the high school student or advanced younger student.

These are just brief descriptions of the things that might be part of each lesson. More information can be found on the website and, of course, in the book itself. Not all of these things are done every day or, even, each week. The book tells you what is to be done on what day. It's all very easy.

Another thing that is easy is that everything is contained in the two CD's and book. You need nothing else. And, everything is put together so well that there is hardly any preparation work involved. It is truly an easy program to use. We haven't been too far into ¡El Español Fácil! - The Easy Spanish yet, but we already know that we are going to learn much from it.

Finally, one of the easiest things about this course is the price. ¡El Español Fácil!, Level I is just $139.95. And, remember, depending on the age and abilities of your student, this curriculum could be used for two or three years. Compared to most other complete language curriculums, $139.95 is even a great price for a one year study. Also, remember, this course can be used with all of your kids at once, or be used later with other kids if you wish. Great Commission Languages also has a Junior Spanish Curriculum if you feel like this book goes a little too quickly for your young ones. They also have a French curriculum that you can buy. Yes, there is also a Level II, available, but, to help cover the cost, Great Commission Languages has an agreement with Wycliffe Bible Translators that if you will donate your Level I curriculum to Wycliffe, you will get a 30% discount for Level II. Just click here or on any one of the links above to find out about this and all of the other "Great Commission Language" programs. Other TOS Crew Members reviewed other things from Great Commission Languages and you can find out what they had to say by clicking here. Happy Homeschooling.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free copy of ¡El Español Fácil!, Level I in order to try out and give my honest review on this blog.

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The Countdown Is About To Start!

2011-12-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

The countdown to the big changeover is about to begin. Get ready!

Okay, I know this is another lame excuse for a post. But, I'm working on a review for a really good product that I will post soon, but after midnight, so it wouldn't count for today's post. Besides, I really am going to start the countdown soon, and I really do want you to get ready! Thanks for stopping by my new blog. If you haven't liked my facebook page or followed me on Google Friend Connect or NetworkedBlogs, then please head on over to the right hand column and like of follow me.

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Here Ye! Here Ye! Get the The Old Schoolhouse 2011 Christmas Edition for Free!

2011-12-03T20:58:00.001-08:00

In honor of Christmas and the fantastic fact that The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is going all digital, The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) is allowing anyone and everyone to download their 2011 Christmas Edition for FREE! The 2011 Christmas Edition is full of Christmas recipes, crafts, ideas, and more...and, to top it off, many of the articles were written by folks that I am personally friends of. I feel so special :-)! Anyway, click here for the link! This is really a great magazine filled with 81 pages of great stuff. Download it today!

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This is a test...this is only a test!

2011-12-03T15:02:00.001-08:00

This is a test...this is only a test...for the next sixty seconds I am going to be testing my blog to see if my NetworkedBlogs post from this site is going to the right place. I repeat...this is only a test.

Well, okay, it's going to take more than sixty seconds and it really isn't a test but I had to say something in this post. Please bear with me while I make the big changeover.

Attention All of My Followers - Please Read - Exciting News - I Think :-/

2011-12-02T09:59:00.001-08:00

At least I hope it's exciting news. I've been switching over to my new Families Again blogger blog - http://familiesagain.blogspot.com/ and my task this week is to switch over all of my Google Friend Connect and NetworkedBlog followers. I don't want to lose any followers you are the lifeblood of my blog. I need your help. If you are a Google Friend Connect and/or NetWorkedBlog follower please read the following updates.

I have switched...at least I think I have switched...all of my Google Friend Connect followers over to my new blog. This should be the first post that you should actually get from the new Blogspot blog. I am sending this same post to both blogs. Could a few of you please comment on whatever blog you got this on to let me know it worked or didn't work? If you got it on both for some reason, please mention that as well. Thank you so much!

I have not switched over my NetworkedBlog followers yet but will in the next couple of days - hopefully tonight. You all know (or maybe you don't) that I have taken the challenge to post every day for a year again. If, all of a sudden, you stop getting my posts through NetworkedBlogs, or if you continue to get my posts from my angelfire blog (the one with the green refrigerator background), please let me know. For that matter, if everything works out - and I hope it does - and you begin to get the posts from the new Blogspot blog (tan background with new family picture at the top) then please let me know.

Thank you all so much for your help. I'm really excited about switching blogs. I really think my new blog looks a lot better. If you haven't checked out the blogspot blog, here is the address - http://familiesagain.blogspot.com/ . Let me know what you think.

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Toydle! Another Great Christmas Gift! And We're Giving Three Away for Free!

2011-12-01T10:25:00.001-08:00

So, what is this wonderful product that I've been talking about for the past couple of days?

It's called a Toydle Toy Fort.

Have your child(ren) ever draped blankets over the couches and chairs and crawled under them?

Have they ever tried to build a fortress out of limbs or left over wood around your home?

Have they ever build these structures only them have them fall apart.or have to be taken down soon after it was built?

Or, worse yet, has your child ever gotten hurt because of faulty or just plain "not made for fort building" materials?

Well, never fear, Toydle Toy Forts are here!

Toydle Toy Forts is the invention of Robert Brownfield. Robert had brought home a toy for his son Ike and five minutes after he presented the toy to his son, it had met it's fate in a heap on the driveway concrete. Rob had already been making quality products with the company of which he was president. After some thought he realized that he could build better, long lasting, more durable toys than what was on the market today, so he began his own company - Toydle. One of the first products he produced was the Toydle Toy Fort. And better yet, it's completely manufactured in American! Take a look at one of the ingenious forts that was build using one of Toydle's Toy Fort kits.

All you do is throw some blankets or tarps over the top and - voila - you have a sturdy fort that can be played in, taken down, and put together again in whatever creative design your child wants. To see a video of a Toydle Toy Fort being put together, just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above to get to the Toydle website. The forts come in two different sizes. The regular Toydle Toy Fort sells for $149 and the Big Toydle Fort sells for $229.99. Each comes with specially cut, sturdy, tubes, hand made connector blocks, clips and a handy dandy carry bag. Better yet, everything is unconditionally guaranteed! The Toydle website says that they will replace anything even if a block was left out in the rain of a tube breaks because a child tried to do a pull-up on it - it's guaranteed!

But wait! After you head to the Toydle website, head over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog because the TOS Homeschool Crew is giving away THREE of the BIG Toydle Forts. The Crew blog has all of the details, just click here. I'll be checking back to see who wins. It would be really neat if one of my readers is able to put one of these neat forts under the tree for Christmas.

NOTE: The above mentioned contest is open to residents of the United States ONLY. TOS Staff and TOS Crew Members (and their families) are not eligible to enter this contest.

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What's the Big Deal? You'll find out tomorrow!

2011-11-30T21:34:00.001-08:00

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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When will you find out what the absolute neatest, coolest, most original toy that you can get for your kids this Christmas is?

2011-11-29T20:04:00.001-08:00

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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Hope and Survival in the Philippine floods - Mission in Action TV - Episode One

2011-11-28T21:47:00.001-08:00

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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40 Days of Seeking Him - An Advent Challenge

2011-11-27T21:41:00.001-08:00

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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This Year Why Not Give A Goat to Someone?!?

2011-11-26T14:42:00.001-08:00

This year why not give a charitable gift in some ones name. Usually a gift card is sent to that person telling them what was purchased. Here are a couple of organizations where you can give a goat, or chicken, or clean water, or... in some ones name!

Compassion International

World Vision

Or you could stay local...

The Salvation Army

Goodwill

Or, why not give a beautiful gift that will benefit someone else as well?

Beads for Life

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Tired of Black Friday? Shop These Great Sites from Home!

2011-11-25T14:00:00.001-08:00

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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See You Tomorrow!

2011-11-24T17:49:00.001-08:00

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!

2011-11-23T20:18:00.001-08:00

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