29. January 2010 by Shannon.

Another Revell Blog Tour book!!  (I love my “job” *grin*)

The Hidden Flame takes us back to the very foundations of the Christian Church.  Back to the time of the Apostles… and their helpers.  As with all churches, there is much work done by the “invisible people” (no offence, and I do not believe these people’s works go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father).  Abigail is one of those “invisible people”… a behind the scenes kinda girl.  Orphaned with her younger brother, she serves the people following The Way dutifully, even though she is in great pain both physically and emotionally.  And now along come two suitors, both unbidden, looking to have her as their wife.  With a cast which includes Stephen, Martha, Peter and many other familiar figures of the Early Church, this is truly an incredible book by author team Davis Bunn & Janette Oke.   Abigail’s journey of faith, of learning to rely fully on God and trusting in His good plans for our lives, is not only a good read.. it’s good encouragement for those of us facing challenging circumstances which we feel we can not control.  Bunn & Oke remind us gently throughout the novel - sometimes in the words of people we know and love like Martha - that God is in control… and that He loves us.

The writing style was enjoyable to read, and the historical insights captured my imagination and had me often forgetting I was reading a romance novel.  There is another book by this author team called The Centurion’s Wife which I’m looking forward to buying soon to enjoy more of this style of historical fiction.

** a little side note… and I didn’t realise this till right now, but did you know that Janette Oke (pronounced Oak) is from Canada?  I know… silly thing not to have known, but she is.. Yay for Canada! :o)

Available 2010 at your favourite bookseller.

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26. January 2010 by Shannon.

The first book I get to review for the Revell January Blog Tour (doesn’t that sound so nice? I’m on a tour! LOL!) is The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher, who is also the author of Amish Peace, Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World.  I don’t know much about the Amish besides buggies and their desire to shun all modern conveniences… so I was curious to learn while reading this book.  I wasn’t disappointed!!

The story is pretty much like any other romance novel, with all it’s unpoken feelings and love triangles… but this novel has a comforting godly twist… Carrie Weaver is not looking for love, she’s already found it in the heart of one of her community’s “black sheep” who has plans to run away with her to join a local baseball team.  But life doesn’t always go the way we planned… and just as they are preparing to “escape”, the Lord calls her father home to Him, the love of her life leaves without her, and she finds herself accepting a marriage proposal with a man who is almost a stranger to her.  Carrie’s life is very typical in that often we have seasons of trials that feel like they last forever.  When one thing after another goes wrong in her life, Carrie finds herself struggling with her faith, her community restrictions, and her Choice. 

The highlights in this book are the colourful characters (”Steelhead” comes to mind) who, although seems rough around the edges, have a fervent love of the Lord.  I also learned a lot of little tips (like how to hang laundry!) which I’ll remember probably for the rest of my life.   The simpleness of the Amish lifestyle appeals to me, even if I couldn’t imagine giving up my front loading washing maching, and so I found the “little things” in the book most interesting.  The writing style is enjoyable to read.  I was surprised to find that overall I enjoyed the book, and would definately recommend it to any of my friends over the typical romance novel out there. 

Available January 2010 at your favourite bookseller.

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27. November 2009 by Shannon.

Okay.. maybe not QUITE yet, but what better way to prepare for the upcoming season than to warm your heart with a couple of nice Christmas novels?

I’m not generally a novel reader, to be honest, but I do love a good Christmas story.  I was blessed enough to be given the opportunity to review The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson and The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh.  My thanks to the publishers for such a lovely pre-holiday gift!

The Christmas Dog tells the tale of a grandmother living in a “going downhill” town.  As Christmas approaches she debates the merit of staying in the home that she and her late husband shared so many memories or selling it and moving closer to her grown children.  The arrival of a secretive, undesireable neighbour has brought a grey cloud to the once community-centered neighbourhood.  Add in an unexpected visit from her wayward grand daughter and an unwelcome mud-covered pooch and well, you’ve got the makings of a wonderfully heartwarming tale of forgiveness and charity.  So many people today walk through their lives without seeing the many little miracles and blessings all around them.  Betty was becoming one of those people till some strange circumstances get a hold of her.

This books is a wonderful holiday treat, reminding us of the true spirit of Christmas… the spirit of giving of ourselves as a offering to He who was born in a stable so long ago.  Forgiving those who have harmed us, opening the door to those we may not want, and believing in those who need our encouragement.  The Christmas Dog looks past the pretty decorated windows and holiday store music and looks into the heart of the true meaning of Christmas. 

The Unfinished Gift is the first novel of the Senior Pastor of Grace Church in Dayton Beach, Florida.  This is by far one of the best Christmas books I have ever read!  The only thing crotchety old Ian Collins wants is to be left alone.  Estranged from his son, a WW2 fighter pilot, Mr. Collins suddenly finds himself the sole guardian of his 7 year old grandson, Patrick.  The only thing Patrick wants this Christmas is his daddy home from the war… and a forbidden treasure he found gathering dust in his grandfather’s attic. 

I don’t want to spoil all the exciting twists and turns this incredible page-turner has to offer, but in the end there are mended hearts, new friends, tearful reunions and the gift of God’s forgiveness and abundant blessing everywhere.  And some thing special for a very special little boy.  Although this book does not come with tissues, I would advise that a box be wrapped along with it… to wipe the tears of sorrow AND joy this book will trigger.  I will be watching this new author for another installment of his talented writing skills!

I would HIGHLY recommend both of these books for the book-lover on your Christmas List. 

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21. July 2009 by Shannon.

Okay, this is posted on Tuesdays is for Teaching, I know.. but today is all about a little brag…

 I just got the latest issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine, and if you look on page 92, under the One Year Novel… they quoted my incredible son, Everett!!!  ALSO.. on page 107, Daniel from Salem Ridge Press quoted ME in his advertisement!!!! (psst.. I’m Shannon R in case you didn’t know… *wink*)

 I know, silly… but I didn’t expect to see it, so it was a little giggly surprise around here.  Just thought I’d share.

 I’m planning on posting more regularly come the new school year… I have lots of ideas, and I’ve already started writing.. so expect to see some great reviews coming soon! :o)

OH!  And check out this year’s  Homeschool Review Crew at the Homeschool Crew Blog.

Blessings!

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17. July 2009 by Shannon.

Summer is here and we’re too busy playing outside (well, sometimes.. we are getting a lot of rain this summer!) so I’ve been a little MIA.  But books are never far from my thoughts… children’s books topping the list in my library.  SO, you can imagine how excited I was when I heard that Bookcloseouts is having a HUGE children’s book sale (please tell me you’ve heard of Bookcloseouts!).

Since I’m pressed for time - there is a little girl at my elbow begging Mama to go start a “marshmallow fire” (you know, a cookout fire so she can cook marshmallows) - I thought I’d just share the banner I got notifying me of the sale and I’ll leave it for you to go check out all the goodies.  But please leave me SOMETHING… okay?  I’ll be heading over there later when the Littles are in bed! *grin*

Blessings!

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2. June 2009 by Shannon.

This was my first time checking out a title from the WannaBe series… and WannaBe: CHEF was the perfect choice for our family!  My husband is an amateur chef, I am a food consultant, my 6 year old son has the cooking (well, baking anyhow) gene, and well.. the rest of the gang LOVES to eat!  LOL! 

The ebook is packed with theme based learning activities and lots of just for fun stuff.  Inspiring chef testimonials share the culinary passion with your children.  Included also is a well written chapter with a clear plan for becoming a chef themselves… including stressing the important of always pursuing higher education.  There are beautiful copywork pages, some facinating science experiments, colouring pages (for the younger set), and fun games like crossword puzzles and a “fill in the story” type review sheet. 

If you have a budding chef if your home, this might be the perfect mini introduction into what a life behind the scenes might be like if they decide to pursue that non-conventional career path.  It’d also be a great “unit study” break from regularly schedule programming - because after all, there really is a little budding chef in every child. LOL!

Blessings!

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22. May 2009 by Shannon.

Well, like most of the world right now, my husband and I are feeling the financial squeeze of the economy.  The other night we were actually sitting on the couch discussing the plausibility of putting out children into school just so that maybe I could get out to work and bring in a second income.  Our dream would be to live debt free, our reality is that in order to make ends meet and take care of the things we need to (such as home repairs, car maintenance, personal care like dentists, etc) we are sinking further and further into debt.  This situation is making us both very unhappy.  And I’m sure you all know, if Mama (or Papa for that matter) ain’t happy - ain’t NOBODY happy.  That certainly runs true in this house… when we are stressed I start seeing the kids demonstrate stress-related behaviours.

SOMETHING has to be done.  After some prayer and talk, we concluded that putting the kids in school just wasn’t an option.  Not only would it probably NOT decrease our debt load, but it would most surely add a great deal of stress to the family.  So, what to do?

I brought it up with a friend of mine, my wingless angel, my encourager… my best friend, Steph.  After promising to pray, she encouraged me to look into ways to use my talents at home to make a supplemental income.  Now, okay, I know the verse in First Thessalonians 4 v. 11 that tells me that my ambition should be to live a quiet life, mind my own business and to work with my hands.. but I’m afraid if God intended me to be one of those little Suzie Homemaker types, He forgot to put the creative gene in me to go with it.  I am the least crafty person I know… and I really mean that!  So she asked me, “what CAN you do?”.  Hmm… blog.  Read and blog.  That’s about it… oh, I can make a nice webpage if needed, but that just doesn’t bring in the money I’d like it too, and I find myself more often than not, working for free for this charitable organization or that friend.  Noble as that may be.. it’s definately not a money maker! *grin*

Anyhow, to make this very long story short, she asked me what I knew about PLR.  I said, “huh” (wow, intelligent response, eh? LOL).  Well, she laughed and sent me some links for more information… and the best part? It was all free!  Now I’m getting set up and I hope to keep everyone posted with fantastic updates… but for those of you still wondering what a PLR is… (which I’m just learning about now) here is some information:

How PLR content works is simple. You are given access by the original author to the source files for articles, ebooks, special reports, mini-courses, site graphics… and they are then yours to change, add to or use as is. You can put your name on them and sell them as your own or even give them away to build your list - a list you can use later on to share about your latest products available for sale.

Within a couple of hours you can put together your own info product and have it ready for sale. There is no easier way to create a steady stream of products. Think how quickly you can have an entire product line ready to go!  You can also use the PLR content to add more to your website, blog or newsletter. It’s instant content that you don’t have to spend hours writing - or hundreds of dollars outsourcing (paying someone else to do your writing for you).

Why not join me?  I’d love to have some other debt-free minded friends come on this journey alongside me… we could be an encouragement and a support to each other as we work towards living free and clear of the bondage of debt.  And if course make some extra money for books! LOL!  (C’mon, admit it, if you are reading my blog, chances are your a book-a-holic like me! LOL!)

Here are two links I’d like to share, both with an abundance of free information:

PLR Wholesalers

Minisite Profits Exposed!

Blessings!

Posted in F is for FANTASTIC! | Print | 2 Comments »

21. May 2009 by Shannon.

I feel so blessed!  I was privileged to be given the opportunity by Thomas Nelson Publishing to review a copy of the Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament Audio Bible… what a boost to my faith journey!  This dramatic presentation of the International Children Bible performed by an all-star cast (Cody Linley of Hannah Montana fame is the voice of Jesus!) is a tween/teen version of the Word of Promise New Testament production of the New King James Version of the Bible. 

The files are in mp3 format (over 23 hours of scripture!), so it’s easily transferable to your child’s portable mp3 player.  Also included is a behind the scenes DVD packed with testimonies of these inspiring young people - exciting and empowering to watch as they see their favourite “stars” sharing their faith walk. 

This soothing reading of the Word of God has been such a blessing for my teens as we shuttle off to this event and that place… a perfect “bored” time for the kids turned into an opportunity for my children to get to know their Heavenly Father on a very “cool” level.  My Bigs were not at all embarrassed to have it playing while their teen friends were in the car; in fact, I can’t say I ever remember a van full of teens being so quiet in my life! *grin*

Narrated by Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee of the movie production, The Lord of the Rings) and with book introductions by Max and Jenna Lucado, this audio Bible includes a pull out Planner for listening to the entire New Testament in just 40 days.  That sounds like an excellent “summer vacation idea” to me!  I know we’ll be listening to it again and again as we trek around on OUR summer camping and day trips!  Even thought it is intended for the tween-teen gang, my Littles (aged 4 and 6) loved listening to the production as well… but they are children who are used to listening to audio books, so I’m not sure if that’s a universal thing for the younger set - however, it is taken from the International Children’s Bible… so who knows?  Either way it’s a fantastic product and only $14.99 at Christian Book Depot! 

Blessings!

Posted in Th is for Theology | Print | 1 Comment »

1. May 2009 by Shannon.

All through this TOS Homeschool Review journey, I’ve had some highs and lows… like waves.  Some of my highs (favourites) were listed in the previous post, and I won’t bother to rehash which programs I felt challenged to review.  Memoria Press made the cut as one of my highs, without a question.  I’d put it probably in my top three, up there with Critical Thinking Press, and Clearwater Press’ One Year Novel… really!

It was such a high that when I received the box containing the Latina Christiana program and the Famous Men of the Middle Ages set, I opened it up right there at my van (which was a neat experience since I was with a very good friend at the time, and she practically drooled all over all the goodies inside!).  The quality of the books is exceptional… especially the Famous Men of the Middle Ages book.  I’d previously seen  another publishers’ version of this book, and the text is the same, but that’s where the similarities ended… this book is filled with gorgeous full colour illustrations, printed on fine quality paper and bought beautifully with a fantastic teacher’s guide as a companion book.  The set sells for 39.95 and includes the incredible Famous Men book and also a Teacher’s Guide with answer key.

Latina Christiana … I have to pause here and tell you a funny story (okay, it was a funny story for us, maybe you’ll just think we’re nerds… LOL!).  The first evening home with the Latina Christiana book, I wanted to see if I could make better heads and tails out of it than I could of the other latin curriculum we got to review this year, and on the very first section’s notes to the instructor was an article (or essay?) about the quirky aspects of learning latin… I got so excited because it all started to make some sense, so I said to my son, “hey, Ev, listen to this!” and proceeded to read that same introduction for the instructor… before I was done half the page, not only was my husband listening, but my 13 year old daughter had tuned in too (she had no interest in latin)… everyone was hanging on my ever word… just like we were reading some familiy novel or something… and when I was done, my son looked at me with a big grin and said, “Ahhhhhh NOW it’s starting to make more sense!”  Then I realise how nerdy we must all look, and closed the book in favour of us watching the nature documentary we were supposedly watching together.  *wink*

So… what do I think now of Latina Christiana?  I think my children are privileged to be learning their lessons in latin from such a sweet young woman (oh, we have the DVDs too… I HIGHLY recommend adding them to your order!  They act as an interactive teacher (to my assistant) in a language we knew nothing about - which has taken a great deal of the pressure off me).  I’m even planning on getting the Prima Latina course for my Littles for September… and maybe going on to First Form Latin with the Bigs.  The cost of the Text Set (which includes a pronunciation CD) is only 39.99$, but to get the whole DVD teaching set (including flashcards which, judging from the quality of everything else I received must also be excellent) it is 97.90$ - imagine, an incredible year long journey in latin for less than a hundred bucks! 

Why would I want my kids to learn latin?  I don’t know exactly, but I’ve heard that kids who study latin do better on standardized testing, that it builds critical thinking skills and well.. the OTHERS speak it… (hehe, we’re BIG Lost fans around here, and well, if for no other reason than it’s inspired my kids to consider physics, great literature and yes, even LATIN as Very Cool To Learn). *big grin*

Why not add a little Latin to your curriculum? 

Blessings!

PS.  This is the last of my Old Schoolhouse Reviews… at least as part of the Homeschool Review Crew.  I’ll be reviewing ebooks in the months to come… but I’ll also try to review some of my Bookshelf Favourites in my own homeschool library as well.  I’ve enjoyed reviewing so much this past year… and I pray that my reviews have blessed and inspired even a few homeschoolers in this incredible journey.   I really want to thank my fellow Crew Mates for the great times we had this year… I have been so abundantly blessed in meeting you all and look forward to many years of friendship to come… and also my best wishes for a safe and joyful journey to the New Crew who will be heading out of of the TOS Port in the months to come… keep your lifebelts close by and hold someone’s hand! :o)  It’s an exciting ride that you’ll never be sorry you took!

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23. April 2009 by Shannon.

Okay, several of my fellow crewmates on this the maiden voyage of the TOS Homeschool Crew have decided to post a Top Ten List of their personal favourites from the journey.  So.. here’s mine (in no particular order):

1. Clearwater Press’ One Year Adventure Novel
2. Critical Thinking Press
3. Bilingual Books (Spanish)
4. Homeschool ABCs
5. Memoria Press Latina Christiana (review to come next week)
6. Rocket Phonics
7. Salem Ridge Press
8. Crayola Art Studio (probably our favourite overall)
9. All About Spelling
10. Schleich Figurines

So.. that’s my Top Ten.  Several others almost made the cut… but I had to limit myself.  The kids helped me with my choices… after all, they were my acting guinea pigs, right? *grin*

Good luck to all those in next year’s Crew!  It’s been a blast!

Blessings!

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