Progeny Press - Review

Recently I had the opportunity to review the Progeny Press study guide for the novel Across Five Aprils. My daughter had listened to and enjoyed a recording of this historical novel awhile back, and I thought this study guide would be a great way for us to review the Civil War. It's at a middle school level so I thought it would be appropriate for her. After I had a chance to look at it, though, I realized it is too advanced for her special needs. It requires a higher level of critical thinking than she is ready for. So I will set it aside for now and perhaps use it with her later.

It does offer a very thorough study of the novel with a wide variety of activities such as literary analysis, vocabulary development, map activities, and writing assignments. I especially appreciated the Biblical perspective and character training that is woven throughout.

I had used a Progeny Press guide several years again in teaching a co-op class and found that it worked very well for that setting. At that time they were only available in paper format (with permission to make copies for classroom use). Now they are available as a downloadable PDF or on a CD as well as a paper option. The digital format is interactive and allows the student to type the answers right into the study guide without having to print it out. The printed option is $18.99 or the digital options are $16.99.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew.

Hotel Decor

Honestly, as I've said before, I'm not a decorating snob. But as a detail person, I notice things. Now, I have my house decorated the way I like it, and I hope you have your house decorated the way you like it. If I come over to your house I'm going to notice your decor, but I definitely will not criticize it. We all have different tastes and I think that's great. However, I do have to wonder sometimes, what in the world the decorator was thinking in some of the hotels we've stayed in. Some of you may remember my post from several years ago when I stayed in a vacation home in Florida that had a confusing collection of pictures on the walls.

On this trip we stayed in cheap motels on the days we traveled such long hours. Mainly we were looking for clean beds and hot showers. One night we walked into our room to be greeted by this garish combination of bedspread and drapes. I guess they do have some of the same colors, but I'm glad I was asleep most of the time we were there. {shudder}

We stayed in a nicer hotel the two nights we were in Loveland. The decor there was classy enough, if a little generic, and not to my tastes. However, there was this religious statue on the dresser.

I think it might be Buddha.

In any case, it's not the God I worship, so I decided to tuck it away in a cupboard so we didn't have to look at it all weekend. When we got ready to leave, I decided I better get it back out so the hotel wouldn't think we had stolen it or something.

Then I got creative. Time for a conversion! I covered the statue with a pillowcase...

 ...and then got the Gideon Bible out of the drawer to prop on the little offering plate or whatever it is that the statue is holding.

I thought that took care of it nicely. I don't know what the housekeeper thought when she found it, but my family thought it was funny.

I was just being a good Christian witness. {said with tongue firmly in cheek}

Song of My Heart - review

Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a sweet prairie romance set in a small town in Kansas. My favorite characters are the heroine's landladies and employers, eccentric spinster twins named Melva and Shelva. It was a fun story. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

 Sadie Wagner has always been devoted to her family. So when her stepfather is injured and can't work, she decides to leave home and accept a position as a clerk at the mercantile in Goldtree, Kansas. Goldtree also offers the opportunity to use her God-given singing talent--though the promised opera house is far different from what she imagined. With her family needing every cent she can provide, Sadie will do anything to keep her job. McKane comes to Goldtree at the request of the town council. The town has been plagued by bootlegging operations, and Thad believes he can find the culprit. After he earns enough money doing sheriff work, he wants to use it to pay for his training to become a minister. Thad is immediately attracted to the beautiful singer who performs in Asa Baxter's unusual opera house, but when he hears her practicing bawdy tunes, he begins to wonder if she's far less innocent than she seems. And when Sadie appears to be part of the very crimes he's come to investigate, is there any hope the love blossoming between them will survive? 

Celebrate with Kim by entering to win a Nook Tablet and connecting with her at the Book Chat Party on 3/29!

One "songbird" winner will receive:

• A Nook Tablet
• Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/28/12. Winner will be announced at Kim's Book Chat Facebook Party on 3/29. Kim will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of Song of My Heart and join Kim and friends on the evening of March 29th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

Road Trip Wrap-Up

 We traveled approximately 4,100 miles in 9 days. That averages out to 450 miles a day, but of course, the distances were different each day. Monday and Friday were the only days we didn't travel.

 Yesterday was our longest day on the road, from Casper, Wyoming to Post Falls, Idaho. It was 811 miles and took us about 13.5 hours. Lyle did all the driving the entire trip. It's his Thing, you know. Because we were pulling a trailer, he tried to keep the speed at 65mph or under. That was hard for him.

 I love traveling through the western states and watching the scenery gradually change. It is so unpopulated and the wide open road beckons. Every couple hours I reached for my camera and snapped pictures through the windshield. No signs of green in the roadside grass this far north just yet.

 As we approached the mountains we ran into some light rain, which eventually turned to snow.

Lookout Pass on I-90, on the Montana-Idaho state line, was snow-covered and slippery. That was the only "bad road" we had the entire trip. It was snowing there as we left and still snowing as we came home. I wonder if it snowed there the entire time we were traveling?

That was about an hour-and-a-half from home, and the snowy part was only a few miles. It's cool and damp at home, but I am confident spring is really just around the corner. Daylight Saving Time helps with that notion.

Needless to say, I have a very long To-Do list today.

"Road Trip Wrap-Up" blog post... Check.

Now I'm off to do the next thing.

And the Season Begins

 My first homeschool convention of the season starts tomorrow in Loveland, Colorado. Today, on our road trip, we stopped at the Sonlight warehouse to pick up my convention supplies for the season.

 Barb, our wonderful convention coordinator, had my supplies ready and waiting... and Lyle, driver-and-packer-extraordinaire, quickly and efficiently got everything loaded into our little trailer.

What you can't see is the bedroom suite that my mother gave us, in the front of the trailer. Yep. I'd say we're pretty loaded.

We even got to Loveland with enough time to spare to get the convention supplies unloaded and ready for set-up in the morning. If you live in Colorado, I hope to see you there tomorrow!