Remembering...

Last year on Memorial Day we invited our Bible study friends over for a cookout in our backyard. We had asked Bill and Kay Conner to bring the video of their son's burial at Arlington. Brad Conner was a Green Beret and had been killed in action in Iraq in 2007. Bill and Kay were happy to do that, and it was a very meaningful way to commemorate Memorial Day.

We had no idea at the time that sweet Kay had a fatal brain tumor and would be joining her son in Heaven before the year was over. Bill stopped by just a few days ago to visit. He said it's been an adjustment to a whole new lifestyle without her.

This Memorial Day I am reminded that our days are numbered, and our time with loved ones is precious. I want to live in the moment and be grateful for dear friends and family that God has given us to share our lives with.

Fun Comments

Here's my absolute favorite thing about blogging: the neat people you "meet!" On Friday, I just dashed off some quick answers to the questions Mama M @ My Little Life had posted for Five Question Friday. I had two people comment on that post (which isn't a lot, but at least I know someone is reading my ramblin's!)... and they were both so interesting. I love that, don't you?

First, I heard from Shelby @ Sweet view from the Hills. She said, "Wow...stopped by from 5QF and you were right after me. I can't believe you have an RV on your header! We travel and HS for my hubby's job. Small world! I love to see other RV'ers (if if it isn't full time!) And...just noticed that you are Sonlighters!!! So cool! We are too!" 

My family and I think it would be a lot of fun to be fulltime RVers, but somehow it doesn't seem to fit in with Lyle's job. However, as a curriculum consultant for Sonlight I do have the opportunity to travel to various homeschool conventions each spring. Our travel-trailer sure comes in handy then! The whole family usually goes with me to assist in driving, loading/unloading, and setting up/tearing down the booth, and we enjoy our evenings as a family hanging out in our trailer. When convention season is over (the end of June this year) we enjoy going camping in the nearby National Forests as often as we can on the weekend.

I love to read about other families who have the opportunity to be on the road for extended periods of time, so I look forward to following Shelby's blog. I'm glad she "found" me!

Another comment on Friday's post was from SAHMinIL @ Catholic Christian Homeschooling who said, "I remember those McD playgrounds. Our McD had one too. I remember Officer Big Mac-(it was a climb in jail). Although with ours you could not climb up to his hat. I also remember Grimace. (The big purple-hairy-thing).

The Grimace on the playground was basically a huge cage thing. It had 2 openings, door ways (on on each side of Grimace). We would climb in and hold on to the metal bars that made his torso and just shake and rock the whole thing.

However as the years went on Grimace no longer "shakable" the way he was before. I don't think it was because he was broken, I think they had to modify him so that he didn't shake like we did.

We also had a slide, but I want to say it featured Birdie the early bird and not the Hamburglar and Captain Crook. hmm? Then again this was the 80's so who knows."

I followed the links she provided, and yes! Officer Big Mac was exactly the climb-in hamburger I remembered! Maybe my siblings can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember being able to climb on up into his hat and peek out and wave at Mom and Dad. I don't think we had a Grimace, shakable or not, or a slide. In fact, Officer Big Mac and the bouncy thingys are still the only things I remember. This would have been about 1975 so I may not remember correctly, or maybe they just hadn't come up with all the different things yet.

Never Let You Go - review

If you enjoy novels by Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker you will probably enjoy Never Let You Go by Erin Healy. Erin is the co-author with Ted Dekker of two novels: Kiss and Burn.

In Never Let You Go, Lexi is a single mom who is struggling to make ends meet, and still make time for her daughter. The story opens when people and events from Lexi's past literally come back to haunt her. It's a supernatural thriller, but still a believable story about very real characters. I especially appreciated how Lexi came to understand how God was working her life in ways she couldn't at first understand, to restore relationships and heal her family. Intriguing read!

Five Question Friday

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?

There are things I'd love to try (well, okay, places I'd love to visit) but it's more a matter of finances preventing me from doing it rather than courage. I enjoy a good adventure story but when it comes right down to it I'm not particularly courageous when it comes to "extreme" activities... and I'm okay with that.

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?

Groceries. Isn't that boring? Unfortunately, our budget is just that tight right now. But assuming the bills were paid and the pantry was well-stocked, I'd stash it away to start a vacation fund for the fall.

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?

When I was 8 or 9 we lived near a small zoo that had the best slide. It was designed to look like a rocket, and the slide part was a spiral. We thought that was so cool.

About that same time, McDonald's in our town built a playground. We'd never seen such a thing before. It was outdoors. No cool crawl tunnels or ball pits like they have now. Instead, there was a giant hamburger up on a pedestal. A ladder inside the pedestal allowed us to climb up inside the hamburger and look out the sides. As I recall, that's about all there was to it. Kinda like a small tree house. The only other "equipment" I remember at that playground were some of the other McDonald's characters as those silly bouncy thingys you sit on and bob up and down. We weren't very impressed with those... probably because we were too big for them.

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?

Hearty. Or least savory. Buttered toast and coffee is okay. I can't stand doughnuts or anything super sweet early in the morning. I might enjoy a good sweet pastry with coffee later in the day, but not for breakfast.

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?

Something in between, I think. I have neat freak tendencies, and clutter does bug me, but somehow I can't manage to keep up... so my house is usually more messy than not. I have been on a decluttering kick lately, though, and I have to say, it feels really good! I'll have to show you pictures of my office when I finish organizing in here.

Sonlight Virtual Meet-up

 

You're Invited

What: Virtual Sonlight Meetup
Where: www.sonlight.com/live.html
When: Tuesday, June 1; 10 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Mountain Time
Why: to celebrate 20 years of Sonlight!
You could win: MathTacular DVDs, Sonlight tote bags, Sonlight Rewards points and other goodies throughout the day. One family will even win the Core Package of their choice during Sarita’s talk or the following Q&A/chat time. Be sure to pre-register here. See you there!

The Last Christian - review

The Last Christian by David Gregory is one of the most powerful fiction books I've read in awhile. The story is set in 2088, and the premise is that there are no Christians left in America. We've become a completely secular nation. (Doesn't sound all that unlikely, does it?) The main character is the 34-year-old daughter of missionaries who has lived all her life in a secluded tribe in a remote jungle. Circumstances take her to America where she is appalled at the lifestyles, and does her best to begin to share the gospel with those who have never heard. I found the story completely believable and riveting.

In one scene a college professor was lecturing to his class about the demise of Christianity in America. Here is part of his lecture that I found particularly compelling:

"All right. Let's get to the final cause of Christianity's demise in America. I label this one lack of distinctiveness. It may be a little hard for us to get our brains around this, because we don't think in these terms anymore; we don't expect people to be different based on a set of religious views, but stick with me.

From its outset the Christian religion claimed that the intervention of the deity in people's lives would change people for the better. They would have a different character. They would have different morals. They would think, speak, and behave differently. They called it Christlikeness-- 'Christ,' of course, being the title given to Jesus of Nazareth.

This alleged change in people wasn't caused just by the religious adherent's efforts to be good, although that was certainly emphasized as well. Rather, it was also brought about by the presence of something Christians called the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit was supposed to change a person's character so that others could see them living like Jesus.

This belief worked as long as the vast majority of people in society were professing Christians, because there was no one to compare Christians to. The crack in the foundation appeared when people began abandoning Christianity. When a large segment of society became openly nonreligious, an amazing thing happened--amazing to the religionists, anyway. People discovered that religionists and nonreligionists behaved similarly. Sexual behavior, divorce rates, self-reported levels of honesty--none of these varied significantly between religionists and nonreligionists.

In short, the supposed influence of the deity to change people wasn't real; it was all a psychological game. As people realized that, more of them concluded, 'Why should I adopt that belief system? It doesn't cause a real change in anyone.'

So this produced a cascade effect in which the younger generation--people born in the 1980s and after--looked at the older generation and didn't see a difference in their lives. As a result, they didn't follow in the footsteps of their parents' religion. What the religionists didn't know was that, as early as the first decade of this century, only a third of those growing up in Christian homes were, upon reaching adulthood, retaining the faith. And converts to the faith were declining as well.

The result for American Christianity was cataclysmic. The number of adherents to Christianity spiraled downward as most of each succeeding generation rejected it... Throughout the twenty-first century, Christians were trying to pass along their religion to generations who simply didn't buy it."

Lobster Network - review

My last review for the 2009-2010 TOS Homeschool Crew is actually not a product at all. Instead, it's a networking site that helps you catalog... well, just about anything... as well as make it available to others. You can borrow/loan, give/receive, or buy/sell books, videos, curriculum, games, equipment, or whatever you have or need. It's a perfect way to keep track of what you have loaned or borrowed, or find who might have something you need. Lobster Network allows you to:

I had a hard time visualizing how this would work until I signed up for my own account. The cool thing is, membership is free... so you can try it out for yourself. There's also a video tour on the website that demonstrates how the system works. Now to find the time to enter all my "stuff"! That's where the challenge comes in. It's not hard at all, but just time-consuming, especially if you have a large personal library like I do.

Like I said, this is my last review for the 2009-2010 Crew... but I was honored to be asked to stay on for the 2010-2011 school year! So watch for more great homeschool product reviews starting in July or August.

The Trouble with Treasure - review

As our resident "horse enthusiast" my younger daughter has eagerly been looking forward to Book 5 in the Circle C Adventures series by Susan Marlow. You see, she got to meet Mrs. Marlow last summer at the WHO convention, so besides enjoying the good stories, she is a personal friend of the author! Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure was our latest "just for fun" read-aloud. After the first day or so, I noticed that "big sister" always managed to find something to do in the living room when I was reading! We all enjoyed the story!

Last spring I interviewed Susan for my blog. Here are the questions I asked with her answers, along with updated info on her latest ventures:

My 14-year-old "horse crazy" daughter absolutely loves your books! How did you come up with the idea for a series of stories about a "tween-age" girl and her horse in the late 1880s?

I started writing stories when I was about ten years old. I was greatly influenced by what I read and by what I watched during those impressionable years (the '60s). I watched two types of shows, mostly: space shows (like Star Trek) and westerns (like Bonanza). When I wrote my own stories, I always tossed kids (specifically--myself!) into these established "universes." I felt the stories could be greatly improved by adding characters my own age (at the time). This carried over into my adult life, when I was still writing stories with kids as the main characters (since I've had a hard time shedding my twelve-year-old 'persona'). When people started urging me to submit my stories for actual publication, I knew the stories I wrote about outer space would probably not fly. However, historical stories—especially if I included horses—would be more likely to find an audience. So the "tween-age" girl and her horse is pretty close to what I would have liked to be and do if I'd lived in the late 1800s.

Are there other people you know in real life similar to your characters, from which you draw for your stories?

A few Circle C characters are drawn from real life:

• Nila Garduño, the Mexican woman who cares for Andi in Long Ride Home, is based on a dear Hispanic friend, whom I taught English for five years. She told me about her childhood in a poor village in Mexico. I even used her real name for the story.
• A recent picture of my grandfather turned up, and he looks just as I imagined my Chad character should look. Chad is named for my oldest son, and acts a lot like him, as well.
• Andi's friend, Cory Blake, is drawn from my youngest son, Ryan. He's on the cover of the new book, Trouble with Treasure.

It was fun to meet Ryan at a recent homeschool conference! I recognized him from the cover! So you have some involvement with the cover art for the series?

Purely by accident! Book covers make me nervous. I've seen some terrible ones. My daughter won't even read a book if she doesn't like the cover. So I sent my publisher a picture of a homeschooled girl I knew, only to give the designers some idea of what Andi might look like. I expected them to take the picture and draw a scene for the cover. Instead, they used the picture for Long Ride Home. That was the biggest surprise of my life!

Ever since then, I've been sending Kregel pictures for the covers. The kids featured on the covers are homeschooled students. The little Chinese girl on San Francisco Smugglers is the adopted daughter of a homeschooling friend from Pennsylvania, whom I have never met!

What kind of research have you done to learn about the Old West?

You mean besides watching Bonanza, The Big Valley, Roy Rogers, The Rifleman, and Rawhide? Seriously, one of my first research books about the Old West was the book, The Good Old Days, They Were Terrible! This book gave me the "rest of the story"--the parts Hollywood left out. I've read a number of other books since, like Daughters of the West, Everyday Life in the 1800s, and biographies of actual people--like the missionary who rescued the little Chinese slave girls, for San Francisco Smugglers. The Internet has been invaluable, as well, but I try not to believe everything there. However, it's a good place to begin. From the Internet, I found "primary sources" like More San Francisco Memoirs--1852-1899, which is a collection of writings from folks who visited the City in the late 1800s. I got a flavor for how they talked, what was sold in the streets, and what people did. The problem is: I can get so caught up on reading this fascinating true-life history, that I put off actually writing my book.

Do you have horses?

I don't have horses right now. However, my daughter, Kristel, had a horse when she was eleven. Panda was a pet rather than a horse for all the 4-H stuff like showing and competing. Kristel braided her mane and tail, hung out on her back, rode her in the field across the street, and just had fun with her. To learn about our ups and downs with Panda, go here.

I read on your website that you homeschooled your children. How many children do you have? Are they grown now?

My husband and I have four children--33, 32, 20, and 17. I did homeschool them, and now our oldest, Kristel, homeschools her six children. I wrote my Circle C Adventures when the kids went to bed, after a long day of homeschooling two teenagers and caring for two pre-schoolers, besides. I'm very glad there was no Facebook or blogging back in the 90s, or I don't think my books would have been written. I would have been doing what everybody else is doing these days for relaxation--social networking. I tried never to be on the computer during the day, because I didn't want my children to grow up seeing their mother in front of a computer screen. It just reminded me of those stereotyped stories about moms devoted to soap operas and glued to the TV while their kids ran wild.

We are looking forward to Book 6 in the Circle C Adventures series. When will it be out?

Book 6, Andrea Carter and the Price of Truth will be released August 2010 (just around the corner). Here's a quick summary of Andi's newest adventure: Andi's eyewitness testimony places a beloved citizen at the scene of a crime. Will the price of telling truth about what she saw be too high if it means losing Taffy forever?

I love doing contests and giving away fun prizes. For Treasure, I have found real gold flakes on e-bay, and I've included the little vials in many give-aways so far. Folks can learn all about my contests and upcoming events by going to my website, www.circlecadventures.com, and signing up for my e-zine. I've given away two books and some gold already, although the winners have to wait until the book comes out to actually hold their prizes in their hands.

And breaking news: New adventures for a young Andi will soon be available for younger readers (ages 6-8) in first chapter books. Four are contracted, with two coming out November 2010 and two more possibly next spring. You can visit www.andiandtaffy.com to see what’s coming. Eventually I’ll have sample chapters posted there as well as the book covers. These are completely new stories and will include black-and-white illustrations.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the CHOIS and WHO homeschool conventions in June. Will you be at any other conferences this year?

I'm excited about having a booth at the Washington Homeschool Organization convention, June 11-12 in Puyallup, Washington this year. They placed me in "prime real estate" at Booth # 102--right as you come in the main entrance of the Exhibition Hall. If anyone would like their copies of Circle C Adventures autographed, bring them to my booth and I'll be happy to sign them. There will be a "Guess the Number of Horses" in a jar contest to win a prize, free bookmarks, and other fun stuff.

I’ll also be at a number of other homeschool conventions this spring and summer, including the CHOIS (Boise, ID, June 3-4), the OCEAN (Portland, OR, June 25-26), the CHEA (Pasadena, CA, July 16-18), and the Valley conference in Modesto, CA (July 30-31). Stop by and say “howdy”!

Thank you, Susan, for being my guest today! See you in June!

History of Christianity DVD - review

I recently had the opportunity to review the first disk in a six-part DVD series A History of Christianity. Last year my daughter and I studied church history using Sonlight's Core 200. It would have been great to have this series to go along with it! The narrator, Diarmaid MacCulloch, is very engaging and easy to listen to. I was particularly interested in the information he shared about the "church of the east" which we also learned about in Core 200. I look forward to seeing others in the series when I get a chance. It is my understanding that this video set is available at Sam's Club (which we don't have in our area) and at Amazon.

Light Speed Learning - review

I took Chemistry in high school but about the only thing I remember actually learning was the Periodic Table of the Elements. Our teacher was somewhat less than qualified to teach this course, you might say. In other words, I'm fairly sure he didn't understand the subject himself. Needless to say, I never took the AP (Advanced Placement) test for Chemistry.

I recently had an opportunity to review the Chemistry AP Exam Prep DVD from Light Speed Learning. After viewing the video I can see where this would be a very helpful tool for students who may be interesting in taking the Chemistry AP exam. Several lively young actors give helpful tips on what types of questions to expect, how to determine the correct answer, time management on test day, as well as a review of important concepts that will likely be on the test. It also includes a second disk including printable handouts and sample test questions. This DVD set is $14.98. The Light Speed Learning series includes a wide variety of subjects including math, social studies, and language arts, as well as science. It's a great way to teach or review various concepts. " Each video includes a digital workbook with a course outline, notes, practice questions, games, and quizzes. The subject matter correlates to state standardized tests and is produced and designed by an academic team of professors, students, and teachers." Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read more reviews about this product. Some of the other Crew members received DVDs on other subjects as well.

Graduation Cupcakes

My daughter loves to make treats for the Thursday evening Bible study we host in our home. This spring one of the young men who attends graduated from high school. I had seen the idea for these cute graduation cap cupcakes, so I suggested to my daughter that she could make them one Thursday a few weeks ago, in honor of our friend.
She made chocolate cupcakes and frosted them with cream cheese frosting. Next is a small peanut-butter cup turned upside down, topped by a Ghiradelli square, also turned upside down. The buttons are mini M&Ms. It probably would have looked better if all the M&Ms had been brown, but they are actually color-coded to indicate the type of filling in the Ghiradelli square! Brown is dark chocolate, yellow is caramel, red is raspberry, and green is mint! (The bag of squares I got was assorted flavors.)

Needless to say, they were a big hit!

This Fine Life - review

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson is the story of a young small-town pastor's wife in the early 1960s. The story starts when Mariette Puttnam graduates from high school in 1959. That is the same year my mother graduated, and my mother also became a pastor's wife. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and all the little details about American life during that time period (just before I was born). Great read!

"In this unique and tender story of an unlikely romance, popular author Eva Marie Everson takes readers on a journey through the heart of a young woman bound for the unknown. Readers will experience the joys of new love, the perseverance of true friendship, and the gift of forgiveness that comes from a truly fine life."

Five Question Friday

Today I'm participating in "Five Question Friday" hosted by Mama M @ My Little Life. Here are this week's questions...

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?

Definitely "date night!" My absolute favorite thing is hanging out with "my man!"

2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nope. Can't roll my tongue either. I have a very boring tongue!

3. What is your favorite flower and why?

I always hate trying to pick favorites, because it just always depends. Overall, I think I like tulips the best. The colors are so bright and vivid early in the spring. They don't last long which makes them seem more special. And I love looking at the satiny smooth texture and shape of them. They don't have much of a smell, but for just looking at, I like tulips.

For smell, I love lilacs! They're pretty to look at, too, just very different than tulips. See? I told you I can't pick favorites! The lilacs are blooming in my yard right now... I think I'll go break off a sprig to put on my desk to enjoy while I work today.

4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?

I don't play the lottery, but if I won a lot of money the first thing I would do is tithe. After that, I'd pay off bills. And those are very boring answers. So since we're dreaming let's just say I won enough money to pay off all the bills and still had a big chunk left to spend on anything I wanted. I'd travel for as long as the money lasted!

Duck and Cover!

The girls and I are finishing up our study of 20th Century World History (Sonlight's Core 300). We actually finished the main history book a couple of weeks ago, but we're reviewing what we've learned with a supplemental book about the presidents. Today we read about Eisenhower. One of the little side-bar articles talked about how school children were taught to "duck and cover" in the event of an atomic bomb. I remembered seeing this "educational" film at archive.org awhile back so I'll pulled it up for the girls to see.
We were amused and a little appalled at the notion that a tablecloth or coat or even a table or desk could protect a person from the effects of an atomic bomb! It's somewhat reassuring to have the hindsight view of knowing that the poor misinformed school children never had to actually put it to the test!

Madsen Method - review

One of the most challenging products I got to review this year as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew was the English for Life -- Madsen Method program. This was an "opt-in" product for us, so I thought long and hard about whether or not this would be a good fit for my family and if I could commit to using the full program for the past several months. As I've mentioned before, my 14-year-old daughter has some auditory processing delays and learning challenges. There are some obvious gaps in her education due to these issues. What I read about the Madsen Method made me think that it might be worth the effort involved to use it with her, so I agreed to give it a try.

Right off the bat, I was very impressed with the exceptional customer service from this company. Joe Madsen spoke with me at length on the phone explaining how the program worked and what kind of results I could expect. I was a little apprehensive because I speak with a southern accent, and one of their main principles is to teach spelling by "speaking to spell." Unfortunately, there are some words I just cannot pronounce "correctly." I say "pin" and "pen" exactly the same. If I try to pronounce "pen" with the /e/ sound it just comes out sounding like "pan" to my ears! But after visiting with Joe I felt a little more assured that I could do this.

The main premise is that students learn best by using as many of their senses as possible to input information to their brains. Saying, hearing, writing, and seeing are all incorporated as they learn. I had observed that my daughter requires a lot of repetition to remember concepts, so I thought this would be a good approach for her.

We received the complete Part One materials. (There are a total of four parts.) Part One is 5 sections long and is quite bulky. The box we received contained several large spiral-bound books:

• Sections 1-3
• Section 4
• Section 5 (Lessons 1-7)
• Section 5 (Lessons 8-14)
• Section 5 (Lessons 15-21)
• Games, Coloring Pages, Comprehensive Index
• Standardized Spelling and Reading Tests

In addition, there was a Templates Packet folder with reproducible materials.With a home educators discount, the price for Part One is $219.95. Without the discount, the price is $299.95. Later, I also received several CDs from the "Listen In Library." All of the materials are non-consumable.

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed. But I sat down and went through the materials, studying them thoroughly to get an understanding of the approach. My daughter was excited to begin.

The materials are very thorough and very explicate and very scripted. I thought that was going to be great because we could just follow the script. Well, that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. First of all, the materials seem to be geared more for younger (beginning to read) students. Obviously, the idea is that you can adapt them for older students as well, but the script doesn't fit as well if you do. Then, it also seems to be written for a classroom setting rather than for a one-on-one situation. Again, not a huge modification, but still, not exactly as scripted. But the main problem was that my daughter has difficulty in repeating long sentences verbatim. Starting out, I felt like it was very important that she be able to repeat everything back to me exactly as scripted. When it took us a week just to "learn" how to sit in our chairs and hold our pencils, I decided that it was going to require more modification than I had anticipated. At this rate, it seemed like it would take us several years just to "learn" the alphabet!

Then I got to the section that explained that if the student could demonstrate what she had learned that it wasn't necessary for her to have to say everything she was doing. So we made some modifications to the approach and continued. Portions of it worked out really well for us, others didn't. I found the guides to be cumbersome and way too detailed for my teaching style. It's good to have all the information available that is included, but it would have been more practical for me if most of it had been in a separate reference book to look up as needed, or perhaps read on the side, not incorporated in alongside the daily lesson plans.

I really do appreciate and respect the Madsens' philosophy and approach. I like the idea of utilizing all the senses for learning. The handwriting approach that was incorporated was great for my daughter. Her handwriting has improved noticeably since beginning with the Madsen Method. The spelling approach has also been good for her. Overall, I think the concepts are "right on" but I found the method of teaching to be very tedious, and required a good bit of modification to work for us.

Homemade Pop

My family has been enjoying experimenting with making our own pop for the past few days. On Friday we received the SodaStream outfit I won at Reviews and Reflections. Just as Heidi said, it is super easy to use, and comes with a wide variety of flavors that we are working our way through.

Our first batch didn't turn out to be fizzy enough because we misunderstood the directions. It says to push the button several times until it buzzes, and that 3 buzzes is a normal carbonation level. We thought that meant to push the button 3 times. On the next batch we figured out how to do it "right" and were very impressed with the results! More than we expected to be, actually.

I like that the flavor syrups do not contain high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. The diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda (which is still not great, in my opionion), and then I noticed even the regular flavors have Splenda as an ingredient as well as sugar. I'm not sure why, except that it makes them lower calorie.

We want to experiment with making our own flavoring syrups. We also tried carbonating regular apple juice to make sparkling apple juice. That worked great! I know we're really going to enjoy this new gadget! Thanks again, Heidi!

Beeyoutiful Balance - Review

For years I have suffered with several migraine headaches in a typical month. Sometimes they follow a pattern, other times they are just random. I do have medication that can usually get rid of them, for which I am very thankful, but I wish I could figure out what causes them and take measures to prevent them altogether.

About 6 months ago I went on a sugar-free diet, thinking that perhaps my hypoglycemic symptoms were related. After a few weeks it was obvious that the sugar wasn't causing the head-aches because I continued to get them in spite of avoiding sugar. Time to try something else...

Beeyoutiful is a company that offers products for "healthy living for the real world." As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was offered my choice of several of their products to try. Since my headaches do seem to be worse at certain times of the month, I thought perhaps a natural progesterone cream would help, so I requested Beeyoutiful Balance. It is a natural progesterone cream in a coconut oil base with a citrus-y fragrance. I received it about 6 weeks ago, and according to the instructions, needed to wait about 2 weeks to start using it. It is applied twice a day for 2 weeks, then not at all for 2 weeks. So basically, I have used it for one cycle. Did it help? Well, not that first month anyway. I couldn't tell that it did anything at all for me. There's enough left in the 2-ounce jar I received to continue using it this month, so I will, just to give it another chance. My quest to eliminate my headaches continues!

However, I understand that some of my Crew mates did see remarkable differences in related symptoms, so your results may vary. Check out other reviews of this and other products from Beeyoutiful at the Crew blog. A 2-ounce jar of Beeyoutiful Balance is $23.

Motherhood

On Mother's Day, for the past 17 years, I have quietly celebrated the privilege I have of being a mother. I don't need my family to honor me. They do, but it's completely unnecessary. Just getting to be a mother is enough of an honor for me!

I love this parable that one of my uncles shared at the funerals of both of my grandmothers. Grandmother Easley passed away in 1998 when my children were 2 and 5. MawMaw Ezell passed away last summer when my children were 13 and 16. Both times I so appreciated this illustration of motherhood, but from a completely different perspective each time. As my children are growing up, I'm discovering, much to my surprise, that motherhood does get better over the years. I could never have imagined that the teen years would be just as wonderful as the baby years!

A Parable of Motherhood

By Temple Bailey

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long?" she asked. And her guide said, "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning." But the young mother was happy and she would not believe that anything could be better than those years. So she played with her children and gathered flowers for them along the way and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother cried, "Nothing will never be lovelier than this."

Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle and the children said, "Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come," and the mother said, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage, today I have given then strength."

And with the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil--and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." And the children looked and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the mother said, "This is the best day of all for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old, and she was little and bent. And her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. And when the way was rough they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And the mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone and their children after them." And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence."

Random Dozen

For today's post I'm going to attempt to answer a dozen random questions posed by Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee. I thought it sounded fun! Here are this week's questions and my answers:

1. What was the last thing about which you procrastinated? Don't you mean prioritizing? I prioritize things! I never procrastinate! Ha!

2. How long does it take you to fall asleep, and do you sleep through the night? It usually doesn't take me long to fall asleep. Sometimes I wake up in the night, but I typically go right back to sleep. I consider it a blessing!

3. Which decade would you choose to exemplify your favorite fashion styles? I loved the prairie skirts and ruffled blouses and also the classic preppy oxford shirts and pullover sweaters that were in style when I was in high school in the 1980s. I've wondered if everyone likes whatever was in style when they were in high school. My style currently is pretty classic-- solid colors and simple lines -- because I don't like trying to keep up with the latest trends.

4. What is your personal best dish to feed a crowd? Chili in the Crockpot. With makings for taco salad and/or nachos on the side.

5. Are you an impulse shopper? What was the last thing you bought on impulse? I tend to not be an impulse shopper. Let's see... the last thing I bought impulsively... hmm... oh, I know! It was a big bag of M&Ms for Lyle.

6. What is one wish you have for your own funeral? Oh, my. Can't say I've ever thought of that. I guess whatever would bring comfort to my family because I'm pretty sure I won't care!

7. If it's true that joy is in found in the simple things in life, what does your joy look like today? A warm home and a loving family.

8. What is your favorite type of bread? Cornbread.

9. What trait do you fear developing the most? Bitterness.

10. What trait would you like most to develop? Unselfishness. Generosity. Hospitality. (Those are all kinda the same thing, aren't they?)

11. Which room in your house best reflects your personality? Why?  My office/library which reflects my love of literature and writing. Also, the living room and kitchen where I display mementos from childhood and other vintage collectibles that I enjoy.

12. How do you maintain balance in your life regarding, work, family, church, other organizations and activities, and blogging? It's supposed to be balanced? Ah! That explains the procrastinating prioritizing in Question 1!

Ramblin' Update

It's been a crazy couple of weeks... but then I'm not sure life ever slows down around here. It seems like it just keeps randomly picking up speed, and just when we get used to the new pace, it speeds up again! I'm hopeful that May might be just a smidge more relaxed than March and April were, although the calendar seems to be filling up fast!

Week-before-last we enjoyed our annual springtime trip to Seattle for the Christian Heritage homeschool conference. As soon as we got home we hit the ground running. Lyle worked 74 hours last week at the print shop, and I worked over 40 hours between my "regular" job as a Sonlight Advisor and forum moderator, and my unofficial helping-out-as-needed "position" at the print shop. In between, I got a little homeschooling done. Fortunately, the girls are able to work somewhat independently, and they are turning into pretty good little housekeepers, which is a good thing because we had house guests this past weekend.

Lyle's nephew and his wife stayed with us for a couple of days. On Saturday we took them for a drive up in the mountains. We shouldn't have been surprised, but we were turned back by snow on the road. Fortunately for us, we didn't get get stuck this time... but we did encounter some guys in an SUV who weren't so lucky. Fortunately for them, Lyle had a tow-rope and was able to pull them out with his big Dodge truck. That was our adventure for the day! So we didn't make it to the waterfall we were trying to get to. Instead we stopped by our favorite campground (which isn't open for the season yet) and enjoyed a damp springtime walk in the woods.

In other news, I've been notified that I've won a couple of blog giveaways I entered recently. First up was a contest I entered when I was blog-hopping as part of the Ultimate Blog Party. Tracey C. is an expert on finding all kinds of bargains and freebies. She blogs about it on "Challenging Our Family to Live Frugally" and in honor of her grandma's recent birthday (she's 89!) she hosted a giveaway of a whole box of little goodies she put together. When I showed my older daughter what I'd won, she immediately went through the list choosing things she'd like to lay claim to! Well, we'll see...

As if that weren't enough, I also found out I won the SodaStream machine that Heidi @ Reviews and Reflections was giving away. Remember me telling you about it? My whole family is very excited to experiment with making our own pop, so we are looking forward to getting it.

I'll be sure to tell you more about each of these prizes when they arrive. And I'll tell you about more great giveaways as I come across them. See? It does pay to enter! Somebody is gonna win, right?

Books Read in April

Continuing with the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, here are the books I read in April:

32. Andrea Carter and the Dangerous Decision by Susan Marlow
33. Saving Sailor by Renee Riva
34. Heading Home by Renee Riva
35. The Sword, the Ring and the Parchment by Ed Dunlop
36. Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze
37. The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry
38. A Stranger's Wish by Gayle Roper
39. Miss Match by Erynn Mangum
40. The Astronomy Book by Jonathan Henry
41. Leaving Yesterday by Kathryn Cushman
42. The Last Christian by David Gregory
43. Living Organized by Sandra Felton
44. The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister