TOS CREW Review- Seed Sowers

You know we love to read in our house so it should be no big surprise that I always jump at a chance to review a good book.  Add to that book inspiring, often hair raising true tales of missionaries and the fact that it was written by a fellow TOS Crewmate and well, let's just say I was a little excited to share this one with you!

Seed Sowers has released a book by the same title, Seed Sowers, by Gwen Toliver, that needs to find its way into every Christian home.  This 180 page gem is a collection of 21 different stories of missionaries and the adventures they lived.  What is so unique about this book is that each story was told to author Gwen Toliver by the actual missionaries who lived the adventures.  Gwen, her husband and their 8 children live in Texas and work for Wycliffe Ministries as part of their Bible Translation endeavors.  Nestled among the Linguistic Center property is a retirement facility where many older missionaries reside.  That wealth of experience and knowledge was just waiting to be discovered and Gwen got to be the instrument that God used to get those stories out to the public.  How amazing is that?  For two years Gwen was able to interview the men and women of each story and compile them into short, easy to read chapters that will inspire both young and old.  

Since we do devotions nightly this was a wonderful time to read a chapter as a family.  It opened up not only discussion about the actual story and what we thought about it, but also allowed us to explore the location on a map if it was not one we were familiar with.  Since many were South American locations, our youngest adopted from Guatemala was extremely interested.  I will admit that I did find myself reading ahead several times when I would happen to sit down beside the book during the day.  Something about tales of faith, endurance and fortitude just seem to pull me in.

Some stories may be more familiar to you such as the sad story surrounding Nate Saint and his four friends that were killed by the natives in Ecuador.  Told to Gwen by Don and Helen Johnson, you get to hear some previously unpublished facts.  Don was one of the men in the rescue party that found and identified his friends on Palm beach.  He was able to recount his experiences years later with the little red notebook he used to take notes at the time of the tragedy.  Other stories tell of laughter, fun adventures and always of God's provision.  One of our favorites was about Gene Minor, a pilot missionary to Colombia.  He recounted to Gwen one of the times he was flying and his plane's engine went out.  For our military family, this is one we could really identify with!

Another neat part of the book is that most chapters end with an Author's Note that tells another part of the story such as when that missionary died or retired and a more complete picture of all they accomplished in their ministry.  You can be sure that much of what they did will not be found in their own stories.  As Gwen shares in her interview, they are a humble group and hesitant to ever bring any attention to themselves.  I encourage you to watch Gwen's interview at the bottom of this review- it is lengthy, but well worth watching.  Not only does she share about her book, but also shares her passion for missions and how you can get involved.  Not everyone gets sent to the jungle, you know! Seed Sowers can be purchased on sale now for $12.50.  While intended for 6th graders and up for independent reading, it is appropriate as a family read aloud as well.  I know you will blessed to add it to your collection!

Sin's Slippery Slope

This post was written just days after Miley Cyrus showed too much of her body and silliness on national TV. Mind you, I have not seen it so I am taking this on faith from the hundreds of disgusted peoples' posts I have read.   Disgusted...everyone of them.  Not once have I read "Yay Miley, loved that performance!"

But, I digress. I wrote this post a few days after Miley's performance, but it could have been written last week, last month, or last year because this is not a new subject.  She is not the only misguided youth that surprised the world with her behavior.  My oldest said it best...

Sin is a slippery slope.

Miley Cyrus did not just wake up one day and say "Hey, I think I will appear on public television and shock the world today!" 

Let's face it, none of us just wake up one day and choose to sin.  It happens one little step at a time until we are rolling right on down that slippery slope with Miley.  It is not a superstar phenomena.  It is a human phenomena.  And it breaks God's heart.  It should break ours too.

As Christians we believe that there is a line between right and wrong. We tell our kids all of the time that the goal is not to see how close we can get to the line, but instead to keep far away from the line. Unfortunately, our culture doesn't think that way. You know the drill, we tell ourselves, "But mom and dad didn't say this, or didn't say that."  OR, "God didn't really say this or that."  (Sound vaguely familiar? Read Gen. 3:1) We justify ourselves and take one step closer to the line and pretty soon...yep, you guessed it, down the slippery slope we go. 

So what's a mom to do?  What is a teen to do?  What is a person to do?

1- Pray!  And not just for Miley, although she desperately needs our prayers! We all need prayer.  Ask The Lord to show you His will and that you will know what pleases Him and displeases Him and act accordingly!

2- Guide our children.  I hope that girl's daddy pulls her aside and gives her "a talking to." You are never too old to have a chat with your momma and daddy in our house.  We need to stay involved in our kiddos lives, from the time they are born until the time that one of us dies.  That's what parents do.  That's what parents SHOULD do.  Yes, our children do grow up and make their own decisions but we should not stop guiding them just because of a date on a  calendar.

3- Keep our families grounded.  Wealth and fame do NOT make you happy.  Tell your children that.  Teach them that only The Lord brings true joy.

4-   Surround your families with people of similar values and convictions.  One of my favorite things about our friends is that they share our family vision.  Are they just like us?  No.  But they are similar.  They hold us accountable and they challenge us to do better daily.  They love our kids and would get in line to give our kiddos a talking to if they pulled something like Miley.  I love that!  And I love them!

5- Pray!  Did I mention that already?  Just like our kiddos who are tempted to put their toes right against that line (or even one toe over, like a certain 6 year old of mine) we are all tempted.  We all sin. (Romans 3:23) We may not all want to show everything we have to the world but we want to tell just one little white lie, or tell just one secret, or ignore that speed limit just this once, or flirt with that one person, or cheat just this one time.  Regardless of what it is, if it is against the Word of God, it is sin and it is on that slippery slope, just waiting for you to take that step.

Beware.  We are all just one step away from Miley.  It can start with a not so innocent party in the USA and end who-knows-where. No matter how easy it is to shake our head at her and justify our own behavior, we too are only a few steps away.

What are you doing to stay off the slippery slope?

Blessings, Michele and Ashton

This post is linked up with Caroline at The Modest Mom blog!

We are also linked up with Amy at Raising Arrows!

Fun Friday Two Months of Giveaways- Scripture Stickies

Welcome back to week 3 of our Fun Fridays Two Months of Giveaways!  I hope you are having fun...I know we are.

Congratulations to Tracey D. for winning a copy of the Managers of Their School book!  Hope you enjoy it!

So this week, a little something different!

Several years ago we came across a book that encouraged you as family to memorize 100 scripture verses. We challenged some friends to join us and then dove in.  It was a wonderful experience but a little more challenging for the two younger kids as some of the verses were pretty hefty.  I am amazed at what kids can learn, but let's face it, some verses are just more easily understood than others for younger children.  Since then we have chosen our own verses and often shorten them for the younger kids.

Now, I have something even better!  Scripture Stickies!

When founder Julie Alvarez contacted me about reviewing these little gems I was thrilled.  They are perfect for our family!  Many different packs are offered, including kid packs, which contain 10 verses.  These verses are not only slightly shorter, but are ones that are easily understood and quite applicable to our kids' lives.  Verses like Ephesians 6:1 Children, Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right and Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me to name just a few.   Again, the kid packs come with 10 different scriptures for you to memorize.

The best part - each scripture is printed on a post it note-type backing so you can put them where they are easily seen.  Since my kids are sharing a bathroom these days, onto the bathroom mirror they went, one each week.  There they can be seen several times a day and are a good reminder to practice!  I love it!

Scripture stickies are offered in NIV, NKJV, KJV, NASB, ESV and some foreign languages as well.  You can buy individual packs or you can buy the Scripture of the Month club, in which a new pack is sent to you each month on a different topic.  Each of the standard packs have two copies of 5 different verses.  Stick one in your home and one in your car or somewhere else you spend a lot of time and you will be on your way to hiding God's word in your heart.

These fun little packs are perfect for gifts, party favors and would make great stocking stuffers.  Guess what my friends will be getting in birthday cards?  ;)  shhhhhhhh, don't tell!

Ready for the fun?  Julie is offering one reader a chance to win a Scripture Stickie pack of your choice. Enter the rafflecopter below to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings,

TOS CREW Review- PeopleKeys

Doctor? Lawyer? Policeman? Cook? Teacher?  Lab Technician? Writer?
My goodness, the possibilities for our children are as endless as the stars!  So how does one know what one wants to do in life?  How does a parent start to counsel their child about all that there is to choose from?  So many of the choices depend not only on training and interests, but also strengths and weakness.  

PeopleKeys  is a company that provides various tools, online and printed, for behavioral assessments. Though these assessments can be used by companies to help them hire the best fit for a particular job, they can also be used as a way to personal discovery as well.  I love this company's tag line-  "unlocking human potential".  How great is that!  Each person has so much potential and sometimes we just need a little encouragement to find our niche.

We had the privilege of using the DISC Career Style Report for my 15 year old daughter.  Since she is nearing the age of college and career choices, we thought it would be fun to see what someone else had to say about her strengths and weaknesses.  The DISC is supposed to be able to analyze not only those two things but also communication styles, workplace styles, one's limitations and potential contributions to a team. DISC is short for Dominance, Influence, Stable, and Compliant.  In a series of questions rating from most likely to least likely, the DISC system evaluates you and your personality.   This 15-30 minute online test is easy to access and once taken is immediately scored.  Test results are then emailed to you.  The end result shows your "type", which is a combination of the DISC values you received.
The test results come in several sections.
First, Description.  In this section your style is described by a key word.  That key word is then further broken down by General Characteristics, Motivations and Ideal Environments.  Our daughter's style was called "Governor", one who is "people-oriented, verbally fluent and loyal."  Yep, that's her to a tee.  One of the things that impressed me about this section is that it is not all positive and sunny skies.  It does show some possible downfalls and cautions, which I think is important for young people especially to hear.






Next, Work Place.
This section takes your highest scoring part of DISC and describes it in detail.  For example, our daughter scores highest on the "I", or influence.  It describes her personality as "enthusiastic, influential, expressive, social and Accepting."  Hmmm, maybe that explains why she is a social butterfly attached to her iTouch and friends!  There is also a part of this section that talks about how this type of person would function in the workplace, a great insight for those reading results for hiring purposes. Then, the part we were most eager to see, Career Match

Based on the DISC assessment, careers are listed that are deemed of interest to you.  This was no small list. If you are looking for AN ANSWER, this will not be helpful, possibly even overwhelming.  But for those like us who wanted to get a list of not often thought of possibilities, this list was great.  Over 40 careers were listed.  Your second highest profile, in her case "S" (stable) is also listed with even more choices.  Which one will she choose?  Well, that is still open for debate, but at least she now has a few more possibilities to explore.
And finally a section called Scoring Data. This section simply showed a graph with scoring for each value, D, I, S, and C.  This is helpful in seeing how strong or weak you are in each area.

What we thought- We really had fun with this review.  I think my daughter was pretty nervous and skeptical about taking it and then was pleasantly surprise that, 1) it was a non- threatening test and, 2) that it pegged her pretty accurately in our opinion.  Much of what we read we would shake our head in agreement on, specifically the part that mentioned "does not like confrontation but will handle it well", or "make loyal and dependable friends".  I like that your child is able to see themselves through another lens other than their own.  Isn't that, after all, what we need to be teaching them? That people are watching and noticing and that they are not an island unto their own?  
Because of her age, we were most interested in the Career Match section.  Like I mentioned, there are a lot of choices on this page that can be overwhelming at first, but I like the fact that it allows a young person especially to see that there are so many great options out there.   Unlike the well known options I first mentioned, the DISC talks about less well known, but equally exciting options that this mom would have never thought about suggesting. Now one of our goals is to mark some that sound interesting and do a little research on them.  I firmly believe that we should encourage our children to work within their strengths and identifying them is an important part of that process.  Once they know more about themselves and the opportunities out there, the better they will do in this world!
The DISC Career Style Report can be purchased for $32.00.  Our CREW was able to review many different products from PeopleKeys, so I would encourage you to click on the banner to take a look at what they had to say.  

School Choices

We school year round.  Yep, we really do.  It is one of the things I love about homeschooling.  Notice I did not say it is one of the things the kids love! ;)  We usually "start" school in August and "finish" up mid May and then take a week or so off to regroup.  Then we start a lighter schedule which usually consists of math and many review items.  Being on the TOS Review Crew has been a HUGE blessing to us, providing us with unbelievable curriculum, books and extras we would have never had access to otherwise.  A lot of these things we review in the summer months which is perfect timing and allows us to concentrate on them exclusively for a while.  Then, one random day in August I decide to "start" school again in which we add a few more subjects back in.  After that week, I take a week off to regroup and evaluate as well as schedule our full days and then off we go again.  Sounds complicated, but really, it works for us.

So yes, I realize I am a little behind in posting this.  Most of you have already started school and know EXACTLY what you are using this year.  But for those of you who need some ideas or just like peeking into other's school rooms, here is what we are doing this year.

1st Grade


History-Mystery of History 1- We just read together and do some of the activities
Science- Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 Land Animals and junior notebook.  If you have never used this science, I encourage you to take a look at it.  The books are beautiful, amazing, and so much fun!
Writing- Write Shop.  This was new to me until I did a review for them last year for my older son.  We started with the first book and are having a good time with it!
Spanish- Those of you who know me know that this is my passion so here goes!- Homeschool Spanish Academy, Flip Flop Spanish Review coming soon!) and Song School Spanish.  YES, we really are using ALL three at once time and loving every one for the things they bring to our day!
Math- Saxon 1.  My kiddo is hands on so the manips are right up his alley.  We do switch to Teaching Textbooks in 5th grade
Language Arts- Another area we are all over the place in so bear with me!  Explode the Code and Logic of English for now.
Reading- ABeCeDarian.  Once we finish the Sonlight readers we will begin the Lightening Literature program.  We also use the Reading Kingdom and McGuffy Reading Apps on a weekly basis!
Spelling- This one we have held off on but I think I am going to start back with All About Spelling next week and see how he does.  I think the hands on will be a good fit.

6th Grade

History- Notgrass America the Beautiful  Yes, we walked away from Sonlight History for this one.  It was a hard decision for me, but my son loves it!
Science- ABEKA Observing God's World.  I am keeping my eye out on the new Apologia Chemistry book that has just been released as well as the new Jay Wiley Creation Science, but for now we will stick with this.
Writing- Cover Story  This is brand new, put out by the people at One Year Adventure Novel.  Next week will be our first week, but at first glance- WOW!
Spanish- Flip Flop Spanish (review coming soon), Power Glide and Spanish For You!
Math- Teaching Textbooks 6th grade
Language Arts- Wordly Wise, Junior Analytical Grammar, and now Logic of English, as well as Soaring with Spelling
Reading- Sonlight Reading
Geography- Finishing up Memoria Press Geography 1 and love it!
Typing- Typer Island
Bible- Apologia's Who am I? And What and I Doing Here?  We reviewed another book in this series and knew we had to read them all!


10th grade/11th grade

Sonlight History, Bible and Literature
Science- Apologia Chemistry
Writing- IEW with our co-op
Math- Algebra Teaching Textbooks
Spanish 3- Rosetta Stone
Language Arts- Wordly Wise and Vocabulary from Classical Roots Home Economics- Family Life Skills for Christian Schools, Manners Made Easy for Teens, Etiquette Factory Level 3
This kiddo is also studying for the Biology and Algebra CLEP tests, as well as taking photography. She is a busy beaver!

Wow.  That makes me tired just typing it all.  You should see how we all look at the end of the day!

Yes, a little tired. Some days, even a little brain fried.
But hopefully in the end, a little smarter as well!

I pray you all have a blessed school year- public, private, OR homeschooled!

Blessings,



*None of the curriculum listed are affiliates.  They are just products are family uses and loves!