Moving Beyond the Page - Tornado and Amazing Weather - Schoolhouse Review

We received a Language Arts Study and a Science Study from Moving Beyond the Page. It is a literature-based curriculum. This curriculum works well for children that are hands-on learners. They sell complete curriculum and also individual units so you can pick and choose what studies you want to do.

We chose the Language Arts Unit Tornado and the Science Unit Amazing Weather. They can be used separately but are designed to be used together. These units are designed for ages 7-9 and include everything you need for a full study.

We received the physical book for Tornado. The set included the book, Tornado, How the Turtle Got It's Shell and the teachers guide.

The teachers guide is a spiral bound book with lesson plans and student worksheets for you children to work through as they read through the story. There are daily activities listed that you will do for that days lesson.

We received the online access for Amazing Weather. This unit includes the teacher guide (online), On The Same Day in March  
book and Weather and Climate - Geography Facts and Experiments book and a boiling point thermometer. For the student worksheets with the study, I would go online and print the pdf pages for each lesson. With the online access, you can print as much or as little of the pages as needed.

The printable online units seem like the more cost-effective way to go if you are wanting to use this curriculum with multiple students.

The physical unit for Tornado is $24.97 and there is also an online unit available.

The online unit for Amazing Weather is $29.91 and there is also a physical unit available.

Our Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed both of these units. They are really exciting. The teacher's guides are well laid out and easy to follow. All of the  bugs participated in these studies as much as they could. The were always excited to hear what would happen next in the Tornado book. I can see us using Moving Beyond the Page more often. I will be using the online version for our family for everything, that way, everyone can enjoy doing the worksheets. I highly recommendced this curriulum, especially for those who want full inclusive science, language arts or social studies.

Go see what other crew members has to say about Moving Beyond the Page.

Baker Publishing Group~~~Lily Lapp Books (Schoolhouse Review Crew)

If you and your family are looking for some wholesome, fun reading, then look no further! Life with Lily and A New Home for Lily, published through the Baker Publishing Group are just what you are looking for.

Members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were asked to review these two wonderful books, the first two books in a series,  about a little girl growing up Old Order Amish.

We really enjoy reading Amish fiction books. Every two weeks we go to a Mennonite farm to buy raw cow's milk and raw cream. Although the Amish and Mennonite are different in ways, they also have some similarities. We have really enjoyed making friends with this Mennonite family. They are very genuine and plain people.

The first book, Life with Lily, she lives in upstate New York on an Amish farm and has many adventures along the way, including a new baby brother and starting school. There is always an adventure waiting to happen for Lily, plenty to do and people to love.

In the second book, A New Home for Lily, she moves to Pennsylvania, which means having to adjust to a new school, new friends and a new Amish community. She also meets the most annoying boy in the world, Aaron Yoder! Along this journey some things are good like exploring an attic full of adventure!

One of the authors of these books, Mary Ann Kinsinger was raised Old Order Amish. She started a blog, http://www.ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/, after she and her husband decided to leave the Amish church. Here she shares her journey from a happy little Amish girl to where she is today.

My oldest bug read these two books for this review and really enjoyed them. She would talk to me each and every night about what she had read that day. When I asked her how much she liked or disliked these books, she said, "Mom, I only have one word to describe them, AMAZING!"

The books are available, paperback or ebook form for only $12.99 each. They are very high quality books.

The ages are 8-12, according to the publisher but in our opinion, these would be great for all ages. These books would make a great family read-aloud. We highly recommend these two books.

There are two more books in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series coming. A Big Year for Lily and A Surprise for Lily.

Go see what other crew members had to say about these awesome books.

potatoes.......

Everyone harvesting the potatoes this past Saturday morning. We didn't have quite the crop we were wanting but it is always a blessing to have any!

Dad on tractor!

Almost everyone pitching in!

Big Boy taking a break from the heat!

Little Bug taking a break with Mom and Red Bug!

Well, here are the potatoes we have been waiting for. Not many, but we will be thankful and enjoy!

God Bless!





recipes

I thought I would share two yummy recipes today! We have made both of these cakes this past week and have really enjoyed them. Beware, these cakes are not that healthy. 

Lemon Icebox Cake

1 butter recipe cake mix

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tub of Cool Whip

Mix and bake cake as per instructions on the box. Pour cake mix into three 9 inch round pans or like I did, a sheet cake pan. While cake is baking , mix the can of condensed milk with the lemon juice until well blended. Once the cake layers or cake is done, let them cool for just a few minutes. The layers or cake need to be warm. Use about 2 tablespoons of the milk and lemon mixture as the filling between each of the layers or like I did, poke holes in the cake and pour the mixture over it. Mix the remaining milk and lemon mixture with the tub of cool whip until completely blended. This will then be used as your icing. Ice the cake completely and refrigerate until chilled.

Coconut Cream Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup condensed milk

1 cup coconut cream

1 large tub Cool Whip

1 package coconut

Mix and bake following directions on cake mix in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Let cake cool. Punch holes in the cake about 1/2 inch in diameter. Pour condensed milk over the cake, then pour the coconut cream. Next, spread cool whip evenly over the cake. Sprinkle coconut over the cool whip. Keep in refrigerator.

God Bless!

green beans.....

This is what we were doing yesterday. GREEN BEANS!!! This was our first picking of green beans out of the garden.

We ended up with 6 gallons of beans to put in our freezer. This is just the beginning! Bring on the squash and cucumbers!

God Bless!

pregnancy ups and downs

Well, I am 26 weeks pregnant this week. So far, this pregnncy has been ok. This morning, at 5am I awoke to contractions! Not Braxton Hicks, full blown contractions! You can just imagine how I felt. 26 weeks is to early for this baby girl to make her appearance. So, I remembered something I read in my favorite book. I think I have mentioned this book before, but if not, the title is Be Your Own "Doctor", an informative Guide to Herbal Home Health Care by Rachel Weaver M.H. I have been using this book for about two years now and would highly recommend it to anyone.

There is a chapter entitled "Pregnancy and Motherhood" and it gives all kinds of information and recipes for pregnancy. I truly love this book. So, when I realized I was having contractions, I went straight to my book for encouragement.

It has a section in this chapter that tells us what we need to do if we start experiencing Preterm Labor. She says for those who are at risk of developing or are currently experiencing true, preterm labor, here are some things you can do:

~Take a lukewarm water (not hot) bath loaded with epsom salt. Use two to three cups of salts. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate which is what they actually use to stop preterm labor in a hospital. Do it every day if you need, to keep strong contractions from coming back. Especially do it at bedtime to relax you so that you can sleep better.

~Drink at least 12-14 8-ounce glasses of water a day. More if you can take it. Dehydration (even mild) is a leading cause of contractions. But when you do, you need to take at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt to keep your minerals in balance so that you do not feel dizzy from flushing them all out with water.

~Eat a nice amount of good protein. Protein foods include milk, eggs, cheese, meat, nuts and peanut butter.

~Stop drinking all tea and coffee, whether caffeinated or not. Tannins in these beverages can be very irritating to the uterus.

~Stop drinking red raspberry leaf tea or eating anything with raspberries at all.

~Avoid all herbs in the mint family, including basil.

~Lie on your left side as much as possible. It improves blood flow and calms contractions.

~5-10 drops of false unicorn tincture every 15 minutes for an hour and then hourly for a few hours if needed (while lying down). A source if provided.

~Start taking at least 1000mg. of vitamin C per day, immediately and throughout your pregnancy and two to three grams of alfalfa per day or two to three cups of alfalfa tea, which will help prevent premature rupture of membranes and prevent bleeding.

Talk to your doctor or midwife to see if you should be on full bed rest.

She also says to drink a large protein drink. She gives a recipe for this in her book.

A Good Protein Shake

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon powedered milk (extra protein)

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon instant chocolate powder or carob if you wish

Blend in the blender. Add a bit of ice and blend. This will give you two or more cups of drink. Drink two cups immediatelyu. This will give you a quick bit of protein that your baby needs.

I took an Epsom salts bath early this morning and it stopped my contractions! What a blessing. I also made me the protein shake and to my surprise it wasn't to bad. I cheated a little and added a little sucanat to make it a bit sweeter.

I will continue to use this book throughout my pregnancy and any other time I feel me or my family needs it.

This book was designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. The author or publishers are not liable for the misuse of the material provided. If you choose to use the following or any information provided here you are doing so at your own risk!

God Bless!

our Auntie!!!

Well, three years ago, our Auntie (my little sister, Michelle Wroten) was accepted to LSU Law School. After many long, exhausting hours of studying, she finally made it to the day we were all looking forward to, GRADUATION! The wonderful day was Friday, May 31, 2013.  We are so proud of her and love her so very much. We knew all along this day would become a  reality. Here are a few snapshots I took on that very special day!

Here are a few pictures I took of the bugs on this great day!

Here is the cake a couple of our friends got for the celebration after graduation.

Way to go Auntie! We Love You!