Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

What’s For Dinner?

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Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Dinner at church

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – leftovers

Monday – beef –  Cincinnati Style Chili, Corn on the Cob from neighbors garden

Tuesday – pizza – Steak & Cheese Homemade Pizza, carrot sticks, cucumbers from garden

Wednesday – super simple – Leftovers, veggies from garden

Thursday – chicken – BBQ Chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, rice, quinoa, zucchini from garden

Friday – Friday Night Fire –  Hot Dogs, Packet potatoes & veggies cooked in the fire, S’mores

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday.

The Shunning Review & Giveaway

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I love Beverly Lewis’ books. I’ve read quite a few of them. She has a great way of writing about the Amish, making you feel as if your right there with them. And a movie based on one of her books? Even better!

The Shunning was originally shown on the Hallmark Channel, but is now available on DVD. You can also follow The Shunning Movie on Facebook.

The Shunning is Dove Approved!

 

Beverly Lewis’ The Shunning – About the Movie

Before she succumbs to cancer, the dying wish of Laura Mayfield-Bennett is to be reunited with the daughter she never knew. Unfortunately, that daughter, Katie Lapp, is a member of the Amish order. Katie is about to be married, but uneasy about the path ahead. Now she discovers the secret her parents have kept from her: she’s adopted.

The film is based on the celebrated first novel of the best-selling “The Heritage of Lancaster County” book series from author Beverly Lewis. Stars Danielle Panabaker & Sherry Stringfield.

 


BEVERLY LEWIS – Author of “The Shunning”

Beverly Lewis, born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, is The New York Times bestselling author of more than eighty books. Her stories have been published in eleven languages worldwide. A keen interest in her mother’s Plain heritage has inspired Lewis to write many Amish-related novels, beginning with “The Shunning,” which has sold more than one million copies. In 2007, Lewis’ “The Brethren” was honored with a Christy Award.

Lewis has been interviewed by both national and international media, including Time magazine, the Associated Press, and the BBC. Lewis lives with her husband, David, in Colorado.

You can read an interview with Beverly Lewis about The Shunning.

 

I watched The Shunning with my daughter who also loves books and movies about the Amish. We both enjoyed watching this movie.

The Shunning did not disappoint. Until the end.

When the credits started to roll, I said, “What?!” I looked at my daughter and she looked at me. I said “That can’t be the end!” And she said, “That’s not right!”

We didn’t want the movie to end! We were so drawn into the movie that it didn’t feel like it had been on that long. It needed to be longer. lol

Even though the move was already shown on the Hallmark Channel, I don’t want to give away the ending in case you haven’t seen it.

You really need to watch this movie! So, how would you like to win one?

Thanks to Propeller, I get to giveaway one The Shunning DVD!


*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Saturday on the Farm

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I was very surprised to find a Hibiscus flower this week. They’ve already gone to seed, but decided to give me one more blossom.

This Zinnia is the biggest, fullest one I’ve ever seen.

The Dogwood leaves are changing, and there are berries on the tree. Fall is definitely here.

And this my friends, is the tomato jungle. No, my husband never did get the plants staked. Good thing we put the cardboard down first, then cut holes for the seedlings. If we had a lot weeds in here, we’d have a real mess.

Our newest crops of lettuce, spinach, turnips, and radishes are doing well. Time to thin them out and make a salad!

The raspberries are still coming strong. We haven’t made anything with them yet, we just eat them. 🙂

A few weeks ago, I harvested a lot of basil to dry. I left the plants, just cut the tops off, leaving a couple of leaves. They are all growing again. Looks like I’ll be able to get another harvest or two.  🙂

Despite being neglected by me, (or maybe because of it) the peppermint is still growing. I need to decide if I want to dry any. decisions, decisions…..

The flowers in the planter under the butterfly bush in the front yard are still blooming.  Next year, we will definitely move it out from under the bush, though. It didn’t get enough sun, as the bush grew a lot this summer, more than we thought it would.

I’m so excited, the Purple Hyacinth Bean is growing seed pods!

I can’t wait to see how big they get!

Speaking of seed pods…..The Red Bud trees are covered with them.

As is the Mimosa tree! Pretty, fluffy, fragrant pink blossoms all summer and cool seed pods in the fall, it’s a great tree.

The Mandevilla is finally blooming! I’m not sure why it waited all summer to bloom, but I’ll just enjoy the show. 🙂

A very full tour this week. And I didn’t even include pictures of the veggies we harvested. We got a yellow squash, a couple of zucchinis and cucumbers and a lot of tomatoes this week.

 

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Our Homeschool Week in Review

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I forgot to take pictures again this week. I take pictures of everything, but for some reason I can never remember to take pictures of school. I really need to start remembering. lol

 

The kids have had skit practice a few times this week. They will be performing it tomorrow night at church. And most likely, on Sunday as well. Hannah and Abby are in it, and Calen is running sound and video. Since it’s for middle school and highschool, Zachary isn’t in it. He doesn’t care. He likes having all the electronics to himself while they’re at practice. lol

We started using Big IQ Kids this school year. Abby 7th grade and Zach 5th grade are loving it.It’s an online program for math, spelling and U.S. geography. I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew (yippeeeee!!) and this is one of the products we tested. Visit this link, Big IQ Kids, to read my full review.

I have been reading a couple of other blogs recently that have a Sabbath Week for their homeschool. Every 7th week, the Sabbath Week, they take the week off of school. I think it sounds like a great idea. So, this was our 6th week of school, so we are taking next week off. I haven’t told the kids yet, but I don’t think they will argue with me. lol Since we have a ton of apples sitting here, and more tomatoes ripening every day, we will put our time to good use.

 

How do you follow the public school calendar, or do you set up your own?

We’ve never followed the p.s. calendar.  🙂

 

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is the honly homeschool magazine I subscribe to, has been for years. Right now, they are having a warehouse sale. Click the graphic below to see the sale.

$25 will get you a box filled with goodies from our overflowing shelves . . .
• SEVEN different TOS back issues ($69.30 value)
• Homeschooling with Heart tote bag ($24.95 value)
• Surprise bonus gift(s)
• Free Shipping ($10.50 value)
• $104.75+ worth of products and what it takes to mail them for ONLY $25

What  a deal!! Getting the back issues this way is a great savings. They may be back issues, but they are FULL of awesome information!

 

 

Here are a few links I found interesting & helpful:

Do It Yourself Markable Assignment Cards
The 9 Keys to a Successful Junior Year
Resolutions for a Homeschool Mom
Building Your Academic Calendar
Homeschool Planner for an Eclectic Curriculum
Homemade Oobleck Recipe – Your kids will love this!

 

 

 

 

For more homeschool posts, please visit:
Weekly Wrap Up
Weekly Homeschool Highlights

This Weeks Favorites

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I guess the fact that I have a lot of favorites this week comes as no surprise. lol

 

What’s the Point of Modesty?


31 Uses for Baking Soda
Natural Stain Remover
Organize Measuring Cups and Spoons

Peanut Butter Bars
Homemade Goldfish Crackers
Zucchini Carrot Whole Wheat Pancakes
Black Bean Tortilla Bake

Sweet And Healthy Quinoa Salad
German Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie
Multi Bean Tomato Soup
Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Homemade Natural Glue
How to make a wallet out of old cowboy boots
How to make a pinata
How to make slippers from jeans
T-Shirt Scarf

Hope you found lots of new favorites, too!

Theo DVD Review & Giveaway

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It is hard to find good quality Christian childrens programs. The quality is often poor. I’m not just talking about picture quality. The Christian message is often presented poorly or not clearly stated.
Theo is different. Not only is the video quality great, the Christian message is awesome! It’s not dumbed down. The story is presented in language that everyone can understand, from kids to adults.
The DVD I received had the first episode, Saving Faith, as well as a bonus episode, Good News. I put the DVD in, and the whole family gathered around to watch. Even the adults. 🙂  Everyone really liked them. They are short episodes, Saving Faith is just 9 minutes long. It is 9 minutes well spent.

About Theo

The animation series of Theo guides children and adults through a careful study of systematic theology. Theo discusses doctrines about sin, Godʼs character, the Bible, salvation and godly living with easy-to-understand illustrations that make children want to learn more about the Christian faith.

Theo Presents recognizes a universal fact: children and adults alike love cartoons. Theo captures the attention of young minds with liberal amounts of humor and high quality animation to present the Gospel of the Christian faith through the teachings of Theo and with the use of his two object lessons, Belfry and Luther.

Theo Presents is designed to serve as a multi-media resource tool that will help men, women and children fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, to go into all the world and make disciples and to teach those disciples Godʼs Word. The multi-media outlets include a DVD series, curriculum, books and iPhone/iPad app. Each of these facets are designed to work with one another or individually.

Theo was created to reach kids of all ages. The lessons and teachings ofTheo can be used for Sunday school lessons, Christian school curriculum, missions, evangelism and homeschooling.

About the creator – MICHAEL JOENS

Mike Joens has produced and directed scores of animated commercials for toy companies such as Milton Bradley, Hasbro, Kenner, McDonaldʼs and Playskool. In addition to commercial work, he produced and directed the animation segments for the award-winning video series “McGee and Me,” as well as the animated “Adventures in Odyssey” for Focus on the Family. After a waiting period of over 30 years, God opened the doors to Joens for the production of “Theo Presents.” At last, the dream of a cartoonist, called to teach the Word has come true. It is Mikeʼs hope that God will use Theo to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children and adults in every country of the world!

What set’s THEO apart from anything we’ve worked on?
The Buy 1 – Give 1 campaign!
For every Theo DVD purchased, Whitestone Media and Child Evangelism Fellowship® will send a child in need their very own copy ofTheo.
You can log onto TheoPresents.com after making your own purchase, and select the region of the world you’d like another copy of Theo to be sent.

 

Yes, you read that right. For every Theo DVD purchased, they will send one to a child in need. How incredible is that? You can get an awesome dvd for your child AND have one sent to a child who wouldn’t otherwise have one. Most evangelism is directed towards adults. Now you have a way to reach children with the good news!

 

For more information about Theo, visit the Theo Presents website. You can purchase the dvds on the website, or on Amazon (not my affiliate link).

On the Theo Presents website, the have a free app for iPhone and iPad! There is even a Theo Curriculum.

 

Thanks to Propeller, I get to giveaway a Theo DVD to TWO winners!

 

 




*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Big IQ Kids

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My kids love computers. They really love doing their school work on the computer.  We’ve had a few educational games for the younger grades, but most computer school work is for the high schoolers in our house.

Which is why my 5 and 7th graders were so excited to try Big IQ Kids. And they have LOVED it!

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Big IQ Kids is a really cool website where the kids can learning spelling, vocabulary, math and U.S. states. There is even a SAT Vocabulary Prep section. My two have learned a lot using it. They are always telling me something new they learned about one of the states.

from Zach – 5th grade – “It’s fun. I learned that Idaho produces more potatoes than any other state. The states are fun. Big IQ Kids is awesome!”

from Abby – 7th grade – “The math is hard.  The states are fun. The funniest part about it is the games.”

The spelling & vocabulary programs are free! There are even free versions of math and the states. They do have premium versions of math and the U.S. States with more options, you can see their Pricing page for more information.

All of the subjects can be customized. Since we started Big IQ Kids at the beginning of the year, I just went with their lists for spelling and vocabulary. But you can upload your own spelling lists.

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In math, you choose how many problems are on a page, the difficulty of the problems, and you can match it to what they are learning in their math book. It’s a great way to re-enforce what they are learning. You can even customize the states, adding additional information for them to learn. They even get a State Master Certificate when the finish!

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And as Abby mentioned, there are games to play. As the kids do their assignments, they earn coins. They can then spend the coins on games. No work, no play. lol My kids want to do extra work, so they can play more games. lol The coins can also be used to personalize their on-screen buddy.

I think the best feature of Big IQ Kids is that they send you email updates when your child completes an assignment. They are short, one or two sentence emails, letting your know your child’s progress.

For example:

“Zachary completed a lesson on BigIQkids.com Math Program and scored 24% .  The lesson had 50 problems and was completed in 1:55 minutes:seconds.  You may want to watch your student take a lesson to see if he/she needs help.” – Now clearly, if the boy can do 50 problems in under 2 minutes, he wasn’t really doing the problems. So we had a chat, lol, and now he is.  🙂

“Abigail successfully completed the State Abbreviations Lesson – LEVEL 1”

“Abigail did not answer the Illinois summary question correctly on the first try.  Please let Abigail know that the state summaries are an important aspect of……. and paying close attention to these summaries will help Abigail do well on the State Fun Facts Game.
Illinois’s question: The capital of Illinois is?  Answer: Springfield” – They even include the answer in the email!

 

Other educational programs and websites that we have tried didn’t have this feature. I find it very helpful, especially when you have more than one student.

 

Big IQ Kids is Winner of the 2011 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Award. For more information about Big IQ Kids, visit their  How it Works and FAQ pages.

 

To read other reviews of Big IQ Kids, visit the Homeschool Crew Review List.

 

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*Disclaimer – I received 2 free premium memberships in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions are my own. I also did not coerce positive reviews from my children. Their opinions are their own.

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