Monday, November 28, 2011

What Not To Do - Day Before Thanksgiving Edition


Lesson Learned #1: Never, never, never take 4 kids grocery shopping on the day before Thanksgiving.
Ever.




Lesson Learned #2: Never take your 4 kids to Sears for portraits. Not on any day, but especially not on the day before Thanksgiving unless you LIKE to spend 90 futile minutes attempting to get all of them to look at the camera while smiling and in perfectly balanced formation. Seriously, people. I'm not looking for perfection, I'm looking for NICE. Snap away, stop trying to get them all to look up, hold position, AND smile, for heaven's sake ! Now I remember why I stopped taking them to a studio. Exactly 5 pics taken, none of which were worth buying. We gave up when it became apparent the baby was on the verge of total meltdown.




Lesson Learned #3: No matter what - don't get distracted by the phone call and forget.... to get gas. Another 90 minutes wasted there, folks, but then again, I wouldn't have caught this sweet sibling moment if it weren't for being stranded on the side of the road, now would I? What's even better? After calling half my contacts list to recruit some help here, it was eventually the baby who accidentally dialed someone who not only picked up the phone on their busy afternoon, but dropped everything and came right to our rescue!




Lesson Learned #4: Never try to take away a winter Oreo (with the incredibly messy red filling) from a baby that's been rudely awakened from two naps, forced to play nice for the weird picture people, and been strapped in a carseat while the car was stranded on the side of the road for too long!




Lesson Learned #5: All the craziness and shenanigans earlier in the day does not provide an excuse for shirking all the holiday baking I should have been doing instead of hanging out on the side of the road! Bread rolls and desserts done by 10:30, then it was off to bed for me.

I was totally determined to sleep in on Thanksgiving. Anyone taking any bets as to what time the coffee pot was perking?

That's okay. Lessons learned for next year. Memories made for this year.

My motto as a mom of four? Never be in a hurry!


Don't sweat the small stuff! (It tasted good, I promise)




And Count Your Blessings.


TOS Review - The Reading Game



The Reading Game is a fast action memory card game to teach sight words to early learners. From the author of Wordly Wise, Kenneth Hodgkinson, this game includes 6 illustrated story books, 6 decks of matching play cards, and a Teacher/Parent Guide.



The first story uses only 30 words, which are also found in the first deck of cards. You play the game just like you would with any memory matching game, all the cards face down, with each player turning over two cards at a time and trying to match them up. Each card has nothing else but a single word on it, so the student must go only on the knowledge of the letters rather than on a picture to lean on as a crutch. Once the two matching cards are found, the player must repeat the word on the cards several times in quick succession to get the point!

Once those words are mastered (there is a test question section in the guide) then you can move on to the next set of cards. There are six sets in each deck (and one deck per book) to complete, by which time the student will know 30 words by sight and will be able to read the first book, Skunk!

Each deck and each book build upon another until at the completion of the program the student will know 180 words!

We enjoyed the stories very much, and the kids quickly caught on to the memory-matching premise of the game. We used it sporadically, however, because we are using a completely different method of learning to read than sight words. It soon lost its draw for my 4 year old, and my 8 year old spent his time helping the 4 year old play the game. My 6 year old, however, did benefit from the game play as good reinforcement of the words that she knows, but does not quickly or instantly come up with on her own. It helped speed up her process of reading through recognition of these common words. Now she can focus a little more on the more difficult ones!

For those who enjoy or are already using the sight words method (my son was taught to read in large by this method at his former school) this would make an excellent aid. A fast-paced, non-frustrating way to have fun and learn, too!

You can purchase The Reading Game here and watch an informative video on how the game works! The Reading Game retails for $24.95.

We were provided The Reading Game for free in exchange for an honest review and nothing more.

To read more reviews from other TOS Crewmembers on this product, click here.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

My Grandma

This summer I had the privilege to fly out to WA, visit my family, and to see my Grandma Angie. It had already been more than 2 years since I’d seen her last, and while I was a little hesitant about how the visit would go since her stroke had made communication more difficult for her, it turned out to be a huge blessing for all of us.

My whole family was able to spend time with her, all of my children, including the little one she hadn’t met yet, and my husband, whom she hadn’t seen in several years. We sat in her room, sang songs, hugged her and kissed her, and, in time, said goodbye for what would be the very last time.

Well, not the VERY very last time. We will see her smiling face again in a better place. A place where time is not tied to aging, to wrinkles, to arthritis, to aching bones, and certainly not tied to something as awful and paralyzing as a stroke. Yes, I believe my Grandma will hear the trump of God as her Savior descends on a cloud, surrounded by angels, and will speak (what a wonderful thought! To hear her speak again!) words of praise as she rises to meet her Lord.

At some time in her life she made the choice to follow Jesus on whatever road He chose to take her down, and through her faithful life our family has been given an example of love, kindness, perseverance, faithfulness, generosity, and fast walking.

Oh, she did love to walk, didn’t she?! Could anyone keep up with her? Nothing seemed to slow her down! Not ice or snow, not wind or rain, and certainly not a steep hill! As a youngster I remember running up ahead with my cousins as we’d go for a Sabbath afternoon hike, and when we’d reach the top, far ahead of our parents, there she’d be! Standing right next to us, giggling away with her hand clasped over her mouth and absolute delight at our looks of surprise.

She took us for many walks when we were little, and though she was a determined speed walker on her many outings and errands, with us she always had the time to stop and explore the edges of the water, the old equipment parked down by the tracks, waiting while we picked up rocks to throw or examined some interesting tidbit of years gone by.

And then we grew a little and it was all fair game - she’d pick up the pace and we’d huff and puff trying to match it! It was several years before we could really, truly, outwalk her. I must have been in college when I finally realized that there were places I could go, hiking I could do, that she could no longer give me a run for my money. She had to be 70 by then. I was 20. I never did think of her as “old”.

When I was little she taught me how to wash dishes. That water was HOT! I watched her crooked, arthritis-ridden hands dip over and over into those hot washtubs and scrub the pots and scour the pans. The more she washed, the pinker her hands grew, until they were red.

“Grandma, your hands are red!”, I’d say.

“Yes, dear.” , she’d reply as she scrubbed away.

“They look like they’re getting burnt!”

“That’s true, too.”, she’d nod.

Well, okay, I was a little too young to remember exactly what she said, but I had to throw in those two “grandmaisms” in there somewhere!

She came to my house once, way out here in Michigan, and spent a week here celebrating Christmas. She slept in a cold little closet space that had been cleared out and a bed shoved in it since all the available spaces were taken up with family stored here and there and everywhere. She never complained, just told stories of her cold growing up years in North Dakota. On that trip she made it her job to make sure the dishes were always done after every meal for all 11 of us in the house, and I remember watching her hands while she washed and remembering the days I stood on a stool in her kitchen as a little girl. That stool stands in my own kitchen now. When she left my house she gave me her little metal elastic arm-band thingies that she always used to keep her sleeves up out of her way when she washed dishes. I’m not sure she ever owned a dishwasher until she went to stay at Uncle Terry’s house when she was 80! Well, Grandma, it gives me hope that maybe someday I’ll have an end to my dishwashing-by-hand days, too!

In addition to teaching me how to scrub dishes until your hands were red, she also taught me how to crochet, and how to play card games by your own rules. Oh, don’t try to deny it! She taught you all how to play sets and runs or hand and foot by her “bendable” rules, too!

The holidays will never be the same without watching Grandma stir the gravy with her whole body there at the stove, without hearing her twangy way of singing “Power in the Blood”, or helping her clean up and put away every last bit of the turkey before she’d sit down. But then, she never was one to sit down much, was she? Even when her work was done, there might be something that came up suddenly that needed to be done, so what use was it to sit down?

The after-cleanup game times won’t be the same without her, either. She may have passed down her love for playing them to many of us kids and grandkids, but without her laugh and sparkle, the games have lost a little of their attraction for me. I’ll get past it though, my kids will soon be ready to join in the fun of a little sets-and-“creative“-runs, so I will be thinking of her as I pass down the tradition to them.

Most importantly, though, are not the traditions she has passed down but the faith, the principles, the purpose of her life to love Jesus and love people.

I love to hear stories about my Grandma, especially ones that tell how she always kept her pantry full of cakes, cookies, and bread and never failed to have a meal ready on Sabbath so she could invite someone over for Sabbath dinner. Even if she didn’t have anything prepared, she still invited someone over for dinner! If her house wasn’t spotless, she still invited someone over for dinner! These stories never fail to inspire me to try harder to forget a little more about how others might perceive me in a negative way based on my imperfections and remember a little more about how people just need to be shown love, hospitality, and have a good slice of bread. That’s the kind of example she set for me, and I am blessed by it daily.

Lisa







Angeline Mae Maria Budd Allen


Angeline (Angie) Mae Maria Allen (Budd), 90, died peacefully in the home of her daughter Wanda in Home Valley, WA on Oct. 26, 2011, where she had been lovingly cared for since a stroke in 2009. She was born on Dec. 17, 1920 in Devil's Lake, ND, the second of 10 children born to the late John and Josephine Budd.

Her family moved from ND to Walla Walla, WA where Angie attended college and then worked as a secretary until 1951 when she married Norman G. Allen in August of that year. Together they raised 4 children, moving first to Bremerton, WA, then to Appleton, WA, before settling for a time in Stevenson, WA. As they grew older they became snowbirds, flitting to Quartzite, AZ for the winters.

Angie loved Jesus, loved people, and loved helping those in need. She volunteered her time at the Seventh-Day Adventist community services center putting together food baskets for the holidays. She also diligently sent personal cards for birthdays and anniversaries to a mailing list numbering in the hundreds.

She was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist churches in White Salmon, WA, Hood River, OR, and most notably Stevenson, WA where she was a Cradle Roll teacher for many years, sharing with the little ones the story of Jesus. She always had a hike planned or sledding parties for the youth, and loved to see the young people filling the pews of the little church.

She daily lived her life by the principles she held dear, with time spent daily in the Word of God and hands that were never idle. Even when arthritis in her fingers brought pain, there was still always a pantry full of breads, pies, and cookies, canned peaches, pears and cherries, ready for any and all that would accept her invitation to share a Sabbath meal.

She enjoyed crocheting, playing board games and card games, and walking with enough purpose and energy to make the younger generations run to keep up! She walked everywhere she could; rain or shine, snow or ice, it didn't matter to her! And Oh, her love of high heels! Such disappointment when her family asked her to put them away at the youthful age of 83!

Her love for traveling included her many spur-of-the-moment weekend getaways on the back of the Honda Aspencade during their retirement years (including visiting their favorite buffets!), going to Quartzite in the winters with the 5th wheel, sometimes with a load of "real" Christmas trees to spread the holiday cheer, and flying around the country after Norman's death to see her many relatives and loved ones.

Angie was preceded in death by Norman, her husband of 50 years, in 2002, her parents, her brother Orpheus Budd, and sister Rose Ludlow. She is survived
by two sons: Terry (Anita) Allen of Parkdale, OR, and Daryl (Lis) Allen of Carson, WA, two daughters: Wanda (Craig) Salvesen of Home Valley, WA,
and Holly (Bob) Adderly of McMinville, OR; 10 grandchildren: Michael (April) Allen of Carson, WA, Jake (Lisa) Allen of Carson, WA, David Allen of Gresham, OR, Charles (Julia) Adderly of Lebanon, OR, Debbie (Monte) Gallanger of Home Valley, WA, Lisa (Colby) Jenkins of Rapid City, MI, Danyl (Melinda) Allen of North Las Vegas, NV, Robert Adderly of Fife, WA, Julie (Sam) Hill of McMinnville, OR, Ryan Adderly of Fife, WA; 2 brothers: Joe (Patsy) Budd of Prescott, AZ, Lyle (Lee) Budd of Moses Lake, WA; 5 sisters: Marjorie (John) Weir of Colbert, WA, Cleo (Glen) Forgey, Hazel (Wayne) Burns of Dayton, OH, Ruthie (Don) Jacobsen of Hiawassee, GA, Naomi (Bill) Parsons of Citrus Heights, CA; 20 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and great-grand nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held on Nov. 19 at the White Salmon SDA Church at 3:00 pm and will be officiated by Pastor Pat Milligan.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

TOS Review - The Person I Marry - Bower Books


Bower Family Books is a family-run self-publishing company that offers an array of books that are written by Gary Bower and illustrated by his wife of 33 years, Jan Bower. Together they are raising and homeschooling their 12 children in addition to publishing and marketing their books!

These beautiful books are designed instill Christian values like love, respect, kindness, honor in a way that appeals to both young and old, single or married. They are written in a way that draws the heart gently towards an ideal or Biblical principle, things that I want their little hearts to be pulled towards!

We were given to review a digital copy of the book, The Person I Marry, book two in the Bright Future series, which includes the titles: The Person I Marry, What Do Heroes Wear?, The Jingle In My Pocket, There's a Party In Heaven, and The Garden Where I Grow (coming in 2012)

I have to admit: I read this several times to the children and not once did I manage to get all the way through it without choking up once or twice. I really should have previewed the book before diving straight into reading it aloud with the kids gathered around me. The first time included streaming tears, horn-blowing nose, and bewildered children! It reminded me of how much I want to instill these thoughts in their minds as they grow into young men and women and begin to look for their own life partner, and, of course, reminded me of how small my time with them really is.

We read it several times, the kids enjoyed it, I managed to make it through without complete emotional melt-down (occasionally with the help of distraction - oh, look at that pretty picture! *cough*splutter*) and overall I would give this a hearty thumbs-up! I'd love to own this in hardcopy!

The only drawback to the copy we received for review was that it was a digital copy. We had to gather around the computer to read it, but we pulled up a couple of chairs, snuggled a couple of kids on my lap, and we were good to go.

The books you order online, however, are all hardcopy, so this would not be an issue for you were you to purchase one. I do think it would be neat to be able to download this onto a portable reader at some point, though, and take it with us. The Person I Marry is hardcover, 32 pages, and retails for $11.99.

When I first read through the book (in between the tears) I thought the style and pictures looked somewhat familiar, but it wasn't until I really read through the website later that I realized that I've seen these books in local bookstores! Located near Traverse City, MI, these folks are practically my neighbors! I've seen their I'm a Michigan Kid! books and I'll be keeping my eye out for others as well now.

The Person I Marry is priced very reasonably at $11.99 on their website. This title and others are currently on sale here.

To preview a little of this book, watch this video!

The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.



To read what other This Old Schoolhouse Crew members are saying about Bower Family Books' The Person I Marry, go here!

I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review and nothing more.

Monday, November 07, 2011

TOS Review - Ooka Island Adventure

Ooka Island Adventure is a game-based learning program to teach young learners reading proficiency and bring them - upon completion - to the second grade reading level. Within the realm of a mythical island where the elves need to be rescued by the little student "adventurers", there are multi-level and sequential reading exercises and games to play to gain phonemic skills that aid in progression along the book-reading path. For every 5 books read successfully, one elf is rescued!



The 3-D graphics are phenomenal! The songs are fantastic! My kids were immediately drawn in by the colors, the sounds, and the promise of engaging activities! We had a little trouble with the avatar's head not showing up pretty much at all, but that didn't bother the kids as much as it did me!

The program is equipped with a voice recognition program that you can use with an external microphone to really take advantage of the reading help offered. Unfortunately, we don't have a microphone and we went through the books with the other option offered, reading with help. That worked just fine, however, it did make it more difficult to see how much Emmy was actually progressing for herself.

You must download a large file (try starting it just before you go to bed for best results!) and have high-speed internet in order to use the Ooka Island program, which are drawbacks for some, but well worth it if this program enables and encourages your child to read when they have been struggling!

For us, the program is at the right level for use with Emmy, my almost 6-year-old first grader. She struggles a bit with reading at the first grade level. The lower level books of the Ooka Island program were right on target for her. The graphics and 3-D type movement, however, seemed to overwhelm her. After about 20 minutes of successful time using the program, she would begin to seem very agitated and needed to unwind. Sitting with her as she played, I couldn't find any obvious reason for the agitation, such as trouble with the reading or frustration with a game or activity and could only conclude that, for her, with some sensory issues, it was too much input.

I think for kids at the same reading level as Emmy who are not dealing with sensory issues would find this to be very fascinating and engaging! It's a great alternative to non-educational computer and video games!

You can go to Ooka Island's website for more information and to watch videos about how their program is used!





You can go here for information on a free 14-day trial!

You can read more reviews from the TOS Crew on the Ooka Island program here!

Disclaimer: We were sent this program for FREE in exchange for my honest review on this blog. No other compensation was received. All opinions on this blog are my own.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

*Almost* Wordless Wednesday


I love this pic - her grip, her joy, her "Grandma" look.

Angie Allen
Dec. 17,1920- Oct. 26, 2011

We love you and miss you!

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