7.23.2016

Getting Familiar!

Oh my goodness we had an amazing time in Northern CA last week.  We took one last trip before the BIG ONE and boy am I happy we did.  It was a tight squeeze to get everything planned and ready, but it was worth it.  Now when we get into the RV it's like Home, an old hat, just another thing we do.  But, I remember when we first got it I even walked lighter, I was worried I'd break something.  I forgot where I put things and I kept finding new hiding holes everywhere.  It was a whole new world then, now we climb aboard...everything has it's place and we are ready to roll at a moments notice.  A huge change and much appreciated.  Because before we set out on this 2 month long journey with Kaden we had to have some sort of familiarity built up or Kaden was not going to be a Happy Camper, which in turn would make us not so happy campers as well! :(

I would say for the most part Kaden is adjusting nicely, but we still have bumps and hurdles to jump just to make it through the day out on the road....more of that to come in future posts.


7.21.2016

Beric The Briton ~ REVIEW

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2016%20TOS%20Crew/07-20%20Beric%20The%20Briton%20Heirloom/Beric%20The%20Briton%20Cover%20Image_zpswtfjirrr.jpgWe love Audio Dramas around here, we have a whole case full of them in the van.  We have been doing a lot of prep-camping for our Big RV Trip, so I was excited to tell the Family about my newest Review from Heirloom Audio Productions..... Beric The Briton!  To make our experience even better we also received access to special bonuses along with our CDs.  We received a Full Color downloadable Study Guide and Discussion Starter, a mp3 Soundtrack, 2 mp3 Files of the Audio Drama, Beric The Briton ebook, a Behind-the-Scenes Video, and Posters.



Beric The Briton is the Newest story in the Audio Drama collection based on the Adventure books by G.A. Henty produced by Heirloom Audio Productions.  It offers over 2 hours of entertainment with a twist of Character building and Faith strengthening.  And I must not forget...it's packed full of suspense and action!  Our Family enjoys all things History, so Kaden was the most excited to hear that the setting is in Ancient Rome.  We decided to take it on our last 10 day camping trip.  We were quickly taken back to the days of Ancient Rome first century AD, during the time when Nero was the Roman Emperor.  The story shows Courage, Faith and Sacrifice as it follows the life of Beric the Briton, a young man who takes on the Romans.  He is captured and forced into the Gladiator world and rises quickly into a High Power position of Honor....compliments of Nero.  But, it doesn't last...he has convictions when he is introduced to the forbidden Christian faith and he must decide how far he is willing to go to follow orders over what he believes in. 

We did not bring the Study Guide with us on our trip, but I was able to revisit it once we got home.  But, as we were listening the things that caught Kaden's attention was the life of a Gladiator.  He could tell the struggle Beric was going through and the moments that Faith stepped in Kaden beamed.  This is big for him....having Autism makes it difficult to relate to people.  And he was relating to this character.  The roaring and noise at the Colosseum was so realistic....Kaden had his feet up under him and literally was on the edge of his seat listening to every word.  After listening we talked about the way it would have been to live in Faith back then in Rome.  He was able to express feelings and connect his book knowledge to emotions.  

Once we got home we broke out the library card and checked out some Ancient Roman books, several on Gladiators and even poetry.  We went through the Guide and he really enjoyed the extras, honestly we probably should have looked at it first before we went to the Library....but that's ok! :)  Kaden had full comprehension of the story and that shined when he answered every one of the Listening Well Questions.  Even most of the Thinking Further Questions were in his reach, only a few caused a little frustration.  But, mainly because Kaden struggled to find the words or how to not just see Black or White.  The Vocabulary Words and Amazing Bible Verses were all icing on the cake.  

So, what did we think?  Well, we Loved it....I loved the Message, the Quality and the Precious Time I was able to share with Kaden.  All while learning and growing together as a Family.  This is one of the reasons why I enjoy Homeschooling so much.  Amazing products like this makes educating at home easier, more enjoyable and memorable.  I think this would work for any car trip or for down time, while you cook or get ready for an outing.  If we wouldn't have listened on a car trip I would sit out some quiet snacks and curl up on the couch with the kids while listening. 

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2016%20TOS%20Crew/07-20%20Beric%20The%20Briton%20Heirloom/HeirloomAudio-Logo_zps9ifyc6tc.jpg

Make sure you head over right now and see what's going on with Heirloom Audio Productions on Social Media.  Even check out the Special FB Pages for both Beric The Briton and the G.A. Henty Series!


*Beric The Briton Facebook Page

*The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty Series Facebook page


*Heirloom Audio Productions Social Pages:
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Beric The Briton Heirloom Audio Productions  Review

7.20.2016

The Power in Your Hands ~ REVIEW

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/2016%20TOS%20Crew/07-19%20Writing%20with%20Sharon%20Watson/Power%20in%20Your%20Hands%20Student%20Textbook%202nd%20Edition%209781519417763%20copy_zpsqozfdhgc.jpgI love to write and despite my lack of Grammar skills and Technique I did exceptional in High school.  Even in College I was able to skate by without too many red flags that I may not be on top of my game like the guy beside me.  Even though I made it through I don't want Mahala to just "make it through".  I want her to have more opportunities then I did and that starts with education.  This past year I have been focused on what she reads and working on writing and comprehension.  She recently finished Jump In by Sharon Watson and I really saw Mahala flourish.  I saw boundaries come down that had been up for Generations.  Naturally I was ecstatic to have to opportunity to Review The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, 2nd Edition from Writing with Sharon Watson.  Mahala was thrilled to continue further on her writing journey.  I received both the Student Workbook and Teacher's Guide.

7.16.2016

What's Happining....

I'm finished, our route is all mapped out and I'm not changing another thing.  Six times I've rewritten our Big Trip route and I'm finally satisfied and it fits within our time frame.  Now to finish gathering supplies, pack the RV and go!  Just a few more weeks and it will just be us, the map and the open road!  I'm so looking forward to this!!!
The other day we dropped off the RV to get a few things fixed that's under warranty.  It's impossible to believe I know....that we need things fixed on a brand new RV.  Fingers crossed it will be back in time and it wont cut into vacation time.  
Also, I forgot to post the curtains I made for the RV.  I wanted to give the kids each like a privacy curtain and then I did one for the bathroom area.  I don't know how to sew, so I kind of cheated and did the iron on bonding strips instead of sewing.  They turned out beautiful and the kids Love them!!!  
We also celebrated Leslie's 21st Birthday the other day too.  She loves chocolate, so I made her a chocolate and nutella cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  Yeah, I would say that it was delicious!!! 


7.12.2016

ArtAchieve ~ REVIEW

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I was born with paint brushes and a glue gun in my hand.  I love all things crafty, colorful and a blank piece of paper doesn't scare me in the least bit!  But, that didn't get passed down to all my Kiddos.  Skylar is just like me, give him a piece of paper and he can paint, draw or craft a paper hat out of it.  Mahala is my thinker and planner....my creative brain doesn't really understand that....but that's how she works.  She needs a plan, a ruler, scratch paper and swatches of different colors and then she creates a well thought out beautiful project.  Kaden, well he would rather eat rocks then to do anything creative.  It breaks my heart...literally!!!  But, when all the planets align and the moon is just so you can really get into his head by what he creates.  He uses color and materials in a way I never would think of.  Skylar is off to college, so it's just Mahala and Kaden now.  I'm a little too artsy fartsy for my Daughter to truly learn from and honestly my creative mess makes her crazy.  So, I try to get her involved in Art programs that she can learn from someone else.  We keep Family crafting to the Holidays and lazy afternoons.

7.06.2016

Big Trip Big Goals

Getting ready for our Big cross country trip has had it's ups and downs.  Mostly Ups as we learn more about the RV and planning our route.  I have changed our route 4 times already.....I'm at the point that I think we should just hop on the road and just go. :)  The route we are taking right now has us arriving at Disney World on the exact day we need to be there, so there isn't room for a lot of error.  This typically scares me because with Kaden things can change at any minute.  But, we decided if we need to change things up as we travel we can cancel the top portion of our trip on the East Coast....not a fan of that, but it is what it is.  

Our main goal for this trip is to figure out where and how to relocate.  Honestly we are ready for a change....ideally I would love 10 acres with a small house on it so that we could grow and raise our own food while making soaps and homemade things for extra income.  On the other hand we are really considering full time RV life.  We plan to look at a few properties as we travel and pray that the Lord will open our eyes to where he needs us most.  This next chapter in our lives promises excitement.....I can feel it!