Bonnie Terry's Writer's Easy Reference Guide

Product: Writer's Easy Reference Guide
Company: Bonnie Terry Learning
Price: $17.00US

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was surprised when I was told that I would be receiving a Bonnie Terry product to review. As Bonny Terry Learning specializes in helping children that are struggling in particular areas (math, reading, writing, spelling) I couldn't see how her products would be a benefit to my son, who is actually advanced in most areas. A couple weeks later, I received Bonnie Terry's Writer's Easy Reference Guide. We haven't started a formal writing/grammar program with Liam, who is 6, so it is not something that I am readily able to use with him at the moment.

However, I do think that it is a worthwhile resource. I love how the compact 12 page guide is hole punched (with reinforced holes) and ready to place in your student's English/writing binder. While I believe that my son is too young to receive much benefit from this product, I think it would be suitable resource for a child who is learning how to write formal essays for the first time. In fact, there were times that I could have used this resource during my first year of college and had to keep looking up how to write a bibliography! According to Bonnie Terry's website, the reference guide includes "paragraph writing hints, essay writing hints, steps of the writing process, words to make your writing more interesting, common prefixes, suffixes and root words, grammatical and literary terms, how to write a bibliography." In addition it also includes a section on punctuation and capitalization rules (that I will be able to use with my son soon), a section on writing business letters, and a description of four of the basic essay types. This is a valuable tool for a student to use throughout the writing process. During brainstorming to get the main points of each paragraph down; during the writing and review process to make their sentences structure more interesting and varied, as well taking away the hassle of writing a proper bibliography at then end. If this guide is followed and used regularly, I feel that a student would gain confidence in their writing skills over time and no longer fear the dreaded essay.

For 17 dollars this is a reference guide that I would be happy to include in my middle school child's English binder at the beginning of the year. To find out more about this and other Bonnie Terry Learning products please visit her website here. To read reviews of this and other Bonnie Terry products be sure to check out The Homeschool Crew website.

***Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how we used the product within our family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

I'm loving....

Produce fresh from our garden....



Apple treats made from fresh picked local apples...



Decorating in the colours of harvest time...



Knitting for little bums with Patons Classic Merino in "Harvest".

Yes, I LOVE harvest time....HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY CANADIAN FRIENDS

Nature Friend Magazine and Study Guide

Product: Nature Friend Magazine and Study Guide
Company: Nature Friend
Price: 36.00$ US for 1 year US subscription (60.00$US with the study guide)/ 49.00$US for 1 year Canadian subscription (73.00$US with the study guide)


As part of TOS Review Crew, I received the August and September 2009 issues (including the studies guides that are available at an additional charge to subscribers) of Nature Friend magazine. This Christian based science/nature magazine is geared towards both the young and old with articles, stories, activities and photographs that are sure to catch any nature lovers attention. Having been published for over 25 years, Nature Studies is dedicated to sharing the wonders of God's Creation with the whole family. As soon as it arrived at our door, the magazine disappeared. It caught my son's attention immediately and he disappeared for 45 minutes. Finally, I went off to explore and found my 6 year old in his room devouring an article on the cicada.

"Hey, Mom," he said, "this is the coolest insect EVER!"

Several times over the next few weeks I was met with enthusiastic statements from my son as he read other articles in his Nature Friend magazine. When things got quiet in the house, usually a sign of mischief making, I was often surprised to find Liam looking for words in the word searches or the hidden images peppered throughout the magazine. My son read the magazine from cover to cover and then back again. He especially loved the activities included in the study guide (and didn't believe me when I said that they were there to help him see how much he'd learned from the magazine).

As a parent, I appreciated that the articles were easy to read without being dumbed down. The physical quality of the magazine is also really good, with the pages being able to withstand repeated turning and less than gentle flipping from two, sometimes over eager, children. The quality of the photography is also really superior and captures the splendor of this world we've been given. As an aspiring photographer, I really enjoyed the photo critique section that is included in the study guide as well.

I believe that this magazine would be a nice addition to any Christian family's science curriculum. For those that are hoping to avoid the topic of evolution and the question "what do they mean by millions of years ago?" this is a good resource. However, I would not particularly recommend it for families that do not believe in God's Creation theory. There are other magazines out there that would likely cater better to your families needs. The articles are indeed very informative and most can stand alone without mention of creation but the overall feel of the magazine is Christian and may be uncomfortable for some more secular readers.

As a Canadian, I would have a hard time justifying the 73.00$US subscription (including the study guide) but that is likely because I am not specifically looking for Christian content when selecting a science curriculum (we've decided to present both theories to our children and have them decide for themselves which they believe). I find that the American cost is more reasonable at 3 dollars an issue. For 2 dollars an issue, the additional study guide is nice to have but not necessary. There are activities (crosswords, word searches, and a "You can draw..." secotion) in the magazine. Both my son and I enjoyed the extras that the 2 dollars provided but still would have gained a lot from the magazine without it.

To summarize, I believe that this is one of the only creation based science magazines out there currently, and with 25 plus years of dedication to their beliefs, I think that Nature Friend magazine is a magazine that is worthy of a place in a Christian homeschool science curriculum.

***Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Review Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how we used the product within our family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Belly Pictures-I think I'm shrinking

9 and a bit weeks



10 and a bit weeks



Almost 12 weeks

Still battling all day sickness (and really, REALLY hope that this is the peak because I feel NASTY). We did get to see the little bean on u/s and they confirmed a mid April(ish) due date. (So yes, those of you that we've sworn to secrecy (AKA Grandma and Grandpa) you can tell the family now (and I'll send the u/s pic if you can send me an e-mail...I don't know what happened to your e-mail address)).

I'll only be updating the blog with belly pictures every 2 or 3 weeks (but I will take them weekly and post all 3). I frankly got tired of seeing my belly on facebook (my blog posts link automatically).

That's about it for now!

Nutrition 101: Choose Life

Product: Nutrition 101: Choose Life
Company: Growing Healthy Homes
Price: CD-ROM $79.95 US, printed book $99.95, combination CD-ROM/book $129.95

As someone who has trained to become a natural health consultant/practitioner, as well as a holistic doula, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review Nutrition 101: Choose Life by Growing Healthy Homes. This complete nutrition curriculum is certainly impressive in it's 448 page grandeur. Combining the knowledge of a naturopathic doctor with a home economics teacher, a homeschooling mother and a communications specialist and you get a wining combination. This curriculum includes six units, with four chapters per section. Units include:

• The Brain and Nervous System,


• The Digestive System,


• The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory and Visual Systems


• The Muscular and Skeletal systems


• The Cardiovascular and Immune System,


• The Endocrine System and Emotions (which, if you ask me, often gets left out entirely or gets a short little blurb).

The book has a text book feel to it with numerous diagrams, full colour pictures, an in depth index and numerous appendices (with tons of supplementary material). However, it is so much more than just a science/health text book. It has numerous hands on activities (both for older and younger children), recipes, and discussion/review questions for each chapter. It doesn't just tell you what to eat, but it tells you why these foods are so good for you. On the flip side, it also explains why junk food is not good for for you and goes more in depth than "sugar will rot your teeth," or "chips will make you fat." With scripture integrated into the text, this book definitely takes a Christian  perspective. That being said, I know that readers to my blog that are secular in belief would also find a great value in this book.

I will admit that I have not used this product with my children yet because it is so massive and there is nothing that I enjoy less than sitting at the computer trying to read information/prepare class. We've also just finished a unit on the human body as a system over the summer so I wanted to focus on some different science topics for a while. Even though my children are still quite young, 4 and 6, I think that this curriculum can be modified and used to teach even the youngest child about proper nourishment and our marvelous human body. I plan on ordering the printing copy of this curriculum and using it repeatedly for years to come (in a variety of different subjects- health/physical education, biology/science, home economics).

I would highly recommend this product, however, I would recommend spending the extra money and buying the hard copy version of the book. The extra $20 dollars is worth it because this book in one that you'll want to hold in your hands and refer back to periodically. The cost of printing/binding the book from the e-book version would cost those extra $20. I would recommend saving yourselves the hassle by ordering the book.

This is a book that I wish was used during my training as a natural health consultant. It is nearly as complete as a college nutrition guide and certainly less dry than the texts that I was required to read! I do not think that you would be disappointed with this purchase! For further information visit Growing Health Homes website.

To view other crew members reviews click here.

The Quarter Mile Math

Product: The Quarter Mile Math Level 1,2, and 3 Bundle (Standard Version)
Company: Barnum Software
Price: $89.95 US

Through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I was given the opportunity to review The Quarter Mile Math software by Barnum Software. The computer program is designed to self-challenge your student as he races his dragster/riderless horse faster and faster towards the finish line by answering a series of math questions on his choice of topic. The goal is to answer more questions correctly and at shorter intervals to finish the race at faster and faster speeds (the students best five scores are saved and become the racing times for the other dragsters/horses the student competes with). With the level 1, 2, and 3 bundle there are no shortages of questions (70, 000+ to answer). With topic from keyboarding skills, operations with whole numbers and integers, all the way to prealgebra there is something for all students from Kindergarten right up through grade 9. This makes the program particularly suitable for families with multiple children at different grade levels.

Unfortunately, I was unable to review the deluxe version of this software that most crew members had the opportunity to review. The deluxe version requires an internet connection which I not longer have on my PC and unfortunately, the software (both the standard and the deluxe version) does not run on newer Mac operating systems. The deluxe version allows parents and teachers to easily track their student's progress through each topic that was lacking in the standard version. According to The Quarter Mile Math website the deluxe version has a single screen that shows....

* All topics in which the student has practiced.
* Their chronological progress in each topic.
* The number of races completed daily in each topic plus grand totals.
* The number of correct answer completed daily in each topic plus grand totals.

To get the same information on the standard version one has to select each topic and subject individually to see if their student has worked on that material (unless of course you are writing down what your student is practicing....in which case you'd still have to check each subject individually to see your student's progress). I found this to be time consuming and a bit of a chore and would recommend the Deluxe version for their membership fee (from $2.95 per month to $34.95 for 2 years) for this reason. To see what other Crew Members have to say about The Quarter Mile Math here.

While I think that this program could be beneficial to students that enjoy mental math and flashcards, I do have to admit that it did not work very well for my family. Liam had no desire to try and beat his best racing times. He told me the games were "too easy" and that they always asked the same questions. He just did not get into it. I believe that because he is a avid gamer he didn't find simple graphics of The Quarter Mile Math enough to hold his attention. My son also prefers games (including educational games) with a storyline (trying to find clues to solve a mystery for example) and word-problems, as opposed to just answering simple math questions so this game format didn't appeal to him. In addition, our math program also relies heavily on manipulatives, taking the time to understand math concepts and playing lots of interactive games together. There's never a rush to try to answer questions as quickly as possible. Personally I am not a fan of drilling math facts into my students and Liam didn't seem to appreciate it either. I do think that many, many children do like racing type games and would be excited to try to beat their scores (I really appreciate the self-challenge factor of the software) but at the time it is not a program that I will be using on a regular basis with my son.

I do invite you to visit the sites of other crew members to get other opinions on this product because many families really did enjoy it.

9 weeks (and a bit)

Okay, so maybe it WASN'T bloating!

Yes, I am still HUGE (for how far along I'm supposed to be). Given that I have a tad more energy (a tad) and I am wee bit less sick (wee bit) I am thinking I may actually be a month ahead of my dates. I actually decided to have an u/s scheduled to check so we will get to see the little one next week. It will be reassuring to hear that little heartbeat (as the doctor did not even try at my appointment of Tuesday). If my dates are right, I am going to be really, REALLY big by my typical 42 weeks!