Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  The kids and I spent last week up in the mountains and it was a great time of fun, friends, horses, swimming, and more.  The week ahead, I plan to clean, start planning for the next school year, and get my Bible reading caught up.  I’ve been slacking!

Here’s our meal plan for the week!

Monday: Dinner with cousins

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Eggs, biscuits, grits

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Ribs, baked potatoes

“If you change the root, you’ll affect the fruit.”  This quote stood out to me in my first 5 minutes of reading the newly released book, Moving Beyond Anxiety: 12 Practical Strategies to Renew Your Mind by David Chadwick.  It’s no lie that I’ve always been an anxious person.

Written by a pastor in Charlotte, NC, Chadwick equips readers to defeat worry and fear through Scripture.  “Here is what I believe: you are what you think,” Chadwick says “Whatever your mind dwells on will exacerbate emotions. It’s called cognitive therapy in psychosocial circles. Scripture confirms these ideas. Be transformed by the renewal of your MIND (Rom 12:2). Take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Therefore, to change your behavior, you must focus on your thought life. Conform your mind to God’s Word and you’ll see emotions follow. Think. Feel. Act. Win the battle for your thought life and you will win the battle over anxiety.”

Over the past few months, my anxiety has been a roller coaster due to the craziness in the county.  Getting asked to review Moving Beyond Anxiety came at the perfect time for me.  The book is written from a Christian perspective with plenty of references to back up the author’s words.  I felt like everything flowed well and it was quite an easy read once started.

The 12 strategies addressed in depth in the book are:
Focus on Faith
Pray
Fast
Cast
Consider Creation
Ponder the Prepositions
Remember
Sing
Remember Your Body
Develop an Eternal Perspective
Get Good Teammates
Realize God Do Not Give You a Spirit of Fear

I highly recommend this book to anyone that struggles with fear and anxiety.  It is well worth the read and I know I’ll be picking up often for a refresher.

About Spelling Shed:

Spelling Shed utilizes games in order to help students become better spellers.  Spelling Shed has different levels available to correspond with grades and 36 weekly objectives and spelling lists.  As a parent, I can set specific spelling lists and deadlines, but we chose to just let the kids have fun on it since it is summertime.  The kids often ask to hop on Spelling Shed without me asking them to work on it.  As a bonus, the more the kids play on both games, the more points they earn to change their avatar’s appearance.  That’s always popular with my crew.

There are several different ways to play from filling in the blanks, to unscrambling letters, to Bee Keeper, which could be compared to hangman.  That one was a favorite for sure!  Even I joined in and played on that!

The cost is very affordable for this program at $24.95 for the year and up to 5 students can use it under the parent subscription.

About Math Shed:

On Math Shed, students can work on adding, subtracting, times tables, powers of ten, and more.  There are different levels so that each child can be on their own particular level.  Sometimes my children would pick an easy level and sometimes they would pick a hard level.  It just depended upon the day.

This particular game reminded me of many computer games we played on the computer as children.  Pretty simple, but motivating to learn and earn points.

The cost for Math Shed is also very affordable at $24.95 for the year for up to 5 students under the parent subscription.  You can save 15% by purchasing both Math Shed and Spelling Shed.

Final Thoughts:

I really like that we don’t have to use a computer to play on Math Shed and Spelling Shed.  There are apps available for $2.99 each. I also really like that the kids can switch between games and levels with ease.

Although all 3 children played both Math Shed and Spelling Shed, there was a strong preference toward Spelling Shed.  Here are their thoughts below –

Anna: I like Spelling Shed because you can race against siblings or friends.  The hard levels are really hard for me, but it’s still fun to play.

Eliza: I liked Spelling Shed best because I can learn how to spell words through the games.  It’s fun that way.

Paul: I also liked Spelling Shed the best because it’s fun and I like working on the words.  Sometimes I choose hard so it’s a challenge.

Mom: As for me, I just liked that they enjoyed playing and had fun learning.  I plan to continue using both of these programs through the summer and next school year.

For more Information:

For more information, please visit the Math Shed and Spelling Shed websites.  You can also learn more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

For other reviews from other homeschooling families, please click the banner below.

Sam’s Club currently has the very popular Kid-O-Bunk for only $189.99, down from $270! We’ve had one of these for years and it is pulled out often!  Whenever we have friends over, travel, bad weather and we need to stay downstairs, these come out.  It’s a steal right now for only $189.99!  It’s very easy to assemble and can be put together by the kids with ease.  It folds up small for transport.  Here’s some more info:

• Quick and easy, no-tool assembly
• Weight tolerance of 200 lbs. per cot
• Maximum comfort with no middle brace and no mattress required
• Top-selling accessories included: 2 side organizers, 2 canvas carry bags and footpads

You can also grab the large Disc-O-Bed Bunk set for $209.99.  It holds up to 500 lbs per cot!!!

Happy Monday everyone! Hope everyone is doing well.  The kids and I have been filling our time with horses, swimming, and friends.  The above picture was from the amazing sunset on Sunday night.  Absolutely gorgeous!  My 9 year old described it as a “perfect cotton-candy sky” and I have to agree!

Have a great week and enjoy the rain and family time!

Monday: Burgers, corn, salad

Tuesday: Chicken Quesadillas

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Thursday: Chicken and Rice Casserole

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Dinner with friends

Sunday: Grilled chicken, veggies

Now is the time to get your folding camping chairs.  Academy Sports has them right now on sale for $4.99.  We’ve had several of this brand for years and they are still holding up great!  When we bought ours, we got each kid a different color so that way they knew which one was theirs and if one got left out, we knew who needs to put it away.  Works great for this family of 7!

Here’s a gift idea for dad!  Right now you can grab a 2 pack of  Father’s Day & NFL Face Masks for $10.99!  Free shipping for prime members, too! There are many different teams and fun Father’s Day masks available.

My husband really likes these Full Brim Vented Hats and right now you can get one for just $7.49!  If you purchase 3 or more, shipping is free!  Upon purchase, you will be shipped a random color from either gray, tan, dark tan, dark blue, or black.  This would be a great Father’s Day gift!

Chaco is at it again with the sales!  Note that shipping is currently free on all orders!

Here are a few deals –

Women’s Z/Cloud Sandals w/ Promo Code CHACOCLOUD – $49.99, down from $110!

 Men’s Z/Cloud Sandals w/ Promo Code CHACOCLOUD – $49.99, down from $110!