We can all use a few more hands
Time to pre-order Trolls World Tour. We haven’t seen this yet but my niece and nephews love it! You can currently pre-order the digital download for $19.99. You’ll have access starting 6/23. Or you can purchase the DVD or Blu-ray and receive it to watch after July 7th.
Amazon is currently offering a deal on books! There’s a ton offered, including some homeschool work books! Head on over to see what is included in the Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal. There are over 300 included items!
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
There’s something new for Athens this year! The Star Spangled Classic fireworks display will be held on Friday, July 3! The fireworks display will be launched at approximately 9:30 p.m. from Athens Ben Epps Airport.
In light of COVID-19, this Athens tradition has a new launch location this year and citizens are encouraged to view the display as a “drive in” type spectator experience. Limited parking will be available at the Airport and Satterfield Park. Residents are encouraged to enjoy a windshield view of the celebratory display safely from their cars at the vantage point of their choosing. All spectators are reminded to respect private property when choosing their viewing location. The public is also reminded not to park on the side of roads to view the fireworks. Motorists should tune in to Bulldog 93.3 for traffic updates.
According to Leisure Services Department Director Kent Kilpatrick, “In the midst of this unprecedented time, we are excited to provide this opportunity for the community to safely celebrate Independence Day in a unique way. Our staff has worked to determine a launch location that will allow for outstanding viewing and social distancing. I look forward to continuing the tradition of the Star Spangled Classic.”
The community is encouraged to wear masks and enjoy this patriotic celebration from their cars. Spectators are encouraged to stay arm’s length from their vehicle. Social distancing is encouraged.
The event is sponsored by The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County and Bulldog 93.3.
For more information, call 706-613-3800 or visit www.accgov.com/fireworks
“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.
For more information, you can visit the Moments of Hope website. You can also check out the Facebook page for more information.
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing the product/product information. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I will receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Update: Price is back up.
Wow! Here’s a good deal to keep the kids busy AND reading! For a limited time, you can grab the Artemis Fowl series e-books for only $.99! There are 8 books in the series. Just in time because Disney is coming out with the movie VERY soon on Disney Plus! I recommend going ahead and purchasing all 8 books since the $.99 price will not last. I grabbed them for my kids!
Twelve-year-old Artemis is a millionaire, a genius-and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of the bedtime stories-they’re dangerous!
Don’t have a Kindle? Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
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.
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.
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, 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:
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
