Saturday, October 29, 2016

150 Day Challenge (cont)




I don't know about the rest of you parents, but sometimes I find parenting to be the biggest challenge of my life. My entire goal is to point my kids to Christ. . .but sometimes I find myself stumbling over . . . .well. . . .myself. The imperfections of my humanity can cause me to "feel" like I am less than, or flawed beyond purpose. Some of you may know exactly what I'm talking about. So, I have to push my feelings aside and rely on the truth of God's Word.


It was that particular quest that led me to stumble upon the 150 Day Challenge (we are on day 90. . .wooohooo!) My three girls and myself have been reading the same Psalm each day and then we meditate on the chapter we read throughout the day. It is always good to meditate on God's Word! Then we IM our favorite verse from each chapter. It has been so fantastic to watch what God speaks to each of them as we take this journey through Psalms together.


Life will always throw us curve balls and obstacles that we don't know how to get around, but God's Word remains. It is so important to hide it in our hearts so we can become more and more like Christ.

I know I have posted about our challenge in the past, but I thought I would share some of the scriptures with you that have touched the hearts of myself and my girls over the past several months.

I have loved watching God do great things in and through my girls as we have been participating in this challenge together. God's Word is active and alive and is a necessary part of our walk with God. So, if it's been awhile for you, put down your remote and take out God's Word...He wants to speak to you!













150 Day Challenge (cont)




I don't know about the rest of you parents, but sometimes I find parenting to be the biggest challenge of my life. My entire goal is to point my kids to Christ. . .but sometimes I find myself stumbling over . . . .well. . . .myself. The imperfections of my humanity can cause me to "feel" like I am less than, or flawed beyond purpose. Some of you may know exactly what I'm talking about. So, I have to push my feelings aside and rely on the truth of God's Word.


It was that particular quest that led me to stumble upon the 150 Day Challenge (we are on day 90. . .wooohooo!) My three girls and myself have been reading the same Psalm each day and then we meditate on the chapter we read throughout the day. It is always good to meditate on God's Word! Then we IM our favorite verse from each chapter. It has been so fantastic to watch what God speaks to each of them as we take this journey through Psalms together.


Life will always throw us curve balls and obstacles that we don't know how to get around, but God's Word remains. It is so important to hide it in our hearts so we can become more and more like Christ.

I know I have posted about our challenge in the past, but I thought I would share some of the scriptures with you that have touched the hearts of myself and my girls over the past several months.

I have loved watching God do great things in and through my girls as we have been participating in this challenge together. God's Word is active and alive and is a necessary part of our walk with God. So, if it's been awhile for you, put down your remote and take out God's Word...He wants to speak to you!













150 Day Challenge (cont)




I don't know about the rest of you parents, but sometimes I find parenting to be the biggest challenge of my life. My entire goal is to point my kids to Christ. . .but sometimes I find myself stumbling over . . . .well. . . .myself. The imperfections of my humanity can cause me to "feel" like I am less than, or flawed beyond purpose. Some of you may know exactly what I'm talking about. So, I have to push my feelings aside and rely on the truth of God's Word.


It was that particular quest that led me to stumble upon the 150 Day Challenge (we are on day 90. . .wooohooo!) My three girls and myself have been reading the same Psalm each day and then we meditate on the chapter we read throughout the day. It is always good to meditate on God's Word! Then we IM our favorite verse from each chapter. It has been so fantastic to watch what God speaks to each of them as we take this journey through Psalms together.


Life will always throw us curve balls and obstacles that we don't know how to get around, but God's Word remains. It is so important to hide it in our hearts so we can become more and more like Christ.

I know I have posted about our challenge in the past, but I thought I would share some of the scriptures with you that have touched the hearts of myself and my girls over the past several months.

I have loved watching God do great things in and through my girls as we have been participating in this challenge together. God's Word is active and alive and is a necessary part of our walk with God. So, if it's been awhile for you, put down your remote and take out God's Word...He wants to speak to you!













Friday, October 28, 2016

CrossTimber: Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse Review ~ Homeschool Review Crew

Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse {CrossTimber} Reviews


Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse {CrossTimber} Reviews

With approximately 8 more weeks before Christmas I have started to kick my shopping and prep into high gear! I was so excited when I had the opportunity to review a Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse from CrossTimber! You see, I have a pretty unique name that you don't find in the tourist shops when you are on vacation, or even at the Bible book store. . .I know that some of you feel my pain. Growing up with the first name "Barbette" you never just find your name and/or meaning easily at all!! I used to be jealous of all my friends that had personalized pens, keychains, pencils, etc. Their names were easy like; Lori, Beth, Christy, Jenny, etc. But, there were never any Barbette items anywhere!! My initial reaction to this opportunity was to get something with my name on it, but I decided to use this as an opportunity to bless someone else.


Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse {CrossTimber} ReviewsI have to say that from the first contact with CrossTimber, I have nothing but wonderful things to say! With my very first email interaction John and Katie Denhart sent me the meaning of my own name along with a verse! I have looked high and low for the meaning of my name, and have to try to piece it together from other names etc. 

Barbette is Greek in origin and means Missionary: Citizen of Heaven ~ Extending the Kingdom of Heaven
Romans 1:16 is my verse and says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto  salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

My mom also has a unique name. I decided that I would get her a Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse from CrossTimber as a gift. So, I went in and ordered the piece for my mom, but apparently didn't navigate the website very well, and didn't order what I had originally planned. In my email to John and Katie I mentioned that my mom collects lighthouses and that I was excited to give her this gift and how I knew she would love the lighthouse. Instantly I received an email back asking if I had intended to order a lighthouse background. I had ordered the wrong background and they worked it out before it ever became an issue!! The level of care and consideration in their customer service shows the true heart of Godly character!

Once I placed the order I received it very quickly, packaged perfectly to keep it safe and padded during the trip through the mail service. I want to assure you that these are not cheaply done in "Dollar Store" frames and through together thoughtlessly. I found my piece professionally crafted and beautiful to display.

Now, let me say this. . . I plan on giving it to her for Christmas. I know she isn't computer savvy and doesn't read my blog. . .but for my friends and family that do read my blog, please don't say anything to her. Let me surprise her!!




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CrossTimber 2016 giveaway


To read more reviews about CrossTimber click on the image below!
Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse {CrossTimber} Reviews

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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Middlebury Interactive Languages: High School Spanish Fluency I Review ~ Homeschool Review Crew

Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}


I have either thought or said aloud the phrase, "I don't know how I am going to do this. . ." a lot since making the decision to homeschool my two girls. With them either in high school or prepping them for high school, I found myself feeling daunted and discouraged, wishing I knew the "right" way to educate them "properly." Some of you may feel the same way right now. . .don't feel like you are the only one. It happens to all of us from time to time and about different things. For me, that feeling kinda hit again as I realized that I needed to teach a high school foreign language!! Eeeeek! I took Spanish in high school, but I was rusty, and wasn't sure where to turn for just the right curriculum that would spark interest and be interactive enough for my youngest. So when I had the opportunity to review High School Spanish Fluency 1 from Middlebury Interactive Languages I was over the moon excited!!
Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}

I cannot say enough about this curriculum. I used this with my daughter that is a freshman this year. Although, she had taken a little bit of Spanish previously, it was nothing like this! She was able to dive into this course with all of her senses as she spent time listening, speaking, reading and writing throughout the lessons. As she worked through the course three days a week, I was able to see Spanish come alive to her in a whole new way! That my friend is always my main goal, and was the entire reason I made the decision to homeschool in the first place! 



I believe one of the main reasons this course impacted her the way that it did was the methodology behind how they do, what they do. The definitely use authentic videos and images that help her piece the whole picture together as she learns the language. Context is key when learning new things and Middlebury Interactive Languages hit the nail on the head with this one!

Another big reason that my daughter loved this course is the way they weave in task-based activities that in my opinion, bring the language to life! As she worked through the activities she was learning for the long-term not for the moment. Our homeschool motto (so to speak) is "Learning for the long-term not the moment" and Middlebury Interactive Languages and High School Spanish Fluency 1 was a perfect fit for us!

Within this course you can set up the lessons on a calendar and track grades in a gradebook. Although I use a different system for my daughter, this is a nice thing for those of you that don't usually do formal lesson plans. This will keep your student on task and help you track their grades.

Also, make sure that you watch the introduction. It has a lot of good information in there that will help both you and your student as they work through the course. That is a fabulous place to start (even though we always want to skip that stuff!!)

Honestly, I loved this curriculum. It was fun, interactive, and easy to use. My daughter had fun using it and practicing it. Finding and investing in the right course is sometimes a long process, but that is why I am here and writing these reviews! My goal is to help make your job easier as homeschool parents. Middlebury Interactive Languages is a must have for our homeschool, and would be a great asset for yours!


Click the image below to read more reviews about Middlebury Interactive Languages.
Spanish, French, German or Chinese {Middlebury Interactive Languages}

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