Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 8, 2010

I am excited! On the reading front, we are farther ahead than I thought with our oldest son! You don’t know what a breakthrough this is for us! Remember how I said that there was a disconnect with our boys between their sounds and their letters; well, on Friday night our oldest son was saying words that started with the same sound and stating it just like that – For example he’d go, “rrr-oad and rrr-ock; both start with rrrr.” He did this a few times and I could only attribute this connection to the repetitive online reading activities they have been doing for the last two weeks.

Last night, I found the book I use to teach reading under a pile of stuff. So this morning I went to restart our oldest son with it and he kind of balked at it, so I told him if he could read the last story in the book for me I wouldn’t make him re-do the whole book again. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting that he’d be able to do it, but guess what? He did! He still needs practice with his sounds so I think the daily online activities will help with that, plus daily reading time with me. But for not having looked at the reading book in about a year, he did very well. We even called his daddy at work to share the good news. I told our son to tell Robert after he read his last couple of sentences to his dad to tell his dad that he was finished with his reading book! So we are extremely pleased, to say the least, and excited that the break from learning to read did more good than harm – those of you who homeschool will know exactly what I mean. And again, I am reminded of how blessed we are to homeschool and allow our children to learn at their own pace.

We are going to start our oldest son with A Child’s History of the Battles of America by Josephine Pollard because he loves history … a love he shares with his dad. We also have to unpack our Amish readers that tell lots of stories about family and farm life. Our girls really enjoyed those books.

Praise God for breakthroughs!

Category: Welcome | No Comments »
Tags: A Child's History of the Battles of America, History, Homeschooling, Josephine Pollard, Readers, Reading, Teaching Children to Read

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 7, 2010

Here on the home front things have been quite busy. I gained another client this past week, which adds to the general excitement of things around home.

Last weekend our youngest son ran a fever all day Saturday and three others had colds. So far the rest of the family has been spared. We are praying we remain healthy. Spring is definitely closer and we are looking forward to going to our favorite parks to walk and bike.

A couple of weeks ago I planned out what I thought would be two weeks worth of school work for the younger children; however, it only ended up lasting them a week! That meant Monday, one of my busiest days last week, was rather hectic, but we quickly got enough school work together for at least a couple of days and went from there.

Two of our daughters spent most of the week with their grandmother, who is recovering quite well, thankfully. She still has some health issues, but we are glad to see how well she’s doing considering all she’s been through in the past few months.

Behemoth (our 15 passenger van) is in need of a new battery. The old one died two weeks ago when we were ready to leave for church. It was frozen into its place in the van and was hard to remove, but Robert finally dislodged it so he could put the new battery in.

Other than a little “hostile” situation (or major, depending upon the day and circumstances) we are dealing with, things are going pretty well here on the home front. Still praying God’s will be done.

Category: March 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: Family, Home, Homeschooling, Life, School

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 5, 2010

An Interview with Rick Warren (Author of “A Purpose Driven Life”) – I got this from an email I received from a friend at church. But I did find it online at a few websites with a few variations, which I listed in the resources at the end of the article. So if this is indeed true, it is just too good not to share.

Interview with Rick Warren , author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act – the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, “which is my problem, my issues, my pain.”

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better …

God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do. That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

Resources:

http://www.ccnews.org/index.php?mod=Story&action=show&id=2449&countryid=207&stateid=0

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/17175.htm

http://www.writeforgod.com/rick-warrens-interview-with-paul-bradshaw.htmlm.aaa.net.au/articles/17175.htm

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=96039131186

Category: Articles by Others, March 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: A Purpose Driven Life, Happiness, Interview by Peter Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Joy, Money, Peace, Purpose of Life, Rick Waren, Saddleback Church in California, Wealth

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 4, 2010

Our homeschool supplies have been dwindling over the past year, which is a good thing and a bad thing. We haven’t been able to replace our usual curriculum choices due to lack of finances. I didn’t even take advantage of back to school sales last summer because I didn’t think we could afford to. We have survived without all the usual stuff and made do with what we had or simply bought in single quantities as we have run out. But you know what? Children can live without glue and tape for an extended period of time! Bet you didn’t know that or at least didn’t think it could happen today.

In the past month or so I have used free online resources and the children have loved it. Now it does cost printer paper, but then it is still small in comparison to buying 3-4 workbooks. Our laser printer has been saying for a year now that the toner is low; I am finally starting to believe it! We haven’t replaced our toner in two years, so that expense is a lot to lay out initially, but it lasts so much longer than our old inkjet did.

Our reading book got misplaced – there one minute and gone the next (kind of like what happens to a plate of food at our house, disappearing so fast you don’t know what happened to it). Regardless, I was determined to get some of our students back into a phonics program to see if the brain connection was connecting this time. Saying and writing the alphabet hasn’t been a problem, it’s been connecting the sounds with each letter that has been.

Here are the websites that I have found helpful; our children are asking to do school every day now! One of the advantages of technology, eh?

http://www.kidzone.ws/ – this has been a fun site to explore and has lots of activities, coloring pages, and prepared lessons for younger children. Our children love the animal section!

http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/learning-letters/ib-book-b.htm – I love these itsy books with the individual consonant letters and corresponding story that teaches the sound of the letters too. It also incorporates coloring and cutting.

http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/farm/index.asp – These have been great to create practice sheets for names, thank you notes, address and phone numbers.

http://www.haelmedia.com/basic_fact_sheets/index.html – This has given our children a break from writing, which my boys get tired of easily. It has given them a chance to practice math facts on the computer, which is a treat.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/play.htm?f – This has been fun for the children. The activities are interactive and I like that they can do this on their own, especially when I might have work to do.

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/calendars.html – I needed this so I could print out practice sheets of filling in the calendar, etc. Plus you can choose seasonal themes too, which is fun for the children.

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/days-week.htm – Practice sheets for handwriting the days of the week.

http://www.zaner-bloser.com/educator/products/handwriting/index.aspx?id=4296 – This one we haven’t used too much, but it is on my list to explore.

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/alphabetp2.htm#b – This page we’ve only used a couple of times, as the Kidzone site has been providing for our current needs.

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/ – A friend just passed this along to us so we are looking around this site this week to see what goodies they have to offer.

http://wxxi.org/education/k12/ondemand.html – This one was just passed on to us recently too, so we have yet to explore these videos. There is a general passcode required. If you are really interested, email me for the passcode.

Category: March 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: Children, Coloring Pages, Education, Educational Websites, Freebies, Handwriting Pages, Learning, Online Activities, Reading Activities, Teaching

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 3, 2010

RECALL NOTICE:

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed

“Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality,” or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some of the symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.

The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers’ Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.

For free emergency service, call on Jesus.

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention!
- GOD

P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by ‘Knee mail’.
===========================
Friends forwarded this to us, but I have no idea where it originated or who wrote it to give credit where credit is due. It is good though, don’t you think?

Category: March 2010 | 1 Comment »
Tags: God, Jesus, Malfunction, Manufacturer, Prayer, Recall Notice, Sin, Technician

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 2, 2010

By Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/

A clean neat house can add an additional $5,000- $10,000 to your asking price. Using this method we sold our house in 10 days.

As soon as you find out that you are moving, start getting rid of things you don’t need or use any more. It is ridiculous to move things that are never used to another house. They will merely clutter your space as they did before. Get rid of all of it!!!

To begin de-cluttering, start with one room or one cabinet at a time. Packing while carrying out your usual routine may make it
easier. For example, pack the bathroom cabinet while the kids are in the tub or de-clutter a kitchen drawer while you are waiting for
something to boil. You will be amazed how fast this method goes.

SHOWING YOUR HOUSE

Image: Hordur Vilhjalmsson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Get rid of anything that is broken, old or that you just don’t like. Hold a garage sale, it not only eliminates things but can also provide a little cash. The goal is to eliminate clutter so don’t price your items to high! A good rule of thumb is 10%-25% of retail.

As you go from room to room de-cluttering, organize using three boxes: one for garage sale items, one for things to give away and one for trash. When you take a break from organizing, keep the three boxes set up in the utility room or garage so that when you find something laying around you can toss it in the appropriate box.

Keep an extra large trash can set up in the house. You won’t have to empty the trash as often.

CLEANING YOUR HOME TO SELL

Clutter is visually disturbing to potential buyers. On of the biggest reasons houses don’t sell is they are cluttered and/or dirty.

When you are trying to sell your house and you will be showing it to potential buyers, pack up things that you only use occasionally. Stack all your packed boxes in the garage or the corner of a room. This NOT the time to make your house comfortable for you, but attractive to sell.

After you have de-cluttered, it is time to DEEP CLEAN.

KITCHEN – Clean the sink, stove and refrigerator. Don’t forget to clean the fronts of your cabinets. Wipe fingerprints off of everything, including walls and light switch plates. Remove as much as you can from the counter tops. Make sure that the space under your kitchen sink is clean because everyone always checks the plumbing under the sink. Sweep, mop the floor and empty the trash.

BEDROOMS- Make beds, pick up clothes, clear off dressers, end tables and other furniture. Dust, vacuum and make sure closets are uncluttered, neat and clean.

BATHROOM- Put away (meaning in a box or drawer out of site) all bathroom items including makeup, shampoos, baby toys and toiletries. Clean the sink, tub and toilet. One trick I learned while cleaning houses professionally was to take a soft cloth and dry everything well, to prevent water spots. It is especially important to shine the metal fixtures. Clean under the sink, empty the trash and wipe off light switch plates. Mop the floor. As in the kitchen, the less clutter you have, the better. Keep one nice set of towels handy that you can put out when you are showing the house.

LIVING ROOM – Remove all unnecessary items that are laying around on the furniture including toys, magazines and newspapers. Remove all pictures and accessories that are not adding to the decor of the room, either pack them or garage sale them. Dust (don’t forget to dust the pictures on the walls) and vacuum.

GARAGE- Don’t overlook the garage! Make sure things are neatly placed and sweep the floor. Place all items in boxes if you can. Neatly stacked boxes give a better impression than piles of stuff.

Continue going through each room using the same basic ideas.

If your carpets are dirty be sure to either rent a carpet cleaner or have them professionally cleaned. Seeing all kinds of carpet stains from kids is a big turn off to potential buyers.

SHOWING YOUR HOUSE

Keep a basket in each room so that you can quickly throw things in it when you have to show your home. This is particularly useful if you have children and you usually have toys on the floor. Hide the basket with a nice blanket.

Don’t leave open trash cans sitting around.

Turn lights on in every room including the garage. This will make the house show better.

In a potpourri pot or pan, simmer some cinnamon with either or all of the following: ginger, nutmeg, or cloves. It is best to stay away from strong scented candles with berry, apple, peach or other similar smells because some people find these scents overpowering and unpleasant. Most people do however like the smell of cinnamon.

IF YOUR HOUSE IS VACANT

If you are leaving your home and it will be shown vacant, here are a couple of ideas to help make it show better.

Take a few small terra cotta pots and fill with 2 or 3 stems of silk geraniums. (Geraniums aren’t necessarily my favorite flower but the bright red color works great for this purpose). Place them in several different corners of the house. A couple on the kitchen counter, one on the back of the toilet, or counter in the bathroom, a corner of the living room or on the mantle of the fireplace.

Place a bouquet of real looking silk flowers and small bowl of potpourri in your entryway for people to see when they first walk in. First impressions are very important.

Don’t get carried away by making the house look like a florist shop. It takes just a couple of splashes of color here and there to really warm up an empty house.

Tawra Kellam is the editor of http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/. Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year income.

Category: Articles by Others, March 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: Clean House, Declutter, House, Living on a Dime, Money, Selling Your House, Showing Your House, Tawra Kellam

Posted By Faith and Family Books on March 1, 2010

Didn’t I just mention organization? Then I got an article submission in my inbox!? Providence! It’s interesting that the first one is “Never Stop Picking Up” because it seems that the struggle we face is when I get laid up for any amount of time or am busy working that nothing is like it used to be when I was picking up and getting everyone else to pick up their stuff too. So much depends on us as moms, doesn’t it? If we don’t do our jobs, the rest of the family can’t seem to do theirs…thus, this explains one of the challenges of working at/from home. You don’t know how tempted I have been to save up money just so I could have help with the housecleaning. It doesn’t make sense though with so many of us and our small house. I needed these reminders as I gear up for my Spring Cleaning Fest in several weeks! Anyway, I’ll let you get to the article now…

Secrets of the Organized
By Jill Cooper
http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/

1. Never stop picking up. Try picking up during TV commercials or while you are waiting for something to boil on the stove. You will be amazed how much you can get done in five minutes.

Have the entire family spend five minutes picking up the family room or living room before they go to bed. Set a timer for young kids so they don’t get overwhelmed.

If your family members go to bed at different times then have each member pick up his or her items before bed time. Once this becomes a habit, you will be amazed how much easier picking up becomes.

Image: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2. Stop making messes. Keep a trash can in every room. No one likes carrying one small piece of trash from the family room to the kitchen so it usually ends up on the floor. Keep small trash cans everywhere. In our office we have two trash cans, one next to the desk for throwing away regular office trash and one next to the shipping table for throwing away envelope tabs, extra invoices and other shipping trash. If you need two trash cans in a room put them in there. Make it easy to keep things clean.

Throw that sticky food wrapper straight into the trash. Don’t lay it on the counter to make another mess that needs to be wiped up later.

Don’t lay that dirty spoon on the counter. Rinse it and put it in the sink or dishwasher.

As you’re undressing, don’t throw your dirty clothes on the floor or on the furniture. While they are still in your hand, put them in the
hamper or if they’re still clean, hang them up.

Keep the hamper close to where you undress at night. If it is convenient, you will be more likely to use it.

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Before you leave the bathroom, hang your wet towel on the rod. Don’t drop it on the floor or leave it in a pile.

3. Think ahead. What are you having for dinner?

Are the kid’s papers signed and ready for school?

What clothes are you wearing tomorrow?

4. Never, Never Procrastinate. Keep straightening things all the time. For example, when you put away groceries and you see that the cans of soup have fallen over, take two seconds to re-stack them.

When you put linens or clothes in their drawers, make sure everything in those drawers is neatly stacked.

Pick up as you go. Each time you walk through a room, pick up something.

Stop thinking about it! Just do it.

Train family members to rinse their own dishes and stack them in the sink (or better yet to put them directly into the dishwasher). It may take a while to develop this habit. For kids, you may want to do something like charge each member a dime for every dish not rinsed or make them responsible for doing all the dishes for a week.

Remember Thomas Edison? What if he had given up after his first 5, 10, or 100 light bulbs? Where would we be now if he had thrown up his hands and quit at his first failures? The same is true with getting and staying organized. Keep practicing and you will create a productive new habit.

6. Attitude, Attitude, Attitude. Stop dreading taking care of your home and start taking pride and pleasure in it. Think of an organized home as a special gift of peace and pleasure that you are giving your family. A disorganized one causes turmoil and frustration. Besides — You probably spend more time worrying about it than it would take to clean it.

7. Use rooms for their intended purposes. Don’t let kids get undressed in the family room – that’s why they have bedrooms.

Eat food at the kitchen table or bar, not in bed. This alone can save a huge number of messes.

Fold laundry in the laundry room immediately after taking it out of the dryer and put it away immediately.

8. Be a wise steward of your time. If you see something that needs to be clean, clean it as soon as possible.

If something doesn’t need to be cleaned, don’t waste your time. If there is no dust, don’t just dust because you dust every Saturday.

Don’t overbook yourself volunteering at schools, churches or charities. Learn to say “no”. Notice that I didn’t say don’t do these things at all, just control how much you do so they don’t take over your life.

Don’t overbook your children with their activities, either.

Get rid of fruitless activities. Many of us spend way too much time talking on the phone, watching TV, shopping unnecessarily or killing time on the computer. These are all time robbers when you devote a lot of time to them.

9. Keep on top of things. If you do small cleanings every day, you’d be surprised how much you can accomplish. In ten minute increments, you can do each of the following: wash the dishes, vacuum, file a pile of papers or clean your purse. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes for each child to pick up his room before bed and to lay out his clothes for the morning.

Don’t let the laundry, dishes, toys and paperwork get out of control.

Jill Cooper is the editor of http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/.

Category: Articles by Others, March 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: Cleaning Tips, Decluttering, Disorganization, Organization, Organizing Tips, Secrets of the Organized, Staying Organized

Posted By Faith and Family Books on February 28, 2010

This past week I learned of a FREE webinar with author and expert organizer, Jamie Novak. I signed up. Hopefully, I don’t forget when March 11th rolls around, but I am hoping that I can glean some new ideas about how to declutter our lives in our small living space. I am always open to new ways of organizing and with spring around the corner I am itching to make a huge purge of stuff from our home. With another little one on its way we will need to free up space and I have a funny feeling most of my family is going to find the purge pretty painful, unless we come up with new ideas.

Her new book, Stop Throwing Money Away: Turn Clutter to Cash, Trash to Treasure, and Save the Planet While You’re at It, is more than an organizing book — it offers new ways of thinking and inspires you to change your mindset about organizing, making money and saving the planet all at once. ~Tamara Monosoff, of Mom Inventors

Barnes and Noble and other major bookstores carry this book. I think I will see if our library can get it first, before I buy it.

Maybe I’ll see some of you on the call….

Category: February 2010 | No Comments »
Tags: Expert Organizer, Free Tips, Jamie Novak, Money Saving, Organizing Tips

Posted By Faith and Family Books on February 27, 2010

I received the following book and CD free in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

Danny the Dragon “Meets” Jimmy was written by author Tina Turbin. It is a book geared towards children ages 2-9, although even my older children enjoyed this cute whimsical story. It was refreshing to read a new book whose characters were obedient, respectful and showed manners! You don’t know how many books that we have to discard because of negative character qualities – the reason is those attitudes are catchy, meaning children latch onto those undesirable qualities especially when they are glossed over through the use of funny incidents. We have enough “catchy” attitudes of our own without adding more to them! (ahem…cough, cough)

Danny the Dragon is a neat little book that will require adults to unearth their buried imaginations as the way in which Jimmy meets Danny is not your everyday occurrence! But my children loved it, as well as the CD and DVD (which I will be posting a review on in a couple of weeks). The ending left us wanting more, so I hope Mrs. Turbin is going to write a series about Danny the Dragon!

The CD is an audio of the book, so you moms who work at home or just need alone time to clean the house will appreciate having this tool for the times when you are rushed and cannot sit to read the book. It also contains some beautifully soothing classical arrangements that I am listening to while writing this review! I’ll see if I can’t find a sample track online…no, I didn’t find any, even on Amazon. So you will just have to take my word for it!

One thing I appreciate about Mrs. Turbin is that she has found a tangible way to help the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center:

Proceeds from the Danny the Dragon CD will go to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, one of the major research centers around studying and bringing awareness to celiac disease. It is one-hundred percent focused on studying celiac disease and carries out research connecting it with various other diseases which it is believed to lead to if left untreated. Its goal is to change the lives of celiac disease sufferers for the better around the world, a goal which it is actively achieving, little by little, every day.

Read more http://www.dannythedragon.com/uncategorized/proceeds-from-danny-the-dragon-cd-support-good-cause/

The book retails for $18.95 in hardcover, $8.95 in softcover. The CD is only $8.95. On the Danny the Dragon website they also offer a gift set of the softcover book and CD for $14.95. FREE shipping too on all domestic orders! http://www.dannythedragon.com/buy/

I think I know what my niece might be getting for her birthday….

Additional Resources:

http://GlutenFreeHelp.info

Category: Book Reviews, February 2010, Product Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: Book Review, Books, Celiac Disease, Children's Books, Danny the Dragon, Danny the Dragon Book, Danny the Dragon CD, Giving Back, Kid's Book, Product Review, Tina Turbin

Posted By Faith and Family Books on February 26, 2010

I received the following product free in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

The Supermarket Smarty is a nifty little reusable grocery list – everything is listed right there in a five-fold, double sided card that is approximately 8.25″ x 4″. It comes with a larger clip magnet so you can clip your list to it and hang on the refrigerator, a dry erase marker and a reusable meal planner card. Inside it has an extra blank side for Notes. It also includes a magnifying “glass” or window in the front of the card to help shoppers read the small print in the ingredient lists on products. There’s even a little pocket inside that coupons could be kept in.

The grocery list itself is broken down into food groups and product categories. The creator even included healthy tips and a symbol key, as well as W.H.A.T? Whole grain, Healthy Oils, Added Sugars and Trans Fat – Important questions to ask before buying processed food.

I have found it to be a very useful tool and I really like the healthy emphasis. I usually keep a magnetic pad of paper on my refrigerator so that we can jot down the things we run out of as we run out or get low. This is better because the pages do not peel off and it is reusable. I truly like it.

The only disadvantage I see is for those who shop at several different stores, the list really doesn’t allow you to enter the store name. Here’s how I usually do my grocery lists:

IF
Bananas $.39/lb
Bolillo Rolls 6/$.99
Sweet Potatoes $.39/lb
Advocados $.69 ea.
Green Cabbage $.39/lb

JO
Butter $2.28
Bagged lettuce $.99/bag
16oz store brand macaroni and spaghetti $.99
store brand apple juice $1.88

Etc.

So I cannot organize where I want to buy the items on this list. I still really like this idea though.

The Supermarket Smarty costs $12.99 and may be purchased at http://www.supermarketsmarty.com/

Category: February 2010, Product Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: Groceries, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Tool, Product Review, Supermarket Smarty