10 years after "I do"

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.

I posted this message to my husband on Facebook this morning:

"I thought I loved you completely when I said "I do" but now 10 years later I see that that was just the beginning... I love you more than I could have ever imagined!"
Amongst the congratulatory messages we received on that post was a question from one of my friends asking the secret to making it sweet. It got me thinking about how much I have learned over the past 10 years about marriage. When I think back, knowing what I know now, I was quite clueless about what makes a marriage work when I walked down the aisle. Sure we had the premarital counseling that is so important but it is one thing to know something in theory...putting it into practice is a whole other ball game!

So here is a list of 10 things I have learned over the past 10 years.  Most of these things I am still learning but practice makes perfect right?! 

1. First and foremost, keep God at the centre of the marriage.
2. My husband is always on my team. He is not my enemy...even when we don't see eye to eye.
3. Honesty is always the best policy.
4. If I want my spouse to be honest and openly communicate with me, I have to create/maintain the right environment for that.  I have listen without judgement no matter what is being said.  
5. I don't always have to be right. (still working on that one :)
6. Conflict is an opportunity for growth.
7. Don't try to change your spouse.  Pray for God to change them but pray more for God to give you the grace to accept them as they are.  
8. Be willing to overlook the little things... when it comes to our spouses faults or our own pet peeves, we tend to go through the dating stage with our eyes shut tight and then when we get married our eyes are wide open.  It should be the other way around!
9. Marriage is not 50/50.  It's not even each person always giving 100% (can you really give 100% 100% of the time?)  Sometimes it might be 20/80 and other times it might be 80/20.  The main thing is being willing to pick up the slack when necessary.
10. As much as you love your children, they do not come before your marriage.  A healthy marriage will make healthy kids.  Make sure your kids know that mommy and daddy are a team.

So Sweetie, I look forward to learning so much more as we continue this journey together...

 

Book Review: The Pirate Queen

The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

Treasure is found in the most unlikely places. The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. Her husband is a successful plastic surgeon--and a philanderer. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life. Saphora’s departure is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home, and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying. Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender as he fights his illness. They relocate, at his insistence, to their coastal home in Oriental—the same house she had chosen for her private getaway. When her idyllic retreat is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined. As she gropes for evidence of God's presence amid the turmoil, can she discover that the richest treasures come in surprising packages? 

I was given the e-book version of this book to review by Waterbrook Multnomah. I had never hear of the author, Patricia Hickman, but the description sounded interesting. I was drawn in after the first few chapters. Hickman's writing style makes the characters come to life and the plot while starting off seemingly predictable takes several unexpected twists which keeps you turning the pages.  There were times I laughed, times I got mad, and times I cried.  I definitely didn't want to put it down.   For me that makes it really good read.

Throughout the book, the themes of forgiveness and grace were woven together in a captivating story which was uplifting and encouraging and pointed toward experiencing God's presence in the midst of pain.  The gospel, the redeeming message of Christ,  was clearly presented and was well positioned in the plot.  My favourite character had to be Tobias,  the young boy who unknowingly helps to change Saphora's outlook on life.  His positive attitude and determination while faced with huge trials was a challenging example of how to live life fully no matter what you are faced with.   

I will definitely be looking for more titles by Patricia Hickman.. especially if I get that Kindle on my wish list (hint, hint my dear hubby:)

Disclaimer: I received this book (e-book version) from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this honest review.

 

Ooka Island: A Review

For the past month Eden has been battling Fliggs (FLying Pigs), rescuing Elves, collecting mist, wandering through sound caves, hanging out in a Popcorn Library, playing in a Pencil Playground, skating down an Alphabet Mountain, and looking for books in a submarine.

     Sounds like fun?
                     Let me introduce you to Ooka Island!

We were given a copy of this downloadable online adventure to review but before I tell you what I think of it here is some information found on their website which will tell you a little about it:

Ooka Island is an online adventure based on a dynamic, individualized, and adaptive reading curriculum that will keep children captivated and develop their literacy skills along the way.

The Ooka Island Adventure starts with 20 minutes of guided play where the player is guided through a customized learning path through the 7 activities on Ooka Island. After 20 minutes of guided play the player unlocks the next book on the Book Path, reads the book in the Popcorn Library and completes the comprehension and vocabulary activities. The player is then rewarded with 8 minutes of free play where the player can play in any unlocked activity on the Island, purchase items in the Mist Mart, or play with their Ooka Elf friends in the Pencil Playground.

The Ooka Island Adventure is embedded with an innovative learning algorithm that adapts game play according to each child’s needs. If a child struggles with any skill being taught, they are rerouted to an activity where that same skill is presented in a different way. This pattern is repeated until the child has mastered the particular skill.

The Ooka Island Adventure is accessed online but not through a web browser, so players are never directed outside of the game to other websites or to outside content.

After being Ooka Island Adventurers for a month now, I can tell you that we love it.   It is designed for Pre-K to Grade 2 but since Eli (grade 1) is reading quite fluently I decided to use the program for Eden (pre-K) who wasn't reading but was becoming more interested in reading.  She knew all her letters and the sounds and was getting the concept of putting letter sounds together.  So Ooka Island came at the perfect time. From the first day, entering the "Cave of Sounds" she was excited.  I think she was thrilled to have a program that was hers (the boys have had the chance to review a couple of programs that have been above her level).  After I sat with her for a few days, she was able to maneuver through the program quite well on her own.  Her favourite part is getting to the Popcorn Library and having the book read to her.  She likes to log on and go straight to the library to read the books that have already been unlocked.  After a month she has unlocked 16 books and there are 85 in total so we have plenty more Ooka Island ahead of us.  She also,  in true girl fashion, loves shopping in the Mist Mart for new clothes, shoes and accessories for her avatar.

I like that the program moves at her pace, and if she is struggling with a skill, it repeats (without it feeling repetitive)  it until she gets it.   It has built her confidence in reading and she is now trying to read any book she picks up (including mine:).   I like that she doesn't always have to do the full 20 minutes as the program will pick up where she left off.  I am impressed with the thought and planning that has obviously gone into the development of this program.  We had a few installation issues and compatibility issues (it's a newly released program) but the customer service representative I dealt with was always efficient and knowledgeable.

Would I recommend the program?   Yes, if you have an emerging or early reader who loves technology,  give it a try.  There are several pricing options available and they are even offering a 30% discount to celebrate their launch so now is a great time to explore the island.






I participated in this review as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Team.   Click here to see what my crewmates  are saying about Ooka Island.


Disclaimer:  As a TOS Reviewer I was given a free 6 month subscription in exchange for my honest (positive or otherwise) opinion of the product.

 

Week in Review: Alligators, scavenger hunts and a few loose screws!

It took a couple of weeks, but it seems like we are back in the swing of things!  We had a great week of school last week.  I think it was partly because I realized that I was trying to do too much, trying to pack too much into our day.  In the process I was stressing the kids out, stressing myself out and no one was enjoying school.  I tend to be a "check all the boxes, scheduled person" and while that is a good thing I am also learning to be more flexible and spontaneous in my approach to homeschooling.
I cut back on some of the individual work for each child and focused more on group activities which I could adapt for each child's ability.  We covered everything I wanted to cover and the kids enjoyed learning... a win/win in my book!!  Here's a look at some of the things we did through the week:

Reading

We finished reading The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill for our group time reading.  It was a great story about a young boy who decides that he would make and sell his own toothpaste because the brand named toothpaste was too expensive.  By selling his for less he ends up making a million dollars.  Some of the themes in the book were over the kids heads but they did enjoy it.  It opened up discussion about economics, discrimination and entrepreneurship which I look forward to revisiting when we read it again in the future.

Micaiah completed Praire School by Avi and Keep the Lights Burning, Abby by Peter & Connie Roop.  Eli is moving quickly through his All About Reading Readers and looking forward to moving on to "harder" books. 


Mathematics
The kids are loving the Mathtacular DVD's we bought to supplement/ reinforce their math programs.  The quirky clips use real life examples of mathematics so they can see how math is practical and necessary.

We played a few math games this week including "Hungry Alligator"  to help Eli with the concept of greater than and less than.   Micaiah and Eden each had a stack of cards (regular playing cards using just the number cards) face down.  The flipped over cards one at a time and Eli had to use the correct alligator  to show less than or greater than. I printed the alligators from here.

We also played a few rounds of parking lot using our Education Cubes to help Eden with number recognition.

History
This week we covered the the life of Moses and the Israelites leaving Egypt so I drew out the map of Egypt, Canaan, the Red Sea on a big board and we used Playmobile figures and other props to tell the story of the 10 plagues and the crossing through the Red Sea.

Practical Life

Eli who loves anything to do with tools had fun taking apart our broken steam cleaner.  He spent over an hour exploring the different wires and parts of the motor.

I had to go to the grocery store on Friday.. I NEVER take all 4 kids with me unless it is for 2 or 3 things and even then I try to avoid it!  BUT it was unavoidable this week.. not only did I have to take all 4, I also had to do a full week's shopping!!!! In order for it not to be a nightmare I decided to put together a little grocery store scavenger hunt for each child.  Eden's was a picture one, she had to mark off the picture when she came across it the in the store.  Eli's was along the line of "find something yellow, find something that begins with T, find something sweet..." For Micaiah I stepped it up a bit.  He had things like, "find something that is about 8 oz, a brand of cereal with less than 9 grams of sugar, something that costs around $4".  They rule was that they had to stay with me.. they couldn't run around the store trying to find everything.  Apart from Marcus trying to jump out of the cart every 5 minutes, the shopping experience was actually pretty enjoyable!

So that was our week!!  Thanks for stopping by!

Pin it Do it: Something yummy!

I am back with another Pin it Do it Challenge! (sorry for all those who came by for the last two weeks looking for the challenge.. we were on vacation!)

The pin I used this week was from my recipe board which I originally found here. It was a recipe for Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf. Remember,  I have a love of Italian food so this one sounded right up my alley! And it was. I followed the directions exactly and if I made it again there is nothing I would change. It was the right blend of seasoning, a great texture and SOOOO easy to make! You can even make it ahead, freeze it and then bake it when you need it. It got 5 out of 6 thumbs up from the family so that means it makes it into our regular rotation.

from "What's Cooking Chicago"

We'll I have to go... I'm in the midst of changing over wardrobes for all four kids... ugh!

Link up below and show us all the great ways you brought Pinterest into real life this week! Happy Pinning!