My Recent Reads

Mommy's Reads

Wildst reading most of the literature that my kiddos read, I like to read books for myself. My problem is that when I find a good book it is so very hard to put it down. Reading, for me, is a great mommy escape from reality. I enjoy most genres of literature. I prefer to hold a physical book in my hands but our bookshelves are overflowing with books, therefore, I am trying to read some via Kindle. 

If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

K is for Kombucha

Blogging through the Alphabet ~ K

According to Merriam-Webster:

kombucha:

noun kom·bu·cha \ˌkäm-ˈbü-shə, -chə\

Medical Definition of kombucha

  

a gelatinous mass of symbiotic bacteria (as Acetobacter xylinum) and yeasts (as of the genera Brettanomyces and Saccharomyces) grown to produce a fermented beverage held to confer health benefits; also :  the beverage prepared by fermenting kombucha with black tea and sugar

About 6 months ago I decided to stop spending exorbitant amounts of money to buy kombucha. By accident, I left a half drank bottle of store bought kombucha on my counter and low and behold, it grew a scoby. Since then my family has been drinking our home brewed komucha. I used to only purchase it every once in awhile because of the cost and it was greatly rationed. Now I no longer have to put a limit on how much my kiddos drink. Normally, they only drink a medium sized glass a day. Not everyone in the family is a fan of this fermented, fizzy drink. If you are grossed out easily handling scoby's may not be up your alley. As the months have passed by and my scoby collection has grown I have been able to increase the amount of komucha that I brew. Wondering what on earth a scoby is well click this link and learn all about this interesting growth of bacteria. 

Kombucha brewing, yum.

Cranberry and apple kombucha ready to enjoy!

Brewing tea, ready to start a new batch of kombucha.

Scoby's in the bowl waiting to go into the new batch.

This post is a part of a collaborative project called, Blogging through the Alphabet. To read more 

click here and here. 

Wonderful Words

Wonderful Words

Wonderful Words is a great workbook that combines phonics, grammar, reading, and vocabulary to give your 2nd grader a great learning tool in one workbook. This is a perfect supplement to go along with your current curriculum. This workbook is geared for the 2nd grader, ages 7-8. 

In this workbook you child child will cover:

spelling patterns: endings

prefixes and suffixes

vocabulary 

sty-pen-dous syllables

vowels and diphthongs

I found this workbook to be a great compliment to go along with our current curriculum. The workbook highlights major skills that aid in helping the younger student succeed. This workbook was helpful in pinpointing areas and gaps in my student's current curriculum that needed a bit more attention. My 2nd grader was challenged. She liked and even asked to do pages in the workbook. This workbook would be great for use in the summer to review concepts learned throughout the previous school year.

The publisher has crafted the workbook to be fun for the student. There is adequate explanation and practice given without being overwhelming. I would highly recommend this workbook. 

To find more great products you can go to Education.com or doverpublications.com. 

I received a copy of this workbook for my honest review. 

Grieving the Child I Never Knew

Grieving The Child I Never Knew ~ A Devotional for Comfort in the Loss of Your Unborn or Newly Born Child, written by Kathe Wunnenberg, and published by Zondervan is a fitting gift for anyone who has endured the loss of a baby.

There are no perfect words to comfort a mother when she looses a baby in miscarriage, stillbirth, or soon after birth. This book is written by a mother who has known the pain of loss and the comfort that can only be found in God. Every mother prays that she will never have to endure such a devastating lose. Kathe Wunnenberg, with wisdom and compassion, guides the hurting mother as she journeys the path of loosing a baby that she never got to know.

The book consists of 7 chapters:

1. Hiding
2. Suffering
3. Questioning 
4. Forgiving
5. Relating
6. Seeking
7. Sharing Your Story 

Each devotional starts with scripture, followed by some reading, a prayer, and ends with questions with space provided to record answers and thoughts.

Having myself lost six children to miscarriage, I am familiar with the pain that such loss brings. I have many dear friends that have endured stillbirth, third trimester miscarriage, and loss of their baby within days of giving birth. When emotions are raw, your heart is breaking, just breathing and eating is a chore, and you cannot imagine ever being able to move forward, sometimes the best gift that you can give is prayer, a hug, and a book such as Grieving The Child I Never Knew.

This book can be purchased on Amazon.

Disclaimer:

I recieved this book for free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255. 

Brag Moment

Every once in awhile I love to post a "brag post" about my kiddos. Too often, as a homeschooler, we doubt that we are making the cut. I often ask myself, "Am I giving my child everything they need academically to succeed." No education is perfect. It is in moments like today that I know I am doing something right, LOL. This morning my 7 year old, 2nd grader took her spelling test and made a 100%. Not only was she giddy excited but so was I!!

Museum of Biblical Arts

Today our family had the privilege of visiting the Museum of Biblical Arts. It was truly spectacular. There was so much to take in and see. From the paintings, sculptures, Bibles, murals, and religious items, one could easily spend a good part of a day looking through everything displayed. One of my favorite pieces was Tapestry of the Centuries by Vladimir Gorsky.

We had a guide that took us around most of the museum explaining what we were looking at.