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Jim Hodges Audio Books ~ a review

Written by Joy
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Jim Hodges Audio Books ~ a review

Recently, I was sent 2 audio books from Jim Hodges Audio Books, to review.  While we haven’t used audio books much in the past in our homeschooling, I am thinking I will try to incorporate using audio books in our lessons more.  We have thoroughly enjoyed listening to these mp3 files.

Stories of the Pilgrims from Yesterdays Classics and Wulf the Saxon written by G.A. Henty.

Jim Hodges sent me Stories of the Pilgrims for my younger two kids.  For those days that we have been sick and have not felt like reading aloud, this has worked out perfectly for our family.  Stories of the Pilgrims begins with Queen Anne’s visit to Scrooby Inn.  It continues to tell the every day life of the Pilgrims from England and Holland, in a story form.  It tells of their voyage on the Mayflower and of adventures they have in the New World.  This is a perfect story to listen to leading up to Thanksgiving.  The Stories of the Pilgrims is split into 43 chapters and is 4 hours and 10 minutes long.

Mr. Hodges also recommended that my oldest daughter choose a G.A. Henty book.  He has quite a few to choose fr om. My oldest daughter chose G.A. Henty’s book “Wulf the Saxon:1066“.  She loves this time period in history.  Wulf the Saxon:1066 is about when Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England is 1066. William of Normandy contests his right to be king because of an oath previously sworn to support William’s own acquisition to the throne.  The story has 22 chapters and is 12 hours and 35 minutes long.

I was really excited when Mr. Hodges had suggested Pilgrims for my younger children.  I love this time period and love reading about the settling of the country and how the Pilgrims sacrificed so much to start over in a New World.  The CD’s came in the mp3 audio file format.  They came in a CD case with a very nice cover.  We listened to the CD’s in my computer for us to listen to while sitting down.  I played it using Windows Media Player.  Once the program came up, all I did was hit play.  Very easy to use!   You can start and stop at any of the chapters when you need to and start back up where you left off.  I really like this a lot.  You can also play this in any CD player as long as that CD player can play the mp3 audio files.

Once the stories began, Jim just sucks you into it with his smooth voice.  His voice brings the stories to life and truly makes you feel like you are right there in the story with the characters.  Once you start listening to the stories, you definitely do not want to stop.  He keeps your attention and has you waiting and wanting the stories to continue!  The recordings are really great!  Overall, the kids and I truly enjoyed these stories and are looking forward to getting more to listen to!

For the month of November, you can get Stories of the Pilgrims as a download for $15 this month on the Jim Hodges Audio Books website!

 

*I was sent these cd’s to review.  The opinions expressed are of my own.

2012, homeschooling, review, , , , , ,

{31 Days of Thanks} Blog Hop ~thankful and blessed…

Written by Joy
4 Comments
{31 Days of Thanks} Blog Hop ~thankful and blessed…

31 Days of Thanks

Psalm 106:1

106 Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

I am so excited to be a part of the 31 Days of Thanks Blog Hop, that is being hosted by Meg at Homeschoolin’ Mama.   What is the 31 Days of Thanks Blog Hop?  It is where 31 bloggers have come together to share what Thanksgiving is to them, how thankful they are and who they are most thankful for, leading up to the day of Thanksgiving.  Also, as an added bonus, there are gifts being given away! Be sure to check the bottom of this post for your chance to enter for the gifts this week!  I have enjoyed reading everyone’s thankful posts.  I hope you have enjoyed them as well.

I have always loved Thanksgiving.  From as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has always meant being with family and being thankful for what God has given and blessed our family with.  We would all gather at my grandma’s house and have a huge feast.  It was always a family reunion of sorts.  My dad’s side of the family would gather together and celebrate her birthday on that day as well.

However, several years ago, during the summer I was reading Ann Voskamp‘s blog, A Holy Experience and she was talking about being thankful and writing down what God had blessed you with daily.  I honestly had never thought to keep a journal about all the many blessings that God had given me.

By doing this, it really helped change my outlook on life.  By focusing on what I could be thankful for, it took away the focus of what was not going right.  I was a real worrier.  I worried about EVERYTHING.  There would be times that I would worry so much, I would literally make myself sick.  That is not what God wants us to do.  He wants us to focus on Him.  To have faith in Him.

James 1:2-4

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

Worry is a sin.  I wasn’t trusting God enough.  I was putting my faith elsewhere.  I was putting it in man, in money, in everything that I shouldn’t have been.

Matthew 6:24-25

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

I now look at Thanksgiving not only a day in November, but every day of my life.   I have an amazing God who loves me and loves me so much that He gave His SON to die on the cross so that I could have eternal life with Him.  I have a wonderful husband and 4 blessings that I call my children.  We have a roof over our head, food on the table and clothing on our backs.  My husband has a great job.  We have our extended families that we love so much.  We live in a land that we are free to worship God.  I am free to be at home with my children and homeschool them.

Do bad things keep happening?  Of course, we do.  Do we still all sin?  Of course, we do.  It is human nature for all to sin and do bad things.  I am thankful and blessed to have that chance to ask for forgiveness and to do my best to not sin again.  God has given us that chance.

Look around you and see what you can find to be thankful for.  Write it down.  Do it on a daily basis.  I promise you, you will begin to see things is a different light.  A better light.   As long as we keep our focus on God, we will find so much to be thankful for.

 

Don’t forget to enter  for a chance to win one of these amazing gifts! If you do not see the Rafflecopter widget down below, please click on the link.  It will take you to the Rafflecopter widget so that you can enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2012, family, , ,

Teaching Creation Thursday at Creation Conversations

Written by Joy
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Teaching Creation Thursday at Creation Conversations

I am so excited to be a part of a new group on Creation Conversations.  It is called Teaching Creation Thursday.   I will be helping out Carolyn Reeves from Underground Paradigm.  While Dr. Reeves will be doing the majority of the writing and having guests post, I will be heading up the social media for this amazing group.

Each Thursday, there will be a post from Teaching Creation that will help parents navigate a sometimes difficult, confusing pathway about the origin of life and humans. We live in a wonderful world that was planned, designed, and created by God. We want to be an encouragement to you that this can be taught to your students with confidence.  Advanced degrees in science are not needed. Be sure to check out the free resources and giveaways you will find on Teaching Creation Thursday.

So, how do you join? Sign up at www.CreationConversations.com if you have not already done this. Look for Teaching Creation Thursday under “Groups” and click the invitation to join this group.  Also, be on the lookout on Facebook, Twitter (using #hashtags  #teachthetruth and #HScreationThurs) and Google +, for updates and new articles from Teaching Creation Thursday.

We look forward to having you join us at Creation Conversations in the Teaching Creation Thursday group!    Here is a look into what Dr. Reeves will be discussing:

There are two accounts of the origin and history of the world. One account provides a naturalistic explanation of how everything in the universe began. Supposedly, a single spot in space rapidly expanded, producing all the matter and energy of the universe, an idea known as the Big Bang.  Stars, planets, and moons, condensed and cooled out of a swirling expanding nebula, along with energy and basic chemicals. Finally, one-celled forms of life arose on Earth from random, chance combinations of chemicals. Over millions of years, these first living cells became multicellular organisms, which continued to evolve into organisms with more specialized tissues and organs. Finally, some kind of ape-like animals evolved into modern humans. The primary mechanisms for these changes were natural selection, genetic recombinations, and genetic mutations. In this account, God is irrelevant or false.

The other account tells us that everything in the universe was planned, designed, and created by God with great wisdom and power. The first man and woman lived in a perfect garden in harmony with their Creator. Early in the history of the earth, these first humans disobeyed and rebelled against God, introducing sin, death, and imperfections into the world. Although they probably developed many kinds of advanced technologies, most people had little regard for their Creator. As violence and evil corrupted this civilization, God decided to destroy them and the things they had built, except for one man and his family, along with a sample of the land animals who were preserved in an ark. A catastrophic flood covered the world until that first civilization was destroyed. The Flood was a unique unrepeatable event, as was the Ice Age that followed it. A few generations after the Flood, there was a failed attempt to build a great one-world government, and people dispersed to all parts of the world.  But, in spite of man’s rebellion, God chose to redeem men and women from sin, eventually sending His Son Jesus to complete His plan for redemption. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is celebrated by Christians as the greatest event in human history.

 The account of history we choose to believe form one of the basic planks of our worldviews and many of our fundamental Christian beliefs. There are a number of resources and great writers who will be sharing ideas about teaching the Creation version. We invite you to visit Teaching Creation Thursday often to find understandable ideas that will help you teach the Truth of the Creation account.

 

 

2012, Creation, God, homeschooling, , , , ,

so thankful and blessed….

Written by Joy
so thankful and blessed….

 Colossians 3:17

 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 The month of October has passed and we have now entered into November, the month we all celebrate Thanksgiving.  However, I have been doing my best to celebrate Thanksgiving daily, year around.   We have so much to be thankful for.  Even with a week of sickness, several days with a migraine, I can be thankful.  Thankful that I have medicine to help with the migraine.  Thankful I can go to a chiropractor and have my neck/head adjusted.  I just look at times like this as God telling me to slow down and to refocus on what is important.  Good or bad, I will praise Him.

1041. another week with my family.

1042. being asked to help with social media on Creation Thursdays at Creation Conversations.

1043. children who help around the house.

1044. sickness/migraine to slow me down to refocus on what is most important.

1045. new friends in Colorado.

1046. an invite to the Colorado Symphony. (field trip post)

1047. letters from friends back on NC.

1048. encouraging messages from fellow homeschoolers.

1049. being able to help and encourage others.

1050. quiet Sundays at home with the family.

I would love for you to join in counting the many blessings that God gives. Stop by A Holy Experience and visit others who are also sharing their many blessings.

2012, family, multitude Mondays, , , , , , ,