Beauty

I love the ocean.

Old school

Sometimes in life you need to teach kids how to do some manual labor. I posted a funny today on my Facebook about us 'bailing hay the old way' along with some pictures. It has really caught my attention about how many kids these days do not know how to do many life skills, and definitely do not know anything about sustaining life without a grocery store. If farmers die off so will the stores. We really need to take a step back and spend some time teaching our kids some real life skills. Teach them how to plant something. Even if you can't have a garden you can plant in a bucket or pot. You can grow a great strawberry plant in a hanging pot and get some yummy treats from it. Show your kid how to pick up a broom and sweep the floor. Do some dishes the old way. Teach your kids some skills because being their maid will not do anything but make them have a hard time adjusting when they leave your home.

Homeschool Legacy Review

Vendor: Homeschool Legacy

Product: Forest for the Trees

Price: $14-$18.95 PDF-Paperback

Age: Grades 2-12

Homeschool Legacy is a Christian company that uses God as the focus of their work. The unit studies are almost no prep and great for all homeschoolers. These are labled as Once-A-Week Unit Studies because most of the work in them can be done in one day. You use the rest of your week to expand on what you learn and maybe read books or such. These also work really well with American Heritage Girls and Boy Scouts as the children can earn merit badges by completing these books.

The unit study that we completed was Forest for the Trees. This unit study is labeled for 2nd to 12th graders. You can view a sample of the book.  Forest for the Trees is a 4 week unit study, which is a great way to get up and get your family outside. There are family devotionals, field trips, trivia, art, and other awesome things in the lessons. 

A glance at how the week works. The week starts out with a list of books you will want to read for this weeks lessons. Next you get a list of supplies you will need for the week. Most of these things are things you already have around the house. You then get your daily activities followed by your weekly activity, which includes the devotional for the week. There is then some work that includes your vocabulary lessons as well as research lessons. Next there is an art lesson, then a physical activity, and then some type of science or field trip. The end of the week always gives you some "Dad Trivia", or mom trivia if there isn't a dad available. 

During the course of the weeks you will be making a nature journal as well. We had previously worked on a leaf book so this was a great way to expand on it and make a journal with lots more information as well as things besides just leaves. 

We are outside nature buffs here. We thrive on hands on learning and being able to enjoy weather when it is nice enough for us to get outside and go. We were a bit bummed by the last two weeks having so much rain but...mud doesn't always stop us, haha. We did some planting, which is always perfect for this time of year. We also made a yummy apple pie after we learned about apples. We learned so much about how things grow as well as how to start growing our own things. The kids have so many ideas on what we want to try to grow and how we will do it.

The book had so much stuff to keep us going and keep the kids all interested. My "school" kids are ages 6-10 and I did not have any complaints from any of them. We will be doing more of the unit studies for sure. I hope my other christian homeschool families will give them a try as well. You can click below and see what my other crew members had to say about some of the other unit studies.

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I hope everyone is following my Facebook page. I post newt things we are doing as well as lots of free printables for all ages.

I'm trying to get a paid trip for the kids and I to Gatlinburg TN to 8 different Ripley's Belive It or Not attractions. I need 1000 likes in order to do so.

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Minbie Bottle Review

Minbie is a odd looking bottle. The nipple is more elongated and not round at the end. It doesn't look at first sight like it would simulate the breast since my idea would to look like a breast nipple. Though after trying it out I see how it is made because the baby has to suck different to drink out of it like that of a breast. My son took a bit and at first I did not think he would take it but he did figure it out. I think it's more because I have flat nipples which brings a whole other hurdle in breastfeeding. The bottle came with a regular nipple as well as a 3+ nipple that has a faster flow.

Side note my son also has a lip tie that is uncorrected. It hadn't effected his breastfeeding so we left it be. I did have to give him some Pedialite which is in the bottle in the picture after a sick spell. The only thing I noticed was he only sucked the nipple. I am not sure if this was correct or was part of his issue with the lip tie. But he did drink very well out of it once getting the hang of it.

I also liked the wide mouth design as it is much easier to clean than other bottles.

Use Minbie as the first and only bottle teat for your baby to help maintain and strengthen your baby's instinctive breastfeeding technique, the way nature intended. Minbie does subsidise shipping to the US only charging $7.95AUD ($6.20USD) https://minbie.com

WordsBright Review

Vendor: WordsBright

Product: S is for Smiling Sunrise

Age: Pre-K thru 3rd grade

Price: $16.95 

S is for Smiling Sunrise, a book from WordsBright, is written by Vick Wadhwa. S is for Smiling Sunrise is approximately thirty pages long and is in hardback form. WordsBright also includes a free MP3 download of songs as well as two parent/teacher guides, Pre-K and K-3.
This book is very fun and colorful. I read this book with my 6 year old son. He is still learning to read and doing letter sounds. The songs that went with this book are really fun. They are upbeat and help with naming the letters and the sounds that they make. I think the songs are best fit for the younger children that are learning letters and sounds still. My 6 year old enjoyed it but my older children did not enjoy hearing it over and over. All of the pages are illustrated in bright and fun colors. 
We made it a daily task to read over the book and listen to the music. We worked on being able to follow along with the song so he could remember the sounds the letters made. I really like using repetition in order to learn something. Having a fun tune to do it in just makes it that much more fun. Each page has the letter written at the top in capital and lower case lettering. Then in the middle is the beautiful picture, under it will be a little rhyme to go with the letter.
This book I think would be good for any child that needs some help with learning their letters and the sounds. Even beginning readers would enjoy this book to put to practice what they have learned and maybe expand a bit on reading by reading the rhymes. This book would also work with those only seeking secular material. The book kind of talks about the world, but also looking in our inner self but not anything that there would be a specific creator or anything. This would also be good for those that like to sing little tunes to help them learn something. It is almost like learning the alphabet song but you are also learning the sounds to go with those letters. 
The only issue I could see is that unless your child is having problems reading, like my dyslexic 9 year old, I do not see children in third grade range really enjoying this book. The songs and such are pretty well geared towards the younger crowd in my opinion. 
Be sure to check them out on Facebook.

Real Life Press Review

Vendor: 

Real Life Press ~ (http://RealLifePress.com)

Product:
Firmly Planted, Books of Moses, Part 2
(Family Study Guide and Student Book)

Price:

Family Study Guide $9.95 PDF File

Student Book $24.95 PDF File
           Or
The physical set for $49.95

About: Firmly Planted, Books of Moses, Part 2 comes with a Family Study Guide and a Student Book. This is a 10 week study that works for you as well as your child. The lessons start at Genesis 37 and ends at Numbers 14. The 10 weeks go as follows:

1.Joseph Sold Into Slavery (Genesis 37)
2.Joseph Saves His Family (Genesis 42-47)
3.Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 1-3)
4.The Plagues (Exodus 7-12)
5.Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 13-14)
6.The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)
7.The Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27)
8.The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)
9.Choosing the Levites (Numbers 3)
10.Exploring the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14)

The workbook is over 200 pages long and colorful and fun. There are things like puzzles and games in it. Things will suit parents and children of all pages. I received the physical copies of the books though they do have a good deal for the PDF versions.

How we used: We worked on this each day. Starting with reading the Bible passage. Then we would spend the rest of the week reading over the passages and going over the questions in the study guide. We would also do the activities that went along with it. You will need your own Bible for this as sometimes you have to look things up in your Bible as they are not in the book.  There is copy work which helped with learning and remembering the memory versus. These are age appropriate. There is one for younger kids and one for the older kids. We did not always follow the days like planned. Sometimes we spent more time on things than others.

 There are helpful icons that tell you what part you are going over. It starts with The Seed, which is where the topic is presented. Then it moves on to Planting the Seed, which gives the memory versus. All my kids are young so we just did the simple one. Then you have the Watering the Seedling, which is a narrative that I read out loud to everyone. This allowed us all to focus on the story. There are other parts for older children to do as well like Digging Deeper which is just that, you are going more in depth with the topic you are learning. I think this would be good to keep around and do again as they get older and more understanding. 

I think this lesson set would be great for any Christian family looking to dive into a study together for the family. I like that it includes every one and the workbook even provides the different levels as well. I think everything about it was great, I think there should be a bit more flexibility in the plans that it has on what to do each day. Smaller kids may do it slower and the older kids quicker. We spent more time on things like cooking or the craft as well.

Check them out on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/busyhomeschoolmom?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidistjohn

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/heidistjohn/

Be sure to check out what my other crew members thought as well and the other products by Real Life Press.

SEA LIFE Kansas City Discount

SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium will transport you into the amazing underwater world. Come nose to nose with sharks and prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish and seahorses to graceful rays. To get any closer you'd have to get wet! Are you a Shark lover or Seahorse fanatic? Perhaps it's the graceful rays or the clever Octopus that you love the most. Maybe you simply can't decide! Here at SEA LIFE Kansas City you can make up your mind and see them all - from the curious and the rescued to the rare and the enigmatic. And you'll be able to get closer to them than ever before.

2015 SEA LIFE Summer Camps - Enrolling Now!
Splash in to a world of adventure during our 2015 SEA LIFE Summer Camps! This opportunity is perfect for campers ranging in age from 8 - 12 years old.

$5 Off Sea Life Admission - Receive $5 off full price admission ticket. http://kansascitykidsguide.com/coupon.php?regionid=31&bid=11544&dealid=1612

LEGOLAND Kansas City Discount

Explore LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City, the ultimate indoor playground for kids ages 3-10 who are the biggest fans of LEGO! LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City is one of Kansas City's best attractions for kids! Reach out and touch the stars in our 4D cinema, build the fastest car in Build & Test, save the princess at Kingdom Quest Laser Ride, or have the ultimate LEGO birthday party. Plan your family visit and jump into the biggest box of LEGO bricks!

NEW FOR 2015: Come and visit our LEGO Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Miniland Model Display - Now Open! 

As part of the new intergalactic exhibit, guests can help the Rebel Alliance destroy the Galactic Empire's powerful Death Star, experience the epic duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, watch in awe as the Millennium Falcon rises from the deserts of Tatooine, discover the bustling city of Mos Eisley, and take in the busy cantina where the band plays its familiar tune and dangerous characters lurk in dark corners.

My Readers Save $3 off Legoland Discovery Center! - Use this coupon to receive $3 off full priced admission at Legoland Discovery Center.

Code: 1053

http://kansascitykidsguide.com/coupon.php?regionid=31&bid=11545&dealid=1611 @usfg

Hollywood Wax Museum and more Branson, MO

Price: All Access Pass

Adult: $25

Child: $15

My Readers receive $2 OFF All Access Pass - http://bransonkidsguide.com/coupon.php?regionid=1130&bid=11042&lid=13737&dealid=1119
Please visit http://hollywoodentertainmentcenter.com/ for more information.

The place is super easy to find and right off the main road. Check in and tickets are really easy as well. I went through the Hollywood Wax Museum first. The wax figures are so life like, even down to the nose hair. There are many different sections with different people from different time periods. Be advised there are stairs to get through it but they also have elevator access as well.

Up next was the Castle of Chaos and Hannah's Maze of Mirrors. The building is right next to the Hollywood Wax Museum. When you choose to do the Castle of Chaos they do make you wait a bit in line until there are several people to go at time. This was an amazing experience. Best 3D experience I have ever had. Everything seemed so real, bats and objects fly at your head and your chair shoots air in your hair. When you get hit your chair kind of punches you in the bottom. When you slay someone a spray of water hits you. You never expect any of it either. Was so much fun and heart racing. 

After that I went through the mirror maze. It was hard to take a picture to really capture what it was like. Everything looked the same on the camera. It is really hard to see where to turn next! There were people in front of me and sometimes it would seem like I was about to run into them and others like they were on the other side of the building.

Lastly I went and played 18 hole mini golf. I will say on a hot day all the water in there made me want to jump in! Everything was nice and well kept though. The holes were all different so it didn't get boring. They give you score cards if you wish to keep score as well.

Overall and amazing time! I suggest if you are in Branson and want some family fun, or even some time with a friend or special someone you should check these four adventures out. So much fun! Also don't forget to use the link above to receive a $2 discount off admission.