Kinderbach ~ TOS Review

Kinderbach is a unique method of teaching very young children to actually PLAY PIANO, read NOTES, learn INTERVALS, RHYTHM & music PATTERNS. Kinderbach uses playful characters to teach note reading, rhythm, singing, and composition.





I've always admired people who can play any musical instrument, especially the piano. I never learned myself, but through this great review, I can help teach my children and learn in the process. The program is designed for children ages 3-7.


Kinderbach is fun for the kids, while they are learning. Very important....who wants to learn something that you don't love? My kids all love music and my 2 (almost 3) year old LOVES to make music, of any kind. He didn't quite get the whole concept, but the boy has rhythm and he did a great job in my opinion, even though I didn't know anything about piano before this.





Are you interested in having your little ones learn piano? This would be a great program to look into! You can even try it now for FREE! Ready to dive in? You can purchase piano lessons online for as low as $7.99 a month! This is for a 1 year membership, which equals out to $95.88 one-time payment. You can also opt for a monthly membership for only $19.99. There are other options available for you as well, such as the DVD's. You can check them out here on the website. That is cheaper than private lessons! What are you waiting for? Give your children the gift of knowledge, learning and most importantly, FUN!






Interested in what the other Crew members had to say about Kinderbach? Check out their reviews here.



Disclosure: I was given a free subscription to Kinderbach in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Story of Swan Lake ~ TOS Review

Once upon a time.....


Maestro Classics presents the The Story of Swan Lake, the story of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess, who has been turned into a swan by an evil magician.  Only the prince's love can break the spell.

I have to admit, this was a little different for my family.  We aren't your typical "classical music" people.  I believe that children and adults as well, should be introduced to all types of music, because what I as a parent like, may not reflect on my children. They may like a totally different kind of music.  As much as I love music myself, I wouldn't want to keep them from hearing anything new that they might fall in love with.

My little boys, ages 7 & 2, gave up pretty quickly.  Maybe I will introduce this to them at a later date and see if they change their minds about it.  My daughter, 8, listened to it a little longer. I had her imagine a ballerina dancing to the music and to think about the story behind the music.

I can't really say we are sold on classical music, but I am thankful for the opportunity to introduce it to my children.  They aren't any worse for the wear and someday, this may become their favorite.........and they can thank mom for playing it over & over again. If you would like to hear what some of the other Crew Members though about Maestro Classics, you can read all about it here.

Disclaimer: I was given Maestro Classics, The Story of Swan Lake CD to review for free, in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Mile In His Shoes ~ Review & DVD Giveaway!

A MILE IN HIS SHOES

Thomas Kinkade presents "A Mile In His Shoes", based on a true story about Mickey Tussler (Luke Schroder), an autistic pitcher from Bargersville, Indiana, who joins a minor-league baseball team and has a profound effect on the team and manager Arthur "Murph" Murphy (Dean Cain) over the course of a season.

I jumped at the chance to review this movie....anything baseball is a hit with me and our house. There are some great actors in this movie too, which keeps it very interesting.  If you have a little boy, this is a must see.  If you have someone special in your life with Asperger's syndrome or autism, then you won't want to miss this.

Knowing before I watched the movie, that it is based on a true story, made it even more special to watch.  I've never known anyone with Asperger's syndrome, which is a form of autism, so this gave me some insight into that world.

My children, ages 8, 7 & 2, all sat down with me to watch this inspiring movie. It will bring you to faith, give you hope, show you pure determination, and the power of real friendship.  It's a great family movie, one that you will feel comfortable showing your children.

I have a copy of "A Mile In His Shoes" to give away!  If you would like to have a chance to win, please sign up via Rafflecopter below, it's so easy! Winner will be drawn on January 16th. 

General Mills ~ Frosted Toast Crunch Prize Pack GIVEAWAY!

With the start of a brand new year, everyone seems to have healthy food at the top of their lists.  Let General Mills and Frosted Toast Crunch help you and your family out!  With 11 grams of whole grain, 9 grams of sugar and a good source of calcium, Frosted Toast Crunch offers a good start to your day.

My family has always been a big fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so when I was approached to try out this great looking new breakfast cereal with my family, I said YES!  I knew my kids would like it, but I didn't know they would LOVE it!  I opened the box of Frosted Toast Crunch during breakfast one morning last week and by the end of the day (yes......we're cereal eaters around here, it's not just for breakfast!) the box was EMPTY! That tells you how well my kids enjoyed this new cereal. 

Are you craving those new FROSTED crazy squares? They’ll be available in your local grocers in early January, just in time for return-to-school.  You can feel confident you'll be sending your kids off for school with a wholesome breakfast. Want to try before you buy? You can, right here, just sign up and you can win this awesome prize pack, just like I received in the mail.

Your prize pack will include:

• Spilt milk bowl

• Lickety spoon

• Frosted pitcher

• Frosted Toast Crunch cereal



Our Pillsbury Potluck Party

Tonight I got together with some close friends and we had a little party.  Pillsbury was our host!  Everyone pitched in and brought something special that they cooked up from the Pillsbury.com web site. 

Our main dish was these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas,

(not bad........right???)

we also had an appetizer of Ham and Cheese Crescent Roll-Ups,

and for dessert we had Frozen Angel Toffee Dessert.

(My little boy walked around with a moustache....he approved ;) )

Well, that obviously wasn't all we had, that was just what I prepared as the hostess of the party.  The other guests prepared a yummy array of festive food from the Pillsbury.com web site to bring themselves. 

It was difficult to decide on exactly what to make.  When you go to Pillsbury.com, you get lost in the land of Oh-my-goodness! I-have-to-have-that! food.......or at least I did. 

I hope you enjoy looking through some of the picture and recipes here and also take advantage of the special coupon that Pillsbury is graciously offering to everyone.

You can use these ideas and this coupon to host your very own Pillsbury Potluck Party for the upcoming Holidays! 

Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 3 - TOS Review

Beginner or expert, this curriculum will work for anyone.  When we received Artistic Pursuits, we took our time going through it. We didn't exactly start from page one either, maybe we should have, but I believe we understood the idea when we were finished, just be yourself, there is an artist in everyone!  We jumped around, from page to page, depending on what moved us each week. No matter what we did, it was original and fun! 

We opted for K-3, Book 3.  It is used for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades.  It introduces children to visual arts and views art through history. It has colorful illustrations, art appreciation, and projects designed for young hands and minds and appeals to their interests. It is also non-consumable, which is wonderful if you have more than one child, and are living on a one income family, like we are. One set serves your entire family!

My children are a lot like me when it comes to drawing, painting, coloring, etc. They love to do it. It's something they enjoy, so it wasn't like I had to twist their arm to make them do their work.  We did have to purchase extra material when it was time to get to work though, so you do need to be aware of this when you buy this book.  Luckily, you can find this stuff fairly cheap at most craft supply stores.

A few things to know about Artistic Pursuits:

• Written to the student - NO teacher preparation is needed
• Complete art history - Examining works of the Great Masters
• 32 projects in each book include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and more!
• Easy organized system for handling materials
• Sharp color images printed on bright heavy-weight paper, soft bound

:
K-3 Book 2 - Pictured above




The book is broken up into lessons, parts and applications.

LESSON ONE - Part 1, CONCEPTUAL APPLICATION (Building a Visual Arts Vocabulary) The first page of each unit begins with an introduction to one of the elements of art or a compositional arrangement. These are concepts foundational to a successful work of art. They are the topics for the units in each book. Each element is what artists focus on as they draw. Children learn to visually sift the element out from other information that they see.

Tinsley, 8, painted flowers :)

Part 2, EXPRESSIVE APPLICATION (Observation and Creative Exploration) These assignments guide children to observe the topic of the unit within their own environments. Introduced to a variety of approaches to exploring their world, each child uses creative thought, arriving at personal visual solutions within their art.




LESSON TWO - Part 1, PRACTICAL APPLICATION (Looking at Art) This activity broadens understanding of how each element of art or compositional arrangement is used by observing it in a work of art by the masters.

Hunter, 7 (all boy.... ;) ) painted a hunting knife.

Part 2, ART HISTORY (Learning About Artists, Art, Cultures, or the Times) The art history addition helps students to gain a broader view when looking at art and to understand that the ideas of people affect how the art looks. It gives a child the language he needs to do well in art history and introduces him to many artists in biographies. The assignment deals with the topic shown in the artwork of the masters as discussed in Lesson Two part 1.




LESSON THREE - TECHNICAL APPLICATION (Art Materials and How to Use Them) Developing varied and essential skills for seeing and for applying materials, a child considers both traditional methods and experimentation. She gains a broad experience with materials most commonly used by artists.

Weston is only 2, but he has to be apart of everything we do.

He thinks he is older than what he is.....he painted "twirly circles". :)

LESSON FOUR - PRACTICED APPLICATION (Original Work) A final project allows children to bring together the main idea of each unit (explained in lesson one of each unit), its expanded use as seen in the master work of art (explained in lesson two of each unit), as well as new techniques for using materials to create an original work of art (explained in lesson three of each unit.)

If you are interested in purchasing Artistic Pursuits for only $42.95 (not including sales tax & shipping)  for your own home, contact them at:

 Artistic Pursuits Inc.,

2626 East 109th Avenue, Northglenn, Colorado 80233

Phone: (303) 467-0504

Fax: (208) 567-4269

Or you can contact them via email: alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com

Visit them on the web: www.artisticpursuits.com

 Artistic Pursuits Inc. is the family owned company of Dan and Brenda Ellis.

See what other members of The Crew are saying about Artistic Pursuits on our blog crew here!  I would recommend this to anyone who has a child interested in expressing their artistic side, lots of great ideas and you don't have to be a professional to 'teach' them!

Disclosure:  I was given a Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 3 non consumable to review, free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wordless Wednesday ~ She's a Blessing

I remember a little pillow my Mamaw always kept in her bedroom.  It was embroidered with the word "MOTHER" on it.  It went like this:

"M is for the million things she's gave me.
O means that she's only growing old. (but you're not that old!;) )
T is for the tears she shed to save me.
H is for her heart of purest gold.
E is for her eyes with love light shining.
R is right and right she'll always be.

Put them all together, they spell MOTHER, a word that means the whole wide world to me."

I was 6 or 7 years old and stood up in the front of our church and said this for my mom on Mother's Day.  My Mamaw was the only one who knew what I was up to. I stood there with my knees knocking, and as nervous as can be, but I got through it. At that young age, I had no idea just how real those words were that I was speaking.  Don't get me wrong, just like any little girl, I loved my Momma then, but the love that I have for her now, is beyond comparison.  I think back to what I put her through when I was growing up...... I wish more than anything I could go back and do it all over again. Too bad we don't get that chance.

To the lady that I love so very much.

The lady that I look up to.  

Happy Birthday Momma.

Pillsbury Potluck Party

On December 9th, Pillsbury will be making it easier for me to celebrate the upcoming holidays.  I am planning a Potluck Party with several friends so I went to their website,  www.Pillsbury.com and was blown away at all the delicious, easy recipes that are available there.

We'll be sharing appetizers, main dishes, desserts and snacks.  Now that you know about the party, why not help me choose what to prepare?  Here are a few things that I have picked out:

 Cheesy Chicken Enchilada 

 Rustic Chicken Club

                           









Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

You can also visit the Pillsbury Facebook page for more ideas, or follow them on Twitter.  So, what do you think we should fix at our Pillsbury Potluck Party?  You comment & choose for us!  

Disclosure: Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided at no cost by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Cooper and Me & the Winter Adventure! Review & Giveaway

Are you ready?  It's time to go on a sledding adventure with your pals, Cooper and Bella.  This delightful little book was delivered to our door today by our mail lady and at the request of my very cute little 2 year old, we read it over and over again in rhyme.   

This is the story of Cooper and Bella, two doggie best friends who decide to go sledding on the big hill outside of town, when it begins to snow and they quickly loose their way.  They decide to "bark" for help to find their way home before it gets dark.  They hear an answer from their friend Trooper, who was out on a walk and he guides them back to safety.  It is a life lesson about learning together and being prepared.

It quickly became a favorite in my house today, much due to the fact that every little boy loves dogs, and Cooper, Bella and Trooper are such cute fuzzy animals, the snowman, Christmas lights, and the realization for even a two year old that winter and snow are soon approaching! 

Now for the EXCITING part! :) One lucky reader will win a copy of this book!  For yourself, your child, your grandchild, niece, nephew, cousin, classroom, friend, etc. 

• WEBSITE: http://www.cooperandme.com/
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooper-and-Me-Inc/214695101924101
• TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!cooper_and_me

*** Make any purchase of $25 or more at CooperandMe.com and get FREE SHIPPING now through December 15. Must use this code @ checkout: COOPERBLOG.

$1 of every Winter Adventure book sold will go to advance research & treatment of pancreatic cancer, via the Lustgarten Foundation (http://www.lustgarten.org/)

***CONGRATULATIONS REBECCA!!  You are the winner of the Cooper & Me & the Winter Adventure book! Email coming your way! Please respond within 24 hours. ***

ERASELET Stocking Stuffer on Sale!

Just in case you missed the last giveaway on this amazing little bracelet & eraser in one, the Eraselet, the owner of the company just informed me that they are beginning a stocking stuffer promotion today!

All the retail packs on their site will be $1.00 off per pack starting today through December 2nd.  (This excludes the scripture packs, however, they are available at all Lifeway Stores).

So if you didn't win the Eraselets, now is your chance to get them at an even better price!  Don't miss this one!

The Reading Game ~ TOS Review

The Reading Game is a fast-action memory card game.  It includes a series of six beautifully illustrated storybooks.  The Cards & Books work together to make learning to read exciting and enjoyable.

Game sessions are fun-filled with a winner every few seconds.  After completing the first memory card game, the student has thirty words “hardwired” into memory.  On completing the series, the student has a reading vocabulary of 180 words.  Almost half of them are among the one hundred most commonly used words in the English language.

The Reading Game was created by “Wordly Wise” author, Kenneth Hodkinson. 





My son loves games. He loves to *try* to read. He can listen to his sister read and will repeatedly tell me "I want to read just like that."  With The Reading Game, he had a chance to play a game that he loves as well as learn words and eventually, he was reading to me, like his sister. Not quite as fast, but he is getting there, we're just taking it one day at a time. I am very pleased with this.  We've tried several other books, but none have gotten him this far in reading.  He is really trying now!

The Reading Game consists of 6 illustrated books: 

• Book #1, Skunk
• Book #2, Snake
• Book #3, Bear
• Book #4, Penguins
• Book #5, Unicorn
• Book #6, Zebra

The author, Hodkinson, put his product to use with his very own granddaughter.  Within a week, she was reading. Even without reviewing this for myself, with my son and seeing the effects of it personally, I would
have been sold just knowing that his own family really uses this!  What a great testimony for The Reading Game!  When I ask my son to bring a book for us to read, he reaches for The Reading Game now.  I'm a firm believer in this one.  I want my friends to know about it.  It really works!  I know what I will be introducing to my 'baby' when he is old enough to show interest in reading.

I asked my son what he had to say about The Reading Game, his response "They are like gold. I love them because they help me read."  I think he likes them, too! ;)

If you have someone who is just starting out reading, or is having difficulty putting it all together, hop on over to the Crew Blog and read what the other members had to say about The Reading Game. I think you'll find they are just as happy as we are.





Disclaimer:  I was given The Reading Game to review for free, in exchange for my honest opinion.