Z is for Zoo + Free Printable

It's been a long while since my last post but I figured I should definitely get the last letter in! Z is for zoo. Here's a few activities for you and your kiddos when learning about zoo animals or taking a field trip to the zoo! 

Before your zoo trip check  out some of the books from this great list compiled by Learning Page. 

Where Will You Be Sunday morning?

I have a quick question for you.

What are you doing this Sunday morning? 

Why do I ask that? Because, I hear things all the time along the lines of, 

"I work too late."
 "I worship at home."
 "I don't feel comfortable there."
 "I just don't feel like going."
 "I'm too tired." 

What are all of these excuses used for avoiding? They are used for avoiding one of the important aspects of our Christian lives, going to church.  

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25 that as Christians, we are to gather together to worship, encourage and learn more about our Lord and Savior. 

I'm not passing judgement, simply making an observation. It's quite easy to make all of these excuses and more. We can easily tell ourselves that church isn't important or that it's just too much work to get the entire family out the door at nine am (and believe me that's no easy task!). Whatever it may be that is used as an excuse not to go, that's one of Satan's many tricks that he uses to keep us from gathering as a group of Christians.

1 Corinthians 14:26

What then shall we say, brothers and sisters. 

 When you come together, each of you has a hymn, 

or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. 

Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

Tim Challies gives eight devices that Satan uses to keep us from church. Take a look. Have you used any of these? Here's just a few that really stick out to me. 

"#1. He makes the world look beautiful, attractive and desirable. Many people profess Christ and see him as desirable for a time. For a while they enjoy private and public worship and do it all with enthusiasm. But before long Satan presents to them worldly things and makes those look more beautiful and desirable than Christ, and many souls are drawn away. “Where one thousand are destroyed by the world’s frowns, ten thousand are destroyed by the world’s smiles.”

#3. He gives you an awareness of the difficulty of worshipping well. Satan will whisper, “It is difficult to pray well, it is hard to spend time with the Lord and to persevere until he speaks to you thugh his Word, it isn’t worth the effort of going to church and being warm and friendly and engaging with other Christians.” Whatever God tells you to do, Satan will present it to you as a great burden or as something you do poorly, and in this way he will keep you from it. "

It's my prayer that this has been encouraging to you. After you enjoy your coffee this morning get moving and get yourself and your family to church for the spiritual food we all need! If you have family or friends who have fallen out of the habit of attending church, encourage or invite them to go to church but most importantly, pray for them that they would recognize the tricks of Satan, put their foot down, and go where they know they should be going on Sunday morning!

What have you done to overcome these barriers inflicted on us by our enemy?  

Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener GIVEAWAY

Last week I shared a great product for homeschool families and teachers alike from Classroom Friendly Supplies. You can read my review of their sharpener. Now you have a chance to win one of your own!

As one of my readers I have a special discount code for you when  you shop at Classroom Friendly Supplies.  Enter the code 3ZKG7 at checkout for a 5% discount (offer good through September 14th, 2014). 

Just a quick reminder about some of the features of this sharpener. 

• A "must have" for every teacher.
• A unique and practical teacher gift.
• Old-school retro look.
• Quiet sharpening eliminates classroom interruptions. 
• Automatic stopping once the perfect point is formed. This prevents over-sharpening.
• Works on standard sized pencils.
• Clear plastic disposal tray for easy cleaning.
• Easy to use (as young as 5 years of age.)
• Sturdy metal frame (approximately 3"x 3"x 5")
• Portable or mounts to a surface. Clamp included

Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"I'm right where God wants me"

I have a college degree, i graduated six years ago, only five days after my son was born. I've had questions and comments about it because I have chosen to be a stay at home mom.The first wasn't directed at me but spoken to someone else when they thought I couldn't hear them. The second was a question I recently was asked by a friend. 

1. "She didn't do anything with her degree."
2. "You have a degree? What are you doing/" 

3 Things I Love About My Husband as a Father

Every year on father's day we take time to thank the special men in our lives for being the wonderful fathers they are! Today I'd like to say thank you to my wonderful husband. I'm sure it's not easy trying to work, take care of things around the house and make sure to spend quality time with four children! Today, in honor . my husband, Wayne, I want to share three things that I love about the man he has become as a father. He's not perfect, none of us are, but I know one thing, he loves his family! So, here's my three favorite things about my blessings' daddy. 

1. He's a big kid

Kids of all ages love hanging around him because he is a big kid himself. Some people see this as a bad thing, but to me, I LOVE it! I love watching him roll around on the floor with a pile of kids on top of him or watch him run around the yard with a squirt gun, chasing the kids. He brings so much fun to our family!

2. He takes the time to get to the hearts of our children

Many times when one of our children gets upset he will go to them and figure out what is truly bothering them. Most of the time I let them cool down on their own and end up wondering what their problem was. This wonderful man though, will often take the time to go and talk to them and find out what the problem was and come to a solution. That's something I need to work on in my relationships. 

3 He shows affection

Every time Wayne goes to leave for work he tells the kids and they all come running for a hug before daddy leaves! There have been several instances where they've almost knocked him over when they come running! As he's leaving they are all saying "Bye Daddy!" and he replies "Love you guys! see you when I get back." I love the fact that he lets them know every day that he loves them.

What do you love about your husband as a father?

Week of Reviews Day 5: Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener

I know many homeschoolers go through many, many pencils in a short period of time and I can only imagine how many a classroom of twenty plus kids would go through! I found this great pencil sharpener and was asked to give my opinion of it. So here is my review of the pencil sharpeners offered at Classroom Friendly Supplies. 

On the site you'll find a variety of color options. Here's a list of the features as listed on the shopping pag. 

• A "must have" for every teacher.
• A unique and practical teacher gift.
• Old-school retro look.
• Quiet sharpening eliminates classroom interruptions. 
• Automatic stopping once the perfect point is formed. This prevents over-sharpening.
• Works on standard sized pencils.
• Clear plastic disposal tray for easy cleaning.
• Easy to use (as young as 5 years of age.)
• Sturdy metal frame (approximately 3"x 3"x 5")
• Portable or mounts to a surface. Clamp included

What I Like

• I like that you can mount it to your table or shelf fairly easily
• The pencil is held in place 
• The clear container makes it easy to see when it's full
• Can be taken apart easily to find any lead that gets stuck inside
• Sharpens very well and doesn't break off the lead
• Fun colors

What I didn't like

• The box had no instructions on assembling or mounting so it took me a few minutes
• It seems rather finicky to get it to sharpen at times. I had to turn the pencil a certain way to get it to sharpen sometimes. 

Overall Opinion

Overall I like this sharpener! It's way better than the cheap ones sold in most stores that do little more than break your lead over and over again. Throw a simple diagram into the box and I'd say it's good to go! Grab one for your homeschool or if you are a classroom teacher, they have a special deal on several. Check back next week for a giveaway for a chance to WIN one! 

Have you tried Classroom Friendly Supplies pencil sharpeners? What did you think? 

Week of Reviews Day 4: "Intentional Marriage" by Chrystal Brothers

As wives (and husbands too) we should always be looking for ways to strengthen our marriages. So many things pull for our attention but it's important to remember to pray for our husbands and strive to strengthen our marriages! Chrystal Brothers has a wonderful devotional for having an "Intentional Marriage." 

In this devotional book you'll find a daily verse and then a quick challenge to you for the day. Something like praising your husband may seem simple but if you're not in the practice of doing so it may take time to get used to. Find something to praise your husband for today! 

Week of Reviews Day 3: "Healing with God's Earthly Gifts"

I had the privilege of reviewing an advance copy of "Healing with God's Earthly Gifts" by Kate Tietje to be released in August. In this ebook Kate lists her ten favorite herbs and what they can be used for. I'm a newbie to all of this natural healing so this was a great resource. After the top ten there is a section for recipes. This includes, teas, detox bathes and even making your own vitamins. 

A Week of Reviews Day 2: "Mark of Distinction" by Jessica Dotta

I have several books and one other thing to review so I've decided to make this a week of reviews! Today we'll kick it off with a great book I just finished. called "Mark of Distinction."

When I was given the opportunity to review "Mark of Distinction" I was quite excited! I had read and reviewed the first book in the Price of Privilege series, "Born of Persuasion" last fall and absolutely loved it! You can read my review here. I couldn't wait to find out more about Julia and what would happen next after the major predicament she was in! 

Week of Reviews Day 1: School Year in Review

We've had a fun year for kindergarten, preschool and fourth grade! Take a look at some of the adventures we've had.It's been a learning year for me with a new baby and two school aged kiddos but we made it through! I also had some realizations and made some changes along the way. I am excited for another year to start next month.

Customize a free digital slideshow

How was your school year? 

Y is for Year Round: Benefits of Year Round Schooling

School's out for summer!!!

Or is it?  

Many homeschoolers have decided to continue schooling year round. There are many ways to do this. WHY would you want to? HOW can add creativity to your homeschool? 

Hop on over toe my very first post on the NEW Fruitful Families website an find out the Benefits of Year Round Schooling. 

Do you school year round or take the summer off?

Used Curriculum Sale

I just found a wonderful link up for a curriculum sale! Take a look here and see if you can find anything you need and then hop over to the link up page and checkout all the other sales!




Fine Print: All items come from a pet friendly, smoke free home. I ship via media mail accept PayPal. Email me at Jacquiel16@yahoo.com to check if what you want is available.Prices include shipping.

MFW ECC Teacher manual 1st edition $30
1st edition has student sheets in back, uses Wild Places instead of Properties of Ecosystems and does not include the 7-8th grade activities.

A Beka 3rd Grade Reader: Worlds of Wonder $8

Primary Language Lessons $8

The following items came from a wonderful blessing called he Book Samaritan. They are offered free for shipping to you and I ask that you do the same when you are finished with them.

BJU Science 4 TM, ST and notebook pages 2nd ed (older orange book)

Saxon Math 5/4 text book, tests and DIVE


I am in search of 
English from the Roots Up
Usborne Ancient World
God and the History of Art
MFW 1st grade 1st edition student materials
AAS 2