Virginia Scents and Soaps

Virginia Scents and Soaps

When I found out we were going to have the oportunity to review products for this company I was so excited.  As a member of the TOS crew we mostly review homeschooling products.  Imagine my surprise to find this company on the list.  Virginia Scents and Soaps is owned and started by a homeschooling family.  You see, it started out as a fun project to go along with their early American studies.  They enjoyed it so much that the Spargur family decided to go into the soap making business.  The Spargurs researched and experimented until they came up with the best handmade soaps on the market.  They are all natural and made with olive oil.  See here for more information on soap.

I for one like to support families who homeschool, but only if their products and services are great!  I plan on purchasing some Virginia Scents and Soaps for friends and family for Christmas.

This company sent each of us on the TOS crew 3 complimentary bed and breakfast sized bars of soap (oatmeal, milk, & honey, fresh orange, & coconut lemongrass), one shampoo bar (ginger lime), and one sample laundry soap kit.

We loved all of the soap bars.  I am not sure we have a favorite~ too difficult to choose.  I have really oily hair so the regular shampoo bar did not really work for me.  But I do not hold that against them, I have to use 4-5 different shampoos every week to keep my hair balanced.  I do want to try the oily champoo bar though.

Making homemade laundry detergent is kind of fun.  The children think it is really neat to make it instead of buying it from the store.  I really think you should try it out and let your children help.  It is pennies a load and gets your clothes clean too!

I am so excited to try some of their other fragrances especially the holiday fragrances like peppermint.   They also have a pet shampoo bar that I want to order for our Bassett Hound, Rosie.

Check out what the other TOS crew members had to say here.

As usual I was sent these products for free to review for TOS and am not paid in any way for my reivew.  My review is my opinion amd I am not required to write a positive review.

Bible Charts & Maps

The Amazing Bible World History Timeline

The Amazing Bible Timeline is not in your usual format.  I have only seen ones that are long.  This one is larger than poster sized, with the timeline in round shape. 

I am not a history buff, but my husband is.  I found this confusing and not really wanting to spend a whole lot of time looking and studying it.  It is quite large and because of that I was unable to hang it up. I kept it rolled up in the family room.  It was not a very useful place to store it.  I personally to not care for timelines. 

It was interesting to see it all in one place.  If you are one that enjoys timelines you may like this.

Price: $29.97

Right now if you order you will receive FREE~

Interactive Maps of the Holy Lands and Digital Amazing Bible Timeline

For a limited time get 2 for $49.97

See what other TOS crew members had to say about this as well.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System

by Sue Patrick
E~book

Have you ever wished your homeschool day was more organized?  Do you wish your children were more self motivated?  I for one am not that organized with our school day.  I frequently day dream about a "perfect" day, one where my children happily work on their schoolwork first thing in the mornng and are finished by noon or so. 

I was sent a free copy of  Sue Patrick's Workbox System e-Book to review for the TOS crew.  I read through the entire e-book that evening.  I hoped that this may be the answer to my problems.  Reading through the book I was so excited to see some things that I was dying to try. 

Sue Patrick's Workbox system works by helping you organize and prepare the day.  The table of contents includes:

The Benefits of Homeschooling, How We Teach and Train, What the Workbox System is, Who the System is for, How a Day Works, Curriculum and Material, Breaking Down Curriculum for Success, Life Skill Foundations, The built in Discipline of the Workbox System, Problem Solving and Specialization of Your Child’s Education, Family Dynamics and Homeschooling, and Tips and Tricks and Problem Solving.

Watching the video explanation on Sue's Workbox System is very beneficial and I encourage you to watch it.

There are several resources you can purchase to start your journey. The User Guide (which is what I received) is available in either an eBook or paperback for $19.95 or the book with 4 months of consultation with Sue for $119.95. On Sue's website there are several downloads, to make your own materials, that are free when you purchase the book.  If you prefer you can purchase the pre-assembled material kits for 1 child for $12.75 or for 2 children for $24.  There are also center packages for grades 1-3, 3-5, and 4-6 available for $40 each set.  There are also a few different complete starter packages as well.

There are various aspects of this program which I love, but there are other ideas that just did not work for us for various reasons.  I do hope that in the future I will be able to implement the entire plan. 

Please check out what other TOS crew members had to say about Sue Patrick's Workbox System.

Sarah's Wish

by Jim Baumbarger
Sarah's Books

Sadly, Sarah is pushed into the adult world long before she should be.  With her mother killed in a tragic wagon accident Sarah is left an orphan.  She desperately wants a family and prays about that daily.  Sarah is bound and determined to keep the secret her mother entrusted to her.

Sarah's Wish takes place in the United States during the 19th century.  Runaway slaves are in existence as well as bounty hunters out to catch them.    During this time, the underground railround comes in to play creating compassion and heroes out of ordinary people.

We loved this book!  It is a wonderful book to introduce children to slavery and the underground railroad.  This is the first in a 3 book series about Sarah. To read excerpts from all of the books see here. 

Jim Baumbarger sent people on the TOS crew a free copy of Sarah's Wish to read and review.  Not only did he send us a book but he also personally autographed each book.  We also received an email newsletter.  What a great vendor to have had the privilege to work with. 

To purchase Sarah's Wish for $9.99 with free shipping click here.

To read the other TOS crew members' reviews click here.

*I was sent a free copy of this book to read and review.  This review is my opinion and I am not compensated in any way for my opinion nor am I required to give a positive review.

The Jewel of His Heart

Heart of the West #2                                  
by Maggie Brendan
Revell Publishing

                                                                                                         



What a fun read!  This is one I could not put down.


Josh McBride is a new sheepherder in Montana.  He comes from Colorado where his father is a cattle rancher.  Josh is trying to make his own way the way he wants.


Juliana Brady's mother is dead and her father abandoned her and her mother 10 years previous to become a miner.  She is poor and in need of a job desperately.  She finds a job at a local newspaper office that she really loves. 


Juliana and Josh meet and start seeing each other regularly, however when Josh tells her about the saphires he found on his land Josh may lose Juliana forever.  Juliana does not want to be invloved with a man that will become a miner and possibly leave her for the next big find.


This is a fun book that has a few suprises in store for its readers. 


*I was send a free copy of this book to read and review.  I am not compensated in any way for my review and am not required to write a positive review.

Available October 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Giveaway!!

A fellow blogger has a really great giveaway on her blog~ raisingolives.com

check it out:  http://raisingolives.com/2009/10/elefun-and-friends-giveaway/comment-page-2/#comment-4368

Sound of Sleigh Bells

by Cindy Woodsmall

Waterbrook Publishing

GIVEAWAY!!!  Post a comment on this review and you may win your very own copy!!

Hearing the sound of sleigh bells gives Beth wonderful feelings.  However Jonah feels the opposite.  These two Amish young people come from different Amish districts but it becomes a matter of fate that they meet.

Beth is a single Amish girl with a secret~ about her dead fiance.  Will she ever be free of the terrible secret?  Lizzy, Beth's Aunt, thinks Jonah may be the answer to Beth's mourning of her fiance.  Lizzy is worried about her and wants to see her happily married, unlike herself who has remained unmarried.

Jonah is a woodcarver whom Beth desires to help sell his products.  When they start writing to each other some healing flows into Beth's heart.  However Beth thinks she is writing to an elderly gentleman, not to a fellow single man!!

This book was delightful to read.  I enjoyed the sweet healing that came to Beth and the innocent love story contained within its pages.  Although I do not have any secrets hidden, I did appreciate learning of the importance of forgiving oneself.  To purchase your own copy go to this link:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307446534

Don't forget to post a comment below to be entered into the drawing for a FREE copy!

Note~I was sent a free copy of this book by random house to read and review.  I am not compensated for my review.  My review contains my own opinions.  I am not required to write a positive review.

Guardian Angel Publishing

Guardian Angel Publishing

e-Books~
*No Bones About It~the Sum of Our Parts Series
*Rainbow~Sheep
*Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair
*Gifts from God
*Earthquake


I received 5 free ebooks to review from Guardian Angel Press. 

                                                     
         

Rainbow Sheep

This cute little story is about a shepardess who befriends a rainbow.  The rainbow is sad and the girl tries to cheer her up.  The rainbow cries tears and turns the sheep different colors.  Very cute for little ones.  Geared to ages 4-10 years.  At teh end of the book is a project on learning how to felt. 
It is 24 pages.  $5 for download $9.95 + shipping for paper copy.  There are also other options as well, see the link above.

The only thing that I did not like about this book is that I wished that the picture came after the reading instead of before it.  We would look at a picture then read about it and then end up scrolling up to see the picture in more detail.

Gifts From God

This book is full of pictures, scriptures, and sayings.  It is not a story book or an educational book, it is an inspirational book.  There are lovely pictures inclueded with the various quotes.  

I am not a fan of a book full of pictures of people i do not know with quotes etc..  But if you this is lovely and would be agreat gift. (in the paper copy form)  I really do not like it being an ebook, because it was not a storybook or educational and was hard to "snuggle" with my kiddos.

$5 for the eBook download or $10.95 + shipping for the print copy.

Andy & Spirit Go to the Fair

Andy and his horse, Spirit, find some great fun at the fair.  They learn to overcome challenges and become heroes in the process. 

My son, Ben, read this book to his sister and my daycare kiddos.  It was probably a bit long for them (they range in ages 1-4). It was great reading practice for Ben.  It also has a great messge. $5 for an ebook download $10.95 + shipping for printed copy.

Con~  It is really hard to snuggle up with an ebook,  my suggestion would be to buy the print copy of this story book so you can snuggle up on the couch with the little one.

The Sum of our Parts:No Bones About It

Have you ever wanted to memorize the bones in your body, but found it too daunting?  Well, this is not only educational but really fun.  Study the bones, take quizzes, and learn fun little facts.

This is just one of the books in The Sum of Our Parts series.

$5 for the eBook download & $10.95 + shipping for the print copy.

We really had a fun time with this book and enjoyed it.

Earthquake

This book won an honorable mention at the 2009 Green Book festival.

This book contains nearly everything you and your child ever wanted to know about earthquakes.  What causes an earthquake?  When can we do to prepare for one?  There are lots of fun tidbits.  There is even some experiments included! 

Earthquake is well worth the $5 for the eBook.  Get a printed copy for $10.95 + shipping.

Overall these were really good books.  However I am not a fan of eBooks, I would much rather pay a bit extra to get a printed copy.

Do you want to read what the other TOS reviewers had to say?  Click here to find out!!

Bonnie Terry Learning

The Math Zone game
by Bonnie Terry Learning

The Math Zone game is divided into two levels.  The first one is for ages 7-9 and is the one that Ben played.  It involved smaller numbers for subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division.  The second level is for ages 9-adult.  This is the one for Sonny and a great review for me! It has larger numbers for subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division. On one side of the first set of cards has two numbers and the other side of the card gives each of the answer for addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.  The other set of cards tells you which math function you need to do for your turn.  You can set a time for as long as you want to play or you can set a number of points.  There are also bonus cards that give you more math to practice.

Ben (4th grade) and I had a fun time playing this game.  It helped Ben reinforce his math skills.  Ben even played this game with Grandma!  It is a great educational game you can fit in daily as fun math time. 

The Math Zone is priced at $12.  I am not sure I would spend that much on the game, (just because I am to frugal), but it really is a fun educational game.

There is also a 60 day money back guarantee on all of Bonnie Terry Learning products.

Check out what the other TOS crew members said about it too!

Nature Friend Magazine

Nature Friend Magazine

What a gorgeous magazine! The pictures are amazing in this magazine. The content goes pretty in depth as well.  My boys and I learned many new things about nature with a Christian perspective.  It was enjoyable to read the role of Christ and Heavenly Father in a nature magazine. 


They publish 12 issues per year with 6 of those issues geared toward older children.  This gives a good balance for all ages of children (and adults too).

Each magazine is focused on one topic through out the magazine, which helps with children who want to learn more or those with distractions. 

The cost:

Magazine subscription $36 per year
Study guides are an additional $24 per year.

I do think the price is very steep and I would not be able to afford it. I really think that the study guide should come with the magazine.  In my opinion it is not worth an added $24to the price of the magazine.  Sure, it has some fun activities but with the cost of the study guides being almost the cost of another magazine subscription it does not seem worth it.  Even if I had the money I probably would not purchase it as I feel the price tag to be too high.

To receive a
I was sent S$3 off discount use the code BLOG93 when you check out.  Offer is only good through November 30, 2009!

We received the September 2009 and October 2009 Nature Friend for free to review from Nature Friend magazine.  (through The Old Schoolhouse review crew).

To see what my fellow blog reviewers thought about Nature Friend see here.