amyb
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Homepage: http://www.bowofbronze.com
Posts by amyb
Food Network isn’t on iTunes or Hulu? Why ever not?
Aug 23rd
I was just curious. I mean I know all those reality shows are scripted and fake; but they are also fun to watch and I have actually learned a ton about cooking from watching Food Network. The problem is, I am part of a growing number of Americans who don’t actually watch television shows on a television — I don’t even own one! Okay, so that probably makes me a little rare. What I do own is a computer, and an iPhone, and an iPod, and in my family we have another iPhone and two iPod Touches. All of those devices will play videos and television shows for members of my family when we choose to engage them.
The problem is this. My children love Food Network! We used to be able to watch many of the shows — complete with commercials — directly on-line. And, for a while full episodes with commercials were available on the iTunes app. One day, (poof) they all dissappeared. Now, the only time we see Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, and Next Food Network Star or any other Food Network show is when we visit grandparents or stay in hotels.
That stinks.
Especially since we would willingly pay iTunes fees for these Food Network shows AND watch the stupid Ritz cracker commercial repeatedly in order to watch these shows; or get a few moments of peace while our children watch.
I thought maybe I was the only person who held this opinion — after all my repeated requests that they offer shows in iTunes or Hulu have met with silence; not even a return e-mail though they claim to respond to all emails. However, a simple search on the internet reveals that this is simply not true. Lots of people agree with me. I haven’t seen anyone blogging about it yet… Maybe we should be people; cause blogs have power!
Obviously, this is not about money or Gordon Ramsey would not have any shows available on Hulu. And he does. And he still makes $250K per episode for some of his shows. And, I can’t let my children watch any of them.
So come on Food Network, get with the times…
Summer Sensations Download-N-Go by Amanda Bennet — a product review
Aug 19th
It’s been a long time since I looked at any products published by Amanda Bennet and I have to admit that even though I own several of her previous unit studies on cd we haven’t ever used any of her material. Somehow, the structure of the books never really worked for me.
I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by the Download-N-Go unit I just reviewed. The layout is completely different, and the new style is a happy marriage between notebooking and lapbooking for unit studies. Lots of suggested activities provide plenty of opportunities to pull younger children in, but the perfect age is between 7 and 10 years old. The daily work requires plenty of writing, so you may wish to do copy your child’s answers if they do not have the stamina to complete all of the handwriting required. Or, you may choose to focus more on the activities and skip the lapbooking/notebooking projects. Much of the work can be completed orally, and each day includes lots of book or video suggestions for extra reading. I love the fact that you could print out the complete book, and take it with you anywhere to work on. Having internet and library access is helpful, but it wouldn’t be necessary. Lists of extra materials or books are included at the beginning of each lesson so that it will be super easy for you to organize and prepare before you begin. For myself, I like to get everything ready before we even start the week. If you workbox, this kind of study would be perfect for you since all of the work is broken down by day.
The new format is the result of a team-up between Amanda Bennet and The Old Schoolhouse. The result is a beautifully polished product with all of Amanda’s unit study expertise. My eleven year old daughter’s response was — “Wow, these print-outs are really pretty Mom!”. My children and I really enjoy unit studies, and with this new format I am looking forward to seeing more Download-N-Go units.
Here is some basic product information:
Turn school into . . . cool!
Make a splash to start the new school year –
Your child will investigate how seasons change,
what summer is all about, how shadows work,
why trees are important in the summertime,
and yummy–discover some history about
snow cones and ice cream!
And it’s a great time to seize many of those cool summery interests that your kids are intrigued with.
Day 1: What is Summer?
Day 2: Science Secrets of Summer
Day 3: People and Places of Summer
Day 4: Time for Tips and Treasures of Summer
Day 5: Goodies and Surprises of Summer
Exciting changes abound for kids of all ages to experience, so why not take all of their pent-up excitement and enthusiasm and put it to good use
as they dive right into learning about summer
and all that it holds?
It’s time to watch the trees grow and enjoy their shade,
feel the hot temperatures, take a plunge in the water,
and enjoy a slower pace of life as summer spreads
through the neighborhood.
*** I was provided with one free copy of this product in exchange for a fair and honest review on my blog. I am always honest and the opinions expressed on this blog are my own.
Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young — Book Review
Aug 18th
I started listening to the audio version of the book Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young on the way to my daughter’s ballet class. I found it engaging from the beginning, but what I did not expect was what happened when we arrived at ballet 35 minutes into the book.
As my daughter (age 11) exited the car she said, “Mom, can you pause the book for me?”
“Oh, Are you listening Clara?” I asked.
“Well, I will be raising boys of my own someday…” was her reply as she hurried away.
Now I will admit that I have spent a great deal of time “training” my children to listen to audio books in the car; but even I was shocked to discover that not one, but three of my oldest children were following along with this parenting book. My seven year old daughter now asks as soon as we get in the car if we can turn it on. My nine year old son laughs out loud during some of the funny stories, and he too specifically requested I turn on the book even during a five minute car ride.
We are nearing the end of the book, and I have to tell you I heartily recommend it to all mothers of boys. I have four boys of my own; and I have been soaking up the information like a sponge. I find myself asking all sorts of questions as I listen to Hal’s engaging voice reading the book aloud to me. Like, I wonder what books they recommend for free reading? Or, I wonder how much they choose to limit game time and television? I am delighted when I ask such a question in my mind and then find out that the answer is presented later in the chapter!
Raising Real Men is insightful, practical, and even humorous as the Youngs explore different aspects of raising boys such as competition between boys, financial training, educational differences, training in leadership and Scripture and much more. You will not be dissappointed by this book.
If you have a long commute or any length of time in the car, you will enjoy the audio version as much as we have. Audio books are a great distraction from the mundane task of travel! This particular audio book is well read and pleasant to hear. Most of my faithful readers know how much I love a good audio book! However, a print version is also available for those who prefer to hold the book in hand. We will probably end up owning both versions — it’s that good.
***A copy of this book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I am always honest, and my opinions are completely my own.
Schoolhouse Expo
Aug 16th
I just love encouraging audio material, so I am thrilled with the opportunity to blog about the upcoming Schoolhouse Expo. I missed the Spring Expo, but I know the speakers lined up for October are amazing, and I know I will be blessed when I receive those mp3 files! The Schoolhouse Expo isn’t just the audio files however, –it’s an entire online event! Here is the information I was asked to pass along to you.
It’s back to homeschool time and registration is open for the online
Schoolhouse Expo, October 4-8. It’s five days of top homeschool
speakers, fellowship, and fun door prizes.
Save $5 per ticket! Register between August 16 and midnight August 22,
and you’ll pay only $19.99. Plus you’ll receive over $200 in free
E-Books.
You’ll be inspired by speakers including: Zan Tyler, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie
Fulbright,Carol Barnier, Diana Waring, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, Kim
Kautzer, Lee Binz, and many more!
A special teen track is planned–the entire family will definitely
want to listen to these special sessions. We’ve also planned a special
focus on a topic that touches every homeschool–writing. Plus, an
array of other topics that will inform and inspire you throughout your
homeschooling years.
Don’t forget, MP3 copies of each session comes with your LIVE event ticket.
Two special preconference shows on August 24 and September 21 with Dr.
Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright, and Kim Kautzer!
Register starting 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 16.
The theme this fall is “Celebrate Homeschooling!” We’re going to
celebrate the unique blessings of homeschooling, the beginning of
another school year, our families, and the freedom to tailor our
children’s education to best meet their needs.
If you cannot make the Live event, then the October Expo To Go is
just your ticket! You’ll reserve MP3s from all of the workshops. This
week only, pay just $14.95!
You can visit either of these links to get more information.
http://www.SchoolhouseExpo.com
or
http://bit.ly/aWHFiL
***In exchange for posting this information and another update in a couple of weeks, I will receive expo to go for free. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wordpress for iPhone
Aug 7th
I love my Wordpress for iPhone app, but for some reason pre-scheduling posts never works in this app. I end up having to go in and manually publish them once I realize they never showed up, which might take me a while. I am working on a review of Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young and I am super excited share about it! I wonder if there is a way to underline titles in this app without knowing HTML.
Footprints of Flour
Aug 4th
Well, the babies make a good team. We caught them almost immediately, but by the time I found the iPhone, took pictures of the footprints and thought to contain them they had streaked Masa Harina all over my kitchen.
Zevia — A Product Review
Aug 3rd
Well, I did not receive a free sample of this product in the mail for reviewing, but I saw it on our grocery store shelves recently and decided to give it a try. It is a new soda product sweetened with Stevia, which is a natural herb zero-calerie sweetener. I am amazed at how much like regular Cola this tastes. It is so close it is uncanny. All it lacks is the slight edginess of high fructose corn syrup. If your addicted to that sugar high as I am, it is noticeable — but just barely.
I am so excited to incorporate this product into my plans for losing another grand amount of poundage because cola products are one of my biggest downfalls and I seriously hate all other diet colas on the market.
One thing I have noticed tonight that might be a negative to some is that it must contain more caffeine then regular soda because I cannot go to sleep. I am planning to investigate this idea as soon as I can go look at a can of regular soda. But, I don’t mind. 
Now if it wasn’t so darned expensive….
Amazing Week or Two
Jul 25th
This week, four of my children met their Great-Grandfather and an Aunt and cousin for the first time. That was really cool. While visiting, we got to spend a day at a children’s museum in Ohio and go bowling. That was really cool. Now, the big kids are staying with Grandma while the babies and I are visiting with my sisters. That is really cool too! Finally, tomorrow I am traveling home with the babies to spend some quality time with my husband before the big kids return home. Way cool.
It’s a good thing something is cool around here, because the heat index is through the roof.
Now you know where I have been.
Thrift Store Finds
Jul 12th
I am always amazed at the things people throw away, but you know the saying “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!” My favorite find of all time was the beautiful Laura Ashley king size quilt I found for $5 at a yard sale. Today, I found three Longaberger Pottery pieces — a cookie jar, a pitcher, and a crock. Each piece is perfectly intact and they cost $5, $4, and $3 respectively. I just looked up these pieces on Ebay, and even at the lowest prices I could sell them for $80; and thats a $68 profit! I can’t decide whether to sell them or keep them with my other Longaberger pottery. It is good stuff that is hard to break and lasts forever, but I already have one pitcher and I am not sure how I will ever use a cookie jar. If it was an extra large mixing bowl, I would keep it without question! Maybe I could use it to serve soup? The crock I will definitely keep, so I just have to decide about the other two pieces. What do you think?
Then there was the Folkmanis Pig puppet. If you haven’t seen a Folkmanis puppet before, you don’t know what you are missing. This little guy was probably only $8 new; but at 10 cents he was a steal. And he won’t be leaving my home anytime soon. Have you ever played with an 18 month old and a puppet?
Finally, I found an adorable wooden bowl with a kind of flowery shape for $1. It needed a little tender loving care, but I decided that was the perfect “reduce, reuse, recycle” project for my Cub Scout. Can’t wait to see what it looks like finished!
July 5th — Making Memories in the Nation’s Capitol
Jul 7th
We woke up late on Monday morning with the whole day stretching before us and plans to head into D.C. for a day of educational fun. Our oldest was only four when we moved away from the area 7 years ago, and even though we’ve been back for 3 years we haven’t actually managed a trip into the city except for one nightmare trip to the National Zoo and a fun Air Force Band Christmas concert. Clara barely remembers any of our previous visits before we moved, and Jonathan did not remember any at all. We decided it was time to seal a few things in their memories forever. First, we had to decide which Smithsonian to see. Once we all agreed on the Museum of American History, we were ready to tackle the breakfast buffet and start our day.
Once in the American History Museum by way of a “train ride” and the Federal Triangle metro stop, we immediately headed for the Invention At Play section thinking all of the kids could get some wiggles out. It was not as baby friendly as the flier in the lobby seemed to imply, so we ended up skipping that and heading for the General Motors Hall of Motion. Here we found trains, cars, wagons, and even a few buses on display. Caleb enjoyed climbing on board one metro bus and kept asking if he could get into every single vehicle. We finished this section with a quick trip through the On the Water display and headed upstairs for a peak at the Philadelphia boat that was pulled out of Lake Champlain and reassmebled here. After this, we decided it was time for lunch.
After lunch, we split up and the girls headed upstairs to check out the First Lady Gown collection while the boys went to check out The Star Spangled Banner display. Finally tired of museums, we headed outside for a hot and tiring tour of the monuments. We walked about 8 miles from the Smithsonian past all of the monuments to the Lincoln Memorial and across the Memorial Bridge to the Arlington Metro stop; which we boarded and took one stop to Rosslyn. Here, we disembarked and waited in the Metromall for Dan to pick us up because only Clara was willing to brave the Wilson Blvd Hill again after Sunday night’s mad dash.
I think that last metro ride was Caleb’s favorite part of the whole day. My favorite part of the whole day was watching Clara stop and read all of the displays. This is the first time she has been interested in reading about what she was seeing in a museum! We are looking forward to returning so that we can take in the military history display and the baseball in america display and then maybe spend the rest of the day in the Natural History Museum next door.
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