Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Audubon Mushrooms

Recently I decided to be bold enough and ask if I could reviews the Audubon apps.   Their answer was very quick and I was pleased to see that they agreed to provide various promo codes for the selection I had asked.   Essentially, I had asked for all the different apps that covers the North America.   Being an homeschooler, I am always on the lookup to see if I could find interesting apps that would help us to discover more about the various birds, plants, trees, bugs, and animals we could encounter while camping.   Being able to travel with our RV, we could be anywhere in CaIMG_7046nada or the US at any given spring, summer or fall months.

The previous week-end before I requested these apps, we had gone to our campsite to open our RV after many months of colder weather.   Even though it wasn’t as warm as previous years, we enjoyed the sunshine and went for a walk.   Close to the place where our Zodiac type boat is located, we saw beautiful mushrooms growing on the trunk of a fallen tree.   I admit that I am always curious to learn more about nature.   I enjoyed my ecology and biology courses when I was in high school.   But mushrooms always were a mystery for me.

imageThanks to the Audubon Mushrooms Guide app I am hoping to pierce the mystery surrounding the mushrooms and be able to identify the ones we often see while we are camping.

The mobile app highlights each species with stunning photography and extensive descriptions.  You will be able to identify mushrooms and fungi using the advanced search function, with fields including shape, cap shape, cap texture, color, gill stalk attachment, habitat, month, region, size, spore bearing surface, stalk cap attachment and stalk shape.

This comprehensive field guide includes a wealth of reference material on mushrooms including, classification, parts, order, families, how mushrooms reproduce and grow, poisoning and much more.

The first thing I realized was that I could browse by shape, order or name.   But not being knowledgeable in mushrooms, I decided to select the advanced search if you don’t know anything about mushrooms…  This is what I decided to do.  The search facility is well thoughts.  You can search by shape, habitats, regions, colors, sizes, months, cap shapes, cap textures, cap to stalk attachment, and stalk shapes.  For my particular mushroom below, I proceeded to select the color, the month which was May and the region which was Eastern Canada.  The result of this search gave me 33 different mushrooms.

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I then proceeded to select the Shape of the mushroom.  From what I have checked in the All About Mushrooms section it looked like these mushrooms were in the polypores and other shelflike mushrooms family.   The All About Mushrooms section will provide accurate information on the classification of mushrooms, parts of a mushroom, how mushrooms reproduce and grow, the various orders, how to hunt/collect and identify mushrooms, cooking and eating mushrooms as well as mushrooms poisoning.  The new result of the search was giving me 7 results;  birch polypore, luminescent panellus, oyster mushroom, ruddy panus, thin-maze flat polypore, turkey-tail as well as the winter polypore.  

I think I have nailed it to two options.  It is either a thin-maze flat polypore or a winter polypore. I wish I had taken the time to check under and look at the stalk and spores.   My gut feeling to bending toward the thin-maze flat polypore though.    Now if you happen to know which type of mushroom this is, please feel free to comment and let me know.  

We have also seen the following mushrooms on a fallen birch tree.  I am still trying to figure out which type of mushrooms they are.  They were quite small compare to the previous mushrooms above.   But if you look closely, you can see moss on some of them.   This makes me think that it could be some mossy maze polypore. 

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The app is definitively a great addition for our family as we love to explore our surroundings while we are camping.   I am not quite ready to try eating the wild mushrooms in the forest just yet but with more education on them, it would be interesting to try one of these days. 

photo-5If you are considering using this app to identify mushrooms that you could it, it is better not to use it for this.   There is a specific warning right at the beginning asking you not to do that.  photo-6The creators behind the app do not recommend eating a wild mushrooms unless you have an expert with you due to the severity of identification.  The app does specify which mushrooms are poisonous but this app is NOT meant for identifying mushrooms to eat.  Just because some mushrooms do not have the "poisonous" label does not mean that they are edible or that you have identified them correctly using the app.  I have been told NOT to use this app to identify mushrooms to eat.  Essentially this app is meant as a field guide to identify mushrooms for scientific and observations and NOT for consumption.  If you are interested in determining of a mushroom is good to eat or not there are other apps in the market for that.  Please note that many mushrooms look similar and could easily be misidentified.  The repercussions of ingesting misidentified mushrooms can be life threaten and or deadly.      Be wise.   Take a course to become an expert in identifying which mushrooms in the wild are good to eat. 

The Audubon Mushrooms Mobile Field Guide App is available at the app store for the price of 9.99$.

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Disclaimer: I received the app for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Alpha Writer

imageAlpha Writer
By Montessorium

About the app

Learn to read, write and spell phonetically while composing words and creating stories.  This app is based on the methodology of the famous Montessori moveable alphabet.

Created by a team of Montessori educators and parents, Alpha Writer is a unique and interactive way to introduce your child to the world of language.  Alpha Writer includes two highly responsive and engaging sections based on the Montessori activity, Moveable Alphabet.   

The child will learn:

  • basic foundations of language
  • read, write and spell phonetically
  • identify consonants and vowels
  • phonograms – writing and pronunciation
  • letter sounds, pronunciation and composition
  • how to compose, identify and spell phonetic words
  • write, create and read stories

My Thoughts

imageThis is a wonderful app to strengthen the phonetic learning in young children as well as for beginning readers/writers.   The app has two different section; the Alpha and the Writer.

In the Alpha Section, the app interacts with the child when it ask to find a specific object within the ones available.   There are transportation, animals, clothing, body parts and more to pick from.    Once the child has picked an item, he/she will hear the sound of it and then a voice will say the word.   The child has to use the letters on the top of the screen to be able to write the word.   For example, for the box the child would have to select the letter B, O, and X and drag them on the table. 

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In the Writer section, the child will have the opportunity of practicing how to write short sentences for a story.   Using the alphabet as well as images, the child is able to write little sentences like “the plane is fast”.    In a way having the opportunity to apply the learning done in the first section of the app is wonderful.   The child is learning and has fun at the same time.  

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As he/she completes a little story, mom or dad can use the camera to save what the child has written in the camera roll on the device your are using.   

I think this app is a great introduction to phonetic as well as how to write little sentences.   It doesn’t overwhelm the child with rules like capital letter and punctuation.   However, the app is flexible to allow the child to include images in his sentences to make it more fun to learn at the same time.  For us, we have used the app as a supplement after learning the phonics while homeschooling.    My son enjoyed being able to write little sentences by himself has well.

I would recommend this app for anyone who have a child in the ages of 3-5 years old (or older for kids who are struggling in learning how to write and spell).  

Alpha Writer is available on iTunes for the price of 4.99$.

Disclaimer: I received the app for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

365 Project–Day 147

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

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So fun!

The Power of Humility

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:
 

and the book:


The Power of Humility: Living like Jesus

Charisma House (May 3, 2011)

***Special thanks to Anna Coelho Silva | Publicity Coordinator, Charisma House | Charisma Media for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


R. T. Kendall is author of the best-selling title Total Forgiveness. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, he was educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Oxford University and was the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England, for twenty-five years. Known internationally as a speaker and teacher, Dr. Kendall is also the author of more than forty-five books, includingThe Sensitivity of the Spirit, The Thorn in the Flesh, Grace, Pure Joy, Imitating Christ, andThe Anointing: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.


Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Written in the same style as his Jealousy—the Sin No One Talks About,Kendall tackles the problem of pride, bringing out into the open the challenges a majority of people face in overcoming the pride and self-righteousness that were introduced to mankind by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He defines the various kinds of pride, including social, racial, financial, sexual, and spiritual pride, and teaches us how God uses the pride in our lives to reveal our need for Christlikeness. He demonstrates that pride lies behind the “blame game,” causing us to “pass the buck” rather than admit our guilt and thus interfering in our ability to draw closer in relationship to God.

Kendall outlines several Old Testament examples of pride. He shows how foolish pride governed most of Jacob’s life, led to King Saul becoming “yesterday’s man,” and filled Elijah’s life, even though he was a great prophet of God. Then he shows how pride surfaced in New Testament people: Peter’s pride in believing he loved Jesus most of all, the pride of the Pharisees, and the racial-religious pride that filled the Jews and was the reason they rejected Paul. Finally we take a closer look at Jesus—and Kendall teaches us the principles from the Sermon on the Mount that will lead us away from pride. He shows us that it is impossible to be Spirit-filled and self-righteous simultaneously, and he gives us biblical principles for overcoming pride and self-righteousness.


Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Charisma House (May 3, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616383488
ISBN-13: 978-1616383480

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


“I am the only one of the lord’s prophets left. . . . I have been very zealous for the lord God Almighty.” -1 Kings 18:22; 19:14


“There is no limit to how far a person can go as long as he doesn’t care who gets the credit for it.” -A plaque on President Ronald Reagan’s desk


The measure of pride is essential to our self-esteem, emotional well-being, and good mental health. It is what gives us a sense of self-worth and dignity— which God wants each of us to have. We need to take ourselves seriously to some extent. But pride can push this too far as when we begin to take ourselves too seriously. In chapter 2 we will look at the good side of pride—its advantages to us and why it is not always bad. In this chapter, however, we will examine pride as it is generally understood in the Bible. As I said above, the Bible has nothing good to say about pride. Pride in Scripture is always that which is suspect and to be avoided; it is disdained. It is assumed in the Bible as arrogance, haughtiness, smugness, a feeling of superiority over others, insolence, overbearingness, superciliousness, narcissism, vainglory, conceit, egotism, vanity, and self-importance.


Pride is the opposite of humility, modesty, and meekness. St. Augustine (a.d. 354–430) said that pride is the love of one’s own excellence. People like Aristotle (384–322 b.c.) and George Bernard Shaw (a.d. 1856–1950) saw pride as a profound virtue. “I often quote myself,” said Shaw. “It adds spice to my conversation.” He also said, “Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.”


Most religions of the world—certainly Christianity—see pride as a sin. There are two Greek words relevant here. Alazon (as in James 4:16; 1 John 2:16; Romans 1:30) refers to one who makes more of himself than reality justifies, ascribing to himself either more or better things than he has, or even what he does not possess at all; he promises what he cannot deliver. The other Greek word is huperephanos (as in Mark 7:22; James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5), which means arrogance. It refers to one who brags about his position, power, and wealth and despises others. In 2 Timothy 3:2 both alazon (boastful) and huperephanos (proud) are found beside each other.


We will see throughout this book that neither word for pride needs be used explicitly to describe a person’s proud behavior. For example, the writer of 1 Kings did not impute Elijah with pride. But that is what was going on. How dare Elijah say, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left” (1 Kings 18:22; 19:14)—even if it were true! But it was absolutely false. Elijah had just been told that Obadiah the prophet had taken a hundred other prophets and hid them in caves (1 Kings 18:13). Elijah felt so superior to the other prophets of his day that he did not even acknowledge them as prophets of the Lord! That is sheer arrogance. Elijah is a perfect example of a person taking himself too seriously.


Could the revered and hallowed Elijah truly take himself too seriously? Yes. Is not Elijah regarded as one of the greatest men in the Old Testament? Yes. Did his prayer before all the people not result in fire coming down from heaven and exposing the folly of the prophets of Baal? Yes. Was it not Elijah who appeared with Moses when Jesus was transfigured before the disciples on the mountain (Matt. 17:3)? Yes. And when Elijah

said, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left,” God could have aborted the whole procedure because Elijah misspoke (to put it mildly). But God didn’t do that.


This encourages me. James wanted his readers to know that Elijah was “a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17, esv). The point is, if God could use Elijah—and if Elijah can get his prayers answered, so too with any of us! God can use those of us who take ourselves too seriously. In the final chapter of my book In Pursuit of His Glory, I listed five things I would hopefully do differently if I could turn the clock back after twenty-five years at Westminster Chapel. This list included that I should not take myself so seriously.


I therefore define pride essentially as taking oneself too seriously. Taking oneself too seriously is the common denominator in all proud people. It describes those who resent criticism, who are insecure, who cannot laugh at themselves, whose need of praise is constant, who see themselves as overly important, who fancy themselves as being very special to God (and think God bends the rules for them), who tend to blame others for their problems, who hate taking the blame, who cannot bear not getting the credit for the good they did, and who have an insatiable need to prove themselves.


Is that you? Take heart. I just described virtually every person whom God has ever used.


Categories of Pride


But pride takes many forms. Some try to prove they are not proud by trying to appear the very opposite. “Pride perceiving humility honorable often borrows her cloak,” said Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790). It goes down better with people if we seem humble. The motive is the same: we are concerned how we are perceived. Our self-esteem is at stake.


There are many kinds of pride. There is social pride (keeping up with the Joneses), spiritual pride (self-righteousness), financial pride (impressing others with one’s wealth), political pride (being sure to be politically correct), sexual pride (always needing to attract the opposite sex), cultural pride (impressing people with your love of the arts), pride of pedigree (placing importance on one’s background), educational pride (impressing with degrees), intellectual pride (always needing to prove how much you know and how intelligent you are), pride of your good looks (overly concerned with appearance, whether regarding dress, figure, or hair), national pride (sometimes being overly patriotic), or racial pride (proud of the color of your skin). There is even theological pride, when one feels superior because of their rightness of doctrine. Closely akin to this is prophetic pride, when one gloats over their prophetic successes.


God Hates Pride


What must never be forgotten is that God hates pride. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes [‘a proud look’—kjv], a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet

that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Prov. 6:16–19). Note that “haughty eyes” or “proud look” heads the list of things God hates. “Whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure” (Ps. 101:5). Have you ever seen someone with a proud look—haughty eyes? I have. Certain people literally come to my mind when I think of haughty eyes and an arrogant countenance. But who am I to judge? You and I look on the outward appearance; God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). So, have I too had the same outward

proud expression I have seen in some when in fact people have had the exact same perception of me? I don’t think I want to know the answer to that question.


When we consider how much God hates our being proud, it is enough to drive us to our knees. We should ask, “Lord, am I like this?” “You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty” (Ps. 18:27). “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Luke 14:11). “You rebuke the arrogant” (Ps. 119:21).


But when I consider that God was patient with Elijah, I feel there is hope for me. God could indeed have stepped in and interrupted the entire proceedings when Elijah openly said, “I am the only true prophet left.” But He didn’t. God took His time and later on called Elijah to one side, as if to say, “Oh, by the way, Elijah, I have seven thousand in Israel whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.” (See 1 Kings 19:18.) God has used me over the years and then later called me to one side and gently showed me faults and flaws others saw but I had been blind to. He is such a good and gracious God.


No Guilt Trip


I will have failed in this book if I give you a guilt trip as you read. My task is to show our pride and God’s hatred of it—but to show we are all in this together. But more than that, that we will equally see His mercy toward those who repent of this folly. The worst thing you and I can do in this connection is to be defensive. That will never do. But if God kindly points out our failures, it means we are loved (1 John 4:19)—and that there is hope for us. Repentance is a grace that God grants (Rom. 2:4; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). It is a gracious gift that we do not remotely deserve. The very real possibility of being unable to be renewed to repentance (Heb. 6:4–6) should be enough to humble all of us. But if in this book you are given to see what displeases the Lord and that you are sorry, I will give God the praise.


Even Ahab, one of the most wicked kings ever, saw his folly in a most heinous injustice he committed. But when he was reproved, he “tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.” God noticed it. He said to Elijah, “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son” (1 Kings 21:27–29). This means there is hope for us all.


God rebukes us to bring us to our senses. He lets us save face. He does not chasten or discipline us to get even. God got even at the cross, when the Lord laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6). “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:11–14). He sent the wind and the fish to swallow up Jonah not to punish him but, as Dr. Bruce Chesser put it, to save him (Jonah 1–2). How often God “saves us from ourselves,” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones used to say.


Foolish Worry: What People Might Think of Us



Taking ourselves too seriously leads us foolishly to imagine what people might think about us. As if what they think is so important! But I will never forget a day—it was pivotal in my life—when two important men had to humble me. These two men were Dr. Barrie White, my supervisor at Oxford, and Dr.


J. I. Packer, who functioned as a second supervisor. I had been at Oxford for about a year at the time. What I thought was to be a leisurely lunch with them was interrupted by Jim Packer saying to Barrie White, “Shall you tell him, or shall I?” Dr. White motioned to Dr. Packer to start. “You need to minimize your liabilities,” Jim Packer graciously said to me, showing a mastery of British understatement—and trying to let me save face. “I know you have come to Oxford to do your DPhil. (doctorate of philosophy) on John Owen.” (He was referring to the great Puritan theologian John Owen [1616–1683], whose doctrine of the priestly work of Christ had motivated me to come to Oxford, something I had told everybody back in America I would do.) Jim continued, “But we don’t think you are able to do John Owen,” then shared what they thought I could do at Oxford to get the DPhil. I was devastated. I went home with the worst migraine headache of my whole life. I went to bed. Why? I worried what people would think. It was so silly. The truth is, these people would have thought absolutely nothing about it! But I could only think of my reputation among friends back in America. Taking myself too seriously literally put me to bed. What is more, the thesis I ended up doing (on John Calvin [1509–1564] and the English Puritans) was the best thing in that connection that ever happened to me. But at the time I was utterly governed by pride and what people would think, that friends back at my seminary in Louisville might discover I wasn’t cut out to do a doctorate on John Owen. And yet it reminds me of something my grandfather R. J. Kendall used to say: “Don’t worry over what people might be thinking of you; chances are, they are not thinking about you at all.” How true.


Building Monuments to Ourselves


Taking oneself too seriously is what makes people try to ensure they will be remembered by history. They have statues made and get buildings, streets, or highways named after them while they are still alive. The notion to “let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2) seems not to appear on their radar screen. And yet it reminds me of something President Harry S. Truman (1884– 1972) would say when refusing to let anybody sculpt a bust or statue of him. He said, “I don’t want people seeing my statue years later and asking, ‘Who was he?’”


I was disappointed when one of my heroes allowed a larger-than-life statue to be made of himself by America’s greatest sculptor while he was still alive—and was even present for its unveiling! It’s true! They had planned to put the statue outside in the open air. But the preacher stopped them. “No, please put it inside. I don’t want those pigeons defecating on my statue.” But here is something I think is rather funny. I decided sometime later to use this account as an illustration in a sermon, realizing nobody in the congregation at Westminster would remotely know whom I was talking about. My point in the sermon—on rewards—was that God might have to say to this great preacher at the judgment seat of Christ, “Sorry, My son, there is no reward laid up for you now; you got it all below with that statue you let them make of you.” So far, so good. But I was shocked to learn afterward that at least six people were present from this man’s church! By the way, he

was a great man indeed. Now in heaven, if anyone deserved a statue, he did. But after he was gone.


Those in Scripture who built monuments to themselves while they were alive, however, were tragic figures. I have always been gripped by this. In fact, there are two accounts in this connection that have deeply shaped my thinking. First, King Saul had a monument built to himself while he was still alive (1 Sam. 15:12). He had already become yesterday’s man when this happened. Second, years later Absalom stole the hearts of the people and forced his father, King David, to live in exile for a while. David was later restored to the kingship and will always be regarded as Israel’s greatest king. As for Absalom, during his lifetime he took a pillar “and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, ‘I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.’ He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day” (2 Sam. 18:18).


What Matters Most of All


There is one thing—and one thing alone—that ultimately matters: God’s opinion of you and me. If His opinion doesn’t matter to you now, it will then. This opinion will be openly revealed at the judgment seat of Christ. You then will learn what God thinks of you. And you will see what He thinks of me. I can safely promise you that any accolade, humiliation, monument, criticism, put-down, compliment, praise, disappointment, lie, statue, honor, or prize here on this earth will mean nothing then. Nothing. Except how we handled such things—which will largely determine what God thinks of us. Why therefore should we ever want the praise of people here below? Why should it mean so much to us? I will come clean with you: I love compliments. A close friend (who knows me well) had a T-shirt made for my birthday that says “Compliments are in order.” But the thought of preempting what God Himself might say to me on the day—by amassing all the awards and compliments I can get below—scares me to death. I propose to live for that day—seeking no honor or praise but His.


The irony is, if the plaque on Ronald Reagan’s desk is correct—that there is no limit to how far a person can go as long as he doesn’t care who gets to the credit for it—we will accomplish more than ever in this life if we don’t take ourselves so seriously! The way up is down. He who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6, esv).


John speaks of worldliness as “the boasting of what [man] has and does” (1 John 2:16). The KJV calls it “pride of life,” and the ESV calls it “pride in possessions.” It refers to our effort to impress people with what we have accumulated. This could refer to material things, achievements, awards, antiques, pottery, photographs with important people, prestigious jobs, degrees, clothes, furniture, art, carpet, cars, framed commendations, or letters—all there to impress you! I fear there are people for whom these things matter more than anything in the world. How sad. I remember going to a home of some people in Rome many years ago. The main reason they wanted me to come to their home was to see their apartment and collection of bone china. It truly was impressive. But this was all they apparently had to bolster their self-esteem. It was as though their apartment and china gave people warrant to take them seriously. They seemed to feel I would take them truly seriously if I saw these possessions. It was all they lived for—to invite people to see their apartment and china collection.


We who are Christians sometimes forget we are going to heaven one day—and will be there a long time! Have you ever pondered the depth of these famous lines?


When we’ve been there ten thousand years,


Bright shining as the sun;


We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise


Than when we first begun.1


—John Newton (1725–1807)


Think about this. After we have been in heaven for ten thousand years, it will be like the first day. Do we really believe this? I do. Why ever do we live in this present world as though this present existence is all there is? It seems to me that the thought of going to heaven one day—to be there forever—should help us on our way not to take circumstances here below—or ourselves—so seriously.





My Thoughts

Humility is not an easy thing to do.   How many times I felt “proud” of myself, of my husband, of my kids, of what we did that I wanted to shout it out over the top of my lungs.   With age I get wiser though.   There is no point of rubbing it out in the face of people.    I prefer to shut my mouth even though sometimes I just want to say sometimes.  

The 1828 Webster Dictionary define humility like this:

1. In ethics, freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth. In theology, humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will.
Before honor is humility. Prov.15.
Serving the Lord with all humility of mind. Acts.20.
2. Act of submission.
With these humilities they satisfied the young king.

After presenting what humility is and considering if pride is always a bad thing, the author will go through various possible aspects to identify and control pride (the teaching theme of the book) in our life.  Pride can become a root while we are self-righteous, self-pity, hypocrite, boasting and other ways.   Kendall is giving example throughout the book from himself or from others which permits you to visualize the pride discussed in each chapter.   He also highlight plenty of examples from the Bible as well.  

I will admit that I am still reading this book but my objective by the time I have finished it is to better understand pride in my life and become more humble about myself.   I was to be able to come to the point that I can do something without looking for acknowledgement from others including my family.  Jesus served others and never looked at getting recognition.   I want to be like him as I know that sometimes I lack humility and brag about things going on in my life.

The Power of Humility is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Monday, May 30, 2011

MomSense

momsenseMomSense – A common-Sense Guide to Confident Mothering
Written by Jean Blackmer
Published at Revell

About the book

Embrace your instincts!

Do blogs, books, magazines, and well-meaning women in your life have you questioning your mothering intuition? Jean Blackmer is here to tell you that you are the best mom for your children--and you have what it takes to raise them.

With personal stories from real moms and proven, practical advice, MomSense helps you honestly assess your skills, embrace your mothering instincts, and develop your own unique mothering style. Rather than pushing one "right" way to be a mom, this hope-filled book shows you that you can have contentment, joy, and confidence in your role as Mom.

Who is Jean Blackmer?

Jean Blackmer is the publishing manager for MOPS International where she gets to develop books designed specifically for moms of preschoolers. She is also the author of a book for moms of boys, Boy-sterous Living! Celebrating Your Loud and Rowdy Life with Sons, is a regular contributor to MomSense magazine, and has written for other magazines including Guideposts, Thriving Family, Today's Christian Woman, and Christian Parenting Today. She has her masters degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder and lives in Colorado with her husband, Zane, and their three sons.

My Thoughts

I am sometimes doubting myself.   I was worse when I was younger.  Not being able to make a decision and when you do questioning  yourself about it.   Not fun.   With time I grew a bit more self-confident but when it comes to mothering and homeschooling there are times where I wonder and question myself.   Doubts can play mean tricks with your mind…

The book is divided in three sections.   Section one will help you discover your MomSense.  The second part of the book will help you practice your MomSense in various aspects.    My oldest son will be 10 this summer.   We are going through the double digits now…   With him, I have experienced numerous first things from bringing him home to broke bones.   His siblings (two boys and one girl) will have a more experienced mom.   However, I find that I am experiencing some first with my daughter too!   Still even though I have been a mom for 10 years almost (his birthday is in June), I sense that I still have progress to make in my life.  The author is offering practical tips and tools to develop the elements needed for being successful in motherhood.  Theses elements are patience, respect, consistency, perspective, self-control, calm, joy and love.  The second part of the book is developing each of these elements. 

The third section of the book will guide you to look beyond the MomSense so that you can have a strong marriage, a wonderful parenting partner, find some mentors in your life,  and trusting God with every aspects of your life.  Because let’s admit it, God is in control of everything when you think about it.

Each chapter will also give you an idea of what other moms think about the theme of the chapter, questions to think about once you have read a chapter (hey a good way to do a discussion group with other moms don’t you think?), some experts opinions as well as stories from real-life moms.  I can think of many times when my MomSense kicked in and I was right about something in my kids’ life. But sometimes we are also prone to worry about what others are thinking. This book will help you to develop your self-confidence in the way you are parenting your kids.

I find this book being good for first time moms as well as older moms.   Anyone can use a little bit of encouragement in the way they are parenting their kids.   Don’t hesitate, check out MomSense.

MomSense is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: This review was possible because the book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

365 Project–Day 146

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

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Mama robin sitting on the tree…  I so want to get a picture of the eggs!

Winner for the Kitchen Garden Cookbook

This morning I proceeded to draw the name of the person who won the DK book: Kitchen Garden Cookbook.

And the winner is….

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Mitch1066 has 24 hours to contact me with a Canadian mailing address.   If I don’t have news from her tomorrow morning, I will select another winner.

Thanks.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

365 Project–Day 145

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

365 Project–Day 144

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

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My first braids.

Friday, May 27, 2011

365 Project–Day 143

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Where I live there is a outdoor water ban in my area until August.   We were asked to purchase a water barrel to collect rain water for the plants we have.

However, the pressure is non existent with the water barrel so forget about washing the vehicles or do a washer pressure job.

My husband has decided to see if he could get a pump set up…

He found something that can be attached to a drill for 20$.

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Will it do the job?

Check it out for yourself….

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*grin*

Gotta love my man….

Dove Men+Care All Star Dad Search

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Dove is searching for All Star Dads in Canada.   It doesn’t matter if fathers are pro-athletes or stay at home dads; in the eyes of their families they are All Stars because they care.  

imageSince May 17th, Canadians can nominate the real All-Star Dads in their lives by sharing photos and stories at Facebook.com/Dove

Canadians can drum up support for their favourite All-Star Dads by “sharing” submissions with friends and family.   Even Canadians not making a nomination can still support their favourite All-Star Dads on the page by clicking the appropriate “support” buttons within the gallery of submissions.

Check regularly to get a real-time update of the support generated for your favourtie All-Star Dad!    After six weeks, a roster of 20 All-Star ads receiving the most support will receive a years’ supply of Dove Men+Care product.

Three special All-Star Dads from the final group of 20 will receive a grand prize for their families.  This will consist of a special all-includive CFL VIP Experience including a trip for four to the 99th Grey Cup game at B.C. Place in Vancouver, with hotel room, round trip transportation and four tickets to the Grey Cup game.

For further inspiration Dove Men+Care™ visit www.youtube.com/DoveMenCanada to watch videos of the journey to comfort taken by well-known NHL and CFL stars, including Brendan Shanahan, Mike Babcock, Michael “Pinball” Clemons and Anthony Calvillo

Don’t forget that by nominating your All-Star Dad he could win the following:

imageThe All Star Dad could win 1 od 3 exciting CFL VIP Experiences of a trip to the 99th Grey Cip game in Vancouver, B.C. for himself and his family (up to 4 people).

AND/ORimage

Be selected as one of 20 dads chosen to be featured in the Dove MEN+CARE 2011 Roster of All Star Dads, and receive a Year’s supply of MEN+CARE products, with a total value of $120$. 

PRESENTING THE ALL-STAR DAD OF MY CHILDREN

2010_07_05_10_08_50My husband is definitively an All-Star Dad as he doesn’t hesitate one second to spend time with his children. He has decided a few years ago to do special outings individually with each one of our four children. The kids are looking forward for their one-on-one time with dad every summer. He also build memories with them by bringing them fishing and watching special TV shows like Star Wars Clone Wars/Reboot with them. My husband is a wonderful man who also supports me as we have decided to homeschool our kids. He is present in my life and the kids’ lives because he has made the decision to never work too much. He owns an IT business and makes sure that he has quality time with his family. A few years ago, he decided that buying an RV would allow us to spend more time as a family. He was right, because since then we were able to build amazing memories while travelling together in Canada and the U.S. One of our dreams would be to tour both countries with the RV. My husband is an amazing Dad and I wouldn’t change him for all the money in the world!

No Purchase Necessary. Residents of Canada (age of majority) may nominate a potential entrant. Potential entrants must be male residents of Canada (age of majority). Contest ends June 30, 2011 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Nominate a potential entrant by submitting a 200 word
maximum essay and a photo of him on the Dove Men+Care® All Star Dad Search nomination form application on the
www.facebook.com/ Dove page on Facebook. Nominations must be confirmed by the potential entrant before they are confirmed as an entrant. Limit of one entry per entrant/email address. 3 Grand Prizes available to be won, each consisting of a trip for four to Vancouver, British Columbia, each with an ARV of $7500. 20 Finalist Prizes available to be won, each consisting of a supply of Dove Men+Care® products and inclusion in the online Dove Men+Care® 2011 Roster of All Star Dads, each with an ARV of $120. Odds of being selected as a prize winner depend on the number and calibre of eligible Entries received during the Contest Period and on the number of shows of support received during the Contest Period.  Mathematical skill testing question required. For full contest rules, visit www.facebook.com/Dove.

Disclaimer: I was not monetarily compensated for this post.   I thought Canadians should know about this opportunity. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

365 Project–Day 142

PhotobucketI am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

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Interesting plant on a path while exploring the campground.

Block Party in June featuring the Cowguys!

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Visit the site of the CowGuys by clicking on the image below.

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Yesterday, Today, and Forever

yesterday-today-foreverYesterday, Today, and Forever
Written by Maria von Trapp
Published at New Leaf Press

About the book

A warm and intimate look into the spiritual life of Maria von Trapp's famous Sound of Music family. In this best-selling work, Maria takes you beyond the thrilling story of her family's desperate and determined flight from Austria to her new life in America, as well as providing:

• A personal and profound insight into this extraordinary woman and her life
• An inspiring look at the constancy of the Savior in our lives
• A wealth of insight and faith from years spent in study, devotion, and worship

Maria von Trapp shares how she and her husband told their children about the life of Jesus and how His story entered into their lives and imaginations. Be enriched and inspired as you enjoy this beloved classic.

My Thoughts

I have always loved the movie “Sound of Music” which gives a glimpse of the life of the von Trapp during the 2nd World War.  When I was younger I must have watched this movie about 50 times and I still enjoy it to this day.    This year I have watched it with my kids for the first time.    However, as I grew older I knew there was more to it.   I knew they have came to the U.S. and somewhere their descendants were managing a resort.    But that’s all I knew.   When I had the opportunity to read a book written by Maria von Trapp, I jumped on it.   

I am enjoying reading the thoughts of Maria von Trapp and her family on spiritual theme.    Through my readings I have come to discover a different view of the scriptures and discovered a family openly talking about their faith. 

I am using this book as a devotional in a way.   Each chapter get me to think about my faith and how to apply it in my life, with my family and out in the world.   Scriptures support the text throughout the book.   It is a delight to read something where the author’s faith can be felt throughout the chapters.    While reading, you can see and feel the research done while reading the chapters of the book.    Maria von Trapp is decorticating the events in the Bible so that her family (and us in the process) will understand their faith better.

What a great way to explain history with a biblical context!   I am seriously thinking of introducing this book as part of our curriculum when the kids are older.    It would be a wonderful read during the high school years and a great way to discuss about faith together.

For the first time also I have a visual of how the family looked like.    I had never seen a picture of the real Maria and the rest of the family.  This book also contains old pictures of the family.    She is a wonderful story teller and this book is a great reminder of Christ presence in our life on a daily basis. 

I recommend this book to anyone wanting to discover the faith of a great family and see how you can deepen you own faith through it.

Yesterday, Today, and Forever is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to MasterBooks for sending me the books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Three years of adventure and discovery

My adventure with the TOS Homeschool Crew is officially completed.

It has been a marvelous journey but my attention is called somewhere else.   I will continue to review books/products on Canadianladybug Reviews! and will pursue my certificate in Social Media as well.   Homeschooling is a priority in our family and already I look forward for next year where I will have a preschooler, a grade one, a grade 2 and a grade 5.    I intend to plan a schedule that will be adequate for us over the summer.

I have also marked in BOLD PURPLE the products that I particularly loved and consider like gems for homeschoolers.

2008-20109 Crew Year
The Schoolhouse Planner
HelpMe2Teach
Homeschool Library Builder
Time4Learning
MediaAngels – The Missing Link: Found book
Let’s Make a Webpage ebook
Rhyme to Read
Little Man in the Map
Spears Art Studio Grades K-8
Trigger Memory Systems – Times Tales and Clean N’ Flip
Salem Ridge Press
Puppetools
Math Mammoth
Peterson Handwriting
KinderBach
Crayola Art Studio
All About Homophones
Heads Up
WriteShop Story Builders
One Year Adventure Novel
Schleich
Rocket Phonics
Bible Story Songs
Math Tutor DVD
Cadron Creek – Further Up and Further In (Narnia)
One 2 Believe – Noah’s Ark
SpellQuizzer
Homeschooling ABCs – Knowledge Quest
WriteShop Primary
Tapestry of Grace
Homeschool in the Woods – New Testament Lapbook
Memoria Press – Prima Latina and Latina Christiana I


2009-2010 Crew Year (jumped on board in March 2010)
Homeschool in the Woods – Olde World Style Maps (World and US)
Math Galaxy
All About Reading – What Am I?
Travels of Wiglinton and Wenks
Terrestria Chronicles - Books 6 & 7
Time4Learning – PreK program
TV Teacher – Alphabet Beats lower case letters
Lesson Planet
Ideal Curriculum
Cerebellum Corporation


2010-2011 Crew Year
TOS Planner
Schleich
LanSchool
Talking Fingers – Read, Write & Type!
Soli Deo Gloria – Young Hearts Longing for God (Psalms)
Collectorz Book Collector
KBTeachers.com
Wits & Wagers Family
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids
Ten Marks
City Creek Press – Times Alive!
Curiosity Files – The Blue-Footed Booby
Kid Scoop
Zeezok Publishing Z-guide to the movies
Kinderbach
Science Weekly
Yesterday’s Classics
Monki See Vol One DVD and book
Go Trybe K-5
Talking Finger - Wordy Qwerty
Eagle Wings Considering God’s Creation

 

It is funny how you feel when you finish something.   I have mixed feelings about this.   Part of me feel relieved while the other part is sort of sad at the same time.   The crew was demanding at times in our life.  As a member of the crew you need to use the products as part of your homeschool.  So sometimes you had to put aside some of the other things so concentrate on a specific product.    It was fantastic to discover homeschooling products that could make our homeschooling adventure more fun.    There were also the deadlines to meet.  Not too bad if you are organized but when systems like Blogger goes down it can cause some stress,   Fortunately, Meeting the deadlines were not a problem for me.  

The kids enjoyed the experience as well.  My oldest is more aware of what reviewing is.  Maybe one day he will start his own blog and review products.  Who knows…  

I am grateful for having being part of the TOS Homeschool Crew over the past three years.   When I least expected God has provided with curriculum that were simply a blessing.   When I started this adventure I was embarking on our 2nd year of homeschooling.  I was brand new at the whole thing and didn’t know what to expect.    I have discovered products and something to do for fun – reviewing products.    Without my participation in the crew I don’t think I would be doing this.  

I have no clue where my journey is bringing me. I will continue reviewing books and products for sure but this time I will be the one contacting the companies. I already have some wonderful relationships with some. We are blessed with wonderful books and products on a regular basis. But to be honest, I think I will have more time to dedicate to this blog – Life at Oak grove. Looking forward what the weeks, months and years to come has in store for me and my family!

Three years of adventure and discovery

My adventure with the TOS Homeschool Crew is officially completed.

It has been a marvelous journey but my attention is called somewhere else.   I will continue to review books/products on this site and will pursue my certificate in Social Media as well.   Homeschooling is a priority in our family and already I look forward for next year where I will have a preschooler, a grade one, a grade 2 and a grade 5.    I intend to plan a schedule that will be adequate for us over the summer.

I have also marked in BOLD BLUE the products that I particularly loved and consider like gems for homeschoolers.

2008-20109 Crew Year
The Schoolhouse Planner
HelpMe2Teach
Homeschool Library Builder
Time4Learning
MediaAngels – The Missing Link: Found book
Let’s Make a Webpage ebook
Rhyme to Read
Little Man in the Map
Spears Art Studio Grades K-8
Trigger Memory Systems – Times Tales and Clean N’ Flip
Salem Ridge Press
Puppetools
Math Mammoth
Peterson Handwriting
KinderBach
Crayola Art Studio
All About Homophones
Heads Up
WriteShop Story Builders
One Year Adventure Novel
Schleich
Rocket Phonics
Bible Story Songs
Math Tutor DVD
Cadron Creek – Further Up and Further In (Narnia)
One 2 Believe – Noah’s Ark
SpellQuizzer
Homeschooling ABCs – Knowledge Quest
WriteShop Primary
Tapestry of Grace
Homeschool in the Woods – New Testament Lapbook
Memoria Press – Prima Latina and Latina Christiana I


2009-2010 Crew Year (jumped on board in March 2010)
Homeschool in the Woods – Olde World Style Maps (World and US)
Math Galaxy
All About Reading – What Am I?
Travels of Wiglinton and Wenks
Terrestria Chronicles - Books 6 & 7
Time4Learning – PreK program
TV Teacher – Alphabet Beats lower case letters
Lesson Planet
Ideal Curriculum
Cerebellum Corporation


2010-2011 Crew Year
TOS Planner
Schleich
LanSchool
Talking Fingers – Read, Write & Type!
Soli Deo Gloria – Young Hearts Longing for God (Psalms)
Collectorz Book Collector
KBTeachers.com
Wits & Wagers Family
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids
Ten Marks
City Creek Press – Times Alive!
Curiosity Files – The Blue-Footed Booby
Kid Scoop
Zeezok Publishing Z-guide to the movies
Kinderbach
Science Weekly
Yesterday’s Classics
Monki See Vol One DVD and book
Go Trybe K-5
Talking Finger - Wordy Qwerty
Eagle Wings Considering God’s Creation