The Missing Link: FOUND

I know that most of you who read my blog have young children, but you may have a niece, nephew, or another tween/teenager in your life that would love this book! It is the first book in the Truth Seekers Mystery Series, written by Christina Gerwitz and her mother, Felice. Christina was only 12 when she began writing and she started this particular book at age 14. As I got more and more into the plot, I found myself constantly amazed that a homeschooled teenager and her mom had written such a complex story!

The Missing Link: FOUND centers around two teenagers named Christian and Anna Murphy. While on vacation, the teens and their family become involved in mystery full of twists and turns. Action and adventure are around every corner for these brave siblings. Besides a fascinating plot, the book also puts a focus on Creation science, with the discovery of what appears to be the missing link that proves the theory of evolution. I was captivated throughout most of the book, only getting a bit lost through the explanations about carbon dating! I picked the book up Friday night and finished it yesterday, so it is a good, quick read!

In this series of books, you will find some stark contrasts to most of the literature that is marketed to teens today. You will find a homeschooling family that loves each other and puts God first. You will see teenagers that lean on the Lord through difficult times. You will see the power of prayer illustrated in their lives. You will also see teens with good attitudes, who do not speak using colloquialisms and slang!

The set of books is on sale right now for $22.00 at the Media Angels website. If you just want the individual book, The Missing Link: FOUND, it is available for $8.99.

If you'd like to read reviews by other members of the TOS Crew, click HERE!

Something to Think About

Our family is cutting back on Christmas spending this year by drawing names and setting a limit on the amount to spend (this also gives us more time to spend together instead of the couple of hours it usually takes us to open gifts!). Now I have the ability to spend some money where it will really count for something. Please pray and consider doing the same. My friend, Lori, has a wonderful post on this subject. It will take a bit to read because she included a moving speech by Mother Teresa, but it's worth every bit of time, so click HERE now!

One2Believe

One of the best products I've received since becoming a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse is the nativity set from One2Believe. It was like Christmas morning when Ella and I opened the package! She immediately began playing and picked up where she left off every time she had a spare minute. She adores having a nativity she can actually manipulate while re-creating the story of the birth of Jesus. We have the Fisher-Price Little People set that she has enjoyed for a couple of years, but the one from One2Believe seems to be a bit more realistic and will last her a few more years!



The nativity set is part of the Tales of Glory series from One2Believe. Here is a blurb from the website about the Tales of Glory line:

With Tales of Glory PVC Figurine Sets children can bring the greatest stories of the Bible to life. Each set contains a mini-storybook and a collection of 3” PVC figurines. The 3” size is designed to fit perfectly in a young child’s hand. Add a Tales of Glory Play-mat to any of the figurine sets and watch your child’s imagination soar.

The pieces in this set seem to be very durable. There is a star attached to the top of the set that could pose a choking hazard to children 3 and younger if it became detached. The nativity set is reasonably priced at $24.99, which is less than the Fisher-Price set. This set contains 17 pieces, plus a "Birth of Baby Jesus" mini-storybook.



Besides the Tales of Glory line, One2Believe has several other series, including Messengers of Faith, Spirit Warriors, and P31 dolls (which are based on the Proverbs 31 woman). These toys would make great Christmas gifts for the children in your life. It is nice to have a biblical alternative to some of toys that are on the market today. The toys are shipped via FEDEX, so they arrive quickly. All of the toys are 100% guaranteed to be free from defect and all you have to do is contact One2Believe and they will send you a replacement, if you find a problem! The toys are available at Wal-Mart, target.com, amazon.com, and, of course, one2believe.com. I have also seen the single figurines at Dollar Tree. I highly recommend the products from One2Believe!

If you'd like to read other perspectives about One2Believe, please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog to find links to more reviews.

Report & Pics from Mexico!

Well, I am back from Mexico! It was an incredible trip and it will take some time for me to fully digest all I learned. We went over there to help these kids, but in so many ways, they wound up helping us. I am brainstorming and asking God to help me find ways to continue to provide for the orphanage financially. If we think the U.S. is in for tough economic times, the problems are only multiplied in Mexico and especially in this poor little border town. But, something tells me that the orphanage will continue to operate because God's provision has been so constant in the past. Mama Lupita, who founded and runs the orphanage, is as close to a saint as anyone I've ever met. She has such a clear vision for these kids that can only come from the Holy Spirit. Her top priority has been to feed them spiritually, knowing that if she put this first, God would take care of the rest of their needs. Truly amazing to hear about...even more amazing to see in action. I am going to make several more posts about my trip and the work being done there, along with pictures. I want to ask all of you to become involved by praying for them. Pray for their daily needs, but pray mostly that the Savior will minister to and heal their hearts and grow them up into the warriors that will in turn fight for and save their community (which the drug cartel has overtaken). Here are a couple of pictures to get you started:

Maria (11)

Enrique (6?)

Me & Madalina (4)

Help Me 2 Teach

I have had the opportunity to look over the resources offered at HelpMe2Teach.com. It is a subscription-based online educational directory for teachers, parents, and kids! Elaine Taylor has been an educator for over 40 years and has made it her mission to make internet searches safe and relevant for all who use her service. The directory includes over 2300 links to curriculum, coloring pages, craft ideas, lapbook lessons, unit studies, Bible stories - you name it! And, most of the materials offered in the links you find are free!

As a new homeschool mom, I have spent hours upon hours searching the internet for curriculum and supplemental material. HelpMe2Teach is going to really cut down on my internet time! It helps to have everything listed in one place. The information is well-organized by topics, subject areas and grade levels (pre-K to 12th grade), but you can also just enter a keyword into the search bar. As with Google searches, you may not always get exactly what you want when you type in a keyword, which is really the only downside to this site. However, you can trust HelpMe2Teach to give you safe links every time and you definitely cannot do the same with Google. That makes this resource invaluable for kids. You can allow your children to do all their web searches here with no worries!

You do have to pay for this service, but for the time that you save by having so much information in one place, I believe it's worth it!! With your yearly subscription, you not only get this powerful searching tool, but you get a quarterly newsletter with tips and ideas as well. Here's the breakdown on pricing:

* 1 year - $29.95
* 3 mos. - $15.95
* 1 mo. - $9.95
* 3 days - $4.95 (great option if you want to try it out before paying full-price!)

The best thing is that right now, HelpMe2Teach is running a special! If you sign up for a year's subscription at $29.95, you receive another year FREE!! Just type in the code "TOS" when you check out to take advantage of this special offer.

Heading to Mexico!

Tomorrow night, I am travelling to Mexico with a group from my church. We are going to an orphanage just across the border to spend a week with the children there. I am so honored to be a part of this mission trip. The last mission trip I took out of the country was to Ecuador when I was in high school. That trip made a lasting impression on me. I will always remember the people I met there. You have not seen JOY until you've watched someone in desperate poverty lift up praises to the King, because He truly is their only hope. We do not know this kind of faith in America. We take for granted that our needs will be supplied in one way or another and we rarely have to cry out to God for the basics, such as food, water, and shelter. People who have to rely daily (sometimes, minute-by-minute) on His provision and find Him faithful in every need seem to have a much stronger faith than those of us here who don't lean on Him nearly enough. God used that trip to grow in me a compassion for others that will not go away. At that time, I thought that I would go on many mission trips and possibly become a missionary. Well, God used (and continues to use) me in many ways to be "on mission" for Him throughout the years, and He has shown me that as Christians, we are ALL called to be missionaries, regardless of where He places us. I am so thankful that He has now chosen to send me on the trip I will take tomorrow, so that once again, my heart can be pricked and filled with compassion!

In some ways, it will be very difficult for me. As I have shared with you, God has placed adoption on my heart and it will be hard for me to go to this orphanage and not want to bring a child (or all of them, lol!) home. This particular orphanage houses children who are not adoptable. Mexican law mandates that every living relative of a child must sign away their rights to the child before he/she can be adopted. Sometimes that means a 12th cousin living half-way across the country that can't or won't sign the papers! This just breaks my heart and I ask you to pray that God would protect me from getting too attached.

There are 105 children (from infant to age 24) at the orphanage, which is run by one woman! The older "children" help out where they can and become surrogate parents to the youngest ones. Our goal this week will be to share Bible stories, crafts and games with the kids - but mainly just to love on them. The men going with us will work on some of the building maintenance needs as well. Please pray for our safety in travel and while we are there, as border towns can be dangerous. Pray that we will be able to meet the needs of the kids, physically and spiritually. I will definitely give you all a report with pictures when I return!

Get out and VOTE!!

Our unit study last week was on the letter "E", so it was a perfect time to talk about the election! Ella decided early on that she would vote for McCain. I think she especially likes Sarah Palin. She would be so proud to know that I am using her picture to help motivate all of you to get out and vote tomorrow! ;) (Oh, and just so you don't think I'm brainwashing her, we also made puppets of Obama & Biden...these were just her favorites.)

If you want some guidance in praying for tomorrow's election, Barbara at MommyLife has some great Scriptures listed HERE.

I also wanted to post something that was forwarded to me, as a good reminder that God is in control, no matter who is elected tomorrow.

TEN PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION:


1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.


ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS STILL IN CONTROL?