Prey Species

I was provided a free copy of the waterproof bible in exchange for my honest review!

Finally, a bible I can read while drinking coffee and in the presence of my 9 month old! Seriously! One of the goals I made for myself this year was to read the bible. I thought that spending time reading portions of the bible while nursing and caring for my new infant was a wonderful plan. What better time to focus and reflect on the Lord’s teachings then when you are holding brand new life? As a new mother, religious guidance was pretty high on my list to help combat the frustrations of learning how to transition from a professional woman to full-time stay at home mother. None of the bibles that were currently in my home were up to this challenge. None were safe to have around coffee, let alone around my daughter. Aside from a few wet splotches from spilled milk the first few months were OK, but as soon as baby was able to reach out and grab the pages and the book, all bets were off. The pages were ripped and stained with coffee as I tried to keep both out of reach of my new little one. The plan to read through the bible went on the back burner in exchange for reciting prayers I already knew by heart.  

Fortunately, the Waterproof Bible then entered my life. This product is just wonderful. Although, it was originally designed for those interested in having the bible with them as they hiked and explored the great outdoors, it is also perfect for a new mother trying to survive the great indoors. I have very much enjoyed using this product and am thrilled to say that after feeding my daughter, rinsing off coffee and sweet potato, letting it float in a bubble bath, and accidentally soaking it with a sippy cup as it rode along in my diaper bag; this waterproof bible is legit and a fabulous gift for new mothers as well as those that enjoy the great outdoors.  

Bardin Marsee Publishing’s Waterproof bible is very durable with synthetic pages that are stain resistant (coffee and orange juice wiped right off!).  The bible has easy to read text, is very light weight, allows for highlighting with dry highlighters with little to no bleed thru, and will actually float when placed in water. The copy I received for review was pink, but didn’t stop my husband from enjoying reading it and experimenting with its water proof properties. I truly believe this would be a wonderful gift for graduation, first communion, etc. The bible is available as English Standard Version, New International Version, King James Version, New King James Version, and New Living Translation. It can also be purchased in a variety of colors including pink, blue, and camouflage. There is also the option for personalization of the bible you purchase for an additional fee.

Giveaway Announcement on HomeSchoolMosaics.com:
The Homeschool Mosaic Website is currently hosting a Bardin Marsee Publishing giveaway:   10 Waterproof Bibles to 10 of their readers!  Click here for more information about the giveaway!  The giveaway ends  at 12:01 AM on May 30, 2013.

I received a copy of  Spanish for You! Estaciones Curriculum Package for free in exchange for an honest review.

Spanish for You! was created by a teacher with experience in traditional classroom environments and homeschool settings.  Spanish for You! has the lofty goals of making the teaching of Spanish accessible and affordable to multiple age groups simultaneously even when being taught by individuals without a strong foreign language background.  The curriculum is based around themes and encourages students to use Spanish words and phrases when dealing with familiar topics such as Fiestas (celebrations), Estaciones (seasons), and Viajes (travels).  The author plans to add more themed packages soon.

Each themed package has lessons geared for kids working at the 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 grade levels.  Included in the packaged curriculum is a soft cover book (the trial version is a PDF file), lesson guide (PDF), worksheets (PDF), flashcards (PDF), and audio files (MP3).  With the exception of the book, each component of the package is electronically downloadable and in black and white.  This keeps the curriculum affordable for many families with each themed curriculum inclusive of all grade levels 3-8 costing $64.95, individual grade level packages costing $39.95, and extra books available at a cost of $12.95.

I was given the Estaciones (seasons) package for review (cover shown below).

An image of the beginning of Lesson 3 from Estaciones is shown below.  The book is very detailed and guidance is provided for activities as appropriate for each grade level.  Directions are clear and several activities and games are included to help students gain a greater level of comfort using the vocabulary.  The games do include a minimum of two students, so this program is really best suited for small groups.

One of the methods the author utilized for controlling cost was having her young daughter create the drawings for the flashcards.  As an adult, I thought this was a bit off putting, but the kids didn’t seem to mind one bit.  In fact, at least one of my “pupils” took it upon herself to color and add to the drawings to make them her own and I truly feel that this only increased her comprehension of the vocabulary, because she spent more time working with the materials.

Spanish For You! Flashcards

In my opinion, the program does achieve its goals of being affordable and conducive for use with multiple grade levels.  Organization is absolutely key when using this program.  You must utilize the lesson guide to locate the appropriate files for each lesson.  Since the lessons are delivered electronically it is a relatively simple, if time consuming task to sort the files in advance of using the program.

One of the biggest strengths of this program is the receptiveness of its creator, Debbie Annett to make the program a success.  Several of the concerns initially raised by reviewers of the Mosaics Review team when we initially started using the program, including concerns over audio files not being in order and confusion with where to start were quickly addressed and at the time of this post are no longer an issue. 

You can find more information about Spanish for You! by visiting their website or following them on Facebook.

I sincerely thank my dear friends for letting me borrow their children to try out this curriculum!  I look forward to being able to use it with my own little pupil when she is a little older  

I was given free access to Saving Memories Forever in exchange for my honest review.

Uncle Joe was fishing on the lake near his dorm in college.  He cast backwards, farther than anticipated and ended up snagging the boat behind him.  On that boat was the woman that would later become Mrs. Joe and the mother of some amazing cousins.  This story has traveled through generations of our family and depending on who tells it (Uncle Joe or Aunt Joe) there is always a slightly different twist.  Fortunately, both of them can tell their unique version of the story and keep it recorded for future generations through the use of a new application called Saving Memories Forever.

Saving Memories Forever is an online application and mobile app that allows family members to record their stories and save them in digital format.  Our family has several stories (like that of Uncle Joe snagging his wife!) that are told over and over again at family gatherings and I am thrilled that there is now a product to record and save these stories in the voice of the actual storyteller.  You can record the storyteller sharing their tale using either your computer or the phone app.  Both are very easy to download, install, and start using.

You simply create an account, log in, and start adding storytellers by using their name and email.  If you want to record stories about relatives that have passed you have the option of creating a virtual relative and recording your own memories about that individual.  Saving Memories Forever also provides tips and sample questions to help conduct interviews of family members and friends.

Think of all those special moments at weddings, birthdays, or story time with Grandma.  All of those treasured events can be recorded in the storytellers own voice.  There is even an option to share the stories once recorded via Facebook.

Once the stories are recorded, simply logging into savingmemoriesforever.com gives you access to select the story you want to hear via the name of the storyteller or the name of the story.  It’s wonderful to hear your family members and friends recall their own precious moments and favorite stories in their own voice and better still that those memories will be available for future generations to hear and share!

Visit https://www.savingmemoriesforever.com/TutorialVideo-Small.mov to watch a how-to-demo!

Saving Memories Forever has the option of free accounts or premium accounts, which cost $3.99 per month or are discounted to $40 if you  pay for the whole year at once.  The premium account increases the option of the number of storytellers, allows you to attach pictures to the stories, and enables you to download the stories into a zip file.  For more information check out this chart.

The Saving Memories Forever app is available for Free download in the iTunes store or through Google Play.

You can find out more information about Saving Memories Forever by visiting their website, Facebook page, and Twitter!