Discovery Education Streaming Plus Freebie!!!

Do you like free things? I know I do. Especially when my children can benefit from it also. Well, homeschoolers listen up!

The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is giving away a FREE 

subscription to Discovery Education Streaming Plus for 

the summer!!!!

Have I caught your attention? If not, I bet this next bit of information will. 

 A 1 year subscription retails for $375 and it includes over 12,000 full-length educational videos, games, interactives and more! It's probably the most extensive and feature-rich educational video streaming service in the world. It's much like having the entire DVD selection of your local public library available to you from the convenience of your home, 24/7/365.

If that was not enough information for you, here's a bit more:

Discovery Education Streaming Plus features:

• Thousands of full-length videos from scores of producers, segmented into tens of thousands of content-specific clips tied directly to state and national standards.
• Supplemental resources such as Assignment Builder, Quiz Center, Writing Prompt Generator, lesson plans, and more
• Fast and accurate search functionality and dynamic navigation menus
• The ability to customize and personalize lessons to different subjects, grades, and learning styles
• Comprehensive K-12 curriculum coverage in six core subject areas.
• Thousands of images
• Membership in the Discovery Educator Network (DEN)
• Interactive self-paced training
• Exclusive Discovery programming such as Frozen Planet, Human Planet, LIFE, Into the Universe, Mythbusters, and Curiosity
• Video series from trusted content providers such as BBC Worldwide, CBS News, Channel 4, Discovery Studios, Scholastic, TV Ontario, and Westin Woods
• Hundreds of games, skill builders, and body atlas interactives
• Thousands of self-paced math tutorials spanning concepts from basic addition to calculus
• Thousands of audio files including podcasts, classic literature audiobooks, children's literature audiobooks from Scholastic, and numerous supplemental study aids for auditory learners

Ready to sign up? Head on over to Discovery Education Streaming Free Trial

Review of Wizzy Gizmo

*I received a free FAST TRACK BIBLE PACK set, in exchange for an honest Wizzy Gizmo Review. This review was hosted by Home and School Mosaics and Wizzy Gizmo.*

"Wizzy Gizmo" For some reason that name does not make me think, "GREAT Bible study resources." That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Fast Track Bible Pack in the mail. Immediately upon opening the package, I knew these were going to be a great tool to use in our homeschool. These cards are great! 

Before I get to far into explain the cards to you, I want to tell you a bit about the company. Wizzy Gizmo was created by a group of parents, pastors, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, and Homeschoolers who are "committed to equipping our children for life, by planting them firmly in God's Word." Awesome! 

Right now, there are audio dramas, books and these awesome Fast Track Bible Pack sets available to assist you in guiding your children towards Christ. They are planning on adding even more products to the line up as well! 

I received the Fast Track Bible Pack for this review. It is a set of 28 cards, one card for each of the books in the New Testament and one index card. They are 5 x 8" and made of durable card stock. This set can be found on the Wizzy Gizmo website for only $14.99. 

Are these not the cutest?




The front of each card contains a summary that book of the Bible. 

 The back of each card is full of information about the book. At the top is the general theme, right below that is an outline with a list of what chapters you can find the subjects of the outline in. Then it lists the key chapters and then key passages. Towards the bottom is lists the key doctrines and key people in the book. Each of these areas is highlighted with a different color, making it super easy for kids to use. 







I found that my kids seemed to gravitate towards them. Not just during our devotion time either! I found someone looking at one of them, at some point in time, throughout any given day! I think these cards will be part of our family devotion time for years to come! The only thing I would change about them is that they are not bound together in any way. Though, that's pretty easy to work with. 


You can find your own set of cards, or one of Wizzy Gizmo's other products on their website. 
You can also find Wizzy Gizmo on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, and Vimeo.

Don't just take my word for it. You can find more reviews for Wizzy Gizmo over at Home & School Mosaics. 

Review of Ancient Jewelry by Cynthia

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to meet a wonderful kindred spirit at a street fair here in town. She just so happens to create beautiful jewelry using healing stones. I was taken in by the beauty of all of her jewelry. The fact that it is all handmade is an absolute plus!

Cynthia started her business in March of this year as an outlet for her creativity and her passion for healing. Each piece is created with love and it shows! Just look at these beauties!

Aren’t they stunning!?

They aren’t just beautiful to wear; they will help you with various things as you wear them! The ear rings I pictured above are made of rainbow moonstone, garnet, citrine and clear quartz. On Cynthia’s Ancient Wisdom website, you can find the description of each of these stones and how they will help you. For instance, in the description of the earrings, you will find that rainbow moonstone can help with self-discovery, and that garnet can help enhance one’s vitality! I think I’ll take a pair of those earrings!

For this review, Cynthia made a pair of earrings just for me! Mine are made with sterling silver wire, labradorite, rainbow moonstone and clear quartz. Along with my earrings I got a print out from Cynthia that had information about each of these stones. Labradorite can help with recognizing and enhancing one’s intuitive abilities. Rainbow moonstone is a stone of self-discovery, insight into the self and intuition. Clear quartz is a stone of amplification of other stones. It also brings clarity of mind and eliminates confusion by showing purpose to the heart and mind. I LOVE these ear rings. My ears a very sensitive to certain metals and I can wear these with no problem because the sterling silver she uses is solid, not plated.

I hope you take the time to browse her online store at

Ancient Wisdom Jewelry by Cynthia

You can find her on facebook at Ancient Wisdom Jewelry by Cynthia

Review for Sanstemar

I write reviews for a wonderful site called WAHM Reviews. I thought I'd start sharing them here also. So, here you go.

I like to shop on etsy, a lot. I usually find some pretty cool items. When I stumbled across Sanstemar, they were no exception. I instantly wanted one of their cute handkerchief dresses for my daughter. I mean, look at this cute dress!

 

 

Just looking at it makes me think of warm summer days, playing in the sun. How about you?

The dress is beautifully crafted and comes in a variety of different colors and patterns. They even give you the option for a custom order if you don’t see what you would like. The dress in the picture is the one that was sent to me for this review. It fits my daughter nicely. It’s tight enough at the top that it doesn’t fall down, yet it’s not so tight that it’s uncomfortable. She can move and play in it freely. The seams are all very well done, so there’s no concern of tearing. The ribbon at the top finishes it off nicely.

I also received this very cute purse.

 

 

Isn’t that just great!? I love it! Just like the dress, this one is also handcrafted with the same care and quality as the dress. The inside is lined with an upcycled t-shirt and makes it easy to find what you are looking for inside the purse.

 

All pockets on the outside of the purse are fully functional. They have not been sewn shut, so you can store your chap stick, or phone there for easy access.

Sanstemar also carries weighted blankets and lap pads for those with sensory disorders. I did not receive this item for review, but if the purse and dress are of any indication, these products will not disappoint. Both the purse and dress are so well made that I wouldn’t have to think twice before ordering from Sanstemar.

 

Want your own? Head on over to their etsy store and place your order. www.etsy.com/shop/Sanstemar

 

Questions and Comments are always welcome below.

If you liked this review you may like to read color by amber.

 

Food Share Friday: Michele's Delight

I'm back, yet again, with another goodie from my Grandpa's Recipe book. This one has been tested by all four of my kids and they all approve. I had to cut them off, or they would've eaten the whole pan!

Just like all of the other recipes, you can find this one in his self published cookbook titled; "Natural Foods Sampler: Whole Food Goodness for You!" One thing I love most about this cookbook is that my Grandpa wrote a little poem to go along with each recipe. It gives a little sense of who he was and brings a smile to my face each time I read it. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Michele's Delight

"Along the way

One sunny day

Good luck gave me a nudge.

Faring quite well

I met Michele

And made this luscious fudge!"

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Carob
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp liquid lecithin
3/4 cup non-fat dry milk
1 tsp pure vanilla
3 TBS "Better Butter"
1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup rolled oats, toasted*
1/2 cup dates, cut up
1.2 cup chopped nuts

1. In a two or three quart saucepan combine carob, water, butter, peanut butter, lecithin, and honey, over low heat, stirring until smooth and well blended.

2. Remove from heat and stir in powdered milk and vanilla.

3. Add oats, dates, and nuts. Mix thoroughly.

4. Drop by 1 1/2 tsp** on wax paper to set. Remove and store in refrigerator.

Yield: 50-60 tidbits.

Special Note: * Toast oats in baking pan in 300 degree oven until golden, Stir occasionally.
                     ** I used a TBS sized cookie scoop and yielded 25 cookies.


Carb counts: Whole batch = 282 grams
                    25 TBS = 11.28 per cookie
                    50-60 tidbits = 5.64 - 4.7 grams per tidbit.


I have copies of this cookbook available by request. I just ask that you cover the cost of printing and shipping. If you are interested, e-mail me at peaceoftheprairies@gmail.com

Food Share Friday: Yankee Banana Bread/Best Baking Powder

Here is another great recipe from my Grandpa's cookbook. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did.

Yankee Banana Bread
"The sweetness of molasses,
The whole wheat flavor's zest
Join dates and ripe bananas
To make this loaf the best."

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal (I'm sure he would recommend non GMO now)
2 tsp Best Baking Powder (recipe to follow)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup mashed ripe bananas
1 Cup Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Molasses (There are carrying degrees of molasses. Black strap is going to be the darkest)
3/4 Cup Dates, cut up

1. In mixing bowl stur together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and soda.

2. Mix together molasses, banana, and buttermilk.

3. Blend wet ingredients into dry mixture. Add dates.

4. Turn batter into three 5/12 x 3 greased and floured loaf pans, or four rouind one poind tin cans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until tests done with toothpick.

6. After ten minutes remove from pans or cans and cool n rack. Enjoy!


Best Baking Powder
"Leavening that you can make;
It's best for everything you bake!"

Best baking powder is low in sodium and free of aluminum compunds. Here is the formula:

2 parts cream of tartar
2 parts arrowroot powder
1 part potassium bicarbonate

Potassium bicarbonate can be found on amazon. 

Homemade Facial Cleanser

I've been using my homemade Herbal Facial Scrub daily for a long time. It's been working too. That is until I turned 30 and my skin has now become the most sensitive thing on the face of the planet! Or so it seems to me. It was time for a change.

I searched and searched for an affordable natural facial cleanser. There are some really great options out there, but I have this thing about shelling out even $10 for a bottle of stuff I'm just going to rinse down the sink. I also like to make it myself, if I can.

This lead my research in a different direction. I wanted to make my own facial cleanser. There are lots of really great recipes out there. I was inspired by a couple recipes in particular; Chamomile Facial Cleaner Recipe & Handmade Foaming Facial Cleanser. Both of these recipes are great!

Of course I had to take them and make them my own. Why not? I do if for everything else, why not this? Here's what I did:

Homemade Facial Cleanser Recipe

1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap (I used Dr. Woods Pure Peppermint with Shea Butter)

1/4 cup water

2 tsp apricot oil (This is what I had. You can use any light oil)

2 tsp aloe vera juice (Make sure it's the natural stuff, not the green gel you can buy on the shelf of the drug store)

10 drops Vitamin E oil

I put this all into a bowl and gently stirred, with a fork, until it was mixed well. Then, I transferred it to a bottle. That's it! It took me maybe 5 minutes to make and I saved a lot of money!


As you can see from these pictures, it will separate a bit. Just give it a good shake and all is well again. This recipe filled this bottle, plus a little leftover.

Cost breakdown:
Castile Soap- I bought a 32oz bottle at Swanson Vitamins for just over $6. I get the Dr Woods brand as it's less expensive than Dr Bronners and the quality is just as good. Since I just used 2 oz of this I spent about $0.40 for this recipe

Water- Free

Apricot Oil - This is just what I had on hand. You can find Apricot Kernel Oil at Swanson Vitamins for just over $3. Using that cost, I spent about $0.25 for this recipe.

Aloe Vera Juice - The bottle I have cost me about $6, so I used about $0.06.

Vitamin E oil - I spent about $8 for the one I have. I have no idea how many drops are in the bottle. I would say that I maybe spent $0.05.

Total for this recipe: $0.76 per batch! That is way less than even the cheapest drug store brands! Plus, you get the added health benefits and satisfaction knowing that all of the ingredients are healthy and without unwanted/unneeded chemicals.

As you can see, I buy most of my items from Swanson Vitamins. I don't get paid to advertise for them, nor do I work for them. I do provide a referral link. If you order using that link, I will get a $10 reward coupon and you will get $5. Not too bad of a deal if you ask me. You are free to use my link, or not. It doesn't matter to me. Whatever you are comfortable with.