Books of the Month {June 2018}

Sharing what I read this month...

This Open Collab is hosted by Ingrid @ Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles: http://bit.ly/2zpOZBU
and April @ The Simple Rugged Path: http://bit.ly/2zqFXo3

Playlist link: http://bit.ly/2hXr8zl

The Road Home Review:
https://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-road-home-review.html

2018 Read Aloud List:
https://creative2xmom.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-read-aloud-list.html

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

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The Circle Maker Devotions for Kids {Review}

This new devotional by Mark Batterson introduces the next generation to the Jewish legend of Honi the Circle Maker.  Honi drew a circle in the sand and refused to budge until the Lord answered his prayer.  Under seemingly impossible circumstances, Honi continued to lift his requests with boldness until rain fell and ended the drought.

Featuring 100 devotionals, each section includes a related Scripture, teaching, and prayer, as well as space to write about your child's personal prayer requests.  I especially appreciate that the devotional makes note of asking the Lord how to pray and acknowledging that He doesn't always answer in the way we'd like.  The idea of persisting in prayer has great relevance for our time.  Long standing prayer has fallen by the wayside in our high speed culture and yet, it remains foundational to the faith.  

Teaching our children to pray should be high on every parent's priority list.  As our children mature, it's our goal to help them mature in their spiritual life as well.  Learning to pray with boldness, vulnerability, and persistence will benefit them both now and long into adulthood.  I'm excited to add this devotional to our morning routine.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Our 2018 Summer Bucket List

How can it be the end of June already.  Before we know, stores will start rolling out their Back to School sales and I'll be planning birthday parties.  So in an attempt to capture the rest of our summer, we sat down and made a summer bucket list.  What would you add to it?

Design safety pin bracelets
Make galaxies in bottles
Make Sponge Bombs

Make solar system bracelets

Complete the Barnes & Noble reading challenge

Make edible solar systems

Read More About Paddington

Learn to draw animals

Freeze 4th of July pops

Make homemade ice cream

Go camping

Go to the beach

Become a Junior Ranger

Complete the library reading challenge

Make friendship bracelets

Visit a National Park

Try grilled fruit

Memorize the Books of the Bible

Read Candymakers

Explore tide pools

Have a water balloon fight

Visit the Farmer's Market

Make a fun fruit dessert

Hike a volcano

Camp out in the backyard

Find 3 new places to explore around town

Learn about ocean animals

Hike Crystal Creek Falls

Stay up and star gaze

Visit the Icee Shack

Make Mango Lemonade
Try sand slime
Make some 4th of July crafts

Resources for a Plant Themed Unit Study

Today we're sharing with your all the resources we used in our plant themed unit study.

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

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Secret Channel Book Swap Unboxing

Today I'm unboxing my package from the Secret Channel Book Swap!  I'm so excited to dig in and enjoy these treats from my partner.  Also stay tuned for July 31st, where I'll select one of these books to read and review.  Enjoy!

This un-boxing is part of secret channel book swap hosted by the Facebook group YouTube Collaborators and organized by Ingrid of Mommy & Mia Homeschool Chronicles https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcrZSa0FOG6FH5BUv8QNDg & 
April of The Simple Rugged Path https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HVorQE8LgvYfw8_zPiDAQ

Cheryl's Country Home: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkfviz5b3bXdufHmkJCC5QA

Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLId_JNKYCQ7IdOd5IXNE8ELqY-NqRk68j&jct=M8qFJ4GTS3FhXqM9yUstSorfkQFkCQ

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom
read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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Music Attribution:

Italian Afternoon by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Top Five Family Read Alouds

Sharing Top Five Family Read Alouds...

We've been doing a family read aloud for 5+ years and have gone on some incredible adventures through our reading.  What is your top family read aloud?

April at The Simple Rugged Path:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HVorQE8LgvYfw8_zPiDAQ?pbjreload=10

Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFdamhRE3YEB0igLRA0FVWcUHGaLWpwBY&jct=tL--FRqlzRSDsppHMyRfJbbz8Dy_-A

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom
read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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My Homeschool Favorites 2017-2018

Sharing 5 of our top favorites from this past homeschool year...

April at The Simple Rugged Path:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HVorQE8LgvYfw8_zPiDAQ?pbjreload=10

Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFdamhRE3YEB0K7kWVNZVKj8WsdcPmXf7&jct=-CnyLQ-G68u52BLe3a8SpSCekQOYkA&disable_polymer=true

Story of the World Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDPh6k4pA2E

10 Days in Africa Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wpYh2CtYGk

Hatching Butterflies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umkPfkvr0p0

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
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read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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FTC DISCLOSURE: This video is not sponsored.

Hatching Butterflies ll First Grade Science

We finally did it!  Finally got brave enough to grow caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies.  What started out as a first grade project, quickly turned into a whole family experience.  So glad we tried this one.

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧9 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
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read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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FTC DISCLOSURE: This video is not sponsored.

Music Attribution:

Gisele_Revisited by South London HiFi

English Country Garden by Aaron Kenny

10 Days in Africa Game Review

We discovered this wonderful game while studying Ancient Africa.  We have had so much fun with this one that I just had to share.

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
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The Road Home {Review}

When Lena Rose's parents are killed in a tragic accident, she finds her family divided.  All ten siblings much be placed with families, along with her precious little brother, Chris.  At eighteen years old, Lena Rose sets off to find work, but soon realizes that her only hope is to leave the state and live with distant relatives.  Once away from home, her heart longs for the day she can reunite with her siblings.  Living away from home provides some tough lessons for Lena Rose... missing family, grieving her parents, and trying to sustain a long distance relationship... will she find the courage to embrace this season of life and invest in her new home... temporary or not?

Pros:

• The Road Home is a book with strong family values and solid role models.  I especially loved Mimi who is always full of motherly wisdom.
• There's a whole host of characters with Lena Rose coming from a large family.  But for the most part, they are easily distinguishable and developed.
• This story is well written and flows fluidly.

Cons:

There was only one real con to this story and that was the lost opportunity to explore Lena Rose's grief.  Here we have a main character that's lost both her parents, seen her nine siblings farmed out to various homes, and moved to a different state to make a livelihood.  And the author misses the opportunity to explore the issues of grief and healing.  Except for a few rare instances, Lena Rose rarely speaks about her pain, leaving her a bit one dimensional. 

All in all, The Road Home was an enjoyable read, mostly based on the close family relationships explored within the context of the book.  While not Beverely Lewis' finest work, the story is still sweet, endearing and perfect for leisurely summer reading.  

*Disclaimer: A free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Five Travel Hacks for Traveling with Kids

Sharing Five Travel Hacks for Traveling with Kids ... from car travel to simplifying flying... these are five hacks that have worked for us.

Hawaii 2017 Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdEwsx69jopv4UnRfGx3nran6dnph_hWl

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom
read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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FTC DISCLOSURE: This video is not sponsored.

End of the Year Homeschool Evaluation ll Collab

Today is our last day of the 2017-2018 Homeschool Year.  So we're taking a look back on the past year... the highs, lows, changes, and highlights.

April The Simple Rugged Path
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HVorQE8LgvYfw8_zPiDAQ
and

Playlist link : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFdamhRE3YEAavc3QOswKmtw_Tz-TSpXN&jct=Bh4yncc00c8jUUp3UVaMdjFyjkLFYQ

Monterey Bay Aquarium: A Homeschooler's Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfk2nFhRK10

Maui Ocean Center and Tropical Plantation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNAICEdraKI

Dealing with Big Emotions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oubqy-R8-G8

Here are your questions:
1. Will you be making any curriculum changes?
2. What are your summer plans?
3. Do you have a last day of school tradition?
4. Have you already bought next year's curriculum?
5. What are some changes that you made this past year and how did they work out?
6. What was your favorite filed trip this past school year? Will you do that field trip again in the future?
7. What was one mistake you made in the past school year that you learned from?
8. What was your favorite read aloud from this past year?
9. What personal read encouraged you most in your homeschooling journey?
10. What area or strength have you grown in the most this past school year?

Join The Creative2xmom Family on their journey of being a family of 5! 💑16yrs led to 👱12 yrs, 👧10 yrs, and 👱 6 yrs.

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

C O N N E C T
subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom
read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
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follow me on https://www.instagram.com/creative2xmom/

FTC DISCLOSURE: This video is not sponsored.