I'd love to say I'll take the time to write more later, but I since I seem to be keeping busy (sometimes busy doing nothing) lately, I can't.  So here's a quick recommendation anyway.

I am reading The Practice of Godliness and really enjoying it.  The book has served as a reminder of where I am headed and provided useful tips on how to get there more effectively.  I have really enjoyed reading the Scriptural selections mentioned in the book and have found them to be very inspiring.  My only "complaint" is that in the second portion of the book where the development of specific godly traits is discussed, the author sometimes fails to actually provide the Scriptural citation for his references.  For instance, the author makes a reference to Paul indicating that he can do something because God strengthens him but doesn't provide the book, chapter and verse citation for me to read the referenced passage.  This is a small issue and most of the non-cited references are ones that I recognized well enough to know that they really did exist (somewhere).  This is a very small issue with what is otherwise a very useful book. 

The author did an excellent job of explaining and supporting his explanation for what our true motivations should be and how we should behave toward our God.  I am taking notes as I read through the book and plan to re-read the text and accompanying Scripture to my DH and my children as well.  Some books I read and get a little from and I'm OK with that, as there's always some wisdom to be gleaned if only from reading the reference Scriptures alone.  But I often find myself counting how many pages I have left until I can put a particular book aside and move on to something more inspiring.  I recommend this book because it's one that actually made my heart "sing." 

I hope that you each find something this week that can inspire you and make your heart sing.  God has given us lots to sing about. 

There are some new (or renewed) offers of note available to Co-op members that I wanted to share:

Members can save 10% on DaveRamsey.com for Teens and 25% from Christian Liberty Press (I've really enjoyed their K level materials for history and science). 

Explode the Code Online is now available as a Group Buy.  The final savings amount isn't set yet but it will be between 33% and 50% off.  The Click N Read Group Buy expires on May 31st. 

There are several other discounts currently available plus more stuff in the "pipeline" but the ones above were the most interesting to me.  You might want to take a look at the website for yourself if you have older students as a lot of the offerings would be great for a middle or high school student, I'm just not there yet.  LOL! 

Homeschool Buyers Co-Op

This picture book winner of a Mom’s Choice Award from The Just For Mom Foundation is enchanting. The story is the second book published in the Prairie Tales Series by South Dakota State Historical Society Press and offers a whimsical look at the prairie through the retelling of a Native American folktale. The story itself was originally published by Zitkala-Ša in 1921 as one in a collection titled American Indian Stories. In this rendition the tale is paired with the delightful illustrations of S.D. Nelson.

The story is simple and fantastical. Field mice painted and in full ceremonial dress dance about a bonfire ignited inside a buffalo skull until they are dispersed by the surprise arrival of a wildcat. The story gives readers just a glimpse into this other world, but a charming one. The beautiful illustrations are rich in color and detail and very engaging. The colorfully garbed mice and the bright yellow of the cat’s eyes fascinated my four-year-old daughter. She described the story as “funny” and “exciting.”

I enjoyed the light touch that the author and illustrator of this book took in conveying the feeling of the prairie. It is first and foremost and beautiful picture book that just happens to provide a window into a unique culture. I also appreciated the author’s choice of words that might be new to a young reader or listener such as “frolic,” “nigh,” “stealthy” and “venison.” A helpful glossary at the back of the book defines these terms for the reader.

The site of the mice’s revelries, the skull of a dead animal, may distress some readers. Also, the mice dine on deer meat (venison) along with their dried root. Finally, when the cat’s yellow eyes appear through the sockets of the buffalo skull one of the mice exclaims that the buffalo’s spirit has returned.

I received my copy of this hardcover picture book free as an “Early Reviewer” and am really delighted to add it to my book collection.  I gave this book a 5 star rating at LibraryThing.com. 

251485FF 

This code should be good for 10% any purchase of $35 or more.  While browsing, I noticed that CBD has the Resurrection Eggs set for on sale for $11.99, Benjamin's Box: The Story of teh Resurrection Eggs for less than $6 and The Legend of the Easter Egg in board book format for just $1.99. (Note- these are the member prices as of today for these items.)

This book features a section describing the history and folklore of various plants, then moves on to descriptions and activities involving several common fruits and vegetables that you can find at your local grocery store.  The final section includes many different science experiments involving plants. 

I found this book at a used book sale and brought it home for my oldest son as he wants to plant his own garden this year.  So far, we've learned that Julius Caesar brought apples to Britain during the Roman invasion, that you can sprout a pineapple by cutting off and drying the top and discovered several experiments that we can carry out this spring and summer. 

I think that this book would make an excellent resource for a summer or semester long study focussed on plants and gardening.  With both history and science components, it is an unexpectedly well-rounded resource. 

Literature Works-066361233

The Singing Snake, The Crocodile, The And and the Dove, Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad, Paul Bunyan and Babe, The Magical Starfruit Tree, Just a Dream, Acorn, Oil Spill, Dear World, The Woman Who Outshone the Son, And My Heart Soars, Hanna's Cold Winter, If I Were President, Uncle Jed's Barbershop, High Hopes, and Ramona's Book Report.

Mcgraw - Hill Reading 3 Book 1: People Anthology Level 3-0021847363

Unit 1: Tell Me More
Who Has Seen the Wind? (poem); The Terrible EEK; In My Family; Cactus Hotel; Big Blue Whale; J.J.'s Big Day; and Do Oysters Sneeze? (poem).

Unit 2: Think It Through
I Can (poem); Lon Po Po: A red-Riding Hood Story From China; Animal Fact/Animal Fable; The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin; Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs; Pure Power!; and A Fly and a Flea in a Flue (poem).

Unit 3: Turning Points
Dreams (poem); The Bat Boy and His Violin; Two Bad Ants; Do Animals Think?; Wilbur's Boast; The Koala Catchers; and The Other Side of the Door (poem).

Mcgraw - Hill Reading 3 Book 2: People Anthology Level 3-0021847371

Unit 1:
Closed, I am a Mystery (poem); Grandfather's Journey; Phoebe and the Spelling Bee; Opt: An Illusionary Tale; Max Malone; Champions of the World; and Abulita's Lap (poem).

Unit 2:
Fog (poem); City Green; The Sun, the Wind and the Rain; Dream Wolf; Spiders at Work; Web Wonders; and Who am I? (poem).

Unit 3:
Different Drum (song); Moses Goes to a Concert; The Little Painter of Sabana Grande; The Patchwork Quilt; Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale Play; A Very Cool Place to Visit; and My Pencil (poem).

Mcgraw Hill Reading 4th Grade-002184738x

Titles in this book included: The Lost Lake; Amelia's Road; Sarah, Plain and Tall; Seal Journey; Open Wide, Don't Bite!; I Asked My Mother to Sing (poem); The Arrow and the Song (poem); Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World; Just a Dream; Leah's Pony; Baseball Saved Us; Will Her Native Language Disappear?; August 8 (poem); The Poet Pencil (poem); The Hatmaker's Sign; Pat Cummings: My Story; Grass Sandals: The Travels of Basho; A Place Called Freedom; Twisted Trails; and My Poems (poem).

Further titles include: Final Curve (poem); Scruffy: A Wolf Finds His Place in the Pack; Gluskabe and the Snow Bird; Meet an Underwater Explorer; On the Bus with Joanna Cole; Earth's First Creatures; Tortillas Like Africa (poem); How to Tell the Top of a Hill (poem); The Fox and the Guinea Pig; Mom's Best Friend; The Rajah's Rice; Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China; Can We Rescue the Reefs?; The Garden We Planted Together (poem); Your World (poem); Teammates; The Malachite Palace; The Toothpaste Millionaire; Whales; Saving the Everglades; and Decisions (poem).

Sea of Wonder: Standard Anthology-0153012536

Owl Moon; Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracking; A Day When Frogs Wear Shoes; Animal Fact/Animal Fable; The Armadillo from Amarillo; I Am Flying! (poem); The Secret of the Seal; Seal (poem); Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain; Rain Sizes (poem); April Rain Song (poem); Rainy Rainy Saturday (poem); Flames and Rebirth; Lon Po po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China; The Crow and the Pitcher; Crick and the Mountain Lion; The Pizza Monster; Chocolate Chip Cookie Caper; The Patchwork Quilt; Tradition (poem); Song and Dance Man; Drums of My Father (poem); Sunken Treasure; The News About Dinosaurs; The Wreck of the Zephyr; and Why Can't I Fly?

A Place to Dream: HBJ Treasury of Literature-0153012331

This is the grade 3 reader from the HBJ Treasury of Literature series and includes the following stories and extras:
Miss Rumphius, plus words from the author and illlustrator Barbara Cooney; A Seed is a Promise; Johnny Appleseed; The Adventures of Ali Baba Berenstein- plus words from the author Johanna Hurwitz; Lisa's Fingerprints; Who am I? (poem); Meet the Orchestra; Music Music for Everyone- plus words from the author and illustrator Vera B. Williams; Ramona Quimby, Age 8- plus an interview with the author Beverly Cleary; Through Grandpa's Eyes; Writers (poem); A Gift for Tia Rosa; Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World- plus words about the author Mildred Pitts Walter; Versos sencillos/Simple Verses (poem); The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush- plus a note from the author Tomie DePaola; Paddington Paints a Picture; Piggins- plus words from the author Jane Yolen and the illustrator Jane Dyer; Hello Book! (poem); Would you like (poem); The Lost Lake- plus words from the author and illustrator Allen Say; People (poem); Some People (poem).

Scott Foresman Reading: Picture This!- 0673596443

From Past to Present:

Ananse’s Feast; The Fox and the Stork; Sam and the Lucky Money; Thunder Cake; One Grain of Rice; Where Does Rice Come From?; The Woman Who Outshone the Sun; Going Through the Old Photos (poem); Quilt (poem); The Stars/Las estrellas (poem) and Sky Bear (poem). 

Are We There Yet?:

Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh; A Place in the Sky;  Chibi: A True Story From Japan; Bave Irene; Water on Earth; More Than Anything Else; Leah’s Pony; At The Library (poem); A Book (poem); Somewhere (poem); Let’s Send a Rocket (poem); and The Moon, a Banana. 

Imagination.kids

The Pinata maker; Southwest Settlements; Mailing may; The Extra-Good Sunday; Floating Home; Two Bad Ants; Pandora’s Box; The Limerick’s Lively to Write (poem); There Was an Old Man with a Flute (poem); I Love the Look of Words (poem); Hugs and Kisses (poem), and Mail Myself to You (poem).

Parade of Stories-0873920058

Stories-

One Cold Day; The Old Woman and Her Pig; Dorrie and the Weather-Box; Pooh Goes Visiting; Marushka and the Twelve Months; Momotaro or Little Peach; The Velveteen Rabbit; and The Princess and the Pea.

Poems-

Singing; The Cherry Tree; Oh, Susan Blue; Grasshopper Green; I Like Little Pussy; The Animal Store; The Fairies; The Child Next Door; Whistles; Spring Rain; Jump-Jump-Jump; Marching Song; The Romp; The Circus Parade; Foreign Lands; The Day Before April; Autumn Woods; Trains; Ferry Boats; Windy Nights; Mrs. Brown; Chinese Lullaby; and Evening Hymn.

More Stories-

Song of the Empty Bottles; Yonie Wondernose; The Sugar Snow; Andy’s Christmas Zebra; Sonny-Boy Sim; and The Boomer’s Fast Sooner Hound. 

A Soft Pillow for an Armadillo-0669114758

A Pet? You Bet!-

Hey, Smarty…Zoo Party! (poem); No Dogs is Not Enough; Hot Dog (poem); The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash; The Unusual Pet Store; and Chuka’s Hawk.

Imagine That!-

Probably; The Imagination of Walt Disney; Patrick’s Dinosaurs; and What Happened to Patricks’ Dinosaurs.

Click!-

A Very Strange Photo; Funny Photographs; Simple Pictures are Best; and Puniddles.

What Will I Wear?-

Greedy Zebra; Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing; Animal Camouflage; The Armadillo; and The Animal Cover Up. 

Spokes and Sprockets-

Michael Built a Bicycle; The First True Bicycle; Bicycles; Greg’s Bike; Sprocketman (comic); Bicycles Rules of the Road; and Diagram of a Bicycle.

Hidden Treasures-

Me and Goat McGee; Where Is Beale’s Treasure; The Shepherd’s Treasure; and Herbert’s Treasure.

Blast Off!-

Planet Parade; Blast Off!; and The Best New Thing.

Best Friends-

My Friend Charlie; Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend; Harlequin and the Gift of Many Colors; and The Gift.

Literacy Place Scholastic-0439061490

This Scholastic textbook is from the Literary Places set and includes Unit 4, Creative Expressions; Unit 5, Managing Information; and Unit 6, Community Involvement.

Unit 4/Story Studio titles include: The Gingerbread Man; Abuelo and the Three Bears, a poem titled Who's Been Sleeping in My Porridge, Little Grunt and the Big Egg, Red Riding Hood, and an article about artist and author Tomie dePaola.

Unit 5/Animal World titles include: Stellaluna; Balto: The Dog Who Saved Nome; Ibis: A True Whale Story; When the Monkeys Came Back and an article about zoo curator Lisa Stevens. This section also includes a discussion of how artists illustrate animals and other features.

Unit 6/Lend a Hand titles includes: The Little Painter of Sabana Grande; Fire Fighters; an article about Police Officer Nadine Jojola; a biography selection from The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin; Follow the Drinking Gourd; an article about the underground railroad and the poem, Miss Spider's Tea Party.

Houghton Mifflin Reading the Literature Experience: Bookworm Level 1 Plus-0395610834

Theme 1: People Who Write-

Jimmy Lee Did It; My Five Senses; The Surprise; Writing with Pictures; and Mari’s Tooth (poem).

Theme 2: Old Favorites-

Stone Soup; The Three Little Pigs; Baby Rattlesnake; The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe (poem); The Old Woman (poem); and Favorite Rhymes Around the World (collected rhymes).

Theme 3: Problems, Problems!-

The Birthday Cake; Carry Go Bring Come; Hiccups and Sneezes; Anna’s Secret Friend; Whistling (poem); A Problem (poem); and Shoe Laces (poem).

Reading Science-

What’s For Lunch?

Horizons: Level 3.2 (Houghton Mifflin Reading a Legacy of Literacy)- 0618012346

Nights of the Pufflings; Big-Apple Birding;Seal Surfer; I Work in the Ocean;Two Days in May; ANimal Poems.

Theme 5: Voyagers
Across the Wide Dark Sea; Young Voyagers: A Pilgrim Childhood; Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip; Journeys Through Art; Trapped by the Ice! Shackleton's Real-Life Voyage.

Focus on Biography:
Becoming a Champion: The Babe Diidrickson Story; Bill Melendez: An Artist in Motion; Brave Bessie Coleman: Pioneer Aviator; and Hank Greenberg: All-Around All-Star.

Theme 6: Smart Solutions
Pepita Talks Twice; Poems in Spanish and English; Poppa's New Pants; No Problem! (comic strip); Ramona Quimby, Age 8; and Henry and Ramona.

Also, I don’t own this title yet but I believe the McGraw-Hill Reading; Treasuries (Grade 4)  ISBN: 0021920117 has both The Raft and Snowflake Bently in it.  Here’s the link:  http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/national/students/grade4/book1 (This is the 2007 reader so it is still retailing for around $30 but hopefully this price will come down as new titles are released for 2008.)

I've not quite mastered how to sort these titles so that just the readers are included, but if you take a look at the comments for the books listed here in my LibraryThing library, you'll be able to see the individual titles that are included in each book.  Some of the included titles are out-of-print individually so these collections may offer you a chance to own a title that's hard to come by. 

I have three more textbooks to add then I'm going to try to make a full list so that I can share it here on my blog.  But, I wanted to share what I've found so far in case anyone was in need of a specific title and needed some new options. 

I just finished reading through The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson.  As I've mentioned before, I don't like to just take any author's word for anything so with this book as with others, I made sure to read every scripture cited on my own. 

I also tend to hold the Word better if I write it down, so I made notes not only on the book I was reading but also wrote down every scripture passage.  So if you've seen some of my writing and wonder why certain passages seem to come up from time to time, that's the reason- they are probably on my mind because I've just looked them up.

Anyway, this book is not light reading to say the least.  The author deals with the many ways that despite being saved we as Christians can be held in bondage to sin.  I found the book to be very eye-opening and to further my progression on a journey I had started some time earlier.  I have hesitated to mention the title in the past because the author is very firm in his beliefs regarding demonic influence and the Christian's responsibility to fight these influences.  It's important to be spiritually mature to engage in this sort of battle and to be ready and able to continue to fight each day.  So for a reader who is still seeking answers, it may be difficult to accept all that the author is saying or to implement it.  I will not claim to be "all grown up" but this book was a good fit for me and where I am in my journey.  I was encouraged to continue to clean my own spiritual closet in order to be as strong as possible as I face the enemy (and sometimes frightened not to do so) while reading this book.

Again, because everyone who writes a book does so with the belief that they are right, it is always important to read the Bible for yourself.  The book was written for you and to you by your God and there's no substitute for checking with the source.  But that's where I've been and what I've been up to lately. 

Now after taking some time to do Advent themed readings for the family, I am starting something a bit lighter in content though no less important.  I am reading His Name is Wonderful by Chuck Swindoll. This is a simple study that takes you through the Bible seeking the many names used for Christ.  The first chapter focused on His title "Lord."   The chapter discussed how the use of the name developed- people first thought of him as a man, then a prophet, and then finally saw Him as Lord.  In addition, a brief definition and discussion of the term "lord" was provided.  Briefly, the term means the head of either a household or other unit, the person who has authority to make final decisions (as in military actions) and the owner of all. 

Jesus is Lord.  When I turn over my life to Him I acknowledge that it never really belonged to me to begin with.  I commit all that I have and all that I am to His service and am grateful that He allows me to take possession of any of His belongings for my own use.  

So in the past few months I have learned that we are in a spiritual battle at all times and that my only authority to defend myself is through Christ Jesus.  But He, being Lord over all things, has generously given to me the tools I need to win this battle.  He's given them to you too.  May you see new victories and keep them each day of the new year! 

 You can enter once daily through November 30th.

  When you comment, please tell them that TonyaP sent you.

Some of the games in this book will be familiar to you, or are variations on games that you may already play but there were several games that were new to me.  Games are divided by category and include: Travel Games (for in the car), Games at the Vacation Destination, Beach Games, Sand Figures, Outdoor Games, Games to Play at Home, Birthday Party Games, and Games for Babies and Young Children.  There is also an appendix with suggestions for songs, story topics, prizes and other useful tips.  The front of the book features a quick index of all of the games, separated by category and with notations indicating the number of players needed for each.  Next to each game title throughout the book you will find icons indicating the type of play, number of players, and special needs such as props or music for each game. 

While there were only few suggestions for Sand Figure and Outdoor Games, I really enjoyed these sections and will incorporate some of the ideas on our next trip or maybe right here at home.  The Birthday Party games included the most recognizable games for me including Musical Statues, Charades, and Murder Wink. 

Some of the games, particularly those intended to be played on the beach may require some physical contact and other may require a level of skill that your littler gamers don’t possess.  But these factors are usually mentioned in the game description.  If you need some ideas to jump-start your vacation fun and don’t feel like surfing the Internet endlessly before you depart, this book is a good resource.  It’s not overly extensive, but will offer you some ideas to complement your travel plans. 

Note: I received my copy of this book free of charge and am publishing this review as an “early reviewer” of the book. 

The Enourmous Exception by Earl F. Palmer; This was a book about the Sermon on the Mount.  The author provides useful information about the meaning of select words and customs and reviews the content of the sermon in it's entirety.  I took about 70 pages of notes on this one in my spiral notebook.

Psalm 23 by David Roper; The author rose from the depths of depression by making this Psalm his creed.  He discusses it's meaning and also provides many other great scriptural references for those seeking to find hope in a sometimes hopeless world.  (For this book I ended up with about 50-60 pages of notes.) 

 The God Who Won't Let Go by Peter G. Breeman; This book was put together from excerpts from Mr. Breeman's presenations at a spiritual conference.  Interestingly, the author is German so some of the references to people and cultural events will expand your knowledge of the greater church body beyond America's shores.  I cannot locate my notebook for this title, so I'm not sure how many pages of notes I took.  But I found many quotes and references to scriptures that I copied in their entirety.  I would guess I took close to 100 pages of notes on this one.  As the title implies the author shares his thoughts and applicable scripture on our God's pursuit of us, despite our flaws.  I have moved much farther down the path toward God and toward loving myself thanks to this book. 

Good News for You by Arthur C. Maxwell.

This book was written 1966, so it says things like plans are being made for man's "first" expedition to the moon.  But, it also is a very simply written delivery of the good news with solid scriptural references (those quoted in the book are N.E.B.).  The thing I've found most interesting so far is the historical context in the writing. 

The author was writing to and for then present-day believers and non-believers.  He addressed the social issues they were facing at that time.  Some of the issues are exactly the same as we face now, others were very distinct to that time frame.  I now have a much better understanding of some of the misguided paths the generations preceeding ours took and why.  Every generation falls prey to different idols, for many of those in the 60's the idol was science.  The answer for every generation is the same however. 

So this book is an inspiring read from a theological standpoint and an interesting read from a sociological one. 

The link below will take you to all the A Reason for Reading listings at Christian Book Distributors.  The items on sale say  "Wow! Limited Time Price" next to the price.   Sometimes the limited price only lasts a few day, so shop quick if you want them! 

 A Reason for Reading On Sale

While browsing I noticed that several Christian fiction (romance) titles were on sale for $.99.  Just do a search of books and sort by price (ascending) to find the listings. 

I have purchased most of these books for my own library already, but wanted to share my finds with you:

 

Lights For Minneapolis, American Adventure Series #27 Electric lights, telephones, and other new inventions are making life easier, and a lot more fun, for Judith Fisk and her cousin Abe Stevenson. But Abe's father criticizes his son's fascination with science, and Judith's father doesn't seem to notice her now that there's a new baby in the house. In their changing world, what can Abe and Judith do to make their fathers understand them? And when Judith disappears, will Abe be able to find her before it's too late?   Prelude To War, American Adventure Series #35 Edie and Carl Schmidt didn't think things could get worse at school. But that was before the German navy began blowing American ships out of the water. That was before the rumors started, whispers that said Germany was going to invade the United States through Mexico. That was before their good friend Truman Vaught left to drive an ambulance on the battlefront in France. Now their best friends think Carl and Edie may be traitors just because their father is German. What can Carl and Edie do to prove their loyalty?   This Gulliver book has wonderful illustrations.  The price is listed at $.79 currently but it's a "limited time" price, so that may not last long at all.  I hope you can get in on the deal before time is up.  In my opinion, it really is worth the money to own this large hardback book just because of the quality of the illustrations.   But then again, I seldom find a book that I can't love. Gulliver in Lilliput: Retold from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift Follow the fantastical adventures of an Englishman who sailed to strange lands no one had ever seen---and met people who stood only a few inches tall! Adapted from Jonathan Swift's classic, this lavishly illustrated retelling is a perfect introduction for children aged 6 to 12. 30 pages, softcover from Holiday House.   I have not purchased this book yet so I can't offer a review.  But it sure looks fun! Eddie's Finger Quiz: Concentration In this book, kids need to study each visual question, then try to deduce the correct answer. For instance, in which picture of a nighttime sky can they find a hidden object that doesn't belong among the moon and stars? Boys and girls four and older will love playing Eddie's Finger Quiz and test their knowledge. It's fun and easy to play. They'll find a question at the top of each page, with three possible answers at the bottom. Using their index finger, kids select the answer they think is the correct one by putting their finger through one of the three holes below the answers. Then they turn the page. If their finger is in the same hole that Eddie Duck is pointing to, they've picked the right answer!   If you want to browse all of the best discounted homeschool books at CBD, select this link: Homeschool Materials-Best Discount