Walking the Dog and Playing Outside

The other day it was really nice outside so I figured we'd all go for a walk around our square.  The kids were having so much fun with each other and with the new puppy, Chord, that I took a few shots.

At the beginning of the walk I had Audrie "in charge" of holding Seanan's hand

And Arianna was in charge of the puppy.

As we were walking I saw these two being cute together and I realized they had "accidentally" matched their outfits.  Aren't they adorable?

Seanan was very interested in the rocks that were on the curb.

I couldn't resist taking this picture.  Audrie is a little harder to capture the "real" smile as opposed to her posed smile.

I was then able to capture a few shots of them all together. 

 My babies are all growing up.  :(  But I'm thankful to be with them each and every day as we go through life.

Lip Balm to Tummy Trouble - A New TOS Review!!

It's not often that I go through the day without needing to put on some chapstick, lip balm, or other such item to soothe my chapped lips.  So when I was given the opportunity to review some products from a company that sold all natural lip balm I jumped at the chance.  BeeYouTiful is a company dedicated to researching and making available all the natural "tools" that have worked for their own families as well as information about these tools in order for us as individuals to be the main ones responsible for the daily health of our own bodies and those in our family.

The Product:
As part of the review team my family received two products: B.A.L.M. - an all natural lip moisturizer (in peppermint, but also available in orange and just $3.00) as well as Tummy Tuneup - a stomach virus treatment (60 tablets for $18.00.)  I was excited when I realized that I was going to get two products and that both products seemed to be a "needed" item in our household.  As I stated before I use a LOT of chapsticks and lip balms.  And my husband, being lactose intolerant as he has gotten older, has days where his stomach is just not 'happy'.  So I was excited to see how these products would be able to enhance our daily lives.

They have many more products including Ow! Ease, Tension Tamer, even Winter Breeze Vapor Rub.  Their products range from skin and hair care to circulatory support to pregnant and prenatal to weight management and everything in between.  You can shop for products by health concern or by product.  They also have articles on a variety of subject matters most of which are short little videos on a particular subject.

Our Experience:
We received the peppermint flavored lip B.A.L.M. which is awesome. When you put it on your lips almost instantly feel softer. I love peppermint so I was excited about the flavor, but orange would be such a refreshing smell/taste, especially in the mornings, that I will have to purchase some more in both flavors/scents.  I applied the lip balm as soon as it came out of the package ... and so did the rest of the family.

All the children said they LOVED it, especially the smell.  I felt the moisture immediately being released with in a few minutes of applying.  I think over the last few weeks that I have had to put it on less times throughout the day then your every day chapsticks.  I also noticed that it helped to make my lips feel softer even after the "feeling of moisture" had been gone.

The Tummy Tuneup came in very handy, especially for my dear hubby.  As he has gotten older he has become lactose intolerant and we try to steer clear from milk products for him.  But occasionally desire or sheer forgetfulness wins and he eats something with milk in it.  Generally this means for the next few hours he will be very uncomfortable and having to use the bathroom more times then usual.

This exact thing happened the other day - he ate some chocolate pudding ... his favorite.  After eating and noticing that his stomach was not reacting well, he looked at the packaging and it said "made with milk".  So as soon as we returned home he decided to take one of the Tummy Tuneup tablets.  After about a half an hour, Stephen noticed a significant difference in how his stomach was reacting.  There was less of a need to 'run to the bathroom' and less grumbling going on in his tummy.  This is mainly attributed to the good bacteria which helps combat the overabundance of bad bacteria and help bring everything back into a good balance.  Make sure you watch the short video clip at the bottom of the page to learn more about Tummy Tuneup.

My Thoughts:
I think both of the products we received were very helpful to our family in particular.  I love knowing that they are 'home remedies' and I can be sure that there aren't harsh chemicals and such in the products that I'm giving to my family.

I like that this company has many resources available for you to find out more about these more natural remedies and are willing to help you make small steps to helping you and your family without breaking the bank.  Most natural remedies found in health stores and specialty shops will cost you the same or more then the items priced at BeeYouTiful.  That was another great piece of information to find out.


If you are interested in more natural ways to care for yourself and your family then I highly recommend that you go and see how other Crew member families used their products. You can order their products by phone at 800-556-5697 or directly from  their website.  You can also find them on Facebook.

*** I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2011-2012 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of money for any of my reviews. My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences with the products and services that I receive.***

Our Newest Edition

This is Chord.

 He is our newest edition to the family. We have concluded that he is most definitely related to Australian Shepherd. We will have to wait to see if we are right. This was not a planned edition, but he is welcome. :-)  So, if you are wondering just how this cute little bundle became a part of our family, I'm going to tell you.
Stephen has been a tutor for many years. One of his regular clients has 2 boys, one in high school and one in college. The boy in college apparently brought home a puppy because his girlfriend couldn't keep him. Once at their house they quickly figured out that they wouldn't be able to keep him, because they had an older make dog who wasn't fond of the new bundle of energy.
So they decided to try and find a home for him. And that they did, however it did not last long. The family was not able to keep him either. So back to  my husband's tutees home where they were still looking for a permanent home. And then came last Monday night's regular tutoring appointment ... the beginning of the end ~to his stay at a temporary abode.
Within minutes of hubby arriving at his appointment, he was hooked. :-) I received a text which was a picture of a cute puppy. The text said "Not a joke. Do you want him? They are trying to find a home ~ for FREE." At that moment I realized that hubby was in love ... with a very cute puppy. Since I hadn't had my own chance to meet him, I told him we'd talk about it and then see if I could go and look at him te next day. 
And that is exactly what we did. But, there was one more obstacle. This was last Tuesday - Valentines - and our kids were not home and wouldn't be home until bedtime; not a great time for introductions.  Then we decided to "hide" the puppy until morning. And the rest is history! Chord, and the children, have aclimated quite well.
He's been learning a lot of new things since he's joined the family. He already knows sit, down, stay, and come. The second two commands are a bit newer, but he's quite the fast learner. We are also having success with potty training ... mostly, as long as we stay observant. ;-)  We are also introducing him to crate training for bed time and for whne we leave the house. The bedtime is the hardest because he whines and yelps for a while, a long while. So we have come up with a routine the last few nights which have seemed to work.
What do you do with puppies who wake up WAY before therest of the house? Any ideas/tricks are welcome.

Help! I Don't Know This Math?? - A New TOS Review!!

In most families there is at least one subject that makes the main teaching parent cringe or at least be a little unnerved.  And I think that a majority of families would say that math is the subject for them.  What if I told you that there was an online product that could help your 3rd - 12th grade students, and in turn your family, by 'teaching' math for you?  Would you believe such a product existed?  Well it does!  Say hello to ALEKS.

The Product:
What is ALEKS?  It is an acronym for Assessment LEarning in Knowledge Spaces - a web based mathematics program which has both artificial intelligence and learning abilities.  It adapts to your specific child's needs by quickly identifying what they do and do not already know in a specific course of study.  The next step is to help teach the child in the areas they have not already mastered.  Then while the student is progressing through the program the system assesses and reevaluates what the child has learned and retained by giving periodic assessments.

Once mastery has been reached in an area their "pie" will be completed.  Their courses are very complete and steer clear of multiple choice questions so your student won't be 'guessing' at the correct answer.

There are many courses to choose from that range from third grade all the way to twelfth.  These courses include your basic elementary and middle school math, algebra, trigonometry, as well as specialized topics such as SAT prep, AP Statistics (quantitative).  They even have college level chemistry and business math.  I encourage you to check out all their courses - there may even be one for you!

You have many choices of products and also for your subscriptions including discounts for families with multiple students.  You can purchase ALEKS monthly for just $19.99, $99.95 for six months access, or $179.95 for 12 months access.

Our Experience:
We started Arianna off with the basic 3rd grade elementary math.  She first had to do an assessment which told the computer what she did and did not know.  Then she was given a visual to look at called "My Pie" which told her exactly where she stood.  Here is a copy of her pie now. (The original picture I took has disappeared. :( )

Sorry that it isn't that clear.  When you click on a piece of the pie that isn't complete (like the orange) you get a little pop up window which shows you what is left for the student to learn in that area.  That looks like this.

I know those were hard to see - so I'm including some "stock" photos.  I wanted to show you up close and personal what my daughter was actually doing, but those pictures weren't that great.

So as you can see you really get a sense of where you are.  Then there are the questions.  Here's a shot of one of the questions and the response that you receive once it has been answered.  This one Ari got correct. ;)

I also received an email which had a student report of what had transpired over the last week or so.  As a parent I found this aspect of the program wonderful.




My Thoughts:
I think this is a very solid program and would highly recommend it.  I have even been using it to teach myself some statistics.  (Some of you may know that my husband is working on getting his PhD in math and that he took some courses and received a statistics certificate last summer.  I was hoping to expand my stats knowledge by working through the course. It's slow going for me, but I have learned a lot.)

It has a solid base and adapts quickly and accurately to the students own knowledge level.  I have even noticed that Arianna enjoys doing her math a little better.  I think one of the reasons is that if she gets a problem right she only has to do a few problems.  This allows her to really grasp a subject, but then not be mentally tied down for an entire lesson once she's learned the material.  The periodic assessments will catch if an area needs more work or if the material has really been retained.

You can try out ALEKS for yourself (or for your student) for a FREE trial.  So don't delay - try it out today!!

I encourage you to go and read how other Crew member families used their 2 month trial. The company are very accessible so be sure and contact ALEKS with any questions, concerns, or comments through email,  phone (714-245-7191) or directly from  their website.

*** I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2011-2012 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of money for any of my reviews. My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences with the products and services that I receive.***