Flyby Review: Coming Home for Christmas

One thing I love about reviewing products is that I get to start all the Christmas stuff early, so I can actually review it and let you know about it before the Christmas season starts.  I was thrilled to receive a Christmas movie to review at the beginning of November!

Have you ever been frustrated by all the Christmas letters you get from friends whose families seem perfect?  Little Johnny is a straight-A student with phenomenal talent in music and sports and several college scholarships already at the age of 8, and the family Christmas picture has not one hair out of place!  Well, we all like to show our best side in our Christmas correspondence rather than our dirty laundry, but if these letters make you feel inadequate, let me give you some advice this Christmas season:  remember that if the family picture is Photoshop perfect, it's Photoshopped!  No family is perfect, and even the best families sometimes show their worst sides around holidays and big family occasions - as you can see in Coming Home for Christmas.

Coming Home for Christmas is a delightful, Hallmark-style family Christmas movie that will warm your heart this season.  Real-life sisters Britt McKillip and Carly McKillip play estranged sisters in the movie, showing the jealousy and rivalry that only siblings can understand.  How can you dislike the people you love so much?  I think what I liked about the movie was that it was about a normal family with good memories of happy childhoods, but they still had problems, like everyone does.  When the sisters' parents split up, the girls decide they must reunite and get their family back together by Christmas.  This involves shenanigans such as trespassing, spying, and trickery, but all in good family fun!  Much of the movie is what you would expect from a predictable family holiday movie (although there are a few surprises), so there is nothing earth-shaking, but I love that in Christmas movies.  Just good family fun where everyone works out their differences in time for Christmas and lives happily ever after!

About COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMASAfter their parents separate, two estranged sisters who haven't been on speaking terms reunite in hopes that having a family Christmas all together for the first time in years will bring their Mom and Dad close again. They plan to do this in their old family home... the only problem is someone else lives there now. 

The DVD includes a limited edition Norman Rockwell print!  

Who is Norman Rockwell?  Rockwell was famous for his famous American culture illustrations and artwork. He was born in the late 1800’s and died in the mid 1900’s.  

Director: Vanessa PariseCast: George Canyon (Christmas Miracle, Dawn Rider, Man of Steel), Aaron Pritchett, Britt McKillip (Dead Like Me), Carly McKillip (Hot Rod)$14.99Available at Walmart Soundtrack also available featuring holiday songs performed by George Canyon

Of course, we have a free DVD for one lucky reader!  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page with your favorite Christmas movie by November 27 to be entered in the drawing!

Where Can I purchase This DVD?

WALMART! 

You can order the DVD here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/25983152http://www.walmart.com/ip/25983152

  

Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI5OSK0BAzw

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this DVD in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Zoom Zoom Freebie

I haven't posted too many freebies this month, so let's try to remedy that!  Dandelion Dust Designs has "Zoom Zoom" free on Facebook for a limited time!

Download a free accompanying Quickpage from Mediafire!  PU only.

Link should be fixed now.  Sorry!

Happy Scrapping!

Review: Christmas Comes to America Unit Study

Should our family participate in the tradition of Santa Claus?  Are Christmas trees and candy canes pagan symbols?  Is there anything more to the modern Christmas season than commercialism?

Make Christmas more meaningful for your family by studying the roots of the Christmas symbols and traditions this year.  Celebrate Christmas every day during December as a part of your educational experience and bring your family closer in the process.

We have had the wonderful opportunity to start Christmas early (if you've been reading my blog you already know that) and review the unit study Christmas Comes to America from Homeschool Legacy.  I usually save my opinion for the conclusion, but since the Christmas season is almost upon us, let me just say that we love this unit study, and you must go order it right now so you will have it in time to start by December 1!!!

Christmas Comes to America discusses Christmas traditions over a four-week unit study.  Like other Once-A-Week Unit Studies from Homeschool Legacy, there is reading to do each day, with the bulk of the family lesson to do on just one day during the week, while lightening your other workload for that day.  Christmas is a lighter unit study than the other Once-A-Week studies, with fewer writing assignments, for the purpose of letting your children really just enjoy Christmas while they learn next month.

There are several things I love about Homeschool Legacy's unit studies.  One is the way they are laid out.  If you like structure in your curriculum, you may follow the schedule exactly as listed.  The library list is ready for you to print and take to the library.  Check out your books, do the suggested reading for each day, and do your family unit study work on one day each week with limited preparation.  If, like me, you like to tweak and change everything you do to fit your family, these unit studies are flexible enough for that as well.  The readings, activities, and devotions work together perfectly, whether or not you do them exactly in order or all in one day, and whether you choose to do every activity or just pick and choose.  If your library does not carry all the books, you can easily substitute others.

Another thing I love that is specific to Homeschool Legacy is that these unit studies contain a page with requirements for Boy Scout and American Heritage Girls badges, so you can complete these badges while doing the unit study if you wish.  Our lives revolve around Boy Scouts, so this is great for us.  You can still read the review I did on the Forest For The Trees Unit Study I did last year.

In Christmas Comes to America, you will spend one week each learning about the Dutch, the English, the Germans, and An American Christmas.  As in other Homeschool Legacy studies, you will learn history, geography, and vocabulary in the process of the study, but this one has fewer writing assignments and more activities like listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, and Christmas caroling in addition to the reading assignments.  Of course, there have to be a few writing assignments, but who objects to writing a letter to Santa in early December?!

We thoroughly loved doing this study.  I did it with all four of my kids together, Grades 3-10.  With different-leveled reading assignments, they can participate in the rest all together.  There were some activities, since we did the unit early, that we decided to save for closer to Christmas.  For instance, we did drink hot chocolate when we learned about the Dutchman responsible for the patent on extracting cocoa from cocoa beans, but we plan to use the provided recipe to make our own hot chocolate for Christmas gifts in a few weeks.  We are also going Christmas caroling (part of Week 2 of the study, on England) with our homeschool group in mid-December.  (We've been practicing as part of the unit study!)  I will be posting our various Christmas activities on the blog during the month of December (I hope!), so come back and check them all out.

This unit study also works very well for working almost any Christmas tradition you and your family celebrate into the lessons.  In fact, I began the first week, which was about gift-giving (and the Dutch Sinterklaas) with the book The Sparkle Box which I reviewed last week.  (Hint:  You still have a few days to enter the giveaway for a free copy!)  I also included two of my favorite resources for learning about the origin of Saint Nicholas, The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne, and Veggie Tales' Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.

If you haven't yet, you need to go quickly to Homeschool Legacy and order Christmas Comes to America in time to use it for the month of December!

Happy Christmas-planning!  :-)

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this unit study in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Flyby Review: One Girl Nation

We have been given the opportunity to review the new CD, One Girl Nation!  Since it is geared toward teen or pre-teen girls, my 12-year-old daughter snatched it as soon as it came in the mail, and I only recently got a chance to listen to it!  :-)  

I am impressed with this new group.  For one thing, they have vocal talent, which I find so lacking in some pop music these days (oh, no, am I sounding like my parents did when I was a teenager?!!)  Their lyrics, while not profound, are encouraging to young girls and recognize the emotional highs and lows that they experience.  Most of the songs on the album are upbeat dance tunes that would be great for aerobics, jogging, or just spinning around your room, especially if you are 10!  There are a few slower songs that are very pretty and still very positive.  As far as pop music goes, I really liked the album.

I want to give you a balanced review, and I have to tell you that my 12-year-old did not like the album as much as I did.  She said it was "very girly," which is not really her style.  I think that is just her musical taste.  The summary of the album says it lands "in the space where One Direction meets TobyMac."  While my daughter loves TobyMac, she is not crazy about One Direction, Taylor Swift, or a lot of the pop music her friends listen to.  She leans one way toward either classical or Broadway music, or the other way toward alternative or more abrasive pop like Skillet or Newsboys.  I think if you have a teen or preteen girl who likes pop music like One Direction or Taylor Swift, that she would like this album.

In summary, if you are looking for a stocking stuffer for a teen or preteen girl who likes pop music and would like to give her something that is Christian, positive, and upbeat, I recommend this CD.

About 1 Girl Nation:    Landing in the space where One Direction meets TobyMac, 1 Girl Nation is an exciting blend of upbeat pop music, with lyrics that are totally focused on living life for God, even while you’re young. 1GN, as they’ve already been dubbed, stars Carmen, Kayli, Kelsey, Lauryn Taylor and Lindsey, five girls with a passion for telling their fans about Christ through their music. Their first single, “While We’re Young,” can be heard on radio stations across the country and their self-titled debut album is available now!

Primary Audience: preteens, teens, and young adults (as well as parents, too!)

Stay Connected: 

http://www.1girlnation.com 

https://www.facebook.com/1GirlNation 

https://twitter.com/1girlnation 

http://www.youtube.com/1girlnation 

Of course, we have a free album for one of our lucky readers!  Leave me a comment here or on Facebook with the name of one of your favorite songs by November 27, and you'll be entered in the drawing!


Happy listening!

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this CD in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Happy Turkey Day and FREEBIE!

Can you believe it is only ONE week until Thanksgiving?  I am amazed and excited all at once.  Get ready for the holiday with "Happy Turkey Day" from Dandelion Dust Designs, available exclusively at ScrapTakeout.

Running out of time to scrap while you are getting ready for the holidays?  Use these Quickpages!  PU only.  Click images to download from Mediafire.

Link should be fixed now.

Happy Thanksgiving!  :-)

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this kit in exchange for layouts.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Time 4 Learning Upcoming Review

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid curriculum review. Time4Learning offers an online curriculum for prek-12th, information about homeschool portfolio reviews and tools like the How to Homeschool Guide. Be sure to come back and read about my experience.

We Have A Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the drawing for a free copy of Can't-Wait Willow!  I know sometimes it is difficult to comment on Blogger, so just remember that each giveaway also has a Facebook link where you may comment on Facebook.  We had seven people enter the drawing on Facebook this time, and the winner is Betsy!  Congratulations, Betsy!

The next drawing ends today!  Take a look at the DVD King's Faith review and leave me a comment!