Prairie Scraps

Last week I put together a Preschool Piano camp.  I thought I'd try to put together a video on how I did it and what curriculum I used to for it.  Please take the time to watch my video and subscribe and comment for me! Here are the links for the things that I mentioned.  The Amazon items I get a very small amount affiliate for.  Thanks in advance for supporting my family! www.mythirtyone.com/doristowell - support my small business https://amzn.to/2yRol5K - Busy Bees Finger Puppets (affiliate link AL) https://amzn.to/2yPghmb - Poker Chips (AL) https://amzn.to/2tC6qLp - Egg Shakers (AL) https://www.kiddykeys.com/shop/lesson-plans/packages/ - KiddyKeys Lesson Plans Thank you for watching. 

Cathy Williams was raised by strong women, a grandmother who was an African Queen and her mother, a slave.  They taught Cathy to have pride in her heritage as a “Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen,” even as she is torn from her family on a Missouri plantation and sent to work as a cook for the army.  Even as a slave and woman in the civil war, Cathy chooses to keep her strong African heritage and her identity, and refuses to allow her circumstances to change them.  Eventually, she finds herself enlisting as a buffalo soldier and disguising herself as a man.  This book shares a powerful side of the civil war, unknown to many.

Years after losing a child and the inability to have more children, Anthony and Marty, Old Order Mennonites, take a friend up on a chance to get away from their close knit community to try to heal their marriage.  Little do they know all the ways that thier one act of desperation can actually bring so many more to a personal relationship with Christ.  “Ours for a Season” by Kim Vogal Sawyer weaves in so many heart-wrenching issues of today, with God’s power to heal: a battle with cancer, loneliness, human trafficing, teen foster care issues, etc.  This story brings together people of different backgrounds and faiths, and through the wonderful healing of Christ not only heals themselves, but begins a new work in Him!  I cried. I smiled. I loved this book! All opinions from this review are my own, however, I recieved an advanced electronic copy of this book from www.netgalley.com in exchange for my review.

I was so excited to see a brand new book by Cindy Woodsmall available, when I was choosing books to review!  I always love a great Amish romance, and the fact that it's by Cindy Woodsmall just made my day! This is the third book in the "Amish of Summer Grove" series and definitely delivers a phenomenal story line. Arianna Brenneman returns to her Old Order Amish family, that raised her after several months of staying with her biological family.  After the shock of finding out that she was switched at birth with Skylar Nash, both are forced to swap places for a year, and get to know their biological families.  After only three months, Arianna has been able to convince her biological Dad that she needs to return to the family and lifestyle that she can relate to.  But, after gaining knowledge from the English world, can Arianna find her place back with her family?  Will her Amish family accept her new take on life, or will they try to force their wishes...

I'm on a role with reading books this year!  I set a goal to read 50 books this year and this book makes my 31st this year so far.  I might be able to reach my goal!  I've been tracking my goal and stats on Goodreads.   It's fun to see how many books I've read, on there.  I've even had some of the authors comment on my reviews! My own love of the National Parks and as an avid visitor with our vintage Airstream, I intrigued by "The Road to Paradise, (Shadows of the Wilderness #1)  To my joy, this book did not disappoint my high expectations of being able to learn more about Mt. Rainier, and come to appreciate it's splendor as well! In 1927, Margaret (Margie) Lane, a wealthy senator's daughter, escapes to Mt. Rainier, much to her mother's disapproval to study God's creation and learn from a real Park Ranger.  Ford Brayden, the ranger charged with making sure that Margie's stay is both enjoyable and profitable for the National Forest Servi...

Trey Walker Stafford, a country music star takes a break from his exciting and star struck music life to return home to face his past.  Although he struggles with his relationship with his rich uncle Sam Stafford, Trey knows he owes his life to Sam for rescuing him as an young orphan after his parents passed away. Cowboy and rancher, Sam Stafford didn't approve of Trey's country music career when he left the family home, the Double S Ranch to pursue his dreams as a singer. This rift didn't stop Trey from striking out on his own to follow his passion, but left the two at odds for years.  After achieving country music fame and fortune, Trey is now returning to the home ranch, to save Sam's life and return the favor.  As the only match for a liver transplant for Sam, Trey is needs to face his past and give his liver for the man he owes his life too. While waiting for the transplant to take place, Sam assigns Trey to make amends for the Stafford family to a nei...

On a better note for the NFL, the Packers made a $200,000 donation to the Green Bay Police Department!  While all the negativity around the knee taking in the NFL, I love to hear a good, heartwarming story of the NFL giving back in a positive way.  And of course, it's great to hear that it's my beloved Packers!  Please check out the article about their donation HERE.   I would love to see the players, personally filling up the Police Departments side of donations so the department can get these matching funds! Of course, if you haven't read my first article about this, here's the article on Taking the Knee to the NFL.  Now will the rest of the NFL league follow suit and do something positive in our country?

Try as I might, I just can't keep my mouth shut about the NFL players that are taking a knee during the National Anthem before games.  On one hand I definitely don't agree with what they are kneeling for at all, but I'm not going to rant about that one in this post.  That flag that they are disrespecting, has given them the freedom to have their opinion and express that opinion.  Here's where I rant:  Source for photo and list of players Players are expressing their own personal opinions on the job!!!  Yes that's right, they are in the employ of their NFL team.  Now I have lots of opinions, that I would love to share with people all the time, but sometimes, it's not appropriate.  I worked as a Music Therapist in a nursing home where people were dying. There were so many times where I would be called to their bedsides to play music for them to sooth and calm them.  I personally, would have rather prayed with them or played hymns ...

  With the invention of cell phones and texting, and even social media, I knew that we would rarely actually talk to people in person, but I have recently noticed that we don't even respond to people anymore, not even a text!  Is this our fate?    As a direct seller , I make a special effort to really try to personally connect with my customers on Facebook and also by texting them.  I don't just send advertisements, but I try to connect!  I was trying to call them, like a good direct seller, but people weren't answering my calls anymore.  It was then that I realized that people are just not talking on the phone anymore.   I decided about a month ago, to send 3-5 personal messages each day either on Facebook or by text to my friends and customers to try to reconnect.  Here's what I say: "Hi, Jenny!  How's it going?"  That's it!    I would say that less than 5% of people actually respond to this bland q...

As you may have already guessed from my previous article, 5 Reasons to NOT use Standardized Tests in Your Homeschool, I'm not a huge fan of testing my kids at all. It's not that I don't think that tests have a valid place in homeschool, I think in some instances, you should put your child through the process of testing. But I'm here to say that testing, especially Standardized Tests, are not the tell all for your child's knowledge and understanding. Here are 5 Ways to Know that Your Homeschool Works Ask your child questions after presenting the subject.  Can the give you important details about the subject back, in their own words?  Are they able to tell others about what they are studying?  I often "set" my children up.  When we see a friend or family member, I'll ask them to tell them about what we have been studying.  If they're at a loss for words, I'll prompt them.  For example, I'll say: "What war are we studying?" ...

So this made me laugh so hard!  My group of friends on Facebook has recently taken up weight loss, which is great!  I'm all for healthy weight loss! BUT, they aren't sharing their weight loss on Facebook because they are accomplishing anything, but instead, they are sharing because they are trying to sell me their weight loss goods.  One of my friends posted a video of herself, 9 months pregnant, doing heavy duty exercise with her belly sticking out below her tank and leggings on. Let me tell you, there are some things that one can not unsee in your mind!! Nothing about her belly flopping around looked healthy or appealing!  I'm not even saying that being pregnant makes you look fat, but this was not a great example of healthy looking pregnancy!   There was literally a roll of belly flab slapping around under her pregnant belly.  Gross!! Another friend recently posted a before and after picture of her supposed weight loss.  I've looked ...

I've been really praying about and contemplating this post for some time.  Every time I see a post on Facebook by one of my friends that says, I'm going through and cleaning out my friends on Facebook or "You've made the cut!", I have two knee-jerk reactions.  First, I think, "boy, am I going to make it?"  and the second reaction I have is "do I want to be friends with someone who actually would cut someone from their friends list?" Really, that's what I think. Look, don't accept a friendship on Facebook that you don't plan on keeping for your entire life - yes, the rest of your life!  Although the person doesn't get a notification that they are unfriended, it usually doesn't take them long to figure out what you've done. Either they see a comment on another friends page, or an event on another's page, or you are in a group together, or something will red flag your dirty deed. I always tell my hostesses that i...

Last week our area homeschool group parents got into a discussion about testing.  Many parents in our area, have paid money every year for their kids to have Independent Standardized tests.  I have taken a different approach for checking where my kids are at, and making sure that they are understanding what I'm teaching.  In fact, a part of me really doesn't like the standardized tests at all!  Here are some of the reasons why I think they are NOT effective (all my opinions): Many homeschool children aren't having formal testing done regularly, so testing once a year is not going to really test their abilities as a student, as much as test their ability to test. Most public school systems are teaching towards the test. As a homeschooler, you can't compete with this, or even dream of considering the test results to be fairly representing your children, good or bad.  Weeks (and maybe even months) before the testing in the public schools, the teacher...

This idea actually came to me several years ago, when my relatives started giving our Christmas gifts away to charity in our name (although they get the tax write-off).  Don't get me wrong, that sounds super warm and fuzzy and honorable to do, if we had everything in the world, and have not needs or wants.  But that's not the case for our family.  Each year when we got the card from the charity organization, I would comment that it would be nice if they gave to the Charity of Us.  (Painfully, we have 5 kids on one income, and one of those Christmases, my husband had been out of work for 6 months.  We were starving and had no gifts for our kids, but some 3rd world family got our Christmas gift of food that year!  Sorry for my lack of excitement!) It occurred to me then that I actually can do the same, but give my own family back that gift.  I started to purchase their gifts from my own direct sales business through out the year...

I've had very few occasions where I have unfriended people on Facebook for any reason.  I've had a couple of scuffles with some people where they were stealing my pictures and content and using it for their own, and in that occasion, I actually block them, rather than unfriend them.  I don't friend people I don't know in the first place. I was recently posting a post on my Facebook wall encouraging my friends and family to consider making their holiday purchases with some of my friends that are direct sellers.  In my effort to tag all of my fellow direct sellers, I noticed that one of them had unfriended me recently.  I messaged her to ask if she was still doing it, and she replied that she still was.  I responded back that I was trying to tag and recommend my friends that are direct sellers and noticed that we aren't friends anymore on Facebook.  Here's the response I received back: " It is nothing personal, about 3-4 times per year I ...

I'm not really sure about you, but I'm a creature of habit and struggle to change my internal clock to a different time overnight.  On Monday morning after daylight savings, I have to say, I'm going with God sitting up there trying to figure us out and wondering why we've messed with his clock!!  I feel like I have a hangover from Daylight Savings Time. I think it's going to be a long week in recovery around here. I plan to use my two favorite energy helpers today: Ionix Supreme  AND my favorite energy shot, e+ !  What about you?

I ran across this quote on Facebook this last week and just had to share.  It's so powerful, and a great reminder to parents everywhere.  In the technological age we are in now, it's very easy to not be present in our children's lives!  With my first child leaving for college this year and my second headed that way next year, I've spent the last few years, really enjoying my kids and the time we have together.  Even that running to and from all the different games and events they have, I try to be present with them.   Here are some ideas for being present with your kids: Talk with your kids in the car when you're taking them places. Ask them questions. Attend as many of your kids events as you can!  Even if you each have to sacrifice other things, or tag team with your spouse. Make eye contact with your kids when they talk to you.  Even if my kids are interrupting a TV show, I pause it and look at them, no matter the subject for the int...

Ok - I've had enough of  unloving parents these days!  I'm warning you now to that this is all my opinion, and you may not like it.  In fact, I probably won't even respond it you make nasty comments to me about it!  That's my disclaimer! Here's my opinion: What is wrong with parents today that can't wait to get rid of their kids?  They can't wait to send them to school, and can't stand them home from extended breaks!  Here's a post from someone (who will remain anonymous) on my Facebook just this morning that has pushed me over the edge: "Sigh....the first day of the 4 day weekend and I already wanna send them back to school. Geez Louise." What in the world would those kids think if they heard their mother saying that?  Really, four days is too much for you to spend with your own children? Does she really think that by putting that on Facebook, that her kids will never know that she essentially hates them?  Once you put it on the int...

I seem to be in the minority among parents, but I want to say that I love summer and being with my kids more.  Now, I know, that may seem like a weird statement to make, but I have to say after reading complaint after complaint from "friends" on my facebook page about the torture they go through because their kids are home for the summer, I'm tired of the shameful way we talk about our children! Children are a blessing from God!  I love spending time with mine.  I chose to have my children and I chose to raise them myself.  Yes, I homeschool, so my kids are with me 24/7, day in and day out.  Does summer change how I think or treat my children?  Absolutely not!  I love my children and I love being with them.  Do they fight?  On occasion, but the wonderful phenomenon that my husband and I have witnessed, is that because they are together all day, every day, they have to learn to work out their differences!  I don't just get to send them ...

To see inside the book click  HERE. I was so excited to snag a copy of Cindy Woodsmall's new book "The Harvest of Grace" because I just love Christian Fiction books that are based on the Amish and of course I love every one of the Cindy Woodsmall books that I have read in the past.  "The Harvest of Grace" did not disappoint me in any way! True to the usual style of Woodsmall, "The Harvest of Grace", she takes you through the struggles of Amish characters between the call of their traditions and the call of their Christian walk.  In this story, Sylvia Fisher is a woman that after trouble with an old beau, is forced to move far from her family and the life that she has always known.  Unlike most Amish women, Sylvia has no desire to follow the usual path of an Amish woman of housekeeping and children, Sylvia's heart's desire is to run a dairy farm. As Sylvia fights to find her place and respect while trying revive a debt-laden farm from di...