The Last Week in Review...Pictures

This has been a couple of busy weeks for us and I havent had a chance to post so I thought I would just update about what we have been up to recently.



A few weeks ago, I posted about review DNG's Expedition Africa here.



There was so much included in this study, we decided to extend it for a few weeks. We finished it up and here are a few shots from our time in Africa.

These are just a few of the books and videos we used. We learned so much!

These are a few shots from our finished lapbook. Missionaries, Geographical Features, and Animals....oh my!

We wrapped up our unit with a sweet treat from Africa...Egyptian Bread. And I mean sweet! If you know me, you know I love desserts but this one was even too sweet for me!

Rider was here visiting for the weekend...and we played, and played, and played. He is growing up so fast. Really talking now!

Dad & the boys are in the process of building a tree house and they started by adding a tire swing. I think this will turn into a several week project.

Fun Stuff!

Noah is adjusting to life in braces. He has done great!

The rest of the week has been spent in dentist appointments, getting in the school routine, major house cleaning, and decorating inside and out for fall. Oh yeah, I started & almost finished my Christmas shopping too! I love this time of year!!!!

Sometimes at the end of the day, you just need to relax!

Snap It Screen Capture 3.7 Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review Snap It Screen Capture v. 3.7 1 Click Software.





Here is a description of the product taken from their website:


It is a very convenient tool for bloggers. When you write posts on your blog you need to capture and crop images from different sources - this tool is for you.



- Supports hotkeys, auto-saving, clipboard

-Automatically copies screenshots to the clipboard

- Tracks capture history, auto-saves captured images

- Saves files in BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF formats

- Auto-names captured images

Minimal system requirements:

Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/XP/2000/2003/Vista installed and configured on your system.

I have been using the software for about a week now and I have really enjoyed it. I can definately see where it would be a great timesaver. You can capture anything on your screen in 1 click. The set up and installation process is quick and easy. 3 simple steps and you are ready to go! In less than 15 minutes, I was using the product.

One of my favorite features is the auto-save option. So easy to crop, click, and save the shot you need. It would be very beneficial for those working on tutorials for their blogs and websites.

Here is a screen capture from my blog. It works well for a whole page or just capturing a region.

Visit their website to learn more about Snap It Screen Capture v3.7 or to Download and Install the program here.

You can try it for yourself for free and discover how easy it is to take a "snapshot" of anything --exactly what you need on your PC screen!

For my blogging friends:

If you would like to create a review on your blog/facebook/twitter, etc
let me know and you can receive a free copy of this software.

***Disclosure Statement**** I was given a free copy of this product, in exchange, for my honest review on this blog.

The Winner for the Pizza Party Giveaway is....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:8
Timestamp: 2010-09-15 14:27:58 UTC


Congratulations Whome? ! I will be contacting you shortly via email. Stay tuned for more chances to win very soon.

DNG's Rocking Robots Review

If you have science loving kids like I do, they are going to love this one!





Download N Go units are a comprehensive unit study geared toward K-4th grade students. Everything is organized and prepared for you. It includes videos, websites, activities, and lapbook components. You don’t have to spend a lot of time doing research, all the work is done for you. There is a comprehensive book list included for each unit. I usually spend 30 minutes to an hour reading over the material, printing, and putting books on hold.

We are so excited to use Rocking Robots! Even dad wants to be in on the action.

Take a look at what we will be studying:

Day 1: What Is a Robot?

Day 2: The History of Robots

Day 3: People and Places of Robots

Day 4: Science Secrets of Robots

Day 5: Goodies and Gadgets of Robots


Every day is filled with fascinating videos, as you learn all about what robots are and how they are used, as well as, Leonardo DaVinci, planets, and the human body. There are experiments, recipes, and even fun costumes to make. We have done several of the Download N Go units and I am always amazed at how much is included in each unit but not in an overwhelming way and this one is no exception. The information is presented in an inviting way and the layout is bright and attractive. The lapbook is a great keepsake and can be used for later review. My kids are always so proud of their work and take turns keeping it in their rooms.

My boys, who can never get enough science, were completely intrigued! I love seeing them so excited about learning. I used to spend hours trying to put together studies to keep my kids passions alive but now it has been done for me. These units have truly changed our homeschool!

If you are someone who has never tried unit studies or are uncomfortable creating your own, you should definitely give Download N Go a try. They take all the work out of it for mom and your kids will love it!


***Disclosure Statement*** I was given a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

Field Trip: 35th Annual SLC Greek Festival

We have spent the last week or so reviewing some of the World History topics we studied last year and Greece happened to be one of them. Conveniently enough, this coincided with the 35th Annual Salt Lake City Greek Festival. (I love it when that happens! )




Since we couldnt take a few months, and spend some time here....

We thought this would be the next best thing.

These pictures were taken inside The SLC Greek Orthodox Church- "Holy Trinity Cathedral" which hosts the festival.

This is the front of the church

The Baptismal Font

The Dome

Beautiful Stained Glass Windows depicting the life of Christ beginning at the Nativity and ending at the Day of Pentecost --these are just two of the 10 that line the sanctuary.

Photo-Op on the grounds

These were taken inside the tents where the Greek Music & Dance Performances take place.

And last but not least, the food.....

Spanakopitakia & Pastitsio

Souvlakia (Chicken & Pork) and Gyros



This was only a small sampling of some of the menu items. There were also unbelieveable amounts of pastries but I was waaaay to busy teaching my kids all about Greek history to get any photos of those....yeah right! I just got a little sidetracked with all the honey and sugar. Oops!


These kind of days are just one of the many reasons I love homeschooling.

A Week of Celebrating....

DNG Pizza Party Review and Giveaway!

Who doesn’t love pizza? All that gooey cheese and crispy crust! It’s definitely one of my favorite foods! This week we had a Pizza Party! Thanks to Download & Go’s Pizza Party Unit! We combined two of my favorite things eating pizza & learning!

Here are the objectives we had for each day:

Day 1: Pizza-What is it?
Day 2: The Story of Pizza
Day 3: Types of Pizza
Day 4: The Science of Pizza
Day 5: Let’s Have a Pizza Party

As with all the DNG Units, there is an extensive books list to go with each day’s objective. I decided to do something a little different this time and do the study completely with what is contained in the unit. Let me just say, I felt like there was more than enough information to work with. It was complete without adding anything!

All I did to prepare was to print what I needed and make sure I had ingredients on hand for experiments and making pizza. Everything you need is included – websites, videos, fun activities, and lapbook pieces. I have been extremely pleased with the quality of the printables. The kids and I really enjoy having a beautiful lapbook/notebook at the end of our unit.

You can take a look at some samples here.

Pizza Party is not just about pizza though! We learned a lot about Italy, Famous Italians, Cheese, and many other interesting things. It really had my boys asking lots of questions; many times this week we had to take time to dig a little deeper because they were truly fascinated by the things we were studying. I have to tell you I love it when that happens! I really enjoyed the beautiful videos of the scenery of Italy and we all got a kick out of the music. And once again, the science experiments and cooking are a hit!

We had Pepperoni and Meat Lover’s Pizza during the week and here is one of our all time favorites: Fruit Pizza!

This time we decided to try something new and use a 3 prong folder with pockets rather than a file folder so we could include all of our maps and biography pages. Take a look at our finished lapbook/notebook.

I would gladly recommend these Download & Go Units to anyone. You can order them individually for $7.95 each.

***This weekend, Sept. 4th and 5th, you can purchase Pizza Party for only $5. ***

These are just a few of the titles they offer! And if you just cant decide, you can purchase them in bundles at a discounted price.



You can also check out the DNG Blog for all the latest information and specials.

Visit the Pizza Party! Blog Tour to read other reviews and more chances to win.

Now for the giveaway! I have been given the opportunity to giveaway one copy of DNG’s Pizza Party!

Here’s how you can win:



Leave me a comment about your favorite kind of pizza! Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you should you be the lucky winner.

For an extra entry- Follow my blog and leave a seperate comment that you did.

The winner will be announced September 15th, 2010.

*** Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this product, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review.

DNG's National Geographic Maps Giveaway!

National Geographic has generously donated three US/World Political Map Bundles to be used in a DNG blog giveaway. These maps are so so beautiful and designed especially for children.

So head on over the the Download N Go Blog for several chances to win! The contest ends at 11:59 pm Sept. 4th, 2010.