Homeschooling

The Growly Books: A Journey for the Whole Family {Giveaway}

May 22, 2013 By guest

holding-book

The excitement in our home has been almost palpable the last few days. For months now, we’ve been working hard on a book. A children’s chapter book that is the tangible result of years of dreaming.

Something about the process has brought special joy to Phil and I. It’s the fact that our girls have been included in the journey. They have not written the book, designed it, or done any of the actual work. Yet they have been by our sides throughout the process.

They’ve known that Daddy was getting up before dawn morning after morning to write. They peered over my shoulder as I did the first edits. We asked for their feedback when we named the characters, chose the color of the title on the cover, and more.

Why does this matter? Because when we include our children, the journey becomes richer, stronger, and more meaningful. I know that our girls will look back with fond memories of this process. Because it wasn’t something that Daddy and Mommy did on their own. It was a project they felt included in.

As the first reviews for the book have come in, Phil and I have been so blessed to see that the same sense of togetherness is present when families read the book. Review after review carries the same theme, family time spent reading together:

“Whether it’s books for me, or for my children, I’m always on the look out for either. The best books are sometimes, the ones that are for all of us. Begin (the first of The Growly Books) is such a book.” – Kris Camealy

“The very first night I started this book with the boys, it received the highest compliment it can get from them: ‘Keep reading, Mommy! And that went on chapter after chapter until we had read for much longer than any of us had planned!” – Erin Mohring

“My daughter and I started reading this together before bed the other night and she instantly talked me into reading ‘just one more chapter!’ After about 3 or 4 chapters with her, I picked it up and read it straight through for myself!” – Amanda White

Our hope was that this book would be something families could enjoy reading together. And it brings us special joy to see that becoming a reality.

About the Book

“For centuries the bears of Haven have lived quiet lives, high in the mountains at the edge of the great Precipice. That all changes for a young cub named Growly when he receives a mysterious message. With just his backpack and glider, Growly sets out on a desperate journey to find his grandfather’s long lost friend . . . and to find a way back home. Begin is the first book in The Growly Books series. Written for the 8-12 year old reading level, it is also a captivating read aloud for younger children and will appeal to anyone who appreciates stories of adventure and friendship. The book contains 35 chapters, with 13 beautiful illustrations by Annie of Be Small Studios.”

The book is available now in both paperback and Kindle formats!

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A Giveaway: Annie Barnett (Be Small Studios) is graciously offering a giveaway of an 8×10 print of an original pencil and hand-painted watercolor version of one of The Growly Books: Begin’s illustrations. The image is printed on high-quality cold press matte paper, to replicate the feel and look of the original watercolor.

To enter join the Rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Erin crop (Darcy)

Erin’s heart for helping others achieve their goals is the foundation of her successful business, Design by Insight. Using her ability to ask the right questions, Erin captures the message of a project and translates that into a great design. Erin and her husband Phil have established a reputation for quality design, professional client relationships, and personal commitment to each project. Her book, Self Publish: Moving from Idea to Product (co-authored with Teri Lynne Underwood), gives writers the tools they need to effectively plan their own self-published projects. Erin and Phil’s first children’s chapter book, The Growly Books: Begin released in May 2013. You can also find Erin writing at her personal blog, ErinUlrich.com.

Erin lives in South Carolina with her husband Phil and their two daughters, and their home is usually a whirlwind of creative activity.

24 Comments | Filed Under: Fun For Kids, Homeschooling, Parenting, Uncategorized

Life in Bali and eBook Giveaway!

May 18, 2013 By Christy

“Selamat pagi!” the shopkeeper calls out his goodmornings as I run by.

Two dogs tear out of their family compound toward me, barking violently. I stoop mid-stride and reach my hand toward the ground. As I turn and pull my arm back to throw the dogs back off, cowed by the pretend rocks in my hand.

My nose fills with the smoky smells of incense and early morning cook fires. I pass several women laying the first offerings on the ground at their doorways.

The uniformed school children gawk at me, whispering “Bule, bule.” White lady, they say. Foreign lady running. {boo-lay}

My favorite jog takes me to the beach where I run along the cobblestoned path. I pass shops and restaurants and hotels where sleepy workers are raking the sand, travelers are just rambling into the restaurants for breakfast, and dogs still rummage through waste bins for last night’s leftovers.

Many of my mornings in Bali started this way. When I got back my husband would leave for work and my day with two young boys would begin.

While we lived in Bali I was able to write a story about those two young boys. An adventure that played itself out in all the places we had been. The story took me to my husband’s favorite surfing beach, the volcano we had traveled to, the monkey forest where the monkeys tried to take our backpacks and cameras, even the beach where we lived.

I wrote that story almost seven years ago. I never dreamed at that time that we would have ebooks and Kindles and I didn’t even know what a .pdf file was. But here we are and I am so very thrilled to be able to introduce you to The Island Brothers!

My vision for this book is to help children develop a world view that’s wider than the daily world they experience.

We loved living in another country and through the book and the companion website children will see the things we experienced.

This month my children’s story has released as an ebook and I am happy to share it with you.

Tiger Hunt!

Join the adventure as two brothers befriend the last tiger on Bali.

illustrated with a unique blend of colorful sketches and photos from our stay in Bali.
a great read aloud for all ages
encourage children to read
open children’s eyes to another culture
15 page children’s ebook for download
ebook internally linked with Wikipedia for more information on unfamiliar terms
comprehension and vocabulary printables available
see our personal videos, pictures, and explanations of Bali on the website, too.

One great thing about this book is the website I’ve been building as a companion, The Island Brothers. I’ve added first-hand information about Bali so that your children can not only read a great story, but also learn about the island.

We also have printables so you can use this book to complement homeschool cultural studies and discuss lessons taught.

I’d love to give three copies away to readers of The Better Mom.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

38 Comments | Filed Under: Giveaways, Homeschooling, Parenting

Summer Planning Questions

May 17, 2013 By Kara Chupp

I have been wearing flip-flops all week.
And it’s 82 degrees outside as I write this, which is amazing for Oregon in early May.
But I’m getting excited about summer!

Usually around this time of year, my husband and I sit down, look at the calendar and do some Lord-willing-planning for the summer ahead of us.
Keeping in mind that…

“The point is fruitfulness,
not efficiency.

You should want to be fruitful
like a tree,
not efficient like a machine.” ~D. Wilson

And remembering that my favorite summer was probably–
The summer we didn’t do anything.

But just in case you’re a-bit-of-a-planner, like I am,
or even if you just want to be a bit more intentional about this next summer…
I wanted to share our summer planning questions with you.

And in the comments below, I’d love to hear some of your fun summer ideas!

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ~James 4:13-15

Summer Planning Questions to Consider:

What places would we like to visit locally this summer?

What specific educational goals do we have for each child?

What 3 books (or more) would I like to read this summer?

How am I going to spend time in God’s Word?

What am I hoping to study in the Bible?

Are there any friendships we’d especially like to invest in this summer?

What household tasks do I need to keep up on?

Are we planning to take any extended trips or vacations?

What reoccurring weekly activities would we like to include?

Are there any specific skills we’d like our children to learn over the summer?

How am I going to invest in my marriage this summer?

What are some easy (or new) meals that I’d like to make this summer?

What specific character traits or heart issues do we need to work on with our children or as a family?

Are there any specific skills I’d like to work on over the summer?

How can I make sure we have down time?

Are there any fun movies we’d like to watch together?

How/where will we celebrate any birthdays, holidays or special occasions?

What will hospitality look like for us this summer?

Is anyone coming to stay?

Who do we want to invite over?

Does my husband have anything that is important to him to include?

Do we have any house project goals?

What will our kiddos’ summer chores include (now that they’ll have a bit more free time)?

What are some “fill-in” activities that we’d like to do more often (Legos, reading, painting, nature walks)?

Are there any schedules I need to collect to keep with my summer calendars (libraries, farmer’s markets, community theaters)?

How are we going to serve in our community, church, and/or neighborhood?

Do we have any other goals for the summer that I haven’t included elsewhere?

We’re getting close to June !!!
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…

And please share your summer plans or ideas below!

Love,

Kara @The Chuppies

6 Comments | Filed Under: Babies, Boys, Family Management, Following God, Fun For Kids, Girls, Home Organization, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Hospitality, Marriage/Relationships, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers, Uncategorized Tagged With: character training, children, Defying the Culture, God's Word, healthy meal planning, holidays, intentional, meal planning, motherhood, parenting, Summer

Important: Last Day and Final Chance for the Homemaking eBook Bundle

May 4, 2013 By Ruth Schwenk

Thank you so much for joining me this week as I gave you sneak peeks of {and rambled on about} our homemaking bundle! :) I am genuinely thrilled with the incredible resources in this bundle. Like I said yesterday we have so much to learn!

Today is the final day to get your bundle and then it will be gone! If you haven’t picked up yours yet, you can see all of the details below.

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!

More than anything, our goal for this sale was for it to be, well… ultimate! We firmly believe that you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

To sweeten the pot, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

Each The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28′s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)
Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!