Friday, March 31, 2017

Prom and Aspire co-op

March 31st, 2017 was a crazy day for us.  The kids had homeschool prom for the first time.  I was on prom committee so helped set up all day, our homeschool co op was wonderful because one mom let all the girls get ready at her house with hair and makeup, etc and another mom organized a taco dinner...oh how we love our Aspire co op so much!  God put us in this group for a reason, He knew we needed them and hopefully they needed us. If you want more info about Aspire Homeschool Co-Op click here and if you're in the area want Tulsa homeschool prom info click here.

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 Don't they all look amazing?

 Two of the dad's were helping out and having some fun.
 Several girls were kickin' it with Converse shoes.
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Here's Kenzie and Kylan...it was kinda later in the evening so they were untucked and had been dancing a while. I asked for a sibling pic and they were nice to their mom and obliged.
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One of our fearless leaders Amy Dean was gracious in opening up her home to the teen girls and helping with makeup, jewelry and hair.


Another Aspire mom...Amy Gamble organized a taco dinner for our prom goers.
The theme this year was Under the Sea which kind of reminds me of my favorite retro movie series Back to the Future.





One of my jobs was making center pieces with the fish and they ended up looking great!
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Those homeschool kids know how to boogie!  They seriously danced all night long.
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Kevin and I had to get a pic too as official chaperones.  After prom was over our Korea adventure was about to begin.  We left prom and headed home to change and grab our luggage and then headed to the airport. By this time we were exhausted but more on that later...

Thanks for reading, 

South Korea trip

We've been planning a trip to South Korea for over 10 years and something would always come up with family health issues or financially we just couldn't swing it.  Finally, the day came when we could travel to the beautiful country that our children were born in and we could immerse ourselves in their culture.  Over the next several days I'll be posting a day by day summary of our trip. It was the trip of a lifetime and we were able to share it all with Kevin's mom and dad and my mom as they traveled with us on this epic adventure.  If you have any questions or want more info please email me at JustWedeminute@gmail dot com



Thanks for reading,

 

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Once Upon a Time Bible and Book review





  • With the popularity of fairy tales and Disney animation, and especially with the new release of Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast on March 17, Zonderkidz wanted to publish a storybook Bible and full -text Bible (Holy Bible offered in hardcover, and pink leathersoft editions) that would resonate with children and families who loved those types of movies, and loved reading a great story.
  • The art will captivate Disney lovers with similar looking characters and color palettes
  • Zonderkidz wanted to capture fans of this genre, but introduce young children to the word of God, and introduce them to the great characters of the Bible. It’s important to note that this brand serves to resound the theme that the Bible is NOT a fairy tale, but every great Bible story happened once upon a time. The Bible is the ultimate Happily Ever After story!
  • What Christian parent doesn’t want to tie in Bible learning fun with what their kids already love, but also have the opportunity to teach them that the real heroes and stories of our faith come straight from God’s Word.



About the Storybook Bible:

The Bible is not a fairy tale, but every great story happened “once upon a time”. “The Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible” highlights powerful and inspiring stories from the Bible—including Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Brave Queen Esther, the Birth of Jesus, Feeding the 5,000 and Jesus Resurrection. 

The artwork and illustrations by Omar Aranda will keep your child turning the pages as they learn about the heroes of the Bible.

This Bible has a beautifully illustrated hard cover. It has a “presented to” page in the front so it can easily be given for a special event or a just because I love you gift. It covers the ageless stories from both the Old and New Testaments. There are 18 stories from the Old Testament and 15 stories from the New Testament and has 144 pages. The stories begin with a scripture verse and are short in length insuring it will hold your child’s attention from beginning to end.



About the Holy Bible:



The Bible is not a fairy tale, but every great story happened once upon a time. The NIrV Once Upon a Time Holy Bible contains a presentation page and also highlights six great stories from the Bible on 24 full-color inserts. Each story is told on four pages in full-color, illustrated splendor. Also contains the complete New International Reader's Version (NIrV) of the Bible.
Stories include:
  • God Makes Man and Woman
  • Isaac and Rebekah
  • Ruth Finds Happiness
  • Queen Esther
  • Mary and Joseph and an Angel
  • He Lives!

We all have our own tale to live and what better place to look for help and encouragement than the greatest story of all.
Sharing from my heart:

When I was around 8 or 9 my parents got me the Picture Bible and I read it and re-read it so many times it fell apart.  I loved that Bible so much!  Fast forward 35ish years or so and now the Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible is available.  The illustrations are beautifully done and will appeal to most children that have been raised watching Disney movies.  I think they will really be able to connect to the stories when they see the pictures, I still get little flashes in my mind when someone speaks about Esther or Rachel.  I can clearly see what they "looked" like in the Picture Bible and remember how I felt when reading about them.  Esther has always been one of my favorites she was and still is so real to me and not just words on a page.  When children can envision something they can better relate to it and I know I'd prefer my children to relate to a Biblical character than a made up Disney one.  I highly recommend the Storybook Bible for ages 4-8 and the Holy Bible for ages 6-10.


More info:

Bibles: Available where books are sold

Storybook Bible: Available at Sam’s Club or wherever books are sold


Thanks for reading,
 
Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing these books.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

A Tale As Old As Time





Today we needed a break from out typical homeschool day so I decided to treat the kids and myself to the new Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. If you live in the Tulsa area I'm sure you've heard about the incredible Warren Theater in Broken Arrow.  It's very fancy, seating is nice, they have a light show before the movie starts and curtains that draw back and of course a curved screen with amazing surround sound.  Something you might not know is every Wednesday is $5 movie day.  We like to take advantage of that! Kylan and I went to pick up his passport (that's a whole new blog post) and Kenzie picked up a couple of her closest friends and we met up at the Warren. Yes, you read that correctly...Kenzie is driving now and has her own vehicle. I've really got to blog more often and keep you up to date better.

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard about all the rucus with the movie.  Some people are boycotting it and some just want to re-live seeing the animated version for the first time.  We just wanted to see it and decide for ourselves.  Disney did not disappoint us!  I absolutely loved it, it was all Disney. Which means they didn't spare any expense, it was breathtaking.  I was a little concerned with how they would portray the Be Our Guest scene but of course in true Disney fashion I gazed in awe at what they had accomplished. 

The original animated version of Beauty and the Beast came out in 1991 and at that time I was a senior in high school and didn't have time to see it.  The next year 1992 I got married (yes, I was so young) and was a nanny for a family with 3 little boys. When the movie came out on video we watched it repeatedly but the first time I saw it I was captivated by all the details.  While watching I wondered if I'd ever cuddle with a child of my own and share this time honored tale.  I'd just endured a traumatic and painful miscarriage and wasn't sure if we'd ever be able to have children. Over the course of the next 8 years I watched many more Disney movies and faithfully bought every single one of them on VHS video tapes for our future children.  We continued to have miscarriages for a total of 6 in all and finally my doctors agreed it was time for a hysterectomy because my body was failing me. It was an agonizing decision but one that changed our lives forever.  In 1999 we decided to begin the adoption process and the rest is history. We adopted both Kenzie and Kylan through Dillon International over the course of the next couple of years and have never looked back.  As I sat in the theater and watched the newest version of Beauty and the Beast many of those memories swept over me and I shed a tear or two.  I was sitting by both of my teenage children...children I never thought I'd have.  It reminded me that I have so much to be thankful and grateful for in my life!  My teens will soon be going off to college or possibly culinary school and I want to enjoy each and every day I have left with them in our home before they are grown up and have children of their own.  Who knew that seeing a movie would bring up so many ranges of emotion?  So, in conclusion this movie may not be the movie for everyone but for me it was definitely A Tale As Old As Time and was spectacular!

Thanks for reading,
 

The Flirtation Experiment-book review and giveaway

About the authors:  Lisa Jacobson  is an author, a podcaster, and the founder of Club31Women.com, an online community of Christian women aut...