Papa's Pearls (Review)

 

While reading Papa's Pearls: A Father's Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren, my latest Schoolhouse Review Crew product, I couldn't help but be nostalgic and think of a special man in my life.  My PaPa (pronounced Paw-Paw) was such a treasure, not only to me but to all his grandchildren, children, friends, and even strangers.  His large hands and big ears were dwarfed by his enormous heart and love.  He demonstrated going out of his way to love and be of help to those that others would often ignore.  Hard work, strong morals, dedication to family, and an unshakable faith define his life.  Oh what I wouldn't give to talk to him today, to sit by his side and glean even more of his precious "pearls"!!!

Aside from reminding you of a cherished loved one, Diane Flynn Keith's book, Papa's Pearls will both entertain and teach you.  She chronicles the life of her father and shares his pearls of wisdom.  Papa, also known as Carol Joseph Flynn, was actually a street kid during the depression-era.  Running with the wrong crowd and involved in criminal activity, it appeared he was on a steady path towards incarceration.  Thankfully, he had a series of encounters that altered his course.  He chose to strive for personal success and lived life happily. 

 

Papa wasn't a man of many words, but those that he did speak held so much weight, truth, and meaning.  Diane took these nuggets of gold - priceless pearls! - and penned this precious 112 page memoir.  Each of the 17 chapters concentrate on one or more of Papa's pearls.  Some illustrate his business savvy:  "Where's the money?" "Get it in writing!"  "Keep a foxy pocket." and "If you want to be successful - spend your time with successful people."  Others offer basic wisdom for a life well-lived: "Everyone deserves a second chance." "You gotta roll with the punches." and "Be Grateful Every Day!" The most endearing show his love and care for family:  "Where's my hug?" and "I love you. You know that, right?"

 

I read Papa's Pearls myself.  However; I can see the value in having your preteen/teen read the book individually, or even using the book as a read-aloud.  It is a delightful story, and there are sound tidbits of wisdom from which everyone could benefit.

 



Get Your Copy

 

Papa's Pearls is available directly from the author.  Click HERE to purchase an autographed copy for $21.97.  It is also available for purchase in both paperback and Kindle format through Amazon.



Author, Diane Flynn Keith, is no stranger to education or the homeschool community.  She is a sought after speaker and expert on alternative education.  Her desire is to liberate families from conventional schooling, and she provides so many resources to assist in that task.  She has written a book entitled: Carschooling: Over 350 Entertaining Games & Activities To Turn Travel Time Into Learning Time. Diane also maintains several popular websites including:

• Homefires.com
• ClickSchooling.com
• UniversalPreschool.com

Spotlight Time

I LOVE being a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew!!!  Yes, I get to review and use lots of fabulous curriculum, software, games, and online subscriptions with my kiddos... a huge draws for a  curriculum junkie like me!  However, what I enjoy most is the online community.  I've developed dear friendships with some amazing women.  They encourage me, answer questions, make me laugh, and pray for me.

Each week the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog showcases one crew member.  This week the spotlight is shining on me... crazy, huh?  I'd love it if you clicked on over and read my article Homeschooling English Language Learners.  I share a bit about our adoption journey and offer 5 tips from our 3 years homeschooling.

Regret - It's What I'm Afraid Of!

Day 7 of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and the topic is: The thing(s) you are most afraid of...

Years ago, I would have said something trivial like admitting my fear of dogs.  With some age and maturity and having taken some things for granted, my greatest fear is regret.  In regards to my family and serving God, I don't want to look back on this season (or any for that matter) and realize there are things I "coulda, shoulda, woulda" done.

I have a 6, 7, and 8 year old and the baby is nearing 5 months.... what?!?!  Time is fleeting for sure!  I make more mistakes as a Momma than I'd care to admit.  There are days when I just can't stomach one more tidbit of useless information on the latest super hero, Star Wars, Ninja Turtle, or Lego obsession.  Days where I wish to never be asked a question again... especially the same series each evening before bed.  In fact, there are moments where I turn on the TV simply to babysit while I seek the solace of my bed or the bubble bath.  I realize that these feelings and actions probably aren't unique.  However, I've become keenly aware of some missed opportunities with my children.  Both Jon and I are working to address these areas and are focusing on improving both the quantity and quality of our time engaged as a family.  Family is so very precious, and I fear taking it for granted. 
I don't want my children to ever question my love for them.  I desire more hugs, kisses, cuddles, "good job's" and "I'm proud of you's!"  I want them to have many memories of our times together laughing, playing, serving, and loving.  (Time to eradicate some memories of Momma being frustrated, disappointed, and angry.)

God is up to something, no doubt!  Jon and I are both restless and wrestling... there is a stirring within our hearts.  There is a need for less and a need for more.  There has been both conviction and rebuke.  There is clarity and confusion.  There are questions.... Why? What? Where? When? and How?  Some answers are screaming and others ever evasive.  We've been reminded of our unique God-given gifts and abilities, faced our shortfalls, redirected, and refocused.  Why?  We don't want to live with regret!  We fear looking back on our lives and saying, "Why did we do/act/go/serve/enter in so little?"  Rather than say I led a comfortable life, I want to say I entered into the struggle and pain of others and in love pointed them to The Great Comforter in life.

I realize to some this sounds very "holier than thou."  Not my intent in any way shape or form!  When confronted with my own failures, inadequacies, and misguided thoughts, this is where I find myself... fearing a life of regret!  In this instance only... it is about ME!  God is dealing with ME!  Hopefully, shaping and molding, so I can be about HIS business and shift my focus on to OTHERS.

"What do I do?"

Day 6 of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and the topic is: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Sure, I could list every mundane task involved with being a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom, but I doubt my diapering abilities, limited cooking/cleaning skills, and chauffeur expertise would be of great interest.  Instead, I tried to really think... what do I do?

I...

• seek to serve God and others
• love my husband wholeheartedly
• love my kiddos unconditionally
• passionately advocate for the vulnerable
• homeschool (through good days and bad)
• blog (more intermittently than I'd like)
• pray, pray, pray
• experience the thrills of victory and the agonies of defeat
• volley between times of struggle and ease, the need to resist and persist, optimism and pessimism
• find myself saddened when confronted by apathy (within myself and others)
• get increasingly annoyed with mediocrity
• am striving to embrace minimalism while still struggling with the ingrained Western mindset
• am waiting for God to open and/or close doors/windows/crawl spaces/nooks & crannies....  yes, in 34 years I've learned that God works in all available spaces - great & small! 

Home School In the Woods - Great Empires (Review)

Having had a poor history experience in her school years, Amy Pak didn't look forward to teaching the subject to her children.  However, studying through living books, writing, and drama, she actually fell in love with history.  She then began using her abilities as a graphic designer to develop beautiful timeline figures, lapbooks, and history packs.  Thus, Home School in the Woods was born, and homeschooling families have been utilizing the high quality, well-crafted, hands-on history products ever since.

As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I had the opportunity to review a study designed for elementary students, Great Empires.  The download version is available for purchase for $18.95.  A CD version can be bought for $19.95. 

 

While you may need to purchase a few craft supplies and materials for the activities, everything else you need is included.  Within Great Empires, you will find the following information and printables:

 

• Historical overview pages for the 14 Great Empires
• Activity Summary pages for each empire
• Detailed instructions for each activity
• Timeline and Historical figures for each empire
• A World Map and individual empire maps
• Games and crafts
• Recipes
• Suggested Reading Lists
• Additional links: pictures, text, videos, and virtual tours

The empires focused upon include:  Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Arab-Muslim Empire, Mongolian Empire, Viking Empire, Spanish Empire, French Empire, English Empire, German Empire, Japanese Empire, Russian Empire, and The United States of America.

During the review period, my family chose to study the empires in the order listed.  Mainly, we followed the study guide and completed the projects, but we did take a few rabbit trails to study topics further.  For example, while studying Ancient Egypt, we watched The Prince of Egypt movie, looked at pictures of pyramids online, the boys built Lego pyramids, and we read about King Tut. 

You may choose to use this study in another way as I envision multiple ways to do so.  You could study the empires in chronological order or select the empires in the order that most appeals to your children.  The studies could simply be overviews and completed exactly as is in the guide.  Conversely, it could serve as a springboard for a more in-depth study of each of the empires.  Finally, it could supplement another history program.
 
Beginning with Ancient Egypt, I quickly found that the overview pages (while there are only 1-3) are jam-packed full of information.  I found that throwing all those names and dates at once could be overwhelming to my crew - 6, 7, and 8 years.  For that reason, I did some paraphrasing and omission in my reading aloud.  The other activity that needed lots of parental guidance was the mapping exercises.  Getting everything in the correct spot proved to be a bit challenging for my three, but they still enjoyed the process. 

By far their favorite part of the study would be the hands-on projects.  I did improvise some in this area as well.  When making their Egyptian cartouches, I opted for them to use play dough opposed to making salt dough.  They loved using the hieroglyphs to write their names.  It was very "spy-like and secret code-ish" in the boys' minds.  They also really got into the study of the Greek soldier, even if it looks like he wears a dress - Ha!  You can see their unique shield designs below.

The download is extremely easy to navigate.  Clickable buttons transport you to the various maps, activities, printables, and overviews.  The study is well organized and pleasing to the eye.  I found it easy to work with from a teacher's standpoint, and my children proved to be willing and enthusiastic students.  I foresee using Home School in the Woods products in the future. 

Be sure and click below to read other crew reviews.  In fact, there were two other products being reviewed as well, so you won't want to miss learning about them.  Another suggestion would be to check out the samples and freebies offered by Home School in the Woods.  Follow on Facebook and sign up for the Hands On Teaching Tips Newsletter.

LIVE Summit Webstream

As you may recall, Christian Alliance for Orphan's Summit 9 is taking place in my backyard, but unfortunately, my days will be spent at home.  Not knowing when we would be closing on our house in KY and trying to be hopeful that it would be any day, I did not purchase tickets to Summit 9.  Because of the overwhelming response, there are hundreds more than anticipated attending the event.  Therefore, when online registration closed, the decision was made not to accept walk-up registrations.  While I'm sad that I'm missing out, I'm so encouraged by such a large number of people who share God's heart for adoption, orphan care, and global initiatives!  Rise up church!


Thankfully, even though I'm not on site, I can still participate a bit by tuning in to the Live Summit Webstream.  All of the main sessions as well as the oneBIGidea lunch session will be online.  (Hoping to time Eden's naps just right, so I can really focus!)

Check out the schedule below and click the link to tune in!

Summit LIVE Schedule:

General Session | May 2, Thursday Morning  | 8:45 am

• Stephen Ucembe, Kenya Society of Careleavers
• Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine with Michele Bachmann

oneBIGidea  |  May 2, Thursday Lunch  |  12:30 pm

• Dr. Brian Fikkert
• Craig Juntunen
• Dave Anderson
• Tendai Masiriri
• Robert Glover
• Ambassador Susan Jacobs
• Dr. Russell Moore
• Dr. Neil Boothby
• Dr. Karyn Purvis
• See www.summit9.org/onebigidea for more on oneBIGidea speakers

General Session | May 2, Thursday Evening  | 7:00 pm

• Johnny Carr with the Wagner Family
• Carissa Woodwyk, Adoptee and Author
• Jedd Medefind, CAFO President

General Session  | May 3, Friday Morning  | 8:45 am

• Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine with Bishop Martin
• Senator Mary Landrieu
• George Dennehy
• Orphan Sunday Special Feature

General Session | May 3, Friday Evening  | 7:00 pm

• Nicole C. Mullen
• Jimmy Wayne
• David Platt, The Church at Brook Hills

250 Words

This month I have decided to join Jenni at Story of My Life for her Blog Every Day in May challenge. Today's topic is "the story of your life in 250 words or less" (in my case a smidgen more).  Apologies for my poor writing/punctuation now.  The constraints were hard for this "wordy" gal!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was born April 13, 1979, in Ohio, but I don't consider myself a Buckeye.  Still an infant, my family moved to the land of Kentucky Wildcat Blue!  My days were spent gardening with my great grandmother, visiting the Dairy Dip, making the local news with PaPa, and taking ballet.  A move to Lebanon, KY, a brother, a sister, piano lessons, gifted & talented at Mrs. Lanham's little yellow house, Camp Calvary, got baptized, and had the best neighbors ever- Norma & Fuzzy.  Another move to Stanford for middle & high school.  One year of basketball, school newspaper, plays, and chorus.  Lightly Salted, Servants, youth group, driving, prom, babysitting,  and a first love.  Graduation, waitressing at Shoney's, and then off to Kentucky Christian College.  Fun with friends, a break-up,  D-group, choir trips, Haiti, and singing in VIP.  True love, a forever long engagement, winter wedding, and Hawaii honeymoon.  Lived in Louisville, then moved to Lawrenceburg, began teaching music at Bald Knob Elementary, and Jon preaching at GCC.   We bought our first house in Frankfort, and I taught 6 years in Owenton.  Caleb was born October 10, 2005.  February 15, 2010, was our Meetcha Day for Ethiopian cuties, Jeremiah and Rachel.  I left the classroom to homeschool, volunteer, and speak about adoption/orphan care.  We left GCC,  Jon was nursing fulltime, and we plugged in at Southland. Then, we moved to TN and Jon works in Clinical IT.  December 17, 2012, Eden was born.  What comes next? Waiting on and seeking God's direction...  I'm excited to see!