REVIEW for Homeschool Mosaics

I'm a Florida girl enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather.   Why would I have dry skin?  One problem that I have is that I'm always walking around in bare feet.  The bottoms get dry and rough for sure.   I treat myself now and again to a pedicure but frankly I need to pamper my feet everyday.  Sandal weather is coming up soon so I was thankful to be given the opportunity by Mosaic Reviews to check out some new products.

Thank you for being so generous Udderly Smooth.  Look at all the wonderful products I got to try.

Need help with your dry skin?   Read on....

Made in the USA for over thirty years,  Udderly Smooth products contain rich moisturizing ingredients.  They can be used on Dry Skin, Cracked Skin, for Diabetes Foot Care, as a Facial Moisturizer, and as a General Moisturizing Lotion.   Started by a Pharmacist, anyone can use these products from head to toe.

There are two things I don't like with lotions.   I can't stand any greasy residue feeling.   When it's hot outside I don't want to feel like I have lotion on.   Another thing I don't like is products that have a heavy fragrance to them.  I have sensitive skin so I'm very aware of the products I put on my skin.

Udderly Smooth Shea Butter Foot Cream is simply divine.   Comes in a 8oz. which goes a long way at just $6.50 a jar.    I saw a difference in just one night but frankly after a week my feet were feeling and looking great.   I loved the fact that there was no greasy feeling or heavy fragrance.

I was worried that the body cream was going to be really thick and greasy.  Wrong again!  It glided on easily and instantly soaked into my skin.  I just had to use a tiny bit because it went on so light.  The cream has a very faint fragrance to it which I actually liked.  I did a test for one day and only put the lotion on one arm and one leg.   It was amazing to see the difference between the differences between the two.   My sensitive skin loved it.

My greatest concern I'll admit was the hand lotion.   Now this particular hand lotion did have a light fragrance but also does come in a fragrance free option.   The lotion literally soaked right into my skin with absolutely no residue.   I haven't had any dry skin.  I love that I can just throw a tube in my purse and always have it with me.  Just $2.75 for a 4oz. tube or $1.75 for a 2oz. this product will last a long time.

THE BOTTOM LINE....

Now we all know that you can buy lotions and creams just about everywhere.   I have to tell you that I'm one picky customer.  My friends can attest to how I can't stand perfumes, scents, etc.    First of all, these products are made here!!!  Yes, MADE IN THE U.S.A.  Second of all, my sensitive skin totally loved them.  Not one breakout or rash.   No greasy feeling ever.  To top it off.  These products are AFFORDABLE!

Check out where you can buy these amazing products.   Just look for the black and white cow spots. Remember, a little goes a looooooong way!

Enjoy!!

HELLO FRESH PRODUCT REVIEW

I have an AMAZING product to tell you about today.  Hello Fresh is a company that delivers the recipes and all the fresh food necessary to make some amazing meals at home.   They take all of the legwork, planning, and hassle out of mealtime.  In return, you are one very happily, fed person.  

Hello Fresh is a subscription service that delivers right to your door.  Once you create an account you will be able to select your first delivery box.  You have to order in the system the Wednesday prior to the next Wednesday delivery (basically 7 days in advance).  Hello Fresh has 2 different meal boxes to choose from.  Classic and Veggie both come in 2 person or 4 person meals.   Choose 3 meals as your main choices or swap out via the optional menu.   Don't like the choices for that week?  Simply put your account on hold until the following week.

Here's how it works:

1. Hello Fresh makes amazing recipes.

Every week our chefs create amazing recipes for you that are easy to prepare. Our meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied.     

2.  Hello Fresh does the shopping for you.

Sit back and relax while we do all the work. We source only the highest-quality and freshest produce. We'll also introduce you to ingredients that you won’t find in your local supermarket.

3.  Delivery via FedEX is free.

We deliver your recipes and ingredients to your door every week on Wednesday. It's happiness in a box.

4.  You cook an amazing meal in under 30 minutes.

We take easy cooking to a new level. Recipes typically take only 30 minutes or less and don't require fancy equipment. Anyone can cook with Hello Fresh. Our mission is to get more people to cook and our beautiful step-by-step photo instructions will change the way you think about cooking!

Let me give a look at how my week went with

 Hello Fresh.

My box came promptly at 3:30pm via FedEX in perfect condition. Inside the cardboard box was an extremely well  insulated cooler that included three cooler packs on the bottom.   All of my meats and shellfish were still very cold and all of my produce was fresh.  Every bag was labeled to go with the specific meal I was 

going to make.  I love that there was no guess game!

Here are the three recipe cards that I received.  One for each meal.   There were colorful and gave step by step instructions.  All of my meals were done in 30 minutes or less.

  

The first meal I made was Hearty Beef Stew.   This was a big hit in our family.  My son loved the chick peas!!  That was an eye opener.   I was incredibly happy with the quality of the beef.   It was tender, and very low in fat.   We had enough for four bowls of soup!

.    

 I have to say that I never have cooked with eggplant before but chose the Warm Eggplant Salad to try something new.   IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!   My husband ate two heaping plate fulls!!!  Definitely something to try again.  The layers of flavor just made your mouth pop.  I was really happy to see that the quality of all of the vegetables was superb!

The yogurt marinated shrimp on a bed of rice was yummy.  The seasoning mix was just perfect and we really enjoyed this.  This was an extremely easy dish to make and was done in no time.

Here is some more information on the cost of Hello Fresh:

Cost per week: Classic Box (3 meals):

2 people $69

4 people $129

Veggie Box (3 meals)

2 people $59

4 people $109

Shipping is always free!

My thoughts...
We  LOVED this product and will be ordering again.   I loved the convenience mostly.  The quality of the products were fantastic and the meals came together quickly.   We have three people in our family and I think buying the 2 person meal plan would work because the portion size is big.

As a special offer to all of my Susie followers, I have a special discount to give everyone!   Sign up now and use code RMKN5J  at the checkout to receive $20 off of your first box!

ENJOY!

The products in this review were provided by Hello Fresh by Mosaic Reviews.  All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

Red Hot Art Giveaway

I found the cutest shop that I want to tell you all about.   The owner, Linda makes hand painted textiles that are simply beautiful!   Linda has fun, colorful prints that can be customized to suite your needs.    Choose from  totes, shirts, tea towels, and dinner napkins to name a few.    

My friend Jen has been teaching me how to knit for the last few months.  She kindly gifted me with a beautiful bag to hold my knitting supplies.  I love it that you can further customize your bag by picking the color of yarn to go with this adorable sheep.    Each bag is hand painted with washer dryer safe fabric paint, and will not run or fade.

Check out some of my favorites from Red Hot Art.

I simply love the colors in this tote bag.   At just $15 it's a must have!

 These are the cutest and perfect for a summer evening dinner.   Retails for $20.00.

Love this blue crab apron!  It reminds me of our summers crabbing on the coast.   Retails for $22.

Aren't these great????

I have a special treat for everyone.  Linda has graciously offered one of my wonderful followers a free item from her shop.   That's right....PICK ANY ONE PRODUCT THAT YOUR HEART DESIRES!!! All you have to do is enter the contest below.    Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Little Pony:  Party of One App Review

As you all know, I'm busy homeschooling "Batman".   Everything is normally all boy at our house complete with with dump trucks, archery, and cars.   We were going to have company over at our house with two little preschool aged girls so I jumped at the chance to review My Little Pony "Party of One" app for Mosaic Reviews.  We had a great time with this app so read on for some great information on making learning extra fun.

Pinkie Pie and her friends in My Little Pony: Party of One is an interactive tale about the magic of friendship.   Who throws better   parties then Pinkie Pie?  Having just finished one celebration, Pinkie Pie sets off to invite all of her favorite ponies to a new party.  Suddenly though it seems like all of the ponies are busy.  Join in the investigation as Pinkie Pie visits her My Little Pony friends looking 

for clues.

Well "My Little Friends" Maddie and Lucy" loved it!   These girls were not quite readers.  There were two options on how to hear the story. The story could be read out loud by the app or the child could do it themselves.   Also, words could be highlighted to help with comprehension or vocabulary.   The story was fun and I loved the  bright colors!!  As soon as we were done with it they wanted to read the story again!!

  

PROS:

*Totally cute app!

*Children can easily tap to hear the story read to them or they can read it.

*Highlighted words help with comprehension and vocabulary.

*Parents can track their progress.

CONS

I thought the price was a bit steep for $2.99 when it was just a story.

Playdate Digital  is an emergent publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. Headquartered in New York City, PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. Designed in collaboration with leading preschool education experts from insights gleaned from years of extensive research, PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids and developed and published for iOS and Android devices. 

Mosiac Reviews

DO YOU WANT TO WIN A 
$250 AMAZON GIFT CARD?

I hope you haven't done all of your shopping for Christmas already.  

I'm so excited to bring to you A Big Christmas Shopping Spree Giveway!  Three (3) readers will each win their own $250 Amazon Gift Card to go on a shopping spree that they will never forget.

Let me introduce you to the wonderful sponsors of this amazing giveaway that you will not want to miss out on:

Teachers of Good Things | Beyond the Cover | Homeschool Giveaways and Freebies | The Chaos and The Clutter | Intoxicated on Life | Simply Sherryl | Golden Reflections Blog | The Vicki Arnold Blog | Wildflower Ramblings | Kids Yoga Stories | Moola Saving Mom | Growing Up Triplets | Life Coaching & More | Daze of Adventures | Family, Faith and Fridays | Stretching a Buck | Susie Homeschooler | Frugal Homeschool Family | The Teaching Mama | For This Season | Raising the Barrs | Grace Tells Another Story | Mom's Mustard Seed | Raising Lifelong Learners | Surviving the Stores | How to Homeschool for Free | Whole New Mom | Natural Beach Living | The Encouraging Mom | i Dream of Clean | Abundant Life | Psycho with 6 | Angie Rgy

Here is how the Big Christmas Shopping Spree Giveaway works:

• A big giveaway deserves big entry options - Between November 12th through November 18th you can come back and register for as many options as you desire.  Enter all of them that you want to enter.
• Enter some entries more than once - You can add a new comment on a different blog everyday.   Visit more of the sponsors and leave a comment to have another entry! You can even tweet once a day for additional entries.
• You must be 18 years old and living in the United States - The 3 winners will receive an Amazon Gift Card in the mail.
• Winners will be verified - Each winner drawn will be verified that they entered the giveaway correctly.
• Winners must provide mailing address within 48 hours of notification - To claim your prize you only have 48 hours to provide your mailing address or a new winner will be drawn. No exceptions. Be sure to check your email on November 19th or 20th to be sure you don't miss out on a shopping spree you will likely never forget!
• Winners shop on Amazon - If you are one of the winners, you can shop online for all of those loved ones on your shopping list. All in time for Black Friday specials!

Now let's get to the entry and one step closer to 3 people winning a $250 Amazon Gift Card for a Big Christmas Shopping Spree Giveaway:

Entry-Form

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students.  I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program.  If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their  open invitation to write an online learning review of their program. - See more at: http://www.k5learning.com/review-k5?sid=20266#sthash.3K2VIy23.dpuf

CEREAL BOX BOOK REPORTS

I teach Creative Writing II at my local homeschool co-op.    I wanted to incorporate book reports but in a fun way since many of the students in the class had never done one before.     I found the perfect introduction with cereal box commercials.

I asked each child to either reread or read a new book.   They had to then fill out their box the following way after covering it with construction paper:

1.  On the front side they listed the title of the book and drew a cover.

2.  On the back side they drew their favorite scene from the book.

3.  On the top part they listed the title, author, and rated the book.

4.  On the right side they listed the setting and characters.

5.  On the left hand side they listed the setting of the story.

All of the printables can be found free at Lakeshore Learning.

The students then got up in front of  class and told us all about their story like it was a commercial for their book.  It was great fun and the kids did fantastic!

My son read the book The Chocolate Touch.  This project allowed us to review again story elements such as setting, characters, problem/event, and conclusion.

Halloween Pumpkin Book Reports

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN BOOK REPORTS

I teach Creative Writing II in my homeschool co-op.   I have a wonderful group of 6-8 year olds that I work with.   I asked each child to pick one person to write a biography on.   To make it super fun I gave them all a pumpkin to decorate.   This helped solidify who the main character was in their story.   The kids were super excited to do this project.  

Batman choose to write about George Washington.  He did a great job on this project.  As you can see, he really got into decorating his front cover of his blank writing book and pumpkin.  I just love George's hair.

We've been working a lot on having a clear setting, main character, problem or event, and conclusion in our stories.   Stay tuned for tomorrow when I show you our "commercials" that we did with cereal boxes.   

COLUMBUS AND THE GREAT DISCOVERY

REVIEW

LEARN OUR HISTORY

Last month I introduced you to the company  Learn Our History co-founded by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

     

Learn Our History is an animated dvd series that teaches all about history.   These are perfect for any age group.  My six year old is really enjoying them and so am I.  

 Learn Our History is about a group of time traveling kids called the "Time Travelers" who get to experience history in the making.   There are over 20 dvd dvd's in this program.  Each topic comes with  downloadable curriculum supplements for each topic including discussion questions, timelines, maps, games, and more!

This month we had the opportunity to watch "Columbus and the Great Discovery".  It's the perfect time to study since we celebrate Columbus Day on October 14, 2013.   Discover in the beginning the reasons why Columbus wanted to take on such a dangerous journey.   Did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain initially give him supplies and ships for his journey?  Follow Columbus and the Time Travelers as they set sail with three ships from Spain into basically unchartered territory.  The voyage was long however Columbus and his crew finally landed on a beautiful tropical island that he claimed for Spain.   This is the beginning of new traditions, customs, religion, and cultures throughout the New World.

After watching "Columbus and the Great Discovery" I was able to download prepared lesson plans from the LOH website.  Included were great discussion questions, a timeline, and a fun game to play involving ships and islands.  I really appreciated this material and I liked listening to my son talk about what he learned in the dvd.  He loved the game!

"Batman" got really into the whole theme of Columbus and asked if we could make a replica of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.  I guess I will be headed out for supplies later on for this.  I love his enthusiasm though!

One of the things I like most about Learn Our History is the convenience!  Play the series on your computer, ipad, iphone, ipod, or any internet-connected device that's equipped with a web browser. 

Simply check out Learn Our History dvd collection online.  Click on a video for a FREE preview.   Learn Our History is offering a FREE dvd for you to try out at home.  All you have to do is pay shipping and handling.

If you like the program then you get each dvd, online streaming, and the lesson guide for just $11.95 plus shipping and handling.  Each month you will receive a different program and something new to learn about.  Check out Learn Our History today!

ENJOY!

Math Mammoth Review

 MATH MAMMOTH

A Homeschool Mosaics Review

I have to say that I never heard of Math Mammoth before I did a review on them.   After asking a bunch of homeschool friends about it, I found that I was in the minority.  

 Math Mammoth offers affordable, quality workbooks, and worktexts for grades 1-12.    There are several ways to buy the curriculum.  First, you can buy a specific grade level sequence which is part of the Light Blue series.   Second, you can buy it arranged by topic, the Blue series.   There is also a Golden series  and Green series that consist of extra practice worksheets.   Prices range from $2-$7 for single topic downloads to $37 for full curriculum for the year.    

Free Math Assessments! Try this first to get an idea on where your child needs help.

Since I already have my math program for the year I decided to review the Blue series to help fill in the gaps where I thought my son "Batman" needed a bit more practice. 

I decided that Batman needed to work extra on geometry, place values, money, and measurements.   I simply downloaded the files and put each subject matter in a folder.  Each day we worked through the different concepts. Everything was explained clearly and I soon began to see that Batman was learning these concepts quicker then ever.  

Batman LOVES workbook pages!  Everything is so nicely arranged and is easy to read.  Books are done in color too.

PROS
Affordable
Aligned to common core
Download instantly or purchase book to be mailed

CONS
Need some supplies but what program doesn't.  
Ex.  manipulatives


I was so impressed with Math Mammoth that I've decided to switch our math program to their full curriculum.

Mosaic Reviews

KINDLE GIVEAWAY

BIG KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY

I'm so excited to tell you about an amazing giveaway going on right now.    I partnered with 21 pretty amazing bloggers to giveaway 3 Kindle Fires!!   

If you're a new follower to Susie Homeschooler....WELCOME!!!    I'm in my third year homeschooling my son "Batman".   I spend time endlessly searching for the best ways to homeschool and manage our family life.   I'm a night owl and am often up super late perusing my favorite blogs or planning something fabulous to do in our homeschool classroom.

Myself and a team of 22 other bloggers have joined together to offer 3 winners a Kindle Fire (valued at $159! each). Yep, we are giving away 3 Kindle Fires and there is a BIG chances you can win one but first you have to enter this BIG Giveaway Blog Hop.

Here is how it works...

1. Comment on my blog by answering the question - you will get one entry
2. Once you left a comment, enter as many or all of the entries by following or liking each of the Bloggers on the social media platforms you use - if you DO enter them all, you will get 46 entries in this giveaway for this option
3. Visit the other bloggers to learn about the sponsors of this BIG Kindle Fire Giveaway and leave a comment to let us know you stopped by

If you counted it all up, you could have 47 chances to win a Kindle Fire, in 3 different drawings. If you don't have enough time to enter all these entries or visit the sponsors right now, be sure to come back before October 1st, midnight EST, when it closes.

Let's meet the Sponsors of this BIG Kindle Fire Giveaway Blog Hop...

Winners will be notified by their entry email on October 2nd, after they are confirmed as entering correctly. Winners have 48 hours to provide us with your mailing address before another winner is selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway