Building a Bridge for Kaden

Have you ever had something happen to you and you just KNOW it is a Direct Gift from God?  I have been fortunate to have had this happen to me several times in my life. God has been a Huge part of my life and I can safely say that I would not be here today if he was not walking along side me every single day.... many days carrying me.  

You can go back and look at some of my past posts to see what I mean exactly.  

Today I have to share with you the little Miracle that God did for me and my Family just a few weeks ago.  My Sweet Kaden is on the Spectrum and with that comes his literal thinking.  If he can't physically see something or figure it out on paper with a pencil then obviously it's a sham.  Over the years we have tried to go to church, but we can't stay more then a few minutes and then out the door we go.  So, as a Family it's been a few years since we have walked through the church doors together as a Family.  

That said, we read the Bible and Devotions weekly and pray every night.  But, the hard part is no matter what we say or do Kaden Questions the fact that God exists or that there should even be Religion.  Kaden has always been fascinated with Religion, different cultures and the way they pray to their God.  He needs concrete evidence.  The Bible is a book of stories and God is a character in it to him.  For me, that crushes me, it separates me from my Child.  I can't find an avenue for us to at least meet in the middle.

And then there comes the Miracle.....and it came in the form of a Review.  A review on a Book from Apologia, How Do We Know God is Really There? by Melissa Cain Travis.  Are you kidding me?  I was so excited I was beaming from ear to ear, I knew in my heart that this little book was going to be that avenue to reach Kaden so that he could connect the dots.  A lot was riding on this book....a lot!

When we got it I wanted to read it ASAP.  But, he said we needed to wait for book time, which was right before bed.   HAHAHAHA

Then I figured that it was probably best, so I read through it.  And I loved the story, I will not go into detail because I don't want to ruin it for You or your Kiddo.  But, I will say it was simply Amazing. The Art work is Colorful and eye-catching, even my 13 year old enjoyed reading it. Even though it is geared for younger Kiddos, the story can be enjoyed by the whole Family. 

Kaden read the whole book, straight to the end and asked a lot of Questions and had a loooooooong Discussion......2 hours almost.  

But, I will say that the night we read How Do We Know God is Really There an Avenue was built for my Son and I.  And I am so Thankful for this Miracle. 

This is the first in an exciting new series of picture books designed to introduce kids to important questions of the Christian faith in terms even pre-readers can understand. Read this aloud with your family, and you’ll come away knowing that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1). 

 Apologia publishes homeschooling curriculum and resources, and hosts online classes to help families learn, live, and defend the Christian faith.

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
 

Memories Now will be Memories Later......

I Lost my Dad to a heart attack when I was just 11 years old.  And my Mom died barely a year later.  All I had as I was passed from foster home to foster home was a bag of pictures.  They are very important to me, but I don't know the story behind the smiling faces.  Scrapbooking wasn't a thing 25 years ago like it is today.  Even though we were an extremely close Family those Special Memories they had were never passed down to me.  Who would have thought they would have left me at such a young age????  

You can bet I document everything and have made a ton of scrapbooks for each one of my children.  Honestly, I think about my Parents a lot and wonder what life was like for them.  Especially on Holidays or when something monumental happens.  Like my oldest is Graduating our Homeschool this year.  I wonder what it was like for my parents when they graduated.  I bet they had some crazy after party and what about all the anticipation of the future?????  I have nothing at all to pass done to my kiddos about their Grandparents.  Makes me sad, but when I heard about this Innovative Program I have to admit I squealed with delight!!!  

So, the past month or so I was given the opportunity to use Saving memories Forever.  It's an App/Internets site program that allows you and loved ones to record your stories and treasured memories from the past.

Here’s how to get started.  Visit the Saving Memories Forever website or your app market and download the app.  You can get an account for free or pay $3.99 per month or $40.00 per year.  Honestly, You Can't put a Price on Your Memories!!!  Once you are signed up you are ready to go, it's pretty easy and user friendly. Here are some extra Helpful tips.

Don't forget to go check out how Saving Memories Forever came about, thanks to Harvey and Jane Baker.  You can stop by and say hello to them on Facebook or Twitter.

Sign up right now, You have Nothing to Loose only Cherished Memories to Pass on to your Kiddos and Grandkiddos!!!  You wont regret it.... 

 

 

Amazing Spanish Program for Kaden!

 

I have to start my review of Spanish for You! with a back story.  It is a story that my Family has yet to let me forget about and when they found out I was asked to Review this Spanish Curriculum they expressed their condolences for Debbie Annett and her Spanish Curriculum.  Okay, now for the back story....  In college, I needed a foreign language and there was a Spanish class open at the perfect time between my other classes.  The teacher was amazing....I loved him.  We had themed lunches, outings as a class and the lectures were never boring.  The only problem was that I could never seem to pass the class.  I took it not once or twice, but threeeeeeeeee times.  Close to the end of the 3rd semester my Spanish Teacher took me out to lunch and said that maybe I should give Spanish a rest.  He loved me in his class and could see I was trying, but knowing two languages is not for everyone.  I mean who has that said to them!  Only me, HAHAHAHAHA

My Sweet Family has never let me forget that.  And when I brought up the review they kind of laughed about it and I was a little intimidated.  I know it sounds silly, but I was.  I wasn't sure how this was all going to go down.  To my SURPRISE though after getting everything organized, cut, printed and put into folders it seemed doable.

Kaden who is 6 and 13 year old Mahala Boo did it with me.  Yes, I took the challenge on myself because I figured even though it's geared for 3rd-8th grade I probably fall into that category. :)  After the 1st lesson we were all excited with our handful of new words we had learned.  By the 2nd week I had recalled things I remembered back in college.  I was planing on just doing it 2 days a week, but the kids were so into it that we ended up doing a lesson just about every single day, even on the weekend.  The kids LOVED the artwork and hearing the audio clips in both non and native tongue.  I loved the playful and simple approach.  I was not intimidated teaching it even with my bad experience in college.  The kids also enjoyed doing the extra Activities and Games that you can find Here.

My kids are sad that we have went through the whole book almost and are dying to get their hands on the next one.  So, you don''t have to wonder at all if we will continue this program.  Because the answer is Yes!!
                                

Spanish for You! is for kids in 3rd-8th grade, but my Kaden is 6 and Loving it.  This Program is designed to effectively build speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as grammar knowledge. And your Kiddos will have fun while doing it!!  Here are some Highlights:

• Self-study, family, or class use
• Affordable - an effective, quality program to last an entire school year at a price you cannot beat!
• Flexible - Go at your own pace.
• Easy to use - Just follow the lesson guide & go!
• Time Saving (and More Money Saving) - Use one package with students of multiple grades at the same time.
• Fun - Uses simple games and activities to engage students

To purchase your very own Spanish for You! Curriculum click right Here!   You will not be disappointed, you will only become Bilingual....and that's the point!  :)  Debbie Annett is so Amazing and thoughtful that she even offers Free Mini lessons and Worksheets on her website.  Thank You Debbie!!