Mosaic Reviews: My Home School Grades

I LOVE LOVE LOVE using online programs for everything. Calendar, Menu Planning, Household Organization, Communication, Homeschool programs. The one program that I haven't been able to find something of my liking was one for keeping track of my boys Homeschool Grades. I am not required to keep grades, but sometimes they like seeing how they are doing. THANKS to being a member of Mosaic Reviews, I think I have now found that program. I was asked to use and review My Home School Grades and it is soo easy to use and has all the facets of Record Keeping a homeschool family needs!

My Home School Grades was founded in 2012 by Homeschool Dad, John Echols and Homeschool Graduate, Jordan Shute. The 2 created this website to be a "one place for all your homeschool needs" for homeschool families. You can learn more about John, Jordan and the company HERE.

My Home School Grades is a very user friendly and easy to navigate.

The many "facets" of My Home School Grades:

Add a Student: Your membership allows you to track and grade all the students in your family. The "Add a Student" screen is so easy to use and allows you to select a different "Avatar" for each child. GREAT feature!

Add a Class: For each student you are able to add their class courses into their profile. It is as easy as clicking the "Add a Class" button on their profile page and then add the info requested in the screen that pops up. You can even add in your own curriculum and lesson plans or choose from the ever growing list of Publishers they have already added.

Edit a Class: You can also very easily Edit "Class info" if changes come up such Grade Change or Curriculum Change. Click on Edit class and the Class info screen comes up and you can change info as needed.

Add An Activity: Click on the Student and then near the bottom is a Tab that says "Acitivities" Go there and click the yellow "Add an Activity" button and screen pop ups with drop down menus to select and input the info and description of the Activity. No limit to the amount of activities! I really like this "facet" of My Home School Grades as many colleges look to see the different programs many students were involved in!

Transcript Creator: I know many parents struggle with creating a Transcript for their "Students", as creating Transcripts can be mind boggling and frustrating. My Home School Grades creates Transcripts very easily with the info you enter for each student. Once all the grades are entered it is as easy as clicking a button that says "Transcript" to generate the Official Transcript to be signed! I know that alone is a GREAT feature of this program.

MY Homeschool Grades - slideshow

The things I LOVE about My Home School Grades: 

• Ease of use
• The creators have really covered everything needed for good record keeping
• The drop down menus make filling in info fun and easy
• The ability to change info as you go along and to input info Retroactively
• All the GREAT "How To Videos" on their website. The program is pretty self explanitory, but the How To videos are wonderfully made and make it even easier to understand
• The many different ways to contact support and receive support for the program
• The ability to access it on the Go via the website via Laptop, Tablet, smartphone. (There are no "Apps" for the program as of yet, but you can access the website anywhere internet access is available. Data charges may apply if you access from a data plan)

A couple of suggestions for improvement: 

A Family Calendar function:  Once activities are listed for each child a calendar would/could be created. The ability to print such a calendar would also be helpful. The ability to add additional Family Activities to the calendar would be awesome.

Email Reminders: The ability to add reminders to certain activities or all activities sent to the email registered to the account. Busy homeschool families write things down but we often forget. LOL

Does My Home School Grades sound like a program that you would use for your family or NEED for your family? You are problem thinking a program like this is going to be expensive and have monthly or yearly fees? Well you can have all that My Home School Grades has to offer for a cost of $49.99 for a LIFETIME membership!! YES you read that correctly, $49.99 gets you all this for a ONE TIME FEE!! My Home School Grades will also make sure that any updates that are done to the program will also be done to current accounts. Not sure yet if this is "the Program" for your family, you can sign up for a 14 Day FREE Trial, No Credit Card Required!

Where to find My Home School Grades on the web:
Blog
Support Page
Facebook
Twitter

I give My Home School Grades 5 out of 5 Stars!! EXCELLENT PRODUCT that I will be using for MANY years to come. (I was given a LIFETIME membership in exchange for my honest review)

Click here on Friday May 24th to read what other members of Mosaic Reviews have to say about My Home School Grades.

Mosaic Reviews: My Home School Grades

Mosaic Review: The WaterProof Bible

Are you an outdoor person who loves camping, hiking, or being near the water? Do you have a child going to camp this summer? Have you had "Accidents" while reading your bible and it got wet and ruined? Most bibles when wet the pages stick together and it takes forever to dry. Even when dried the pages are still in poor condition. I am such a "neat freak and Perfectionist" that I would rush out to buy a new one so it was in perfect condition again.

Well, I received a very awesome product recently as part of my participation in the Mosaic Review team. I received an ESV copy of the WaterProof Bible with New Testment, Psalms and Proverbs. My first impressions when I took it out of the mailing package were good. The pages and covers are made of a VERY durable material. I was amazed at how strong the pages felt and that when "Bent" they went right back to shape.

I am such a skeptic that it took me a while to even attempt to get it wet or soaked. My boys finally convinced me to "just get it done" and so we did. We just took it to the bathroom sink and my son soaked it, I was still too chicken to do it. We bought it out of the water and the water was just repelling off the Bible. The pages were turning and not sticking together. The water was just beading right off. I was amazed and overjoyed at the results of our test! We stood it up on it's end and it was completely dry within 10 minutes! The Waterproof Bible totally passed our test!!

Things I really liked about the Waterproof Bible:

• Truly is waterproof! 
• VERY Durable! Durablity is key for me being a mom of 3 boys!
• Small and compact. Fits in a purse or backpack to truly go ANYWHERE. 
• The Waterproof Bible has many different cover designs so there is something for everyone
• Is suitable for All ages, kids to adults
• The Ability to Highlight and Underline (the publisher recommends a BallPoint Pen, Pencil or Dry Highlighter)

Things I think need improving:

NOTHING  I really don't have anything negative to say about the WaterProof Bible.

More info about the WaterProof Bible:

The Story behind the Bible

You can purchase a copy directly from the Publisher: Bardin and Marsee

The Bible comes in different Versions and styles:

ESV - English Standard Version Waterproof Bibles

KJV - King James Version Waterproof Bibles

NIV - New International Version Waterproof Bibles

NKJV - New King James Version Waterproof Bibles

NLT - New Living Translation Waterproof Bibles

The Bibles range in price from $24.95 for the New Testement, Psalms and Proverbs version up to $44.95 for the Full Version(Old and New Testement) You can also get Personalization on your bible for $7.

You can find Bardin & Marsee on the web here:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

I give the Waterproof Bible 5 out of 5 stars!! My oldest son has now claimed the copy I was given, which is fine because it is Camo Blue style! I am going to be purchasing me a Full Sized Version soon!

Click here on Friday May 17th to see what other Mosaic Review Team Members are saying about the WaterProof Bible. 

Mosaic Review: The WaterProof Bible

Mosaic Reviews: Saving Memories Forever App

The old saying "A Picture is worth a Thousands Words" is used often.  I LOVE picture taking and there are treasures in pictures. I also believe that WORDS really have an expression and value.

I remember enjoying listening to my grandparents, especially my grandpas, tell me stories of their childhood. I know most people are "bored" with those types of stories, but I truly enjoyed them. I sometimes thought after the fact: "ohh I wish I would have recorded that story"! When I was a little girl though it would meant prior planning to have a "Tape Recorder" on hand(YES I said "Tape Recorder" LOL) and back then those were pretty cumbersome to carry around. I have some of those words and memories etched in my mind, but to have those words recorded would have been PRICELESS. I only have 1 grandparent still with us, so I can't capture many of those words anymore. I do have a few "Storytelling" relatives and such that are around but the wisdom and stories from Grandpas is just PRICELESS.

Do you have an interest in capturing some Memories or stories from parents or grandparents? Do you children have an interest in talking to and recording the stories their grandparents or other relatives may have? Do you have an interest in family Genealogy?  Well I would like to introduce you to an App I was recently introduced to. Saving Memories Forever is an App for both iphone and Android devices.

I received a subscription to Saving Memories Forever as part of my participation in the Mosaic Reviews program. I downloaded the App to my Android Phone via the Google Play Store. I also checked out the website for all the info and fun stuff. I was then ready to "Try it out". (I wanted to use this app with my parents, but my dad has been in and out of the hospital a couple of times over the last couple of months, so they have been busy)

I opened the app on my Android Phone and it was giving me an Error Message of "Restart Required" An application Restart if Required"  I had to press continue 2-3 times before I would get to the Start page. I got to the Start page and added myself as a "StoryTeller" and tried to upload an image of myself to no avail. I never was able to get an image of myself uploaded. I continued through to the Category page. I was able to choose an Age Level which bought me to the "Select a Question" page. I choose the Question I wanted to "answer" and it bought me through to the "RECORD" page. Here is where it would allow the recording to happen. I did a recording and tried to listen back on my phone, but the phone didn't have any sound playing. I know it was the app as my phone sound was up and was working. I then selected "upload" and the recording was uploaded to the Saving Memories Forever Website. I was able to listen back to the recording on the website with ease! I did a couple of the "questions" and had no diffuculty in using the app and uploading to the website to listen back. I really LOVED the ease of use and capibility of this App.

Saving Memories - slideshow

Some of the features that I really enjoyed:

• The affordibility of the app. There are both FREE and Premium Versions 
• The layout and screen to screen movement
• The lists of Questions in each age catergory
• The Recorder is very easy to use, even for all my boys (8-11)
• The Ease of Uploading and Speed of upload from phone to website
• The upload is confirmed via email to the email associated with account
• The Helpful Tips section on the Phone App
• The usefulness for not only "Family History" but Special Events like Graduations, Weddings, Family Reunions and more. 

Some of the Android features that need improvement:

• The constant "RESTART REQUIRED" error message
• The info at bottom of screen for "My Acccount", "Helpful Tips" and more are overlapping
• The ability to upload an image 

More about the App: 
Saving Memories Forever is a VERY useful and wonderful app! The app was created by a Husband and Wife Team, Harvey and Janis Baker. You can learn more about them and why they created this app HERE.

Do you have an iphone or Android Smartphone? Are you interested in capturing the Family stories and Memories? You can download this app from iTunes or Google Play Store. The app itself is FREE to download. You can choose to stick with the FREE version or upgrade to Premium Version. The Premium Version is $3.99/month or $40 per yr. There are a few benefits of using the Premium over the FREE version. Check out this info page for the comparison of the 2 versions. Check out the "How it Works" page for detailed info of the Apps and also How to Manuals.

Places to find Saving Memories on the Web:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google Play Store
iTunes

I give Saving Memories Forever 4.5 out of 5 Stars. I could have given it 5 stars, but the Android app needs some improvements, in my personal opinion. I know I have had fun using this app and I am looking forward to using more in the future!

Click HERE to see what other Mosaic Review Team Members are saying about Saving Memories Forever. 

Mosaic Reviews: Saving Memories Forever App

Gabby Moms Review: Healing Hearts with Helping Hands

I am always at a loss for the "right words" to comfort those I know when they are grieving or going through "rough times". I want to be able to express myself without using the old "cliche" words of comfort. I tend to silence myself rather then reaching out. Well, THANKS to Lorrie Flem of Eternal Encouragement, I think I may now be able to be reach out and be a comforter.

Lorrie Flem recently released a 57 page Ebook(PDF Format) titled "Healing Hearts with Helping Hands". "Healing Hearts with Helping Hands" is packed full of info on helping those near and dear to you during their grieving process. 2 things that Lorrie says that really stood out to me are: "There is no right or wrong way to grieve" and also "There is no set timetable for grieving". I really believe this and that is why I am always at a loss for words or ideas to help along.I was really encouraged by the section in this Ebook that has "What to Say" and "What Not To Say".

"Healing Hearts with Helping Hands" is so much more then the Right or Wrong words to say. The title really says it all, it is about how we can tangibly help them through the grieving process. I really LOVE how Lorrie suggests reaching out by saying "I would really like to help by ___________". Too often many reach out by saying "Call me if you need me" and that really isn't very comforting and during a time of grief one, the grieving person is unlikely to ask for help. Cleaning, Babysitting, running errands, help with paperwork, are just a few ways to tangibly help.

I really LOVE how this Ebook really covers the many facets of Meal Giving Etiquette. Recipe ideas, Allergy considerations, age considerations, what to avoid, packaging and delivery and more are all covered in this ebook. I also really enjoyed the ideas for Gift Baskets and how to be an encouragement during the time before the passing if a prolonged illness. I really LOVE this ebook as a whole! Lots of info that I would have never given much thought to but so important during times of grief.

Do you ever feel like this could be a ministry for you? Are you someone who is always at a loss on how to comfort during times of grief? I know that you will gain much knowledge  and perspective from this Ebook as I did.

GREAT news you can order this ebook for $3.50 from Lorrie's online store. Even better news if you would like the Kindle version there is a sale coming up. May 1st-May 3rd will be available for .99¢!!! Get the Kindle Version HERE! No need to worry if you do not own a Kindle device as there are many ways to read Kindle books with the many different "apps" Kindle offers for FREE. Check out those options HERE! You will be very encouraged by this ebook so please head on over and buy it!

I would also invite you to check out Lorrie's website and the many other products she has available at Eternal Encouragement. Also, check out the Bi-Monthly FREE Eternal Encouragement Digital Magazine.

Disclosure:

Gabby Moms Review: Healing Hearts with Helping Hands

Gabby Moms Review: Bulk Cooking Tips 'n Tricks Ebook

Do you ever get overwhelmed with getting dinner or other meals prepared in a timely manner?? Is Menu Planning not something that you feel you can accomplish or have time for?? Have you ever tried Bulk Cooking??

I personally do both Menu Planning and Bulk Cooking. Bulk Cooking is similar to "Freezer Cooking" or "Once a Month Cooking".  Have you ever wanted to try Bulk Cooking, but don't know where or how to start? Well, I have a great ebook for you: Bulk Cooking Tips 'n Tricks Ebook by Lorrie Flem.

Lorrie Flem discusses the different methods of Bulk Cooking in this great Ebook(in PDF format). Some of the different Methods include:

• Cooking many main meals in one day
• Making and freezing one or two types of meals
• Doubling recipes and freezing some for later
• Supper Swaps (making multiples of the same recipe and having friends do different recipes and same amount.
• Cooking and Freezing Meat and other food in bulk

Lorrie also shows the "How To's" of Freezing and has some suggestions for some of the best products to use. You will also find a great list of Sanity-Saving Tips and Tips for Bulk Eating(proper way to defrost and eat the frozen meals)

You are probably asking what are the benefits of Bulk Cooking. Lorrie goes over those also:

• Saving Time
• Saving Money
• Saving Sanity
• Saving Time for Ministry
• Health
• Variety
• Happier Family

I have to agree with Lorrie on all her great info in this ebook! I do bulk cooking by choosing a couple of items each weekend and focusing on those. I LOVE the time saving factor of having meals or other foods ready for the family. I actually received a FoodSaver for Christmas 2011 from my parents and a couple months later purchased a 7cu Ft. Chest Freezer. I have been able to do much more Bulk Cooking since receiving those! Here are a couple of foods that I usually "bulk cook and freeze":

Waffles and French Toast

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Have I peaked your interest for this ebook?? I have only given a small sampling of what is in the book. You can get your copy here for $5.97. You will want to get it as you won't be disappointed!

I would also like to highly suggest that you check out the Eternal Encouragement website and all the GREAT posts that Lorrie has. Eternal Encouragement has a Bi-Monthly FREE digital Magazine that has great articles and info.

Disclosure:

Gabby Moms Review: Bulk Cooking Tips 'n Tricks Ebook

MyBlogSpark: BIG G Retro Packaging Review and Giveaway

"Everything Old is New Again" seems to be the "it thing" nowadays! To tell you the truth I am LOVING IT because many of the "old things" are things from my childhood. I LOVED having cereal for breakfast before heading off to school and some of my favorites are were BIG G cereals!

Well, Target and BIG G have partnered together and are bringing back Retro packaging for a selected few of the cereals! Here are the participating Cereal Retro Boxes:

I was super excited when I received the package below from MyBlogSpark and General Mills. My boys were equally excited. We LOVE Family Game Night and I had never played Parcheesi but we are slowly learning and loving it. My oldest LOVES Cheerios and my personal favorite is Lucky Charms. The Target Gift Card will be used to add another game to our collection for Family Games night. The Prize Pack was a HUGE hit in our household all around!

Starting mid-March Big G cereals will once again be going “Retro” with special edition classic packaging from the 1950’s, ’60s and ’80s!

For a limited time you can relive your childhood by heading on over to your local Target® store’s cereal aisle, as Big G cereals have brought back their “Retro” themed packaging. To help celebrate the event, Big G has team up with Hasbro®, offering a $5 coupon on Clue® Vintage, Scrabble® Vintage, Parcheesi® Vintage or Risk® Vintage board games at Target!

Join in the fun by purchasing the Retro Big G cereal packages at Target, the Hasbro Vintage game coupon, and your favorite General Mills cereals.  Hurry! Your chance to collect all five limited edition Retro packages and a $5 Hasbro® board game coupon ends soon.        

• Don’t forget to go online & print a coupon for $1 off 2 General Mills cereals before you head to Target!
• Collect all 5 different throw-back packages that each include a $5 coupon for these vintage Hasbro® board games; available exclusively at Target® from March 15, 2013 to April 30, 2013 while supplies last. Coupon valid at Target stores from March 15, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
• Participating Big G cereals include: Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (16.2 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cheerios® (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz.)
• Participating Hasbro vintage board games: Clue® Vintage, Scrabble® Vintage, Parcheesi® Vintage or Risk® Vintage

One lucky reader of my blog has the chance to win the Same Prize Pack I received. Enter here:

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

MyBlogSpark: BIG G Retro Packaging Review and Giveaway

Mosaic Review: Spanish For You

I believe that learning a Foreign Language is important as it gives children a cultural experience and allows interaction with different cultures of the world. We live in a suburb of Chicago that is Culturally diverse. I also have a BIL who is Mexican and my boys LOVE when he talks to them in Spanish, even if right now they don't understand it. I myself grew up around the Spanish Language. I can comprehend more then I can speak, even after taking 4yrs of Spanish between High School and College. I have been looking for a curriculum to use with my boys that wasn't difficult and also not expensive. The only thing that we have found so far were online programs offered through the Library website. Well, that was until I was offered the opportunity to Use and Review a Curriculum I had never heard of. As a member of Mosaic Reviews I was offered the opportunity to use and review Spanish For You and I jumped at the chance.

Spanish for You was created by Debbie Annett, who is a State Certified Teacher with a BA in Spanish. She created this curriculum 4yrs ago with the Homeschooler in mind. Debbie currently teaches Spanish Classes at a Homeschool Coop in her area.

I decided to use this with all 3 of my boys grades 5th, 4th and 2nd. My 4th grader is a struggling learner due to vision issues, but I didn't want to leave him out so we used 3rd grade level with him. My 2nd grader is advanced and I felt he could use the 3rd grade level. We were selected to receive the Estaciones(the Seasons) package.

Our package for review included:

• A Printed soft cover book
• A Zip File of PDF Printable Lesson Guides(this also includes Self Checking Worksheets and set of Picture Flashcards) 
• A Zip File of Audio Files of the entire book for music players or use them from the computer(the audio files also contain a Bonus audio of the entire book recorded by a Native Speaker.) 

Spanish For You - slideshow

The other theme already completed and available for purchase is "Fiestas". The Fiestas theme includes all the same type of materials.

The boys and I began by printing and assembling the Flashcards. The next day we "hit the book" by doing part of Lesson 1. My 4th grader has learning struggles due to Vision Issues, so the Audio files really came in handy for him as well as the Flashcards. He was able to complete the worksheet pretty easily because of the Audio files. My 5th grader usually gets frustrated when new materials are added in, but he really enjoyed the Spanish For You program. My 3rd grader LOVES the program. He is really enjoying it. We have only completed 2 Lessons so far, but we are very much enjoying the program. The Estaciones programs focuses on Calendar and Weather, Spring, Summer, Fall, School, and Winter.

The main features of this program that we really like:

• Affordability: Most of the programs that I had researched were way out of our budget. The packages which cover a year of Spanish Learning vary from $39.95-$64.95
• Ease of Use: The program is very easy to use and understand. 
• Fun Learning: The program is set up in a way that makes learning fun. The boys didn't feel "worn out" and tired after using this program. They were relaxed and excited while doing the Lessons. 
• Printable Lesson Worksheets: I really like the the Worksheets come in Printable form and you can "print as you go". I think this is one aspect that makes the program more affordable. I know for some the printing would be a deterent, but for me I LOVE IT! 
• Audio Files: I really like the Audio Files of the entire book. The Audio files help with proper pronuciation. Also, for my 4th grader with Vision issues the Audio Files were a GREAT asset. 
• Flexibility: The program is set up to be used 4 days a week, but the program is also flexible in that you can stretch the Lesson plans over multiple weeks or days if you like. The program set can be changed up by the user. 
• Themed Packages: Each Package has a theme. I think this makes it a lot easier to learn when it is planned around a theme rather then "random" learning. The Spanish For You program currently has 2 themes, Estaciones(The Seasons) and Fiestas(Celebrations), more themes are coming soon. 
• Range of Ages for Learning: The program is designed for Grades 3-8 but is easily adaptable for varying ages. Have a child who is advanced, place them in a higher level. Have a struggling learner, place them a level more suitable for them. 

Our family really didn't have any "CONS" at this point in the program. We really LOVE the program!! We will continue to use this program as Spanish For You is a GREAT fit for our family!

Here is more info about the Spanish for You Curriculum and Ordering Prices and info:

ALL Spanish for You! packages come complete with:

• soft cover book or e-book (currently only our trial pkgs.)
• 24-30 week lesson guide for the grades you need (24 weeks for G5-6 & 7-8, 30 weeks for G3-4) (PDF download)
• self-checking worksheets (PDF download)
• audio files of entire book (includes bonus audio of native speaker of entire book) (MP3 download)
• flashcard/activity pictures (PDF download)
• *Teacher lesson plans are NOT included. These need to be purchased separately. Please visit our CLASS USE page for important information on using Spanish for You! with classes.

Grade Level Packages 3-4, 5-6 7-8 cost $39.95 per package. The entire Package which is all material for Grades 3-8 cost $64.95 for the package. Extra books are available for $12.95 each.

Go here for full details on how to Purchase Curriculum

The Author Debbie Annett has also included some Free Mini Lessons and Free Worksheets. This allows potential customers to "Try it Before You Buy It". Also included on the website are Curriculum Activities and Games that go along with the Lessons.

I give the Spanish For You program 5 out of 5 stars.

Mosaic Review: Spanish For You