Review: Fish Girl

A graphic novel by David Wiesner and Danno Jo Napoli, where a young mermaid learns there is more to life than where she is living, finding friendship, learning her true history, seeing the depth of love in others.  This is a real coming to age story that should delight and amuse: Fish Girl. 

About the Authors: 
David Wiesner is internationally renowned for his visual storytelling and has won the Caldecott Medal three times-for Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam -the second person in history to do so. He is also the recipient of three Caldecott Honors, for Free Fall, Sector 7, and Mr. Wuffles . He lives near Philadelphia with his family.
Donna Jo Napoli is a distinguished academic in the field of linguistics and teaches at Swarthmore College. She is also the author of more than eighty books for young readers. 

Book Synopsis: 
Fish Girl lives in an aquarium where she is the main attraction.  The owner claims to be Neptune and says he controls her, the last of her kind.  Life isn't all bad but Fish Girl is seeing there is more to the world. She's learned to be fearful of humans until she meets a girl who is nice to her.  Life changes, and this book is the story of that change. 

My Thoughts: 
Great story.   Seriously.  I liked it.   Seeing Fish Girl blossoming.  It was so nice.  

The graphics are nicely done.  Not all dark and graphic novelish...but clean, clear images, with nice colour.   Some of the images were full page which made a nice contrast to all the boxes.

The writing wasn't hard to read, but nicely sized lettering that you didn't need to squint to read well. :)

Fish Girl
Authors: David Wiesner and Danno Jo Napoli
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 192
Ages 10-12 years
Style: Graphic Novel, softcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.



Where to find:
 Amazon.ca: Fish Girl

Amazon.com: Fish Girl

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Five Things we Enjoy: Work at Your Own Pace

Did you know that my son suggested this series to me. I was asking him what homeschooling theme I should write about and he tossed out "Why don't you talk about what I like mom?" I thought that was a great idea so here we are. :)

The VERY FIRST thing he said was "you should tell them how much I like working as fast or as slow as I want to mom".

When I asked the lad why this was important he said "I'm not rushed or slowed down.   I don't have to worry about rushing or slowing anyone else down either." 

This is very important to my 11 year old "I want to keep people happy" young man.  Being able to work at his own speed (with the odd reminder) is extremely important to him.  He can take a break when he wants to and play with a mouse.   He can work extremely hard and be done by 11-12, or be more leisurely and finish at 2.  It's all good in my book.  Applying outside pressure has an adverse effect on him.
I have to admit that I am sometimes flabbergasted at how quickly, a highly focused lad who has plans for the afternoon, can get his schoolwork done.   He's going to sew, work with his cactus, go pokemon going with Dad or just whatever catches his fancy.   

It makes me think of how last year I would ask him (as we daily planned out our day) what goals he had for the day.  It helped keep the air clear of the unknowns and gave him a goal to work toward.  I would help him meet his goals and he would help me meet mine...and together we learn that tomorrow is always another day.

But then we have days when ... it seems like we'll never get done.  Everything is a problem or a distraction or too hard or just wrong.. you know those nit picky things in programs that just drive you nuts. ... and suddenly that molehill has become an insurmountable mountain.   Those days are harder to manage so we learned a new rule.  If we are not done by 2 (if a lad has been working all along) then we are simply done. 

He works off this

He puts X's beside what he's not doing (after consultation with mom) and check marks beside what is finished.   This is just our basic schedule and we change it around a bit depending on the week.. like this Thursday I'm hoping to go to the market.   So we'll "X" out a bunch of things OR I'll simply delete them from the schedule... HE LOVES those empty days.  :)

I've tried to do fancier schedules but he gets aggravated or discouraged when there's too much detail on the list.  He hates using a book.  So a simple print off schedule that he can mark up to his hearts content works for him (and I have it saved to the computer for easy tracking).

So what is it like in your schoolroom?   Do you find that your children work best with a basic schedule and leaving them to it?   Or do they work better using a different format?  Tell me about it if you don't mind.

Easy way to visit using the linky below:
This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Easter Is Here

The Homeschool Review Crew does word prompts for Instagram fun, I think it's great to have these words prompts for doing quick posts. :) I find them fun as sometimes it surprises me where my brain goes. :) The word for today is Easter. Let's follow my thoughts along the way eh?

 Easter

Sadness Reigns

The Saviour is gone

Fear

Depression

A hunt perhaps

Danger lurks?

Mourning progresses

Women attend

Shock

Surprise

Fear
Horror

What could have happened?

Conversation

Hope

Telling

Wonder

Disbelief

Truth to be found?

Touching

Feeling

Hearing

Knowing

Learning

Awareness blossoms?

Jesus talks

Jesus walks

He can be felt.

Rejoice

Listen

Learn

See God moving through history

Celebrate

Speak the good news 

Shout it aloud

Jesus is Risen

He is Risen indeed.

Death is conquered

Jesus is Alive!

  

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: Quick Tips for Busy Families

 Okay... I have rather neat parenting book for you.  It's not a "normal" parenting book with do this, do that, this is how you parent effectively, but like a "try this neat idea to add some fun", or "try this idea to make your children think" or "how about this thing to create a smile or some lasting memories.".   So let me tell you about "Quick Tips for Busy Families: Sneaky Strategies for Raising Great Kids".

All kinds of ideas are waiting for you in the pages of this Busy Families Tips book.  144 of them to be precise.  

 
Each parenting hack is only 1-2 pages long and is written with a touch of humour, a good deal of humility and drop of seriousness depending on the topic at hand.   I appreciated the real life situations given, and the light touch.   I never felt like I was being talked down, rather like I was being encouraged to think outside the box in regards to how to parent.   I quickly came to the conclusion that he was used to parents with multiple children as I didn't come across many situations dealing with a singleton child. 


All 144 chapters are listed.   I found topics listed that normally you don't find in parenting books, like how to deal with difficult teachers, setting a high bar for your children, the benefits of adding art to your family and more.

God was frequently brought into the conversation, not in every hack, but frequently enough to know that faith is part of the equation.

Is it worth getting?
 I don't know honestly.  It was a fun quick read but I don't know that I would refer back to it or tell people they had to get it, but it wasn't a waste of my time either. 

Some of the tips sent me into a "I have to ponder that a while" mood...and that's not a bad thing eh?

I would definitely say that if you find it in a library, or or able to do a quick read at Chapters (or another book store), avail yourself of the opportunity. 
 

Quick Tips for Busy Families: Sneaky Strategies for Raising Great Kids
Author: Jay Payleitner
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
237 Pages
Type: Parenting   

Reviewed for: Nutsaboutbooks. 



Where to find:
Amazon.ca: Quick Tips for Busy Families: Sneaky Strategies for Raising GreatKids

Amazon.com: Quick Tips for Busy Families: Sneaky Strategies for Raising Great Kids

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Easter Week Brings Changes

 So we only did three actual days of schooling this week and only two of them were relatively normal.  :)

Monday.. 
Normally we go to London on Mondays, but I still had a headache and the thought of moving didn't set well with me.   I did a few things in the morning while my head was sorta still in place, but then my head fell apart on me and I spent the rest of the day hiding from the light.


Tuesday...
We needed some groceries so we headed out at noon to take care of that.  The lad had a lovely visit with gramma and they even went out for a treat at McD's.  The lad had pushed hard to get his homeschooling done and only needed to do his reading at gramma's to be finished. 


Wednesday..
The lad stayed home to do some really focused schoolwork while I went to the foodbank.  It was a delivery day and we were short staffed so by the time I got home I was totally tired, and then sat in my chair doing some blog posts.   I had hoped to clean the bookroom and all that, but... you know when you gotta rest, you gotta rest.  I did manage to take some pictures and list bunnies for sale at Easter so it's not like I was a total slug.

Thursday...
Off to Kitchener.  The lad was SUPPOSED TO do some car-schooling but got distracted by playing tablet games.   He said "I'll do it later" but later turned into potting some of his new cactus plants.  So his schooling that day turned into doing math as he figured out what he wanted to buy, if he had enough money, wanted to spend the money required for his initial desires or put things back and then in doing some gardening.  Figuring out how to plant the biggest cactus with tons of spines was a bit of a challenge but between the two us, it got planted.  

The evening was filled with a soup and bun dinner at the church where my son does Cadets.   I made a rice/veggie/chicken soup that met my son's approval.

Friday...
Good Friday.   This morning Gramma came up and went to church with us.  We had a lovely dinner with a roast beef made by hubby, taters, veggies, Easter bread made by yours truly, Chicken by gramma, along with dessert, Cut up tomatoes requested by a boy child as he set the table. 

Saturday..
These kiddos will be heading to London with me tomorrow and finding new homes.  Hubby has some stuff to pick up and ... that's about it for our week.  

Sunday ...
Potluck dinner at my mom's with as many of us as can make it. :)  We'll be making Shredded beef and I need to cut up some celery for a veggie tray.  :)  It'll be a happy Easter eh?

 
Reviews: 
Your Next 24 Hours: Some practical ideas about being kind.
John Deere: That's Who - The story of John Deere.
Art Book Series: Claude Monet, Sunshine and Waterlilies - A great art book
CompuScholar, Inc. - Digital Savvy a great computer science course. 

Everything Else:
Braided Easter Bread: A first, the lads loved it!
But Just You Wait: a word prompt post on Empty. 
Parenting: Grace - Learn the value of grace in the everyday of parenting
See the Altar, look forward to Christ.  Ezekiel 43:13-27 devotional
Princes, Foreigners and The Prince, rules.  Ezekiel 44:1-14 devotional
Don't Forget the Sacrifices: Devotional on Ezekiel 44:15-31
Art Book Series: Claude Monet, Sunshine and Waterlilies - A great art book
Five Day Blog Hop - join me next week eh?
Recipe: Italian Bread.   mmm... good bread
MMM is for Maple Syrup: Alphabet blogging on Canada.
Celebrate!  Redeem History - word prompt post
Honey Lemon Rabbit on Angel Hair Pasta.   This was VERY yummy.

Linking up At the Following:

Homeschool Coffee Break

Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. 

 Homeschool Blog and Tell.

 Homeschool Nook.

 Family Friday LinkUp.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: Your Next 24 Hours

 Do you ever struggle with knowing how you can express kindness to others?   Your Next 24 hours:one day of kindness can change everything, is loaded with ideas about how to express kindness for others.... from seeing the actions others have taken, to simply listing off ideas you might wish to pursue. 

Twenty Two chapters contained in 167 pages, each chapter is short and written around a central idea.  A variety of quotes are given from the bible as well as from people throughout the ages.  Examples of kind people are provided from all walks of life, from the ordinary joe to politicians to actors.

I love the lists of ideas....some are ones I hadn't thought of before.   Each chapter has it's own list, generally around the topic theme.

Each chapter starts off with a quote that has something do to with the chapter.   I found the quotes were often enough to make me think, setting the stage well for the following chapter.

I won't say that this is a particularly Christian book, although it is produced by Baker Books.  Quotes from the bible are given the same relative importance as quotes from anywhere else.

Although I agree with the premise that through kindness we can change a lot in our neighbourhood and country, if we don't have the grounding in Christ, our kindness toward others will ultimately not change the world.

In the end, if you want to read a book that helps you come up with different ways for you to show kindness to others, this book is chalk full of them.   Great ideas, innovative plans, and some tried and true ones.    It covers everything from environmental concerns, personal involvement, how to be generous with individuals or groups, and just how to be MORE than yourself.   Being kind, just because you can, in whatever way you can discover.

Book Synopsis

A life with greater purpose and fulfillment is closer than you think. The decisions you make in the next 24 hours can change your life and influence the people around you . . . for good.        Your Next 24 Hours shows you the enormous difference you can make through small, doable acts of kindness in your family, community, workplace, school, and church. You’ll read inspiring stories of unsung heroes, as well as celebrities. The kindness revolution starts with you! 

Your Next 24 Hours: One day of kindness can change everything
Author: Hal Donaldson with Kirk Noonan
Publisher: BakerBooks
Pages: 167
Type: softcover, non-fiction
Age: young adult and up
Reviewed for: NutsAboutBooks.    
 

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: Your Next 24 Hours: One Day of Kindness Can Change Everything

Amazon.com: Your Next 24 Hours: One Day of Kindness Can Change Everything

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Recipe: Braided Easter Bread!!!

CHECK IT OUT!!!   Man, this was HARD to do.  I've never braided bread before so this was totally a new thing to try.  I figured since I was getting confident making bread that bumping my skills up a level might not be a bad thing to try and braided breads always look rather cool.

You can find the original recipe here: Braided Easter Bread.

Ingredients:

6 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1 cup milk
¾ cup honey
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
zest of 1 orange
5 eggs

2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp honey

Directions

1. Mix 1 tbs sugar with ½ cup warm water and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Combine the 1 cup milk, ¾ cup honey, 2 tbs butter, 1 tbs salt & orange zest in a sauce pot, bring to a simmer and them remove from heat.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the 5 eggs and then add the yeast mixture followed by the milk mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder into the flour. Incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients one cup at a time until the mix forms a large wet dough. Place the dough in a large bowl that has been greased with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap and leave to prove in a warm place for 2 hours.
3. After the dough has proved, turn it out on a floured work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic. If the dough is too sticky, fold in a little more flour.
4. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and roll each piece into a long thread. Lay the three threads out about 2 inches apart on a greased baking tray. Pinch the three threads together on one end and then braid them together, folding each thread over the other, alternating as you go. When you reach the end, pinch the three threads together. Brush the dough with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Set the oven to 375F.
5. Combine 2 egg yolks with 2 tbs water and 1 tbs honey and brush the bread with the egg wash. Let sit for 5 minutes and then brush a second time.
6. Bake the bread in the oven at 375F until golden brown, for about 30 minutes.

My Struggles:

I couldn't figure out how to roll the dough.  I think I had too much flour on it. But I couldn't get it roll worth a diddle, as I ended up squeezing the dough into a long tube mostly.  There must be some trick to rolling dough... thoughts???

It also turned out way too long for the pan I have which is why I turned it into a circle. 

 

What did we think?

Well.. I'll have to update this recipe later. We haven't tried it yet as I made it for Good Friday.  :) 

Though hubby's response when he saw it was "wow.... looks good hun, smells good too!", then "did you hide anything in it?" Silly fellow. :)

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

But just you wait

Empty

Surprise,
It's Thursday night
The night before we remember
God's great gift to us.

His gift.
His son.
For who
For us.

But right, at this exact moment.
We aren't there.
We are in the time before.
The time when we know something
Dreadful is about to occur.

We know a trial will come.
We know mockery will reign.
We know that sorrow and hardship
will be staring us in the face.

but right now.. 
We are just anticipating
We are seeing the sorrow
Right around the corner.

Tomorrow
Tomorrow we can be empty.
Tomorrow we can feel hopeless.
Not knowing.
Not understanding.

But you know what happens AFTER tomorrow?
Just a couple of days.
And then HOPE.
HOPE will spring.
An empty tomb will be found.
And HOPE oh Glorious hope will be here.

But here, on a Thursday night late.
Hope isn't here yet.
But just you wait.

--------

This is a five minute Friday post. the word prompt is brought to us by Miss Kate.  What is Five Minute Friday?  Well it's a party of a group of like minded folks who gather on Friday to do a five minute free write around a singular word.  AND THEN we take the time to offer up encouragement to each other on this writing journey.  It's fun, though it's not always easy, but it is always good.   Come join us won't you?  You are always welcome.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/