About my blog


When I was a little girl, I struggled to read. Reading did not come naturally to me; however, over the last 30 years I have become an avid reader, I love books. I love LDS (Latter Day Saint) Historical fiction, I love romance, I love biographies, I love stories of hope, and ways to help. I will post books that I have read, ones that have warmed my heart and given me hope!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Summer Fit: Exercises for the Brain and Body while Away from School








I feel privileged to be able to review these books. When I was at Brigham Young University in April, I was able to meet with some representatives of Summer Fit Learning. They talked to me about the books and since I do a form of summer school for my kids each summer to keep them on their toes (plus to give them something constructive to do), I was anxious to give this a try. I have a 9-year old who will be 10 in August she is going into the 5th grade, an 8-year old who will be 9 in July, he is going into the 4th grade, and a 5 year old she is going into kindergarten. I bought two 4-5 books and one K-1 book.


About the book (From the back cover):

Be Smart by staying on top of the classroom skills in reading, writing, math and language arts. Be active by using a daily fitness schedule to keep moving. Stay cool this summer by learning the importance of kindness, respect, honesty, and responsibility.

Keeping brains thinking & bodies active during school breaks is entertaining and engaging with summer fit workbooks and online games and activities.

Created by educators, fitness trainers, and parents, Summer Fit activities focus on key areas of child development, including academics, physical fitness, and core values.

Right now it might feel like a million years away, but the first day of the new school year will be soon upon us. With summer Fit, your child will take a seat better prepared to handle the mental, physical and social challenges of the new school year.


My Review:

I loved these books right from the start; I was excited to have something to enrich my children during the summer months. I spent one week going through the books to figure out my lesson plans for the summer, and then this week we have been using the books. My children love these books, the activities are fun, the lessons are interesting and they are learning in a fun way.

I found that the kids are anxious each day to start on their workbooks, so that they can learn. It is always a good thing when the kids are excited to do school in the summer months. The Summer Fit learning is a 10 week summer experience. Summer fit also has an online portion that just rolled out this week, I found some wonderful aides online to help the kids. My kids have not personally been online yet, but just you wait, they will be soon!

The only negative thing I could say about these books is that they are not long enough. The lessons take 20-30 minutes; however, each day I try to have a couple of hours in the morning devoted to school. This begins by the children taking turns practicing piano and reading this is 45 minutes each. Then we move on to 30 minutes of math, and 30 minutes of writing (we journal). I have added the Summer Fit books into the learning process, and they have added more than what I would normally provide. I love that the book offers core values; I think values are important aspects for children to learn. I love that these books teach about exercise, and have fun activities to do each day. There is a piece on nutrition and as our family is trying to change the way we live and eat, this is a wonderful addition for the children to learn about how important it is to be healthy and nutritious.

I would recommend this book to any parent who would like to enrich their children during the summer months to help them stay on top of school and remember what they learned. This book is an excellent way to teach children more than just Reading, Writing, and Math.


Sandie

Miracle Pill Recipes

I said I would post about some of the recipes I have tried, but I guess I forgot to do that. As I stated before, I love this book and it spoke volumes to me. I was anxious to try some of the recipes because for me learning how to cook is a key part of learning a new way of eating. I love to cook, although I am not professional by any stretch of the imagination, I do think that I am a pretty good cook so I tried several recipes that sounded good to me.

My recipe review:

Breakfast: I tried the Smoked Turkey & Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs, this recipe was scrumptious. My kids love a great breakfast before heading out to school, so I gave this one a try one morning. The review from the whole family was "can we have this again tomorrow?"

I also tried Breakfast Scones, I love scones so this was something I wanted to try, it was so wonderful, and again the kids loved this one too.

Salads: I love salads and I especially love fruit in my salads, so I made the Apple Waldorf Salad and it easy and tasty, I loved the flavor and so did my family.

Main Course: First I tried the Stuffed Cabbage, I was a little unsure how my kids would like this or even my husband because he is such a picky healthy eater. However, much to my surprise, they all loved this yummy good meal!

My oldest talked me into buying some Asparagus one day, I have to admit that I have never liked asparagus or even wanted to try it again since I was seven and a nurse told me it was good for me and made me eat it when I was in the hospital. I tried the Roasted Asparagus with Almonds, Grapes, & Balsamic Glaze...my opinion of Asparagus has changed, thankfully!

Next I tried Penne with Lemon Chicken, Artichokes, & Olives I was interested to try this because I love, love, love Lemon Chicken, however, I do like Artichokes, but I don't love them. My husband is iffy on Artichokes and Olives, so I thought "this should be interesting." This recipe was AWESOME, I loved it, so yummy and flavorful.

All in all this was a wonderful recipe book and I am certainly thrilled that I have new recipes to add to my collection. I always welcome new ideas so that I do not get stuck in the same ole, same ole! This is not only a wonderful book, but the recipes are truly scrumptous!

Sandie