Guidecraft Hideaway Country Kitchen Review

A while back I was sent the awesome Guidecraft Hideaway Country Kitchen to review.  It sat in the box way too long because I was waiting for my husband to put it together.  Finally I decided I could do it.  I figured if Jolanthe could do it, so could I.  So, I did.  I won’t lie-it wasn’t terribly fun to put together but I did it. The kids, and the husband, were all pretty impressed with me.

This kitchen is a 2nd kitchen in our house, Ladybug has her own from last Christmas up in her room.  It’s the plastic kind-that my husband picked out.  This adorable wooden hideaway kitchen is located downstairs in our dining room, right off of our schoolroom.  I LOVE the way it looks so I let it stay in public view!  The kids cook for me quite often and it has been something they have all 3 enjoyed for months now.

  

I moved only our felt food and some dishes down here, to keep things simple and it has been wonderful.  I put a pink fabric basket underneath in one of the cabinets and it all stores away easily.  That’s one of the things I LOVE about this kitchen {especially versus the plastic one upstairs}-the storage underneath!  You can hide it all in the nice open space.

I was planning to give this kitchen away soon after the review, feeling bad owning 2 kitchens, BUT I think my kiddos would miss it for now so were hanging onto it for awhile longer!  They really like it!

If you are thinking of a kitchen as a gift this Christmas or anytime, I highly recommend this one.  It is VERY well made, sturdy {notice Krash sitting on it below!}, and adorable.

It has features that kids and parents love.  The clock and the sink are two child favorites in our home…

 

For those of you tight on space or who may be storing it for the next child, check out the hideaway feature {images from the Guidecraft website}…

 

I tested out the storage feature and it was easy to use.  I wouldn’t want to store it every day and take it out again, but for longer term storage this is such a great option! It compacts to only 6” in depth with a simple twist of an Allen wrench. Fully extended, it measures 30"W x 15.25"D x 38" H.

Thanks to Guidecraft for allowing us to review this wonderful play kitchen!

Get yours on Amazon here or on the Guidecraft website here!

Skylar and George Washington ~ Book Review

We were sent an adorable and unique book recently to review.  Skylar and George Washington is unlike any book we have, in that it is both a fun picture book and an in depth book with awesome and accurate historical facts!  The book combines digital illustrations and photography in a unique way.  I love the combination of the two.

The book is laid out like this…

You can read just the left side-which is written using a simple, rhyming text. For older kids, the historical information, including many famous quotes, is written on the right side.  Even I learned many new facts about George Washington, making him seem much more real.  I look forward to diving into the book even more as we study George Washington in our homeschool. You can preview the book yourself by clicking here.

We really enjoyed this book and are hoping the author writes more.  What a neat way to learn about history!

Another cool fact-Skylar is actually the author’s dog!  You can see the real dog here in a video where the author, Matt Burgess, explains the book and it’s purpose for your family.

You can order a copy of Skylar & George Washington here on their site…

You can also purchase this book on Amazon!

 

Matt has provided my readers with a generous discount code for those of you who would like to order 2 or more copies.  Use the code 1+1+1=1 to receive 23% off when buying 2 or more!  What a unique gift to give, especially to another homeschooling family!  Look for the discount code box on the order form to enter the code…

Thanks Matt for providing our family with this awesome book free for review!  We greatly appreciate it and are continuing to enjoy the great book!

Guidecraft Animal Train Sort & Match ~ Review {w/link to giveaway}

Guidecraft has amazing learning toys. I am always blown away with their quality and unique ideas. I was very curious about the Animal Train Sort & Match even before I knew I would be getting it for review. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it surpassed my expectations! I didn’t read well to realize that the board the shapes go onto is magnetic-duh. I think I imagined them just laying and slipping around-NOT the case! This toy is awesome!

I was a tad bit surprised to find out which of my children loved it and which one didn’t really care for it too much. Any guesses?

Well, this cutie pie didn’t get the concept, but absolutely loves the toy! She plays with the pieces, we talk about the animals and colors and she loves the magnetic board!

The other kid of mine who loved it…

…the oldest one!!!! Yup, PacMan was certainly not too cool at the ripe old age of 8 for this toy!

So, in keeping my reviews honest and from the heart-I have to admit that Krash wasn’t very fond of this toy. I honestly thought he would like it, but it isn’t a super hero or a dragon, so what could I expect? I DO think he will like it eventually, as he does love puzzles and challenges. We did play with it one time, where I put the puzzle together and then had Krash close his eyes to guess which piece I removed. He DID like that-just didn’t want any part of building the puzzle himself!!!

As a mom and as an educator-I LOVE this learning toy. It has so many learning opportunities and is so well made. You can read more reviews form my Guidecraft Mom team members also-the toy seemed to be a hit with them all!

BUY IT!

You can purchase the Animal Train Sort and Match we reviewed here on the Guidecraft site, or here on Amazon.

WIN IT!

Carissa from My Life on a Taffy Pull is hosting the giveaway this month! Head on over to enter to win from Nov 10th til the 14th!

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

The Jesus Book ~ Review

We have had this book, The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins,  for some time now…and have been reading bits and pieces over time.  Here are our thoughts…

• The illustrations are awesome, I specifically like that Jesus has dark hair!
• It is not a book I would recommend sitting and reading straight through, but rather using it more as a reference tool to look up certain things about Jesus.  There are categories {Who, What, Where, When, Why, How} and short excerpts digging deeper into specifics about Jesus.
• The stories are well done and simple, yet explain a lot.  Pac Man {age 8} really enjoyed the book and read much of it on his own, then asking me questions later.  Krash {age 4} enjoyed it too, but he doesn’t have great comprehension skills so much of it was over his head.  He was drawn into the illustrations though.
• Overall I am glad we own this book, as it is unlike any other children’s Bible storybook we have.  It is one I am sure we will go back to over the years as we dig deeper and deeper into the life of our Savior!
• I would recommend this book, and I especially think of my blog readers who have emailed me telling me that they did not grow up in a Christian home yet want to teach their children about Jesus.  Many of you have expressed that you are learning right along with your children, I think this book would be great for you!

You can buy The Jesus Book here on Amazon.  See the book info page here on the Thomas Nelson Website.

Do you want to review books on your blog, here’s where I got this one…

Girl’s Life Application Study Bible ~ Review

I was sent an awesome new Bible to review from Tyndale House, the NLT Girls Life Application Study Bible. I was so excited to see this Bible in real life and was even more impressed than I thought I would be when I opened it! it is simply gorgeous and perfect for a girl.

The Bible is a regular size, with a soft leather cover, and the Bible inside is, THE BIBLE…not much to review there!!! It is the NLT ~ which is not a translation we use often, we are mostly NIV folks around here. I read through several parts of the Bible and it didn’t bother me at all that it wasn’t my normal NIV.

The Life Application portion of the Bible is great, with many different stories and notes focused around preteen girls. It also has several key features that make it unique…

• “What Now?” Learn how to make good choices in tough times
• “I Survived!” Personal survival stories from older teens about how they made it
• “Amazing Facts” Bible trivia
• “At a Glance”—the lives of famous women in the Bible—good and bad—become lessons for teens
• “Is It OK?” A reality check on what the Bible says about the questions that are really on your mind
• 2-color interior; 16 pages of full-color illustrations about Bible times
• Book introductions and timelines
• Charts and 3-dimensional maps
• Unique colored pattern on outside of page edges

I am saving this Bible to be Ladybug’s first Big Girl Bible ;-). It is already hers, but she just doesn’t know it yet! We are grateful to Tyndale House for sending us this awesome Bible to review! You can purchase this Bible here on CBD!

iRewardChart App Review and Special Promo!

I was given the opportunity to review an awesome new app for my iPod Touch called iRewardChart.  I was interested in the app for obvious reasons…you know since my little angels aren’t always little angels.  In an effort to keep the peace in the home, while teaching them self-control and many other Godly character traits, I thought maybe technology could assist me with this!

In walks a behavior chart of sorts, all in the palm of my hand!  This app is really cool and is only in its beginning stages, I have emailed with the developer and he has upgrades already in the works to make it even better!

I am a chart and list making momma, I thrive on the next cutest chart I can create to help keep life in order.  Charts on a gadget are my new favorite thing.  I have my grocery list on my iPod Touch, my baby timer/milestone tracker, and more.  This app is great for keeping things all in one place!

Very simply, it works like this…

Enter each child you want to keep track of (these are sample images, not my kids!!!)…

Decide what you want to track (you can choose from what they have AND enter your own)…

Keep track…

Payout…

For the payout, you decide what your child is working towards ahead of time, and assign it a “star” value, when it comes time to pay out, your child will “purchase” what they have worked towards.

You can browse their site for more info and more details of how it works and the options they have.  I also found a neat YouTube video that walks through the app very well so you can see it in action.

The app is regularly priced at $4.99 which honestly I believe is a bit high for what it is.  I shared this with the developers and they responded to my concern in a great way!  They assured me that they have many upgrades on the horizon, one of which has just launched!  In honor of this upgrade launch, they are dropping the price of this app to 99 cents for just a couple of days!!!!!  That’s right, you can get the full version for just 99 cents if you act within the promo window!  If you are at all interested, I recommend snapping it up now for this low price.

You can buy this app here in iTunes.

There are many possibilities of using this app to help with your children's behavior/chore goals.  I do not think it is an all-in-one solution to anything, just another tool that can be used in raising obedient and Godly children. I personally use it in combination with other discipline strategies in our home, it is not the only thing.  Honestly I am in the stages of reworking it into our daily routine, as we fell off of the wagon over the holidays (I received the app way before Christmas).  It will work differently for each family and even for each child within the family-it’s a matter of making it work for you and your kids!

Thanks to the team at iRewardChart for allowing me to review this app free of charge!

Want to see more apps I love?

• Mommy Apps
• Tot Apps
• Big Kid Apps