Y is for YWAM Biographies

We were first introduced to YWAM biographies in 2013. It was my first year on the Homeschool Review Crew and I read through Jim Elliot with my children. My boys liked how well the biography was written and also liked the unit study that you can use with the biography. Over the last several years, we have read through several books and learned more about the lives of Milton Hershey and Louis Zamperini.

I’ve used these books as a read aloud in the past, but this year, I was chosen to review Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am having my daughter read the book since she has just finished reading Little House in the Big Woods. I thought it would be interesting for her to learn more about the author of the Little House books. She is enjoying the book. I do ask her the unit study questions orally after she reads each chapter. The review is due at the end of the month and I am planning on making a recipe next week from Laura Ingalls time (there are a few listed in the unit study, but we also have Little House cookbook).

I know there are people on Facebook that are always asking “what good Christian biographies can my kids read?” The answer is YWAM biographies! They are great and give a lot of information in their books.

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V is for Victory

While thinking about what I was going to write about for the letter v for my blogging through the alphabet post, the song Victory in Jesus kept coming up. It’s an older song that I learned in church growing up.

I especially love the chorus:

“O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him,
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood”

I wanted to read more about this great song and who wrote it. I was able to find out that it was written by Eugene Monroe Bartlett, Sr. and Victory in Jesus was the last song he wrote. He had a stroke that left him unable to travel and sing. He wrote this song as a testimony and died about two years after his stroke.

Even though he was partially paralyzed and couldn’t talk or sing much, he still had a love for Jesus and knew that Jesus would give him victory in the end. We can all learn so much form this great song and the man who wrote the song. When we are at our lowest, we need to remember to keep looking to the one who gave us life. He loves us and will give us victory over anything that we encounter in this life.



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T is for Trust in the Lord (Free Printable)

I have had a rough beginning to 2018. I really cannot believe that it is already March and that I have actually made it this far. So when thinking about what I should write about for the letter T for blogging through the alphabet, this verse came to mind.  In order for me to have gotten this far this year, I have had to fully trust in the Lord with all of my heart.

This verse has helped me get through the rough times this year. I do have to keep reminding myself to fully trust that God will handle all of my problems and that I don’t need to worry. He already knows the end, He is just waiting for me to trust Him fully.

The rest of the verse says “lean not on thine own understanding.” We are not to rely on ourselves to get us through the rough times. We are not to stand alone when trying times come our way. If we fully trust the Lord, we will have the faith needed to get us through and we will not be alone in our troubles. We will have God by our side.

Enjoy this free coloring printable I made for the first part of Proverbs 3:5. Remember to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.”



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S is for Soon

*This post contains affiliate links*

I have three reviews coming up this month (March) and wanted to just give a sneak peak.  We have enjoyed the review products that we have gotten so far this year.

Magic Stix Washable Markers ~ These were a favorite. We have enjoyed coloring with these markers. My girls and I and even my 14 year old son have used these over the past several weeks. They are so bright and vibrant. Look for the review to post next week.

Another fun review is from Zirrly ~  My girls, my 14 year old son and I had a good time playing with the super beads and creating the animals that were included in our package. This review will post around March 20.

One last review that will post around the last week of March are books by Carole P. Roman ~ We have reviewed several of Carole’s books before and we still love reading through her books. This time we are reviewing a chapter book and the coloring book that goes along with it. So fun!

We love reviewing products and curriculum and sharing them with you.

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Hopkins Homeschool

R is for Reading

I just wanted to share with you what we have been reading in our house.

Earlier this month, I wrote a review for a book from a new to me author. Since I posted that review, I have ordered the books from the author’s first series and I am working my way through those. The first book is Counted with the Stars.

These books are Biblical Christian fiction that are based on a time period from the Bible. Counted with the Stars is based on the ten plagues and the exodus of the Hebrews out of Egypt. Kiya, an Egyptian, who was a slave, has taken refuge with the Hebrews and is now relying on Yahweh to protect her and help her.

I highly recommend these books if you are looking for a clean, Biblical fiction book to read.

My boys are reading The Red Badge of Courage for literature. This is one of the novels that is listed for reading in the Hewitt Homeschooling  Lightning Literature American Mid to Late 19th Century pack. They seem to be enjoying it so far.

My 7th grade daughter is reading Little House in the Big Woods for her final literature book this year.

I also have the accompanying study guide from Progeny Press for her to go through.

In her free time, she is reading through some books I got her for Christmas, the Glimmer Girls series by Natalie Grant.

I haven’t been reading much to my youngest daughter, just little books here and there. She likes when we are able to read longer chapter books together. I just received a new review product in the mail from Carole P. Roman, so she will be happy to read through those books to have something new.

Are you reading anything? Share below in the comments. I love to read!

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Q is for Questions (An Interview With My Almost Seven Year Old)

In the past, I have asked my now almost seven year old some questions to see how her answers change. I always forget to ask them to her each year. I asked her the first questions four years ago when she was three and the most recent questions are from two years ago when she was five.

Here are her answers this year:

1. What is your favorite color? Purple
2. What is your favorite toy? Purple Horse (Stuffed animal)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Kiwi
4. What is your favorite tv show? Price is Right
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Spaghetti
6. What is your favorite animal? Horse
7. What is your favorite song? I don’t have one
8. Who is your best friend?  Layla
9. What is your favorite dinner? I don’t know…I think it would be some cookies
10. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play hide and seek
11. What is your favorite drink? Caffeine Free Pepsi
12. What is your favorite place to go? To the park
13. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Purple Horse
14. What do you want for your birthday? Go to the park and eat Cookout (a restaurant we have here in NC)
15. What do you want to be when you grow up? Farmer

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P is for Psalm

A psalm, according to Merriam-Webster, is a sacred song or poem used in worship. Knowing that David was a musician in his younger years, it makes sense that he would have so many songs and poems that would be written down for generations in the Bible. Although he didn’t write every Psalm, I still think he enjoyed writing songs and poems and praising God. I enjoy reading through Psalm and besides Psalm 23 my favorite passage is Psalm 100 (even though it’s not clear who wrote this Psalm).

Psalm 100 ~ “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Reading through the book of Psalm will give you encouragement and help you get through hardships. When I am going through a difficult time, I pick up my Bible and turn to read a Psalm.

Do you have a favorite Psalm?

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O is for Outside

We are blessed to live in a state where we are able to get outside and do some outdoor activities throughout the year. Eastern North Carolina is a place where (most of the time) all four seasons are observed. There are some years where we have a mild winter and just jump right into the 90’s in March or April and summer lasts all the way to October or November some years, but overall, we see all four seasons.

We make a point to get outside every week, especially if the weather is nice. My boys have a basketball goal and they like to play soccer. My girls ride their bikes and do other things outside.
We also like to go to state parks and do some hiking throughout the year. We are blessed to live in an area that has several hiking trails within an hours drive. My youngest still like to go to the playground, so we go when we can and let her run off her energy.

We also tent camped last summer in Florida. Phew…that was an experience and I don’t know if I would do it again. Hot and sticky. Rain and thunder. But we made it through and had a great experience.

We also go the beach several times during the year since we live 45 miles from the closest beach.

So, put all your electronics away and get outside and enjoy each other’s company and have fun!

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N is for North Carolina

While trying to come up with something to write about on the letter N for the blogging through the alphabet series, the most obvious was right in front of me. North Carolina! I live in Eastern North Carolina and we have been to many places around the state. I want to show some places we have been in a sort of wordless Wednesday type post. Enjoy!

North Carolina Zoo


USS North Carolina Battleship


Wright Brothers Memorial


Aquariums (we have been to all three)


Billy Graham Library


Treasures on the beach


I have written several posts on our trips across the state. Check them out!

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M is for Meals

I try to make a menu plan each week, but some weeks are more difficult than others. Some weeks, I go through the freezer and pantry and plan from there so I don’t have to by much from the store.
Some of our go-to meals for dinner are usually easy things like spaghetti or tacos. And then there are days where I find a new recipe and give that a try. I usually always follow the recipe as is the first time around and if we like it, we decided if it is okay as is or if I should tweak it somehow.

Below are some of the meals we have tried over the past months and we give 5 stars.

!. Pioneer Woman Orange Chicken ~ This recipe is great written just as it is. I did try to double it one time, but it just did not work out the same. I don’t know why, but when I make this I follow this recipe as is and don’t double.

2. Homemade Hamburger Helper ~ Again, another recipe that is great just the way it is written. This makes a lot and we can usually have it for dinner one night and have the leftovers the next day for lunch.

3. Chicken Tacos ~ Some changes I have made to this recipe are that I cook it on the stove instead of in the crockpot. I also use chicken taco seasoning (McCormick’s) instead of regular taco seasoning. I put all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. I then turn the heat down to medium and watch it until the chicken is done and there is still some liquid left (sometimes I add more than 1 cup of broth, maybe 2 cups so it doesn’t all evaporate). When it is done and there is some liquid left, I shred the chicken and mix it all up. It only takes about an hour on the stove and still tastes great. Oh, and I don’t add any cheese to the mixture.

4. Easy Chicken Alfredo  Pasta Bake ~ Another easy and great stovetop pasta dish. We love this as written and it makes a lot which is great for us since we love leftovers for lunch the next day.

5. Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole ~ This is a great recipe and is great as written. This is another meal that we can have for dinner one night and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Just a few of our favorite meals that we like to rotate through.

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L is for Literature

Finding the right literature curriculum to use in our homeschool has been a somewhat difficult task. I’ve looked at several curriculum choices over the past couple of years trying to find the best one for my kids where they would be exposed to some great classics.

Last year, I had my oldest son go through Everyday Education’s Introduction to Literature. Even though he didn’t like the idea of reading Jane Eyre, he did read through some good classic books and learned a lot. He enjoyed many of the books from this program. One of his assignments was to write his own (short story) version of Animal Farm and he did so well with this assignment by using two well known political people in his story. It was actually a good short version of Animal Farm and showed he understood the meaning of Animal Farm.

My younger son read through Abeka’s Of Places book for his literature last year. This book just had excerpt's of many books and he never was able to get the whole story of any book.

So, this school year, I wanted something that both boys could do together. I did a lot of research and decided to give Hewitt Homeschooling Lightning Literature a try.



I decided on the mid to late 19th-century pack for my boys. It looked like it had some books that my boys would like to read.  After having gone through our first semester with this program, I will say that they have enjoyed going through the different books and learning about the different authors and books. They are learning to write different styles of reports and have done great with the assignments. I plan to use one of the British Literature packs from Hewitt during our next school year.

My oldest daughter started 7th grade this past fall and I wanted to use something different than what I had used for my boys when they were in 7th grade. I looked at different curriculum and decided on three books for her to read this year. She started with Anne of Green Gables from Memoria Press.



For her other two books to read, I decided to use Progeny Press. She is almost done reading Shiloh and will start with Little House in the Big Woods in a couple of weeks. Even though Little House is designed for upper elementary, I think she will enjoy reading the book and doing the study. I am not 100% sure what she will use for 8th grade next year so I may let her choose what books she would like to read and work from there.

With my youngest, I have just been reading grade level chapter books and she has enjoyed them so far. There were a couple that we reviewed (Imagine...The Great Flood and The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls) last year and she is looking forward to hearing more from those series. We also did a review from Progeny Press for her grade level and she enjoyed that one also. As she gets older I will have read books like Charlotte's Web, Little House on the Prairie, etc.

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K is for Knowledge

I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and came across a post on the Living Proof Ministries with Beth Moore page. It was a post that mentioned that Beth was going to make it her goal to memorize the book of Galatians next year. At first, I just scrolled by, but then God kept whispering to me that I should go back to that post and read it and watch the video. So, I did and have committed to memorize the whole book of Galatians in 2018.

I haven’t memorized any verses since I was in Bible college, so I’m not sure how this will go, but like Beth says, failure isn’t in play here. We need to meditate on what we are memorizing and draw closer to God.

I figured I will have to memorize approximately three verses a week to get to my goal by the end of next year. It seems very doable and I will end the next year with a lot more knowledge of God. I think knowledge will also be my word for 2018. I am committed to memorizing all five chapters of Galatians in twelve months.

If you would like to also try to memorize Galatians, Beth Moore has created a special Facebook page for updates and encouragement.  Let me know if are joining in on this challenge. The one thing I am most looking forward to is reading and meditating on each verse as I commit it to memory.

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