Review: Ultimate Phonics Reading Program

I love that we have been able to use the Ultimate Phonics Reading Program from Spencer Learning on any computer we have in our house!  The license also allows us to use this with everyone in our household! You can find more info on them on social media at:

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/spencerlearning

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/spencerlearning @spencerlearning

This program works for children who struggle with reading, children with dyslexia, beginning readers, and helps anyone that you put on it to improve comprehension, spelling, and fluent reading.  It also tackles one of my personal pet peeves, which is word guessing.  Two of my three children will just randomly announce a word that starts with the same first letter as the word they're reading.  Does it make sense? Nope.  Does it go with the sentence? Nuh-uh. Does it end with the same sound as the word you just said? Didn't read that far.

Drives me absolutely bonkers!!

Anyway, this is an online program that works on both Windows and Macs (this is a big deal in my house since we prefer apple products and frequently software is wonky on our computers). You can actually try it before you buy it, too, by using the link here.  If you want to decide if your child will benefit from this program, you can check out their Ultimate Phonics Reading Test.

What you'll see when you try the program is 262 lessons to help your reader succeed. Each lesson has six types of pages included: patterns, sight words, word lists, words, sight words, and sentences.  

I did this program with my 8 year old, who is my struggling reader.  She's actually improved greatly over the past year, but of my three, she was the one I decided to focus on.  She felt like the program was slow and not super fun.  I think it would definitely work better to engage a child who doesn't have access to a lot of more interactive/animated online learning resources. However, she did improve her reading skills during the program, and that's really all that matters!  If you're looking for a simple, non-subscription program (this is a one-time purchase) than this program could definitely be the one for you! I don't know much (anything) about dyslexia, but I know that this program is also supposed to assist children with that issue, so be sure to check out the link below for other Homeschool Review Crew moms who might be able to tell you more about it! 

New Healthier Breakfast Items at Chick-Fil-A

You guys know that I love CFA.  I love the unsweet tea with lemon, I love the home office, I love the cows, I love the Chick Fil A Sauce....pretty much everything! So, I was super excited when I got an invitation to come out and try some new menu items!

 Here's a tray of the new options- there's the hash brown scramble burrito and bowl, the egg white grill bowl, and the egg white grill muffin.  I know what you're thinking- I also wanted to sprinkle some parsley on the plate ;) There's salsa available for any of these to add a little color!

 Here's the Berry Protein Blend.  Several of the women at my table ordered full size drinks of this.
Berry Protein Blend:  This “on-the-go” beverage is packed with protein and vitamins. It’s made with ancient grains, chia, mixed berries and yogurt (with live & active cultures). It’s hand-spun with a portion of Icedream® for a thick and creamy texture and topped with a crunchy, honey brown sugar granola.

There's the hash brown scramble, this time in burrito form.  I really like the jalapeño salsa that they offer as a condiment here.
Hash Brown Scramble Burrito or Bowl (with Chicken or Sausage):  Made fresh each morning, these are a hearty morning meal of sliced Chick-fil-A nuggets or sausage, crispy hash browns, scrambled eggs and a blend of Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses. It’s all rolled in a warm flour tortilla or served in a convenient bowl and served with jalapeño salsa.

I cannot lie to you guys, this egg white muffin was the thing I was most excited about because it meets my eating plan guidelines for breakfast...but I didn't love it.  However, I do love that it's a healthy option and I have it available to me, even if it's not my new favorite thing on earth.

This isn't new, it's the greek yogurt parfait, which  I've actually never had before.  I think this was my favorite thing I had all day.  It's 230 calories, 12 grams of protein for a full-sized serving.

Chilli Amar from WashFM was our hostess for the day, and she was super sweet.  We were up at the 7 Corners CFA location, which I hadn't been to before.  The location and staff were all exactly what I expect from Chick-Fil-A, clean location, friendly, attentive staff, and a good time had by all.  After we tried the new breakfast items they brought out some old favorites- 

 If this isn't what you're serving as an appetizer this football season, you need to get your hors d'oeuvres game back on point. 

 Kale Superfood Salad!! I love this stuff!! 

This is Chilli Amar talking to us, but what I really like this picture for his the back of my head.  My curls look really good from the back.  This has nothing to do with food, but....I mean, I couldn't leave it off....so focus on Chilli and just pretend my vanity had nothing to do with this picture.  Okay, fine...here's what it looked like from the front so you can appreciate me loving the back so much.

#NotAsCute (But these ladies are!) 

Thanks to the CFA 7 Corners for having us out, Khoury PR for putting the whole group together and, to the photographer who got much better shots than me :) Check out the new CFA Breakfast items at a store near you and enjoy a fast, ready-to-go breakfast that's still healthier for you (or order sausage and hash browns, I'm not here to tell you how you want to live!)
__________________________________________________________________
This post was sponsored by #ChickFilADC, all opinions are my own.

Disney on Ice Presents: Follow Your Heart! Eagle Bank Arena October 19-23, 2016!!

Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart is bringing Disney•Pixar’s record-breaking animated feature Finding Dory to the ice for the first time in this live production produced by Feld Entertainment. The ice-skating extravaganza featuring Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out, Disney’s Frozen and other beloved Disney stories visits EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA on October 19 – 23, for 9 performances. Tickets are on sale now. 

Just keep swimming with Dory, Nemo, Marlin and new pal Hank from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory as they embark on a life-changing excursion to find her parents and discover the true meaning of family. Cheer with the Emotions from Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out –Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust– as they help Riley find the confidence to win the hockey championship and experience the emotional rollercoaster of growing up. Venture to wintery world of Arendelle where Olaf and Kristoff help reunite royal sisters Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen and learn love is the most powerful magic of all. See Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana and the Disney Princesses make their dreams come true through their virtues of bravery, kindness and perseverance. And celebrate true friendship with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and The Toy Story gang. Make unforgettable memories with Mickey, Minnie and all your Disney friends when Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart skates into Fairfax, VA! 

There’s something for everyone in a show that features 60 characters. The wintery world of Arendelle sets the stage for Olaf and Kristoff as they help reunite royal sisters Anna and Elsa and learn love is the most powerful magic of all. Audiences will celebrate friendship with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and more pals from Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story. With Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse leading the way, this new Disney On Ice production will excite and amaze fans of all ages.

 

 

Date and Time of Performances:

• Wednesday, October 19^th @ 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, October 20^th @ 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, October 21^st @ 10:30 a.m., and 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 22^nd @ 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 23^rd @ 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

 

Stay current on the latest developments through social media, including instructions on how to access presale codes for future Disney On Ice productions:

                                                                                                                 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DisneyOnIce

Twitter: @DisneyOnIce #DisneyOnIce #FollowYourHeart @NicoleFeld (Show Producer)

YouTube: www.youtube.com/DisneyOnIce

Instagram: @DisneyOnIce

 

Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart are on sale now and start at $20. Tickets are subject to availability, and VIP and Front Row seating is limited.  Market pricing applies to all tickets.  All seats are reserved, and tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, via www.ticketmaster.com, and the EagleBank Arena box office.  For group rates and information, contact 202-661-5061.

Fun for Fall 2016

Regional Farm Activities
Belvedere Plantation (Fredericksburg, VA) See our past review here. Is open September 24th-October 30th on weekends, with weekdays beginning September 27th. Tickets vary in price from $9.25 to $22.50 depending on the day of the week and what it includes.  Military and Senior discounts are available on certain hours of admission, see their website for details. They are generally closed on Mondays, except Columbus Day.

Cows And Corn (Faquier) is open for fall starting September 17th.  $10 for everyone 3 and up. Children under 3 are free.  Admission includes a hayride tour, meet a cow, puppet show, play area, butter making, corn maze, moo bound, cow train.  Pumpkins and refreshments additional fee.

Cox Farms (Chantilly, VA) with weekends starting September 17th/18th and weekdays beginning September 26th, Cox Farms is open daily with lots of fun for your kiddos.  See our past reviews here.  Discount weekday tickets are available for as low as $6, weekend tickets are as high as $17 on prime weekends.  Cox Farms also features a "Fields of Fear" attraction for older kids/adults which opens September 23rd.


Great Country Farms (Bluemont, VA) is open October 1-31st for their Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival and tickets are $8/child, $10/adults on weekdays, or $10/child $12/adult on weekends and Columbus Day.  See our past reviews here.

Ticonderoga Farms (Chantilly, VA) is open daily September 24th to October 31st with daily admission $10.95 weekdays and $16.95 weekends/holidays. See our past reviews here.

Pick Your Own Apples/Pumpkins
Crooked Run Orchard (Loudon)
Hartland Orchard (Markham)
Hollin Farms (Delaplane)
Stribling Orchard (Markham)
Yankey Farms (Nokesville)

Pumpkin Patches/Activities 
Lake Ridge Nursery (Woodbridge) is open daily September 23rd to October 31st with daily admission $10 per child weekdays, $12 per child weekends.

Haunted Houses/Spooky Events
Spirits of Rippon Lodge is held from 7-9pm October 21 and October 22.  Admission is $10 per person and the tour is not recommended for young children.  Tours are on the half hour, call 703-499-9812 for REQUIRED reservations.

Spend the Night In Brentsville Jail on October 28th from 8pm to 8am.  Call 703-365-7895 for details and reservations.

Hospital Horrors by Night from 7-9pm on the half hour, is not recommended for children under age 12.  Reservations are strongly recommended, and the tour is $10pp.  Ben Lomond Historic Site 703-367-7872

Cox Farms also features a "Fields of Fear" attraction for older kids/adults which opens September 23rd.

Fall Festivals 

Date: Saturday October 1, 2016

Event Name: Manassas Fall Jubilee

Location: Harris Pavilion/Main Street Manassas VA 

Time: 10am-5pm

Fee: Event is free, various activities have prices associated

Short Description: Historic Manassas in Northern Virginia celebrates fall with its Annual Fall Festival, the Manassas Fall Jubilee, a family-friendly event featuring live music and entertainment, hand-made crafts, and a variety of foods. The streets are lined with craft vendors, non-profit organizations and community information booths that hold raffles and drawings throughout the day.

Link: http://visitmanassas.org/event/manassas-fall-jubilee/?instance_id=109073

Date: October 15th, 2016

Event Name: Dumfries Fall Festival

Location: Garrison Park (Behind Town Hall) Dumfries, VA 

Time: 11am-5pm

Fee: No entrance fee, food and some activities additional

Short Description: http://www.dumfriesva.gov/residents/community-services/

Link: http://festivalnet.com/70553/Dumfries-Virginia/Festivals/Dumfries-Fall-Festival 

Date: October 15th, 2016
Event Name: Family Fun Day
Location: 16198 Silver Lake Road Haymarket, VA
Time: 10am-2pm (Trunk or Treat from 2pm-3pm)
Fee: Not specified
Short Description: Fall Fun and Trunk or Treat!
Link: http://www.rainbowriding.org/events/2016-fun-show/

Date: Friday, October 21

Event Name: Floating Gourd Night

Location: Manassas Park Community Center 99 Adams Street, Manassas Park

Time: 7-8:30pm

Fee: $5 per person

Short Description: Catch a gourd/pumpkin in the pool, decorate it and take home to enjoy

Link: https://issuu.com/manassasparkparksandrecreation/docs/fall_mosaic_2016/1 page 31/32

Date: Friday, October 21, 2016

Event Name: Fright Lights

Location: Hylton High School

Time: 6pm (Family Friendly) 9pm (Loud and Scary) 

Fee: $10 (Auditorium only seats 65 and shows do sell out, consider purchasing early in the main office at Hylton High School) 

Short Description: Looking for a unique way to send chills up your spine? Do you have the courage to sit through the most terrifying laser experience ever? Are you brave enough to witness vampires seducing their prey and demons haunting the unsuspecting? Or perhaps you will keep your eyes closed and only sneak a peek at fun renditions like Purple People Eater or The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Laser Fright Light is a ghoulish way to celebrate the Halloween season..if you dare!

Link: http://www.hyltonplanetarium.com/

Date: Saturday October 22, 2016

Event Name: Not Scary Night Hike

Location: Bull Run Mountain Conservancy

Time: 7-8:30pm in timeslots 

Fee: $7 in advance, $10 at the door (limited, reservations HIGHLY recommended) 

Short Description: BRMC wants to take you on an hour-long, night-time hike through the Bull Run Mountains! A guide will lead you along the trail where you will meet native "wildlife" that perform natural history skits. There is a new cast of animals each year, so don't miss it! Join us for face painting, Halloween snacks, hot cider, a bonfire, and live music. Bring a flashlight, wear good hiking shoes, and remember that it can get cold on the Mountain.

Link: http://www.brmconservancy.org/register/sf.php

Date: Saturday, October 22, 2016

Event Name: Fright Lights

Location: Hylton High School

Time: 4:30pm (Family Friendly), 6pm (Family Friendly), 7:30pm (Loud and Scary), 9pm (Loud and Scary) 

Fee: $10 (Auditorium only seats 65 and shows do sell out, consider purchasing early in the main office at Hylton High School) 

Short Description: Looking for a unique way to send chills up your spine? Do you have the courage to sit through the most terrifying laser experience ever? Are you brave enough to witness vampires seducing their prey and demons haunting the unsuspecting? Or perhaps you will keep your eyes closed and only sneak a peek at fun renditions like Purple People Eater or The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Laser Fright Light is a ghoulish way to celebrate the Halloween season..if you dare!

Link: http://www.hyltonplanetarium.com/

Date: Friday October 28, 2016

Event Name: Not Scary Night Hike

Location: Bull Run Mountain Conservancy

Time: 7-8:30pm in timeslots 

Fee: $7 in advance, $10 at the door (limited, reservations HIGHLY recommended) 

Short Description: BRMC wants to take you on an hour-long, night-time hike through the Bull Run Mountains! A guide will lead you along the trail where you will meet native "wildlife" that perform natural history skits. There is a new cast of animals each year, so don't miss it! Join us for face painting, Halloween snacks, hot cider, a bonfire, and live music. Bring a flashlight, wear good hiking shoes, and remember that it can get cold on the Mountain.

Link: http://www.brmconservancy.org/register/sf.php

Date: Friday, October 28, 2016

Event Name: Fright Lights

Location: Hylton High School

Time: 6pm (Family Friendly) 9pm (Loud and Scary) 

Fee: $10 (Auditorium only seats 65 and shows do sell out, consider purchasing early in the main office at Hylton High School) 

Short Description: Looking for a unique way to send chills up your spine? Do you have the courage to sit through the most terrifying laser experience ever? Are you brave enough to witness vampires seducing their prey and demons haunting the unsuspecting? Or perhaps you will keep your eyes closed and only sneak a peek at fun renditions like Purple People Eater or The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Laser Fright Light is a ghoulish way to celebrate the Halloween season..if you dare!

Link: http://www.hyltonplanetarium.com/

Date: October 29, 2016

Event Name: Fall Fest and Pipe Screams

Location: Grace UMC 9750 Wellington Road Manassas

Time: 5pm (Fall Festival) 7pm (Pipe Screams Concert) 

Fee: Free

Short Description: 

Link: http://www.umcgrace.org/newsevents/upcoming-events.html

Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016

Event Name: Fright Lights

Location: Hylton High School

Time: 4:30pm (Family Friendly), 6pm (Family Friendly), 7:30pm (Loud and Scary), 9pm (Loud and Scary) 

Fee: $10 (Auditorium only seats 65 and shows do sell out, consider purchasing early in the main office at Hylton High School) 

Short Description: Looking for a unique way to send chills up your spine? Do you have the courage to sit through the most terrifying laser experience ever? Are you brave enough to witness vampires seducing their prey and demons haunting the unsuspecting? Or perhaps you will keep your eyes closed and only sneak a peek at fun renditions like Purple People Eater or The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Laser Fright Light is a ghoulish way to celebrate the Halloween season..if you dare!

Link: http://www.hyltonplanetarium.com/

Date: Saturday October 29, 2016

Event Name: Not Scary Night Hike

Location: Bull Run Mountain Conservancy

Time: 7-8:30pm in timeslots 

Fee: $7 in advance, $10 at the door (limited, reservations HIGHLY recommended) 

Short Description: BRMC wants to take you on an hour-long, night-time hike through the Bull Run Mountains! A guide will lead you along the trail where you will meet native "wildlife" that perform natural history skits. There is a new cast of animals each year, so don't miss it! Join us for face painting, Halloween snacks, hot cider, a bonfire, and live music. Bring a flashlight, wear good hiking shoes, and remember that it can get cold on the Mountain.

Link: http://www.brmconservancy.org/register/sf.php

Date: October 29, 2016
Event Name: Fall Fun Fest sponsored by New Life Christian Church
Location: (with address): Piney Branch Elementary School 8171 Linton Hall Road Bristol, VA 20136
Time: 1pm-4pm
Fee: FREE
Short Description: (including ages): Families are invited to come to our FREE festival including moon bounces, pony rides, petting zoo, games and raffles, including a raffle for a Disney Cruise voucher for family of 4 (value up to $2500 credit)!
Link: NewLife.Church/funfest

Halloween/Trick or Treat/Halloween Alternative Options

Date: Monday, October 31

Event Name: Trunk or Treat

Location: Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street Manassas Park

Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Fee: FREE

Short Description: Come and trunk or treat in a safe environment! 

Link: https://issuu.com/manassasparkparksandrecreation/docs/fall_mosaic_2016/1 page 31/32

Want your event included? Please send it to us in the following format:

Date: 

Event Name: 

Location: 

Time: 

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Race to Stop Traffick 2016

Homeschool Band in Prince William County

The Woodbridge Home School Band is gearing up to accept new members

for the upcoming school year.  One does not need to live in Woodbridge

to participate; we have members from Alexandria , Clifton , Stafford ,

Burke, Dumfries, and Manassas .  Our starting date and time is

September 12^th, 2015, at 1 pm.

 

We accept students ages 10-18 with *no* music experience and will

consider students ages eight and nine on an individual basis and with

prior experience.  We have Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced bands. 

We are brass and woodwinds, no strings, and we only accept

percussionists with prior experience.

 

We meet on Mondays at Dale City Baptist Church on Dale Blvd. (we are

not affiliated with the church; they graciously offer us space; all

are welcome). Beginners meet from 1:00-2:00 pm and Intermediate and

Advanced meet from 2:00-3:00 pm.  Cost is $30/month for the first

student and $25/month for siblings.

 

This band has been around for well over ten years and our middle

school and high school students have the opportunity to participate in

All-District, and for high schoolers, All-State.  Past and current

members have taken top chairs at these events and others.  Students

from this band have gone on to conservatories, including Julliard. 

Our directors, all former public high school band directors, are dedicated to the kids and it shows.

 

For more information, contact Diana Mourad at 703-590-6848, or by email.

You may also contact Mr. Ed Jones, one of the directors, directly by

emailing Jofejones@aol.com.

Review: Spiritual Circle Journal for Kids and Teens

When I first saw the Spiritual Circle Journal for Kids & Teens it reminded me of me.  See, when I sit in church, I have a lot of thoughts during the sermon, and while we do go to an Assemblies of God church and I could, feasibly, just stand up and start talking in the middle of the pastor's message, it's not one of my goals to cause a major disruption with my comments/questions.  So what do I do to keep quiet? I make my sermon notes pretty.  Sometimes I draw shapes. 

Actual sermon notes from July 2015.  True story. PS- if you're ever in class with me, you want to get my notes, not someone else's. They're fantastic notes and they're usually color-coded.  Taking notes and using shapes helps me keep quiet, but it also helps me to organize my thoughts, and it helps me to remember important things. The Spiritual Circle Journal helps you do the same thing- organize your thoughts and questions using shapes and colors to help guide your reflection process.  My middle son used this journal and he really enjoyed it.  However, he asked me not to share any of his pages because his thoughts in journals are private, and I can appreciate that sentiment, so you won't see any here, but I will explain how the journal works.  Each of the shaped sections is for a different use.  They are: 1. Journal 2. Lyric/Verse 3. Message 4. Confession 5. God Moving 6. Light bulb moment 7. Prayer 8. Adoration 9. Action The idea is that by using this journal to respond to daily devotional Bible reading in a set way so that over time, your children learn how to use that time for their benefit and not just as a check box on their list of things to do. By guiding them to think about how their daily reading relates to other things (for example, what is a song this reminds me of?) it helps them to make connections from their reading to the rest of their lives.  One neat thing that I noticed about using this journal was that thinking critically and really engaging in his devotion reading was that he extended it to his schoolwork reading, too.  His brain really started to analyze connections between his language arts reading and outside sources, things he knew from history/science, and even pop culture references.  That was certainly an unexpected bonus! I liked the organizational structure of this journal, and so did Logan, although his chief complaint was that it didn't "feel" journal-y.  To understand that, you need to know that Logan really likes serious journals (he got that from me)- leather-bound, embossed, special feeling journals- so the spiral bound book didn't give him that.  However, I don't think that's really a necessary thing as far as content goes!  If you're looking to help give your child a more meaningful devotional time, we definitely recommend you check this out! See more reviews at: