(Throughout this post will be pictures of Haiti that Convoy of Hope has given me permission to use.  Some of these pictures are graphic, so I give warning before you read, in case you have a child in the room.)

Convoy of Hope is an organization that I’ve been learning more about since the earthquake struck in Haiti.  They are down there right now, and at last update, they had distributed at least 229,496 meals from 9 different locations and installed 30 water filters.

I think the thing that struck me the most was that their founder, Hal Donaldson, had lost his father in an accident when he was just a little boy, and his mother had such extensive injuries that they were struggling.  With the help of local churches and neighbors, though, they were provided with food and shelter, and this instilled, in Hal, a sense of determination and drive to help those in need.  As a result, Convoy of Hope came to being.  It goes to show that the influence you have on people in your life can have far-reaching effects.

Convoy of Hope also offers opportunities to those wishing to volunteer and give of their time, compassionate people who truly do want to make a difference.

You can give a donation to Convoy of Hope (which is tax-deductible).  You can also volunteer with Convoy of Hope.  Here in Springfield, they have the Hands of Hope project every Tuesday night, in which volunteers can help to pack, sort, and work with the relief shipments that are getting ready to go out.  Children can even go, but if your child is under the age of 12, you need to accompany them.  You can contact Convoy of Hope to find out more about this if you live in the Springfield area.  Another thing I’m excited about is their Convoy Go Teams, teams of volunteers who go when disaster strikes.

My husband and I were just talking about doing something like this the other night, especially since I’m a nurse, and he has experience in construction/technical aspects.  You can find the application for the Go Teams here. Convoy of Hope also puts together international teams to go for 8-10 days.

Valentine’s Day is coming soon!  In the spirit of the holiday, Laura Jane from JaneWear has graciously offered to give away a piece of her handcrafted jewelry, made out of fine silver, to one of my wonderful readers.  Laura Jane is now a happily married newlywed after 8 years of being a single mommy.

She resides here in the Midwest, taking inspiration from the simple things, such as the calmness of morning walks and Sunday morning hymns.  She says that she feels so blessed by all that God has given her.  In her Etsy shop, Laura Jane says, “Thank you for taking the time to browse my work… I cannot wait to share my pieces with you… to me it’s sharing a part of my heart.”

You can become a fan of JaneWear on Facebook, and you can even browse around both her Etsy shop and her JaneWear website.  She also has a blog which she has recently started.

Hung on an 18″ sterling silver rolo chain, this pendant is hand dipped for antique patina, which helps to bring out the details in the design.  Laura even makes slight changes to each of these pieces that she creates; that way, it’s customized to fit you, personally.  With a beating swirl heart added to the pendant, it’s truly a remarkable and beautiful piece of jewelry that you can wear for years to come….or even give as a wonderful gift.  It is valued at $62.

The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor, an 8 hour video course, comes with 2 DVDs and covers basic word problems in several areas, including the following:

Since Jacob is only in 2nd grade, we concentrated on the Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers sections of the video.  He has struggled with word problems a little bit, so this was a great review for him.  The instructor in the videos is Jason Gibson, a former NASA flight controller.  In the videos, Mr. Gibson emphasizes to the student to try to “Understand what the problem is really asking you.”  He also emphasizes that practice is key, and he only talks to the student for a very short time before actually delving into practice problems.  Most of the video is filled with problems to solve, which are written down at the bottom of the screen, so that the student can both hear the problem and read the problem.  Then, Mr. Gibson works the problems on the board, providing many illustrations and pictures to help the student in solving.  He does every problem step by step, breaking it down into parts.  He even emphasizes labeling the problem, which helps the student to associate the numbers with the parts.  At the beginning of each section, such as addition or subtraction, he gives certain key words that go along with those types of problems, such as total, how many in all, how much more, how much less, what is left over, etc.  Throughout the practice, he also reviews certain math skills that go along with each specific problem, such as carrying, lining up place value, counting forward or backward to add or subtract, borrowing, etc.  He also includes money problems, which I thought was good, seeing as dollar and cent signs seem to trip Jacob up at times.  The thing I would recommend is having your child sit and watch the DVD with notebook and pencil in hand, so he can work right along with the instructor.

The next DVD we received is one that I loved, loved, loved.  It was the Young Minds- Numbers and Counting DVD. This DVD kept Jaden mesmerized for more than half of it, and Jacob loved the games and pictures on it.  With classical music by some of the greatest composers who ever lived, such as Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Pachelbel, Chopin, etc., and bright, vivid, colorful images to go along with the music, I recommend this DVD for any parent with young toddlers/children.  As the movie progresses, it shows beautiful images of animals/wildlife, fruits, flowers, modes of transportation, inanimate objects, nature, etc., and it includes numbers with these.  There is a set number of objects in each picture, and it starts at 1, eventually showing pictures with up to 10 objects for the child to count.  The numbers are shown as the child’s voice on the video counts.  Your child can count right along with the movie.  With each picture, certain facts or sounds or colors are given that the child can associate with that picture.  For example, Jaden especially enjoyed and giggled with the “moo” cow.  He also enjoyed the sounds of the backhoes.  With each new number that is introduced, there is a new musical piece to go along with it.  I could honestly feel the learning taking place and the brain cells growing while watching this video….:)

Time to prop up your feet for a few seconds before you are needed again.:)  You never know when you might have to jump in your closet and don your “Supermom” outfit.:)  Enjoy, and link up your giveaways below!