We had a personal situation come up last week with a medical bill that we’d been paying on for 5 years faithfully, until we hadn’t received a bill for 2 months, and in all the craziness, I lost track. Well, you can guess what happened. Yep, the lovely, rude I might add, collector called, saying we’d been sent (Bam!) to collections on this bill that we’d been paying $5 a month on for 5 years! Oh, I was hot….I mean, did they think $5 was going to break us? Could they not even give us a warning? Oh yeah….I was not nice. In fact, it brought me down, down, down. All I could think was that we’ve worked so hard, busted our rear ends the last couple of years to climb up that ladder of debt, only to be pushed down a couple of rungs….and really, that’s all it was. Just a couple of rungs. I say that because ultimately, that collector isn’t in charge; no, no, no, I have a bigger God than that ornery collector. In fact, through one of Jacob’s songs (Yes, it’s Hannah Montana; don’t give me any flak; kids’ songs in the car rock; they give me time to think, while the kids are quiet, listening….whether it’s Hannah Montana, Elmo, the Muppets, whatever).LOL  Anyway, on the way to tae kwon do that same evening, these are the words I heard, of all places, in a Hannah Montana song….

“Life’s What You Make It”

Don’t let no small frustration
Ever bring you down
No no no no
Just take a situation
And turn it all around

With a new attitude everything can change
Make it how you want it to be
Stayin’ mad, why do that?
Give yourself a break
Laugh about it and you’ll see

Life’s what you make it
So let’s make it rock
Life’s what you make it
So come on come on (everybody now)

Why be sad, broken hearted?
Theres so much to do
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Life is hard or
It’s a party
The choice is up to you

With a new attitude everything can change
Make it how you want it to be
Stayin’ sad, why do that?
Give yourself a break….

Lets celebrate it
Join in everyone
You decide
‘Cause life’s…what you make it….

I needed to hear those words….Don’t let no small frustration ever bring you down. Just take a situation and turn it all around. With a new attitude everything can change.  Yep, it’s up to me.  Am I going to let one little bill and one crazy collector ruin my day, ruin my perspective?  I think not!  It’s time to rise above, and it’s time to pull myself back up those couple of rungs and keep on climbing.  God’s in control, and He’s given me the ability to choose….do I let the little stuff push me down, or do I keep climbing, only to rise above?

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.

Mel’s Thoughts:
Under the historical fiction genre and set in the post-war era of World War II, Tricia Goyer has molded a story that kept my attention from the very beginning. I did not want to put Songbird Under a German Moon down.  The very beginning of the story starts out with a bit of action as Betty is on an airplane, headed into the heart of Germany, but not sure if her plane is going to land safely.  Once off the plane, she meets handsome combat photographer, Frank Witt.  As she begins her adventure of singing with the USO for the soldiers in the famous Festspielhaus, mysteries begin to abound, especially with her stay in a mansion that Hitler once stayed in.  The story gave me goosebumps in certain parts, just thinking about what evil must have remained in post-war Germany after such a leader as Hitler.  As stories unravel, danger seems to abound….even though the war is over and the commanding officers who were once under the lead of the Fuhrer are behind bars.  This story is a story of both suspense and romance.  I can’t help but love it, as it is in an era of time that I love reading about and just can’t get enough of.  You can purchase Songbird Under a German Moon for $9.35 from Barnes & Noble.  You can read more reviews on Litfuse.

From Litfuse:

About Songbird Under a German Moon: The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first nights performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty’s dear friend, Kat, turns up missing.

Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers…in each other.

But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

About Tricia: Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-four books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children’s book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more info!

What Era? Contest: Leave a comment on Tricia’s blog or send an email through her website CONNECT page and answer this question: What era in history do you wish you’d lived in and why? Earn extra entries by signing up for Tricia’s newsletter here, becoming a Fan on Facebook or Tweeting about the contest on Twitter (use hashtag #songbird)!

You’ll be entered to win one of three signed copies of Songbird Under a German Moon.

(Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book, free of charge, by Litfuse, for the purposes of this review.)

Moymoypalaboy is a couple of guys (from the Philippines) I found a couple of years ago on Youtube, and they just crack me up.  Usually, they’re in their house, and in some videos, their mom (I guess that’s who she is) is even dancing in the background.  It cracks me up…..especially on late nights when I’m extremely tired.:)LOL  Enjoy In the Jungle Version 2.:)

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteaders Heart.

Math Galaxy is another great math software we’ve been given to try out for the Crew.  Math Galaxy is a great supplement to any math curriculum, especially since it has both printable worksheets and computer games/activities involved.  Math Galaxy aims to help the student’s understanding when it comes to doing more than one step in a certain problem.  They aim to help the student link concrete principles to abstract principles, putting two and two together to form a unique learning experience.  Here is what Math Galaxy has to say: Our goal is to provide students a foundation for analytical thinking in the modern world and for higher-level math and science.

I have to say that Math Galaxy doesn’t have a lot of frills, although they are, nonetheless, very colorful and attractive to kids.  They do implement many illustrations of manipulatives to help the child understand the problem he is working on.  In my opinion, as a homeschooling mom who has seen books with either tons of illustrations or no illustrations….with my boys it doesn’t really matter what something looks like.  It matters how they’re learning from it; are they learning, while at the same time enjoying themselves?  It’s not really the frills that have made certain parts of school “fun” for us; it’s how we’ve applied those things to our own style and way of learning.

We received 4 different portions of Math Galaxy’s program to use and review.  Now, since Jacob is so young and only just now getting into multiplication, not really studying fractions yet, we are only able to use a couple of these right now, but I look forward to implementing the fractions software with his studies, when he gets to that point.  Here’s a description of the programs we reviewed:

Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Fun has been the program that is nearest Jacob’s level right now.  This program has exercises for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place value, basic geometry, time, money, bar graphs, probability, patterns & sequences, word problems, etc.  The student can click on the section he wants to concentrate on, and it will take him to computer led instructions/activities.  There are also games he can play, such as Bridge the Swamp, Riddles, Labyrinth, and Word Jumbles.  For Jacob, the instructions are good, if he pays attention to them; otherwise, he gets lost in the game and doesn’t know what to do.  So the instructions are a must, in my opinion, when working with this program. Whole Numbers Fun can be purchased for $29.95, free shipping.

Math Galaxy Whole Number Riddles goes right along with the Whole Numbers Fun program.  It’s an ebook that is also a worksheet generator.  You can go into the generator and print out worksheets for the particular subject the student is working on that day.  You can print worksheets with or without the answers, making it easier on the teacher.  Some of the topics covered include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, rounding, expanded notation, estimating, number patterns, order of operations, time, money, word problems, etc.  This ebook can be purchased for $14.95.

Word Problems Fun is set up like a robot game, in which the student has a robot that he has to go after treasure with. He enters caves as he goes, solving a word problem…and if that answer is correct, he’s able to search for the treasure using different keyboard functions. It’s like a video game, only better, because he can learn at the same time.  Since Jacob has a rough time with word problems, as many students do, this is a great tool to get him thinking on his own without me holding his hand throughout, as he’s motivated by the fun of finding the treasure.  Word Problems Fun can be purchased for $29.95, free shipping.

Math Galaxy Fraction Riddles is an ebook that goes along with the Fractions Fun portion of the program.  A worksheet generator, you can print out worksheets, with or without answers, for different math functions regarding fractions.  Some include adding and subtracting fractions, multiplying and dividing fractions, word problems, fraction pies, comparing fractions, reducing fractions, and improper fractions, etc.  I know that this is going to come in handy when Jacob really delves into the wonderful world of fractions, as it helps to simplify and reinforce concepts that are hard to learn if only staring at a textbook.  Fraction Riddles can be purchased for $14.95.

The great thing about Math Galaxy is that it can be used at a beginner level up to a more advanced level, and they even carry products for Pre-Algebra and Algebra.  Most of the games can be played with a minimum of 1 player up to 3-4 players.  I definitely recommend Math Galaxy for any homeschooling family, as it’d be an excellent, money-saving supplement to any math curriculum. You can read more reviews for Math Galaxy over on the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

(Disclosure: I was provided these Math Galaxy programs, free of charge, by Math Galaxy, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)