Sorry for the Inconvenience!

We wanted to apologize in advance if you try to visit our blog in the next 24-48 hours and can’t find us. Don’t worry, we’re still here! We are just getting moved over to a new server. We’re so excited about this transition as it will allow us to have a better, more dynamic website! If you can’t find us, just check back a little later 🙂

Three for Thursday: Featured Posts for 10/4/12

Below you will find three blog posts I’ve read recently that have stood out to me as having excellent information. If you’re a regular reader of our blog you know we have a diverse set of interests. These posts reflect that diversity.

Physical Health

Tips For Burning More Fat With Cold Thermogenesis

You know we’re all about using the cold to improve health. In fact, we just started a log of our cold exposure that we’ll be sharing with you soon. This is an excellent post by Ben Greenfield explaining why using ice for health and weight loss works. He includes a great bibliography in the post as well.

Spiritual Health

The Wife of Influence: 13 Wives in 13 Days….Wives of the Bible Series

 This is a fantastic blog series idea. Jolene, from The Alabaster Jar, is writing a series on 13 wives in the Bible and what we can learn from them. In this first post, Jolene introduces the notorious Eve.

“She frustrates me to no end. I know no one is perfect, but come on now, when was the last time you took counsel from a….. Snake!  Really, a snake? This woman needs no introduction because we all know she is Eve. She’s THE woman who caused the fall of mankind because she was deceived.”

Want to read more? Go check out Jolene’s blog and read the words of challenge and encouragement she gives to wives in this post. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the posts in this series!

Homeschooling & Family

How to Host a Reformation Day Celebration

Gena, from IChooseJoy.org, shares her Reformation Day celebration ideas. I had never even thought of having a Reformation Day party, but what a cool idea! I’m so excited by the idea that I’ve talked with another family from church and they’re willing to not only host but also plan the party! How cool is that? In case you wondered, Reformation Day is October 31st.

We hope you enjoy one or more of these posts as much as we did!

A Recipe for Survival: Gluten-Free Recipe Book (Review and Giveaway)

A Recipe for Survival is much more than just a cookbook. It’s a story. It’s a testimony to faith. It’s a guidebook. If you have by necessity or by choice decided to go gluten-free, then this manual is well worth purchasing.

(Go to the bottom of this post to learn how you can win a copy!)

The book begins with an introduction about Freda and her husband Brody. You hear their love story and the trials and heart-aches that ensued soon after they were married. Health problems abounded. Both Freda and Brody were plaugued by ailments causing not just physical stress, but emotional and marital stress as well. They were desperate to find a solution. I greatly enjoyed reading this portion of the book. Freda has a warm engaging writing style that draws you in. (It was also kinda fun to see another couple who also met on eHarmony and married the same month and year as my husband and I did!)

Part I of the book is a testimony to the faith of Freda. Freda uses the Word of God to encourage and uplift the reader, particularly those readers struggling with illness issues or caring for others in the midst of a health crisis.

Part II’s focus is on practical aspects of gluten-free living. If you are new to gluten-free living, you will find that Freda discusses a number of essential topics that can help you on your journey. Topics like cross-contamination, eating out, and how to replace gluten in recipes are all explained in detail among many other topics vital to learning how to live a gluten-free lifestyle.

And finally, Part III of the book is filled with recipes. She has recipes for hard to replace gluten-free foods like waffles, breads, and desserts as well as main dishes, sauces, and side dishes. 

Winner of Heritage History Curriculum (part deux)

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Heritage History giveaway. All of the entries in the list were randomized on random.org. I then asked my cuddly boy Bradley to choose a number. He chose number 28.

Congratulations to Sarah Thomas! You’ve won a Heritage History curriculum CD of your choice. You will be receiving an email from us shortly requesting your information.

If you didn’t win, you’re still in luck! Heritage History has provided a special discount code for Intoxicated on Life readers. Until the end of this month when you purchase any curriculum CD, also add the Spanish Empire library to your cart, then use the coupon code “Intoxicated” to receive the Spanish Empire Library free ($19.99 value)!

Storage Boxes for People Low on Space

I recently had the opportunity to check out Packaways Plastic Storage Boxes. They are a pretty unique storage solution. If you need boxes that are heavier duty than cardboard, but don’t take up as much room as plastic totes when not in use, this is the solution for you. Packaways set up easy and fold down flat just as easily.

I received both a large pink box and a medium blue box to review. I was immediately impressed with how easily they set up. No monkeying around with tape, I was able to intuitively set the boxes up by just pressing on the corners. The boxes also have wipe-away marking panels you can write on with a dry erase marker for labeling purposes. Boxes, totes, and under the bed boxes are all available on their website.

Overall, I was quite impressed with the Packaway boxes. My Packaways will be put to use storing little boys’ clothes in the basement. If you’re looking for a storage solution, it might be worth your while to check out what they have to offer. Free shipping on orders over $49 certainly sweetens the deal a bit too!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Importance of Memorization in the Elementary Years

Memory work is so important in the grammar stages of education (kindergarten-6th grade). Classical education places a high premium on memory work in the early years of school. Children have a capacity to memorize huge amounts of information at this stage. Over the last two years, I’ve made it a priority to make memory work a focus of our school day.

We use a modified Charlotte-mason-style memory box to keep track of our memory work and ensure we are reviewing enough. We do memory time 4 days a week (Tuesday through Friday), but we also review our newest catechism question and Bible verse at night as a family too.

Heritage History Giveaway…part deux

Heritage History has generously offered to host yet another giveaway of their fantastic curriculum. They have put together living book collections on CD’s complete with teacher manual, maps, timelines, and more. Be sure to check out our complete review of Heritage History.

Thus far, Bradley has read Stories of Beowulf. Being a boy he loved the action, adventure and monsters! I’m looking forward to continuing to incorporate many of the living books from the British Middle Ages CD into our regular history program – Veritas Press’ Middle Ages Renaissance and Reformation. Heritage History is great supplement, providing a plethora of living books that educate and intrigue or it can be used as a stand alone curriculum. However you want to use it, now is the chance to score your own copy!

Enter our Giveaway!

Heritage History is sponsoring a giveaway on our blog! You have the chance to win a curriculum CD of your choice. For everything you do below, get one entry in our drawing. (You must comment below and let us know what you did to get credit.)

• Subscribe to our blog (and if you are already a subscriber, let us know that).
• Like Intoxicated on Life on Facebook (and if you are already a fan, let us know that).
• Follow Intoxicated on Life on Twitter (and if you are already following us, let us know that).
• Follow Heritage History on Facebook.
• Unlimited bonus entries every day! For every blog post from IntoxicatedOnLife.com you SHARE on Facebook, you get an entry into the drawing (post up to 2 per day and leave a comment here telling us what posts you shared).

This giveaway will end on October 1, 2012 and is open to all those residing in the US and Canada.

Friday Funny: Sugar is Killing Us (or maybe not so funny?)

It’s no secret, I’ve been trying to cut sugar (particularly fructose) out of my and my families diets. It’s a challenge! Sugar, or more specifically high fructose corn syrup is in most everything you buy packaged at the store. You think you’re eating a healthy diet including foods like yogurt, marinara sauce, salad dressing, and deli turkey…then you check the label. High fructose corn syrup in every one!

This is one of the reasons we’ve been trying to focus on a whole foods diet: meat, vegetables, and a little bit of fruit (not so much for mamma though, she doesn’t need the insulin spike from the fructose in fruit). This video illustrates some of these points in a fairly comical way. Have a great weekend!

What is Classical Christian Education?

Last week I was asked to speak to the parents involved in our homeschooling co-op, Coram Deo, about what Classical Education is. Below is the text of my brief explanation. Certainly more can be said about the value and distinctiveness of Classical Ed, but this was my 5-minute pitch.

. . . .

Nelson Mandela has rightly said that education is the most powerful weapon with which you can use to change the world. As homeschooling parents we not only have the opportunity to directly influence what our children learn, we also have the opportunity to mold them into young men and women who will be equipped to change the world. We want their education to be the absolute best it can be.

I want to briefly talk tonight about how Coram Deo fits into that. I speak tonight not just as a board member of Coram Deo, and not just as a teacher, but as a parent.

Coram Deo believes the best way to educate our children is to use a model of Classical Education, tapping into the rich tradition of education we’ve inherited as Christians in our western culture.

We need to ask: What is Classical Education? This is important for all of us, all Coram Deo parents, to understand because this is what Coram Deo is all about: providing homeschool enrichment using a classical education model.

Winner of Copy-Kids DVD…

In case you haven’t read our review, Copy-Kids is a DVD of kids and for kids. The DVD encourages kids to try new fruits and veggies.

We had 56 entries in our Copy-Kids DVD giveaway. We randomized our entry list using random.org and then asked our 8 year old to pick a number betwen 1 and 56. He chose number 8…congratulations Austin B. you’ve won this giveaway!