Final Match of Regular Season

This is Cody's final wrestling match of the season - and he WON!!  He has progressed and grown so much during this wrestling season.  He wrestled in 4 weekend tournaments in addition to the regular season matches.  He had a winning season and will go to Sectionals next weekend, and then hopefully to State.

I am so very proud of him and how hard he has worked!  He has had to work through injuries incurred during football season that have hindered and haunted him throughout the wrestling season, but he has pushed through and been an overcomer.  He has shown that he has the potential to be great.  He has worked hard and improved immensely.  And through it all, he has shown that he is a man of great character.

He's my son and I'm a very proud momma!

Rising Prices...Gas, Groceries and More!

I am sure you have noticed, if you have bought anything in the last couple months, that prices are on the rise.  It has been predicted, but I was sure hoping it wouldn't happen.  We live in the most competitive grocery market in the country, so our prices are probably still good compared to other areas, but we live on a very tight budget and I am having to increase the amount we spend on groceries and basic supplies.  I am feeling the pinch in our budget.  There just aren't as good of sales, not as many good coupons, and even on sale prices are higher than in the past.  I am very thankful for the past several years where we have been able to eat really well on a small budget and I know that God will provide all that we have need of, but I am sad that I am having to increase my "buy" price on so many items.  That just means that there will be less "extras" all around.  Plus, our costs have increased because we have more people living in our home for now.  I am hoping that our extra family member will soon be able to contribute some to the household budget by way of a job - that will certainly help!

And gas prices have just jumped from $2.99/gal that I paid a week and a half ago, to $3.23/gal being the lowest that I can find around here!  That is a 24 cent jump in just a few days!  How come the media is not all over that?  Why are people protesting and raising a ruckus about the huge jump in gas prices?  I guess we have been lulled into believing that it is inevitable.  Well, we are going to have to begin getting creative in ways to decrease our use of gasoline, too.  Perhaps bicycling will become necessary -couldn't hurt my personal "bottom line"! LOL  My husband already bicycles to work most days, so he is definitely doing his part.

So have you begun to feel the crunch of rising prices?  Share your ideas for saving money on groceries and gas.  We can all learn from each other and help each other out during this belt-tightening time!

Z-Guide To The Movies: Driving Miss Daisy - a TOS Crew Review

I love this company and the Z-Guides to the movies that they publish!  Watching movies as part of our homeschooling is something I really love to add into our curriculum and these Z-Guides hit the spot!  Last year, we watched To Kill A Mockingbird and used the Z-Guide to help in our studies.  So this year, when I was once again given the opportunity to review a Z-Guide to the movies, I was excited and chose Driving Miss Daisy.  I thought that it would be an interesting movie for my teens to watch and would also go along with the time period we have been studying in history.

Zeezok Publishing has Z-Guides to the movies for many different movies, both old and newer ones.  All of these movies are very educational, yet fun and interesting!  The Z-Guide begins with a Topic Overview and Movie Synopsis.  I have found that my kids DO NOT want me to read the Movie Synopsis prior to watching - spoils the movie for them!  Then there are Movie Review Questions, as well as questions that delve into the topic behind the movie.  There are 10 different Activities in all, encompassing things such as art, word search, and other topics relevant to the particular movie.  For instance, for Driving Miss Daisy, there are a lot of questions and activities relating to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, as well as discrimination and in-laws relationships.

The Z-Guides sell for $12.99 and you can see the whole list of titles available on their website at www.zeezok.com  They also have all the movies for sale as well, just in case you have difficulty finding any of them either at your local library or on Netflix, Redbox, etc.


If you would like to read more reviews about Z-Guides for different movies, check out the other TOS Crew Reviews.

I received this product for free in return for an honest review. I have not received financial reimbursement for my review of Z-Guide to the movies: Driving Miss Daisy from Zeezok Publishing.