http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/christmas-and-the-new-year Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Gerwitz Family http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/christmas-and-the-new-year Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:40:17 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/santa-for-real Okay, I really should be proof reading my December newsletter so I can send it out this month...but instead I need to ask a question. Has anyone else been bothered by the over-done Santa Claus is real movie for adults? No matter where I turn another one pops up. The plots are more or less the same. Some poor adult who was hurt by Santa (or someone) in life is given the "hope" that can only be found in finding out Santa is real. Where is the hope in the real "Spirit" of Christmas, the birth of Christ?? http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/santa-for-real Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:09:02 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/preparing-for-christmas This Christmas will be the most wonderful ever. Why? Because we are cutting back drastically on the material giving (with the help of the economy) and I am in awe at how the Lord has provided. If you've ever read anything about love languages then you will understand when I say mine is "giving". I love to give gifts, bake bread and sweets (it is a stress release...you people who work out in the gym, go for it, I'd rather whip up a batch of cookies or bread!). So, the thought of a lean Christmas did not sit well with me. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/preparing-for-christmas Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:21:51 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/social-networking Have any of you tried social networking? Keeping up with friends and family with an online forum sounds like a wonderful thing. It is...in theory! I have been using social networks as a way to connect with business associates as well. This is really something that can eat away a huge amount of time, if I let it. I usually keep it to 15-30 minutes per day. Post a quick "what I'm doing" (do people really care)... and then read or check out some of the latest posts, add more contacts and join some groups. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/social-networking Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:06:29 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/thanksgiving-day What a wonderful week! We have had dinners at different locations and it was a time of reconnecting, laughing, great conversations, and of course eating. Thanksgiving Day was my turn to host an event. On that day everyone was in town. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/thanksgiving-day Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:32:42 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/thanksgiving-around-the-corner I feel like I picked up my head and it's Thanksgiving time...just http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/thanksgiving-around-the-corner Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:33:56 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/grace-talk-soup I had a great time with JoJo Tabares on her show, Grace Talk Soup. I was interviewed with a group of ladies for her upcoming Say What You Mean Convention. Communication is such an important part of our lives and JoJo "serves up" a portion on her live call in talk show. Best of all if you miss the event you can download the audio to listen to at a later date. If you want to hear some faith inspired interviews, join her on Thursday's at 11:00 EST or listen HERE http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/grace-talk-soup Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:42:05 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/the-contest-has-begun Sometimes I feel like I'm on a mission for God! I can't just read something and say..."Oh, that's too bad, people really shouldn't do that!" No...that's not how the Lord made me. In my younger years I use to get really upset and angry. Now, instead of anger, I ask the Lord, "What do you want me to do?" Many times I know I'm just to pray. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/the-contest-has-begun Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:15:25 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/post-election-prayers The people have spoken and the majority of the electorial votes have been counted. To say I am disappointed does not effectively describe my sentiments. I know that the leader of our country, our world, is in fact God, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. While I know this in my heart, my head is having a hard time coping with the news. The way I have dealt with this is by turning off the television and avoiding the internet news sites. Instead I have decided to reflect and pray. I am praying for wisdom and understanding. I am praying for fortitude. I am praying for strength. We Christians need to stand, unite, and be heard. We must be ready to do battle as the need arises. We must be willing to hear the Lord's gentle, still voice and be ready to serve. As for me and my house? We will continue to serve the Lord. We pray the Lord's blessings to all of you...and from the Gerwitz household, we send your family a hug. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/post-election-prayers Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:07:47 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/election-day Today is a day of fasting and prayer in the Gerwitz household. We are trusting in God in whatever he chooses for us. Of course I am praying that a pro-life candidate will be elected. Today is also the day that Jesse Whitlock called to tell me he is leaving immediately for Marine basic training in South Carolina! (He is Jill's youngest son). Please keep him in your prayers as this will be a tough time for him. Okay, so that sums it up...prayers all day...and trust. Isn't that what it's all about? http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/election-day Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:36:15 -0600 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/games-that-teach My children tease me by saying "You can take a teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the teacher out of my Mom!" And, they are correct...I find "education" everywhere. A simple trip to the supermarket can have us looking for foods that have a space theme... "Milky Way Bars," etc. Riding in the car? How about naming every noun you see, or the ABC game (taking turns naming store names and signs, and my favorite the state game. Here in Florida the winter months bring the flurry of winter visitors from up North with license plates from all over. So we keep a map of all 50-states and the children place marks on the states viewed and tally them once a month. I'm in the process of putting some of these games in e-book format and would love to have your input. If you have a fun learning game that doesn't take much preparation, let me know. Or if there is a particular subject-game you'd like to see, I'd love to know. You may email me at felice@mediaangels.com or email me just to say hi! I've got to run, kids want to play "big-step-little-step." More details to come! http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/games-that-teach Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:59:18 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/friends-along-the-way One of the best things about homeschooling is the friendships I've made with other parents who have turned out to be more than peers but truly friends for life. The same thing has happened to me in the homeschool publisher-author world. I've met so many people and made friendships, some only through correspondence. One such friend is Laurie Bluedorn of Trivium Pursuit. I met her many years ago and used her curriculum with my oldest children and will use it with my younger ones. It is my pleasure to offer you a special from her! Click here for more information, but this offer expires Oct. 17-19 so act now! http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/friends-along-the-way Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:32:59 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/third-creation-kids-online-class I am enjoying myself and I only pray that the children like the online class as well. Other than some minor technical issues (like the Internet connection going down ten minutes before class started) and having to switch to a remote connection... I think the class went well. This is a new forum for me. An audio presentation in a chat room, live! Only the administrators have the ability to talk but the children keep up with a lively chat. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/third-creation-kids-online-class Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:30:20 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/online-creation-kid-classes Today was the second presentation in the line-up of Creation classes for kids. I don't know about the children, but I had a great time. During the first class (Days of Creation) I wasn't sure what to expect, whether teaching via an internet chat-room with audio would be as dynamic as a "real" hands-on workshop. But, armed with my powerpoint slides and a headphone and mircrophone, I was determined to do my best. Not only did the first hour speed by, but before I realized the time we had been online for 2.5 hours! I didn't hear any of the children complaining...well, it helps when they can hear me and I can't hear them! Judging from the number of students still in the room when we ended not many had left and it was still full. Today I taught the children about Noah's ark, The Flood, and fossils. This class is unique because not only do we go through the Scriptures but we study what science...both Creation and Evolution teach about the events. The children learn not only the Creationist's perspective but also what Evolutionists teach about the fossil record. These classes have increased my faith! I invite all of you to teach your children about the wonders of God's awesome creation and I guarantee your life won't be the same! http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/online-creation-kid-classes Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:24:37 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/homeschool-fun I have a friend who says her pet peeve is people who call "learning fun". She claims that learning is work. Well, it is...but can't we have fun while we are working toward learning? I obviously think this is possible or I wouldn't have written the first book, Media Angels, Inc. published, Teaching Science and Having FUN! This book is currently in its 5th edition so I can say that other people also think this is a viable alternative, or the book wouldn't still sell. The great thing about resources is that you can pull them from the shelf when you need them and I have pulled this book out countless times. (Yes, I know I wrote the book, but I can't remember the email or website of a favorite science resource...or book name!) Teaching Science can become rote if we only use a textbook. We do, on occassion use a text but our reference of choice is a computer and the internet. While this can take time to narrow down good sites, once you have your tried and true websites the work is easy. I want to share a friend's blog, JoJo Tabares. Beginning on September 15, 2008 she is hosting fun teaching ideas on her site Communication FUNdamentals this will include countelss ideas, tips and places to go. If you have a fun idea, you can even submit it to JoJo and it may appear on her site. I want to remind you the countdown is on to get your ticket for the upcoming Creation Online Classes. For only $29.95 your entire family can enjoy the 6-classes. Many free downloads and door prizes at each event. For more information click on the online classes button. This will be the only class for 2008 so you won't want to miss out. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/homeschool-fun Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:46:37 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/organization Being organized goes against my nature. My mother-in-law is a wonderfully organized woman. She has laundry days, cleaning and dusting days and baking days. I use to joke if I had to get out of bed knowing that it was "cleaning day" I'd rather stay in bed. But, after homeschooling since 1986 and starting my own publishing business in 1994, something had to happen or my life would be chaos. I found that I can't live without lists. If I have it written down, even if I don't look at if often, it seems more real to me and I know it needs to get done. Of course if you lose the list (yes, I've done this more times than I care to mention), then you've defeated your purpose. This year that's what happened when I purchased an organzier book. I use to keep things in the calendar portion of my cell phone. I loved it! I didn't lose my phone and I could easily thumb through my schedule and double bookings were a thing of the past. But, I wanted to see everything on paper (like two months at once) and I liked the idea of having a daily to-do list in one place. Well, after consistently loosing the planner I had to reevaluate this idea. Now, I try to keep my planner in one of two places when I'm through using it. Tweaking a plan or schedule is a way of life around here. I have recently added a page on this website for organization. Without it I wouldn't be able to complete schooling, keep up with the normal day-to-day household chores and run a business. Which reminds me, I need to work on the class I will be teaching on Monday, to parents and students, LIVE! If you haven't downloaded the conference information, do so now. There will be a ONE DAY book special for this event. If you listen to the live audio presentation, you will receive a special gift. It will be a fun class filled with lively chat, information about the upcoming classes I will be teaching every Monday for 6 weeks, and best of all you will receive a free 72-page student book for free with your paid class sign-up. These events while fun to plan and execute do take time. That is why knowing how to keep your home organized does take a bit of planning, but take it easy and soon you too will have great pleasure in knowing you can check another thing off your list! http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/organization Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:27:36 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/labor-day Labor Day has been spent watching the paths of the hurricanes flanking the coasts of Florida on either side, (I'm happy to report that several weeks ago Tropical Storm Faye dropped lots of rain but little wind), smelling the delectable scents wafing from the kitchen downstairs, (my Italian father, a cook, lives with us...he's 77 but takes care of us more than we take care of him), and working. After all, isn't that what "labor day" is all about! I've been finishing the posts for the upcoming Creation Science seminar and letting everyone know about the FREE event that will take place on September 8th. For details click on the online classes link and tell all your friends. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/labor-day Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:20:35 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/the-second-day-of-school Day 2 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/the-second-day-of-school Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:34:59 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/end-of-summer Okay so it’s always summer in southwest Florida. But we marked our last day of “summer” before the new school year by heading to Ft. Myers, Beach for dinner. After eating pizza we walked along the boardwalk and then decided it was time for ice-cream cones before we walked along the beach waiting for the sunset. Anne, my ten-year old described the water was "chocolate milk” color and the small crest on the waves were the “whip cream.” The tropical depression, Faye, had churned up the waters so the normally pristine sand was dotted with seaweed clumps and the odd left-over from beach goers. Yet, we enjoyed the walk nonetheless. Sometimes marking an end and looking forward to a new beginning is as important to us as it is to the children. So, we looked forward to the new school year. After all, Ft. Myers Beach is only 20 minutes from our house! http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/end-of-summer Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:14:48 -0500 http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/welcome-on-august-2008 I'm just getting started with blogging. I usually feel I'm ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, but for some reason blogging wasn't one of those things I wanted to tackle. http://mediaangels.com/felices-blog/welcome-on-august-2008 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:37:50 -0500