Shutterfly photo book review

A few months back Groupon offered a custom 20 page hard cover photo book through Shutterfly for only $10. I love photo books especially since switching to a fully digital camera I rarely print out photos anymore and a photo book is a great way to get the best ones organized, printed and contained all in one place.

The problem is the price tags. If you've ever researched creating your own photo books you'd probably found, as I had, that they range about $30 and up for an 8x8 or smaller book. Get into larger books, fancier binding and additional pages and you'll get set back around a hundred dollars. I was excited on finally being able to get one at what seemed like a reasonable price.



I thought I was getting a really great deal when I went online and created a completely customized, beautiful book with a few additional pages and when I went to go check out I couldn't use the coupon. Because I'm a moron and was at Snapfish, not Shutterfly. Three hours were wasted and for about 2 weeks I just scrapped making one at all. But Groupon extended the expiration date so I figured I'd go ahead and do it.

Another three hours later I had a photo book plus 9 pages, not nearly as customizable as Snapfish. Shipping was almost $9 plus the extra pages, tax and such I still ended up paying about $30 for the book including the initial cost of the Groupon.

The binding is nice, the pages are clean but Shutterfly won't let you add more than 4 photos per page, the backgrounds aren't changable unless you change the entire design of the book, the font on each page is miniscule and finite in its type, size and location. The cover is limited to about 4 different sized photos that are mostly all square which makes rectangular photos cut off. I also couldn't tell it was faux wood grain printed on the cover since I couldn't zoom in. Not my first choice.

You also can't zoom in to the completed pages so I couldn't tell until it came that Alex is almost chopped off in one binding becasue the photo is too close to the edge and one photo of Cordelia has another photo piercing her head.

Because you can't change the size or layout of the photos I ended up with pages that had LOTS of blank space. If you look really closely under the birthday cake on the right page that little black line actually says "June". That's as large as it lets you make it. Yeah.

You also can't change the backgrounds. At all. When you add a new page you can't choose the background, which is how I ended up with a maroon page and a baby blue page right next to each other.

While I'm happy to have a book that outlines our entire 2010 year (or as much of it as I could fit in 4 photos a page) and it was nice to be able to easily access Facebook photos for addition to the book, I'm not really very happy with Shutterfly's editing options. Maybe next year Snapfish will have a Groupon.

Eat Right Cards - Product Review

I placed a fairly large homeschool supply order when we got our tax return this past February. I love going to Rainbow Resource for my school supplies. They have a great, enormous selection and free shipping with a $150 order (or sometimes less when they have a sale). I can get just about everything the local Lakeshore Learning store sells but at discounted prices. They even have bargain books, slightly damaged -usually it's just the cover that's a bit messed up, sometimes I can't even tell- for even less than the normal low price.

When I order from them it takes me at least a few days of perusing the store to find when I ultimately end up buying. I've been trying to get things that I can do with all the kids for science, history, geography, foreign language, social studies and the like so I just have to individualize math and language arts. Looking for stuff to suppliment our Health Science box I came across these Eat Right Cards.

Yesterday I pulled them out and we played two raucous games together. The kids loved seeing who's snack had the most "nutrition points" or "junk factor". They built meals in a go-fish-like game. And after, they played grocery store and restaraunt with them on their own.

From a parental point of view, they are a decent set of cards. I'm pleased with the kids enthusiasm over the game and also their ability to know what a healthy choice is. The meal building is a great way to teach balance considering my kids think eating all their peas at dinner is "enough" to earn a snack. These cards show in vivid color why it's not. I'd have liked to see a bit more variety and instructions on using them for vegetarian meals and more variety for the "meat" like legumes. They have complex instructions for "advanced" meal building with calorie counting and food measurements but are easily adaptable to younger kids.

Checking out the site http://www.eatrightcards.com/ they do have additional instructions and also a board game which looks like fun. Even for the suggested retail price of $5 (less than $4 on RR) this is a good addition to a health science curriculum that spans multiple grade levels.

Home School Signing

For our home school we have chosen to learn ASL for our second language. It has been a fun and rewarding addition to our education. The kids and my own. Amelia (and Max) have been exposed to signing since birth. Emmy knows roughly fifty to seventy signs. Alex is getting really good at finger spelling and reading. Livi and Cordi use signs to communicate with Emmy which eases some of the two-year-old frustrations she has.

Emmy almost never talks without at least signing a few things. Weeks ago, she fell off the bunk bed and had a mild concussion, the paramedics looked at me like I had three heads when I said "She's not signing!!!" Their response was "Oh, is she deaf?" which she isn't and they discredited her lack of signing but to me, signing goes hand and mouth with her communication skills and her lack of signing was a blaring signal to me something was very wrong. Thankfully, a few hours later both her verbal and signing speech returned.

Our preferred method of learning signs for the little ones is through the Signing Time DVD's.  these colorful, vibrant, musical movies bring signs to life. There are companion CD's, flashcards and books and even an iPhone app. They also have a downloadable free curriculum.

The songs are fun and wonderfully produced making them bearable for repeat play, which their sure to get. It's also totally adorable to see my 2 year old sign "signing time" when she asks to watch. Being able to clarify Emmy's imperfect baby speech by signing has be tremendously helpful to my sanity.

I've just started a signing program through Signing Online which is an online class. Fantastically priced at $50 per course (4 courses total), quick and well done mini movies of signing and cultural education of the Deaf community, Signing Online is a winner for home study. An extra $20 a course and you can receive CEC's nursing and teaching. I plan to finish out the four courses and then start Alex on them possibly next year.

If you're unfamiliar with the benefits of signing to young children, I encourage you to visit the links above and do your own research. Even if you don't pursue it as a second language or communication, signing can still be beneficial and fun.

Olivia signing "Doctor" and Cordelia signing "Bird"

Blog and Product props - Home-N-Stead

There have been a few blogs out there that really just grab my attention and nestled in with those are the great family over at Home-N-Stead. I found them while searching for homesteading links. They're a great big large family which I just adore.

They have some really cool kids. Nine homeschooled kids produced, edited and starred in their own DVD's. The trailer alone is enough to entice you to order. What wit and imagination! Dedicaiton and devotion! I'm waiting with baited breath for Indiana John to come out. It's really an inspiration to me and my kids that a little cooperation and hard work can make something so

fun. Speaking of cooperation, I'm also enlightened that this bunch work so well together, especially in a society that seems so eager to accept family seperation as the norm.

Heading over to the Home-N-Stead store I want to share my experience with their wonderful probiotic soap. This hand crafted soap has earned it's own permanent spot on our shelves. It rinses clean, is great for body and hair and lots of other practical uses. Cordelia, whom suffers from ecsema, has been able to use this soap exclusively with out any outbreaks! That in iteself is note worthy. I love being able to support other large families where and when I can, especially with things made from their hearts and hands.

Here's Emmy all Home-N-Stead soaped up

Their blog has a lot of great information on homesteading. The part of having the husband work at home for their home particularly got me and this is now a desire of mine. With our year long separation from Rob, I don't want to give his best part away anymore. Hopefully, within 5 or less years, we'll be able to fufill this dream. There's also really great information on building a home. These guys built from the ground up and all in the family had a hand. Total inspiration.

The forum is a great place to ask questions to many other like minded families. They have a great positive and supporting attitude. Overall, Home-N-Stead has a little bit for everyone. I hope you discover them and enjoy them as much as I have.