Another Mug of Joe for Hellboy Please

Here’s a couple of Hellboy coffee pics from the Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil comic published in 2010.

 

My Touch Counseling Method

I love the beginning to the show Touch starring Keifer Sutherland. It’s good to see him back in the reins after the end of the 24 television show. The way this boy thinks reminds me a lot about how I like to help my own clients, by putting together the puzzle pieces and the links that need to fit with one another.

Dave Ramsey Bashes Gourmet Coffee

I’m a huge Dave Ramsey fan. My wife and I went through his Financial Peace program shortly after we got married and it changed our lives. I recently went through it again, this time as a teacher. I noticed this little graphic in the workbook where it would appear that Dave is bashing my fave beverage of choice, but let me explain.

First off, most gourmet coffee that you’ll pay $5 for is swill, brown coffee-flavored juice, black tar, the offal of bad beans. You get the idea. You can easily pay $5 for this stuff at your local neighborhood chain coffee shop that has a few million locations all over. You know who I’m talking about. Don’t buy that stuff.

The other premise at play that Dave is really talking about is that if you don’t have the money, don’t buy any of it. Coffee isn’t important enough that you’re using a credit card to pay for it. Coffee isn’t important enough that you should be buying it if you’re in debt. That’s what Dave’s talking about…debt versus luxury items.

If you’re not in debt, but money doesn’t flow freely, there are better ways to enjoy a quality gourmet brew. Buy some really great beans from a quality roaster and brew your quality juice at home. You’ll have a much better coffee experience and you’ll save money.

Boomshakalock…there you go.

 

 

Homeschool Tips- Using Netflix for Education

Originally published in print in Parent News magazine…

There’s a lot of research both for and against using video and multimedia in education. You know what I think? I think that as a homeschool parent and de facto administrator of your school that you are best qualified to decide on your own. With that said, we use it a lot, and Netflix is a great resource for us.

Netflix has various plans available, but the instant play videos are the cheapest plan and provide more videos than you could ever use in school. The following is a sample list of videos we’ve used for school, although depending on the age group, your needs may vary.

1. Liberty Kids (animated series about the American Revolution)
2. God of Wonders (science documentary)
3. Sid the Science Kid (PBS animated series)
4. Creatures That Defy Evolution (series of science documentaries)
5. Leapfrog (animated series with various topics)
6. Walking with Prehistoric Beasts (a dinosaur series)
7. Blue’s Clues (the entire series is available)
8. National Geographic documentaries (there are a ton of these available on various topics)
9. VeggieTales (various movies that are great for teaching moral concepts)
10. Imax films (many of these are available)

This is just a short list. Feel free to explore on your own. You’ll be amazed at what’s available!

Reviewing Day of War by Cliff Graham & Mayorga Coffee

This is the inaugural debut of my new column Time to Relax, which is published monthly in print in Transitions magazine. It’s actually not a completely new column but a merger of my coffee and book reviews. I hope you enjoy…

 

A book review of Day of War by Cliff Graham

One of my favorite genres is historical fiction, especially that of a Biblical nature, but only if it’s well-written. Believe me, there are some really horrific novels out there that claim to be in that particular genre, but really come off as more of an attempt at fantasy or speculative fiction.

Good historical fiction makes dry facts and figures come to life. It makes the historical accounts believable and gives them feeling and emotion, which they so completely lack in the history books. Good Biblical fiction is the same. It helps us see the Biblical characters and stories in a more personable light. I really enjoy reading Biblical fiction alongside the same accounts in the Bible. Between the two I can get a very real understanding of the Biblical text.

So what makes good historical fiction? It has to be researched. Writing off the cuff without putting in the legwork presents a cheap flat view of things. Well-researched writings in regard to the actual incidents, true facts, and various historical interpretations of the facts create a truly compelling and educational text.

The single best historical novel I read this year was Day of War by Cliff Graham. It details the account of David and his mighty men from the Bible passages found in the books of Samuel and Chronicles. I have a certain affinity for these texts because both myself and my two eldest boys are named after David and two of his mighty men Abishai and Benaiah. Because of that, I’m highly interested in learning more about them.

This book is among the best Biblical fiction books I’ve ever read.  The level of description in the text and the willingness to describe unsavory battle scenes and life as a warrior rank unmatched. Most people assume a book written from Biblical accounts has to gloss over anything unsavory. Not true. God didn’t do that in the Bible. We don’t have to do it in fiction.

Because of my interest in the author and his writing I’ve checked out his story a little further. He meticulously researched the topic, the scenes, and the people involved. I’ve seen videos of him visiting the sites in Israel mentioned in the book. He talks at length in interviews about his research and heart for the subject matter. His resume as a writer also goes far beyond the ability to type. Graham is a warrior himself, having served with distinction in the United States Army as a Chaplain.

If historical fiction or Biblical fiction are among your interests, I would highly recommend Graham’s book and the soon to be published sequel to it. Great news as well…there’s a movie in the works based on this book!

A little taste of Mayorga Coffee

Going on the premise that if you have time to read, that you also have the opportunity to enjoy a good cup of coffee, I’d like to recommend one to you. I ran into the Mayorga Coffee tasting crew at Costco. The guys were super nice, and when I contacted the company to talk, the excellent customer service extended there as well.

They sent me three big bags to try out- Cafe Cubano, Roastmaster’s Blend, and Nicaragua El Recreo Estate. All were very excellent. I do have to say that my favorite was the Nicaraguan coffee. There was a hint of toasted almonds in it that went well with my method of sweetening my brew with honey, like liquid honey almonds in my mouth. It’s also a medium roast, which I tend to enjoy more than the darks. I also have a certain affinity for single origin coffee. This one comes from an identified estate that is also Rainforest Alliance Certified.

You can find their coffees at Costco and also at mayorgacoffee.com. A couple of cups would make a great addition to a sit-down time with an awesome book.

Homeschool Tips- The Juppy Baby Walker

I’m a huge proponent of the concept of lifelong learning. I’m 37 years old with six college degrees, and I still take classes, read, and open myself up to knowledge every chance I get. Along with the same thought that you’re never too old to learn, I also believe you’re never too young to learn. After all, isn’t that what parenting is all about? We start teaching our kids from day one how to fend for themselves and gradually work toward independence.

For my wee lads, my three feral boys, as I often refer to them, I’ve always been willing to try new methods or products to teach them everything they need. My youngest boy, who is just shy of 11 months old, recently started making overtures toward bipedal locomotion (walking) about the same time I was asked to review the Juppy Baby Walker. Perfect timing!

The Juppy Baby Walker is a sling-like device that not only helps your baby learn how to walk, but helps the parent as well. I liked that. A lot of products help the kids, but never consider the ease of use or helpfulness for the parent. You basically put the Juppy on your baby, lengthen the slings so that you’re not bending down, and then follow him around as he explores.

Most people teach their kids to walk by walking with them, all hunched over, holding their poor little arms up. This could hurt you or the baby. The Juppy is awesome because it keeps you away from a back injury, helps your child learn to walk faster, and also keeps you from yanking their shoulder or elbow out when they fall. Also, with the Juppy, their hands and arms are free to help balance and learn to walk as they naturally should.

I even filmed a video as part of my personal product testing…

As you can see, my wee lad is doing pretty good on both hard and carpeted surfaces and the transition to and from each. At 10 months old, he’s ready to take off. He had so much fun with it that he would try to dance in it as well as walk. The Juppy worked very well, and I’d highly recommend it as the main method of walking instruction and as a first step in educating your kids the right way with the best product available.

You can check out the Juppy Baby Walker even more at their website and also order direct from them.

Combat Coffee from Generation Kill

Here’s a nice coffee scene from episode 5 of the Generation Kill mini-series titled A Burning Dog.

The series was pretty cool, closely following the book by the same name. If you want a realistic look at the early days of the Iraq War, check this one out. It’s so crazy! As an added bonus, Alexander Skarsgard, better known as Eric the Vampire from True Blood, plays a superb recon Marine

Homeschool Tips- Math-U-See Offers Pure Math Awesomeness

Originally published in print in Parent News magazine…

In the few short years since we started homeschooling our wee lads we’ve gone through several curriculums for pretty much every subject. This isn’t a problem though, because it’s simply the best way to find the perfect fit for you as a teacher and for your children as students. A perfect fit for both equals enhanced learning and increased knowledge retention.

Our perfect fit for math education is the Math-U-See program. We actually visited their booth at a homeschool conference and fell in love with it immediately. The Math-U-See system is based on blocks, which are very similar to Lego blocks. They stack. They fit together. They help make learning math easier and way more fun for my boys. Aside from the blocks, the system also uses videos and manuals to enhance their leaning. The videos are very well produced and my son enjoys them as well.

Abishai is just now starting his second year of Math-U-See curriculum. I don’t know if not enjoying math education is something written into the genes of most kids, but he used to hate it. Now he really likes it, and we don’t have to pull out the red pencil to mark up his tests as much.

If you haven’t found that perfect fit for math curriculum yet, I’d highly recommend trying Math-U-See. It works great and is very affordable. You can check it out at www.mathusee.com or feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

PS…The photo that was used with the article was taken by my friend Ryan Smith. She’s a pretty awesome photographer and snapped this at our church.

Tired, but In a Good Way

I’m a little tired as I get ready to enter an overly busy weekend. I’m tired, but in a good way.

Here’s a recap of the past day and a half.

Wake up and make breakfast for my two oldest boys (7 and 4).

Teach a Leadership class to the City of Myrtle Beach (SC) for The Kegler Group, a pretty spiffy consulting/training organization that I freelance for.

Walk to lunch at California Pizza at The Market Common, a super swanky live/work/shop area that I’d kill to live at.

Run by the house to play with the boys. My 3yo wanted me to get him enough rope to tie his brother to a tree. Of course, I happily obliged.

Over to the office to check e-mails and assault a stack of paperwork.

Have a second coaching session with a new client. I love this guy! He’s one of the rare clients that really wants to work hard on doing something better.

Supper and playtime with the kids.

Work on a couple of new contracts for mindmapping.

Watch the first 2 episodes of The Pacific and the last 2 episodes of Birds of Prey with my wife.

Read a little…2 professional journals, 3 golf magazines, and 2 chapters of Storybranding.

Bedtime!

Wake up and make breakfast for my two oldest boys (7 and 4).

Worked a few hours on my dad’s remodeling business.

Lunch at home with my 3 feral boys and wife. She’s not feral, just the boys.

Did a modeling shoot in my kilt with my beard prominently displayed.

Back to the office for a final assault on the pile o’ paperwork.

Write a blog about my…

Bees Like Honey in Their Coffee

Here’s a little coffee scene from The Bee Movie starring Jerry Seinfeld as the erstwhile litigous arthropod.