Never Forget

Track and Field

As if we didn't have enough sports to do, we added track and field for 3 of the girls this summer.

We went to our first track meet last weekend. I had been warned to be prepared for organized chaos, but I'm not sure one can be fully prepared for the craziness that is a track meet.

Unbroken: Legacy of Faith Edition from FishFlix.com Review

I was recently given the opportunity to watch and review Unbroken: Legacy of Faith Edition from FishFlix.com. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to see the Unbroken movie, and I was fairly certain that The Boy would also want to see it. Not only did we receive the DVD Unbroken, but we also received the Legacy of Faith DVD with bonus content. About FishFlix.com FishFlix.com is a Christian movies store. This site seeks to provide families with the opportunity to purchase quality family-friendly, Christian movies on DVD. I love that this is available since I'm always looking for movies that I feel comfortable with our whole family watching. Some of the categories of movies available include:

• Apologetics and Creation
• Biblical Movies
• Biography
• Christian Living
• Christmas Movies
• Comedy
• Documentaries
• Educational
• Sports Films

They also have 2 categories for those who are cheap thrifty like I am - $5 Christian DVDs and Bargains. In addition to that, they offer free shipping for orders over $35.

About Unbroken: Legacy of Faith Edition

If you're not familiar with the movie Unbroken, this Oscar-nominated movie was directed by Angelina Jolie and tells the story of Louis Zamperini. After competing in the Berlin Olympics and having a personal meeting with Adolf Hitler who was impressed with his fast running, Zamperini joined the US Air Force, serving during World War II. His plane crash-landed in the Pacific Ocean during a rescue mission, and he spent 47 days drifting on a life raft before being rescued by the Japanese, who put him in a prison camp. For the remainder of the war, he endured the torture and torment of the prison camp.

Legacy of Faith is a 90+ minute DVD containing bonus footage of the life of Louis Zamperini. While the Unbroken movie briefly mentions the deal he made with God while drifting on the raft, Legacy of Faith focuses on Zamperini's Christian faith. It includes

• An exclusive CBN interview with Zamperini
• An inspirational message from the Billy Graham Evangelical Association and Zamperini
• Pastor Greg Laurie's interview with Zamperini

What We Thought

It is no surprise that Unbroken was nominated for several Oscars and won other awards including AFI's Movie of the Year. This movie is phenomenal! 

I originally planned for just The Boy and me to watch, but eventually all of the girls wandered into the living room and settled in. I was concerned about some of the scenes being too intense for the younger girls, but the girls handled them well and it provided many opportunities for us to discuss the horrors of war. There is one particular scene where Zamperini is being physically and mentally tormented by one of the Japanese guards; while it is possibly the most difficult scene in the entire movie to watch, it also shows the strength and courage of Zamperini. I was able to talk with the small people about staying strong through difficult circumstances.

The best part of the Unbroken: Legacy of Faith edition is the bonus content on the Legacy of Faith DVD. Learning about Zamperini's journey to a relationship with Christ and how he was able to forgive his tormentors was motivating. 

You can find out more about FishFlix.com on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishflix
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christiandvd
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fishflix/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fishflix/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/familychristianmovie

Happy Birthday, Wonder Twins!

The twins are now 12 years old. They didn't have a typical birthday day. We spent the entire day at a track meet.

Ballerina wanted to celebrate her birthday by visiting the state museum, so we took one of her friends with us there earlier in the week. It was a lot of fun!

WordsBright Review

Sassy is finishing up her first grade year, and she has really taken off in her reading abilities. It's always fun to find books that are at her reading ability as well as having positive concepts. I was given the opportunity to review such a book - S is for Smiling Sunrise from WordsBright.

He's HOW Old??

Today is The Boy's birthday. Fifteen years ago today, God blessed me with a red-haired, happy baby boy.

Since he is 15 today, I took him this morning to the Department of Motor Vehicles to take his written test to get his permit. Thankfully, he passed! I even let him drive part of the way home from the DMV.

When did I become old enough to have a child who can drive?? In my mind, he's still that chubby-faced little boy.

A+ Interactive Math Review

Math is one of those subjects that I truly believe you can never have too much practice in. One thing I've learned is that, even with the best math curriculum, my small people still sometimes need to close learning gaps in their math education. I was very excited to be able to review the Adaptive Placement Test and Individualized Lesson Plan from A+ Interactive Math.