Come see the ALL NEW fiveinarow.com !

Come see the unveiling of the all new fiveinarow.com !

We have an all new website that now houses everything about Five in a Row! Product information, the forums, the new blog, and more!

We have a really great FREE gift we’re offering to all blog subscribers, so you’ll want to take a sec to subscribe over there, so you can get in on that! It’s really easy and  definitely worth it!

We won’t be writing on this blog anymore, but we’ve moved all of our content over there so you can still find your favorites.

Come on over!

Great deal we wanted to share!

I know it’s been a bit quiet around here as I’m trying to give everyone the space to be enjoying your Christmas season with those precious treasures God has given you.  Are you purposing to slow down and rest in the wonder of this celebration season?

Today, though, I wanted to pop in and share a great deal you won’t want to miss!

The Magic School Bus: The Complete Series is on sale at Amazon right now!

These are a perfect complement to many of the Five in a Row science lessons, and having them on hand is a great way to be able to be ready at any moment!  It’s also a great way to learn on sick days or in the car!

(There is an evolutionary bent to them, but that doesn’t crop up in most episodes and always provides a great platform for discussing why you believe what you believe.  Five in a Row is not affiliated with Magic School Bus or Scholastic in any way, nor do we claim to agree with every word presented in the product.)

 While I have you, I’ll share that we’re working on a few other big things that you will be so excited to see very soon! And in January I’ll get right back on the series about using each of the three levels of Five in a Row… complete with guest posts, planning tips, co-op ideas and more!

Disclaimer: Five in a Row Publishing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn small advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We do this because it gives us permission to link to their website, and that’s the easiest way to share products with you! We aren’t trying to get you to buy products for our benefit! 

What Joy Comes Back to You?

Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart’s possessing
Returns to make you glad.

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Find more of Jane’s favorite poetry in Five in a Row Holiday, Through the Seasons… on SALE through December 8!

Choosing to slow down

My husband has been reading a book called  Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. At times Steve has shared some of what he has read with me, and a passage he read last night really caught my imagination and set me to thinking overtime about the subject of anticipation and reflection.

Dr. Swenson suggested that in the hurried, overloaded pace of life that many of us are negotiating, we have lost both the lovely sense of anticipation and the contented art of reflection. Because we move so rapidly from one activity to another, we don’t relish the waiting for a special event. The author talked about a family vacation he announced eighteen months in advance. Then he wrote about how much fun he and his family had planning various aspects of the trip, learning about places they would go, and just looking forward to the time they would spend together.

In a like manner, he suggested that afterwards the trip would be talked about. In days and months and years to come family members would spend time telling various stories and recalling incidents, enjoying scrapbooking the pictures that had been taken, and generally making specific time to reminisce about how wonderful the trip had been.

Do these ideas inspire you? They inspired me to think about the entire subject of anticipation. How can I, for myself as well as my family, learn to slow down enough to develop a sense of anticipation? How do I remove myself from the rat race long enough to have time to enjoy anticipating?

It seems to me that even though we sometimes have to move quickly through life, I think the answer lies in our basic mindset. Developing a sense of peace amidst the windy-ness and stormy-ness of life is essential. If we can stay at peace inside, moving with wisdom and calmness no matter what is happening on the outside…we will be able to quietly anticipate and then quietly look back in enjoyment. If we can accomplish this peaceful demeanor then we can begin to lead our family in it, also.

The same is true for time spent reflecting on special occasions, small incidents that were meaningful, a beautiful flower we noticed or a kind deed done by one of our children to another. Time to reflect…It’s not easy if we don’t develop the habit. If we race distractedly from one thing to another, the enjoyment over each specific event or moment will be lost in the shuffle.

After considering these ideas, I am trying to calm down enough (at least on the inside) to make more time to ponder, to reflect upon: how wonderfully an event went, how nice it was to be served in the restaurant, how meaningful a friend’s gift, how well written a poem or story. Beautiful ponderings, these arts of anticipation and reflection!

As we begin this Advent season, this waiting, purpose to enjoy this time with a quiet heart. Make choices to slow down and share with your children that you are doing so. Teach them to enjoy a season of rest and waiting as children and watch them begin to appreciate the sweet gift of joy in the little things!

Choose to slow down this season!

Disclaimer: Five in a Row Publishing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn small advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We do this because it gives us permission to link to their website, and that’s the easiest way to share products with you! We aren’t trying to get you to buy products for our benefit! 

Five in a Row Holiday… Entire Book Available and pdf Sample for Viewing!

Five in a Row Holiday – Through the Seasons is truly a set of units you will not want to miss, so I mentioned it to you last week.  I truly did not do it justice, nor did I provide you with enough information.  Knowing that it’s hard to get your hands on an out of print book that is only sold via digital format, I want to share quite a few more details.

It offers so many suggestions and ideas for all ages, we’d never expect you to do them all in one year. Choose just a few this year! Each unit also includes combinations of traditions and recipes, history, book and/or movie suggestions, quotes, decorating ideas, calendar pages for recording important dates, pages for recording your own memories, traditions, or favorite recipes! (Each unit offers a varied combination and amount of those things.)  I also have to say, these are not things you will be finding on Pinterest as you are looking to create your own family holiday heritage!  These are simple, refreshing ideas that require little planning but offer great reward!

Previously out of print, Five in a Row Holiday – Through the Seasons is now available in small digital sections.  Each Five in a Row Holiday unit includes the cover image and introduction, the chapter contents specific to that time of year, blank calendars, family notes pages and the index for the book in its entirety! Jane Claire and Becky Jane Lambert team up to bring you this delightful treasury of holiday activities, recipes, and memories that will enrich whichever holiday you are celebrating at the time.  I love that they even chose the holidays that often get lost in the shuffle! Different from our manuals in that it isn’t designed to be used with a specific children’s book each week, Holiday is by far Five in a Row’s most personal, intimate book.

Here are the holidays covered in each unit:

January/February: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day

March/April: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Arbor Day

May/June: May Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day

July/August: Independence Day and a special Birthdays section full of great ideas for treasure your loved one on their special day!

September/October: Labor Day, Columbus Day

November: Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving

December: Christmas

You asked, and we listened! Click to view the FIARHolidaySample.

Remember, this pdf is a sample of the entire book, not of an individual unit.  I believe it gives you enough of an idea to know that it is a book you’ll want in your digital library!

Each of the individual units is available HERE for $6 each.

Now we’re offering the book in its entirety for $34… that’s over a 20% savings when purchased as a complete book!  In addition, because we want you to enjoy these ideas even for this Christmas and New Year’s, we’re offering you a deal!

Through December 8, 2012 purchase the Five in a Row Holiday – Through the Seasons complete book for $5.00 off- that’s just $29 total! 

(Add to cart to see discount.)

Merry Christmas!

(I know using a blog post in conjunction with our website isn’t the traditional way we have you shop, but we’re in the middle of some technology transitions, and I didn’t want to wait any longer to make this available to you! I apologize for any inconvenience.)