Hello from Crazy Mom!!!

It has dawned on my that I haven't posted any "personal" posts in quite so time, so I just thought I'd take a moment to say hello!

I know I have a lot of new readers, so I thought I'd tell you a little about myself.  Well, first of all I am a Christian.  :)  I am also a homeschooling mom of eight.  Well, technically a homeschooling mom of only seven as I graduated my oldest son, First Born, last year.  He is currently in Africa on a two month mission trip. 

I have five other boys,  Renaissance Man, who is one of those kids who is good at everything.  Music. Sports.  Computer Programming.  You name it, he can do it.  Well, not keep his room clean or get himself up in the morning, but pretty much anything else!  LOL

Mr. Personality is my social one.  He love to talk about just about anything, but he likes to go for those "forbidden" topics you are not supposed to bring up in polite conversation.  Yes, religion and politics!  LOL

Woggit is my not-so-social one.  He hates attending large events and would rather curl up with a good book or play on the computer if only he wouldn't keep getting grounded off of it for going on it before doing his chores.

Dode Man is all energy.  The kid never stops moving.  He's ten and quite a handful, but a real lovable little guy.

Baber is my youngest child.  He is adorable.  He has no intention of blending into the background, and is very adept at making his opinions known.

Then there are the two sweet girls, Princess and Bear.  They are both girlie and I love it.  They are both far better homemakers than I am and are even learning to sew.  :)

I am just a very ADD, disorganized gal who tried so hard to keep it all together but hasn't quite figured it all out.  I am married to Sane Man and he puts up with me, thank goodness!

We all live together in a small house with one bathroom.  Yes, it's crazy, but I wouldn't want it any other way!

New Review!!! Graphics Toolbox!

 Check out my welcome post here.

 

About the product/service:  As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free download of Graphics Toolbox for the purposes of this review.  According to their website, "Graphics-Toolbox® is a powerful, multi-purpose graphic software program used by people of all ages. Students, hobbyists and professionals alike enjoy using the fast and easy tools to create expert results for their daily graphics needs."
Here are just some of the things Graphics Toolbox can do:

• personalized cards and invitations
• science diagrams
• photo editing
• posters and business flyers
• photo cartoons
• scrapbook pages
• blog headers and buttons

What are the pros of this product?  This is a very versatile program and does a TON of cool things.  I can't think of anything it can't do graphics wise.  Take photo editing, for example.  If you don't like the color of your shirt in a picture, you can change it.  (Or maybe get rid of those crows feet! LOL) Want to add a frame or text to a photo?  You can.  Would you like to take a pic of your family and then make it look like you are in Egypt in front of the pyramids or on a glacier in Alaska?  No problem! 

Also, if you get overwhelmed, you can get personal one-on-one online training for $65 per hour.  If you don't need (or can't afford) the one-on-one training, you can also watch tutorials on the Graphics Toolbox website. 


What's not to like?  It's very detailed, and there is so much you can do.  You might become overwhelmed, especially if you're over 30!  LOL 
Also, I have to say, the cost is a bit much.  I honestly don't have the money for things like this, and since most homeschoolers are single income families, money tends to be tight.  However, for a family that is into art or graphics, this could well be worth the money. 

The Crazy Mom take:  I think I'm really slowing down with age.  I worked my little heart out on this and learned a lot, but I never got the point where I could pull it all together to make something worthy of posting here on my blog.  (I still have high hopes of creating a new blog header.)  I would have had my kids figure it out, but they are already familiar with several other programs, many of them free, that do much the same thing.  They just were not motivated to want to learn a new program.

One of my sons, Ren, does a lot of graphic work for our church.  Another, Woggit, loves to manipulate photographs.  He's done all kinds of cool stuff with other programs.  All of the software they use is free.  I honestly have to say that when looking at this, I didn't see anything Graphics Toolbox could do that they weren't already doing.  This doesn't mean that it doesn't have features other programs don't, it just means that I don't know of any features it has that we don't already have here as part of another program.  (Wow, that was a long sentence.  Sorry!)  I'm just not familiar enough with these kinds of programs to make an honest comparison. 

I guess for us, this is not something I would lay the money out for.  Like I said, I have a son who is really into graphic design and he uses other programs he has downloaded off the Internet for free that serves his purposes just fine.  However, I'm no expert, and to be honest neither is he.  So, for our family, it might not be something we really need, but for another family, it just might be perfect.  The only way to know is to check it out yourself!


 
What's the bottom line? $149 - 1 User License Discount for 2+ users

I am going to give Graphics Toolbox 3 out of 5 smileys!!!

Check it out! http://www.greatsoftwaretools.com/

See what my fellow TOS Crew members have to say @
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HomeschoolCrew/769911/  



*The Smiley System: 

I can't really recommend this product.

 I doubt this product would be helpful to many people.
 This is a good product, but isn't right for everyone.
 Most homeschool moms will find this useful.
 This is great, and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

Disclaimer!!!  I reviewed this product because I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.  I was given the product by the vendor to use and evaluate in my home so that I might share my insights with others.  Other than receiving the product, which I kinda have to to be able to assess the product, I am not compensated for my reviews in any way.  I am in no way obligated to give a positive review.  I do try to point out negatives when I see them, though I am admittedly a pretty easy going gal!  What you read are my honest assessments of the products I receive. 

As with all products, you must do the research before buying.  Please visit the the other crew members' blogs, the vendor websites, and any other review sites you might find before buying.  I can't guarantee that a product will work for you.  You must decide what will fit with your teaching style, and your child(ren)'s learning style(s).  I do not judge anything other than the educational value of the products I review.  I am not qualified to make judgements as to the safely of any product, and I make no guarantee that the products I review are safe for you, your family, or anyone else.  I am simply giving my opinion; only you know what is best for you and your family.

Don't use your blow dryer while you sleep or take a bath.  Don't read my reviews in the tub either, and please do not read them when you are asleep, though I do not guarantee that you won't fall asleep reading them!

Copyright 2010 Ramblings from the Crazy House