Why do I love being on the Homeschool Review Crew?

About a year and a half ago, my good friend Brenda Prince over at Counting Pinecones, told me she was reviewing homeschool curriculum, and that it was something that I might consider doing. At first I thought there is NO WAY I could do that since I had never really reviewed much of anything. She told me that I needed to get started on a blog, which I had already considered doing, and make a post once a week. That sounded simple enough so I thought, "Why not?", and ABC's and Sweet Tea was born.

Here I am at the end of my first year on the crew and reflecting back, I have realized that this has been a HUGE blessing to us. When I started homeschooling, I tried to utilize as many free options as I could since we didn't have a lot of extra money to put into it. It is very possible to do this, but it does take a lot of time and effort. After applying to be on the crew, I knew that it was going to be fun, and that I might get some cool things here and there, but I don't think I realized JUST what an awesome opportunity it would be for us. Let me tell you, when I received that first package in the mail, I was so excited. As time went on, I had the opportunity to review some pretty awesome products that included not only curriculum, but also games, art supplies, educational websites, and more!

By the end of the Crew year, I will have done 55 reviews! 55 opportunities to review products that I might have never heard of had it not been for the Crew. Some of these I could have never been able to afford had it not been for the Crew. So, being a part of this fabulous team of people has been a true blessing!

There were reviews that I absolutely loved and some that just didn't work for our family. There were some that I knew we needed, and some I found that I needed and didn't even know it until I used it.

One review that sticks out because it was such a blessing to our family was the Forbrain. This product was right at $300. It would have been a luxury to own this awesome piece of equipment, but because I was able to review it, Edyn has gotten to use it over and over again. It is such a treasure for her since she has ADD and has a lot of trouble focusing while reading.

Another huge blessing for us was the Lifetime Membership to NotebookingPages.com. I had literally wanted a membership for this for so long, but couldn't justify spending the extra money for it. Well again because of the Crew, I got not only a membership but will be able to use it FOREVER!

One vendor that really surprised me was Heirloom Audio. I have had the privilege of reviewing 3 of their awesome audio adventures!! The Dragon and the Raven, Beric the Briton, and The Cat of Bubastes were all amazing. The funny thing is, I would have never dreamed that I would like that kind of story. After listening to them, they have really become one of my favorite reviews.

And guys, those are only 3 out of the 55...I honestly could go on and on with Veritas Press, Grapevine, IEW, and more and more.

I am just so happy, thankful, and blessed that I have been able to be a part of such a great group of people. It's not only about reviewing products, because there's so much more to it than that. It's about the friends I've made, and the lessons I've learned being a part of the Crew. It's about being able to go to the forum and ask these awesome people for advice or even prayer, and know they are there for you.

Are you a homeschool blogger? Would you want to be a part of this awesome team? If you think that you would be interested, you can read through the Crew requirements HERE.

If you're interested in applying, then click the banner below! You won't regret it!