It's that time again... time for another review for Eternal Encouragement and the Gabby Moms.
Honestly, this review is hard for me to do. I've spent the week ruminating on how I would write this review. I hope and pray that my words are encouraging and God honoring even though I really didn't like these products.
Lorrie Flem and her team at Eternal Encouragement sent me two mp3 files to download, listen to and review... Attitude Adjustments and Keys to a Queenly Castle. Each of these files is available as an mp3 file for $6.97 or a CD for $9.97 at www.eternalencouragement.com.
Both audios are recordings of Lorrie Flem teaching at a homeschool convention sharing her life lessons that she has gleaned being a wife to Randy and mother to 8. While she has experiences to share, I found her to be distracting at the beginning of both speeches because she sells herself and her product. Most of her products stand alone and do not need solicitation but because she is at a convention, she directs her listener to "the best curriculum in the vending hall today."
As I listened to Lorrie, I don't remember ever hearing her say "this is what has worked in my home." Instead, I got the distinct impression that she feels like she is teaching the only way to accomplish a particular goal. The concepts she teaches are Scriptural. However, sometimes a mom has to teach something 2 or 3 or even 10 different ways to her 2 or 3 or 10 different children.
Because both of these audios were recorded as workshops at conventions, there is some background noise and the audio isn't as clear as it would be if they were recorded in a studio. For me, this made them more difficult to listen to than other recordings or podcasts I have heard.
Lastly, the content of both audios seems to be a bit redundant. Not only does Lorrie repeat herself often, the subjects of each audio overlap in areas which leads to a feeling of deja vu.
I am sorry that this review is so negative. However, I felt like I was expected to give an honest review and honestly, I do not think either of these downloads are worth the price of $6.97/ea. Especially considering that in both audio sessions, Lorrie stressed she is doing this as a ministry and is not making money from her products.
**disclaimer... I was given these 2 free downloads for my honest review. I received no other compensation.
I enjoyed much of the content in these two audio recordings, but I was also a bit surprised to see that they were homeschooling conference recordings that hadn't been edited and cleaned up a bit, especially for the price. But Lorrie's concepts are really great and give me lots to consider for my own home!
ReplyDeleteJulieanne
fellow Gabby Mom
http://www.JoyInOurJourney.com
I didn't have any problems with the audio - maybe it helps to listen with earbuds/earphones instead of built-in speakers?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the honesty in your review. You did a good job clearly presenting the reasons that they didn't work for you. :)
ReplyDelete