This is a sponsored review with Mums the Word Blogger Network and Blickenstaff’s. All opinions are my own.

As a homeschooling family, we spend A LOT of time together. So much, in fact, that sometimes I think we run out of things to say to each other. Sure, we discuss school stuff or world events or what’s going on in the latest video game, but sometimes by mealtime it seems a lot easier to just sit in front of the TV for a while. I’ll be honest, this bugs me. While there’s nothing wrong with bonding over your family’s favorite television show, sometimes it would be nice to have something new to talk about as a family.

For this reason, when I was approached to try out Blickenstaff’s High & Low Calendar, I jumped on it. This is a really neat little product. One part journal, one part decor, and one part family heirloom all wrapped up into one product, the High & Low Calendar ensures dinner won’t be the same old boring small talk, or a meal with Hulu.

With 52 pages, the High & Low Calendar is designed to use once a week during family mealtime, though since it is not printed with dates on it you could use it whenever it’s convenient for your family. Heck, you could use it every night if you want! On one side of the page it has space for everyone to write their name and the highs and lows they experienced during the week. This really gives everyone a chance to think back and appreciate the little moments in their week. On the other side is an extra question for everyone to think about and write their answers down. Things like, “what are your pet peeves,” and, “what is one thing you could change to be a better person?”

I’ll be honest, when I first presented this to my family, they thought it sounded hokey. But once I pressed the issue and forced it on them, we all really had a good time with it. The boys enjoyed thinking about new and different things, and it even gave us more opportunity to present real world teaching. Thanks to the calendar, we discussed moving to different states, politics, and we tried to look at the world through other people’s perspectives and understand what motivates them to make decisions that we might not make ourselves. Seriously, some deep stuff.

please ignore the dirty table, my child eats like a muppet :)

I really like this calendar. It offers thought provoking questions that I would never think of on my own. Also, it’s really, really pretty. I will happily leave it out where guests can see it (which means we will actually remember to go back and use it on a regular basis too). At first the idea of actually writing down the answers seemed daunting to me, but the kids really enjoyed having their own separate time to sit with it, think, and write their answers before we discussed. Also, when you order it, you will receive a tin to store it in, which will make it easy to take care of and look back on as the kids grow up.

The High & Low Calendar is $28 and comes with the calendar, canvas bag, and tin storage box. I think this is perfect for families with children about ten and over. My 9 year old “gets” it and enjoys it, the 7 year old does pretty well but I think a little older and he would enjoy it more. Because the questions are so universal, this could easily be used for families with teenagers and beyond. Some of the questions could be done with younger children as well, but there really are some I think might go over there heads. I enjoyed it so much, I think it would probably be fun just to do with a bunch of adults! Hmmm, maybe at a monthly girl’s night or book club? The possibilities are endless…