27 Mar 2018

The Prayer Bible

by | posted in: Bible, Books | 1

Raise your hand if you have more than 10 Bibles in your house?  We do…and we’ve even purged so many!  What do you do with Bibles you don’t need/want anymore?

(This post is sponsored by Tommy Nelson. All thoughts are my own.)

Well, I have a new Bible to give to yall today.  Its called The Prayer Bible and Tommy Nelson put it out this Spring.  I think it is a good one for you to share with your school age son or daughter.  The cover is neutral so it can be for either a boy or a girl.  I know that is a secondary topic, but Bible covers are important! 🙂

It is a thicker Bible, but its hardback, so it would be durable.  I think it would be more for one your child could use as they learn to do their quiet time.  Maybe you could teach your child to have their quiet time in their room, and then discuss their thoughts and readings with them.  This Bible offers many devotionals and Q/A about prayer.  I’ve not read every single article, but they ones I read were really good and great for a school-age mind.  Especially as they are starting out in their faith (hopefully) and learning how to pray.

A good tool in this Bible is the Prayer Article Index in the front.  If your child is struggling with something in particular, they can read one of these articles.  I wish the articles were listed by topic and not by title, but they would always be good to read.  There is a verse topic index in the back. That’d be great if you are trying to teach your child what the Bible says about a variety of topics: like happiness, wisdom, and obedience.  You really want to get to a point with teaching your child to understand the Scriptures that you aren’t just pulling out a verse, but i know you don’t always have time for an expositional sermon when talking with your kids.

Come along side your kids when they are learning to read the Bible and to pray.  Its going to be a great adventure for your faith, their faith, and y’all’s relationship.

If you want this Bible, Tommy Nelson has one for you, just leave a comment on the blog to be entered.

21 Mar 2018

Growing Kids with Character

by | posted in: Books, parenting | 0

Ad.  Book from Litfuse Publicity Group for honest review.

Most people right now are thrilled with personality tests. It started out with simple ones, and has moved to complex ones.  My favorite is the Enneagram.  I’m a three with a 4 wing.  What are you?

Hettie Brittz, in her book Growing Kids with Character, delves into parenting and shepherding your children based on their personality types.  This is a simple way of talking about her book.

I didn’t think it would be that.  But, it is what it is. I checked out her personality types and didn’t really see my boys on the grid, so honestly, I didn’t read the rest.  But, I read the first two chapters and loved her thoughts about God being a present gardener who attends to his children.  And how we can attend to our children, especially in their formative years.

Maybe you know someone who would benefit from reading this book.  I think every parenting book is a good place to start, to read, to be encouraged from.  Even if it is just one sentence!

21 Mar 2018

The Turquise Table

by | posted in: Books, lavish hospitality | 1

 

We have a picnic table.  When we moved into our home here in East Georgia, my in-laws purchased it for us, my husband stained it while our boys were running around him.  Its not painted turquoise.  And its in the backyard.

Now, before you hate, hear me out.

Hospitality is part of my heart.  Not just having people over to eat good food, but more to get to know their hearts, shower them with grace, and help them to feel welcome and loved.

I’ve always had a heart for hospitality because that is what I was shown from others while growing up and in college.  Whether we had a feast or just nuts and water sitting on a barstool in the kitchen…hospitality was a sense of belonging.

So, when I went through a period of my adult life when I felt like I didn’t belong at all, I craved to be able to show hospitality to others, to give to others what I was missing.  And it has stuck with.  And I’m glad.

Kristin Schell, who wrote the Turquoise Table, is a blogger and a cook, and a wife and a mom, and a Texan.  This book reads like her blog posts, with cute pictures, good recipes, and winsome conversation style writing.  She tells the story of how the Turquoise Table phenomenon came to be and the relationships that have been formed over the table in her own yard.

If you are looking for a pretty book with a good message, and an easy read, then pick this up.  The hospitality conversation has so many facets to it. This is just one.  And don’t feel bad if you don’t have a Turquoise Table. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have a front yard (she tells of some stories in the book of how people have taken the idea and made it to fit their lifestyle).  Don’t feel bad if you never sit out in your front yard.

One of my greatest desires is to sit down to meaningful conversation with good food.  And I can do this on our back deck, at a coffee shop, or at our newly chalk-painted table.

Kristin’s heart is hospitality.  Show welcomeness to everyone – no matter where you do it.  And if you need a cute Turquoise Table, go get one!

 

11 Mar 2018

Gospel-Centered Mom

by | posted in: Books | 0

(I received this book from Blogging For Books.  All thoughts are my own.).

Books for moms can be such helpful reads.  Believe me, go look at any bookstore and there are plenty to choose from.  For me, books on motherhood can be a source of mentoring or it can just be fluff that I don’t glean much from.

I would put Gospel-Centered Mom right in the middle.  I was hoping that it would be more, that I would find it to be one of the best mom books out there, but it fell short of that.

I did think that Brooke, who is a mother of boys like I am, gave plenty of real life and she didn’t sugar coat motherhood for anyone.

She gave good ideas to help when times get “hard to handle”.

I think for me it was more personal story, almost like a memoir.  I want more Gospel truth, less personal story.  Or some kind of balance there.  And for me it wasn’t balanced enough.  Though, what she said in the way of Gospel was spot on.  She wasn’t saying that we should always seek a break in parenting and she wasn’t saying that we can do it all.  She was saying that we need Jesus.  And so do our kids!

 

1 Mar 2018

The Saturday Night Supper Club

by | posted in: Books | 0

Food.  Books.  Two of my loves of my life.  And this book is a great combination of both worlds.

Tyndale House sent me this book as part of their blog review program.  And the book by Carla Laureano is one of my favorite reads this year!

It is a fictional story of a chef, an essayist, and dinner parties.  Food and time together is a perfect setting for love to blossom.  I mean, my own relationship with my husband started over a 4 hour dinner.

I loved Carla’s characters, dialogue, setting in Colorado.  I had just read a book with a similar story line, but the romance without the sex in this Christian fiction was much better.

If you like food, dinner parties, and romance fiction, this is definitely the book for you.

This would be a perfect book to read with a book club.  Have dinner.  Drink some wine or just coffee…and talk about the book.  There are even discussion questions in the back of the book.  And her next one is due our next spring!  Can’t wait!

 

 

27 Feb 2018

Our Favorite February Read Alouds

by | posted in: Books, Kids r Readers 2 | 0

The time has come to share our favorite February read alouds.  The more time our boys spend reading books, the more they enjoy them.  Don’t think we never let our kids watch TV because we spend a lot of time watching their favorite Netflix shows.

But we also read, play outside, run errands, do chores, dance, ride scooters, etc.  But, we do enjoy boys.

So, here we go!

Are You Ready to Play Outside . A friend of mine suggested this book as she quoted it in her instagram caption.  I’d not heard of it.  It is 10 years old.  And I think it is really cute.  It can also teach our kids about not complaining and enjoying things even when the circumstances might not be perfect.  And to enjoy doing things together!

100 Things I Love to Do with You . I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and especially the rhyming part of it.  I think this would be a good book to do a “bucket list” for your kids for the summer.

The Monkey and the Crocodile . We read this twice in one donut outing.  It was super fun and the illustrations were unique

Baby Wren and the Great Gift What a sweet spring book written by our favorite author.  Read the whole thing, my boys enjoyed it as we went further along in the story.

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes Yes, it is another Pete the Cat book.  I even took this book to read to my younger’s school and they enjoyed it as well!

For more books for February you can check these out:

Read Aloud Revival February Books

Barnes and Nobles List

Raising Lifelong Learners February List

22 Feb 2018

Curious Kids and Faith

by | posted in: Bible, Books | 1

(This post is brought to you by Tommy Nelson Mommies and all thoughts are my own.)

Sometimes, we, as a family of 4 with two littles under the age of 6, have some interesting conversations at the dining table.  We use the table as a place to get to know our children, let them talk about their days, what they learned that day, and to teach them manners (ha, they are both boys).

Especially on Sunday afternoons, we like to ask what they learned in Sunday School.  They are using the Gospel Project in their classes, so I know the teaching they receive is spot on, but sometimes what comes out of their mouths is humorous.

Moses is the Father of lies.

All snakes lie.

Paul and Barnabas went on a walk.

Those are just a few of the things I have heard in the past few weeks.

I want to have open conversations about faith and Jesus and the Gospel and let it be a normal part of our every day conversations (not just relegated to Sundays or in their beds as they say their nightly prayers).  Deuteronomy 6 teaches us this.  As parents, we are to talk about Jesus all the time.  This will come from a heart that loves Him!

As my boys little minds grow, they will get more curious about faith and Jesus and the stories they hear in the Bible.  Even though I went to seminary, wrote Bible curriculum, and read a ton, I may not always know the best way to communicate God’s truth to my littles.

This post is about Kathryn Slattery’s 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids.  This is a resource to help young grade school kids know more about the questions they have.  It is an easy to use q/a book with Scripture and a prayer.  If you have a curious little one, this will be good to use at the dinner table, during family worship, or as you are putting them to bed (though, doing this may prolong bed time).  Keep reading…

Here’s where my caution comes in: some of these questions aren’t answered how I would answer them.  Can we pray for our pets?  (Yes, I think it is ok to thank God for our pets because they bring us joy, but no, I don’t think pets can be saved and I don’t think all dogs go to heaven.  If you have a pet you will need to deal with this question by your kids.) . On the question of Adam and Eve’s sin, she doesn’t say that all men have sinned because of that, but instead just says that God still loved them even after they sinned.

So, as with every book review I give, take every thought you read in this book and line it up with the whole counsel of the Word of God.  If something doesn’t line up, you must go with the Word of God because that is your perfect standard of Truth.

If you want to win a copy from Tommy Nelson, just leave me a comment telling me one fun question about God your kids have asked you!

31 Jan 2018

God Bless My Family (Giveaway)

by | posted in: Books | 1

If you asked my older son what his favorite thing in the world was: he would probably say dogs.

What is so funny is I think every one in his class knows it.  Such a sweet little friend as his school brought him a stuffed animal doggie because he wanted him to have it.  So, sweet, right?

The hearts of little preschoolers!

We’ve enjoyed the God Bless My (Series) by Hannah Hall.  The latest one is a sing-songy rhyming book about family and it is illustrated with dogs.  So, even though this book is definitely more for babies and toddlers, I knew I had to get it because of my son’s affinity for dogs.

So, thanks to Tommy Nelson Mommies, you have the opportunity to win a copy.  So, whether you have babies or toddlers or even older kids who love dogs – this would be a great book for your family.

Just leave a comment here to be entered!

Thanks Tommy Nelson for the book and the giveaway!

31 Jan 2018

January Read Aloud Favorites

by | posted in: Books | 1

One of our favorite times is sitting on the couch and reading together with our boys.  Mostly me, as we are killing time in the middle of the day, or waiting to go to school in the morning – we will pull out our pile from the library and read through some.

Here are our January favorites.  I hope you find some here that your children love as well.  Reading with your children bonds them to you, promotes snuggling, and engages their minds.

Waiting for Winter : I love the unique illustrations in this one.  And it builds so much anticipation for snow.  We live in the South, so every snow fall is greatly anticipated!

The Wish Tree – What you wish for may actually come true in new ways that you’d never thought of.  Helps kids think about other people other than themselves.

Blizzard

Pete the Cat Snow Daze (we love all Pete the Cat books)

Pug and Doug : Anything with dogs is a favorite of one of our boys.  If you find what interests your children, I guarantee they will read!

The Reverend Thomas’s False Teeth : This is one my husband read with our boys, they thought it was great.

Arthur’s Dream Boat : I love books that encourage imagination and creativity.

Too Many Chickens 

Emergency (Carry-Me) : I found this at Goodwill and we read it all month.  Frequent your local Goodwill – you will find some great books and chapter books for your kids.  I’ve collected almost 2 entire Little House sets just from Goodwill trips.

I hope by reading to them early, that when they learn to read, they will love to read.

11 Jan 2018

Why Biographies Matter

by | posted in: Books | 2

My favorite genre of books is (well, besides cook books) memoir or biography.  I think they are important for so many reasons, but today I just want to tell you the most important one.

For believers, memoirs/biographies matter so future generations will know your life and what you believe.

In an age of social media, we often get so wrapped up in taking a pretty picture or engaging SEO stats, that we forget about what really matters.  This life is not all there is.  There is life after this life and that is eternal.  So, what we believe about Jesus and the Gospel in this life will determine (based on the grace of God) what our next life looks like.

Jessica Ronne, in her book, Sunlight Burning at Midnight, not only decided to tell her story, one mixed with pain and smiles, but decided to keep Jesus in it.  Since He is clearly the author of our stories, we need to know what He does in them.  What does His word say?  Where does He move us?  What does he bring to our lives that make us look directly at Him?

And what I’ve known now for the last 6 years is so true, in reading this book, and in living my life since those last 6 years: God is big enough to wrestle with us – when we bring to Him our questions, our misunderstandings, our unbelief.  As Aslan would say “draw near”.

Jessica is giving one of you readers a chance to win your own copy.  To enter: just tell me what memoir/biography is your favorite.