Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp by Minoru Tonai and Jolene Gutiérrez, illustrated by Chris Sasaki, is a moving historical picture book that introduces young readers to the experience of Japanese American families during World War II. Told through the story of one family, the book gently explains the injustice of incarceration camps while emphasizing resilience, dignity, and the strength of family bonds. The illustrations and narrative work together to make a difficult chapter of history understandable and meaningful for children. I was especially hit by the picture of the father when he’s first taken from his family, and a subsequent picture showing that his black hair had turned completely white… the stress of his situation, and the extreme length of time of their separation was utterly heartbreaking This book is best suited for ages 7+.

Tiny Garden: A Picture Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jax Chow, celebrates patience, growth, and the quiet wonder of nature. Through simple and lyrical storytelling, children follow the journey of an adorably small garden as seeds are planted, tended, and slowly transformed into life. The story invites our young readers to notice small details and appreciate the rhythms of the natural world. With beautiful imagery, it’s a lovely choice for ages 4–8, especially for families who enjoy gardening or outdoor exploration.

Time for Haiku: Four Seasons of Poems introduces children to the beauty of poetry through the traditional Japanese form of haiku. Each poem captures a small moment in nature – falling leaves, winter snow, spring blossoms, summer sunlight – helping young readers learn to observe the world carefully and create words to describe its wonder succinctly. The concise format makes poetry approachable, and I was drawn to this book because I already loved how haikus say so much with so few words. This book is ideal for ages 6–10, and it’s wonderful for inspiring children to write their own poems.

Hide-and-Seek Mommy: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Marta Altés is a playful story designed for younger children. As little ones lift each flap to search for Mommy, they experience the joy of discovery and the comfort of knowing that a loving parent is always nearby. Interactive elements make this book fun and engaging for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s best for ages 2–5, and it’s perfect for reading together at bedtime as you snuggle with your tot.

Finally, The Lionharts: A Graphic Novel offers an exciting blend of adventure, courage, and friendship. Told through dynamic panels and fabulous artwork, the story follows young heroes who must confront challenges and discover their inner strength. Graphic novels like this are fantastic for readers who love visual storytelling and may be transitioning from picture books to longer chapter books. This title is best suited for ages 8–12+.

Together, these books show just how powerful illustrated storytelling can be—opening young minds to history, nature, poetry, family, and bravery.

Bisquick is the key ingredient for these easy recipes, letting you spend your Christmas day watching your kids unwrap presents and laughing with family, instead of hours in the kitchen. I perused Betty Crocker’s list of Make Ahead Meals with Bisquick to help me get my Betty on, and I found some really great recipes I wanted to try and share…like how about some Impossibly Easy Pizza Bake? Or Impossibly Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Balls? Or Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie? Yum!

What makes Betty Crocker’s Easy Meals so impossibly easy? They have few ingredients, pretty much all of which are in your pantry or refrigerator already, with baking times that are usually only 20-45 minutes. This weekend I wanted to try out Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie with my family (truth be told, my husband picked it out and was very excited about it), and the ingredients really were all things I had on hand:

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

(only 7 ingredients!)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Once the ingredients are mixed it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking, so you can have it ready to bake the day before a big event or holiday- what a great time saver! That means I can just pop this into the oven after a busy and fun-filled Christmas Day (or Saturday), made-ahead, and enjoy a delicious dinner with my family in about 25 minutes without any extra work on my part. I never knew Bisquick was so convenient, but now that I do, it’s the newest staple in my kitchen.

So while it baked, my husband and I took my sons down the block to the park. Usually just my husband takes them, while I stay home and make dinner, but then I would have missed my sons pretending to play chess with non-existant chess pieces (and they actually made up an entirely new game with the boxes too, which is amazingly creative, and I’m glad I didn’t miss it).

And in case you were wondering…it was really, really, really good. I can see why Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie is an enduring favorite recipe by Bisquick for so many, it’s soooo good.The cheeseburger pie slices can be topped in the same way you’d top a regular cheeseburger, whether with ketchup and mustard or avocados and sour cream- whatever your taste buds want. Lately I’m on a cilantro kick so that peppery herb garnished mine, and it was awesome.

You can find also find our Make Ahead Pizza Bake recipe here.

And when I’m serving a delicious feast that everyone loves, it’s the best of all.

I recently hosted a Tuscany inspired home-cooked dinner party with my favorite people, and Luscious Rosa Lasagna with a combination of marinara and Alredo sauce. You can visit VivaBertolli.com to find the original Luscious Rosa Lasagna recipe with some great additional tips. It’s really easy, cheesy, and beautiful (cream and rose colored, truly luscious rose).

Luscious Rosa Lasagna

Ingredients
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 jar Bertolli® Tomato & Basil Sauce
1/2 jar Bertolli® Alfredo Sauce
8 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine all cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Combine both sauces in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a small baking pan (11 by 7-inch), cover bottom with a layer of sauce mixture, then layer 3 uncooked lasagna, sauce mixture, and cheese mixture repeatedly until finished.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375º F. Remove foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Family dinner parties are simply the best times.

A few years later I made a Life Bucket List of things I wanted to accomplish in my life at any time, 100 items, and kept it readily visible. By the time I was 25 I completed everything on it- I went to Egypt, bought my own place (a one bedroom condo) and car (a Toyota Camry I still drive today), ran in a marathon, learned a third language, and much more. I found myself depressed that a lifetime of goals was completed by the time I was 25, and I felt like I had nothing left to look forward to. I tried to write a second Bucket List, but there wasn’t 100 big things I wanted to do left. I came up with about 20-something, and didn’t find myself very motivated because it wasn’t a complete list.

A few years later I met my husband, got married, had two sons, and we bought a home that had more than one bedroom to house our larger family. I was cleaning out my stuff to pack it all up and move into a home, when I came upon the list I created as a teenager of 16. I tore open the envelope and found a list written in juvenile scripty handwriting with hearts dotting the i’s. I was very amused to see what my 16 year old self had as life goals, and was shocked that the time table I had for these goals- buy a car by 22, a home by 25, get married after 28 but have all my children before 35, were all exactly as things happened. I’m a strong believer in the power of conjuring up a life we want just by focusing on it and being open to possibilities that can make it happen, but some things you really can’t control, like having two boys. I had that on the list. My 16 year old self wanted to have two boys, and I did.

After you get married and have children, you definitely find a lot of what you want sort of put on the back burner. I was so happy to have two healthy, beautiful creatures that were mine that I really devoted myself to being a good mom, and would remind myself that one day, they wouldn’t be around so much, so to enjoy every moment. My sons are both in high school now, and I actually have been finding myself with so much free time again, but it’s in bits and pieces and sort of fritters past, wasted. I was chatting with Eli Pacheco of Coach Daddy some time back, who asked me what I do to change my stars in the new year, and ever since I loved the idea of “changing my stars”. This year I want to make time to finally get back to something I love- photography- and to actually, for the first time ever, honor the Sabbath on a weekly basis and make it a priority to have a day of rest no matter what. I was inspired by reading Charlie Kirk’s book “Stop in the Name of God”. What is really incredible is that having a family doesn’t hinder either of my 2026 goals, and they can be included in both. I would love to record more memories of us as a family in photographs, and spend a day each week as a family in worship and rest. My goal this year is to do things I love, and do things together before they are off to college.

Something about 2026 feels different. Big things have been happening, and it feels like so many more big things are going to happen. I remember telling Eli this. What I didn’t tell him is that after we spoke, I was inspired to sit down and write another Life Bucket List. I easily came up with 100 new things I never did and want to do. Many include my family, and many do not, but either way. I can’t wait to get started.

Thank you Eli for inviting me to guest post on your blog back in the day! You have built such a lovely community ︎

Mustard has a lot of health benefits, and is low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free. Colman’s secret is in blending high-quality brown mustard seeds with white mustard seeds, resulting in a mustard with a unique kick that’s both versatile and fiery. Colman’s is one of only three mustard mills in the world to blend both white and brown mustard seeds, which is probably why about 45 jars are sold every minute of every day worldwide!

We just made hamburger stuffed peppers, and of course the best hamburgers have mustard on them, so our burger stuffed peppers had to have mustard too. It’s a healthier, lower-carb way to enjoy the yummy taste of burgers ︎

Hamburger Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, rinsed and chopped
1 tbs Colman’s Mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional, to make cheesebuerger stuffed peppers!)
4 bell peppers (I love red best, they are the sweetest, but any will do- a rainbow is pretty ︎)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put a pot of salted water to boil. Cut off the top of 4 bell peppers and clean out seeds and insides, and boil for 5 minutes, then set aside.
3. In a large nonstick pan, brown ground beef, and add in onions and mushrooms and cook together for about 5-7 minutes.
4. Season beef with mustard, salt and pepper, then stir in tomato sauce and cook together for additional 3 minutes.
5. Stuff each bell pepper with ground beef mixture to top. Place peppers in a baking dish, cover, and bake for 35 minutes. Top each stuffed pepper with shredded cheese if you’d like cheeseburger stuffed peppers, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!