ReviewsCurtasia

The Wedding Quilt - Kelly Long

2011-04-15T14:43:00.002-05:00

The Wedding Quilt
Kelly Long

Jacob has little tolerance for abuse and because of that ends up in a bit of a unique situation. Lilly lands there with him and they find them selves engaged before it's over. Although they could break the engagement, they both decide to go through with it. As Lilly and Jacob find there way to the wedding and days following their wedding they must learn how to truly love each other and respect each other.
With all the rush of their engagement a wedding quilt is never made for Lilly, and she doesn't really expect anyone to make one, but the last person anyone expects is the person who gets it started, and has a wedding quilt made for Lilly!!

The Wedding Quilt is honestly the most sensual Amish story I have ever read. . . Nothing is improper about the details given, nor is it more that a Christian could read, but compared to most Amish books, it is very detailed.
I LOVE who made her quilt!! I was very surprised, I had thoughts on who would be the person to make it, but I was wrong, and I loved both who the author picked, and the fact that it was not what I guessed.
I really enjoy reading Amish stories, but because I don't know any Amish people, I can not tell you how accurate this story is. It gives their community a completely different feel than what I have read before.

*Note this book was provided free, and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, but to give my own opinion. Any links to Amazon or the publisher are only for your ease to find this book!

Little Star - Anthony DeStefano

2011-03-16T10:47:00.002-05:00

Little Star
Anthony DeStefano

When a little boy asks his dad where the Christmas star is his dad tells him he won't find it, and then tells him a tale about what happened to the Christmas star.
The pictures are simple, but cute. They do a good job of following the story line. The story is cute, but fictitious, and sometimes I think the mix between fiction and real life can be hard for kids to understand. Especially since the question of the star is asked so much, even as adults.

Waterbrook Press

*Note this book was provided free, and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, but to give my own opinion. Any links to Amazon or the publisher are only for your ease to find this book!

Read and Share Bible - volume two

2011-02-07T20:47:00.004-06:00

TheUltimate DVD Read and Share Bible Volume Two
Tommy Nelson/ Tomas Nelson

This is a hard cover book with just over 200 pages (105 stories) and 2 DVD's (26 stories in all).
After reviewing the Read and Share Bible: Life & Miracles, I was super pumped to see this pop up in the available items. I couldn't wait to get it, so my kids could read through the book and have a few more DVD's to watch. But I don't feel that this book/dvd set lived up to my expectations. While I didn't see anything that was unbiblical, I found lots of holes. Many of the stories only showed parts of the stories, and missed many of the things that showed God's power out :( The book does of course fill in more of the holes than the dvd's, but I think for the amount information that was skipped, it would have been better to not make the dvd's.

*Note this book was provided free, and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, but to give my own opinion. Any links to Amazon or the publisher are only for your ease to find this book!

God Gave Us the World - Lisa Tawn Bergren

2011-02-07T20:25:00.000-06:00

God Gave Us the World
by Lisa Tawn Bergren
art by Laura J Bryant

Can I just say CUTE!!!
This short little book is about "Little Cub" (who is part of a series) and his family who make a trip to the museum, a bear museum where Little Cub and his mom discuss all of the types of bears that God has made, and the unique places that they live and the fun things that other bears do. Little Cub often asks "Why?" (so like one of my 'Little ones'). and the answer. . . Because He is God! That's what He does!!
My only concern (note, I have not read the rest of the books, so I don't know if they are all this way), is that the father bear is only a background image. He is working with the baby cubs, but he is not playing a role in teaching or explaining. When I finally read a few more of these, I will try to update you as to whether or not he plays a more active role.

I really enjoyed this simple book and am happy to add it to my book shelf!
Ages 3-8

*Note this book was provided free from waterbrook (Blogging for books), and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, but to give my own opinion. Any links to Amazon or the publisher are only for your ease to find this book!

A Man's Heart - Lori Copeland

2010-12-24T20:54:00.003-06:00

A Man's Heart
Lori Copeland

Jules suffers from a fear of marriage, even though she loves Cruz very much. After Jules postpones the wedding twice (only days before the wedding) Cruz cancels the wedding completely, actually he cancels their friendship completely.
Jules heads off to collage again, but just day's before her graduation her life is altered in a very drastic way. Jules and Cruz must find a way to get a long, if just for the sake of their friends and families.

My Thoughts

My heart hurt for Jules :( All of the pain and suffering she went through, and the love she sought and . . . Oh.
This is the second book in a few months that involved farming, and that's not a topic I had seen a lot of before (unless we're talking pioneer books, which I'm not), so I appreciate the author stepping out of the normal topic and going with a less popular setting, but one that was very interesting all the same!!
I think the book was pretty realistic in its portrayal of betrayal and forgiveness. That does make it a bit more painful to read though, as you wish for an easier resolution.
Lori Copeland is a name I've heard many times, but I don't think I've ever read any of her books. I think the next time I'm at the library, I'll check out another, to get a better idea of her style!

* Note: This book was provided free from Zondervan, and I was asked to write a review, it is my own opinion, and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball - Donita Paul

2010-12-23T16:21:00.003-06:00

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball
Donita K Paul

Cora and Simon are coworkers, who don't know each other, or rather Simon doesn't know who Cora is.
When both Cora and Simon stop at a shop near their work to find a few last minute gifts they are both given tickets, to an exclusive Ball. Tickets to a ball that very few people have ever heard of. Simon isn't planning on going to go to the ball but his sister who has Downs Syndrome wants to go, so he decides to get her a ticket too, but how??
The tickets give Cora and Simon something in common and Simon finally notices Cora. In just a few weeks their friendship grows, and Simon and his family show Cora what a real, loving family looks like.

My Thoughts
Cute, fun, easy read. This book was pretty short, with an easy read format. Something that would be easily finished during your holiday break (sorry it took so long to get my review up, guess I needed the break too ;) )
The whole book is based around Wizards, and if you look that up in Merrium Webster dictionary, the definition is a wise man or sage. There is a lot of magical, unbelievable things that happen, many of them seem like they could just be misunderstood things, but it's just a lot of little magical things. Two of the shop owners often make mention of doing what He asks of them, and the references all point to God.
Over all, a fun read ( a bit different) but certainly fun and easy.

This book was provided free from WaterBrook(Blogging for books), and I was not asked to provide a positive or negative review, just to give my honest opinion. Links to Amazon, are simply for your ease in finding the book, and I have not been compensated from Amazon.

Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas - Ace Collins

2010-11-19T12:43:00.004-06:00

Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas
Ace Collins

Thirty four of the greatest Christmas songs and how they became great!! Who sang/wrote them? Why? This fun book gives many of the songs that you have know and love for such a wonderful holiday.

The stories range in length from 6-10 pages each, and gives the time frame when each song was written. The whole book is written in order of when they became popular. This gives an interesting history lesson, as you discover that many of the hits that have lasted became popular around war times, and some of the emotions that surrounded the wars are probably why they lasted so long.

These short stories are a great way to get into the holiday spirit, and you can easily read on during a break at work, or while your car is warming up, or grab a cup of hot tea and a warm blanket (fire place if you have it) and enjoy a night or two of your favorite Christmas music!!

Note: This book was provided free , from Zondervan, for review purposes. I have not been paid to write a positive or negative review, all opinions are my own!

Naomi and her Daughters

2010-10-23T06:26:00.000-05:00

Naomi and Her Daughters

From the cover:
From master storyteller Walter Wangerin, Jr. comes this familiar biblical saga told in a fresh, transfixing way. You'll feel you've never heard it before! Melding historical accuracy with imaginative detail, Wangerin uses the biblical books of Judges and Ruth to explore themes of love, faith, grief and community set against a backdrop of war and political instability.The widow Naomi grieves the deaths of her two adult sons after the shocking murder of a beloved adopted daughter, while pondering her responsibilities toward her Moabite daughters-in-law. Ancient Israel is in chaos. When her daughter-in-law, Ruth, begs to return to Israel with Naomi, events are set in motion that will change the course of history.But wait...this isn't the tame, flannel graph story you heard in Sunday School. In the tradition of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent and Elissa Elliott's Eve: A Novel of the First Woman, Wangerin imbues his tale with strong female characters and an earthy realism that gives the timeless Old Testament narrative so much power. You'll find echoes of contemporary issues throughout: deceit, heartbreak, loss, war, and, of course, the power of love. Naomi's combined strength and tenderness becomes the pivot upon which a nation turns; her decisions ultimately lead to the founding of the family lineage of Jesus Christ.Breathtaking descriptions, shocking violence, and inspirational courage make this spellbinding novel by a beloved award-winning author a story you won't soon forget. It's the perfect novel for your book group, and a satisfying read for those who love thoughtful biblical fiction.

My thoughts:
First let me tell you two things: 1) I didn't read the description above very well the first time, just skimmed it, and was excited about hearing a good story about Naomi,Ruth, and Boaz. 2) I didn't finish the book, and I'll tell you why.
1. The story was very 'broken' in my opinion, most scenes jumped very quickly, making it hard to keep track of what time frame you are in, and who you are with.
2. There were some very vivid descriptions from a birthing room. . . (Naomi "checking" the mother is given in detail-if you don't understand that, ask a mom what I mean)
3. Boaz is portrayed as a hotheaded teen (in earlier mentioned birthing scene). Let me explain why this bothered me. It has nothing to do with expecting bible characters to be perfect, because we all know that Christ was the only perfect human. But, Boaz is called the kinsman redeemer (an example to the old testament people of what our kinsman redeemer would be like) and because the Bible doesn't give us anymore details on Boaz's character, I think it would be best to leave his image a positive one, not perfect, but positive, because he is an old testament example of Christ.

So, my main reason for not finishing this book was his 'vivid descriptions', but the artistic license that the author took cemented my lack of desire to finish this book.

*Note- this book was provided free from Zondervan, and I was not asked to write a positive or negative review.

Unlocked - Karen Kingsbury

2010-10-19T06:26:00.001-05:00

Unlocked
Karen Kingsbury

From the Cover:
Before You Take a Stand ... You Got to Take a Chance. Holden Harris is an eighteen-year-old locked in a prison of autism. Despite his quiet ways and quirky behaviors, Holden is very happy and socially normal---on the inside, in a private world all his own. In reality, he is bullied at school by kids who only see that he is very different. Ella Reynolds is part of the 'in' crowd. A cheerleader and star of the high school drama production, her life seems perfect. When she catches Holden listening to her rehearse for the school play, she is drawn to him ... the way he is drawn to the music. Then, Ella makes a dramatic discovery---she and Holden were best friends as children. Frustrated by the way Holden is bullied, and horrified at the indifference of her peers, Ella decides to take a stand against the most privileged and popular kids at school. Including her boyfriend, Jake. Ella believes miracles can happen in the unlikeliest places, and that just maybe an entire community might celebrate from the sidelines. But will Holden's praying mother and the efforts of Ella and a cast of theater kids be enough to unlock the prison that contains Holden? This time, friendship, faith, and the power of a song must be strong enough to open the doors to the miracle Holden needs.

My Thoughts
Autism is such a sensitive topic, and Karen showed all sides of it. The side of Holden's mom, his dad, their best friends (and daughter), the school mates, and Holden. Karen showed each person's struggles and pain and joy.
Unlocked covered many more topics than just Autism too, it included bulling, lost friendships, separation of spouses, prejudice, and a very unexpected twist.
An emotionally packed book with lots of sadness and lots of triumphs.

At first I felt like Unlocked was a little unrealistic, but if you read the authors notes at the end of the book, you will find out that Karen knew a young man who was 'unlocked', the real young man was much younger, and his unlocking took longer than Holden, but the situation had many similarities.
This book was another great book by Karen, and handled yet another delicate topic tactfully.

*Note, this book was provided by my mom ;) Who also loves to read these books (thanks mom), Zondervan, Karen Kingsbury, nor my mom have asked me to write this review, and I have not been paid to write a positive or negative review :)

Adventures In Odyssey Cause & Effect

2010-10-15T19:28:00.001-05:00

Adventures in Odyssey
Cause and Effect
Focus on the Family

Adventures in Odyssey is a kids program that teaches biblical lessons in a fun and adventurous setting!! Geared to young school aged children it teaches lessons it teaches real life lessons.
Each of the 12 25 min stories has a different twist.
1-2 The Mystery of the Clock Tower
Why is the Clock tower counting down?? A reminder that your actions will effect the future, one way or the other.
3 Wooton's Broken Pencil Show
When Connie has to leave the air, Wooton takes over for her. Wooton helps show that 'entertainment should have a point'
4 Stage Fright
Everyone is excited about the newest play, but all of a sudden everyone is unreasonably scared.
5 Fast as I can
A description on fasting, its uses and the types of things you might fast from.
6 Opposite Day
Even opposites can be friends, their friendships just might look different
7 The Owlnapping
When you believe in something more than Someone
8 Square One
What to do when you break someones trust.
9 A Thankstaking Story
Think A Christmas Story only at Thanksgiving ;)
10 An Agreeable Nanny
When presented with a new nanny, the Parker kids decide to take advantage of the situation. Listen to find out what they learn.
11 The Malted Milkball Falcon
When Milkballs go missing from a fundraiser, the kids at Whits End try to solve the case, and are surprised by the truth.
12 Grandma's Christmas Wish
A busy episode about the busyness of Christmas.

My kids hadn't really heard Adventures in Odyssey a whole lot before, but now they are very excited to hear even more. They love the excitement and suspense of the episodes, with out being too scary.
This new CD came out in October and would make a great addition to any traveling this holiday season!! or even as a fun stocking stuffer or Christmas gift!!

*Note, this CD set was provided by Tyndale House free for review purposes. I was not asked to write a positive or negative review.

Tales from the Pantry: Soccer- Patsy Clairmount

2010-10-14T20:48:00.000-05:00

Tales from the Pantry: Soccer

Patsy Clairmount

Soccer is a little mouse who lives with his parents in a forgotten box of Christmas Candy. Soccer’s friend Tipsy (a spider who lives behind a Jelly Jar) tells Soccer about a ‘new cat’ in the house. There has always been an older cat to chase the mice, but now there is a new one, a younger one, who was “Wild”. but unfortunately Tipsy had not seen Whomp (the wild cat) with her own eyes, neither had the two people before her. Soccer’s mom tries to remind him that we shouldn’t believe everything we hear.

Eventually Soccer meets Whomp, a tiny little mouse who is afraid of Soccer. They talk for a bit before Whomp asks Soccer to be his friend (and Soccer asks his parents ) Also at the end, Tipsy apologizes, because her friend came to tell her that she also misunderstood, and Whomp is not a wild cat but a mild cat!!

My favorite stories for kids are ones that teach lessons. The moral of the story, “You can’t believe everything you hear” and don’t spread rumors!! My son is 6 and he has read all 5 of the Tales from the Pantry stories many times, he loves them!! I love that he’s getting healthy stories. (2nd grade reading level)

*Note: Patsy Clairmount doesn’t know who I am, and has not paid me to write this review. I just enjoy doing kids book reviews so you can find great books for your kids too!!

The Way Home - A Movie Review

2010-10-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

The Way Home
A movie review
Randy Simpkins (Dean Cain "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman") and his family are packing for vacation, when Randy leaves his two-year old son outside playing while he 'checks his work email real fast' When he returns Joe is gone. But where? As a workaholic, Randy is often busy, and his wife is sick of t, and fully blames Randy for Joe's disappearance!!
When the Simpkins pastor puts out a prayer chain the entire community pulls together to look for the little boy. The community unites in prayer, love and searching.
My Thoughts: Wow, an emotional powerful movie!! The producers did a fabulous job of showing the gaumant of emotions that the parents would be feeling, and all of the friends/family and how they would also feel. I also gained more appreciation for the technical trials of searching for someone, and the complications and procedures that would need to be followed. It had enough details to make it feel accurate (movie based on a true story), but not so much that it was bogged down.
This movie is a clean movie, and safe for the whole family if mom and dad are willing to answer questions. *note, I always recommend pre-watching all movies, but especially with this one, you want to know if you really want the questions (I won't personally be letting our little people watch it yet). The Sheriff and other a few other people talk about the possibilities, ie: 'two year old body floating face down' etc.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Boy Who Changed the World - Andy Andrews

2010-09-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Boy Who Changed the World

Andy Andrews

Released Aug 31,2010

I first heard this story in Andy Andrew’s book The Noticer (well actually at Women of Faith, so I first read it in The Noticer). It is a story about a boy who grows up and saves thousands, but was it him who changed the world, or the one who taught him to love learning and who taught him to want to help people. or maybe it was the person who. . . well, I don’t want to give the story away, so I’ll just say that the ideas behind this story is that old saying about butterflies and how they can make changes to the weather on the other side of the world. Your little bit does make a difference.
The drawings are simple, and cute. I love the ‘hidden’ butterflies that are on most of the pages (look for them!!). The story line is neat, but might need to be explained to children.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Why Does My Child Hate to Write - Carol Barnier eBook

2010-09-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

Why Does My Child Hate to Write
Carol Barnier
an eBook from TOS $1.95
Carol Barnier gives ideas on how to make writing less painful for your active child. Explaining that active children (with active imaginations) can often get bogged down with the difficulty in producing written words.
I read this guide without knowing how applicable it would be to my family. We are in our 4th week of school, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, just write it down and you will be done. I’ve called friends to see if they had ideas, and then I came across this, and thought, well my seven-year old isn’t writing stories yet, so this probably won’t help. But it can!! She gives great ideas that I can’t wait to try. Hopefully tomorrows lessons won’t be so much of a chore!!
Note: This eBook was provided free from TOS, I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, nor was I compensated for this review, all opinions are my own.

Shades of Blue - Karen Kingsbury

2010-09-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

Shades of Blue
Karen Kingsbury
Brad and Emma made a bad decision followed by an even worse one. Now 10 years later, and only weeks before his marriage, Brad decides he must go back. Back to Emma and apologize for his part in their decisions. But will this ruin his relationship with Laura?? Will Brad fall in love with Emma again?? Will Brad and Emma be able to put the past behind them??
This book is about abortion, and post abortion syndrome. I am very prolife I think Karen did a wonderful job of showing how easy it would be for a young woman and her partner to feel like they ‘had’ to have an abortion, even with both of their hearts crying NO. Because it is such an emotional topic (Karen Kingsbury is the author) it was without a doubt a very emotional book. This book opened my eyes a bit wider to the hurt others have suffered after having had an abortion.
I am going to give away my copy of this book, I know that I won’t be reading it again, but I know that it might be something that someone else needs to read, or you know someone who might need to read it. Leave a message telling me your favorite Karen Kingsbury book (or that you would like to read this) and your name will be entered to win this book. (make sure you leave me a way to contact you!!)
*Opps, I forgot to tell you when, I will draw for this on Friday September 10th, and notify the winner on Saturday the 11th.

* NOTE – This book was provided to me by Zondervan free for review purposes. I was not asked to write a positive or negative review, all opinions are my own.

The Edge of the Divine- Sandi Patty

2010-09-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

The Edge of the Divine

Sandi Patty

The Edge of the Divine is Sandi Patty’s story. The story of how she allowed God to change her life. She was overweight, and stressed out with so much going on in her life. She was having health problems, and knew that her life must change. After seeking council from her family and her Dr, Sandi decided to make a life change. Diet, exercise, forgiveness, and the lap band all played into the changes made in Sandi’s life.
Sandi is very open in her book about her past, and the things going on in her life right now (or when the book was written). She tells of some sin issues the Lord has helped her with and given her strength to overcome.
The book is all about keeping your eyes open for the times where the Lord is going to make a change in your life (kinda like a threshold to a door way). Sometimes you can see it before, sometimes after. About how we are moving and allowing the Lord to work in our lives!
Congratulations Sandi, on your hard work!! I know that you put a lot of work into your weight loss!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Yada Yada Prayer Group - Neta Jackson

2010-08-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

The Yada Yada Prayer Group
Neta Jackson
From the back cover :
What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student, and a married mother of two have in common?
Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends?
I almost didn’t even go to the Chicago Women’s Conference–after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn’t exactly my “comfort zone.” And being placed in a prayer group of twelve women from such diverse backgrounds seemed completely awkward.
But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together. The “Yada Yada Prayer Group” was born, and we decided to meet regularly to pray for each other: knocking off each other’s rough edges and learning to laugh and cry along the way! And when I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound girlfriends to help teach me–Jodi Baxter, longtime Christian “good girl”–what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace.
My thoughts:
Ok, I have to admit (I didn’t really want to read this book, cough). Don’t get me wrong, it has a super cute cover, and looked like a lot of fun. . . but I just could NOT get into it. I think it took me two weeks to get past the first 3 chapters. . . BUT then in the last day and a half I finished it, and I can’t wait to see if the library has the second book. I think the part that was the hardest part for me is that there are soo many distinct personalities, and I have a hard time keeping up. There were a lot of surprises, and it was a lot of fun. I’m glad I stuck with it. (p.s. I am very conservative, so the way some of the gals worship was a bit much for me, but not wrong in my opinion, just more than I’m used to )
Note: The author, publisher, and amazon.com have no clue who I am, and have not asked me to write this review. I wrote it because a friend loaned it to me Thanks!

How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning - Carol Barnier

2010-07-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning

Carol Barnier

*From the back of the book

Which child is yours? The super-wiggly? The highly charged? The focus-challenged? The impulsive? The spirited? The passionate?
However you define the qualities in your special child, it’s obvious that the methods used to teach quite, compliant children don’t work for these energetic or just plain distracting kids.
. . . .
Direct those wandering thoughts and bodies into educational success with:

Creative reproducible activity aids that you’ll want to use right away
a phonics program where every lesson is a quick game kids love
instructional games, manipulatives and motions that will help you work with, not against, your child’s learning style
math strategies that make even a workbook fun
many more effective, fun solutions to the daily dilemma, “how do I teach my child tomorrow?”

My thoughts

First of all, let me say that I have 5 children, and I’m only officially homeschooling one (but working with two more, and playing with the others). And my oldest is a mild version of the super-wiggly, highly charged. . . so this book will help us, but we are by no means dealing with ‘on top of the refrigerator’ energy. Second, I heard Carol Barnier speak at our local homeschool convention, and knew that some of her ideas would really help us out, so I went and bought it. Many of her speaking ideas are in the book, just with a bit more detail.
The book has lots of ideas for helping with learning, but all are very ‘mom intensive’, so get ready to work!! Most can be reused, but all will take time to set up. Lots of tips to make games that help make learning fun and actually happen!
I liked the chapter “I can’t take him anywhere” where she talks about how energetic children multiply the energy of the kids around them! (Mine does that, even just with siblings, which is why we tend to keep a tight rein on energy levels)
There are 13 different pages that have reproducible pages (some of them are two pages to one activity) but they are all activities that she talked about in the book.
If you have a distractable child, then this is a good resource for you. not all of it will be useable for everyone, but I’m sure you will find something to help!!
*Note: This book was purchased by me, and Carol Barnier, Emerald Books, and Amazon.com have no idea who I am. This review was written because I wanted to

How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator - Carol Barnier

2010-07-19T20:19:00.000-05:00

How to Get Your Child off the Refrigerator and on to Learning

Carol Barnier

*From the back of the book

Which child is yours? The super-wiggly? The highly charged? The focus-challenged? The impulsive? The spirited? The passionate?

However you define the qualities in your special child, it’s obvious that the methods used to teach quite, compliant children don’t work for these energetic or just plain distracting kids.

. . . .

Direct those wandering thoughts and bodies into educational success with:

Creative reproducible activity aids that you’ll want to use right away
a phonics program where every lesson is a quick game kids love
instructional games, manipulatives and motions that will help you work with, not against, your child’s learning style
math strategies that make even a workbook fun
many more effective, fun solutions to the daily dilemma, “how do I teach my child tomorrow?”

My thoughts

The book has lots of ideas for helping with learning, but all are very ‘mom intensive’, so get ready to work!! Most can be reused, but all will take time to set up. Lots of tips to make games that help make learning fun and actually happen!

I liked the chapter “I can’t take him anywhere” where she talks about how energetic children multiply the energy of the kids around them! (Mine does that, even just with siblings, which is why we tend to keep a tight rein on energy levels)

There are 13 different pages that have reproducible pages (some of them are two pages to one activity) but they are all activities that she talked about in the book.

If you have a distractable child, then this is a good resource for you. not all of it will be useable for everyone, but I’m sure you will find something to help!!

*Note: This book was purchased by me, and Carol Barnier, Emerald Books, and Amazon.com have no idea who I am. This review was written because I wanted to

The Protector - Carla Capshaw

2010-07-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

The Protector

Carla Capshaw

Quintus was a successful merchant before he was arrested for his faith in Jesus, but now he is a servant and a gladiator forced to fight against difficult odds just to live. Adiona is the widow who turns the heads of all the men around her, and she in turn gives them an icy glare. When Adiona’s life is being threatened she must depend on Quintus to protect her, when she would rather not depend on anyone, let alone a male.
As a ‘monthly reader’ this book was a big surprise. First of all, it was long!! (almost 300 pages) and it was very well written. This was the second book of what appears to be a series, but you don’t feel lost if you have not read the first (which I have not). There were a few twists and turns in the book that I didn’t predict at all, making it very a surprising read.
*Note: The opinions of this review are my own, and I have not been asked to write this review by anyone, including the author or publisher

The Protector - Carla Capshaw

2010-07-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

The Protector

Carla Capshaw

As a ‘monthly reader’ this book was a big surprise. First of all, it was long!! (almost 300 pages) and it was very well written. This was the second book of what appears to be a series, but you don’t feel lost if you have not read the first (which I have not). There were a few twists and turns in the book that I didn’t predict at all, making it very a surprising read.

*Note: The opinions of this review are my own, and I have not been asked to write this review by anyone, including the author or publisher.

The Hands on Bible:NLT - Tyndale

2010-07-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

The Hands on Bible – NLT

Tyndale

Tyndale sent me the Hands on Bible to review. It is a complete bible with descriptions in the margins that help young readers understand more of the time frame and some customs in Bible times. Many of the side margins give ideas for sharing Jesus with friends and family, in ways that young people can do. It also has about 8 activities for young people and a friend to do. Best for 8-13 year olds.
There are Introductions to each Book with cool facts and info from that book. Hands on Experiences with ideas of things to do. Bible Bios with info about people in the bible, written as if it were straight from them. And Hands-On Bible activities (see the give away at bottom for more information).
This Bible is great when you are looking for extra ways to help explain points to kids, but I think it would be distracting for regular use. I particularly liked the information in the side bars!

Two possible ways you can get this free!!

1. Leave a comment on this post telling who you would like to share this bible with and I will randomly draw one winner on Friday July 23. The winner will recieve a certificate good for a free bible which they must take to your local christian book store. (US only, the winner will be responsible for any taxes and please remember to leave a way for me to contact you) Enter before Noon Friday and I will have winner posted sometime before 5 pm Friday!!

Using Random.org, the random winner is number 1. thearcherfamily. I will contact you to get you your gift certificate!! Thank you for entering!!

2. Go to http://www.newlivingtranslation.com/05discoverthenlt/hands_on_bible_contest.asp this will also show you a few pages on the inside. you have until Aug 16, 2010.
*Note Tyndale sent me a copy of Hands on Bible for my family and a Bible certificate to be given away. All reviews on this bible are my own opinion, not those of the publisher or writers of this bible

The Hands on Bible - NLT -Tyndale

2010-07-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Hands on Bible – NLT

Tyndale

There are Introductions to each Book with cool facts and info from that book. Hands on Experiences with ideas of things to do. Bible Bios with info about people in the bible, written as if it were straight from them. And Hands-On Bible activities (see the give away at bottom for more information).

This Bible is great when you are looking for extra ways to help explain points to kids, but I think it would be distracting for regular use. I particularly liked the information in the side bars!

Two possible ways you can get this free!!

Using Random.org, the random winner is number 1. thearcherfamily. I will contact you to get you your gift certificate!! Thank you for entering!!

2. Go to http://www.newlivingtranslation.com/05discoverthenlt/hands_on_bible_contest.asp this will also show you a few pages on the inside. you have until Aug 16, 2010.

*Note Tyndale sent me a copy of Hands on Bible for my family and a Bible certificate to be given away. All reviews on this bible are my own opinion, not those of the publisher or writers of this bible.

Take Four - Karen Kingsbury

2010-07-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

Take Four – Above the Line

Karen Kingsbury

Keith and Dayne are getting ready to make a new movie about the book Unlocked (Karen has actually wrote this book, and it will be out October 12, 2010), and this story is about the filming of that movie. Bailey has many choices to make about relationships, and is offered a surprising job, which allows her to be of great influence. Andi must make a tough choice about the baby she is carrying, will she give it up for adoption or raise it herself.

Take Four is the final book of the “Above the Line” series, and I really enjoyed the book, love the characters, but the book didn’t have a real end in my opinion. She gave it a ‘closing’, but I felt like the story was left hanging. This is not a story you will want to read ‘by it’s self’, because you will need to finish the next book/series to have an end. I am excited to read the next series (the Bailey Flanigan series), but this series just did not seem complete.

Baxter Fan Club extra chapter: A month or so ago I mentioned that my mom and I became members of the Baxter family club, and with that you are mailed the book, and it has Karen’s signature on the cover. Also included is an extra chapter that is emailed to the ‘club’. I was super excited to get this, and actually got the email while I was out, so I was very anxious to get home and read it!! I was slightly disappointed though when I read it. The extra chapter really had nothing to do with this particular book, but was about the Baxter family only (which is neat) and really it was just a recap of the reunion that Karen had of all of the fan club in Indianapolis in June. I’m sure that anyone who was able to go to it was excited to read this chapter, but I found it a bit of a let down for my expectations.

*Note: This book review has not been paid for. Amazon.com, Karen Kingsbury and zondervan have no clue who I am. All opinions are my own.

Read and Share Bible

2010-07-07T20:24:00.001-05:00

Read and Share Bible

Life and Miracles

A simple DVD containing many very short stories about the life of Jesus, miracles He performed and His life. This DVD would be good for young children up to 10 years old.

I liked this short DVD. It did a good job of showing lots of his miracles in easy to understand words, and allow the kids to see a lot of Jesus’ miracles. After that (10 minutes or so) it started to slow down and showed more details about what was going on. The message of Christ was clearly shown.

I liked how they portrayed Judas also. They didn’t show him as a bad guy in the beginning, but as a guy who turns upon pressure.

The time frame for the whole movie was from right after his first miracle up to the Lord’s Supper.

I would recommend this to anyone with young children (my 4 love it) and would be very interested in seeing others from this series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”