The glittery, wintery Bible produced by Tommy Nelson is cute and attractive to the little ladies with Frozen Fever. It’s hard-covered and comes with a handy bag, too. Inside, you will find a page for documenting family history, explanations on why you should read the Bible, an illustrated time line, places to write down your favorite Bible verses and helpful maps.  According to the preface, the International Children’s Bible is written in such a way that a third grader can comprehend the content. The editorial staff chose particular words to put into bold print that are defined in the back of the book. Also, there are key verses highlighted, which bring the readers attention to the main point of that particular passage.  The little bag that is included for free is cute, but I don’t foresee it holding up long with weekly wear and tear.  This is a great gift Bible for the elementary girl in your life.  I was given a copy by the publisher in exchange f...

Hi friends!  My dear friend, Lisa Potter, has graciously written a guest post for me this week. She is a beautiful mother to two great, grown-up kids and has lived through the hectic season of Christmas many times. I learned a lot from her many years ago when we lived in the same town. She and her husband pastored our church and she was an integral part of  launching  the Moms and More Bible study that so wonderfully helped us young momas when our babies were all so little. Some days we all showed up with bedhead and spit-up stained shirts, but she loved us despite it. Those moments are so precious to me and rank in the top 5 things I miss most about Virginia.  Top 5 Tips for Managing Christmas Craziness It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or is it?  Unfortunately, I’m Type A with high hopes and a short fuse.  Adding one more thing to the organizational portfolio can often send this task oriented gal spinning in a downward direction....

There's a reason my blogging has been a little slow lately. I have been writing a weekly post for a homeschool curriculum company, and while the discipline of having a deadline every seven days has been good for me, I am still learning to make time for other writing. Maybe one day I will get it all together... Until then, here is a little post I wrote about how I spent a semi-typical day a few weeks ago.  So, what do your days look like? Are your days the same everyday or do you have a different schedule? 

Our Thanksgiving feast was less than 24 hours ago and we have already had leftovers a few times, set up the Christmas tree and wreaths on the windows, and watched a Christmas train movie. We began a new tradition of the kids wrestling Gil after all the dishes were done. All were safe until a lip or nose was bumped a little too hard on the floor. I wonder how long it will be until the kids can combine their strength and out-wrestle Gil? I’ve done almost all of our Christmas shopping already, but I have two more books to tell you about if you are looking for some ideas.... Randy Frazee wrote a 90 day devotional for kids called Think, Act, Be Like Jesus. I like it and will gift it to one of the girls for Christmas. It has nice, high quality pages, nice pictures and the length of the daily reading is perfect for my readers. He includes about 30 devos on thinking like Jesus, 30 on acting like Jesus and 30 on being like Jesus. It’s basic and easily understood. It will be a g...

His view of the outside world all shifted within a few months...a new (to me) car that required him sitting in the middle of a bench rather than behind a captain's chair in front of him, him becoming old enough for a forward facing car seat, and an awareness of what we do at certain locations. He has the prime seat in our SUV which allows him to see exactly where we are going and he practices the art of celebrating.  When we pull up to the gym parking lot, he throws both fists and feet in the air and cheers- he knows the childcare room has a good stash of Thomas trains and the gymnasium has open space for wild running. When we arrive at the library, the same thing happens- he knows they have a train table. At the Dairy Bar parking lot- he knows how wonderful their frozen treats taste. At church- he knows they have good toys too. At his friend’s house, he knows he has loads of fun.  It happens at home too. He cheers for his favorite shows on TV, when his trains rid...

So, I have been blogging for a homeschool company and although I can't repost what I wrote for them, I can link to it. Within a blogpost about why I love homeschooling so much , I shared about how my dear mentor taught me "to look" at my kids. She told me about how it made her kids feel a little awkward at times...but she studied their faces in an attempt to remember them at that age forever. I try to do that, but I still seem to somehow forget what they look like. Thank goodness for pictures! There are beautiful things around us all the time and we seem to slip right past them. As for another beautiful thing, I received a gorgeous coloring book for grown-ups. It's called The Time Garden by Daria Song and it has a little story that goes along with it...about a girl and her German cuckoo clock. The images are so pretty, imaginative and detailed. The paper quality is nice. Also, if you'd prefer the book without the jacket cover, you can color in the cover of...

My bff and I are finishing up a 21 day fitness challenge. We texted each other every bite we ate and when we worked out. We also shared our starting weight, measurements and pictures...then again at the end of each week. The accountability has been nice. Coincidentally, I received Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook during the first week of the challenge, which was a great help when it came to preparing healthier meals for myself and the family.  Flipping through the cookbook, I immediately noticed the beautiful images, the high quality way the book was made. (Strangely, I love nice paper and books made with attention to quality.)  I was excited to get hard copies of drink and smoothie recipes floating around online. I feel armed with 496 pages of recipe ideas to get me through the slumps of “what’s for dinner tonight?” moments.  As far as the cookbook itself, I do have to say that this isn’t something for someone who has not read the first Trim Healthy Mama book....