Friday, December 23, 2011

More Babies

"God Gave Us Two" is another cute book by Lisa T. Bergren. We have quite a few of these "God Gave Us" books because they are written so well for younger children. This book is great for that soon to be big brother or big sister. It answers the questions that kids ask. "Will you forget about me when the new baby comes?" Such a great story. "God gave us you and now He's given us two!"

I was under the impression that the two God gave them were twins to add to their family, but then the story was saying that the baby in the tummy was 1 and Little Cub was 1 which made 2. Then surprisingly at the end, there were really 3 not 2. So God gave them Little Cub and twins! Still love the story and we are so glad we had the chance to add this to our library.

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for my honest review.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Magic Runes- A Review

"The Magic Runes: A Tale of the Times of Charlemagne" by Emma Leslie was a really great book. This story was originally written in 1888, and the wonderful folks at Salem Ridge Press are putting these books back into the hands of our youth. Salem Ridge Press was started by a homeschooling graduate...which is great to hear being a homeschooling mom and all.

The book I read was a powerful one. It is a time of Saxons and those Christians who follow the White Christ. They have different beliefs and practice different rituals.

Story Synopsis
    One day, in 782 A.D., young Adalinda is startled to come upon a Saxon family in the forest where she lives with her father. The family is in desperate need but the husband, Godrith, is suspicious of Adalinda's offers of help, especially when he learns that she is a Christian. He well remembers how Charlemagne's "Christian" soldiers burned his village and killed or captured so many of his people because they refused to convert to Christianity. Will Adalinda and her father be able to show Godrith a different picture of Christianity
?

Story Setting:  France and Saxony in 782 - 785 A.D.

 This a story that exhorts God's greatness and what a true Christian should be like. I found myself updating my Facebook status with quotes from this story. Shows us and our kids how we should be towards those who are different from us. If we are who Christ calls us to be in His word, then we will plant seeds in those unbelievers that will one day grow and reveal it's fruitfulness.

My favorite quote from this story: "To be a Christian in very deed, is not giving, or abstaining, but believing in the Lord Christ, who loved us, and gave Himself for us--gave Himself a sacrifice and an example, that believing in Him, and loving Him, we might follow in His footsteps; for He went about doing good to all men--healing the sick, and kind even to His enemies; denying Himself comfort & pleasure, for the good of others."  Pepin spoke this to his daughter after she complained about what little room they had and the discomforts that came with helping the Saxon family staying with them. They ended up being quite the testimony.

This story is recommended for children ages 10 and up. I loved that at the bottom of the pages they had the big words and their English translation. That was very helpful! You can go read the first chapter now.

I want to purchase the rest of the stories in the series. This is our new go-to place for books for my school age children! I know I don't have to worry about what they will be learning from these books. They are all wholesome, good books for the whole family and very affordable!

Sign up for their quarterly newsletter and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a free book from Salem Ridge Press!

GIVEAWAY TIME

The wonderful folks at Salem Ridge Press are giving away a copy of this book to one of my readers!

I received this book from the awesome folks at Salem Ridge Press for my honest review.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Beyond Broccoli- A Review

I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan, and I thought I was reviewing a cookbook to be honest with you. WAS I WRONG! This is a book full of very interesting facts that concern the vegetarian lifestyle and your health. I really learned a lot. Who knew? I have a vitamin B12 deficiency! I obviously don't have enough protein in my diet either.
If you are a vegan/vegetarian against eating and drinking all things pertaining to animals, it would be good for your health to read this book. Like I stated earlier, I'm not either of those. I like my steak once in awhile.  I was so happy that the author, Susan Schenck, included the biblical perspective of one man in particular, Paul Nison. God did tell us to eat certain animals and I'm not about to disobey. There's a reason we need to eat meat and other animal products (i.e. milk & eggs) and God knows more than we do. Our bodies need certain nutrients provided by them.
Animal products are actually crucial for pregnant and nursing women and children. "Becoming pregnant after years is even riskier, as stored nutrients needed by the developing fetus may be depleted. You can compensate somewhat by taking algae for DHA, but algae contains toxins."  And in another paragraph, "Dr. John Fielder doesn't agree with veganism. He found that of his vegan patients, three percent had mentally retarded babies, and there was no environmental toxin exposure to explain this." What a scary thought! There's a risk involved when raising our children vegan as well. Our growing children don't need those diet restrictions either.
Chapter 15 was one of the most eye opening chapters for me. I learned about specific food items such as nuts. There isn't as much protein as we think in those little guys. Not only that, but if you aren't watching the amount you consume it can cause health issues. Flaxseeds can be toxic & can cause weight gain by suppressing the thyroid! We really need to make sure we aren't over consuming this product. I have read before that soy is not the best thing to consume. I found it again in this book. Soy oil is actually used in paints and glue....yum. There was so much more including information on seeds and greens. Everyone needs to read this book just for this chapter alone! So many eyes would be opened to the dangers of our diets.
I am not a fan of raw meat. I don't even like to see pink in my steak! That could be from my fear of catching some ungodly disease that's going to kill me. Also the fact I don't know what cow the meat came from. This book shares some of the safer meats and how to do it correctly. I'm still not taking my chances though.

 A lot of research went into the creation of this book. You can tell she did her homework.

This book is full of great information! I think if I was a vegan or vegetarian I could have related more, but I got a lot of great information on healthy eating.

You can find this book on Amazon.com. Take a look inside the book as well!



I received this book through selfpublishingreview.com for my honest opinion.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Quite the Journey

"Journey to Christmas" was an eye-opening series. 5 people go on a trip, and they are all looking for something. Why do we celebrate Christmas? They take the same journey through the Holy Land as Mary and Joseph would have taken.

This DVD set is a 4 part series on 2 DVDs. For 20 days they traveled finally reaching the place where Jesus was born. This was a reality show type documentary. The men on this journey were pretty much waiting for Jesus himself to appear in human form it seemed at times. The ladies on this journey were just taking it all in and got a lot out of the experience. This really opened my eyes to how different Christians are. Some people are good with just knowing and seeing everything God has done, but others need a huge miracle to really believe God exists. The scenery was beautiful! I don't think I'll ever make it to Israel in my lifetime, so I thought it was very informative and I really enjoyed the history that was shared. I personally enjoyed this journey.

Would I use this as a group session/study? Probably not, but it is a good story to watch.


I received this DVD from the wonderful people at Tyndale Publishing.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Decision Points: A Review

When I got the book, my first thought was this book is going to take me forever to read! I love history and this man was an important part of some very historical times. I was really excited to get this book to review and then share with my friends.

President George W Bush has been my favorite president in my adulthood. I don't really remember the rest of them from the 80s and early 90s. I didn't really care back then. After reading this book he is still my favorite thus far.

This book really helps you understand what happens behind the scenes in the White House. How did he come to the decisions he did on certain topics? The president has a lot more things to decide than we think he does. It was good to know that he talked to experts in different fields and got their opinion and thoughts on certain subjects. He even would talk to his wife for her perspective on certain things. President Bush wanted to be educated before he made a final decision.
The media always made Bush out to be someone who he obviously is not. He's a smart, educated man who just wanted the best for his country.

"That is the nature of the presidency. Perceptions are shaped by the clarity of hindsight. In the moment of decision, you don't have that advantage." -G. Bush

A great quote that explains a lot. I recommend this book to everyone who is curious about the President and how things were for him in office. It doesn't matter what party you're a part of. This book will help you understand why he did what he did.

Head over to Amazon.com and take a look inside the book

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

GEORGE W. BUSH is the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001-2009. He previously served as Governor of Texas. He now lives in Dallas, where he founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University. 
 
 


I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for my honest review.