Bringing Up Girls- A Review

Girls, girls, girls....I have two of them and let me tell you, they are not easy. They cry about anything, everything, and sometimes nothing at all. They are super emotional, unlike myself. What a blessing their daddy is at times like these.
After I had my son, we got the book Bringing Up Boys, and I can't tell you how much help that book was. After my girls I remember asking God in passing why we didn't have one for girls. NOW WE DO!
This book started off with how the media, fashion, and toy industries are ruining the innocence of our daughters at such a young age. Just look at the dolls they have for girls these days. Half clothed Barbies and life size matching ones for our very own girls. Thanks, but I'll pass!
"Girls not only possess a compassionate and gentle spirit, but they can also be catty, rebellious, and downright brutal to their peers." Oh yes, I have experienced this with both of my girls. Not so much with their peers outside of our home, but very much so towards each other. They are 3 and 4 years old so they battle over everything some days. Then we have those days when they are best friends, giving hugs and kisses, and sharing with one another.
This book covers great topics such as girls and their mothers, fathers and daughters, their obsession with beauty, and many more.

Dr. James Dobson has done it again! 

You can purchase this book at a great price and read a little bit of it on amazon.com.

I received this book from Tyndale for my honest review.

Cleaning House:

"A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement" After reading this book by Kay Wills Wyma, I have discovered we are on the right track with our child rearing. People would say to me things like, "And I thought we were hard on our kids." I took that as a compliment at times, and then when I was alone in my house while everyone else was sleeping, I would think I'm a big meanie! I chose this book to review because Elisa Morgan had good things to say about it. If you are involved in any way with MOPS, you've heard that name before.

I'm all about teaching my children responsibility at home. I want them to grow up not feeling entitled to everything and thinking they don't have to work for it. The author breaks down her chapters by tasks. She starts off with easy thing like making beds. That is something we have our 3 year old doing already, so my head got a little big reading that part. We make it fun so it doesn't seem like a chore to them. They are happy to do it! She goes on to add kitchen work, outdoor work, laundry, etc. 

It all really does depend on your child's age with what you assign them to do. Teaching responsibility to children at a younger age is much easier than teaching them once they hit middle school. If you happen to have children who think the world revolves around them, then this book might be able to help you and your children out. I know I have a lot of great information now.

Check it out on Amazon.com

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

Great Summer Read

This Adventures in Odyssey book "Attack at the Arena" took a bit longer than usual to read because we were reading it together. My son, Alex, and I were taking turns reading each chapter. Cousins, Patrick and Beth, go on a mission in the Imagination Station to find a silver cup in Rome for Albert. Albert is an ancestor of Mr. Whittaker's that they are trying to help. Patrick and Beth get their necessary wardrobe changed to the time period and begin their journey in the time machine. In a quick change of events the cousins were taken into two different directions. Beth was dressed as the Emperor's slave and Patrick was dressed as a monk. A Roman soldier carried Beth back to the palace and Patrick followed another monk after much persuasion. A lot happens in the story, but they do finish their mission and are given a new one. Alex really enjoyed this story.

TJ And Her Time Travelers

TJ happens to be the "weird" New Kid who can sometimes just disappear into thin air. Tuna and Herby travel back in time from the 23rd century to do a history report on TJ. She is just the strange kid in the neighborhood right now, but she grows up to become a great world leader. These kids get themselves into all sorts of trouble and other crazy situations most of the time, but they always manage. TJ would rather these two invisible guys NOT be following her around, but they do have a report to write so they wouldn't be leaving her side anytime soon. Through their adventures they  learn important things about honesty, patience, kindness, and love. This story is filled with humorous events. My 8 yr old wasn't really into it yet, so I would recommend readers be a little older than that. 


I received this book from the wonderful folks at Tyndale Publishing for my honest review.

Infidelity & Forgiveness

It took me 1 day to read this book!
First, I give the author Gina Holmes props for writing this story from mainly the male's point of view. She did a very good job of it. It's one of those stories that could belong to anyone we know. Whether they are a Christian or not. Infidelity is real, even for some Christians who lose their focus and what God has called them to do. This story starts off with Eric being separated from his wife over an "innocent" email. He hadn't done anything at that point, but after getting kicked out of his house and being accused of something he hadn't done, he felt that gave him the excuse to do the real thing. We've all heard the saying two wrongs don't make a right. Eric felt so horrible the next morning, of course. He loved his wife so much, but she wasn't returning the love. She didn't even want him to touch her. And here this young co-worker of his was throwing herself at him.
His wife ends up getting in an accident and forgets that they were even separated. Eric thought this was his chance to make things right. Should he tell Kyra what has been going in between them? Maybe not, the doctor said it would be better if she remembered on her own. They start doing the romantic things they used to do and rekindled this fire he forgot they had. At some point she visits his work and is confronted with the woman he slept with. She asks Kyra if her husband had told her, and she lied and said yes. She returns home and they get into it again and he is once again homeless and on his friend's couch. Eric realizes he has to tell the truth so he writes Kyra a letter of apology for everything he had done over the course of their marriage. You have to read the story to find out, but this book can teach us a lot. There needs to be GOOD communication with your spouse. You can't expect the other person to know what's going on in your head and heart. Pray for your spouse! Another thing, God forgave us so we can forgive others. There are some good messages in this book if you pay attention to what you're reading.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

God & Love

Another great polar bear story by Lisa Tawn Bergren. I am on a mission to collect all the books with the "God Gave Us" title. God Gave Us Love is a very cute story! It really explains to children what love is, why God gave it to us, and why God will always love us. MY favorite page in the book says the following, ' "God shows us His love through our friends and family. But most of all," Grandpa said, "we know God loves us because He sent His Son to save us, to help us make good choices and forgive us when we don't. Because God loves us that much, we won't ever be separated from Him." ' I can already tell you this will be a favorite with my kids.


Take a look inside the book here.


 

I received this book from the wonderful people at Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review.

Loving Our Kids

How We Love Our Kids: The 5 Love Styles of Parenting is full of great information. We were all brought up differently. Therefore, we all know love as something different. We can transform our kids by changing certain things about how we love. 





In This Book:
*Identify which of the 5 love styles you have.
*Discover surprising dynamics that shape your parenting.
*Get rid of your "buttons" so your kids can't push them.
*Create a close connection with your kids that will last a lifetime.
*Learn the 7 gifts every child needs.


I love the Parent Toolbox in the back of the book. I gained a lot of knowledge from this book and I am grateful for it.

I received this book from Water Brook Multnomah for my honest review.