Friday, May 28, 2010

Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe - Todd Wilson

Lies Homeschooling Moms BelieveTodd Wilson

Todd Wilson

With Homeschool Convention season around the corner, I’m sure that at least a few of you will meet Todd Wilson. My husband and I met him last year at our homeschooling convention, and he had us both laughing at ourselves (really me) and the things that homeschooling mom’s feel.

With a section of “Lies” and a section on “Truths” this book tells us that what we are thinking, we aren’t thinking alone :)

Just a few of the “Lies”, Everyone elses kids are better, everyone elses home is cleaner, everyone else can do it all, every other mom loves homeschooling (and more) Each section goes through the lies and shows us, why they are lies with cute little comics to help you laugh even more!!

Backed with some “Truth”, You are not alone, God gave your children exactly the mother they needed (struggle here), You can’t do it all, Those perfect homeschooling families are not real.

I love how Wilson gives you permission to be your own family ( I don’t need to grind my own wheat & bake my own bread, nor do I need to have all of my children playing a musical instrument by the time they are 7, playing sports. . . if it works for the whole family. The Lord calls people to homeschooling, and He gives us each different abilities. My job as mom is to do what the Lord wants of me, not what ‘all the other homeschooling moms’ are doing!!

If you want to laugh at just a few of Wilson’s comic’s check out his encouragement cards http://www.familymanweb.com/encouragement

*Note: I got this book at a Homeschooling Convention last year, and really needed it, laughed and cried my way through it. Todd Wilson has no clue who I am, or that I have written this review. I have not be paid by Todd Wilson or Amazon.com.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Baby Signing Time "Lets be Friends" - Two Little Hands

Lets Be FriendsBaby Signing Time “Let’s Be Friends” - by Two Little Hands

I have always used ‘meal’ time signs with my kids, just taught them some things that I found in a book. Things like: more, please, drink, and eat. They have all picked that up before 12 months. While at the library the other day I found this DVD, actually this one and “A New Day”. I picked them up for my 3 1/2 year old, just so she could do “school” when her brothers were. All four of my kids LOVE these videos!! (20 months – 6 1/2 yrs).

Of the two, I would pick this DVD, it has lots of sharing type signs.

A list of signs include: Friend, play, share, nice, feel, happy, laugh, sad, cry, hot, cold, yes, no, me, dirty, clean, apple, pear, carrot, peach, juice, bubble, Balloon, telephone, music, and game. There are also some signs from other shows, that you might recognize.

The part that the kids love the most is that each section of words has a new song, and so they sing as they sign. I’m sure that it also helps that most of the videos are of toddlers (probably between 18-36 months).

I love teaching the kids Sign Language because they are able to ‘talk’ to me so much earlier with that than speaking it. I’m going to be on the look out to see if I can snag these on sale somewhere!! I would love to have all of them here all the time!!

*I have not been paid to write this review, it is a DVD that I borrowed from the library, but would love to have in my personal library.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Webster the Scaredy Spider- Hermie and Friends

Webster the Scaredy Spider- Hermie and Friends

Max Lucado

Webster is a spider, who is afraid of everything. When Webster arrives at the Garden he doesn’t realize that Spiders are not welcome, because everyone there is afraid of spiders. Hermie and Wormie are the only ones to give Webster a chance, and they want to remind Webster that God is there for him.

Hermie and Wormie try all kinds of ways to trick everyone into giving Webster a chance, but everyone is just afraid of him. Until Hailey and Baily (lady bug twins) decide to see if he really is friendly and leave to find him. They end up getting stuck, and heading down a river. Wormie is scared, but he takes a leap of faith and helps them. After that, everyone decides that Webster might not be so bad and they take time to meet him. Webster thanks God for giving him bravery to save the twins.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a Max Lucado children’s book I didn’t like. The Hermie and Friends are kind of simple, only because they are based on a movie. My kids enjoy these books, and they can watch the movies to get extra bits of the story.

*Note, Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, and Amazon.com have not paid me to write this review, and I only write it because. . . well, I wanted to :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Happily Ever Laughter- Ken Davis

Happily Ever Laughter

Ken Davis

with Jeff Allen, John Branyan, David Dean, Chonda Pierce, Kendra Smiley, Daren Streblow, Bob Stromberg and others.

A fun little book made up of a bunch of short stories (30 Chapters) and none of them are more than 6 pages long. There is no real rhyme or reason :) just fun stories that make fun of the problems we encounter in marriage, and help us to see the humor in the problems (cause if your married, there are going to be problems. . . . come to think of it, if you are in any kind of relationship, there will be problems ;) )

This little book is perfect for the diaper bag or purse, or to leave in the car. With it’s really short stories, and bursts of humor, you can get through one or two (sometimes more) while you wait for those appointments. And if you set it down for a week or a month, you won’t be at a loss, because they are all independent stories.

Of course, I found some of the stories to be funnier than others (probably because I related to them so much) but they are all tasteful stories that come from the adventures of marriage!!

I Review For The Tyndale Blog Network

*Note: This book was provided free to me, by the Tyndale Blog Network so that I may review it. Tyndale Blog Network, Amazon, nor the author have paid to write a review that was positive or negative. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Contractuib Calc - Blackberry

Blackberry (we have 8330)

When in labor, don’t search for paper, just use your phone :)

I like contraction timers because they do all of the math for you, and if you’re having hard contractions you don’t have to think as hard.

This program has a lot of the same features as most contractions timers “StartTime”, “EndTime”, “Duration”, & “Frequency”. It is easy to start and stop the timer for this program, simply hit the space bar and it starts/stops, and then does the calculations for you.

One of the really neat features of this program is in the Settings and is that you can add your name, your ”Expected Due Date”, “Frequency Leave Time” and “Time Format”. The one I really like “Expected Due date, because then every time you open it up, it tells you how many days until your due date!! “Frequency Leave Time” allows you to tell it when you think you should leave, and when your contractions get that close it will pop up and tell you to leave for the hospital (of course, good judgement should be used, if you think you need to go to the hospital before this pops up. . GO)

The colors are non-annoying, if a bit hard to read. Dark pink squares with black letters (Results) and then a light blue area telling the name of the program and Due Date Countdown at the top.

This program was $2.99 and you can find it here. Of the two programs I tried (one on each phone) I liked the extra features and colors on this program better.

*Note: I am at 34 weeks when I wrote this review, and have already had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions to test out my timers on. The owner of this program has not paid me to write this review, and has no clue that it is here.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Hearts Awakening - Delia Parr

Hearts Awakening

Delia Parr

Thirty-one year old spinster Ellie has just moved in with her cousin, and begins working for Jackson, who is a recent widower with two boys. Because of the scandal of his first marriage, Jackson decides to propose to Ellie. After rejecting his offer, she prays and goes back to accept his offer, but that is just the beginning of all of their struggles. gossiping neighbors, two little boys who desperately want their mother, pride and fear all have the marriage on rocky ground.

I found a lot of good story line in this book, with some confusing areas. It was not exactly what I expected when I picked it up. Their marriage was very rough up until the last chapter, so I almost don’t feel like it had the ‘happily ever after’ even though they are both commited to the marriage by the end of final chapter.

Spiritual content: It bothers me when books portray everyone as saved and going to heaven. Ellie does a lot of praying!! but beyond that there is very little in leading to Christ.

*Note: this Free book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for review purposes. I am not required to write a positive or negative review, but to simply state my opinion.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Contraction Timer - HTC Touch Pro 2

Contraction Timer handango.com

HTC Touch Pro 2

My husband got me a new phone a few weeks ago, and right after the new phone came a new program. A contraction timer (At 32 weeks, I had already had a chance to use it a few times). My husband had a Blackberry, and I’m going to post a review on that one next week!!

Contraction timers. . . tell how far apart your contractions are!! :) This timer gives start time, stop time, how long they last, and how often they are happening. All pretty standard for a contraction timer, but I really think the app is much easier than trying to write it down (When you are in pain, you don’t want to be finding the clock, and focusing hard enough to get the time right, and then finding the paper you wrote the last contraction on, my phone is always there)

Things I like: Easy to push start/pause, the button is huge, so it’s easy to hit!! The main screen only shows the last contraction, which means you’re not trying to figure out if the newest number is on top or bottom of the list. The history button on the bottom (SHOW, SEND, or SAVE) SHOW allows you to see a list of all your contractions from beginning to end including the duration and frequency of them all (No averages though :( ), SEND allows you to send a text, email, picture or video message, which will be handy to send to your hubby or ride or whoever might need to know that they really are coming that fast and that constant. Save. . . um. save ;) (Location is “File Explorer” “Program Files” Contractions Timer” and whatever you named it (I used the date)

What I don’t like: The colors, the background is black (with a thin red clock) with a hot pink start/pause button, and the information box is green. There are no averages. And this is a phone setting, but my phone goes into standby to save battery, so I just plug it in when I’m having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions (with this being my 5 pregnancy and a history of fast labor, I”m paying attention to all of them: and family, don’t be concerned, the dr’s aren’t ;) )

The program only cost us $1.99 (you can get it here) which is a lot better than the $19.99 of some programs (but they did have graphs and stuff showing where your contractions are going. . . ) I think it’s worth the two dollars to not have to do it the paper/pencil route!!

*Note: I was not paid to write this review, I did because I like to know how things work before I buy them :) Thank you Hunny for downloading this for me :)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Sixteen Brides - Stephanie Grace Whitson

Sixteen Brides

Stephanie Grace Whitson

Fifteen women (Sixteen if you count the stow away) set off for the west to take up land. Free land that the government will give them if they live on the land for 5 years or more. Only the man who set it all up knows that there is no land at the end of their ride, but plenty of men looking for wives (men who have paid for brides).

When one of the ladies learns of what is really going to happen at the end of the train, she decides to get off early, and take land in a nearby town, where she can actually accomplish what she set out to do.

Romance stories for more than one couple can be a bit confusing, this story has FIVE!!! plus the stories of a few other people mixed in. Each of the ladies who left the Bride Train early have a different story, different reasons for wanting a new start in the west. Each widow has her own hurts and past, and they learn to work and grow together. Ultimately falling in love towards the end of the book.

This book is a ”Christian Fiction” book, but other than it being clean (which I would expect from any christian publisher) and an occasional reference to prayer, there is nothing in the way of spiritual growth. I will say that there is a part of the book that talks about forgiveness, but it is forgiveness towards another person (very good) but nothing by means of forgiveness from God. I found nothing inappropriate in the book, and it was a fun read, I have always enjoyed reading about this time era, but other than it being clean, I don’t have any recommendations for it as a ‘Christian’ book.

*Note: this Free book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for review purposes. I am not required to write a positive or negative review, but to simply state my opinion.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Jessie Big Sky Dreams - Lori Wick

Book 3Jessie – Big Sky Dreams

Lori Wick

Jessie is the owner of the local mercantile. She recently lost her father, and only a few years before that she lost her mother. A strong young woman who knows what she wants, and exactly how she wants it done. When Seth comes to town, needing a job, she hires him to help out, not expecting to fall in love. They are soon married and expecting not long after. Stress on the young couple make the relationship very hard, and Seth leaves, not know what to do.

Fast forward 6 years, and you find Seth coming home to his wife and two daughters (Jessie was expecting when he left, but neither knew it). With a new relationship with Christ, Seth wants to repair his relationship with his wife, but again doesn’t know how to do this, at least this time his relationship with Christ will point him in the right direction.

I really enjoyed reading “Jessie” . The story is (like all Lori Wick) well written, detailed without sounding like a list, and again it gives lots of spiritual content. Some of the lessons that different characters went through were very convicting to me, and I knew that I need to apply some of the things that Lori Wick was sharing in my own life. As part of a series, it seemed to jump a bit(The first 4 chapters occurred years before the first book), and would have worked really well as a stand-alone title, but it was also fun to see all the characters again, so it worked well in the series. Also, Seth went into some of the details of his 8 years away, and you can read parts of that story in “A Texas Sky”. It took me a while to figure out why it sounded so familiar, so I did some research and discovered why :) It has been a while since I read that book, but it is fun to see it from Seth’s point of view, where before it was Darvi’s.

Another great book by Lori Wick, that I would highly recommend.

Cassidy – A review of the first book in the Big Sky Dreams by Lori Wick

* Note: I have not been paid to write this review, nor have I been asked to review this book by anyone (but myself) Lori Wick, Amazon, and Harvest House Publishers have not paid me to write this review

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

IMAX Under the Sea

IMAX: Under the Sea

Jim Carrey (narrator)

A 40 minute informational movie about the creatures under the sea.

Hubby and I saw the preview for this on “The Blind Side” and thought the kids would really enjoy it. Popped it in for them and after a few minutes I knew that I would have to watch it again, so that I could write a review about it :)

Jim Carrey is a riot normally and this is a fairly serious movie (informational) so he has a serous tone while adding bits of humor to it all (most of which my kids didn’t get, but hubby and I did).

Laughed at the convent fish (pretty sure that was their name), because the babies “must feed their parents”. Carrey listed a two options, my kids didn’t think the “eating a few of their children a night” option was so funny.

The picture quality was good (even though this was the regular version not the blue ray, which I’ll bet is Awesome). Scenes flow well from one to another, and color is good. Sound effects are a bit cheesy, but maybe that helps the kids understand it more.

Other than occasionally pushing the ‘global warming’ agenda, this is a good safe movie for kids, that also won’t annoy mom and dad.

*Note: I am writing this review because I want to; no one connected to this movie or Amazon.com has paid me to write it. All opinions are mine

Monday, May 3, 2010

Plan B - Pete Wilson

Plan B

Pete Wilson

Plan B is book to help you understand that God’s plans are not ours. The author gives advice for staying open to what God has for us, and reminds us that we won’t always understand the “Why”. The book is mixed with Bible stories and stories of people who Wilson knows, as well as personal stories.

Wilson talks about why we don’t want a Plan B: because we want to be in control, and if we are in Plan A, we are in control.

The book ends, not with a promise or guarantee that life will get better, but that if you allow Him too, God will be beside you in each of your “Plan B”‘s.

Personal thoughts on the book. I think that it was a good book, but as someone who has not gone through big ‘plan b”s it is a bit hard for me to relate, but I have gone through many, many, many small and medium plan b’s and can see examples of how I did relate to those given in the book. (Some I could have handled better) I had a hard time sitting down and reading this book, probably because I prefer fiction, but I’m trying to train my brain to read a variety, so I got this one. I think this book would be good for someone experiencing a big plan b, and really anyone who might end up going through one (um. . . all of us??). Lots of quotes and scripture verses used throughout.

I review for BookSneeze
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.”