Deanna

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A Believe Devotional for Kids by Randy Frazee (Book Review)

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Deanna

I’ve recently begun checking out various devotional books to use with my children. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for (or what was out there), so I wanted to explore several options. My most recent opportunity came with a chance to review A Believe Devotional for Kids: Think, Act, Be Like Jesus: 90 Devotions by Randy Frazee.

Although this devotional is part of a larger program with which I am completely unfamiliar, it also can be used by itself. Right off the bat I was impressed with the quality of this book. It is a beautiful hardcover with thick glossy pages and gorgeous illustrations by Steve Adams. Every page spread has at least a small picture, and most have stunning full page pictures in bold, vibrant colors sure to catch the attention of anyone who picks up the book.

As far as content, each page follows a typical devotional pattern: Scripture verse, food for thought (usually about 3-5 paragraphs), and a prayer. Because I’m not familiar with the Believe program, I wasn’t quite sure of the deeper meaning behind the organization of ideas, but that didn’t really affect my reading of each devotion. I could easily use this with my younger elementary age children, and I think older children and even teens would find the devotions thought provoking. These weren’t just fluffy, feel-good moments to think about Jesus, but deeper prompts toward spiritual growth.

If your church is going through the Believe campaign, you will absolutely want to get this devotional for your kids. Even if you’re not, I think it’s a fabulous tool for discipleship. It makes me want to check out Believe Kids’ Edition: Think, Act, Be Like Jesus and the Believe Storybook: Think, Act, Be Like Jesus to get even more out of it.

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Posted in Book reviews, Parenting Resources

Wordless Wednesday: Rainy Day Schedule

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Deanna

Rainy Day

Posted in Personal

“Blessed” to Overflowing in 2015

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Deanna

2015 was the year my cup overflowed. As the year began, I joined other bloggers in writing about a “Word for 2015,” not yet knowing how well my chosen word would fit.

In the previous few years, we’d had our share of difficult times: burying far too many loved ones, job loss, financial difficulties, losing our first home, losing our fifth baby… We were thankful for the Lord’s strength and grace that got us through, but I was hopeful that 2015 would see us heading in a new direction. I prayed about my word for the year and went with “Blessed.” I had hopes about what that might look like, but I reminded myself, “No matter what trials and difficulties I may face, Father, help me always remember that I am blessed.”

overflowing Oh, am I blessed. This past year the Lord heaped blessing upon blessing for our family, and I finished the year feeling like the fountain in our new back yard that just keeps filling up and spilling over. We moved into a beautiful little house where not only do my children have space to run around, they’ve also been given wonderful neighbors with whom to do it. We welcomed Nathaniel into our family, healthy after some respiratory complications due to his early arrival. Actually, everyone has been remarkably healthy this year. Eric and I celebrated our ninth anniversary, and we’re more in love than ever. We have so much for which to be thankful.

I know life won’t always be like 2015, but it was a beautiful respite from the trials and struggles that normally face us. I am humbled and awed by the blessings of this past year, and I feel like I can now take a deep breath and plunge into the future, whatever it may hold. And while I don’t expect new houses and babies to keep pouring down on us, the truest blessings will always be ours in abundance.

“…You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:5-6

Posted in Personal

The Everywhere God (Book Review)

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Deanna

The_Everywhere_God_Cover I have found that sometimes the best way to reach my children’s hearts is through a good book. When I’m struggling to find the right words to say something important, I often find that someone else has already said it for me. I’m thankful for books like The Everywhere God by Bob Nelson (edited by his daughter Cricket Nelson Hater), that share God’s Truth in a way my children easily understand.

The Everywhere God was written by a grandfather wanting to offer comfort to his granddaughter during a hard time in her life. Through simple rhymes, Nelson offers the solid reassurance that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, God is always there, and He’s always loving us.

Young children will enjoy this 32-page book with Robin Tillman’s fun and colorful illustrations. While addressing a serious topic, Nelson keeps things light by imagining silly situations where one would deeply appreciate God’s continued presence. I think it’s a great book to read aloud to children in need of something solid to hold onto when their world feels uncertain.

Check out Ben and Me for a unit study to go along with the book!

Terms and Conditions:

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to The Everywhere God email list.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the author in exchange for my honest review. 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 Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Posted in Book reviews

The Everywhere God – Fire Tablet GIVEAWAY!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Deanna

This giveaway will have 4 winners. The grand prize winner will receive a new Fire 7″ Tablet loaded with the Kindle edition of The Everywhere God. The Fire tablet includes:

Beautiful 7″ IPS display (171 ppi / 1024 x 600) and fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Rear and front-facing cameras.
All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
Enjoy more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games
8 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage.
Updated user interface – Fire OS 5 designed for quick access to your apps and content plus personalized recommendations that make it easy to discover new favorites
Up to 7 hours of reading, surfing the web, watching videos, and listening to music
Stay connected with fast web browsing, email, and calendar support

Three more winners will each win a print copy of The Everywhere God.

The Everywhere God is a book about hope for children of all ages. Written for his young granddaughter during a particularly difficult time, the late Pastor Bob Nelson wanted to be sure she knew God was with her no matter what else was happening. Despite people and circumstances, his message is clear, God never leaves or forgets about us and His love never ends. Upon it’s completion, he knew it was something special and wanted to make it a children’s book. Unfortunately, time passed and things never fell into place for his vision to come to life. He passed away in 2008 before he could see it happen.

More than 20 years after it’s original writing, Bob Nelson’s daughter remembered this treasured poem and like her father, felt it needed to be shared with the world. For many years she kept this special story in the back of her heart and always dreamed of making his vision for a children’s book a reality.

To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter below after reading the terms and conditions.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Wordless Wednesday – Cookie Creche

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Deanna

Posted in Holidays

May the Faith Be With You (Kids Devotional Book Review)

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Deanna

I’ve been wanting to find a devotional for Ian that could help him start to build a habit of having a regular quiet time with God. When I got a chance to review May the Faith Be with You: 180 devotions that are out of this world from Zonderkidz, I had to check it out. What better way to encourage a 7-year old boy than tying it to a movie he loves?

May the Faith Be with You is designed for young readers just starting out in a time of personal prayer. The format is quite simple, taking up just one page for each devotion, so there’s not an overwhelming amount of reading required. At the top of each page is a short Bible passage, just one or two verses fully written out so a Bible isn’t necessary unless one wants to read the surrounding verses. Then readers are led through the following:

Master Moment (a simple sentence about the focus of the day’s devotion, i.e. “God watches over us during both the calm times and the stormy times of life.”)
Ways of Wisdom (a short paragraph about how the Master Moment relates to the Scripture passage)
Use the Force (a short prayer connecting the Master Moment to the reader’s own life)

I was disappointed to find that, apart from the title of the book and the subtitles for each section of the devotions, there’s really nothing about it that relates to Star Wars at all. In fact, it seems rather generic, like it would be easy to republish the book using a totally different theme just by slapping on a new cover and changing the subtitles. If your desire is to find something to appeal to Star Wars fans, May the Faith Be with You will probably leave you wanting.

However, if your main goal is finding a simple devotional guide to help your children build a quiet time habit, then this might be a good fit. I appreciate that it is Scripture based without a lot of extra commentary. It’s not very “meaty,” but that’s why I think it’s a great choice for younger kids. Each devotion would probably take five minutes or less, so it can help establish a good habit without being overwhelming.

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Posted in Book reviews

Wrapping Up Weeks 19 and 20

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Deanna

Our last two weeks of school before Christmas were mostly about reaching the milestones I had in my yearly lesson plan book. In addition to finishing our regular math and history lessons, we learned about several holidays and did a lot of memory work (times tables and history time line) as we drove about town, enjoying several “field trips” before the schools let out for the holiday.

Our family has enjoyed learning about Hanakkuh over the last couple years, and the kids always look forward to a night of celebration with friends at church.

On St. Lucia Day (December 13) we read about the Swedish traditional celebrations (part of my heritage), and Arianna dressed up.

On one unusually warm day we headed to the beach with Grandma and Grandpa (throwing in some lessons on erosion and gravity while we were there).

We also spent a few hours at one of our favorite children’s museums.

The kids had fun putting on their own “Christmas pageant” and acting out the visit of the wise men.

And after our 100th day of school (woohoo!) we joined some friends and headed “Back to Bethlehem,” enjoying a fun family evening at a church that recreates the setting of Jesus’ birth, complete with animals, a town market, dancing, and of course, Baby Jesus.

So the last two weeks may not have looked like our typical school schedule, but we’ve had a lot of fun learning opportunities, and I’m thankful once again for the flexibility of homeschooling. Now we’re looking forward to a week visiting with cousins, celebrating Christ’s birth, and hopefully resting and recharging.

Merry Christmas!

Posted in Holidays, Weekly Wrap Up

The Anticipation of Advent

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Deanna

Over the last few years, I have grown to love the Advent season. As a child, I felt like the weeks leading up to Christmas were absolutely magical, and as I grew older I never seemed able to recapture that anticipation. Of course, what I was really looking forward to back then was Santa’s arrival and present delivery. It was hard to feel the same once I had outgrown that fantasy.

We don’t play the Santa game at our house, but once we had children I wanted to try to create a similar sense of excitement as we looked forward to the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. The great mystery of His arrival is so far beyond any childish dreams about a jolly fat man bringing presents.

We’ve developed many Advent traditions to help make this season a time of wonder and delightful anticipation for our family, and this year as I was decorating our home, I decided to add one more (borrowing from my nominally Catholic roots). We have Nativity scenes scattered throughout the house, and I set them all up without Baby Jesus (except for a few where that was impossible). Right away my kids started asking, “Where’s Jesus?” To which I replied, “He’s not here yet. We have to wait for Christmas!”

Every time I pass one of those scenes, I’m struck by how incomplete it feels, which was the whole point, of course. It’s hard for me to imagine a world without Jesus, where the only thing to cling to was the hope of God’s promise. Having a concrete reminder of His absence has helped me spend time each day reflecting on how Christ’s arrival brought a sense of completeness (or at least it set things in motion for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise). I tried it on a whim this year, but I think this is going to become a tradition. (I’m still trying to decide how I want to bring out the Jesus figures. I’ve got lots of great ideas from which to choose!)

“O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,There is room in my heart for Thee.”

Posted in Holidays

Kwik Stix (Review and GIVEAWAY!)

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Deanna

Looking for a simple gift sure to delight a young art lover? Check out Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc. They sent us a 12-pack of these fun art sticks to review, and they were a big hit with our whole family!

About Kwik Stix

Basically, Kwik Stix are a way to get the bold, bright colors of tempera paint without the mess. They are available in a 6 Pack (great stocking stuffer!), 12 Pack, or a large class set of 96. If a child is old enough to hold a crayon, they can easily use Kwik Stix. They’re similar to glue sticks in thickness and in the way they twist up from the bottom.

The color goes on very smoothly, almost like oil pastels, only without the mess. Just take off the cap, paint, and the color is dry within 90 seconds. You can use them on paper, cardboard, wood, and canvas for quick, easy art projects without having to get out smocks, brushes, water, and everything else that usually comes along with painting.

Our Experience

DSCN0953x I knew Kwik Stix were going to be a hit with my children, and I was right. All four of them ages 2-7 had a blast creating pictures. (While the caps are small enough that young children who put things in their mouths would need supervision, I loved how easy it was for my 2-year old to join the older kids’ fun.) At first I tried to do just two kids at a time, thinking of other art projects we’ve done, but because these didn’t require cups of water and messy paints, it really wasn’t a big deal when the others came and joined in. I was especially impressed with how quickly the paint dried. My kids ended up making paper airplanes out of their pictures, and nothing got on their hands even though they had just finished them.

My 7-year old went straight to work creating multiple drawings, but I think some older kids (or those more artistically inclined) might want more precision than these thick sticks can give. We found that the colors mixed pretty well just by using one on top of another. Ian wanted gray and easily got it by drawing with black on top of white. I loved that when a tip got another color on it, it was easily wiped off so the colors could stay true.

The only thing I didn’t like about Kwik Stix was the caps. We have a constant battle in our house trying to keep caps on markers, so I’ve drilled it in to my kids that they need to put caps on the ends so they don’t get lost. My 4-year old had trouble getting the caps off by herself, and then once I got it off for her, she tried to put it on the end and realized she couldn’t. Only my oldest was able to get the caps on tightly when he was done, so I had to go through the set and fix most of them.

Overall, however, we loved the Kwik Stix! According to my kids, they smell like pancakes. (I don’t necessarily agree, but at least they don’t smell bad!) The kids loved the bright, bold colors, and I loved how easy it was to let them have a good time creating beautiful art with no mess to clean up!

Want to win your own Kwik Stix? The Pencil Grip, Inc. has generously offered to send a 6-pack to one of my readers! Enter the giveaway below!

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