God is Just Not Fair - A Review

This is a review of the book God is Just Not Fair by Jennifer Rothschild. Jennifer has gone through her share of heartache and suffering. She became blind at age 15 and has since written many books and spoken at conferences about trusting in God.

"Why would God allow this to happen to me?" "How can a God who is good and doesn't make mistakes allow something like this to happen?"
We all struggle with questions like this. If I have learned anything from reading the Bible, attending church and listening to sermons on the subject, and walking in faith myself over the years, it is that there is really no definitive answer to these questions.

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, then. I wasn't expecting the answer because if I haven't found any answer besides "trust in God" in the Bible, I wouldn't find it in another book. I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It was a difficult read because this is difficult subject matter. I found it was more or less a rehash of things I have already heard. Things like, "God has a plan." "Have faith, even though you may not understand his ways." It's not that I don't believe these things. I do. But they don't make the heartache or the struggle go away. They can make it easier. Trusting in God and wrapping ourselves in our "blanket of faith", as Rothschild puts it, can help us get through things others simply could not.

I didn't learn anything new from this book, but others may be able to. If you have a hard time getting things out of scripture and you want a book that lays it out for you, this is a good book to read. I, however, didn't really get anything extra out of it that I couldn't get from simply reading the Bible and reflecting on it myself.

I receive these books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook Bloggers book review 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.”

My Weight Loss Journal - So Far, So Good!

I've decided to jump on the band wagon of so many blogs and chronicle my weight loss (or maybe I should rename it my "healthy gain!") on my blog.

When I was pregnant with my first son back in November of 2012, I got up to 225 lbs. I lost that weight and then some during the 5 months that I was breastfeeding. By April of 2013, I was down to 185 lbs. Major weight loss for me!


Me in February 2013
Surprise! I got pregnant. The pregnancy along with combination of quitting breastfeeding did not work well for weight loss. I gained some of the weight back and by December of 2013, I was 208 lbs.

Me in December 2013, just 5 days before Little K was born.
Fast forward almost 4 months. I've been breastfeeding full time, walking 2 miles 5 days a week to take my daughter to school and pick her up, chasing after my toddler (inside and outside), walking up and down the stairs as we now live in a two floor town home instead of an apartment, and playing a whole lot of Just Dance on the Wii! So far, I have lost 38 pounds and I am 20 pounds away from my goal I had set after my first son was born. I feel very motivated and sure that I can get there! The unfortunate thing about all this (of course I don't see it that way) is that now I need a lot of new clothes. The thrift store is going to be my best friend, and I plan on having a yard sale soon to get rid of some of my old clothes and get money to buy new ones!

Me in February of 2014

Me in April of 2014

Noah and the Mighty Ark - A Review

This is a review of Noah and the Mighty Ark, a children's book by Rhonda Gowler Greene.

When I opened the package containing this book, my 17 month-old son came over and picked it up right away. He wanted me to read it to him immediately.

The book is full of fun and colorful illustrations and catchy rhymes. It is fun when it talks about the snakes s-s-slithering, the rain plip-plopping, and the wind whooshing. There is one thing that this book is lacking, however. It lacks plot. I know. You may ask, "It's the story of Noah. How can it lack plot?" Well, when Noah builds an ark, puts a bunch of animals in it, it rains, and then it dries up and they all come out of the ark with no explanation of why they did that - that's a lack of plot to me. Not only that, but it almost takes God out of the story. One wonders if this was inspired by the movie Noah, which I hear has a severe lack of God talk.

This book simply says that God found "one good man, strong and kind" to build an ark. It never mentions why Noah is building the ark. Sin does not come in to the picture at all. Then, at the end of the book it talks about God's rainbow promise, but never mentions what this promise is. So it's really not that this book lacks God so much as it lacks Noah's relationship with God. The important lesson children should learn from the Noah story is that God protects those who are righteous and that faith in God can get you through the storm. This book is cute. I will still read it to my sons. But I will be sure to explain to them why Noah built the ark and what God's promise was to Noah and his people since the author of this book decided to leave that part out.

I receive these books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook Bloggers book review 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.”

Why Christians Should Help Our Public Schools - A Book Review

This is a book review of the FRAMES book Schools in Crisis: They Need Your Help [Whether You Have Kids or Not] by Nicole Baker Fulgham with RE/FRAME by Kristine Somers and Jeff Martin. The FRAMES series by Barna Group provides information about studies done by Barna Group to help people get involved in causes in our country. (Find out more at Barnaframes.com or on their Facebook page.)

How are our schools in crisis? Why should Christians get involved? Why not just start our own schools? What can we do to help?
This short book answers these questions in a quick and concise form that can be shared with friends, family, church members, etc.

Inequality in American education is a social problem, and it's a big one. Many minority groups in this country don't make it to college. If they do, they are quite often woefully unprepared and many times do not finish. It is a shame that the quality of our children's education has to be determined by their zip code. Families that live in poorer neighborhoods already have trouble providing as many opportunities to their children outside of school. The schools do not provide as many opportunities, not necessarily because the teachers are not good teachers but often because they are underfunded and don't get enough help.

This book provides reasons why our schools are in crisis, statistics that show overwhelmingly that Christians want to help, and talks about what we can do to help. Take a couple of hours of your time to read this short book so you can get inspired or get ideas in your mind to help your local schools. When we invest in our children, we invest in our future!

I receive these books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook Bloggers book review 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.”

Family Fun - Let's go to the zoo!

My husband works a lot. I am at home with my boys all day, 5 days a week. We get to see him for about two hours every night before it's time for bed. Family time is very important to us.

We recently got a zoo pass. Now we can go to the zoo any time we want. We've already been there twice. I love it because the kids get to see all kinds of different animals and learn about them, we get to go outside, we get exercise, and it's family time! I also love it because I get to see so many of God's beautiful creations and it makes me appreciate the wonder of it all.

I also love taking pictures of all the different animals we see. I forgot my camera on our first zoo trip, but I remembered it this time and I got some great shots!

Big Brother T petting a goat. He was quite excited!
(I don't usually share pictures of my kids for privacy reasons, but you can't see his face in this one so it's all good.)

Ring tailed lemurs in the Madagascar exhibit.

A red lemur.

A fossa. They are the top of the food chain in Madagascar.

These California Sea Lions were playing a game. The one in the water would slap at the one on the rocks, then she'd jump in and they'd chase each other.

It's incredible to see the rhinos up close. They are HUGE!

Giraffes are amazing creatures!

I still don't know what my favorite animal at the zoo is, but I know that I love taking pictures in the butterfly exhibit and that's where we plan on going next time! Stay tuned!

Asbestos Awareness Week - Heather's Story

I was recently contacted by a reader of my blog about a cause near and dear to her heart. I am taking the opportunity to share her story with my readers to help build awareness about a problem that is still prevalent in our country.

Here is Heather's Story:

At age 36, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma just 3 ½ months
after my first and only child, Lily, was born. I was given just 15
months to live unless I underwent a drastic surgery to remove my left
lung. Miraculously, I beat the odds and I’m still here eight years later.

Asbestos is not banned in the US, yet it’s the only known cause of
mesothelioma. I was exposed to asbestos through my fathers work jacket
when I was just a little girl; my diagnosis came about 30 years later.
Once diagnosed, most patients die within 2 years. I am one of few
survivors who openly share their story and work to spread awareness
regarding the dangers of asbestos.

In honor of upcoming Asbestos Awareness Week (April 1-7), Heather has created
a webpage dedicated to raising awareness. She has asked me to
share it on my blog to help educate and protect my
readers from this preventable disease!

Here’s the link to Heather's awareness page: mesothelioma.com/heather/awareness