The First Christmas Ever - Book Review

I got the chance to review a Christmas children's book for Book Look Bloggers.
It was nice to have this opportunity at this time of year.

The First Christmas Ever is Illustrated by Dennis Jones. It is a retelling of the Christmas story (the birth of Christ) in a way that children can understand. The illustrations are fun and colorful. I think it does a great job of telling the story of Jesus' birth in an entertaining way as well. There's extra detail added like the KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the innkeeper's door. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jesus is born. It says, "All babies are special, but Mary's baby was extra special!" That's for sure! This book also has a couple of pages at the end that tell about what Jesus did as he grew up. It keeps it pretty simple, saying that Jesus started doing God's work and preaching about God's love, but that the birth of baby Jesus was "just the beginning of something wonderful for the world." Reading this book got me interested in checking out some of Dennis Jones' other illustrated Bible stories. This is a good book to read to your children for Christmas. If you have a young child and you want to teach them about the true meaning of Christmas, I suggest picking up this book. At the low price of $1.99, it's a great stocking stuffer!

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.”

O is for Others

On Sunday, I attended my cousin's fiancee's baby shower. It was full of family and friends and fun shower games. My aunt always puts on great baby showers. One of the games we played was the A through Z of baby necessities. You were supposed to list something you need for a baby that started with each letter of the alphabet. When we finished, we passed our papers to someone else and if they saw anything that they thought was questionable on the paper, they brought it up to the whole group. We then raised our hands if we thought it should not be counted.

For the letter O, I put "others". Others. As in other people. I was voted down. I was told it should not be counted because, according to my aunt, she didn't need anyone. She raised her baby by herself while her husband was deployed.

Let me tell you what's wrong with that. My aunt did not raise her baby by herself. She lived away from the rest of her family at the time, but I'm quite sure she called them up on the phone from time to time for advice. I'm quite sure she talked to her mother, who had raised a very large family. I'm quite sure that, even though her husband was on deployment, she was able to talk to him or write to him. She thought about him and he thought about her. She was not "on her own".

I see this theme going with single mothers. They talk about doing it "on their own". Sure, I will give you that there are some women who truly are out there without any friends or family around. But that's my point. They are really struggling to get by, aren't they? They can't do it on their own. What about the baby sitter who watches their child while they are working to put food on the table? What about the teacher who teaches their child when she gets old enough to go to school? No one can do it on their own. If they think that they can, they are sorely mistaken. We are social individuals and we need each other to thrive. So don't ever let anyone tell you that you don't need others to help your child grow and thrive. You are the most important part of your child's life, but don't discount the contribution of others. Don't ever take it for granted.

It's Turkey Time! - Fall Painting Craft

It's going to be Thanksgiving soon, so what better Fall painting craft to do with my boys than the classic hand print turkeys? This was Little K's first time painting, so it was an interesting experience for him. T-Rex loves to paint now, so if I ask him if he wants to paint the answer is always "Mmm Hmm!!" I am waiting for him to point to the paints some day and ask if he can paint before I bring it up!



First, I traced their hands. It was a little difficult because toddlers and babies have squirmy hands. I think I still did a pretty good job. These are T-Rex's hands.

Then it was time to paint. In hindsight, I probably should have drawn the turkey features on T-Rex's turkey first. I should have known he'd cover the whole paper. I will have to draw the face on the other turkey after it dries.

T-Rex's final product

For Little K, I just put a little paint on the paper and let him smear it around. Next time, I think I'll tape the paper to his table because he kept trying to pick it up and eat it!

Little K's final product

I sure love painting with my boys! I love how each of the paintings are so unique to them. I just let them do their own thing and it turns out so cute every time. I loathe cookie cutter art that all looks the same!
Take some time and try this old classic with your little ones. You'll be glad you did.

Review of the NKJV Study Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers

I was excited to get the opportunity to review the NKJV (New King James Version) Study Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers. This second edition is in full color with cross-references, translator notes, study notes, in-text maps and charts, articles and much, much more. This Bible is amazing! When I opened the box and saw this HUGE Bible (it's 2000+ pages), I didn't know what to think! I opened it up and explored it. There is so much to read and to learn! Each book of the Bible has a description of the book, information about the author (or presumed author), when it was presumed to have been written, the purpose, and for the Old Testament books there is also a section on Christ in the scriptures that talks about how this particular book relates to prophecies about Christ and how they are fulfilled. Knowing about the culture, meanings of words that are unclear, etc. helps to expand my understanding of the words in the Bible so much. When looking at this Bible, I started thinking about my undergraduate courses in Christianity and in particular my Old Testament studies course. A Bible like this would be excellent for a course in Bible studies, to read on your own, or for a pastor to read when preparing sermons. I look forward to reading the whole Bible in this new way. I know that I will be seeing God's Word in a whole new light! I was so blessed to have this opportunity to obtain this wonderful Bible and I suggest that you pick one up as a gift for yourself or someone else this holiday season.

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.”

Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze - A Book Review

Smart Money, Smart Kids is a book by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze. You may have heard of Dave Ramsey and his book Total Money Makeover. This book comes from the same premise of teaching your children the principles from the total money makeover so they won't make the same mistakes that you may have when they grow up.

Ramsey and Cruze present a method for teaching your children about money called the envelope method. Your child will have an envelope for save, one for give, and one for spend. Your child will divide the money they earn among these envelopes and you will teach them that once their spend money is gone for the month, that's it. They learn by doing. I tried this for a while with my daughter and she was learning a lot about money. It also was a good way to get her to help out a little more around the house (though she had chores that were required without getting money for them). Ramsey and Cruze also discuss important issues for the teenage years like how to pay for college(scholarships, scholarships, scholarships) and saving for a car. If you want to teach your child to manage money, but you don't know where to start, this is a great book for you!

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.”

Redefining Friendship

Recently, I have asked myself the question - "What is a friend?"
When I was a child, I always thought a friend was someone who spent time with you, who enjoyed being with you, playing with you, coming to your birthday parties. I always thought a friend was someone who would drop everything to help you and be with you. I expected it to stay that way when I grew up. I was wrong.

Dictionary.com defines friend in several ways. I list the most relevant here:
noun
1.
a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
2.
a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter
3.
a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile

Not one of these definitions says the friend always has to be there or want to spend time with you, though you would think that if someone has feelings of affection, supports someone, and is on good terms with someone they would want to spend time with them.

I feel like I don't really have any friends except for my husband because when I invite people to come to my house, to my birthday party or a cook out, they always seem to have excuses. I have felt like I'm being rejected. I've felt like these people who say they are my friends really are not my friends.

What I've come to learn is that there are different levels of friendship. I have a few best friends. My best friends are all related to me; my kids, my husband, my mom and dad, my mother-in-law, and my brothers (especially the brother who is closest in age to me). These are friends who will drop anything to help me out, who will spend time with me, who will show up at my cook outs and birthday parties unless something out of the ordinary prevents them from doing so. These are my best friends.

But just because someone is not my best friend, doesn't mean they aren't my friend. It doesn't mean that they don't have "feelings of affection" for me. It doesn't mean that they aren't my supporter. It doesn't mean they aren't on good terms with me. If I go by this definition, I really have a lot of friends.
I desire that close, personal connection with people. I may find it with very few people, but I should feel blessed to have so many supporters, so many people who care about me. I've found a lot of these people over the past year and a half at my church. These are people who are on my side, who want me to succeed, who are there to support me and help me. I really learned the definition of this friendship when Little K was born. I have never seen such an outpouring of support from a group of people before. It was a hard time for me. I was recovering from a c-section while trying to take care of a 14 month old. My husband was out of a job and we were struggling. These friends were like family, and I now consider them my family. I am lucky and blessed and I now understand that these types of friends are just as good as the ones who come to every event you have. They will be there for you if you really need them!

Lessons I've Learned From My Father

Yesterday was my father's 64th birthday. In honor of this occasion, I would like to present the latest installment of my lessons I've learned series: Lessons I've Learned From My Father.

- Spend time with your children. My dad worked a lot when I was a child. I remember days when he would leave for work before I got up for school and get home around dinner time. But he still had time to spend with his four children. We played together. We went to the park. We went to the zoo, the Children's Museum, church functions, school functions, and spent time together at home. When I was getting older and we had "Family Life" classes at school, my dad would take me to Village Inn to get a piece of pie and talk about what we were learning. Those could have been really awkward talks. But they weren't. My dad was spending time with me. That wasn't all we talked about. We talked about what was worrying me, how school was going, etc. I will always remember those times and that is why I try to have "Mommy and K days" with my daughter as often as I can with two little boys around. When the boys get older, I will try to have "Mommy and Little K days" and "Mommy and T-Rex days" too!

- Don't let your children be concerned about your problems. As adults, we go through a lot of stuff. It's important that our children know that they do not need to be concerned with our problems. Kids have enough to worry about without taking on our issues as well!

When I would get worried about something when I was a kid, my dad would always say to me, "What kind of problem is that?"
I would respond with, "An adult problem."
"So," he would say, "What should you do?"
"Don't worry about it."

If you are going through something, sometimes it is important for your kids to know what you are going through. For example, if you have a chronic illness. Your kids will want to know what's wrong with mom (or dad). But even if it is something that you tell your kids about, let them know that it is not something they need to worry about. Let them know that mom and dad are taking care of it. If they have questions, they can ask. But they shouldn't worry about it, whatever it may be.

- Be silly with your kids! My dad loves to sing. To this day, he still sings silly songs to his dog and to his grand kids. Sometimes when he's in a really silly mood, he might even sing them to his grown kids. I caught this habit from him and I sing silly songs to my kids. My daughter says I'm crazy. My husband says I'm weird, but they still laugh when I sing my silly songs. My dad's silly songs are one my favorite things about him!

- Show your spouse affection. Don't let your kids saying "Eww" when you give your spouse a quick peck on the lips deter you from showing affection. I always knew my parents loved each other because of how they treated each other and those little kisses and pet names were one way they showed it.

There's a lot of other things I learned from my dad, but I could write a book if I kept going.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I love you!