Disclosure: I received this book to review; post contains affiliate links. Opinions shared are mine.

Preparing for the Christmas season is often a whirlwind of activity. Decorating the tree, making meals, and wrapping gifts seem to dominate my time. This year, though, I’d like to prepare my heart first. Getting into the spirit of the season requires more than twinkling lights and pretty music. Instead, the days prior to Christmas will be blessed with prayer and meditation. I’m making an effort to focus on the real reason I celebrate the holiday, which is to draw closer to Jesus. The Christmas Story in 40 Days is an efficient alternative to the traditional advent calendar. Consider implementing it in your calendar this year! [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received these books to review. Post contains affiliate links; opinions shared are mine.

Your 5th grade teacher might have told you not to choose a book by its cover, but she wasn’t living in the real world.  Book covers are like looking at an appealing meal.  They are your first experience with a book!  Even in early grades, children learn to look at the front (and back) cover of a book to make predictions about the contents.  My husband often asks me what I want to do when I retire from teaching. I’ve always said I want to plant a huge garden where kids can come and pick whatever they want……but never thought about what I’d do for fun in the “off season.”  Now I know.  I want to dream up book covers!  Today, I’m featuring three books that are lovely on the inside, but absolutely stunning on the outside. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I am a FlyBy blogger; post contains affiliate links. Opinions shared are mine.

My husband rises early to spend time with God each day. Typically, he reads a few chapters from the Bible and covers his day in prayer. When he recently packed for a business trip, I noticed that he wasn’t planning to abandon this practice even though he would be out of town. His bag was packed with a priority item sitting right on top of the suitcase.

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Welcome to the Thankful for You giveaway hop! If you’re not a blogger, you may not realize how much gratitude bloggers feel toward their readers. I started blogging with an audience of exactly ZERO. It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’m appreciative of every visit and comment my readers make on my site. Since this is a book giveaway hop, I’m going out on a limb by guessing that many of you have books wasting away on your shelves. For me, PaperBack Swap helped me to get out from under my piles of books, while enjoying new ones from my wish list. If this sounds great to you, sign up using my referral link. I hope that PaperBack Swap can save you money, too!

There is a free option with PBS — it’s called A La Carte.  That’s the one I use.  You only pay if you request a book from another member, and even then the cost is just 49-cents + one book credit.   If you choose to go with the Standard Membership, you might as well get $3 off, too.   Earn extra book credits by swapping books off your own shelf.  You only pay the postage for those books that other members request, which typically runs around $3.25 for the books I mail out.  It’s fun to see how the books from my shelves have traveled all over the country to different readers.  PaperBack Swap has been much more affordable for me than a used bookstore, because the more popular titles are still only one credit.

To help you get started on your swaps, the winner of this giveaway will win $5 Paypal cash.  The giveaway is open to all readers ages 18+ who can accept Paypal (void where prohibited by law.)  Good luck!

Disclosure: I received these books to review. Opinions shared are mine. Post contains affiliate links.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve enjoyed several books with widely different plots.  The biggest connection they all have is that they’re deep in relationship baggage.  The heavier mood seems to fit the strange weather we’ve had recently.  If you’re wondering what to read this weekend, think about one of these titles!

Another Way Home is a new title in the Chicory Inn series. This time we learn more about Danae and Dallas, a childless couple who struggles with their infertility.  It was interesting to see how Audrey and Grant reacted to the dynamics of their daughters’ relationship.   [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. Opinions shared are mine.

Enter the next great heroine, reluctant though she may be. Claire Daly is a “normal” girl who is anything but!  Author Michele Brouder has a sharp, unique adventure world waiting for us in this book.   There are some teenage nieces in my family who enjoy reading, but I’m often hesitant to recommend books to them because of mature content. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Claire Daly: Reluctant Soul Saver was mild in terms of sexual issues and profanity.  While there were a few references to sex, they were fairly tame.  Considering that Claire is a 17 year old girl who is ready to enter college, this was a clean read for the older teen audience.  I’d pass this on to my nieces without blinking an eye!   [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. Opinions shared are mine.

Many parents have to teach their children the difference between tattling and informing.  Kids do need to learn when a problem is bigger than they can handle; that’s when a parent is needed to step in to help solve it.  That’s how I felt as I read Lindsey Love and Intrigue.  As cryptic text messages plagued Lindsey’s phone, and dangerous incidents presented real peril, Lindsey didn’t let her parents in on the news.  She didn’t realize the gravity of her situation, and it bothered me to no end!  It probably didn’t help that I read this right around Halloween, when my instincts for all things creepy seems to be on high alert.  At least there were candied walnuts for Thanksgiving dinner!   [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Acorn and Poise; opinions shared are mine.

Teaching middle school was my world long before my children came along.  Scarfing down my lunch in 10 minutes was the daily routine.  Smelling contraband chewing gum from across the room became second nature.  I could (and did) teach all day without pausing for a restroom visit if necessary.  When my “personal kids” came along, I knew that it would be tough to balance work and home life.  Bladder control didn’t even cross my mind.  Soon, it became impossible to teach all day without giving my stressed-out bladder a break.  Childbirth devastated all bladder control, as 2 C-sections created a labyrinth of scar tissue on and in my body.  Hourly restroom breaks are now the norm.   As I’ve learned over the past few years, my mama bladder will make itself more comfortable despite my lack of breaks during the day.

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Disclosure: I am an NCircle blogger. Opinions shared are mine.

A few weeks ago, we rented the movie Houdini from RedBox. When my kids loaded the movie, I was instantly relieved to see the NCircle logo come up on the screen. I trust their storylines, content, and images to be appropriate for my children’s eyes and ears. We ended up keeping Houdini for several days, and even rented it another time! In this giveaway, one lucky reader will win both the Houdini DVD and ABC Monsters DVD in this NCircle giveaway. [Read more…]