This is not officially in the Tricities, but if you’re headed to a UT game or shopping in Knoxville you might just want to hit Genghis Grill.   We travel to Knoxville pretty often to go to the zoo or just to shop.   I’ve heard of Genghis Grill and its amazing food……definitely wanting to head there sometime in the future!  It’s a build your own stir fry restaurant, where you can choose from 80 fresh ingredients, and watch as the grill masters cook it to order.   YUM!  I’ve looked at the pictures that fans have posted on the facebook page and everything looks delish.  Genghis Grill is running a contest right now with daily winners!  A grand prize winner will be chosen on November 9.   To enter, you  must answer this question: What have you conquered today?  On their Facebook page or Twitter page upload a photo of something you’ve recently achieved.  Add the hashtag #ConquerWithKhan.  It could be an Instagram photo of you jogging up a long trail, an A on a school paper, an original piece of art, or anything else you’ve seized control of.  The contest ends October 19, so you don’t have much time…..get in on the action now!

Click here to find a Genghis Grill location near you!

Recently SheSpeaks sent me a pack of samples from Enfagrow and a big stack of coupons to share. Although my son is too old to enjoy it, I shared it with some friends who have younger toddlers.

SheSpeaks is giving others the chance to try it while supplies last—–Click here to sign up, then they’ll contact you if they have relevant products for you to try.   It seems that this program is available to moms with kids ages 1-4.  If you join, I’d love to hear what you think of it!

I received this info today and am curious to find out if my kids would like My Gym. I wish we had a location near us.

Voting in the presidential election is important…so is voting for your family’s fitness. Excercise your child’s right for fun-filled activities, gymnastics, sports and more. Take advantage of one of these amazing offers and you’ll be entered to win My Gym Free for a Year!

Enroll for 2 Months get the 3rd Month FREE!
Enroll for 4 Months get the 5th Month FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!
Enroll for 6 Months get 2 more months FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!
Enroll for 9 Months get 3 more months FREE Plus Free Lifetime Membership!

Win My Gym FREE for a Year – plus a FREE Birthday Party

My husband has an Ed.d. In Education and currently serves special needs children in public schools. He wrote this great article on helping children be successful with homework.

Homework Tips and Strategies

Homework is something that most students dread.   The real secret is that most parents hate it more than their kids do.  I have put together some tips to make homework more manageable for both you and your children.

1.       Homework is an extension of your child’s school day.  It is very important that your child has it completed correctly and ready has it ready to hand it in when she gets to school.  If she is able to do these two things on a daily basis, she will reap the rewards of being prepared for the next day.  If you have the type of children that we do (never met an extracurricular activity they did not like) then school work must be made the priority above all else.  They must know that being involved with extracurricular activities is a privilege and reward for completing other work.  At our house, we call these must do’s and get to do’s.

2.       Homework can be overwhelming for some children.  Go over the list of tasks with your child each night.  Talk to him about what is due tomorrow and also what will be due in the next few weeks.  This will help him prepare for long term projects and set aside time to study for tests.  A calendar is great for this.  He needs to learn how to prioritize what tasks are due and how much work it is going to require each night.  The more organized you are and the more you help him plan, the more he is going to be able to do this in his profession someday.  Slow and steady will win the race.  Remember that the key to successful children is helping them learn how to solve problems, plan, and predict.

3.       Set and keep a schedule for homework.  I know families who fight all night about homework.  Find a schedule that works for your children and stick to it. Set an egg timer for those who may be less than enthused about completing a task.  Build in rewards for completing homework.  Outside play is often the best motivator and a great active reward.

4.       Feed your children a snack before tackling homework.  They will think better if they have a full tummy.

5.       Know when to say when.  All of us have had a teacher or two that wore us out with high amounts of homework.  If homework gets cumbersome, go and meet with your child’s teacher and explain what is going on at home.  The teacher can often shed light on why they are having the children do certain tasks. It is also important to not to rush to accuse a teacher of being too difficult.  Many times, the hardest teachers teach your children the most.  Having said this, it is time to talk to the principal once you have established that your child is doing all that they can at school and that they are doing 3 hours of homework for one teacher.  There are also times to say, “go to bed and finish this in the morning”.  Sleep is wonderful for Mom, Dad and children sometimes.

6.        Never go to bed mad.  This is your secret weapon.  End every homework session with something pleasant.  Read to your children, talk while cuddled in bed or take them out to play. You do not need to tell children anything about this.  They will intuitively want this positive time with you.  It is really the same with your day.  The last thing you want to do is to come home from a hard day’s work and fight.  Your happiness in the evening does a great deal to help your child calm down for the night.  No matter how frustrated you might be, let it go.  Talk to your children about your expectations for tomorrow and trust that they will follow through.

If you read the summary below, I’ll bet you’ll be intrigued with just the first two paragraphs.  Don’t we always wonder what people are really like?  You know, when no one is watching and before we knew them? From the outside Annalise Decker has it all….beauty, a great family, living the perfect life in the small community of Deep Haven. But Annalise grows to fear that her new life might be shattered by a secret from the past. She will need help from the people she betrayed to make it all work out.

You Don’t Know Me drew me in from the start. It is like a feel-good family movie that takes a sudden wrong turn. I grew to love the characters and could imagine what they looked like. The suspense in the story was just enough to keep things going without giving me whiplash. Learning to trust others is a big step for those who have a lot to lose. For those who are trusted, it’s a big responsibility to come through when you are needed. This message rang out loud and clear in You Don’t Know Me.

Thanks, Litfuse, for allowing me to participate in this book tour.

About the Book: 

A Deep Haven Novel

Sometimes the secrets we keep to protect ourselves can be our undoing.

To all who know her, Annalise Decker is a model wife and mother. She’s a permanent member of the PTA, never misses a sporting event, and is constantly campaigning for her husband’s mayoral race.

No one knows that Annalise was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the quaint harbor town of Deep Haven, Deidre received a new identity and a fresh start, which began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker.

Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her. When Agent Frank Harrison arrives with news that the man she testified against is out on parole and out for revenge, Annalise is forced to face the consequences of her secrets. Will she run again, or will she finally find the courage to trust those she loves most with both her past and her future?

Meet Susan: 

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

Find out more about Susan May at .

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I was so excited when I was given a chance to receive a copy of Queen of the Waves.  I cannot get enough of Titanic. Back in the day when THE Titanic movie came out, my now-husband and I stood in line for tickets. More than once. We played “My Heart Will Go On” at our wedding.  The whole tragically romantic ordeal just begs to be recorded time after time to tell all the stories.  I even loved Downton Abbey from the moment I saw the first episode because it starts with the Titanic!

Queen of the Waves immediately drew me in with the cover.  You might expect to know the story since you know what happened to the Titanic, but keep on reading. The story is so worth it. I loved how the author gently wove her Christian faith into the book. It will help you see the event just a little differently, but to see people a lot differently. Strong women like Jessie, godly men like Roland, and curious girls like Tessa are the kind of people who make the world go ’round. Read Queen of the Waves and see where you would fit in.

I loved being part of this blog tour.

This post contains affiliate links, I received this book as part of a book tour.  The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

It is hard to find holiday videos that are appropriate for small children without being too babyish. NCircle Entertainment offers several titles that will add to your video library and are appropriate for the youngsters.   Plus, each video is $6.99—super affordable!  My kids are ages 3 and 8. We received three videos to review….Sid the Science Kid was the newest of the titles. It was a fast favorite in our house with both my kids. Anytime there is a movie about spiders, bats, and skeletons you have a winner, right? Sid’s Spooky Halloween talks about bat “poop” which gave my daughter the giggles more than once. The end of the video features an exciting parade to show off the children’s costumes.

If you haven’t seen Word World before, you are in for a real treat. The letters actually shape the words, so it helps prereaders to understand in a concrete way that letters form words.   For example, notice the word “BARN” in the picture above.  Additionally, this visual helps emerging readers to develop sight word recognition. Plus it’s just fun to watch. Kooky Spooky Halloween has two episodes. In the first, Pig sleepwalks and his friends think he is a ghost. My son was a bit scared by this, but it was a great chance for us to talk about costumes. The second show is about sharing with friends even when it requires a sacrifice. When Sheep shares her costume components with her friends, the friends band together to help Sheep.

The last video we watched was The Cat in the Hat. In Tricks and Treats, The Cat and his friends get to go trick-or-treating. My youngest is three and he didn’t get to trick-or-treat last year, so he was intrigued by the idea. It was a great opportunity to talk about the fun tradition of Halloween, too. Since we will be going to the Mickey’s Halloween party this year at Disney, I am glad that my son knows what to do.

NCircle Entertainment videos are age-appropriate for my 3 year old yet still entertaining for my 8 year old. I trust the company because there is nothing in the shows that I would not allow my children to see. We are very careful with the language that my kids hear and even the character interaction that they watch. We try to avoid fighting scenes and violence. With NCircle videos I know that my kids will only get wholesome fun. These videos can be purchased online. Visit the NCircleFacebook Page for a chance to win their giveaway!

I received a copy of this book to review. Where the Trail Ends has such amazing history behind it. I am a fan of historical fiction but rarely read books about the pioneer era or the struggles of those who fought many obstacles to settle the West.  I’m not sure why I never read this type of book.  For some reason it doesn’t appeal to me as much as other periods of history.  I learned my lesson with this book.  It helped me to realize that women who lived in the pioneer era were so tough!  I guess I always knew that, but this was just a great reminder.

Where the Trail Ends comes from the viewpoint of young Samantha and her family.   As I read, I could imagine myself in Samantha’s shoes, gritting my teeth with determination and refusing to admit defeat.   Author Melanie Dobson helped me to relive a world where difficult sacrifices are made and uncertainty is the only certainty.   I can’t wait to share this one with my friends and family. It’s the kind of book that you want to pass on because you know that it will give the warm fuzzies to anyone who takes the time to enjoy it.

Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end of the book.  It provides such a great background and history that gave me a connection to the story.  I almost wish this part was in the beginning of the story instead.

If you read my earlier post about C. B. Demille, you are familiar with his amazing contributions to the filmmaking industry. Called The Man Who Invented Hollywood by Robert Hammond, Demille had incredible people skills and the ability to make a tough situation work out in his favor. In Ready When You Are: Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments for Success, some of DeMille’s life lessons are shared. The book echoes of the author’s previous book so if you already read that one, some of the stories will be repeats for you. Don’t be put off the by the grainy picture on the cover of this book. This book really contains an excellent message.  Each of the chapters ends with a meaningful “commandment ” for success. Although most of the “commandments” are common sense, I liked the way they were tied in with DeMille’s personal stories. This is a quick read that would be great as a devotion in a small group setting or as a meditation message at church.   If you are a public speaker, this would be a great resource to use as reference material.  Ready When You Are is a book that would be an excellent choice to take on a short flight or another time when you have a few minutes to read. It can be read cover-to-cover in an hour or so, and the message will stay with you.

You can view the book trailer for more information.

CB DeMille Ten Commandments for Success

Author Robert Hammond is a screenwriter and earned an MFA in Creative Writing.  He is also an award winning screenwriter and producer.

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Engaging for littler kids, Jules of the World: The California Caper is a fun little paperback.  It is a good way to introduce children to the joys of travel. It has a poetic rhyme scheme with a bouncy beat. The illustrations are very bold.  They don’t really match the feel of the story, but my son loved how bright and colorful they were.  A great feature was the last line of each page which highlights a feature of that page.  In the last section the reader is encouraged to share where they want Jules to visit in the next book.  This gives parents a fantastic opportunity to dialogue with their kids.  Take this time to talk about places that you’ve visited with your family and what Jules might see there.  Take a moment to ask your child where he or she would choose to go on vacation, choosing from anywhere in the universe. You might be surprised what you find out!

Check out the Jules website, there are some freebies that would be fun for Halloween!

You can also meet Jules on YouTube.

Meet author Liz Chaban.  You can find her on her website which is chock-full of cool stuff.   Her son Julian inspired her to write and illustrated Jules of the World: The California Caper.   Chaban has traveled extensively.  She holds a degree from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

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