Give Your Child the World

We live in a really rural area. Outside a teeny-tiny town with only small towns around that. As far as culture goes... Well there just aren't many cultural experiences that are going to happen organically around us. I love this beautiful place that I live in, with its hay-fields and rivers. However, teaching my children about the cultures of the world is going to take some mindfulness on my part. That's why I was really excited about reading Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin.

Give your Child the World is all about igniting a deep love and compassion for the world through the basis of powerful stories. The first part of the book Jamie goes in depth over just how powerful a book can be. As a parent, I really struggle with how to practically tinder that love in my children for life, I love what Jamie says,

"Thankfully, we have at our fingertips a miracle vaccine--one that can boost our children's immunity to the world's distractions and heaviness. Story. Well chosen stories connect us with others, even those on the other side of the globe. Build your kids' lives on a story solid foundation and you'll give them armor to shield themselves from the world's cynicism. You'll give them confidence to perserve in the face of life's conflicts. You'll give them a reservoir of compassion that spills over into a lifetime of love and action. (p.18)" 

So, good stories are powerful. But luckily Jamie doesn't leave us there. Besides the book list, she offers some practical, easy and cheap ways to bring the cultures that interest us into our homes. Her ideas range from using maps to trying ethnic foods. The book itself is laced with grace, Jamie continually encourages the reader to start where they are and not get downtrodden with guilt.

 The rest of the book serves as a gigantic reading list of curated books to inspire. This treasury includes over 600 children's book recommendations. Within the reading list you will find the books organized by region, country, and age range (ages 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 and 10-12). Each book on the list has a description as well as a disclaimer of any content the parent should be aware of.

I love our local library, but if I'm not prepared the children's section is basically a guessing game. I pull a book out, one in a million, and hope it looks okay. All the while trying to keep a baby happy and two young children from going crazy. I get less and less picky as our civilized behavior runs thin. I love that I can grab this book, get online and check what titles my library has and then pick them up. Then I can let my kids find a few "special titles", knowing I have some actual good reading for us too. Because last time we were at the library my son chose Managing Toxic Waste- Issues For the 90's and you better believe he wanted it read as a bedtime story.

I also love the play on words in the title. So many parents want to give their child the world in a material sense. They want their children to have everything they might desire. This book is all about giving your child a heart for the world so that they can then give back.

I'm just dipping my toe into subjects like this. I'm only at the start of my homeschool and parenting journey. Sometimes I feel incredibly lost and overwhelmed as to how I am suppose to do all this. I know my main goals but I feel like I'm stumbling in the dark as to how to practically get there. Then a resource comes along, a book or a podcast, and it excites me so much. I'm really thankful for other moms like Jamie, Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mackenzie. Jamie has done such a wonderful and thorough job with this book. I am excited to incorporate her ideas and list into our families life.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review

NKJV Study Bible

So, you might have noticed- there are a lot of translations of the Bible out there, and many styles as well. From your classic text on tissue thin pages to new styles with wide margins and illustrated verses. Personally, when I pull out my Bible, I choose to use my NKJV study Bible. I got it years ago when I began Bible college and it feels like an old friend. The cover is held on with packing tape and there are multiple pages splashed with coffee.

The newest imprint of the NKJV Study Bible from Thomas Nelson features some updated design. This Bible is marketed as "personal size". Basically, it's super thick but a little smaller all around. I love the full color pages, something my other Bible didn't have. There are maps, Bible-land photos and all sorts of different graphics that enhance your learning. Every thing under the red line in the above photo is study-notes. Obviously, I haven't read through every note yet, but the ones I have read have been helpful. The blue-ish grey boxes are reference notes.

The pages are thin, like any Bible, but they don't feel flimsy or like they will tear easily. I generally underline and write in margins with a pen. It's important to me that the writing doesn't impair my reading of the text on the other side of the page. With this Bible, I was able to underline and write with only very faint marks appearing on the flip-side of the page. It opens fairly easily and doesn't feel super tight or stiff. It may seem picky, but I hate when I lay a Bible in my lap and it keeps trying to close on me. The writing is pretty little, but not bad for such a small Bible.

My only real problem with this Bible is the flimsiness of the cover. It's just not very thick or substantial. I'm afraid it probably wont hold up over frequent use. There are a lot of other soft-cover options out there, I wish they had chosen one that was thicker.

Overall I am pretty happy with the quality of the notes, images and pages of this Bible. And of course, you just can't beat the content ;)

I received this Bible in exchange for my honest review   

Calligraphy

Every year I forego the traditional New Years resolution in favor of something a little different. I make a goal to learn one new skill. In past years I have learned to knit, crochet, sew, save seeds in the garden and this year I decided to focus on calligraphy. I have been practicing with this worksheet set from The Postman's Knock. It's been a lot of fun and a lot more challenging than I anticipated!

 I love the modern style that has become so popular in resent years, but the classic italic lettering is gorgeous too. If you are looking to learn the basics of the italic alphabet, Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick is an excellent resource.

This basic guild walks the beginner calligrapher through lower and uppercase letters as well as number and flourishes. You can learn all about what supplies are necessary as well as numerous tips and tricks for advancing your skills.

I found it easy to follow with clear and concise instructions. It is very simple though. I didn't feel like it offered any new information that I hadn't already read in my online research. Certainly, it is always nice to have that information in book form at your finger tips. This would make a really fun present with some of the supplies mentioned in the book!

The book itself is softcover with beautiful gold lettering. The cover isn't as sturdy as I would have like to have seen and is prone to warping and bending. Other than that though, it's a lovely beginners guild.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Growing...

                         

Mostly life right now is growing things. Little sweet babes and plants alike.

The Mother Letters

Sometimes motherhood can be really isolating. Especially when you first became a mom. Suddenly life is completely different than friends who didn't have kids. Life is blow-out diapers, trying to cut paper-thin fingernails and middle of the night feedings. If, by some miracle, you find nice mom friends it can be hard to find time to be together. You can't leave the house because somebody is sick, you can barely start a conversation because somebody is crying or needs to potty. It starts to feel like you're the only one with all these insane problems. Sometimes what you really need to know is that you're not alone.

The Mother Letters is a compilation of letters from numerous mamas that encourage and uplift. It is one big book of "me to." The book began as a project taken upon by Seth Haines for his wife Amber. He noticed the need for encouragement in his wife's life after having three babies in three years. He collected letters from moms all over the world to present to her as a gift. Later they chose some of those very letters to be included in the book.

Each letter is just a few pages, making it easy reading even in the busiest times. I have enjoyed picking it up every so often and reading the letters slowly. Because of the variety of authors there are many different writing styles, family situations and struggles. I think that the book holds encouragement for any mom. There is a lot of wisdom contained with the pages of this book!

If I could say anything to the other moms out there it would be this--
Dear mother, you will never feel like you are doing enough. Somebody is always going to want more, one more story, one more snack, one more trip to the potty, one more sip of water. You can stretch yourself thin and then thinner. You can give in and give all you have, but somebody is always going to need more. 

And it will leave you feeling like you are not mom enough. Not wife enough. 

And in the end sometimes you're not.
But you have a God who is big enough.
He can handle your cares and your problems. He can give you the strength for the day and a hope for tomorrow. He can give you a peace about the things you cannot do and the ability to do the rest.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”Mathew 11 28-30


I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.     

Baby Wren and the Great Gift

Sally Lloyd-Jones is one of my absolute favorite children's book authors. She is the author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, a beloved book in our home. I was very excited to see her new release, Baby Wren and the Great Gift. This book did not disappoint and has quickly become a favorite of mine and the kids.

Baby wren lives high in a canyon. She watches the marvelous things that the other animals do and wonders, why can't I do that? Baby wren just isn't sure that she can do anything special. Then, inspired by a beautiful sunset she sings a song of thankfulness and finds her own special talent.

The first time I read this book, the page where she sees the sunset that inspires her song made me a almost tear up.

"and what she saw couldn't fit inside her
it bumped into her heart
it dazzled her eyes
it pushed on her throat
until
the tiny trembling bird
with all her might
sang
by herself
a song."

Have you ever looked at a sunset, or the ocean or something in creation and just been totally at a loss? It really does bump into your heart and push on your throat and makes you cry "thank you Jesus!" Our family loves to hike into this little valley in the mountains. Every time we leave the dense forest and step out high above the beautiful valley it just reminds me again what an amazing creator we have.

Anyways, back to the book. The message here may not be super clear to young children the first read through. It isn't a story that hits you over the head with it's meaning. Personally, I appreciate that about the book. It might take some parental guidance to connect the dots here- baby wren had her own special talent, a special gift that God gave her- just like you were made special and designed with a purpose by God. This is not beyond my five-year old. In fact, we enjoyed talking about some of the ways God made him special and different.

The book is written in such a lyrical way that it is a pleasure to read. The illustrations are really special and fit the book perfectly. They were done by the talented Jen Corace. The book is really lovely just to look at and I often find my children doing just that. I love spotting them cozy in a chair dreaming away while they take in the details of a beautiful book.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.    

Big Picture Interactive 52-Week Bible Story Devotional

I love when a book pleasantly surprises me. I was not expecting a whole lot from this devotional honestly. But this is anything but your average kids book.

The Big Picture Interactive 52-Week Bible Story Devotional (aka the longest book title ever) is a 52 week study that uses an app to bring the stories to life. I downloaded the app easily on my phone in just a few moments.

The first page of each week is a devotion that deals with the text being covered. I have really enjoyed these. Everyone in our family gets something out of them. They are easy enough to be understood by my five and three year-olds, but deep enough to touch the parent. It's really special when a kids book can speak into adult lives too.

The illustration that you see on the right is part of the interactive aspect. The app uses the camera on your phone to turn the images into digital-pop-ups. Basically, with the app open, you hold the phone like you are going to take a picture of the illustration. Then, the image comes to life! They pop-up on your phone and become 3-d. It's hard to explain, but it's really fun. My husband and I played around with it after the kids went to bed for longer than I care to admit.

 

The second page of the devotion has numerous different aspects--

Read It- The scriptural references for that weeks story.

Christ Connection- How the story reveals more about Jesus, his deity and redemptive power.

Watch It- This QR code is scanned in the app. Then you can watch a video that brings the story to life. These were really well done and fun. A narrator tells the story while kids in costume act out the story. My kids LOVE watching these.

Live Big- This section has activities you can do throughout the week to "live out" the scripture. Often these are to write, do something or brainstorm.

Big Picture Questions- In this section there are three questions that relate to the story. These really made my kids think. Some of the questions were a little complex for my kids to answer, but they were good ones to go through together.

Dear God- Finally there is a prayer that bring together all the aspects of the Bible story and devotion. 

This is such a fun and interactive devotional. My kids genuinely enjoy getting into it. I try to limit the technology that we use in our lives. They don't get to watch a lot of TV or play on phones or tablets much. I really don't want them to grow up glued to a screen. With that said, the technology utilized in this devotional has enhanced my kids understanding of the stories and helped them remember them better. I have really enjoyed adding this book to our morning devotional time!

I received a copy of this book from B&H in exchange for my honest review.