Two New Titles From Tyndale

Today I wanted to share two fun new books from Tyndale Publishers with you guys! The first is this sweet little book by Carolyn Larsen. Has Anyone Ever Seen God is actually one of three books in which Carolyn looks to scripture to answer some of the most asked questions about God.

This is a fairly compact book that looks at answering some very deep questions in a simple way. Through the ages entire books have been written on some of these questions. Keeping the answers to one page must have been hard! She does a pretty good job though and freely admits at times she just doesn't know the answer.

The illustration on the cover and the overall design of this book is pretty cute. It would be a great present to a new believer. The answers she provides are not exhaustive, but they provide foundation knowledge.

Next is Gratitude: A Prayer and Praise Coloring Journal. This book is a part of their Living Expressions collection. This journal aims at pairing coloring with your devotional time. The book has tons of space to color, draw write and pray!

The book has a thick, hard cover and the entire thing lays flat when you open it. Some of the pages take up the entire spread and you are actually able to color the whole page because it lays flat!

I thought the overall design of the book was really nice. I was happy to see that the content was well thought through. The prayer and devotional aspect really added something to the book instead of feeling like an afterthought.

Both of these books were sent to me by Tyndale Publishers for my review. 

Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste

Toothpaste stresses me out. In the last few years I have tried to make conscious decisions about the household products we use. I have held back on toothpaste out of fear that it won't really work.

Our family has been using this toothpaste from Himalaya Botanique for about a month now. I have to say, I am honestly impressed. There are loads of benefits and on top of it all, my kids like it! The flavor is refreshing and not so intensely over the top that your mouth is on fire. It tastes like real peppermint and the cinnamon one tastes like real cinnamon. That's because this toothpaste has real ingredients.

» Neem leaf, harvested from the ‘worlds most researched tree’ is history’s original housekeeper and works to keep the mouth clean.

» Pomegranate is an astringent fruit extract that helps support healthy looking gums by tightening the tissues.

» Triphala is a traditional detox formula in ancient Ayurveda composed of the three myrobalan fruits for clean teeth and a radiant smile.

» Not only is Xylitol a tooth-friendly sweetener, but it has also been clinically-studied to support good oral hygiene.

Obviously, regular brushing is required to reap the benefit of these ingredients. They even carry a whitening toothpaste that contains Papain and Bromelain, the enzymes from papaya and pineapple that help remove surface stains.

If you're on the fence about switching to a natural toothpaste, give this one a try! It might even convince the kids to give up the pink, sparkly bubblegum goop.





I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

The Temple and the Tabernacle

Rainy and wet around these parts today. The perfect day to catch up on a few reviews that I am behind on. This book is one that I have been meaning to review for quite some time! The Temple and the Tabernacle is a full color exploration of the significance and beauty of God's dwelling places.

I knew this book would be a great resource to use with the kids. As we read through the Old Testament so much revolves around the building of the tabernacle and the temple. I thought having this resource with it's beautiful full-color illustrations and pictures would be really helpful. At the same time the book as seriously helped fill in many gaps in my own understanding of the temple and tabernacle. J. Daniel Hays does an excellent job at making what I have previously misconceived as a relatively dry subject really interesting. This book bring together the newest in archaeological discoveries without compromising a Biblical foundation.

 I received a copy of the book from Baker Publishing.

MegaFood Kid Nutrient Boosters

If you have a picky eater it is probable that at some point you have wondered, what do they survive on?! Or, are they getting any nutrients at all? My kids aren't very picky overall, but every so often one will go through a "picky stage".

I love the idea of these MegaFood powders. Multi-vitamins are great, but getting a five-year old to take anything other than an artificially flavored, sugar filled gummy bear "vitamin" is just not going to happen. Instead of a gagging, vitamin detesting child, Megafood offers an alternative. These powders are easy on the tummy and contain no flavorings, sweeteners, colorings or preservatives. Just the good stuff. They are also free of gluten, dairy, soy, pesticides and herbicides, making them accessible to children with sensitivities. All from a company that that values working with organic farmers and local natural retailers.

The first one that we tried was the Kids Daily Multi. I'm not sure you could ask for anything else in a multi vitamin for kids. This is an amazing addition for any child who is missing key nutrients in their diet. This powder is packed with fresh fruits, organic turmeric, carrots and 23 vitamins and minerals per serving. I was initially a little concerned when I lifted the lid on this one. The smell was super strong and very vitamin-y.  I mixed it well into some homemade applesauce and topped it with a good deal of cinnamon. These products are for 5+ so I only added it to my sons. Titus definitely noticed the flavor was different. He ate his bowl but was so-so on the taste. My daughter tried a taste and was in agreement. I can live with that. Maybe it wasn't their favorite flavor but it isn't terrible to eat. If you have a terribly picky child, it might be hard to sell them on this one. I would suggest getting creative and trying various foods to add it to!

Next up, the Kids Daily Immune. This supplement is loaded with organic oranges, blueberries, cranberries, elderberry with astragalus and echinacea. I have a feeling we will be consuming a ton of this in the coming winter. I added a scoop of this to a cup of freshly pressed apple cider (we are basically drowning in apples from our trees.) This was so good. My son had no problem downing this. I even enjoyed a cup. It has hardly noticeable at all. It only added a slightly citrus/ berry taste. This would go perfect in smoothies.

The final powder is a Kids Daily B-Centered powder. Loaded with B vitamins this powder features Lundberg Family Farms organic brown rice. Not only does it help with mental focus and cognitive function it also included chamomile and lemon balm to provide a natural sense of calm. Again, the flavor wasn't bad. I added it to a pretty powerfully tasting smoothie and my son had no complaints.

Included with the MegaFoods powders was this great recipe--

Peanut Power Bites-

Total Time: 15m

Ingredients 

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup nut butter (salted)
1/2 honey
1/2 cup currants or mini chocolate chips (optional)
4 scoops MegaFoods Kids Daily Multi or B-Centered Nutrient Booster Powder

Directions

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Stir the mixture (if too thick add another 1-2 tablespoons of honey).

Cover and let refrigerate for 30m

Form 1-inch balls or press evenly in a pan and then chill. When cold cut into bars.

Store covered and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Art

I took a little break from reviewing books in September as I got into the swing of a new year of homeschool! This year I have a kindergartner and a preschooler. Somethings have worked and other things haven't, but all in all I have been enjoying the year so far. My favorite part of our school week is Thursdays. Thursday we add some art to our day.

We learned about Van Gogh and his paintings, then tried our hand at a little sunflower painting. 

Next we studied Monet and the kids particularly liked his waterlily paintings.

We got to practice our still life paintings with these beauties, inspired by Paul Cezanne.

Last week we took a break from our artist study and looked at color mixing. The kids were really interested in how to make different colors so I taught them about primary, secondary and tertiary colors.

Thursdays have brought some much needed creativity to our week. This week we are learning about Georgia O'Keeffe, one of my favorite artists. The fall books are rolling in and before long I will have some new review too.

Ozobot Back to School Party

This last week we had the fun opportunity to host an Ozobot Back to School party through Tryazon! We began school last week and it seemed like a great chance to celebrate the beginning of the school year and share this product with friends. They sent two starter packs, one for me and one to give away to a guest! I loved being able to share this fun way to introduce coding and robotics.

So what comes in a starter pack?
- One cute little Ozobot
- Color code markers
- 20+ games and brain teasers
- Clear play sleeve with reusable code stickers
- USB charger
- Ozobot protective skin
- DIY Ozobot personality sticker
- Optional upgrade to programming editor

Basically everything you need to dip your toe into programming. I love that the device enforces learning through play. It makes understanding the basics of something complicated fun and easy. Depending on the age and interest level of the child their experiences will be quite different. With younger children this requires a lot of help and demonstration. However for older children they pick up on the coding quick and can remember quite a bit more.


At our party I gave a very basic introduction to what you can do with the Ozobot. All of the children (8 total) were five and under. We stuck with controlling the robot with markers which the kids enjoyed. It was neat to watch them figure out how to control the little robot with just markers. The younger ones mostly just watched.

We ate pizza and salad and enjoyed celebrating the beginning of a new school year. The kids loved learning about the tiny robot and of course pizza. It's always fun to have an excuse to gather friends.

Come to the Family Table

The goal of Come to the Family Table is simple, create a place where your family can intentionally slow down and pour love into each other and guests.

I really liked the premise of this book. I want our table to be a treasured place. Somewhere we can share our hearts over a good meal and encourage one another.

Ted and Amy Cunningham obviously have a heart for helping families grow closer together and to God. It's obvious that this is something dear to them and that they take great joy in their own family table.

Unfortunately, this book didn't feel cohesive in any way. Only one or two chapters felt like they were on theme with what the authors were trying to convey. The others, while good information, felt like family/marriage topics thrown in there with some distant table mention. One section is all about counseling couples on the brink of divorce- with the conversation levels compared to meal courses. Again, good information but really reaching to fit the book. The authors frequently quote comedians, other authors or people. They were used so frequently that it felt more like they took away from the book than added to it.

There was a whole section of the book about drinking wine. While I don't personally think there is anything wrong with that, I wasn't a fan of the admonishing tone took towards those who chose to abstain.

The authors told a few personal stories, and while most of those were great, at times they felt more like a brag session... Details about friends grandiose homes, expensive custom chicken "chateaus", details about dates to super fancy restaurants and meals by Food Network chefs. I don't want to sound nitpicky and I'm glad that the Lord has blessed them so that they can experience these things-- but the stories felt more isolating than helpful.

The book really did have some good ideas for games and conversation starters for around the table. I don't plan on making any of the recipes but it was a nice personal touch.

Topped off with a plug for Joel Osteen, I just felt like this book fell a bit flat. I really hope my review doesn't sound to negative against the authors, who I am sure are nice people. However, I feel it's important to share my true feelings about each book I read-- or reviewing them would be pretty pointless. If you like the premise of this book like me, I would recommend A Lifegiving Home by Sally Clarkson.  

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.