Friday, June 28, 2013

Book Review: "A Mom's Battle Cry to Overcome Fear"

A Mom's Battle Cry to Overcome Fear


"A Mom's Battle Cry to Overcome Fear" is a 7 day devotional.  I wasn't able to read it every day for a week, so it took me longer to go through it, but I don't think that took away from the book.   I think you could do it once a week, too, if you wanted.

The author talks about her struggles with fear caused by being assaulted by a intruder.  While I do not have a similar background, I found the truths in the book to be applicable anyway.

The end of each chapter lists the main points of the chapter, followed by a prayer, and a Bible verse.  I liked how it brought it back to the Bible.

One part of the book that I found particularly useful was that when fear or worry starts to come to the forefront of your mind, to mentally yell, "STOP".  It is a concrete way to "take every thought captive".

I received a free e-copy of "A Mom's Battle Cry to Overcome Fear" in exchange for my honest review.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Review: Medieval History Memory Game by The Classical Historian

My kids love games.  Board games, card games, computer games, action games, gym games, made up games....  You get the picture.  So when we got the chance to review "Medieval History Memory Game" by The Classical Historian, we were excited!  We have 4 other versions of memory games, so they are very familiar with how the classic memory game works.   The memory games from The Classical Historian have a 2nd way to play as well:  

Categories:    This game teaches geography and association skills.  Place four Category Tiles (Europe, The Americas, The Far East, Arabia) at the top of the playing area. Mix up the 64 Matching tiles.  One player says, "Go!" and starts timing. The other player places all tiles under the correct tile. The person with the fastest time wins. For wrong placement, add 10 seconds per tile.This is appropriate for ages 8 and older and requires some knowledge of history.  Follow our instructions page for the Answer Key!  

I liked how it made the game playable for older kids and made the game usable for more years.



The tiles are sturdy cardboard with crisp, clear artwork.  They come in perforated sheets of 6 tiles that you need to punch out before you can play the game.  



When we laid out the tiles in an 8 x 8 grid like the instructions stated, we had 8 tiles left over!  I figured it was the Category Tiles that made us have too many, but since there were 2 of each of them, we just played with all 72 tiles and made matches with the Category Tiles as well.   


As each tile was turned over, I would read the caption for each picture and give a brief explanation of what each was..."The Pope-He is the head of the Catholic Church"  "William Shakespeare-He was an author who wrote plays"


One somewhat silly thing I really liked about Medieval Memory Game was the size of the box!  It was 8"x5½", just big enough for the tiles to all fit.  So many times, the box for a game is so much larger than it really needs to be and then you have to have this big box to store somewhere.  With the box being compact, it didn't take up so much space!


The Classical Historian carries 3 versions of Memory Games:

  1. Medieval History
  2. Ancient History
  3. American History
They also carry 3 versions of Go Fish games for ages 5+:
  1. Medieval History
  2. Ancient History
  3. American History
The Memory Games are $14.95 each or all 3 for $39.95.  The Go Fish games are $11.95 each or all 3 for $29.95.  You can also get all 6 games for $59.95.  I found these prices to be similar to other games of the same type.

The Classical Historian also offers history curriculum for grades 6-12, American History flashcards, California History for grades K-6, and online classes.  

I received the Memory Game free in exchange for my testing and review of the product.  I did not receive any other form of compensation.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Book Review: "The Outcast" by Jolina Petersheim




"Rachel Stoltzfus never imagined she'd be the talk of her Old Order Mennonite community until whispers stir the moment her belly swells with new life. Unmarried and refusing to repent by naming the partner in her sin, Rachel feels the wrath of the religious sect as she is shunned by those she loves most and eventually forced to leave--driven out by her twin's husband, the bishop. 

But secrets run deep in this cloistered community, and the bishop is hiding some of his own, threatening his conscience and his very soul. When the life of Rachel’s baby is at stake,  choices must be made that will bring the darkness to light, forever changing the lives of those who call Copper Creek home." (taken from the back of the book)


The front cover of the book calls "The Outcast" "a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter".  I have never read "The Scarlet Letter" but I was familiar with the main story line of the story.  
I don't know how closely "The Outcast" follows the story line of "The Scarlet Letter" or if Jolina Petersheim even intended it to.  

I read the book in two days because I couldn't put it down!  I found myself frustrated for Rachel and her plight and wishing for a resolution to her predicament.  I rejoiced with her when she found the redemption that she desired.  

Besides the main story line of Rachel's illegitimate son, other characters had issues and problems that they, too, needed to resolve and overcome.  I really liked the depth of the characters and how they felt like real people that were your friends.

I found it interesting that the book was told in the first person point of view from Rachel at times and at times from the vantage point of Heaven told by the recently deceased bishop Amos King.  It took a little getting used to this style, but it fit the story well.

I recommend this story to adults of all kinds!  It was an easy book to read and I found it to be enjoyable.


Binding:     Softcover
ISBN:
978-1-4143-7934-0
List Price:
$13.99
Release Date:
July 2013
Page Count:
400
Trim Size:
5 1/2 x 8 1/4

You can buy "The Outcast" from Amazon, & Barnes & Noble  for $11.20.

I received a free copy of "The Outcast" by Jolina Petersheim from Tydale in exchange for my honest review.  I did not receive any other form of compensation. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Emily Got Baptized!

Emily expressed an interest in getting baptized so the Assistant Pastor had a talk with her to make sure she was truly ready to be baptized.  He deemed her ready and so it was scheduled for June 16th.  Her cousin, Benjamin, was also to be baptized the same day.  My brother and his family were able to visit and see them get baptized.

I had the unique vantage point of watching the baptisms from the "sidelines" since I was in the back room to assist Emily in changing.

Benjamin was actually baptized first, but since this is my blog, I'm posting pictures of Emily first ☺

In the back room
Ben was still and somber like this the whole time and Emi was bouncing around!









When I got baptized, my mom embroidered my name and the date on a hankie which I used to cover my nose during the baptism.  I made one for Emily, also, but I added a tatted edge around the outside.













Monday, June 17, 2013

Emily's Perm

While we were at my parents' house for the garage sale on Saturday, my mom and I permed Emily's hair.

Sitting with a hot towel on her head for the pre perm conditioning

Rinsing the conditioner out

All "stinkified" 


Emi's "traveling turtle" has a curler, too ☺

With the neutralizer 

Taking the curlers out



Final rinse

all done


When it was dry

Sarah didn't want a perm, but I did give her a trim hair cut


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day

We started the day with gifts for Dan.

Pictures and a bookmark that Andy colored


A potted flower that the kids helped decorate the planter



#1 Dad mug
 The kids each made a book for Dan with things like, For fun my dad likes to ___________., I like it when my dad takes me to ________________., The best thing about my dad is ____________.
They drew a picture to go along with each statement.    I love the sequence of photos below showing Andy as Dan was looking at the book from him...

 











We forgot one gift from Emily she made at school and had to do that one later...



A picture of Emi with her footprints at the bottom, 

and a poem.

We had an extended family get together on my mom's side of the family.  My grandfather is seeming quite frail and we wanted to be sure to have a big family get together sooner rather than later, just in case...

















Emily and her cousin Benjamin were baptized today, so my sister made cross cookies to commemorate.






My grandparents with their 4 daughters ♥ (my mom is the 2nd one)