Small Spaces by Katherine Arden~ REVIEW

This one was rough for Kaden to get through.  I forget sometimes that just because he can read it doesn't mean developmentally he can handle it.  For a typical child this would have been super cool to read especially this time of the year.  I was the main reader and improvised when the spots seemed to scary.  Through the whole book Kaden was latched on to me and if I came to a stopping place he begged for just one more chapter. :)  Down bellow I have a fun little scarecrow craft with jars.  We decided to make them a little less scary then the ones in the story. :)

Healing Songs of Worship

There is a song from Kari Jobe that I run to when life is too much to handle....Do You have a song that speaks volumes of relief to your heart when it is in need?  I'm so Blessed to know that we are not alone….we can get through any struggle with the Lord.

When I walk through deep waters
I know that you will be with me
When I’m standing in the fire
I will not be overcome

Through the valley of the shadow

Cooking Healthy Can Be Messy.....

I am nearing 90 days of healthy eating and things are pretty normal around here now.  No more running around trying to figure out what this spice is for, what I'm substituting for carbs or even which oil to use with whatever I'm cooking.  It's all just a way of life now....when I make my coffee I get out the Collagen and coconut oil without even thinking...it's just Life now.  I'm at 29lbs lost now and I hate to say it, but it's just easy living....dieting is hard, but healthy eating isn't.  It's just feeding your body what it needs to run optimally and giving it the components needed to successfully repair and nourish itself.

The Life Giving Parent ~ REVIEW

The Life Giving Parent by Clay and Sally Clarkson is considered the third book in the "Life Giving" trilogy.  I have read the other two and dearly love them.  I have learned so much from all three of these books and like to use the practical applications that's shared in each of them in my home.

Clay is the main writer in this book, so it has a slightly different feel to it than the previous Life Giving books.  He writes like a theologian, but Sally provides softness and that Mom connection with her "Sally's Life Giving Momoirs".  It was insightful exploring the eight key principles they shared, which they called the―heartbeats of lifegiving parenting―to shed light on what it means to create a home where your children will experience the living God in your family.  This has been my goal as a Mother since day one.  I strive to assemble a home that shines with God's love and smells a little like fresh cookies and Christmas morning. 
Take a quick look inside at all the treasures....

 Part I: Heartbeats of Parental Life Giving
2. Numbering Your Child's Days
3. Nurturing Your Child's Spirit
4. Guarding Your Child's Heart
5. Renewing Your Child's Mind
6. Strengthening Your Child's Faith
7. Shaping Your Child's Will
8. Cultivating Your Child's Character
9. Forming Your Child's Imagination
Part II: Living as a Life Giving Parent
10.  One Life to Give Epilogue: Our Life Giving Parent Story

Being a parent with a special needs child and two other typical children there needs to be a balance.  Each child is  a unique gift.  The eight “heartbeats” in this book were both inspirational and instructional, I had a notebook filled with ideas and creative suggestions that I took away from reading. This would make an excellent gift for a new family or a family with teenagers.  I have one out of the house and I still gleaned some gems to strengthen that relationship.  Homeschool families, newlyweds and expectant parents could benefit for any of the three books in this wonderful series.  
 ***Thank you to the Tyndale Blog Network for this copy of the Lifegiving Parent in exchange for my honest review.

Heirloom Audio ~ REVIEW

Once again Heirloom Audio brings us an amazing, inspirational historical adventure.  St. Bartholomew's Eve is based on the literary adventures of G.A. Henty and is a full audio drama that is sure to capture your attention and hearts like it has ours. Heirloom Audio is a company that strives to bring your family true stories that show bravery, honesty, integrity, courage, and loyalty.  It's always exciting to add to our learning experience and these CDs are the perfect way to truly enhance our history time.

Brinkman Adventures ~ REVIEW

 
As you may know we love books here in this house, but we equally love audio dramas.  We have been long time fans of the Brinkman Adventures and have been enjoying their latest offering of suspense and adventure,  Season 6: Underground Rising.  Several weeks ago we received the digital version and enjoyed it both during morning time and during lunch.  Sometimes Kaden gets a little board with plain audio books, audio dramas are more immersing.  You can hear them breaking glass, shuffling their feet and the crackling fire sounds makes you feel as though you are right there.  It's like IMAX for your ears with History, drama and Christian inspiration.

CashCrunch Careers ~ REVIEW

 
Mahala recently finished school and is ready to move forward with college and begin her working career.  But, it's not just that simple, she has a million ideas and interests that she has us both confused at where she should start.  
Recently we found out about Paul Vasey's CashCrunch Games and his brand new resource called, CashCrunch Careers.  I was excited to try it out with Mahala and my husband because he has contemplated shifting his career a little. CashCrunch Games offers other programs too including a money management game that has just recently been revised. 

God in the Dark~ REVIEW

Many times I have found myself face to face with tragedy and somber situations growing up.  Living through those dark times has caused a lot of trauma in my adult years.  Trauma that I have been healing from for a long time.  I know many healing techniques now, but until then I was lost in the dark. I truly wish this would have been in my tools box 10 years ago.  This book is much more then a clever devotional that tries to turn your frown upside-down... this is a resource that you can use when you feel like giving up or that the dark is just too much to handle.   I would think this would also be good to read if you have a loved one going through a difficult time too.  

Sarah Van Diest is a writer and editor.  She wrote this little hardback book by using letters she had written to a friend whose life was turning upside down.  What a beautiful thing to do for someone.  The adaptation of the letters into a book didn’t lose any of the intimacy.  Sarah’s heart reads right through on every single page as if she had written them to you personally. 

I have to say my favorite thing about this 31 day devotional is that it's not whinny, sing songy or over the top, Sarah has a beautiful way in her writing that is encouraging to readers, very real and genuine.  I appreciate that she acknowledges the darkness, trials and pain.  It’s no fun to go through,  but she reminds us that we also don’t have to go through it alone.  She shares about her own dark time and the lessons learned by holding on to God and diving into prayer and scripture.  We are reminded that with Gold all things are possible, even getting through the darkest moments in our lives.  And in those darkest hours God is right there with us, we are never alone or forgotten.
  ***Thank you to the Tyndale Blog Network for this copy of the God in the Dark in exchange for my honest review.

Click the Reset Button....

I know most people associate starting over and resetting your life at the beginning of the year.  But, I always tend to do this towards the end around the Holidays.  I think it's because I tend to withdraw and focus on myself and my family.  I like to slow things down, make better food choices, meditate more consistently and use affirmations.  Take a look at some of my affirmations.
When do you click reset typically?

Books of the Bible At-a-Glance ~ REVIEW

We are always on the lookout for a way to supplement our Bible time during the week.  One of those ways is to dive deeper into each of the books in the Bible and focus on certain people and their life stories.  We have also made timelines and memorized key verses.  All of these ideas and several others I pulled from different places along with ideas from others and a lot of research.  But, what if you could get all of it from one place...one sheet of paper?  That would be an amazing research tool that any Christian family could utilize.  And with that I give you Books of the Bible At-a-Glance from Teach Sunday School.

 
This review literally has me tickled, where was this when I was a kid struggling to keep the plagues straight.  This printable product offers a single sheet for each of the 66 books in the Bible.  Think back to high school when you had that essay to write on a Shakespeare play you just couldn't completely get through...you grabbed the one and only copy of cliff notes left in the library.  Well, this is very similar and gives you the major nuts and bolts to each book in the Bible.  Each sheet provides the book title, number and placement in the Bible.  Along with the Author, date the book was written and the time period that's covered throughout it.  Kaden's favorite part was the claims to fame section that highlights something that sets the particular book apart from all the others.  We also enjoyed the famous stories and verses listed.  Which aloud us to work on units regarding certain people like Noah and Moses.  Having the major facts laid out helped us collect supporting details through research.  And last is the important points about the book section.  I found it super helpful when there was a lot of information within a certain book it was listed out by chapters.  For example in Exodus chapter 20 you will find the 10 Commandments.  I knew the Commandments were in Exodus, but not the exact chapter....and after reading this and going over it with Kaden I feel if asked I would be able to give that information quicker now.  And if not, I will have these printables in a binder beside my Bible and ready to go.

For this review period what Kaden and I did was just printed the first 5 books.  Right now we are out of color in our printer, but my idea is to print them in color and place them in a binder with sleeves to preserve them.  Also I have found that while Kaden is working on memorizing the famous verses it helps if he can highlight the words.  He can do that on top of the sleeve and it will erase easily when finished.  Besides reading through the summary sheets Kaden worked on memorizing a few of the Bible verses and researched a few of the famous stories like Moses parting the Red Sea, the Tower of Babel and the 10 Commandments.  We didn't want to try and rush through just because of the review.  This is truly a great resource to have and I would recommend this if you are new to studying your Bible or if you grew up in the church and need it strictly for reference.  I'm so thankful it's simple and clear to use, there is nothing on the page that's unnecessary.   I believe both younger and older children could benefit from a set.  

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Forensic Faith for Kids ~ REVIEW

 
Recently, Kaden has been doing a little sleuthing.  We have enjoyed Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook along with Case Makers Academy.  It is the latest book in the Case Makers series from J. Warner Wallace and Susie Wallace.  The book was written by a cold-case detective who has been featured on Dateline, Fox News, and other crime-related television shows.  Formerly an atheist, the author J. Warner Wallace, uses his detecting skills to teach others how to defend their Faith and how to successfully make a case for Christianity.  This book is geared towards children ages 8-12 and also has a website, called the Case Makers Academy that's filled with fun training activity worksheets and videos. 

The story begins with Daniel and Jason who are participating in a car wash when along comes a puppy.  They begin searching for the owners of the puppy, named Bailey.  While all this is happening their friend Hannah has had her Faith challenged and wants to see the proof about Jesus.  You are immediately thrown into the story as these two cases are cracked.   Where is the puppy's owner and the proof that Jesus is God?

We thought that the chapters were a good length and were packed with tons of tidbits, from clues, detective vocabulary and scriptures.  These all gave you the concepts, character traits and techniques needed to help with the investigation.  These are really the tools you should carry around with you all the time. :)  Along with the CSI Assignments and the Dig Deeper sections, you are encouraged to visit the Case Makers Academy online.  This specially designed website is specifically for the Case Makers Series of books.  Kaden enjoyed several of the video clips with J. Warner Wallace going back over the concepts taught in the book.  We have not completed the detective notebook that you can print out, but it's on our list to finish next week.  But, there are many worksheets that you can print and once done they slip right into your detective notebook.
After reading with Kaden, I have realized that he has never been in a situation where his Faith was challenged.  And I now realize how discussing your Faith as a child to another child or an adult can be extremely hard.  So, having the case to solve about the lost puppy was a great lead into the detective mindset that is needed.  I was thrilled to hear Kaden say that he should use these detective skills for other areas of his life too.  By doing the work and some research he wont be misinformed and not taking everything at face value.  And I totally agree, it was a simple read for him, but the life lesson he learned while working through the book was priceless.
Kaden said the artwork throughout the book was helpful to connect with the characters in the story, but we both agree it didn't distract from the main objective. 

So, what did we think?  We have really enjoyed reading together and I look forward to getting the Forensic Faith for adults.  I love the concept and the challenge it presents for your child to explore with you.  This is a part of Christian worldview I have not got into with Kaden.  In the Case Makers Academy online you can print the Adult Leader's Guide that shows you how to read both books together.  You were also given important concepts from each of the chapters and key discussion question.  Once he is finished next week we will even be able to print out a neat certificate of completion from the Cadet Academy.  And then we will hopefully crack open other books in the series, like the Cold Case Christianity for Kids or God's Crime Scene for Kids. 
If you have a child that loves mystery, puzzles and adventure, this is for them.  It can be used independently, with the family or even in a small group.  Make sure you Connect with David C Cook and Case Makers Academy on Facebook today!