Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids?

Woooaaaaah!
Does that title grab you or what?!
No, this book actually isn't even about Sunday School. 

Chess is Child's Play - Book Review

I am so, so, SO excited to share this book with you!
I learned how to play chess at an early age, and I wanted to pass that along to my daughter. Since we've been learning about English kings and queens (who also played chess) in our Classical Conversations memory work this year, I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a go. 
Over the summer, I bought a chess set and kids' book from Hobby Lobby. The book was too cartoony and didn't give me good instructions for teaching Mary exactly what to do (I like scripted stuff). Just because I know how to play chess, doesn't mean I know how to teach it to my five-year-old! What to do?

The First Christmas Night Review and Giveaway!

The First Christmas Night by Keith Christopher is a gentle retelling of the Christmas story for preschoolers. It's written using some of the language of Twas the Night Before Christmas, which I think is very sweet. It's a cozy, cuddle-up-on-the-couch-with-your-three-year-old book. Anna, my three-year-old looks at it regularly. "Read that book to me, Mom!" 

The Sparkle Box - Review and Giveaway!

The Sparkle Box: A Gift with the Power to Change Christmas is one of those rare children's books that moves you to action. Oh, friends, I cried at this beautiful Christmas story of sharing God's love with others. I cried my happy tears, and then we acted - we began a new family tradition based on this book, and I'm so excited to share it with you! Amid all the good Christmas children's books floating around now, this one is my new favorite!

The Question - Book Review

I'm not sure you can imagine my excitement when I was offered a chance to get my hands on a review copy of Leigh Bortins's new book The Question earlier this month. Well, maybe you can. Ha! I couldn't wait to read it! And it didn't take me long; I carried it with me, reading it every spare moment I could find - it is that good! In fact, the book is so good that I can't wait to have a middle-schooler! (gasp!)  I'd like to share a little bit of The Question with you, as well as a few of my favorite quotes from the new book.

Audrey Bunny Review and Giveaway!

I am so excited to share this heartwarming children's book with you!

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith is such a sweet book about how God sees us.

There are no mistakes.

 As some of you know, my youngest daughter has a rare genetic condition and special needs, so you can be sure that I was boo-hooing by the end of this adorable story. But even if you have 'typical children' (which I suppose is the PC term, although is any child typical?) I bet you'll reach for the tissue box, too. The message about God's love applies to everyone.

From the publisher:

About Audrey Bunny

From best-selling women’s author Angie Smith (I Will Carry You, Mended) comes this sweet children’s book about a stuffed animal named Audrey Bunny who fears her imperfections make her unworthy of a little girl’s love. She'll learn the truth soon enough, and young readers will learn that everyone is special and wonderfully made by God.

[Also included]: The Parent Connection (last page of the book) shares discussion questions and activities reinforcing God's love for us.

Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Dove Award winning group Selah), best-selling author of Mended, I Will Carry You, and What Women Fear, and one of the most popular speakers and blog writers in the country. She holds a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and lives with her husband and daughters in Nashville, TN.

Want to see more? Of course, right?!

Click here to see Angie talk about her book.

Now, what you may not know, but should...

Click here to read Angie's story about what inspired Audrey Bunny. Really, go read it (and get some tissues). And then read this post. Trust me, you'll want to read these.

I am overwhelmed at her faith in our loving God. What an incredibly testimony! 

Angie's book is so touching; God is on every page. Our family loves it, and I'm thankful that I get to share it with you. Would you like to be blessed by a free copy? Then please enter the giveaway. And if you just want to hurry up and get your hands on the book (I wouldn't blame you if you did), go get it here. The contest is open to US and Canadian residents, and the winner must claim the prize within two days or another winner will be randomly selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yes, I did receive a free copy of this incredibly beautiful book in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own, as always. Thanks for reading the fine print! Now go enter the giveaway! :)

Rufus and Ryan Go to Church! Giveaway!

If you're looking for an adorable board book about going to church, look no further!

Rufus and Ryan Go to Church! by Kathleen Bostrom is the sweetest little story of a boy and his favorite toy going to church, and the illustrations are darling! From the press release:

Freddy the Frogcaster Review

Does your child absolutely love looking outside the window and recording the weather each day? Or is she especially curious about how the clouds make rain or why it snows? If so, you may want to check out a new children's book by Fox News Channel forecaster Janice Dean, aka the "Weather Machine!"

Thoughts on Echo in Celebration

 This past month, the CC at Home Book Club read Echo in Celebration by Classical Conversations founder Leigh Bortins.

Click here to get the free pdf version!

I think this book is wonderful for moms new to homeschooling, as it is very encouraging and inspirational. Instead of giving you a play-by-play, I'd just like to share some of my favorite thoughts from the book:

I love how Leigh describes a 'home-centered' education. With CC, I'm certainly homeschooling, but I'm not altogether on my own either. Here's what she says:

A Home-Centered Education is one that searches for the middle ground between solitary, do-it-yourself home schooling and an institutionalized education. . . there may be years that you tackle the hard job of home schooling alone and other years when a tutor or a computer is utilized for a greater percentage of your children's education. (p. 13)

We actively pursued other adults' help. Home is the center of our life by not the focus of our  life. Serving others and growing in the grace and favor of God and men is our focus. That requires excellent academics, extensive life skills, and a love for adventure. (p. 21)

Leigh also gives a great overview of the three stages of learning and a nice chart of basic goals by years of age. For example, between ages 4 and 8, my child should be trained to clean the house, read phonetically, and study math everyday. Nice.

The focus is on goals that develop a free, competent human, able to confidently confront and conquer new ideas. (p. 54)

I also enjoyed reading the success stories beginning on page 59 (click here for the pdf). These are very encouraging!

My favorite part of the book, the part which I personally found most helpful, was Chapter 6, The Parent: Committing to Basic Principles, which I call the How to Start chapter. Here's what Leigh says:

They (your children) don't know what the world holds for them and what the Lord will expect from them, so they need to be ready to do all things through Christ who strengthens them. (p. 66)

Start by reading aloud daily with your family. . . an hour a day or more. (p. 67)

Home-Centered Education requires consistency. . . Where did this idea come from that learning should be seasonal and only 180 days a year? (p. 68)

So, the first step to success is to act consistently. Everyday we read. Everyday we work math problems. Everyday we learn how to lead a family (I'm assuming this is because she has boys; I don't anticipate my girls leading any families.) Everyday we learn how to rise above our natural tendencies. By acting this way through a few formative years, the pattern is established and our children become part of the team rather than a force that saps our parental strength. (p. 69, emphasis mine)

I suggest you begin by learning to love telling stories and consistently expect some academics to be completed everyday. (p. 69)

After I read this book, we began a nightly read aloud time, and I'm actually surprised how much we all enjoy it! Before I took Leigh's suggestions to heart, I would read a little here, a little there, but never consistently. However, this summer, we've read through Little House on the Prairie, Treasure Island, and we're almost finished with Peter Pan. Mary has requested Wind in the Willows next! It's very exciting to see my girls interested in these classic stories! 

If you're new to homeschooling or Classical Conversations, I think you'll really enjoy this short book. Again, it's free to download (that's how I got it, then I took it to Staples and had it spiral bound for $5), and it's just a nice, encouraging read. Go for it!

Want to know more about the book? Be sure to check out Brandy's review at Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood as part of the CC at Home Book Club. And here's Beth's review over at Classical Conversations at Home.

The Remarkable Ronald Reagan - Review

You may already know (or you may not) that I love listening to Rush Limbaugh (although I don't have that pleasure much anymore as a busy mama). I'm actually a Rush baby! One of my favorite memories growing up is hanging out with my dad, listening to Rush, while he fixed up houses. Good times. I also consider myself a Tea Party Conservative, and I love history and politics.

So, when I was asked to review a new children's book about Ronald Reagan, I was elated and jumped at the chance! I'm very interested in teaching my girls about great Americans who worked for the betterment of our amazing country, and it's never too early to learn about The Great Communicator, right?! Well, I'm happy to report that this new book does not disappoint!

The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief by Susan Allen is a beautifully illustrated biography for kids ages 5-8. Mary loves this book and requests it often after dinner.

As a Christian myself, I appreciate how Allen mentions that his mother encouraged Ronald Reagan's faith in God. The author does a great job of hitting all the big moments in the president's life; however, the book does take a page to mention Reagan's divorce from his first wife and his assassination attempt, so if you have littles, you may want to skip those two pages (we do for now). Allen also devotes a page  spread to the shuttle Challenger tragedy, but handles it very tactfully. The author also does a wonderful job of briefly explaining the Berlin Wall on a child's level. And again, Leslie Harrington's illustrations are just brilliant!

My favorite quotes from the book:

Ronald Reagan knew that one of the best parts of being an American is the freedom to work hard to be whatever you want to be.

Reagan believed that all people should be free, and he was brave enough to say so.

Don't you just love that?! 

The final pages of the book are filled with highlights from his life with pictures, copies of letters sent to and received from children, and important things Reagan said. It's really a very interesting treasure trove!

Susan Allen is the former First Lady of Virginia and counted the president as a family friend. Her husband, former governor George Allen, serves on the Board of Governors for the Reagan Ranch.

The Remarkable Ronald Reagan is just a wonderfully patriotic and inspiring addition to our home library. I love that teaching my girls about great Americans can be so enjoyable for our entire family!

Yes, yes, here's the disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of the book in exchange for my review. But, as always, these opinions are strictly my own. I would never recommend something that I don't personally use myself, and this book is just plain awesome!