Fighting for Freedom, One Book at a Time

Children's books intrigue me.  At one time I thought I would write them, but decided there were way more talented people out there that could better fill that need.  Two such people are Lynn and Jeff Yelton, authors of the newly released BUCK the CHUCK series.


Husband and wife team Lynn and Jeff feel strongly about freedom and the the system the founding fathers of America set up to provide and protect that freedom.  In an attempt to convey those concepts in a simple format to children, they created an unlikely hero, BUCK the woodchuck.  In BUCK the CHUCK- Thre Fight for Freedom, BUCK, along with his friend Thor the guardian pig, take on the BoozleBoops of swampy forest who want to take over Chucksville.  While Chucksville is a place of many colors and freedoms, the swampy forest is simply black and white, having given up their freedom for the promise of something better. They are now on a mission to take away everyone else's freedoms too.





This fun picture book is a delight to read, especially for kids who love all things animals.  The characters are endearing and comical.  A combination of narrative and conversational style, the story often reads like a comic book, taking quick pauses from the narration to hear what the characters are saying to each other.  While written for children, I would recommend it for a slightly older elementary to middle school age, as the pages are quite wordy at times, and well, let's face it- freedom is a difficult subject.


Lynn and Jeff use color, or the lack of it, to help describe freedom and what can happen when someone takes it away from us.  About half way through reading it, a light went off in my 12 year old's brain and he said, "Oh. I get it!"  After that he giggled his way through 'til the end and declared BUCK "pretty cool."

 BUCK the CHUCK helps kids answer the questions-

• What is Freedom?
• How do we lose it?
• Can we get it back?

Good news for BUCK the CHUCK fans, a second book in the series BUCK the CHUCK- Let Freedom Sing,  is scheduled to be published in  Spring/Summer of 2020!

Looking for a few new books to add to your library?  Check out the BUCK the CHUCK series.  YOu may find your child has a new hero in their life.

Is Your Dad a Pirate- Book Review and Giveaway

I am a sucker for a man in uniform.  After all, I have been married to one for 25 years.  Some send their husbands off with a kiss to an office.  I send mine away with a kiss and a prayer, often to secret locations around the world.  And while none of us are promised tomorrow, it seems the life of the military are even a bit more precarious and uncertain.

Just ask the many spouses and families of wounded or killed service men and women.  The numbers are staggering.

Those number make a book like Is Your Dad a Pirate? even more precious and needed in today's world!

Is Your Dad a Pirate?, written by Tara McClary Reeves, is a 32 page hard back book that explores how one family handles the curiosity of strangers when the man of the house returns home from battle wounded.  Taken from the life experience of Tara when her father was wounded as a Marine Corp Lieutenant, this book will touch you and open your eyes to the life of the military family.

You will also probably need to grad a tissue, just be forewarned.

Told from a young child's perspective, one can feel the pride she feels for her father, as well as the fear she felt when he went away to fight.  It talks of prayers and feelings of excitement of a future reunion.  It also talks of the fear and anguish of a phone call telling of an injury.

But Is Your Dad a Pirate tells mostly of the courage of a family.

Of the response to the question- "How did you lose your eye and arm?"

And the mom's answer- "He gave them in service to our country."

Don't you love it?!  A sweet and simple answer to an honest question from a child.  No ugliness, no embarrassment, no judgment.  But a lesson to both the child of the man injured and to the child who asked the question.  Later when the question was asked again, it was the dad's own child who answered, and you will love her answer even more!

I am honored to have this beautifully illustrated book on my bookshelf.  It reminds us of the heroes who fight for our freedom every day and of the families that support them daily.  It is a reminder to us all that the freedom we enjoy often comes with a price.

Oh that we would continue to teach our children and our children's children about that price and the special people behind it!

I have an extra copy of Is Your Dad a Pirate to bless one of my readers with!  Just leave me a comment here on the blog and a random winner will be chosen next Friday!

Blessings,

Full-Time Parenting- Book Review

Are you a parent?  Did you have a parent in your life? ;)  Let's face it, at some point that role as parent has had an impact in your life.  In ALL our of lives.  Unfortunately, for some, it is a hard role to think back kindly on and an even harder role to fill.  It is not for the faint of heart.  Parenting takes time, energy, skills, commitment, and ultimately the Grace of God.

Without that grace, I do not know where I would be.

Full-Time Parenting by author, blogger, and speaker Israel Wayne, is a 100 page book full of Godly wisdom for this journey called parenting. And it is filled with reminders about the grace of God.  Israel Wayne is a homeschool graduate, and father of 8 children.  With the help of his wife, Brook, he has written the book Full-Time Parenting to help encourage parents to take an active, God-led role in parenting their children. Full time!  Not just in word, but also in deed.  It gets in the trenches with you, encourages you to seek God's wisdom, and gives you instruction on how to parent and do so well.


"Train their hearts, not just their behavior"  As soon as I read this from Israel, I knew I was in for a good read.  While good behavior is definitely a desired outcome, I have seen personally how we must first and foremost have the hearts of our children to be able to successfully direct them to God.  This kind of family based discipleship looks at the larger picture of child rearing from a Christian worldview and allows us to shape not just our child's behavior, but the heart behind those behaviors.  It also assures that eventually a child can control their own behavior without mom and dad standing beside them.

One of the things I love the most about Full-Time Parenting is that it covers a wealth of information.  It's not just a how-to book: Israel addresses key topics you will encounter on your parenting journey.  Behind practically every statement he makes is a biblical reference to support it.  This is not just a trendy answer-to-your-problem book.  It is one filled with Biblical wisdom that has withstood the test of time and will help you raise children who not only obey and are a joy to parent, but also love the Lord and look to Him for their standards.

Another thing I love about Israel's book is his call for men to be engaged in full-time parenting.  Yes, they are busy.  Yes, they are often out of the home 8 or more hours a day for work.  But, yes, they are called by God to be the leaders of their homes and be active participants in the upbringing and discipline of their children.  God made men to be leaders- may we as wives allow them to lead!

 Chapters include-
Be The Parent
How I Taught My Child to Sit Still and Be Quiet
The Seven-Year Teaching Model
The Father's Role
Child Training
Helping the Hyperactive Child
The Perfect Family Syndrome
Family Culture vs. Pop Culture
Techno-Parenting
Keeping Your Marriage Strong
Teaching Your Child about Purity
Hospitality: It's Not Just for Women Anymore!
Living on One Income
Considerations Before You Start a Family Business
A Christian Education Manifesto
Christian Schools vs. Homeschooling
Comfort and Advice for Single Parents
Why Some Children Leave the Faith
Passing the Baton
Parenting by Grace

If you are looking for advice and support on raising children within a God-centered home, then look no further.  Israel Wayne's book Full-Time Parenting will help and encourage you.

Connect with Israel Wayne

ChristianWorldview.netIsrael’s apologetics website

ChristianWorldview.net/blogIsrael’s blog

Facebook.com/FamilyRenewalFamily Renewal Facebook Page

Facebook.com/IsraelWayneAuthorIsrael’s Facebook Page

LinkedIn.com/in/israelwayneConnect with Israel on LinkedIn

Twitter.com/israelwayneFollow @israelwayne on Twitter

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this e-book from Family Renewal in exchange for an honest review. To obtain your own copy, order here: https://www.familyrenewal.org/shop/full-time-parenting-e-book/

Blessings,

Whatever Wanda!- Children's Book review and Giveaway!

It is no secret that we love books in our house!  Especially children's books.  And quite honestly, this was an easy review for me because I have another book in this delightful series that we loved reading.  So yes, I was excited to see a new title from author Christy Ziglar.  And yes, that is the daughter of the famous Zig Ziglar!

Whatever Wanda! is a sweet 29 page book geared for elementary aged children.  It tells the story of a little girl named Wanda that needs an attitude adjustment, and quick!

Her town is hosting their annual Rubber Duck Days festival and it seems everyone is excited but Wanda.  No matter what anyone says to her, her response is "whatever."  Through a series of events, Wanda learns that her attitude can not only affect those around her, but also determine how much fun she has as well.

Luckily for her, she is challenged by a friendly duck, named Waddles, to change her attitude and her day, resulting in much more fun.  It is a good lesson for children who tend to be hard-to-please as well as a gentle reminder to us all that we need to choose to have good attitudes.

"Being positive is a choice that makes everything better - not to mention, a whole lot more fun!"

Shine Bright Kids books teach kids the importance of making good choices.  Each of the titles in the series focuses on one character trait or life skill.  One of the fun things about this Shine Bright Kids Series is that each book has a yellow star on every page.  The star is either perky and happy or sad, determined by the main character and their behavior.  This is a great conversations starter for younger children, allowing for discussion on what the star looks like and what made the star feel that way.

My son, age 7, really enjoyed this book (despite the main character being a girl) and loves looking for the star on each page.  He even said about two pages into the book, "She shouldn't say 'whatever' to everyone. That's not nice"  Yay us!  We love the eye catching colors used and the adorable pictures. They bring each page to life and hold a child's attention easily.

This is a great book for character building in your home, but would also be perfect for churches and childcare situations as well.  It would make a perfect gift for an elementary-aged child.  My second grader is able to read this book independently, making it a common choice for his quiet reading time.

By visiting ShineBrightKids you can access even more parent resources, games, activities, and worksheets.

You have the opportunity to win a copy of Whatever Wanda!  Just enter the rafflecopter below and a random winner will be chosen next Wednesday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings!

Their Name is Today- Book review

Despite a perfect storm of hostile forces that threaten to deny children a healthy, happy childhood, courageous parents and teachers can turn the tide. Yes, we can reclaim childhood, says Johann Christoph Arnold, whose books have helped more than a million readers through the challenges of education and family life. In Their Name Is Today, he highlights drastic changes in the way our society treats children. But he also brings together the voices of dedicated parents and educators who are finding creative ways to give children the time and space they need to grow. Cutting through the noise of conflicting opinions, Arnold takes us to the heart of education and parenting by defending every child’s right to the joy and wonder of childhood.

 

 

When I read that introduction to the book Their Name is Today - Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World, I was intrigued immediately.  Yes, I believe that the world has turned into a hostile place.  And yes, I believe that our children are losing their childhoods at an alarming rate.  How else do you explain kids half-dressed like the "stars" of today, high suicide rates and middle schoolers stressed out over test results?  We are robbing our children the chance to just be kids and, like author Johann Christoph Arnold, I believe it is time that we do something about that.

 

In this 192 page, softcover book, Arnold dedicates 10 chapters to how he thinks we can do that.  Some of his ideas are as simple as allowing kids to spend their time playing and not overscheduling them.  Others include reminding ourselves that all children are gifts from God and need to be treated as such.

 

"Parents need to slow down and savoir the precious years with the children God has entrusted to them.  The years do not come back." (p 38)

 



Through personal stories from his own childhood and from many people around the world, Arnold encourages parents and teachers alike to not only value children but to enjoy them as well.  His often heart-tugging words will make you want to put all other things aside and embrace your children.

 

Chapters include-

• The World Needs Children
• Play is a Child's Work
• Great Expectations
• Screening Out
• Material Child
• Actions, Not Words
• Guidance to Grow
• In Praise of Difficult Children
• Discovering Reverence
• Tomorrow Comes

My favorite chapter?  In Praise of a Difficult Child!  This chapter is for you moms and dads who are raising a spirited child or children.  It will speak to your heart as you nod your way through each word, I assure you. "...instead of envying the ease at which our neighbors seem to raise perfect offspring, we will remember that rule-breakers and children who show their horns often make more self-reliant and independent adults than those whose limits are never tried." (p 127)  I do not know about you but that is a refreshing reminder and one that I needed to hear.

 

To conclude with the author's words...

 

"Let's put our smartphones away and tune in to the living, breathing wonders who are waiting for us to look up and notice them."  (p 60)

 

Yes, let's!

Blessings,
Michele

About author Johann Christoph Arnold - A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years, as well as serving as an advisor at several innovative private schools. Arnold’s message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Cėsar Chavez, and John Paul II. Born in Great Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the US in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, forty-four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York.

 

 

You can enter to win a copy of this book, but leaving me a comment! We will draw a random winner next Friday!

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Diary of a Real Payne- Book review and Giveaway

Yep!  EJ's back!  And this time she is headed for church camp and in for a big surprise.

If you remember a while back I had the privilege of reviewing Annie Tipton's book Diary of a Real Payne - True Story and we loved it.  So when Annie's publishing folks contacted me about reviewing the second in the series, we jumped at the chance.

Diary of a Real Payne - Church Camp Chaos is just as funny and charming as the first book.  The main character, EJ, is finishing up 4th grade and looking forward to a fun filled summer vacation, complete with a week of church camp.  As before, the chapters alternate between the story and excerpts from EJ's diary.  And just as before, EJ's imagination is in rare form.  Often in the middle of what she is doing she imagines herself as a famous chef, a detective, a world famous golfer and so much more.

In addition, there is an underlying mystery wovern throughout the story line that EJ must unravel.  I don't want to give it away, but I have to tell you, it was one that particularly excited our family and makes us even more hopeful that there will be a third book to continue that theme!

My plan after receiving this book was to first read it myself and then read it as a read out loud for my boys, ages 6 and 12.  No such luck.  I only got about three chapters in before my oldest son confiscated it and read it in two days.  His verdic t- "That is as funny as the first one!"  Luckily for him, he saved my place.  So now I am reading it to the youngest.  His favorite part, of course, is EJ's little brother and his silliness.  Go figure! ;)

Once again, Annie Tipton has written a winner!  She surrounds her fun stories with love, laughter, and adventure and makes family reading time enjoyable.  To be able to find a story for this age group that is not full of fluff, but instead teaches character and honesty while celebrating a Christian family setting is rare!  We can't wait til she does it again!

Would you like to win a copy of Diary of a Real Payne - Church Camp Chaos?  Just fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also purchase Diary of a Real Payne- Church Camp Chaos for less than $6 from Amazon.  The two books would make a great gift for a child in your life, promise!

Blessings,

Fun Friday- Read Aloud Edition

Do you read your children books?

At what age do you stop?

Why?

I would dare say that many of us read to our children without hesitation when they are young, but somewhere along the way of them growing up, the habit wanes.  It happened with us the past few years, but recently I have been convicted that I must once again pick back up the habit.
Our family loves books- so this month's Fun Friday are all about read-alouds.  Before you tune out and log off, hear me out.  At a young age, reading out loud to our children is so natural- it helps develope speech, vocabulary, listening skills, imagination and so much more as well as facilitates bonding.  But there are many benefits for read-alouds for older children too- my favorites being family interaction  and memories created.  Instead of sitting down in front of a TV and just co- existing that requires little to no interaction, joining together for a time of reading can be a time to reconnect, laugh together and even share a journey.

I want to share with you a few books, series and publishers we have found enjoyable but don't let this list limit you.  Keep in mind we are still reading to a five year old, but there are plenty of good books out there to read with older kids.  Think of books like The Hobbit, Star Wars, books by GH Henty, biographies, mysteries and so on.  If you are enjoying it and it is age appropriate, read it as a family.

My first series up- The Farm Mystery Series, a set of 10 wonderful books published by Castleberry Farms Press. Owners of this small family owned publishing company, Steve and Susie Castleberry have written this particular set of mysteries and several of  their children have other books on their site as well.  Each of the books stand alone and can be read in any order.  We ordered our first one a few years ago and my oldest son and husband read them together.  Now that CJ is a little older I plan on reading them again.  They are fun  mysteries about a homeschooling family, following two brothers and their adventures.  "Just happy and wholesome Christian family life, with lots of everyday adventure woven in." - from the website

In the age of electronics and fast paced madness I love being able to read of a simpler lifestyle, kids with good manners and morals and with no fear of questionable content.  I highly recommend them and hope you enjoy them as well!

Tell me, what read-aloud are you using this month?

See 'ya next week for the next book and a giveaway to help add to your library!

This post is our personal opinion.  We are  not affiliates with Castleberry Farm Press and were not asked to endorse their product.

CREW Review- The Everyday Family Chore System

 

Lists.
Charts.
Direction cards.
Organization.
Creativity.

SIGN ME UP!

 

Everyday Homemaking has published an e-book, The Everyday Family Chore System, that has all that and more.  With my oldest having just left for college this past week, this e-book (as well as a physical copy that I will be giving away next week thanks to Everyday Homemaking) could not have arrived at a more perfect time!  We needed to reevaluate, revamp and retrain and this was just the book to get us started.  Let me tell you what it is first, and then I will tell you how our family used it.

 

The Everyday Family Chore System was written by Vicki Bentley, a mom of 8 who has fostered more than 50, yes 50, children.  After finally finding a system that worked for her, she started sharing her knowledge with her friends.  It took off from there.  The Everyday Family Chore System is a book that provides the how-to's of getting your children involved with household chores.  It begins with a life skills checklist listing age appropriate skills and chores that your child should know or be able to do.  Following that are numerous ideas of how to implement a chore system.  That is one of the reasons I love this book.  Vickie understands that no one way is perfect for every family and so she presents lots of variations to a chore system.  My favorite idea- Kids on a Mission.  This is where the job labels (which Vickie supplies) are attached to clothespins labeled with each child's name.  The children then wear those clothespins and return them to a cup as they complete the chore listed.  If I had younger children, I think I would take it one step further and paint the clothespins a specific color to represent each child- green for Dick, red for Jane and so on.  Obviously most of my children are a little old for this method, but I will admit that it has crossed my mind that it might be a good training tool for a certain someone who seems to "forget" what they are supposed to do on occasion.  ;)

Getting ahead of myself...

One of the pages of chores
 

The Everyday Family Chore System also provides note card directions for accomplishing many of the life skills and chores Vickie talks about.  Here is one of example-

As Vickie says, "I realized that the problem wasn't that our kids couldn't figure out that they were supposed to tidy the kitchen (or sweep the stairs, or tidy the bathroom)- the problem was that their idea of tidying the kitchen was drastically different than my expectations.  Thus the How-to-do it Cards system was born!"

How true!  By cutting out and laminating the How-to-do-it Cards your child has a built in reference and no "I didn't know how to" excuse.  Job not done up to par?  No words needed- just point them to the cards.

Now, I realize that when you begin this system, like anything new, you will have to spend some time in training.  But after all, isn't that what we as parents should be doing?  We should be training up children to be responsible and productive members of society, even ones who can clean a bathroom or do the laundry without their momma eventually.  It doesn't just happen- it takes the guidance of a loving parent to show them the way.

How did we use this system with mostly older children?
My kids have been cleaning for years now as part of their daily chores, but recently we have switched over to a once a week family cleaning time.  Everyone randomly picks a "zone" and that is their responsibility for that Saturday morning in addition to their own rooms.  Works for us.  But, what I found was that while the children were pretty good about doing what they "knew", give them a new zone and man, were we in trouble.  That's where Vickie's How-to-do-it cards were a God send to us.  We had some huge gaps in our knowledge especially with the younger boys and with the help of the cards are slowly filling in those gaps.  Again, it takes time.  Rome was not built in a day, nor are our children trained up in a day.  But we are getting there, being blessed and working as a family.  Again, Vickie has so many ideas and variations listed, you are sure to find one that works for you!

You can order the ebook of The Everyday Family Chore System for $17.99 or a print version for $19.99.  A companion CD is also available for $6.00 entitled Getting Kids to Help at Home.  I would encourage you to visit Vickie's Web site and see this and all the other wonderful resources she has to offer!

    This review is part of the Molly Crew, the other side of The Old Schoolhouse Magazines' Schoolhouse Review Crew.  The Molly Crew reviews fun things that pertain to home and family.  Look for more exciting Molly product reviews to come!         To find out what fellow CREW members had to say about this product as well as Vickie's cookbook click on the banner below!   Disclaimer- I was given a free E-book  in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone and were not influenced by the company in any way.