Channing O’Banning and the Rainforest Rescue: A NetGalley Review

Grace-Filled Writer
This sweet little series is now a favorite around our house! Channing O’Banning is a precocious 4th grader who loves art more than anything else in life. She travels with art supplies and journals through art everywhere she goes. My 5th grader has absolutely fallen in love with these books as she too is a budding artist who travels life with a sketch book. 
The Rainforest Rescue is the second book in the series. Written in a funny and quips way, I think this is a great series for kids who also enjoy books like Judy Moody or Junie B. Jones. The wonderful difference about these novels is while they still have the same engaging style, they also point kids back to faith in God. 
This is what Rose had to say…
“I really liked Channing O’Banning and the Rain Forest Rescue because it was funny and taught you a lot. I never knew that there was such a thing as Blue Jeans frog until I read this book. I like that they talk about God. I really liked this book.” 
It was fun to look some of the interesting animals, like the Blue Jeans frog, up with Rose as she was reading. She also genuinely means she appreciates that the books talk about a relationship with God. While we read secular books Rose in particular really likes when the literature reflects the faith she has in Jesus Christ. 
We are both very excited to see how this series progresses! 

The Reluctant Duchess: A NetGalley Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m always excited to read new authors and new genres. As much fun as it is to review curriculum and learning resources with the girls, I get rather giddy when I’m able to read a new novel, just for me, and tell my readers all about it!

The Reluctant Duchess is a novel which opens with an intriguing young woman forced into an unthinkable situation. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1900’s Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be an heir to her family estates and title, but she is feels anything but worthy or able. Unloved by her father and betrayed by the man she thought loved her, she must find a way to escape the path her father has planned for her. Her stepmother’s pregnancy and possible male heir means her future is unsure as she is also facing a pregnancy resulting from the abuse of the man who has asked her hand in marriage. 
With little hope for what to do or where to go she is forced into a marriage by her father to a man she knows little about. She must find her way as a new bride, fearful of all men, and longing to be loved. 
I really enjoyed this novel. Although it was a light read, it was a pleasurable distraction that transported me to a different place. I very much enjoyed the dialect writing of the author. Scottish brogue instantly allowed me to hear Rowena as she spoke. The dialect felt natural and what I would expect. The time period is one I don’t read much about so I enjoyed the various historical and cultural aspects included such as the beginning acceptance of automobiles. 
Roseanne M. White is a new author for me. That is one of the really fun things about reviewing books. Many times I would never know about the authors I come across. This is an author I will thoroughly enjoy reading from now on. 
Disclaimer: I received this title from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.

Week in Review: Week of April 25-29

Grace-Filled Writer
We had fun this week with my husband’s parents from Florida here visiting with us for a couple of days. They and my parents, who live about an hour away, got to see the girls’ art work displayed in the art show at our Homeschool Learning Center. They were very excited to have both sets of grandparents be able to see it! 
Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
Unit 11
 Even though it is not scheduled in the guide we have continued on with the ABC series from Rod and Staff. It is such a sweet set of workbooks and all three of my girls loved them! Grace will be starting the last one in the series next week. I love to see how she is growing and learning!
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 Grace illustrated a beautiful picture to go along with her poem for the week. She is really beginning to enjoy the poetry. She missed the straight forward nature of the poems in Little Hearts for His Glory at first, but she’s now really enjoying listening to the new poem each week and trying to come up with a title for it!
 Preparing Hearts for His Glory
Unit 19
 
 During the typical week my husband teaches the girls on Monday while I teach my English class and the girls have a science class on Wednesday mornings. We also really like to only have an hour or so of work on Fridays so we work very, very hard during the first four days of the week, fitting all the days of the unit into Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Beth has started reading some of Grandpa’s Box on her own. We still discuss the chapter, but this helps us stay on target. She really enjoys it and as we are drawing near the end I know she will hate to say goodbye to this book!
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Beth is becoming quite a little artist! When we first started the timeline activity last year she just wanted to rush through, but now I’m seeing a greater effort and love for what she is creating. 
Resurrection to Reformation
Unit 3 
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 Every year when I keep thinking homeschooling can’t get any better, we enter into a new adventure with Rose in a new Heart of Dakota guide. Seriously, I can’t believe how rich my kids’ learning experience is! It is way more in depth (And fun!) than I could ever plan on my own. Rose has kept her same Common Place Book since we started it in Preparing. I don’t have her do every single one of the copywork activities, but she does enjoy looking back on it every now and then. She is now beginning to copy her new chapter she is memorizing this year from Scripture.
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Who knew the Byzantine Empire could be so fascinating? One of the fun thinks about homeschooling is enlarging my own understanding of history. I’m as engaged and interested in what they are learning as they are, maybe more sometimes! The writing assignments are a lot of fun for Rose. She looks forward to them every week. I’m continually impressed with her beautifully constructed sentences and look forward to seeing how she progresses in writing this year. 
How was your week? Post a link from your blog if you have one in the comments or just share a little below!

Week in Review: April 18-22

Grace-Filled Writer
Another week gone by! We charged ahead with our work knowing that the weekend would bring fun with family. We took a short overnight trip to see my husband’s sister and watch their high school production of Mary Poppins which was excellent! 
Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
Unit 10
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Grace is continuing to learn about the Pilgrims. in this unit and she is doing so happily. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this part of the guide this 3rd time through. I have heard complaint that it is boring because so much time is spent on this part of history. I personally have loved it all three times. I think seeing my kids experience the meaningful activities and stories individually has made it unique each time. I also adore history and love seeing my kids come to appreciate it!
Grace finished up The Adventures of Laura and Jack, an early reader version of stories about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She really liked this! It isn’t on the HOD emerging reader list, but I wasn’t able to get the next book from the library in time for this week. She’ll start Tornado next week!
 
This is my silly girl doing one of the history activities. One of the main themes for the week was waiting patiently for God. The Pilgrims waited patiently to find a good port and so we talked a bit about patience. In this activity she had to sit and wait until I told her to move forward. She giggled a lot but did a great job being patient! 
Preparing Hearts for His Glory
Unit 18 
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This week Beth continued studying through Ancient History. I’m not in love with A Child’s History of the World. Being our second time through this guide I thought I might enjoy it more, but I just struggle to enjoy the way it is written. I like the older style but the perspective is hard for me to get through. I’ve kept an eye out for an alternative, but I haven’t found an age-appropriate one I am fond of yet. If anyone as a suggestion I’d be happy to hear it! 
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Studying the longer Bible passages has taken some getting used to. She memorizes well, but this is a jump from previous guides and she does not care for it…at all! It is going much better though. She still can complain about it, but it’s getting easier.
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Getting through the poetry writing used to be a bit challenging, but over the last couple of weeks she has really gotten creative with this assignment! I’ve enjoyed her poems and paragraphs. She does seem to prefer paragraph writing to poetry and I allow her to write what she is most comfortable with each week. 
Resurrection to Reformation
Unit 2
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Rose  is very much enjoying her new guide. She loves the books for history and is really loving the Shakespeare and Art study. I have never really cared for studying either of these artistic areas, but I’m finding it to be fun as well!
 
Math is going along very well. We are easing through decimals. I’m so grateful I took extra time with Rose to redo the multiplication unit last year when she was struggling. This is the beauty of homeschooling. When we hit a rough patch I had the freedom to try again without having to push her into harder math concepts she wouldn’t be able to grasp. Now she is excelling and is enjoying working with numbers!
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 One of our favorite parts of this new guide is the Medieval writing assignments from IEW! I have used their Teaching the Classics material, but never their writing because I have been pleased with the HOD path. I really like how much growth I’ve seen already in Rose’s writing assignments. She is working hard to be creative and expound on just basic sentences. I also appreciate that she is becoming more comfortable with editing her own work. 
There was our week! How was yours?

An Update

Grace-Filled Writer

I’ve been a bit quiet here lately. To be honest I just haven’t felt like writing about much of anything. And so instead of giving into the blogging pressure of the need to post, I took an unannounced break. If you follow me on facebook you have seen sporadic peeks into our days, but even that has been pretty random.

The quiet started back in January when we said goodbye to my husband’s grandmother who is finally home with her Savior after a long battle with cancer. Her legacy of faith extends far beyond our family. She welcomed me as a granddaughter the first time we met even before I was engaged to my husband. She loved my girls well and they always looked forward to the cards she sent.

This was the first close family member my girls have said goodbye to. It was difficult in some ways and beautiful in others. My girls all have accepted Jesus as their Savior so they had a very good perspective filled with hope. As family gathered to celebrate her life my girls met some they never knew and heard over and over how their great-grandmother led many to know Christ. It was really a good experience overall.

Still…grief is hard.

I had many praying for us just before the funeral because I was concerned about how my girls would react to an open casket and just the funeral in general as they had never attended one before. I remember telling someone that part of my concern was that I didn’t feel like I handled my own pain very well in front of them. I don’t grieve well.

My friend’s response was, “Does anyone?”
Thinking on this and reflecting on our life as a family, I decided if I was going to grieve well I needed to take away any unnecessary pressures. So I took a break from publicly sharing our life. I’ve kept on reviewing for the many wonderful companies with whom I partner, but that has been about all you’ve seen for several weeks around here!
I’m ready to jump back in however! Here are some tidbits and highlights from the last 3 1/2 months…
The Girls 
Narnia Room Transformation
Click the arrow on the right to see more of the room!

  As a Christmas surprise the girls got a room redo! Their once purple/pink room with a few princess stickers on the wall has turned into a Narnia wonderland! The room is split between winter and spring. We used color pictures from the actual novels to decorate the walls and have various items around which are themed to the various stories. My favorite part is the tree which has a page from each book hanging from it. We spent 2 years gathering what we needed. Yeah, that is a long time! We just kept having trouble finding a time to work on it and get it done as a surprise. Our patience paid off and we were able to create the entire room decor for under $150. The quilts were a Christmas gift from my parents which completed the look. 

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School has been wonderful since the Christmas break. We are still following a 6-week school model although as you can expect sometimes we get our break earlier than 6 weeks depending on our needs as a family. 

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Rose has just finished up her first unit in Heart of Dakota’s Resurrection to Reformation and she loves loves loves it! When she started looking at all the books she would be using in this guide she said, “Mommy! I’ve hit the jackpot!” Such a sweet girl and so eager to learn. 
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Beth has just past the half-way mark in Preparing Hearts for His Glory. This is sooner than I expected, but I’m finding in general each guide flows more smoothly for her. I have suspicion this is because she has heard most of it once before. Her favorite school-book is Grandpa’s Box and I don’t blame her! It is a favorite for all of us and one of those books that all three girls eagerly listen to during school time. 
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Grace is motoring right along. While everything comes incredibly easy for her, she’d rather be playing than doing school so sometimes we do have a bit more complaining. I also know this can be an age factor because I remember the second half of 6 being a bit rougher for my other two than many other seasons. Still, she bounces everywhere and life is always full of new and exciting things to explore! 
Me
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I celebrated my 9th birthday! Crazy right? Well that’s what happens when you are born on Leap Year! This birthday was really fun because all of the girls understood what it meant to me. 
 
I’ve been trying to get life in order. I have done some major, major purging around the house. It was one of those jobs I’ve been putting off due to the overwhelming enormity of it all. Between clothing, kitchen stuff, and household decorations I have gotten rid of hoards of stuff. I should have taken pictures to remind myself of how good it felt! Getting rid of all the “stuff” we don’t need has been so freeing. I paid for very little of it as we are blessed to have a lot of generous people in our lives, but as Cary Farrel, a good friend and professional organizer, says “When a blessing becomes a burden, it is time to get rid of it.” So I waved goodbye to things that were at one time a blessing and have felt so good in the process! 
I’ve begun taking a nap every afternoon. About 3 years ago I discovered my iron levels had dropped to dangerously low levels. I could barely function. While I’ve been working hard to get them where they need to be, and they are improving, I still found myself completely exhausted by early afternoon. I work from home teaching piano every afternoon for about 3 hours so I needed to find a way to fix this. My afternoon nap is only 30-45 minutes long, but it has been life-changing! 
I’m exercising more regularly. I actually started this back last year, but I’ve been walking about 2 miles through our neighborhood with my dear friend and neighbor. If you want to start being more active grab a friend! It’s great motivation, support, and accountability! This has been difficult previously because of the low iron issue.
 
Our Family
P1060184Our family has had some great opportunities to just spend time together having fun. We have just enjoyed playing games together, listening to Adventure in Odyssey, reading aloud more, playing the Wii, watching movies, and visiting fun places. My husband and I have always been intentional about our parenting, but we have been focusing on intentionally having fun.

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We have added two new family members! Penny, our puppy, joined us the day after Christmas on our way to FL to visit my husband’s parents. We stopped at the Humane Society and fell in love! She’s such a sweet little thing, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix, which is funny because I thought she was a Jack Russel Terrier which I had my heart set on. In honesty if I’d know there was any Chihuahua in her she probably wouldn’t have come with us, but I’m so glad she is part of our family now. (This coming from a non-dog person too!)

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 Lucy joined us in February. Again I had my heart set on a Balinese kitten because they are supposed to be better for allergies and have a sweet temperament. We came across her at our local shelter and she is just a wonderful part of our family!

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Lucy and Penny get along really well. They spend half their time wrestling and half their time cuddling! 

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We recently took a really awesome trip over spring break with a high school friend of mine and her family. It was one of the most relaxing and restful vacations we’ve ever had! 

And now as life is setting into routine once again I’m ready to start sharing our sometimes hectic, often imperfect, wouldn’t-change-it-for-anything life again.

Pressing Pause: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 
Moms who are also Christ-followers know we need time alone with God, but between all of the pressures of the mundane and the day-to-day needs we meet on a minute-by-minute basis, taking that time isn’t always at the top of our list. I can’t even count the times that all my good intentions have been thwarted by bickering littles, monstrous messes, or even simply sleeping through my alarm because of exhaustion. Add to that the seasons we face where weeks go by when sickness seems to be a constant family member. 
The younger our babes, the harder it is to not only find the time to read Scripture, but also keep our minds focused enough to hear from God as we are reading. This wonderful new devotional from Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk aims to helps moms reverse this. Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet Jesus is ideal for the mom who is trying to regain her footing in spending time alone with God. The short passages are expounded upon alternating between the authors. Real-life examples from each woman’s life. At the end of each devotion is a sample prayer and questions to ponder. Finally, there is space to journal your own thoughts after reading.
This is intended to be a way for mom to press pause on their day for just a moment. I think this would have been especially helpful when I was first starting on my mothering journey. Moments with God were hard to create even though it was what my heart desired. I talk to a lot of new moms and I’ve heard this same thing over and over. 
The title for this devotional is so perfect. My girls are apt to say, “Pause the game!” when they are playing pretend and need to do something in real life for a second. The same idea is here. We need to press pause from the tyranny of the ordinary. If it has been a while since you took some time alone with God this is a great place to start.
Disclaimer: I received this title from BookLook Bloggers in return for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.

London Art Chase: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 
This first book in the Glimmer Girls series is simply delightful! Three sisters, two older twins and a younger, tag along with their mom on her trips around the world. Their mom is a famous Christian singer so they experience a very different life than my own girls do. Part of the fun of this series is the fun of all fiction, transporting yourself to a different setting and life experience!
This series is going to be a favorite in our household. We also have a family of three girls and so this has intrigued my daughters. They like the adventures and mysteries the girls find themselves in the midst of in each book. 
My 10-year-old daughter says…
“It’s really funny and I like that they talk about God in their family.”
I too love that their family follows God. It is wonderful to have our own Christian values reflected in the literature they are reading. So much of today’s fiction is not something I think is appropriate for young girls, but this is a wonderful exception to that. Not only is it spiritually uplifting, but my daughters have found the titles in this series to be engaging and fun! 
We are looking forward to reading more titles from this series when the are published!
Disclaimer: I received this title in exchange for my honest review from BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review. I did not receive any other compensation.

A Dolphin Wish: A BookLook Blogger Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 
Natalie Grant has written a delightful series with the Glimmer Girls! Based on her own three daughters and their adventures as they travel, these books have delighted my own three daughters!
In a Dolphin’s Wish, the girls travel to the beach. While there they stumble upon a mystery at Watery World have an adventure of a time! Their mother, an Christian music star, takes her daughters along as she travels around the country and even the world! This is the second book in the series and we are excited to also be reviewing the first book in the series.
My girls, ages 10, 8, and 6, love to read. It is sometimes difficult to find current literature that is appropriate for them in our culture. This series is more than just fun, it is safe. The family values modeled are an encouragement to me as a mother and I’m so excited my girls enjoyed this book! 
My 8-year-old says…
“I liked this book! It’s fun to read and I want to read more!” 
I personally have been a fan of Natalie Grant’s music over the years and I was excited to see she had written this series. I think it is important for young girls to see there is adventure and fun in your life no matter where you are and that all that we do is important to God. It is a blessing to have the values I’m teaching my girls reflected in the literature they read. 
Disclaimer: I received this title from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any other compensation. I was not required to write a positive review.

Faith: A Tyndale Blog Network Review

Grace-Filled Writer
Packaging 
The Quaker Brides series is new to me as is the author, Lyn Cote. I’m now a devoted fan!
I was already somewhat familiar with some of the history surrounding the Quakers and the Civil War, but after reading Faith, the third book in the Quaker Brides series,  I better understand it all a little more. Not only did I enjoy the historical aspects, I was thoroughly enthralled with each page!
I love historical Christian fiction and have pretty high standards for what I read. As with all my favorite stories Faith has thoughtful characters who grow deeply throughout the novel. I love how seamlessly the historical references to places and people were woven. I have studied the Civil War a great deal and Lyn Cote did an incredible amount of research for this novel. Most of all, the best stories leave me wanting more. Now that I have read the third book I’m anxious to go back and read the first two in the series which tell us more about Faith’s heritage.
The characters were very believable. I could envision both Faith, the heroine, and her hero, Devlin, experience realistic trials and internal strife. Their engaging conversations and struggles to reconcile their deep beliefs alongside their unlikely friendship create tension and conflict that kept me reading. I very much appreciated the portrayed struggle Devlin faced concerning slavery, even though he fought for the Union. The issues which brought about the Civil War were much more complicated than merely the Slavery vs. Anti-Slavery platforms we attribute to it today. This story showed a compelling side which many in the Union felt. They weren’t against slavery completely, but they would fight to preserve the United States. 
If you enjoy the historical fiction genre you will absolutely not be able to put this book down!
Disclaimer: I received this title from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Lifegiving Home: A Tyndale Blog Network Review

Grace-Filled Writer
 
 
What does it mean to create a welcoming home? I asked myself that question as I was first starting out as a wife and then again a few years later as a mother. I wish I’d had this book when I was just beginning this journey 14 years ago! 
Sally Clarkson is one of my go-to author’s for encouragement in my walk as a Christian wife and mommy. I was already excited to review her newest book, co-written with her daughter, but when I saw the cover I sighed a little with joy. Just seeing the cover of The Lifegiving Home from Tyndale House Publishers brought me a sense of welcoming. Just like the cover, each page brought refreshment and joy. Much of what I have tried to put into practice in our home over the years was included which was very affirming. 
I enjoyed reading from the perspective of both mother and daughter throughout the book. While there are many practical ideas and takeaways in each chapter there is always the sense of pointing the reader back to Scripture, back to the Savior. I love this! It is such a good reminder that the one way to have a life-giving home is to be centered on Christ in all that is done and said. 
The first few chapters consist of helping the reader focus in on thinking about their home, the rhythms and functions of every day life and how to make them more than mundane. I really enjoyed the second part which focuses on each month and ways to breathe new life into the walls of your house throughout the year. Answering the question What makes a home? is central in this book. I found the Clarksons ideas unique and fun, and also inspiring. They didn’t inspire me to copy them as much as create my own ways of bringing life into our home. 
This is a book which I will recommend to anyone looking for ways to create a welcoming home that exudes the love of Christ. I also plan to have my own girls read this when they are older and beginning to think about their own ways of creating a home for their futures. 
Disclaimer: I received this title from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.