Tag: For Mom

Motivated Mom: Review and Giveaway!

Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited about this review and giveaway! Most of the things I am blessed to review and give away are more for the kids. THIS is for you, Mom! Just for you…and maybe a dad or two if they’re interested!

If you had to pick one area in your life which your struggle with most what would it be? Lesson planning? Discipline? Keeping it all together? Ding ding ding! This would be me. Just keeping things running smoothly and the house mostly in order. I don’t expect perfection, but neither am I okay with just “letting things go” as I’ve heard from some. No matter what anyone says, it is possible to keep your home in order and homeschool successfully. You can even throw in a part-time job if needed and keep the home nice. The hardest part for me has always been coming up with and sticking to a plan.

Until now…

Let me introduce you to Motivated Moms. I just love their motto: Make every day count! This wonderful system was developed by a mom who saw a need for an easy way to keep up with all of the responsibilities we moms carry. Often times the reason why I see things fall apart around me is because I feel so incredibly overwhelmed with the many responsibilities I have. I also find when life gets crazy getting back on track can sometimes feeling close to impossible. Motivated Moms has tools to help you whether you’re feeling swamped or looking for help with maintaining the order.

There are two different formats you can go with from Motivated Moms. If you are into mobile devices there is an app available for both android and apple devices. If you tend to be more of a pencil and paper type you can purchase a printable e-book in a variety of formats. Both include the same helpful lists, just presented differently. I have enjoyed reviewing both and am going to give you an idea of the differences.

E-Book

The printable e-book is available in black and white or color. You can also choose from full-page or half-page, 1 day per page or a week per page, and whether or not it includes a daily Bible reading. Wow! I really appreciate how many choices are provided, no matter your preferences. They really thought of everything!

I prefer the week-at-a-glance view because my days rarely always go as planned. I like being able to look ahead if I have a few extra minutes to get ahead and to know what I’ve missed along the way. I also appreciate the several  extra lines available to add in anything you want.

Each task has a small check box ready to fill. Who doesn’t love checking things off? I’ll admit I’m one of those who will add items to a list just so I can check them off! Seeing all those little boxes filled in just make me happy.




App

I recently purchased an iPad and am loving how easy and fun it is to use apps to organize my life! Although I’ve been a pencil and paper kind of girl for the most part, the ease of apps for keeping up with things is a beautiful thing.
The interface of the newly updated app is quite lovely as well as functional. Simply click the chore you have finished and it moves to the bottom with a check mark. I like this because I can see what I’ve accomplished! The pre-loaded chores are a great place to start and adding or hiding individual chores is a breeze.

One really nice thing about the app is the ease in adding chores. When you add a chore you have the option of repeating it on specific days, weekly, or every day. You can also very easily assign chores to individual with a unique color coded system. Initially the setup takes a bit of time, but once it is finished you are all set! Another cool feature is that each year as the app is updated you can easily import the settings and changes you have already made.

So, how can you choose? It is really hard, but here is a breakdown of the differences and similarities.

What they both have…
1. Daily and weekly chores
2. Space to add new chores
3. Ways to check off chores
4. Every possible chore you could consider to keep your home in order!
The differences…
1. The app allows you to assign chores to individuals. 
2. Chores have to be added each week on the e-book pages, but can be done only once for the app. 
3. Only the e-book allows you to see a week at a time. 
4. Only the app allows you to push scheduled tasks to the following day. 

There are a couple of benefits to the app compared to the e-book. The first is with the e-book you have to write in weekly or daily tasks each time. This isn’t a big deal I suppose, but I really like the one-time deal with the app. The only other benefit is keeping an e-book with you is not nearly as handy as a device you already have. There are times when I’m able to complete tasks on my list (usually related to homeschool) and I wouldn’t have my printed e-book with me. The app, however is right there.

The one main benefit I really liked with the e-book was being able to see everything for one week in front of me. I work about 18 hours a week part-time and my days are not always predictable. Being able to see chores I have missed allows me to determine what absolutely needs to be done. The app does have the feature mentioned which allows you to forward tasks ahead though which helps make this easier.

Overall you can’t go wrong with either one. It simply is a preference thing. The best part for me is when I’m following Motivated Moms closely our home is peaceful and attractive in less than an hour a day (honest!). When life does happen and things fall apart (like last week when we ALL got sick!) it doesn’t take very long at all to get back on track.

So, which would you choose? The wonderful people at Motivated Moms is giving away 1 app and 1 copy of the e-book! There are several ways to enter so hurry to do so now!

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Disclaimer: I received the Motivated Moms app for iPad and the printable e-book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Devotions for Women: Review

Grace-Filled Writer
We all know the way to grow closer to God is to spend more time with Him, yet it continues to be a battle of the flesh, the problem of choosing what is best. God desires relationship with us, yet we allow so much of the mundane to inhibit. At other times it isn’t the mundane as much as the tyranny of the ordinary, those every day must-dos which often distract us from what is excellent. 
So what do we do? We take a first step. We stop as soon as we realize we have not moved forward in our walk with the Lord in a while and we open the Word of God. The next step? Do it again the following day, and the day after that and the day after that. We keep on stepping until spending time with God daily is a habitual blessing we feel as if we can not survive our day without it. 
The One Year Devotions for Women: Becoming a Woman At Peace by Ann Spangler is one you’ll want to add to your bookshelf whether as a beginning first step or an addition to your established quiet-time routine. I have enjoyed reading other books by Ann Spangler and was so excited for the opportunity to review this! I knew this would be a wonderful addition to my day already being familiar with the author’s ability to take deep theology and make in understandable. 
I know from my own experiences and talking with other women that peace is hard to come by in our society. This one intangible desire is elusive to some to the point of seeking medical help. Others deny they are even missing peace in their life and yet their actions and words exhibit anxiety and distress. This is more than merely another year-long devotional. This is a spring to be refreshed with daily. 
I really like the personable way this is written. Ann Spangler takes moments from her own life to help explain a short verse of Scripture presented at the top of each day’s reading. I would have liked if there was an option for further reading, but the is an easy way for me to begin my days, especially when the days don’t begin in the way I wish they would!

As a homeschooling mother of three girls ages 8, 6, and 4 my mornings are unpredictable more often than not. I know how I would like my mornings to go, but I can count on one hand how many times it has actually gone this way! This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to center myself on Christ first thing while being able to meet my girls’ needs as they come up first thing in the morning.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light devotional to give a moment of quiet at any time of the day whether morning, afternoon or evening. 
Disclaimer: I received a paperback copy of The One Year Devotions for Women from Tyndale Publishers as part of  the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. 

On Pitching Fits

Grace-Filled Writer

One night a few years ago as I was up for the fifth time with one of my daughters. Sleep seemed more than elusive for our household!

My oldest daughter pitched a fit worthy of an academy award the previous night night when we announced bedtime. We are used to getting the usual chorus of, “I don’t want to go to bed!” However that night seemed to reach a new level. I reminded her that fits don’t help; they only cause more problems, but it didn’t seem to help very much!

My middle daughter (three-years-old at the time) went to sleep okay, but struggled to remain there. She was up no less than five times within two hours, which conveniently started just as we were heading to bed. I suspect it might have something to do with the restless older sister who made the top bunk squeak. She was inconsolable unless either my husband or I were in the room with her. She kept peeking to make sure we didn’t leave.

The littlest one (she was about one) had the unfortunate problem of 3 teeth trying to break through. For the past two evenings she has fussed on and off every hour or two throughout the evening. The worst part is when we went in to try and comfort her she would push us away and didn’t even want us around. I suspected she was a little bit angry we couldn’t fix her problem and make the pain go away.

How often do we treat God the same way? We pitch a fit and do our best to get out of the things He wants us to do, all the time knowing we will have to submit and are just making matters worse. Sometimes we are so nervous about doing new things we are terrified God won’t be there with us. We want something tangible to give us comfort. Then there are the times when God doesn’t do what we expect Him to and we get upset. We’d rather He just leave us alone if He isn’t going to fix what we want Him to fix or how we think it should be done.

Many Scriptures talk about God as our Father and how much better are the things He gives to us than we, who are lowly sinners, give to our kids. I don’t believe this is necessarily talking about tangible gifts. I love my kids and want what is best for them even when they don’t always want to accept it. Not giving in to their every want is a gift. Providing for their basic needs is a gift. Teaching biblical truths is a gift. Loving them unconditionally is a gift. These are things I aim for, yet my human flesh often gets in the way. Our heavenly Father does each of these perfectly, without blemish.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:17

Gunpowder Tea: Booksneeze Review

Grace-Filled Writer

I’ve just finished the second book in a month just for me. It has been so long since I was able to read just for my own pleasure and the latest title from Booksneeze was a lot of fun.

Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley is the third installment in The Brides of Last Chance series. I have not read the first two, but am now very interested as characters were referenced from the earlier novels. An unlikely friendship develops between Annie and Branch, undercover agents seeking to track down a criminal who has become quite a nuisance in the local area. Their undercover work sets them both on edge and sometimes at odds until their true purpose for being at Last Chance Ranch is finally revealed. An unspoken attraction develops and realizing they are actually on the same side of the law only serves to complicate matters.

This lighthearted mystery/romance was a relaxing and fun read. I often shy away from mysteries because of their tendency for intensity, but the comic relief provided from the colorful characters made this simply fun. I enjoyed the banter between characters as well as trying to solve the identity of the criminal before Annie and Branch. There were times I was confused as the author would switch back and forth between the characters assumed identities and their real names. There was also a bit more description of the physical attraction between the two than I usually like to read about. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate at all, but in my opinion the focus on this aspect didn’t particularly add to the story.

I loved the character perspective change throughout the book. This unique use of the 3rd person limited point of view has become quite popular in modern literature and I enjoy the character insights which it provides the reader.

This was a lot of fun to read and I stayed up very late several nights to read just one more chapter. A sure indication this is a good read!

Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Beloved: Booksneeze Book Review!

Grace-Filled Writer

It has been a really, really long time since I have read a book purely for my own pleasure. Yes, I did receive this through Booksneeze to review, but it was a joy to read and fun to have something just for me for a change.

I’ve been a fan of Robin Lee Hatcher for a while. Her other books have captured my interest because of their historical background. I love historical fiction, but am very picky about my pleasure reading material. Robin Lee Hatcher has the unique ability to be historically accurate without sounding as if she is writing a history text as she weaves captivating tales of love and faith for her readers. I know whenever I pick up one of her books I won’t be disappointed!

Beloved from Zondervan is the final novel in a trilogy about the life journey of siblings on an orphan train. Dianna Brennan is the female protagonist whose is immediately thrown into turmoil in just the first few pages. I was hooked from the first paragraph and caught myself reading way past my usual bedtime. I couldn’t wait to see what happened in her life!

One unique aspect of this novel was that each chapter ended with a flashback which gave a glimpse into the characters’ back-stories prior to the opening of the novel. This unique way of story-telling was interesting and helpful for explaining the various moods and actions of Dianna and her once thought-to-be-dead husband, Tyson. I love also how the plot ebbed and flowed with emotion. It was not all high intensity action and I found myself laughing at many moments.

I haven’t yet read the first two books in the series, but I’m anxious to do so. I cannot wait to hear the journeys of Dianna’s older brother and sister.

Disclosure:  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Why My Daughters Attend Prayer Meeting

Grace-Filled Writer

This summer I started bringing my girls to prayer meeting at our church. While this ministry of our church has been in place since its foundation in the mid-1970’s it is not our best attended service. I haven’t attended very often because of my girls’ ages. I was so afraid they would be a distraction to all the other adults. I used to meet with a friend to pray once a week in the morning, but when I started homeschooling this wasn’t as practical. I was whining lamenting that I didn’t participate in prayer meeting to my husband-pastor whose response was a raised eyebrow and a question:

What don’t you just bring them? 

My eloquent response? Ummmm…I have no idea. I listed several reasons including their ages, their destractibility quotient, the later time in the evening, and some others I don’t quite remember. He said it was up to me, but his opinion was it was fine. My husband has always encouraged families to attend all of our services together. We do have an optional children’s church for the young elementary students, but by 3rd grade the kids are worshiping with their families and many choose to keep their children in the service rather than attend children’s church. You see, he loves children and loves families coming together. He does not support the idea of separating generations for services no matter how large the congregation and encourages the mingling of all ages. 
So ever since this summer they have been coming to prayer meeting each week. I was surprised to find out after a few weeks they actually enjoyed going! They stay with the adults for the short Bible study and discussion my husband leads. Then I take them to the library which is in the sanctuary where we have our own prayer time. This way I can teach them how to pray and help them become comfortable praying with others without the pressure of the other adults. I want them to be in the habit of praying corporately. I want them to know why we pray. I want them to move beyond their meal-time and bedtime prayers and think about conversing with God at other times as well.

If you ask a child to pray for something they often may not know where to start. I use praise pails and prayer folders to help them get started. The praise pails are something I came up with on a whim and the girls love them! Several decorated boxes with handles have craft sticks sticking out of them. Each stick has been the tip colored to correspond with a different thing to praise God for which is written on a poster and hung on the wall. They choose a stick and praise God for something which fits into the category. Some of these include family, friends, God’s creation, and our church. I also give the girls the option of praying aloud or silently although I love it when they pray aloud! 

Our prayer folders are the kind you buy from the office store for $0.10 during the beginning of the year school supply sales. I put a variety of colored paper inside and the girls wrote a different topic at the top of each page. Some of these pages include themselves, family, friends, people who don’t know Jesus, our government, school, and missionaries. This has been a great way to help them diversify they’re prayers and teach them God cares about all areas of our life and world. I let the girls decorate their folders on the outside and also write down things to pray for in each category on their own. We add to it now and then, but usually we just go through and pray for names and things already written down. 

Praying with my girls has been a great blessing, but I can’t say I was expecting it to be so in the beginning. Even on nights when I’m very tired and worn out from the day I leave prayer meeting feeling refreshed. The simplicity and honesty my girls pray with makes me feel even closer to God. They don’t worry about how they sound or who might be listening because they haven’t learned to feel that way yet. My biggest hope is as they grow up and become young women on their own they will have a desire to gather with other believers and pray. 
I cannot help but feel we are headed towards a period of trial for believers in our country. I don’t think it will include physical persecution as we see in many countries, but I will not be surprised if standing firm on the teaching of Scripture will include financial persecution and possibly other things. It is becoming more difficult to stand for what God says is right as our society drifts farther and farther away from absolute truth. My oldest two girls have already made the decision to follow Jesus as their Savior and now my husband and I are charged with their discipleship and spiritual growth. I take my job discipling my girls very seriously and realize I must prepare them for a world growing increasingly hostile towards believers.  

I Am Ruth: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

Ruth…a poignant love story…a hopeful legacy…an unwavering loyalty…and it’s all true.

Our world wants to denounce the truth of Scripture and portray it as irrelevant myth. Doing so takes away the accountability laid out for us by our Creator. Rather than living life in a way which serves God and puts the good of others above our own our society pushes us to live selfishly, being more concerned about our own benefits than even those we are closest to. We know better, but sometimes we need a reminder.

Ruth has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible. As a girl I was drawn to the love-story between Ruth and Boaz. As a woman I am drawn to the parallel love-story of our Savior, our personal kinsman-redeemer.


I am Ruth from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) is stunning, simply stunning. I vividly remember the Bible storybook my parents read to me with a real-life person photographed as Ruth. Perhaps this is what initially drew me in. The rest of the book’s pictures were mostly paintings, merely an artists renderings. Just like then I was drawn to the realism. I once again have the visual images of real people and it was like reading the biblical account for the first time.

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The beautiful images taken on location in Israel capture the imagination. They are so beautiful and full of emotion you can imagine the individuals speaking the words of Scripture as you read. I felt the despair as famine and heat forced Elimelech to feel desperate enough to leave the land God had given his ancestors.  

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Weep with Naomi and her daughters-in-law as they journey back to Israel and eventually part with Orpah. 
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Listen in to the conversations Ruth and Naomi have as they discuss the wheat Boaz has allow Ruth to glean.

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Celebrate the marriage of Ruth and Boaz followed by the birth of Obed as you see the joy-filled faces of the couple and Naomi. 
I think what struck me most about this book was while the photography by Kenneth Berg drew me in, the excellent exposition of the book kept me reading. Each chapter of Ruth is written in full form, but before you get to that Brenda Duff fills in the historical details and significance of various aspects of the Jewish culture. Never has Ruth held so much meaning for me personally. 
Take an exclusive peek here…

I’m not the only one who loves this book! Check out what others have to say by clicking on the link below!
Disclaimer: I received I am Ruth as part of the Moms of Master Books Team. I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. 

AM-PM PraiseMoves: Review

Grace-Filled Writer

In college I had several Christian friends who have tried to encourage me to try out Yoga. I have always been hesitant because I know the roots of Yoga are in the Hindu religion. I know many people who say you can practice Yoga and avoid all the religious stuff, but for me the connection between the two gave me pause and I chose not to participate. I was fairly active anyway taking hikes and walking around campus so I wasn’t too concerned about adding in exercise.

Fast forward 11 years… 3 babies later I needed to start exercising! 

The problem was I hadn’t been able to exercise for some time. For the previous 2 years I had been steadily loosing weight without any reason. An unexpected emergency surgery over Christmas revealed a tumor growing in my stomach which gave explanation, but before this my doctor said I needed to stop all exercise since I couldn’t stop losing weight. So for about 2 years I had done little besides my regular housework. After the 2 month mark of recovery my doctor encouraged me to start exercising again. That was a challenge! She suggested Yoga, but again my heart was prompted not to go this route. 

I have been using AM-PM PraiseMoves for about 6 weeks and through Praise Moves I have found exercise I actually look forward to doing! Unlike my marathon-running husband, high intensity work-outs are not for me. The low-impact style of PraiseMoves leaves me feeling energized. The benefits have piled up daily and I can’t say enough wonderful things about PraiseMoves!

Laurette Willis’ personal testimony of her search for truth after being immersed in yoga from a young age is a beautiful example of the redeeming work of Christ. As a result of her personal journey she develped PraiseMoves, a Christian alternative to Yoga, not to be confused with other programs which call themselves Christian Yoga. All of the postures and movements are grounded in and inspired by Scripture or the Hebrew alphabet. While you are practicing the postures Scripture appears on the screen and is read to you. What an affirming exercise program!


The AM-PM PraiseMoves Dvd includes two workouts, one to start the morning and one to close the day. The morning routine is more energetic than the evening routine. Laurette guides with clear instructions how to stand in the various postures. Because she dresses very modestly I felt comfortable exercising in front of my husband, something no other exercise video I have used allowed me to do.

I mentioned before I have received daily benefits from PraiseMoves. The first was a complete night’s sleep, something I hadn’t experienced in a long time. When my oldest daughter was born almost 8 years ago I experienced the constant wakings expected from a newborn, but this disruption in sleep continued for me long after my daughter started sleeping through the night. For years I have consistently awakened 2-3 times in the middle of the night and typically have a difficult time going back to sleep. The first night after using PraiseMoves I slept soundly and felt more rested than I had in a very long time. I attribute this partly to exercise, but mostly to dwelling on Scripture as I exercised. What a wonderful way to close the day!

Another benefit I have received is more energy to be active. My surgery required me to be incredibly inactive while my incision and muscles healed. Getting back to even basic activity was a challenge, let alone being regularly active with my kids walking or bike riding. After about a week of PraiseMoves I told my very surprised husband I wanted to go on a bike ride around the neighborhood. I didn’t go very far, and I certainly didn’t ride very fast, but I went and enjoyed it!

The final benefit has been increased flexibility and lack of pain in my back. When we were camping last summer I hurt my back slightly while helping my husband set up our tent. It was a very small sore spot my doctor told me was a muscle issue which couldn’t be helped without extensive physical therapy. At the same time she said unless it was preventing me from living a normal life, it wasn’t absolutely necessary to deal with. About three weeks into using PraiseMoves I realized the pain was decreasing and now I feel no pain in that spot. I don’t know how it helped, but it helped! I am also able to bend and stretch farther than I ever have in my life. I always hated the Presidential Physical Fitness Test in school because I scored so low, especially on the sit-and-reach…I wish I could try it now and see how well I could do!


I love this program so much I have been talking to many of our church ladies about it. We have purchased the 20-Minute Praise Moves DVD and will be starting this together soon. Click here to find out about starting a fitness ministry or PraiseMoves workout at your church.

Watch this video below to see more of AM-PM PraiseMoves!

Disclaimer
I received AM-PM Praise Moves in exchange for my honest review from PraiseMoves. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.