I recently sat down to read “Love Your Heart” written by Tim McGraw & Thomas Douglas. I have to say the most appealing thing about this book was the illustrations by Abigail Marble. This is probably some of the best illustrating I have seen in a children’s book.
 
The story is sweet, but scattered. The father expresses his love for his daughter who basically has a heart of gold. It wasn’t exactly an easy-to-follow story. I read it to my 6 year old daughter, who didn’t seem interested. I also had my 13 year old daughter read it. My 13 year old daughter told me she enjoyed the book, and has picked it up several times since. She seemed to like the various colorful and curvy print throughout, the moral, and the illustrations.

Now for my opinion. I REALLY wanted to like this book because… well, it had Tim McGraw’s name on it. The curiosity was killing me, so I was so happy when the book arrived. My favorite features of this book were the large size, and the raised letters on the bold and beautifully illustrated cover. I found the story to be sort of choppy and hard to read full sentences without pausing slightly. Some sentences were long and completed on a single line, while others were short and broke up on two lines. At least that’s how it seemed while I was reading it. The print changes to various sizes and colors. Sometimes it fit, and sometimes it didn’t.

Overall, I have to say that the book is different. Would I purchase a future book written by Tim McGaw & Tom Douglas? Probably not. My daughter enjoyed it, so maybe yours would too. If you haven’t read a book by these authors before, I recommend checking it out. It has its own appeal.

Disclosure: These are my true and personal opinions of this book. I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review program . The opinions expressed here are my own. I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this to be compliant with the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.

I never really thought I would say this about a cookbook… but, I am confused. This softcover “Busy People’s fast & frugal cookbook” has a very catchy title. Inside, there are 307 pages that are packed full of almost entirely recipes, and some other excellent tips and information. Each recipe includes the supplies needed to prepare and cook, and also an organized-by-topic grocery list (ie. dairy, produce, etc). This is where my confusion kicks in. I found it to be rather unnecessary to break down a grocery list in a cookbook. Rather than wasting space to do this, I would have suggested that the author placed a photo of each recipe instead. There are quite a few recipes with photos included, but also many are left without one. I see existing space where photos could have been included, but they weren’t, and… some that are there, don’t look very yummy. It’s not likely that  if someone has an unappetizing photo to look at, they are going to want to try to cook it.

A lot of the recipes in this book, I would be afraid to try. A Tart Cherry Applesauce, using no-sugar-added cherry pie filling, unsweetened applesauce, almond extract, and Splenda granular (and no photo to actually show it?) I’ll pass. Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s just me. I also found that many of the ingredients called for throughout the cookbook are not frugal. Fat-free, multi-grain whole-wheat bread and feta cheese are not my idea of frugal ingredients. I believe that this cookbook would have been a much better fit if it would have been categorized and titled as a beginner’s cookbook, or maybe just a busy people’s cookbook. I do give the information included throughout a thumbs up. This cookbook includes helpful hints, suggestions, an estimated time to prepare and cook, the yield, and dietary and nutrition information. There is also a mini index at the beginning of each chapter, or section.

I cook and bake everyday of my life. I’m no expert, just a wife and mom, so I am sorry if this review came off as unprofessional. This is just my brief opinion of this cookbook. This type of cookbook might be a great fit for others. The recipes do seem fast, so maybe this is a small part of where the “frugal” might be fitting. But, other than that, I just don’t see it.

When I first started to read “Voices of the Faithful Book 2“, I really had no idea of the trials and tribulations that missionaries around the world face on a regular basis. I only thought I did. I’ve heard the stories occasionally in church, and listen to several missionaries give their testimonies, but I never truly got a grasp on it. What these people face is very deep. It’s not just about the occasional resistance they get when trying to enter foreign countries, cities, towns, or villages. This is ongoing. And, it goes much deeper than a little resistance and red tape.
 
“Voices of the Faithful Book 2” is a daily devotional book, compiled by Kim P. Davis. The books consists of short stories written by hundreds of missionaries around the world. There is a story for each day of the year, along with a scripture. Each month focuses on a different theme. These people give stories of their journeys and desires. They are talking to you, the reader, and also talking to God. They speak of God’s miracles, love, and hearing His voice. 
 
The cover of this book makes you feel as though you are holding a classy gift that someone gave you, but at the same time, it feels like there is a journey waiting inside. It’s beautifully designed and has a ‘warm’ feel. The cover is a perfect fit for the content it holds.
 
Some of the stories in “Voices of the Faithful Book 2” are small, short stories of encouragement. Some are tragic stories, such as the story titled “Bonded by Tragedy” where the missionaries daughter has to be brought to a burn center in the states. The outcome was good, and a purposed reason was given as to how God used the incident to bring accomplishment and good to the village where the incident occurred.

If you would like to better understand a missionaries life, how they feel, their hopes, their struggles, adversities, prayers, and lessons learned throughout their journeys, this book is for you. It is encouraging, uplifting, educational, and spiritual. These people share their real stories with you. These misionaries are the “Voices of the Faithful“, as the title proclaims.

“10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget“ by Wisebread is the first book I have read in a long time containing so many helpful tips and hints. The book is very basic, which makes it a simple to follow. All of the topics are nicely organized. This book would be especially helpful for anyone that doesn’t have internet  access (since a lot of these tips can be found scattered on the internet), or someone who likes to read away from the computer. The tips and advice are all packed into one place. “10,001 Way to Live Large on a Small Budget” would also make an excellent gift.

I really like that the tips and advice given in this book were not too frugal. The writers don’t suggest that you quit using toilet paper, live off of beans and rice, or even stop going out to eat. The idea is how to live large on a small budget as the title proclaims. This is especially well taught in the section titled “8 Tips for Getting the Most from All-You-Can-Eat Buffets”.

In this book, many of the tips included some silly humor from the writers. This was ok. I guess it’s what separates this book from others out there. It wouldn’t be a good book without some type of footprint left in the mind to make it memorable.

This is a great book to keep out on the coffee table, in the bathroom, bedroom, car, office, or anywhere else that makes it convenient to grab. You can pick it up and just read a paragraph or two, or you can sit and read it for an hour. Either way, it’s a winner, and you’ll get something out of it!

 “Fearless“ by Max Lucado is not my usual choice of books. Especially when reading the front cover stating “Imagine Your Life Without Fear”. I figured this book to be another boring “It’s Ok to Cry” type book. I was surprised to find that this book  was nice to read, and it did a pretty good job of uplifting my thoughts. The book talks about the fears and trials of this world that most everyone faces such as your job, finances, doubt, failure, economy issues, taking care of your children, death, etc. There was a continual mix of spiritual situations and regular everyday situations. Although the pages are packed with spiritual encouragement and words of Christ, I did not feel as though anything was being thrown or forced at me. It was all backed by scripture, and not any one particular “religion”. The book wasn’t dull or boring. It kept my attention throughout.

My favorite part of “Fearless” is the chapter titled “My Child is in Danger – Fear of Not Protecting My Kids”. It speaks of what happens when parents don’t take their fears to God, and instead let them turn us into paranoid prison guards or, even worse, a parent that lowers all boundaries, giving no discipline. It explains love, prayer, and how to keep from going to extremes.

“Fearless”is a very well written book. It was easy to understand and everything came across with a clear point. There is a handy discussion guide at the end of the book that can be used for your children, school, employees, church, or other groups. If you are looking for a book to read that is encouraging and uplifting, and will give you guidance and answers through everyday fears, this book will do just that.

I’ve always wondered about the website Time4Learning. I’m sure most homeschoolers have at some point. On several occasions I would browse through the ‘Scope and Sequence’ that was so informative in itself. I finally tried out the site for one month.

The Time4Learning website was very easy to navigate. I was pleased with the friendly interface and cute characters which can appeal to younger or older. The parent or teacher can login and change the students grade level and other site settings. It is here that you are also able to find additional lessons and printable worksheets. Each child also gets their own login information.

I had four of my children try out different grade levels. We used 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. I like the fact that the parent is able to manually change the grade level one up or one down. If you need a bigger switch, you can email customer support. I emailed customer support several times for different reasons and they were very kind, and quick to respond (usually within a few hours).

My kids loved the multimedia lessons. I loved the multimedia lessons. They were perfect. There are so many topics covered in all subjects on the Time4Learning website. Each subject has hundreds of activities. They are easy to find, and explained thoroughly. There are many available worksheets. The worksheets are nice.  The Time4Learning system also keeps track of what your child has already completed, and assigns the quizzes.

If I could add one thing to Time4Learning, it would be more worksheets. Some of the subjects didn’t have worksheets available for certain grades. This is not really a problem because the videos and quizzes are very thorough. I’ve just always been a worksheet person :O\ And, as I mentioned, it was only in certain areas that worksheets were lacking.

If my finances allow, I would like to sign up for this website again in the future. The cost is fairly low and they knock a little off the price for each additional child. It could add up to quite a bit of money if you have several children as I do (which is why I haven’t continued my membership). But, with the cost of curriculum these days, it is a comparable membership fee.

I have confidence in this company, and feel that over time they will have the perfect website! Us homeschoolers need a website like this, so I hope that they continue to build on it.

*Note: This review contains many spoilers to the book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. Please stop here if you don’t wish to see these spoilers!*

I was browsing the Internet today and stumbled on an old review written by someone about the book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. I was shocked to see that this person completely disagreed with the moral of this story. So, I went on to read some more reviews written by other people on the same book. I couldn’t believe that most of these reviews were extremely negative. I would like to give my opinion of this classic book that I read as a child, and have also read to my children.

“The Giving Tree” is a well written book with an easy-to-follow story. The illustrations are simple but sweet. I believe that people young and old can benefit from and understand the moral of the story. The boy in this story is not necessarily a spoiled rotten brat, as I have read in previous reviews. This world is full of greed and almost everyone at some point in their lives has been guilty of taking, without giving back in return. People seem to do this everyday. People take from people, animals, and things, then get caught up in the grind of life, and forget the little things. We stay busy and surely do take more than we give. When I leave the computer running for convenience, crumble up a pile of half written on paper, waste packaging, or when I just have to have that new tv or cell phone, when the old one still works fine. I am speaking of myself, as I have been guilty of it many times.

The tree wanted to provide, that’s what it was made to do. The boy, as he grew older, not only wanted, but also needed more and more. Sometimes, yes it was, out of pure selfishness, and other times it was need. In the end, the tree seemingly had provided all she could, except a stump for the boy (who was an old man at this point) to sit and rest his tired and weary body. It was at a time when the boy couldn’t use anything more from the tree. He sat down because it was all he had left to do in his life. The tree finally felt she could be a true, faithful help to the boy, and that maybe for once, he appreciated her for something that wasn’t materialistic. This was almost like the boy finally giving something in return to the tree. And the tree was happy…

That is my interpretation of “The Giving Tree”. I think this is a great book, with a meaningful moral. This is something that a child should hear at a young age, and should see the consequences of taking over and over again, without also steadily giving back in return. But, even if you are guilty of doing so, it doesn’t neccesarily mean you aren’t tolerated or loved by someone you know, or that you won’t have a forgiving, faithful friend in the end.

“The Songbird in My Heart” was different than any other book I have read. The author claims that the book has a simple intention, which in short, is to point you toward your purpose in life. It’s an all around nice little book, that can make you think on the good things, and relieve you from the everyday weight of life. But, I also have some mixed feelings about this book.

I think this is a book is worthy of a positive review, since some readers might have a great interest in the passages, stories, and poetry throughout. In my personal opinion, I found the book to be very scattered. I think it should have been arranged differently, in a way that would make it easier to understand and read through. It would be a somewhat long and boring book if read from front to back. The author does suggest on the back cover that this book be read on a lazy, contemplative afternoon. I too, would highly suggest this.

Within the various pages, stories, poems and passages, the author encourages you to wonder about certain aspects of life and think …what if? He gives the reader advice on ways to hear your call, and to notice the life and nature that surrounds us. Some of my favorite mentions in the book are how we so often forget, stay too busy for, or push aside beauty in the nature and life that surrounds us. The author encourages spirituality throughout the book, but does not focus on any religion, which would make this book suitable for almost all walks of life. 

The author, Mark Steven Rhoads, also includes some of his own experiences in life. I felt that in some parts of the book, the stories were not relevant enough to the point being focused on. Some of the personal philosophies and poems were very confusing to me. This could be because I am not really a poet at heart, so if I read a poem, I need it to make complete, and simple sense. For poetry readers, this book has plenty of poems to satisfy.

I will read this book over again in the future. I hope when I do read it the second time, that maybe it will leave more of an impression. I just feel that it could have been organized better and not so scattered. Maybe the poems could have been placed in one section, stories in another, and so on. The book seemed to jump around quite a bit.

The pictures and illustrations throughout this book are simply beautiful. They are warm and heart grabbing. They draw you closer to the book, and just make you want to read through it. The book itself is nice to hold, and the size makes it a nice coffee table book.

Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage was not my usual reading choice. I don’t listen to the radio very often, so I didn’t know these two men very well. This book was a perfect opportunity to meet their true colors. I have to say that this book was better than I first imagined it to be!

Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey have a comical, and sarcastic sense of humor. But on the same note, as the reader, I feel like these are two down-to-earth men that have a true grasp not only on marriage, but also on life. They make light of the ups and downs of marriage. All of the stories included are written by Rick and Bubba themselves, who seem to have been through plenty enough experience in their marriages to know what can be made into an honest and lively joke. I was drawn in by it, and it kept the book fun and uniquely interesting.

These stories are short, which leaves no room for boredom. I can’t recall one bland, drawn out point in the whole book. Within the pages of stories, jokes, and sarcastic remarks, a life lesson is always mentioned. Learning to have companionship and compassion, while also dealing with finances or disagreements. Everything in the book, of course, is backed up with comedy such as “The Ten Worst Ways to Say I’m Sorry”.

Godly wisdom and guidelines to live by are spread throughout the book. It is not in an overwhelming manner that makes you feel like you are reading a religious devotional, dictation guide, or a book on counseling. I feel this book has such terrific balance that almost anyone of any race, religion, or culture could feel comfortable reading it.

A bonus CD titled ‘The Best of the Book of Blame’ is included with the book. This is truely a great bonus! The CD repeats some of the sections of the book, and gives you a great big sample of what you could expect when listening to Rick and Bubba’s entertaining and hysterical radio show.

If you are looking for some great laughs, along with an uplifting book about marriage, relationships, companionship and more, with comedy and true life meaning involved, then this is a book you would like to kick back and read.