Homeschool Review: Nothing by Natalee Creech #hsreviews #WorthyKidsBooks #NataleeCreech #GodsLove #Romans8 #JosephCowman

Y'all . . . I am going to be a grandmother and I am absolutely thrilled!  I am just so excited about the sweet little boy that we will meet later this summer.  I cannot wait to begin cuddling Percy close and reading books with him all snuggled up beside me.  Because I want to make sure and teach our sweet boy that NOTHING can separate us from GOD's love (Romans 8:38-39), the very first book that I will be gifting him is Nothing by Natalee Creech.  There is no book more perfect for him than this beautifully illustrated picture book from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.  Natalee's words and Joseph Cowman's pictures are quite a combo.

A great way to bring Scripture to life, the illustrations are gorgeous and the rhyming verse rolls off your tongue with a sing-song lilt.  This combination makes it fun to read, fun to hear, and fun to look at together.  But even better?  It is exciting to share just how much GOD loves each and every one of us and to make sure that young and old alike realize that NOTHING -- absolutely NOTHING -- can separate you from GOD's love.  That's the message that I want to make sure is taught at home, at church, in life -- and I know you do, too.

Although it has been written for children ages 4 - 7, Nothing is the perfect book for children of all ages.  The preschoolers and children at church loved it, the middle schoolers at church tolerated it when I read it to them (they really loved it, but they are too cool to own up to that), and every adult that I've shared it with has fallen immediately in love.  Mommas all want their very own copy to share with their little loves at home and I know why.  Isn't this book a gorgeous one to add to your home library?

So here's the super-fun part for me . . . my daughter will be home in just a few weeks and we are planning a baby shower to honor her and welcome baby Percy.  She has chosen an adventure theme for his nursery and Nothing is the perfect complement to that.  No matter the adventure, no matter where you roam, there is nothing that can separate you from GOD's love.   Guests have been invited to bring a book (well-loved or brand-new) to our sweet boy as a constant reminder that he is so very loved and cherished.  I will be writing a blessing in the front cover of my copy of Nothing and gifting it to Percy.  It is my prayer that he will always know that even if "he hopped on a train and rode it all night, boarded a plane for an overseas flight, soared in a rocket past planets in space," he could never "outdistance GOD's LOVE and GOD's GRACE".

More than anything else, I want our boy to know the power of GOD's love for him.   This life will hold adventures galore, but our GOD will hold him forevermore.  That's what I want to impress most upon his heart and Nothing is a great way to begin.

Nothing is a delightful book (32-pages) and illustrates scripture in such a beautiful way.  You need a copy of your very own.  The jacketed hardcover will prove durable for little hands to hold and love for years to come.  The bright pictures quickly draw you into the story and I am confident that this will be a well-loved read for my sweet Percy.  You can learn more about WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group and other books they offer for the little ones in you life by visiting the following Social Media sites:

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I was given the opportunity to review Nothing by Natalee Creech from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of this great book (or just click on the banner below.)

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To Completion {Scripture & a Snapshot}

A good work is begun.

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Soul Refresher {Scripture & a Snapshot}

These girls make me smile and laugh.  Theirs is a friendship full of joy.  GOD smiled when HE placed them together.  

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Homeschool Review -- Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women (Zondervan) #hsreviews #devotions #DevotionsForYoungWomen #Beloved #books #reading #bookstagram #christianity #faith

When our copy of Beloved:  365 Devotions for Young Women arrived from Zondervan, my girl sat right down to dive into its pages.  She read through the Introduction and nodded her head in agreement with the very first statement:  It's hard to be a young woman sometimes.  She mm-hmmed as she read about being bombarded with the messages of the world and trying to decide which ones should be filtered and which ones should be embraced.  There were a few "mom, listen to this" moments and she made sure to read aloud to me the last sentence that reminded her that her identity matters to GOD and she is beloved by HIM.  From the very first moment she held this beautiful book in her hands, she was enamored.  So much so that she read the first few days of devotion and grabbed her Bible to underline some key verses.  Y'all . . . THAT just makes my heart smile.

After she read through the first few days of devotions, my girl decided that she wanted to figure out what day of the year it actually was and start there.  That was day 319 of 365, so she skipped right over and read about Elizabeth greeting her cousin Mary and John the Baptist leaping in utero.  What a cool moment!  The direct intervention of the HOLY SPIRIT happened right then and my daughter was reminded that the same HOLY SPIRIT that was present when Mary arrived to visit Elizabeth lives inside of her.  What an encouragment to know that when we feel lonely and discouraged, HE is there to encourage us and equip us to face the day -- no matter what this world tries to throw in our face.

Although Beloved:  365 Devotions for Young Women is written specifically for young women between the ages of 12 - 18, I firmly believe that it will be treasured by both younger and older girls/women, as well.  Let me just be honest and say that this 50-year-old momma has enjoyed reading through the devotional, too.  Looking to Rebekah as a great example of hospitality is good for the soul.  I especially like that young women are being introduced to generosity and service to others and taught how to have an attitude of warmth and openness as they welcome others into their environment and offer hope in a world that can seem so hopeless.  Isn't this what we want all of our daughters to learn?  How better to learn to cultivate a spirit of hospitality than through the lives of women in GOD's Word?

It makes my heart happy to share that she fell in love with a book that will point her towards the love that GOD has for her as she studies the lives of over 60 women found throughout GOD's Word.  The 371-page hardcover book has been designed with young women in mind.  Its pages are lovely to look at with the side borders of pink and rose and mauve flowers that spill over to the binding edge and the ribbon marker makes it easy for you to return to your specific place in the devotional each day.  My Elisabeth moved her marker to Day 319 the very first day that she began reading and has continued moving it from there each morning.

Each daily devotion begins with Scripture taken from the NIV translation of the Bible.  The Bible verses are followed by a short relatable reading (2-3 paragraphs, at most) with three blank lines at the bottom of the page.  The lines are perfect for writing notes on what's been read or things you might want to investigate further, answering questions that appear in the reading, or chronicling prayer requests and concerns.  I really like that the women being introduced and discussed include a good mixture of famous characters (women like Mary, Deborah, Hannah, and Abigail) and obscure characters (remember Zelophehad's daughters, Johosheba, and the Shunamite woman?  They are all in here.) and that the devotions cover portions from the entirety of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

This really is a beautiful way for young ladies to study and learn.  I've trusted Zondervan  with my daughters' spiritual growth for many years, and I have no qualms recommeding Beloved:  365 Devotions for Young Women to you for yours.

For more information about this lovely devotional for young women, please visit the following Social Media sites:

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Beloved:  365 Devotions for Young Women will make a wonderful Christmas present for the young women in your life and will be a great way for them to start the new year off right.  Finding a devotional that speaks to the heart of girls and helps them develop the characteristics that make great women is priceless.  You're going to want to grab a copy of this today for the lovelies in your life -- and you may want to go ahead and pick up a copy for yourself, as well.  It really is that good.

I was given the opportunity to review Beloved:  365 Devotions for Young Women  from  Zondervan as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of this devotional and see how they are utilizing it in their own homes (or just click on the banner below.)

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Homeschool Review: Balancing Diapers and Deadlines #hsreviews #mompreneurlife #workingfromhome #productivity

It's been a very long time since I was facing diapers on a regular basis, but facing deadlines is a daily occurence.  I often struggle to keep it all together and keep my plates all spinning.  I am always looking for new ways to keep my focus steady, so I was excited to check out the Lisa Tanner Writing course titled Balancing Diapers and Deadlines which is a combo course on time management and productivity.  

The online course is divided into eight units of study.  Each unit is divided into easy-to-study lessons that present infomation and offer hope for crazy-busy moms like you and me.  Designed to help us get it all together, Balancing Diapers and Deadlines is broken down as follows:

• Welcome to Balancing Diapers and Deadlines introduces you to Lisa Tanner and presents an  overview of the study
• Building Your Foundation with the Basics shows you how to help your family become part of your team and teaches the importance of a plan.
• Minimize Your Decisions helps establish a working routine for order, cleaning, and laundry.  Whew!
• Minimize Your Decisions: The Annual Meal Plan is an absolute lifesaver.  You'll learn how to cut the chaos of shopping as you eliminate the "what's for dinner?" questions.
• Sustainable Growth reminds you to focus on nurturing yourself to that you can nurture your family for the long term.
• Growing a Business with Your Kids Around teaches you how to incorporate family into your business world no matter their age or season.  Family writing time, anyone?  Yes, please.
• Boost Your Productivity shares great tips for taking every minute of every day captive.
• Closing Thoughts reminds you that it's okay to prioritize tasks and that some things just won't work out like you originally thought.  Lisa shares how to turn failure into success and answers questions raised throughout the course.

The lessons are fairly short but they are packed FULL of great information and they include quite a few printables to help you take the steps necessary to actually implement the useful strategies shared.  Lisa shares tried-and-true routines and systems so that you can accomplish more in your hours, days, weeks, months, and years.  As a busy homeschooling mom of 8, she definitely has some great tricks up her sleeves and we can all benefit from what she's learned.

For example, I have thoroughly enjoyed using both the Annual Meal Planner and the Themed Dinner Planner.  Years ago (before college and marriages), in what was my all-time best idea ever, each child was assigned a night of the week to prepare supper for the family.  We would sit down and plan the menu a month at a time and make our grocery lists accordingly.  As kids started college and the older daughters got married, we went back to our helter-skelter way of meal planning -- which actually meant no planning at all.  That often left supper thrown together or late or pick-up-on-the-way-home.  Ugh.  My Senior and I were just discussing how much we enjoyed the variety when meals were planned ahead and how much easier life would be now if we had a schedule again.  She even volunteered to cook a few nights a week -- and she was excited.  Her actual words were "I have been following some cool cooking sites and I'd love a chance to try out the recipes I'm seeing."  Seriously folks, you don't have to tell me but once.  

I was happy to pull out the Annual Meal Planner and cultivate a workable plan for the current family dynamics.  The neat thing about this is that I was able to look at the big picture and include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack option so that I don't have to hear the constant "what is there to eat in this house?" every day or ask "What sounds good for supper?" only to hear the response of "food".  The idea of themed dinners makes it even easier to come up with variety without falling into a cooking rut.  In less than an hour, I was able to make a plan for an entire year filled with things I know my family likes.  Lisa offers her family meal plans and themed dinner ideas as example and that helped spark our creativity, as well.  

We made sure to make this ours and you will want to make it yours.  You will notice the themes of Smorgasbord (i.e. leftovers) on Sundays, Crockpot/Instant Pot on Mondays (because it is our busiest day of the week filled with extracurricular activities and co-op classes), and Church on Wednesdays.  We are fortunate to have Wednesday Night Supper at church each week, so there's no meal plan necessary then.  We enjoying eating what is provided.  It's a win-win blessing, that's for sure.  Some of the best advice comes in the meal prep area.  Lisa says there's no need to worry about elegant cuisine or to stress over finding weird ingredients for fancy dishes.  She says, instead, we should pick some favorite standbys, and serve them joyfully.  Isn't that the perfect reminder to love our families through gifts of time?  Our Themed Dinner Plan is filled with dishes that I know my family enjoys and I made sure to include the good ole County Cooking recipes that offer comfort to us all.

Another part of these lessons that has been a huge blessing to me is utilizing the Child of the Day Schedule.  Even though my kids don't all still live at home, it has offered me a way to make sure that I'm covering each of them in prayer.  I assigned each child a day of the week (in age order) and added the sons-in-law to the calendar (in the order that they married my daughters).  I spend a portion of each day praying for everyone, but I make sure to really address their specific needs/requests on their special days.

Lisa walks us through finding balance and she does it one baby step at a time.  I like this because I'm not overwhelmed.  I can read through a lesson, spend time in it as needed, move through it quickly if it doesn't apply to me in this season of life, and revisit it whenever I want.  At the end of each lesson, there are Action Steps to take to help you move forward.  We all know it's great to read about productivity and managing your world, but if we aren't actually doing anything we will see no change.  Lisa really hits on everything important in this course -- from meals to sleep and learning to set boundaries.  Hers is a well thought out plan of action that we can ALL benefit from in some way as we are gently reminded to do better by ourselves.  

For example, I absolutely do not get enough sleep.  I just don't sleep much at all.  I average around four hours or less a night and I know that takes its toll on my body and on my mind.  Lisa explains the necessity of sleep and the priority of taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of those we love.  She shares ways to do better so that we can be better and she does so with a gentle spirit.  She even gives you permission to pay for services that will help you mark items off of your To-Do List and remove stress from your day-to-day.  


With over 30 engaging lessons in the course, you'll learn how to make every moment of every day count as you take your life back again.  Lisa helps you establish a morning routine that works, get a handle on laundry, end your day well, and even improve your typing speed.   She offers tons of suggestions on how to grow your business, homeschool more effectively, love your family, and establish routines that will benefit them all.  She puts all of this together in one place for you and encourages accountability as you work toward a more peaceful home.
For more information about this time management course for busy moms that includes great productivity tips, please visit the following Social Media sites:

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Balance and Productivity help bring peace.  Isn't that what we all want?

I was given the opportunity to review Balancing Diapers and Deadlines from Lisa Tanner Writing as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of this course and see how they are utilizing it in their own homes (or just click on the banner below.)

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Strength {Scripture & a Snapshot}

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My Happy Place

Earlier this summer, we were able to steal away for a mini vacation.  It was a well needed time of rest and recovery before the crazy that is our life hit.  Truly walking through the sand and splashing in the ocean is my happy place.  I'm so thankful that our FATHER created it for us to enjoy.

We enjoyed late night Phase 10 and Uno championships with each other, as well as good food, great conversation, laughter, and fun.  It was a sweet time of family, friendship, and fellowship.  I'm ready to go back.

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Peace {Scripture & a Snapshot}

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Safely Hidden {Scripture & a Snapshot}

There's something special about a girl and her dog.  Especially when the dog is petrified of rain and thunder.  A crazy thunder and lightning storm came through on Friday and this is how I found these two.  Do you see him hiding in there?  She'd built him a fort so that he would feel safe and then crawled in there to be with him so he wouldn't be alone.

Isn't that just like our DADDY?  In our times of trouble, GOD hides us away.  HE never leaves our side.  HE promises to be with us yesterday, today, and forever.  Oh, how very loved we are.  There's just something special about a girl and her FATHER.

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