A peek into the lives of missionaries and of Muslim Women

"Behind the Veils of Yemen" is the journey of the author and her family who leave the comfort and safety of America to become missionaries in the Middle East.  Learning about other culture's customs and traditions is important to me, so I found this book to be an interesting glimpse into the life of Muslims.  I welcomed the opportunity to learn about the Muslim culture and people, especially Muslim women whom I've always felt were "shrouded" in mystery.   A friendship develops that bridges very different religions and culture/customs.  I loved reading about how God was working in Yemen as well as in the author's life!  I also found the book to be a honest portrayal of life as a missionary; which I appreciated.  After reading it, I was more motivated to be a "missionary" in my own life.  


I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Chosen Books.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

Paws & Tales: Being Kind & Caring

"Paws & Tales: Being Kind & Caring" is a DVD by Chuck Swindoll.  The Paws & Tales series is subtitled "Biblical wisdom for kids" and has animated stories, music videos and activities. This DVD appears to be #8 in the Paws & tales collection. Prior to reviewing this DVD, I had never heard of this series.  I was excited to review it since I'm always looking for quality DVDs that teach biblically based concepts for my children (ages 8, 6 and 3).  

The DVD includes two episodes: The Hullabaloo at Hunker Hill & The Great Go-Kart Race.  My kids watched it once but haven't asked to watch it again, even when I suggest it.  It did not hold the attention of my 3 year old, but my older kids watched it all the way through.  There were good morals and lessons taught, but the kids had trouble staying engaged when Chuck Swindoll was speaking. The stories were well animated and based on scripture; I felt it was an effective teaching tool.  I'm not sure that I would purchase more DVDs in this series, but it would be a great resource for a church library to have.  

I would recommend this DVD for kids ages 5-10. I received a complimentary copy of the DVD for review purposes from Tyndale House.  

An informative and engaging historical fiction novel!

"Forsaking All Others" is a Christian historical fiction book based on Camilla, a woman in the 1800s, who leaves her Mormon husband, children, and sister wife in obedience to her Christian convictions. This book is the second in The Sister Wife Series, though this is easily a stand alone book. Allison Pittman, the author, tastefully weaves historical information throughout the novel. The differences between mid-1800's Mormonism and Christianity are explored throughout the story.

I found myself eager to read the book and follow Camilla's emotional, spiritual, and physical journey! The Mormon church has always been somewhat of a mystery to me, so this book caught my eye. I appreciated learning about the Mormon church and their teachings in the mid-1800's. This book left me encouraged and inspired to follow Christ, no matter the cost. I look forward to more books in this series.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical Christian fiction and/or wants to learn more about the early Mormon church. I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House.

August 2011 already???!!!

Where has time gone? I can hardly believe that it is the end of summer (calendar wise, not weather wise) and that our kids are 7, 5 and almost 3. It's been a busy but good year. In the last few months...

Grace finished 1st grade and is now an accomplished reader (she now reads all of my emails over my shoulder as I'm typing which is kind of annoying, but at least she isn't asking me every 2 seconds what I'm doing). She loves to play with hot wheels cars, squinkies (how they can charge so much for teeny tiny plastic things is beyond me!), and play games. The newest favorite game is Rat a tat cat. In the last couple of weeks, Grace learned to tie, which is a good thing since her new shoes have ties. She caught on really fast. Grace is a HUGE help around the house and with Megan. We love her compassionate and helpful spirit.

Megan is morphing from baby to little girl, though she is decidedly maintaining her monkey tendencies and lack of fear. She enjoys picking all the flowers in our yard (much to my dismay), swimming wherever it may be, and using poop as finger paint. I'm confident that when I finally get around to potty training her that she will do just fine and when she grows up she will be a famous artist painting huge murals with shades of brown. But for now she has very definite opinions on clothes and gives some pretty great hugs.

Nathaniel, aka "the boy", still has a smile that melts my heart. He finished up preschool and will be heading to the big "K" this Fall, after much prayer and deliberation on our part due to his summer b-day. Nathaniel has an affinity for numbers and is always asking us how much two numbers add up to or what the date is. He knows the powers of 2 higher than I do and can do an insane amount of mental math for a 5 year old. When we were at the beach this summer, he informed us all of the exact date we had been there the previous year (he was right, too). Weird. Guess the child takes after his father.

Summer has been busy - our "usual" Lincoln City trip (a week in an oceanfront rental house with family) included lots of games, beach combing, shopping, games, the annual flooding of a sand village, reading, and yes, more games. Kids have had swim lessons at the Y most of the summer and are really enjoying it. I was blessed to be able to attend MOPS Convention in Nashville, TN last week and came home Sunday encouraged, energized, and ready to tackle life. It is now Wednesday and I'm beat (but I did get a lot done and had fun with the kids (Sunday night-Wed). But such is life as a mom! Upcoming is a week in Fairmont, Canada. We hope to do lots of hiking and general relaxing followed by a day at Silverwood Theme park.

Book Review - Great Parents, Lousy Lovers: Discover How to Enjoy Life with Your Spouse While Raising Your Kids

Great Parents, Lousy Lovers by Dr. Gary Smalley & Ted Cunningham has a title that pretty much summarizes the book. The book centers on the importance of building a marriage that is strong, even after the kids leave home. I was a bit skeptical at first since I don't feel that my husband and I are "Lousy Lovers" (whether or not we're "Great Parents" is yet to be determined!). However, this book had a lot to offer us even as "pretty good" lovers.

The first part of the book talked a lot about why and how to avoid a child-centered home and family. The second part of the book discussed bringing your marriage & relationship to the next level in many areas. Real life examples and application tips were given throughout. At the end of each chapter, date night & discussion topic suggestions were given for homework. I found the book to be a light read (with occasional humor) with lots of helpful information, some of which I shared with my husband. This launched some meaningful conversation and changes in our relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone that is married with kids. The tendency when you have kids is to make it all about them, but we need to make sure we have a solid marriage relationship that will last through the empty nest phase of life.

I recieved a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Tyndale House.

Some things I wish would never end...

• Megan toddling over to me with a book in hand, then backing up to sit in my lap. (I LOVE this!) She says "Book", which in Meganese means "Read this, now". Then after I read the story, she says "Again, book". Who can resist that?
• Nathaniel's bear hugs, complete with arms around my neck and a tight squeeze. His kisses (always on the lips) are pretty great too.
• Nathaniel's crazy hair up until yesterday, when we cut it. The poor kid has so many cowlicks! Everyone at church was probably wondering why I didn't comb the boy's hair, but in a weird way it is cute.
• My 6 year old wanting to snuggle with me in bed when she first wakes up in the morning. I wish I was more awake for it!
• Megan's baby voice, tiny hands, baby look, etc. It sure is hard knowing she is our last! Sometimes when I hold her, I wish I could just bottle up the moment complete with feelings and emotions, for later.
• Watching John "play" with the kids when he comes home from work. They LOVE this time and it makes me fall in love with him even more than I thought possible. (This "play" involves a lot of wrestling, tickling, and running around the house)
• Grace being excited about emptying the garbage cans (this can't possibly last, can it??!!)

Merry Christmas!