Life as a Leach

Bestselling favorite Parable books bring fun throughout the year in this new four books in one format. With more than 1.1 million units sold in the Parable Series, Liz Curtis Higgs has given parents and kids alike beloved parables they can read throughout the year. This adorable compilation,  Parable Treasury , allows families to get all their favorite stories in one value-packed book. For nearly twenty years, Liz Curtis Higgs has made the holidays a little brighter throughout the year with her Parable Series. In a lovely padded hardcover format, the Gold Medallion–winning books from the Parable Series will include: The Pumpkin Patch Parable,which focuses on the harvest season and shows that we can let God’s love shine through us The Pine Tree Parable,a heartwarming tale of the farmer and his family, who nurture tiny seedlings into fragrant Christmas trees The Parable of the Lily, which helps children understand the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of ...

      Do you have a little girl who loves princesses?  How about stickers?  These books combine the two loves of so many little girls into faith-filled stories for your little ones.  Designed for ages 4-8, these books have 50 reusable stickers that help tell stories about Joy and her four princess sisters.  The stickers are easy for little fingers to remove and can easily be repositioned as needed. Since "Joy" is sort of a theme in my house, I was drawn to Princess Joy right away.  Since Princess Grace was another one in the same series, I knew my girl would love it too! These are fun books for the car, to take on the airplane, or to do while waiting in the doctor's office.  In fact, one of these just might get packed for our plane ride to Florida! Disclaimer:  I am a Book Looks Blogger and get free books in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own!

I have two pretty different children.  If you have more than one child yourself, I'm sure you can relate!  One is shy around new people and takes a while to trust, while the other loves meeting new people and seems to know everyone!  One has some difficulty controlling anger, and the other is pretty laid back and go-with-the-flow.  One is fearful and timid to try new things, and the other will jump right in!  One is motivated extrensically, while the other has an intrinsic motivation.   Both are wonderful!  But they are different.  So I selected this book to hopefully get some ideas on how to motivate the one who needs an extra push or two... :) The title of the book caught my eye immediately, but I was even more excited when I saw the authors' names.  Last year, I went to a parenting workshop based on their programs, and it was fantastic.  I loved how practical it was, so I was hoping that this book would be the same. ...

On May 13, 2008, the Santorum family welcomed their seventh child into the world. Isabella Maria was born with a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18, or Edward’s Syndrome. Only 10 percent of children with Trisomy 18 are born alive, and 90 percent of those children do not make it to their first birthday. Faced with these bleak statistics, doctors told the family to prepare for Bella’s death. Instead, they chose to celebrate her life. Over the next five miraculous years, the Santorum family adjusted to life with a special needs girl—and watched her transform the lives of everyone around her. In many days of sickness and joy, she became an inspiration to her community and, ultimately, to the nation.  Bella’s Gift  details the peaks and valleys, the joys and sufferings, and the incredible value of life with a special needs child. In a world that often measures worth according to usefulness, Bella’s story is a reminder that our real value lies in our capacity to love. Ra...

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 In this book, the Bruins join the Bear family for a cookout and bring their cousin Tommy along. It isn't long before the cubs start up a game of baseball and Sister soon notices that Tommy doesn't play like the rest of the group. When Sister asks about Tommy, Mama takes the opportunity to talk to Sister about how God makes each of us unique in our own way and reminds her that we all have special gifts and talents to share with the folks around us. I'm a sap.  I'll be the first to admit that!  I cry at sweet commercials, tear up when my kids say something cute, and regularly cry on Sunday mornings during worship time.  So no one should be surprised that I cried while reading this book to my four year old special needs child! There are so many things I love about this book:  the simple message it conveys, the way the kids just play with and accept Tommy the way he is, the wise words his au...

In this 52-week devotional for children, author Holly Hawkins Shivers adapts The Joshua Code  (written by her father, O.S. Hawkins) into a devotional that will help kids learn and live the scriptures. Using kid-friendly language,  I Can Learn the Bible  teaches scriptures in a way children can understand. Each week, kids will commit a new scripture to memory by reading a fun, engaging devotional that’s doable for a child. Matthew 7:7 will remind kids to always ask God for help. Philippians 1:6 will teach them that God is always working in their lives. And 50 more scriptures will continue to write the truth on their hearts so that they will remember it forever. I got this devotional to do with my 4 year old daughter, but it was actually a little too above her.  It was fabulous for my 8 year old son.  Although it says that it is recommended for ages 4-8, I would say that it leans toward the older ages more than preschoolers.   That being said, it is ...

I recently read Brave Mom by Sherry Surratt.  Surratt is the CEO of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS), an organization devoted to encouraging and empowering young moms.  In this book, Surratt shares about a lot of the common fears that moms have.   The 10 most common mom fears are each covered in their own easy to read chapter, made up of stories of real moms and the help and answers they found. Filled with advice and insight from Sherry and the hope and grace found in God’s wisdom, Brave Mom gives moms everything they need to leave fear behind and live the admittedly messy life of parenting with confidence and joy. Each chapter also contains a prayer for moms to help them turn their fears over to God’s protection and care. I wanted to like this book.  I really did.  I think I'm forever tainted by my  experiences  with Abby, and I really can't relate to the fears shared in this book.  While some moms are worried about a loss of self-identity...

When I was given the opportunity to review this book, I was excited to have a new Christmas book for the kids.  While we aren't of the mindset that Santa is wrong and we do "do" Santa, we naturally want to focus as much as possible on the true meaning of Christmas.  I love how Zonderkids kept this story so simple, but the message was very clear.  My husband also liked that the wise men came at the proper time in the story, because it irks him when people say the wise men were at the manger. The kids enjoyed the illustrations, although I almost felt like it was a mockery of the story at times...almost like they were caricatures rather than illustrations.  It wasn't a deal breaker though, and the story made up for it. Disclaimer:  I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Jessie Rees was only 11 when she passed away from brain cancer, but many don't make the kind impact in 80 years that she made in 11.  After Jessie was diagnosed with DIPG, an inoperable type of brain cancer, she noticed that a lot of the kids in the hospital looked sad and she wanted to help.  From that compassion, Joy Jars were born!  Jessie started the NEGU Foundation, standing for Never Ever Give Up.  This foundation gave out Joy Jars to kids in the hospital, hoping to put a smile on their faces.  Jessie just wanted to make a difference; she continually thought of others, even as she lost her fight with cancer. This book was so inspiring to me!  I was just amazed at not only Jessie's positive attitude, but that of her family!  Her whole extended family rallied around her during her fight, some even flying in from another state so that they could be with her.  Everyone focused on what they could do to help others and spread a little joy...

I love Veggie Tales!!  So do my kids.  The second I took this book out of the package, my three year old started squealing.  The characters are always cute and engaging, and I love the message.   Like other Veggie Tales book we have read, this one had a rhyming pattern that gave the story an easy rhythm.  While most of the story centered around ice sculpture creations, Junior's nativity scene sculpture brought the true meaning of Christmas to light.  This sparked a great conversation about why we celebrate Christmas and why Jesus came to Earth.  We are always trying to refocus the attention back to Jesus instead of presents around the holidays, and this was another great seed to plant.  I think we'll bring it back a few more times between now and Christmas! I receive books in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Having never reviewed a Bible before, this was a new experience.  But this Bible was a special one because it was made especially for breast cancer survivors.  Zondervan donated a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer research. There were 9 pages of reflections written with the survivor in mind, offering practical advice and encouragement.  I was disappointed that there weren't more of these pages, given that there were no other devotional pages.  I really would have liked to see more of a focus on encouraging survivors throughout the entire Bible, rather than just 9 pages. What drew me first to the Bible was the beautiful Italian leather cover.  It's a two-toned pink cover and has just enough embellishments to make it pretty and feminine.  I also really love cherry blossoms and was pleased to see that they were included on the reflection pages instead of just on the box. One of my favorite quotes from the reflections was this:  "However yo...

   Messy Beautiful Love  is a marriage book with a biblical perspective.  Darlene Schacht encourages spouses to lift each other up and commit to fixing the problems through discussion and compromise. While that may sound similar to a lot of other marriage books, the difference is that Schacht is constantly pointing the reader back to the Bible and encouraging them to pray for their spouses. Whatever expectations I had of this book flew right out the window when the first chapter opens with Schacht confessing that she had an affair.  I really didn't expect that and it certainly gave her writing more credibility as she shared what she learned about love from the sin. I didn't agree with all of what Schacht shared, especially regarding allowing your husband to make all of the decisions for your family--even if you know it's the wrong decision.  Then you are to support him after there becomes a problem.  My feeling is that if I know that a decision ...

I just love Veggie Tales!!  What's not to love about little vegetables that teach the Bible and good morals?!  As always, Bob is the serious one in the book while Larry gets carried away with his antics.  While trying to lay low in order to figure out who keeps slamming doors, Larry keeps doing things to irritate Bob.  Finally Bob just loses his temper and starts yelling.  Larry lovingly reminds him that it's not good to lose your temper. Written for young children, this book shares its message very simply.  But that doesn't make it any less important.  The verse, "A foolish person lets his anger run wild.  But a wise person keeps himself under control" (Proverbs 29:11) is shared several times throughout.  Bonus:  the boy remembered when we discussed this verse together last year when he was having some anger issues.  I love when life lessons of reinforced!! Very cute, simply stated, clear message.  Love it! I received ...

12 Days in Africa  is a memoir of a mother's journey with her teenage son to Uganda.  While there, she experienced grief, suffering, and a simplicity that would change her life forever.  From the joy she felt holding a little girl's hand to the anguish of holding a dying boy, Lisa shares it all. While I enjoyed some of the stories shared in this book, I really had a hard time getting past the lack of structure and the many grammatical errors throughout.  I felt like I was reading her personal journal rather than a published book.  Considering this is not a pre-publication copy like others I have received, I was really surprised at the way the book jumped around.  The numerous grammar mistakes were distracting and took away from the overall beauty of the book.

Sarah's Choice  is a book for today's society.  It is a story of a girl who finds herself having to decide between the career of her dreams and a baby she didn't know she wanted.  Sarah has people in her life on both sides of the abortion debate who aren't afraid to share their opinions.  Ultimately, she has to make the choice of whether to have the baby or abort it. I have to admit that I didn't have very high hopes for this book when I chose it.  Rebecca St. James was a singer, not a writer!  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the book was written.  It kept my attention and I loved how she managed to be relevant to the young women of the day while keeping it appropriate and without crude language. I really actually liked it quite a lot! Disclaimer:  I received this book from Book Looks Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

I'm on a kick about reading books about medically complex children recently.  Perhaps it is because I have one myself?! Standing Tall  is a memoir about Joel Soukup's journey with Osteosarcoma.  Because of the location of his cancer, it was necessary for doctors to amputate Joel's cancer at the hip.  Even with this drastic measure, his cancer returned in his spine.  Currently, Joel is in remission and enjoying a normal life. While I appreciated Joel's journey and struggle his mother Kathy shared, I struggled with the quality of the writing.  It seemed to jump around quite a bit and repeated itself often.  The lack of a smooth timeline made it difficult for me to get into the book.  I did like the insights from Joel, and I think showed bravery for that young man to share the emotions he felt during that time.  I do wish that the font for Joel's thoughts had been different.  It was just slightly smaller and it was hard to tell which t...

  Every now and then, I read a book that makes me feel like I'm actually getting a glimpse into the writer's mind and heart.   Fly a Little Higher  is one of those books.  But to call it merely a book seems so trivial.  It's a memoir, a way for a mother to tell the world about her amazing son who wrote a song and changed the world. The book journals the Sobiech family's journey of Zach's diagnosis with Osteosarcoma.  Eventually, Zach is diagnosed as terminal and has a choice to either wait quietly to die, or live his life.  Zach's message of living each day to the fullest and choosing joy in the midst of trials comes through loud and clear in his mom's writing.  He died too soon, but I think he did an awful lot of good work in his 17 years.  He was a boy filled with faith, courage, and joy.   This was a beautiful, inspiring book to read.  Just keep the tissues handy! Here is the song that started it all: (All proceeds from ...

I'd read a few reviews on No Place to Hide , and they all commented on how wonderfully this book was written by a first-time author.  I decided to check it out, although I am usually not too interested in present-time war books (I'm typically more of a WWII girl!) I simply could not put this put down!  I had the iPad with me constantly, trying to get in a few more pages in between tasks.  It helped that we traveled 14 hours for vacation, so I had lots of time to read in the car! Warren's account of life as a military neurosurgeon in war-torn Iraq was eye-opening and heart-wrenching.  He not only shared his day to day tasks; he also pulled the readers into the story and stirred up emotions as he shared the tragedies.  His writing style kept my interest and I never felt like I got to a "slow" part of the book.  It was excellent from beginning to end! Disclaimer:  I am a Book Looks Blogger and am given free books in exchange for honest reviews. ...

Father's Day has passed us by, but I would recommend keeping this book in mind for next year if you have a little (or big) girl! I gave this book to my husband to read and he thoroughly enjoyed it.  More than just a feel-good book, Leman really offered some practical advice for how to be the dad your daughter needs.  His little touches of humor helped to make the book an easy read, and there were lots of reminders to think about how the ideas he shared could be applied in your own life. Leman certainly shares his biblical view of raising a strong daughter, but his book is not written in textbook format that is difficult to read.  It flows very well and really makes you think! Disclaimer:  I'm a Book Looks Blogger, and I receive books in exchange for honest reviews.  All opinions are my own!

I'm not a soccer mom.  My kid watches other kids play plays soccer, but I usually don't have any idea what is going on.  I may have been caught a time or two cheering for what I thought was something good that our team did when it actually wasn't.  Now I wait until everyone else starts cheering before I join in. With that being said, I got Defending the Line  because I thought my nephew would really enjoy it.  He's a great soccer player and it sounded like David Luiz had a lot of character both on and off the field.  Sadly, after reading this book, I was disappointed that the focus really wasn't on David Luiz's faith and character.  Most of the story was simply a play-by-play of his major soccer games and a timeline of his rise to stardom.  Mentions of his faith were thrown in as almost an after thought. What drew me to this book was the phrase "Fueled by Faith" on the cover.  Unfortunately, the story came across as the story of David ...