Nourishing Meals Review

I have been following the Whole 30 food eating plan for almost 2 years now!!  I seriously think it is the best way for me to eat.  When I am really strict and follow the guidelines, I do really well and have almost zero cravings for junk/processed foods.  But when I let myself eat crap, I quickly want to eat more crap, then I feel like crap....it's a vicious cycle that one day I hope to totally break!

Until then....I'm always looking for Whole 30 approved recipes that my whole family (not just me) will eat!  My three boys and my husband do not follow any specific diet, but I do want to cook them decent meals when I have the time to actually cook.  So I was glad to get this new cookbook nourishing meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.  If you are looking for diet-specific recipes such as gluten-free, dairy-free, or soy-free, this cookbook is for you! There are 484 pages of recipes and photos to entice your little ones to eat.  My favorite thing to do is to give each of my kids post-it notes and have them tag recipes they want to try.  Then once a week I will cook a new (kid-picked) recipe.  Sometimes it's a winner, and sometimes we will never make it again, but it gives the kids some ownership at the dinner table.  Enjoy!!!!

I received this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.

The Field Guid to Sports Metaphors *Book Review*

We are a pretty big sports family.  My husband grew up swimming competitively in jr. high and high school.  My oldest son plays basketball pretty much year round between high school and another league.  Then my twins play travel soccer and basketball throughout the year.  So needless to say we are always going to practice, a game, tournaments, or watching sports on television.

If you ever want to increase your sports knowledge, this book is for you!  The Field Guide to Sports Metaphors is a great education tool.  You can impress other parents on the sidelines with the facts you can learn from this book.  You can also help your kids be smarter about the sport they are playing.  The book covers team and individual sports, so all the bases (pardon the pun) are covered!  So the next time you feel like you want to "throw in the towel" or "bring your A game", you'll know exactly what you are talking about!

*This book was provided to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.*

They Danced On *Book Review*

Have you ever read a book and felt like you wanted to meet the characters?  That is exactly how I felt after finishing this book.  I wanted to hand out with the Darling family at one of their weekly family dinners.  I felt like I would be welcomed with open arms and would fit right in.  This book includes family problems, illness, and lots of forgiveness.   This book does not have a fairy tale ending, but what real life family does?  One of my favorite parts was when the mom was talking about grief...."Maybe that was the worst of it: unpredictability.  There was no way of knowing when it would strike, or when it would release you to happiness.  It was a cruel and arbitrary thing.  No, there was nothing linear about grief at all."

Here are some questions and answers from the author that I really enjoyed!

What do you hope readers will take away from the story?
I hope they’ll come away with a deeper understanding of addiction and what it does to a person, and what hope there is. In the months to come, I’ll be writing some articles and guest blog posts about this issue. I would also love to help people move away from a facile and formulaic understanding of what God is like: that he’s an easily-analyzed being who hates unrighteousness and dispenses favor to the faithful. Not only is that understanding an

incomplete one, but it’s also unsatisfying. Knowing God on a deeper level means things get complicated, less black-and-white. But they’re infinitely more satisfying.

Does your job as a nurse influence your writing? If so, how?
I suppose it does in this way: I see such a panorama of human suffering and triumph. Not just physically, but all day long, I brush up against dysfunctional families, failing marriages, people bewildered by life; struggling to live life on life’s terms the best they can manage. But I also see wonderful things: marriages that have thrived for decades; sweet, sacrificial love; bravery and kindness and wisdom in my patients. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new from someone I take care of. It’s all grist for the mill, fodder for stories. There is a character or two in each of my books based on patients I’ve had. 

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.

Where The Light Gets In Book Review

I really enjoy books about moms and daughters, so I was very excited to read this book by Kimberly Williams-Paisley.  You may recognize her from her Father of the Bride fame, or the fact that she is married to Brad Paisley, or if you were a Nashville television show fan like me, she had a small recurring role for a while.  Now she is an author of this wonderful memoir about her life and her mom who was diagnosed with an early onset dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia (or PPA).

This book is full of stories of Kimberly growing up, her parents, siblings, and a mix of good and bad things that happened to her.  One of my favorite parts included Kimberly talking about seeing her therapist...

"Everybody I've ever met has had some sort of issue with one or both of their parents.  It's what keeps therapists employed.... Karen and I didn't harp too much on the past. We talked a lot about moving forward.  Turn anger into compassion, and fear into faith, she told me... For a long time, it was my mantra."

I do not believe a perfect child/parent relationship exists.  All relationships are hard especially when feelings, emotions, and actions are put into play.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Kimberly has started to come to terms with her mother's diagnosis.  She is a better daughter, wife, mom, and friend with all she has learned through this.  I am thankful she wrote this book and will definitely pass in along to friends whose parents are diagnosed with any illness.

*I received this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.*

JESUS CALLING MY FIRST BIBLE STORYBOOK

This is by far the cutest Bible Storybook I have seen! This is going to be added to every baby shower gift I give in the future. There are 20 Bible stories in this book along with a promise from God with each one. I love the simple words that a child can understand along with promises that I need to hear as an adult. I look forward to reading this to my grandkids when they come visit me!! I love to read about Jesus Calling to me!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.*

THE LEAGUE OF INCREDIBLE VEGETABLES

My oldest son grew up watching VeggieTales.  He quickly became obsessed with Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, and LarryBoy ("I am that hero!!").  We watched hours and hours and hours of Silly Songs with Larry and every VeggieTales episode ever created.  So when we got a chance to check out the VeggieTales League of Incredible DVD we were both pretty excited!  

This VeggieTale story is about handling things you are afraid of.  There are several Super Heroes that make an appearance in this show when LarryBoy gets some help from his friends.  You can find this League of Incredible Vegetables DVD on sale right now.  You can also get a $5.00 coupon if you join the Fishflix email list, or by texting 5-GIFT to 44222.  This would make for some great deals for family friendly videos.  Fishflix is a great source for the best and newest Christian movies and entertainment for the whole family.  You don't have to worry about the content in the movies on their website which is a big sigh of relief for this mom!

BOYS AMONG MEN *review*

If you are looking for a great Father's Day book for your sports loving dad, this is the book to get him.  Since it is the peak of the NBA Finals also, this is a great time to read this book.  This not also includes lots of basketball history for the history buffs, it also tackles present day sporting issues with the game of basketball.  Overall a great read for anyone interested in learning more about basketball and the players of the game, both past and present!!

Visit Boys Among Men to learn more about the book and author, Jonathan Abrams.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.

HOPE HEALS *review*

On any given day I can start to feel sorry for myself.  My life, family, job, circumstances, the internet, basically just life in general can spin me into a tizzy very quickly.  It can be something minor, or something big....and I can let it ruin my day very quickly.  Then I drag others around me (most likely my boys or husband) down into the tizzy-ness that I'm in.

So after reading this book, I really have nothing (NOTHING) to complain about.  Katherine Wolf suffered a brain stem stroke (she should not be alive right now) in her early 20s shortly after giving birth to her first son.  This book starts at the beginning of how she met her husband and goes to the present.  It has a happy ending because they give all the glory to God.  She is alive for a purpose.  His purpose.  They have been able to speak hope into the lives of those that are feeling hopeless.  What a journey they have been on.  What a story they have to tell.  I love that there is hope to cling to and that their hope is everlasting!

"We know all too well that no single one of us knows what tomorrow holds or even what the night holds, for that matter.  It is unnatural, against every animal instinct in us, to release ourselves into that reality; but God calls us there - to that place of surrender where He invites us to rest, secure in arms more capable and more loving than our own." ~Hope Heals pg. 231

I received this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are solely mine.

PUREX plus CLOROX 2 DETERGENT

If you are anything like me {a busy mom with active children!}, you do a lot of laundry.  A lot may be the understatement of the year.  In fact our washing machine and dryer are usually working every day of the week!  With 3 boys, a husband, and myself we go through lots of clothing.  Each of my kids play sports, we go to the gym often, and my husband works outside a lot when the weather is warmer.  All of this equals tons and tons of laundry.

All moms need a good arsenal in their laundry room, and I am proud to promote the all new PUREX plus CLOROX 2 Detergent.  The awesome thing about this new detergent is the stain fighting enzymes included in this bottle of magic.  Here are some of the awesome facts about this new detergent:

*It works on 100 stains!!  {wow}

*You can use it on all of your laundry {whites & colors}

*Removes starchy stains {tomato & chocolate}

*Removes protein stains {blood & grass}

*Removes food stains {ketchup & BBQ sauce}

So if you are looking for the smart value in detergent, you don't need to look any further.  Purex plus Clorox 2 is the answer to all of your stain fighting needs!  This detergent is safe for colors and whites, includes stain fighters, and will leave you with bright clean laundry!  Every mom dreams of this!! So put this on your Mother's Day wish list, or just add it to you grocery list and pick some up the next time you shop!!

I've included a couple pictures of the times in our lives when then new Purex plus Clorox 2 would have come in handy with our dirty laundry!

Would you like to win a coupon for a free bottle of Purex plus Clorox 2 detergent with stain fighting enzymes?  Leave a comment on this post telling me how many people you do laundry for each week!  I will pick 2 winners on May 22nd.....  Good luck!

Baby Wren and the Great Gift

Sadly my three boys are getting older and don't like to read kid books as much as they used to.  They enjoy chapter books and graphic novels way more these days.  However I did talk them into reading Baby Wren and the Great Gift!  They agreed that it would be great to pass on to their niece Harley who is one year old!

Baby Wren meets lots of animal friends who invite her to join them on their animal adventures.  Baby Wren comes to the conclusion that she is unable to do all the things the other animals are able to do.  All this is happening until Baby Wren finds out she is able to sing a beautiful song.  This is something none of the other animals can do.  Just like every creation has a special talent, this book encourages us to use it so others can enjoy it!!

This book contains a great life lesson that even a one year old adorable little girl can use.  Baby Wren is an adorable character who teaches a great lesson!

*I received this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.*

Strong and Kind

If you are looking for an encouraging book on parenting, I highly recommend purchasing this book. Korie Robertson and her mother have written a great book on character qualities any parent would want their children to possess. There are nine specific traits included, then there are ways to carry these out in parenting. As a mom of three boys, I know how hard it can be to be a parent, but I am thankful for resources like this book. I hope I can do as good a job raising my children as this book suggests!

This book would also make a great addition to a gift for parents-to-be (think baby shower gift or baby dedication gift!) or any parent looking for encouragement while in the midst of raising children!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.  Opinions are mine.*

The Play-Along Bible REVIEW

Are you looking for a hands-on Bible for your toddler? This book is perfect. Each scripture passage includes what the reader will say and what your toddler will do (motions) or say out loud. What a great way for Scripture verses to come alive to little ones. I know verses I learned when I was little are still the ones I remember today. It is never too early to start teaching kids Bible verses.

This beautiful book would fit great in an Easter basket for little kids, and will definitely last longer than any chocolate!

*I received this book in exchange for my review. Opinions are mine.*