A Week of Fun Leading Up to Roald Dahl Day

I actually didn't know Roald Dahl had a day. A few weeks ago I found out that September 13th is Roald Dahl day and I knew we could have a lot of fun with that in our homeschool.

Diary of a First Child has a great list of things to do, eat, and watch. Her list includes a link to the entire BFG movie on youtube, which I didn't even know existed. We watched BFG On Monday. On Tuesday we ate peach cups for snack while watching James and the Giant peach on Netflix. We also checked out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (that's the newer one) and Matilda from the library. We are planning to watch Chocolate factory as a family and have a candy extravaganza. I picked up some peanut butter M&M's and Sour Patch Kids for the occasion. Unfortunately, Willy Wonka candy is not gluten free.

We also read The Enormous Crocodile and are reading Matilda because it is mister's favorite. We haven't read either before and they have been so much fun. The Enormous Crocodile is a quick read and is very silly. It is a great Roald Dahl book if you are reading with younger kids with shorter attention spans.



 

Prepping for Christmas on a Budget

Christmas?! Yeah, I know. You just barely sent your kids back to school and it is no time to be thinking about Christmas, right? Wrong! If you want to spend a small fortune on gift giving for this mega-bucks holiday, do it during December. If you want to do it without breaking the bank, start early.

In my normal world, where I know I am not leaving the country before Christmas, I would be about done right now. We thought we might be leaving in the fall and planned to send gifts from our new home. Now we are leaving after Christmas and I am grasping at straws a bit. I can swing it though and if you haven't started your list yet, you can swing it with me.

One thing to take into consideration right off the bat is why we are giving. If you celebrate the commercial Christmas where Santa brings toys to all the children and we buy each other expensive stuff because it is good for the economy, go ahead and keep it up. If you are celebrating Christmas because of Christ this particular paragraph is for you. God gave us the gifts of love, grace, and eternal life through Jesus. We share gifts with each other to remind us of the gifts that God gave us. Keep that in mind as you go forward with your list. Your gifts should be thoughtful and meaningful to the one you are giving it to.

Now that you have taken a moment to sort out your gift giving mentality, lets hop into the frugal giving tips.

1. Nix the Budget!

What?! I know you are thinking I am going to go hog wild, but that is not what I mean. I receive gifts from people who spend a particular amount of money on me. I tend to get one or two thoughtful gifts from them and then a pile of stuff that was purchased to fulfill the budget. When we went through three years of purging our stuff, those things were the bulk of what we were getting rid of. It adds up over the years. It doesn't make that person feel special, just curious as to where they will put the new doodad.

 

2. What Price do You Count?

So you really want to spend a minimum amount? I know some of you feel obligated, I do too with some people. Stop looking at the price you paid for a gift and start looking at the value of it. We often find awesome sale/clearance prices or maybe even something for free. Instead of looking at what we actually paid we look at what the gift is actually worth. If I got a book for free but it normally costs $14.99, look at the $14.99 and give the gift that price mark.

 

3. Consumables Make Great Gifts!

Food, soaps, candles, they get used and then they are gone! The recipient enjoys your gift and it doesn't take up extra space in their home. Win, win!

 

4. Shopping for the Hardest Person.

Do not wait on this one! Always keep this person in the back of your mind. You might still get them a gift at the last minute, but at least you will not have missed an opportunity to get them something that shows you care.

 

5. Someone Wants Something Specific.

It never fails that someone has a gift request. If you want to give them the one thing they want begin looking for it on sale. Our son wanted a specific Lego set for Christmas this year. We found it on clearance at Shopko. Shopko, at least in our area, tends to have crazy stuff on clearance. You just never know what you will find there.

You have my best tips for getting your mentality in the right place. Now it is time to obtain some gifts. Here are some of the ways that I get gifts to give.

1. After Christmas Clearance

It is the best clearance of the entire year! Just remember not to buy things because they cost so little but because they would be perfect for the person you plan on giving it to. A couple extra things for impromptu gifts are ok, but let's not go crazy here.

 

2. Trading

In the past I have done many trades with fellow Etsy shop owners. You never know who will be up for a trade though. If you have a toy, movie, or whatever that you no longer need, there may be someone who is in the same situation and would like to make a trade with you.

 

3. Handmade

Cook, sew, or whittle your way to your next gift. The options for handmade gift giving are pretty much endless. Not only do you make something for less cost, you make something that is one of a kind and may become a beloved family heirloom, or get eaten and that's good too! Just make sure you give yourself enough time to get your projects done. Check out Pinterest for a plethora of DIY ideas.

 

4. Freebies

Yesterday I raved about Money Saving Mom. Last year I signed up for every freebie I could. I got k-cups, tea samples, makeup and more. These I was able to add to small gifts to basically make a little gift basket for people. This year I am doing book reviews for Blogging for Books and Tyndale Blogging Network. I receive a free book in exchange for doing an honest blog review. Some of those books are being gifted forward this Christmas. I share how much I like a book and now someone else will spread the word about it as well.

Do you have some great tips of your own for doing Christmas on a budget? I would love to hear them!

Money Saving Mom One of My Favorite Blogs

I have been blogging for a long time (9 years) and my favorite blogs have come and gone. Right now one of my favorite blogs is Money Saving Mom! If you haven't seen this blog yet, get on over and check it out.

The writers at Money Saving Mom share tons of printable coupons, information about earning money from home, and freebies galore. Last year I got tons of free goodies to add to my Christmas gifts over the course of the year. It is where I heard about Craftsy's free online classes, Blogging for Books and Tyndale Blogging Network (free books for blog reviews), and have gotten so many free Kindle books that I may not be able to read them all! I don't find something every day but it has been totally worth a peek on a daily basis for me.

Check it out! You'll be happy you did.

A Month of Meals: Your Questions Answered

Welcome back! Today I am answering your questions about my series on planning your menu on a monthly basis and on a budget. If you missed one of the posts, you can find them here:

Intro and Monthly Menu Planning

The Recipes

The Shopping List

Freezer Cooking Day

 

Were you able to get the BBQ sauce stain out of the table cloth?

Ha ha, yes! We finished all of our food prep after wiping off what we could. Then I coated the stained areas with my Norwex dish soap. I let it sit while I gathered up some other laundry to put in with it. It all went into the laundry with some homemade laundry soap. In the end you can't even tell it happened. I started freezer cooking at 5:00am on the weekend so it was all back to normal before my parents even got up.

What was your menu like on $100 a month?

I relied heavily on the dollar a day meals website. Unfortunately, the site is no longer up. We had soup 4 nights a week and nearly every meal was accompanied by homemade bread or biscuits. I spent a lot of time cooking in those days. We also weren't gluten free then and that made a huge difference.

Were all the recipes a hit with the family?

All but one went over well. The Italian chicken with potatoes and green beans was not our favorite. It was a bit sour, like eating an entire bag of salt and vinegar chips, which I love. It won't be making it onto another menu. The rest were fantastic.

Have more questions? I would be happy to answer them!

How to Survive a Sharknado: A Book Review

Have you been concerned about your ability to survive a Sharknado or other unnatural disaster? Now you can be prepared with Andrew Shaffer's book How to Survive a Sharknado. I have been seeing this movie everywhere, online, Netflix, Amazon. The whole idea is so absurd that I thought I'd never watch it. Seeing the book really piqued my interest. I signed on to review the book.

I wanted to be prepared and to give the book a fair review, so I watched the movie. It is totally absurd! So absurd that it is downright hilarious. Now I was psyched to read the book. I was not disappointed. How to Survive a Sharknado has a letter from Fin at the beginning and one from his ex-wife at the back. Both are characters from the SciFi film. Shaffer also peppers the book with actual facts bringing the book to life for the readers.

The appendices are not to be missed either. Two different supply lists are included. There is a quiz to find out how well you would do in the case of an unnatural disaster. And excerpts from other scifi books. My favorite part of the whole book was in a highlighted section of the Cave Bear information. He quotes Stephen Colbert's opinion on bears and it was hilarious.

I was impressed by the full page illustrations for each topic. The layout of the whole book was incredibly well done. Plus I am prepared for the inevitable icenado we are likely to get this winter.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

• More Info


• Read Chapter One


• Author Bio

 

A Month of Meals: Freezer Cooking Day

We have our menu, our recipes, and have done our shopping. Now it is time for food prep. What I love about this particular menu is that the food prep is so incredibly easy. Most of the items are already frozen. All you have to do is put the ingredients in the bag and you are ready to go. I did my freezer cooking in just under 2 hours from beginning till the last hand washed dish was dried.The first thing you will want to do if you are following my menu is cook your ground meat. This is the only actual cooking involved in our freezer cooking day. You will want to drain it and also let it cool before putting it into the bags. While you are waiting for the meat to cook start writing up your bags. I label them with their name, special instructions like adding water or what to serve it over, the date, and cooking instructions.

Once you are ready to put the food in the bags you want to do two things. First puff up the bag and zip it shut. gently squeeze to make sure there are no holes in the bag. We had a major mess on my mom's white table cloth because half a bottle of BBQ sauce gushed out of a hole in one of our bags. You live and you learn, right. Second flip the zip top out. This helps the bag to stand on it's own and hold the mouth of the bag open.

Now it is just a matter of tossing the ingredients in the bags. This menu is well designed for freezing. With just a bit of work you will have those quick and easy frozen meals we all love the convenience of using. In this 2 hours you will have 26 meals done for the month, just heat and serve. Okay, some of them will be served on rice or pasta, but that is quick and easy to whip up.

Now is the time for your questions! Ask in the comments or where ever you have seen this series. Tomorrow I will answer all your questions and link back to all the posts in case you missed one. See you then!

You can find the rest of the series here.

A Month of Meals: The Shopping List

So far we have our menu and our recipes. Today it is time to go shopping. It is good to plan the menu a bit to the shopping. If you know that a recipe calls for half a bag of frozen veggies you might as well make it twice or select another meal that will use the rest. You can't buy half a bag after all and it keeps costs down if you buy 1 bag instead of 2 bags in which only half is used.

A few notes on my shopping list. We generally buy Kraft because their company is always upfront about gluten in their information. You can certainly get some of these things for less if you do not need gluten free. Also, I don't have milk on my list. I didn't even think about it. My mom does daycare and always has a ton of milk on hand. We have bought maybe 2 gallons of milk since we moved in. You can save by buying dry beans and rehydrating yourself. We just don't have the option for so much cooking. I also bought my pesto in two small jars. You could save a lot by making it yourself or doing a pesto sauce mix. Let's dive into the list now.

A Month of Meals Shopping List

 

Can Aisle

$1.58 Can Tomatoes and Peppers (Rotel) $.79 X 2

$1.58 Can Black Beans $.79 X 2

$6.36 Can Pineapple Tidbits $1.59 X 4

$1.58 Can Tomato Sauce 15 oz $.79 X 2

$6.16 Can Tuna $.77 X 12

$1.99 Sweet and Sour Sauce $1.99 X 1

$1.99 Ranch Dressing $1.99 X 1

$3.96 Italian Dressing $.99 X 4

$2.98 BBQ Sauce $1.49 X 2

 

$28.18 Can Aisle Total

 

Dry Goods

$5.98 Small Jar Pesto $2.99 X 2

$4.76 Box Au Gratin Potatoes $1.19 X 4

$5.97 Box Pasta $1.99 X 3

$7.98 Fritos Corn Chips $3.39 X 2

$4.09 Sushi Rice $4.09 X 1

$2.99 Parmesan Cheese $2.99 X 1

$2.69 Soy Sauce $2.69 X 1

$6.36 Corn Tortillas $1.59 X 4

$11.16 Box Cereal $2.79 X 4

$24.00 Oatmeal $6.00 X4 (We buy our gluten free oatmeal on Amazon)

$1.49 Jar Spaghetti Sauce $1.49 X 1

 

$84.25 Dry Goods Total

$112.43 Total so far

 

Cooler/Deli

$11.97 Hamburger (or other ground meat) $3.99 X 3 lb

$3.98 Cream Cheese $1.99 X 2

$4.99 Shredded Mozzarella 16 oz $4.99 X 1

$8.89 Shredded Cheddar (fine shread goes farther) 32 oz $8.89 X 1

$2.99 Cottage Cheese 24 oz $2.99 X 2

 

$32.82 Cooler/Deli total

$145.25 Total so far

 

Freezer

$20.97 Bag Frozen Chicken Tenderloins $6.99 X 3

$3.87 Frozen Green Beans (2 cut, 1 sliced) $1.29 X 3

$3.98 Frozen Corn 32 oz $1.99 X 2

$5.96 Frozen Stir Fry Veggies $1.49 X 4

$1.99 Frozen Broccoli $1.99 X 1

$23.96 kinnikinnick Donuts $5.99 X 4

 

$60.73 Freezer Total

$205.98 Grand Total for Meals

If you are eating 3 meals a day you are done for a grand total of $205.98 for your month! This leaves plenty of room in our family's $300 budget to add some of our favorite snacks. On our snack list we have the makings of meat and cheese topped rice cakes, veggies and dip, and apples and peanut butter. I also added in a head of leaf lettuce each week to add to our meals and use in taco salad the days we make our taco filling. So here is the rest of my shopping trip with our snacks included.

Snacks

$8.00 Rice Cakes $2.00 X 4

$9.98 Deli Meat (to be frozen in 4 bags) $4.99 X 2 lbs

$11.98 Sliced Deli Cheese (to be frozen in 4 bags) $5.99 X 2 lbs

$9.96 Fresh Cut Broccoli $2.49 X 4 Buy Weekly

$9.96 Fresh Cut Cauliflower $2.49 X 4 Buy Weekly

3.98 Dressing as Dip $1.99 X 2

$11.92 Apples $1.49 X 8 lbs Buy 2 Lbs (roughly 4 apples) weekly

$5.36 Peanut Butter $2.68 X 2

$5.16 Leaf Lettuce $1.29 X 4 Buy Weekly

 

$76.30 Snack Total

$282.28 Grand Total

Our grand total with snacks is $282.28. We are still $17.72 under budget. I am more than willing to admit that our snack costs are quite high. You could probably cut that back a lot but I am not worried about splurging because we are under budget.

It took me about an hour to wander around getting all these prices and doing the math. Now that I have my prices I can refer to them later to make my budgeting faster in the future. I will probably add these items and prices into my grocery app to make it even easier as I can make up my shopping list in it and it will add everything up for me and even sort by food type making my shopping trip super fast.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="230"] Mighty Grocery Shopping List Free I have the paid version but they have a free version now![/caption]

What are some of your go to snacks? I would love to see that go down a bit.

You can find the rest of the series here.

A Month of Meals: The Recipes

Yesterday we looked at planning the menu. Today I am sharing all the recipes I am using for my menu. I love getting recipes from Pinterest and many of these recipes are from there. You can follow me on Pinterest here.

The first 6 recipes can be found at Stacy Makes Cents. I used chicken tenderloins instead of breasts and did one for each of us in each bag. We aren't big meat eaters. It would be easy to swap out chicken for other types of meat as well. There is no cooking involved in the meal prep and we have loved 4 out of 4 of them that we have already tried.The Hawaiian BBQ Chicken comes from Six Sister's Stuff. They have fantastic recipes! I have tried several of them. We will be serving this dish over rice in our monthly menu.

Baked Ziti is from Amusing Foodie. I half the recipe for our family and use gluten free pasta of course. I also use cottage cheese instead of Ricotta.

That last 3 are family originals. I haven't made them in a long time so I don't have any pictures. They are super quick and easy though.

Corny Chicken

Ingredients (all to desired quantity):

Chicken

Corn

Salt

Pepper

 

In a sprayed casserole dish put chicken. Top with corn. Season with salt and pepper. Bake on 350* for 30 minutes or till chicken is done. Enjoy!

For freezer cooking simply toss everything into a bag and freeze.

 

Beef and Broccoli with Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked hamburger (I will be splitting 3 pounds between the 4 freezer bags that require hamburger)

1/2 bag frozen broccoli

2 T olive oil

garlic to taste

1/2 box of pasta

 

Toss everything but the pasta into the bag to freeze. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or till hot. Cook pasta and toss with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper if desired. Toss pasta with the broccoli and beef and serve. Great with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

 

 

Mermaid Hair Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked hamburger

1/2 bag frozen sliced green beans

1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

Pasta or rice to serve over

 

Toss the hamburger, beans, and sauce into freezer bags to freeze. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or heat on the stove top. Serve over rice or pasta. This dish is named for the stringy green hair of the mermaids in Harry Potter.

 

Our lunch and breakfast meals don't have recipes. We really just wing it on those. Tomorrow we put together the shopping list, see the prices, and take a look at the grand total.

Have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments or share some of your favorite recipes on a budget.

You can find the rest of the series here.

A Month of Meals: Intro and Monthly Menu Planning

Welcome to the first of a week long series on menu planning and grocery budgeting. Today I am going to give an intro and share how I go about planning our meals a month at a time. Tomorrow I will be sharing the recipes I will be using for my 4 week menu. Thursday we'll focus on the grocery list and shopping. Friday is all about freezer cooking. Saturday I will be posting a review, answers to questions in the comments section, or social media, and a link back to all the posts in case you missed one.

Our food budget has been low for a long time. Our budget is currently at $300 but has been as low as $100. Some things to take into account if you want lower your food budget:

• Don't buy boxed or frozen meals. They are costly, filled with junk, and also wastefully packaged


• Be prepared to cook from scratch.


• Stop serving "family" style. By dishing the plates in advance you can make sure everyone has appropriate serving sizes and you can pack up leftovers if you intend to split a meal into two or more meals.


• Is someone still hungry? Instead of adding seconds, add a salad or apple slices with peanut butter.


• Don't plan a different meal for each day of the month.

Right now our family has some unique needs. Yes, we are gluten free, but that is not what I am talking about. We are living with my parents while we wait to go on mission in Montreal. My mom is a bit territorial over the kitchen so we need to be able to get in and out as quickly as possible. There is limited food storage space too. Plus my mom usually cooks dinner for us but when she doesn't I end up finding out at supper time. While it is true that we personally won't be using all of this month's meals this month, we will keep them stored in the freezer for the month or two that Adam will not be working before our leave date. All these things I kept in mind as I began looking for meals to add to our menu. So, let's get started planning the menu!

I planned a 4 week menu for September. For us it starts today and goes to the last day of the month. That means we need 28 suppers, 28 lunches, and 28 breakfasts. That sounds a bit daunting, I know. When you stop trying to think of 28 different meals for each, it gets better. Variety is great but it is also expensive and time consuming. On a normal basis, I would make a new menu each month. We keep the meals that we aren't tired of to the next month and add new ones. We'll start with supper because it has the most variety. You will notice that some of the recipes make enough for 2 meals for our family of three and I have taken that into account.

Supper

 

Make 2 of each.

 

Pesto Chicken and Green Beans: 2 meals

Mexican Chicken Taco Stuffing: 4 meals

Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry: 4 meals

Ranch Chicken and Potatoes: 2 meals

Italian Chicken Stir Fry: 2 meals

Italian Chicken and Potatoes: 2 meals

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken: 4 meals

Corny Chicken: 2 meals

Baked Ziti: 2 meals

Mermaid Hair Casserole: 2 meals

Beef and Broccoli Pasta: 2 meals

 

All but the ziti will be included in freezer cooking.

 

 

Lunch

 

Onigiri (rice balls) 3 days per week: 12 meals

Tuna Quesadillas 3 days per week: 12 meals

Leftovers once per week: 4 meals

 

Leftovers may include left over, reheat, meals or any food that is close to date. Mix and match and turn it into something new.

 

 

Breakfast

 

Donuts once per week: 4 meals

Oatmeal 6 days per week: 24 meals

Cereal 6 days per week: 24 meals

We are not huge breakfast people. We usually add peanut butter or fruit to our oatmeal. Lunch is a busy kitchen time here so I tend to do onigiri, which can be made in advance or quesadillas which are super fast to make. Donuts with hot chocolate are a special treat on Friday mornings. It is important to budget in something special. This isn't some crazy diet and it shouldn't be a punishment. We really look forward to Friday mornings and we make it a special family time.

That seems to be it. We have all the meals planned for the whole month. The next step is to get all of our recipes together and I will see you tomorrow for that!

Have questions about planning the menu? Ask them in the comments and I will make sure to get them answered!

You can find the rest of the series here.

Comparing Ourselves to the Manicured Gardens

[caption id="attachment_19" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis[/caption]

Look at this house. It is beautiful and quaint. Who lives inside? We all will see something different in this house. I see a gorgeous home with manicured gardens. I imagine the people who live there are fairly well off in careers they love. They have exactly the number of children they always wanted and they behave. It is a home filled with love and earthly perfection.

You can look at any home and make assumptions about the situation inside based on the appearance outside. Those manicured gardens and beautiful walls are only shells masking what is inside. Inside this home might be a couple on the verge of divorce or a family who can barely afford the payments of a too expensive home. Who ever it is that lives here, you better bet that they aren't perfect. They are struggling with something just like each of us.

The problem comes when we compare ourselves to the façade. We look at a big beautiful home and compare our lives and situation to it. We are inundated with Facebook feeds that present only the highest highlights of each others lives. We build a façade on ourselves and do our best to only show our best. Then we look at the people around us and think, "Their life is better than mine."

When we compare ourselves to the manicured garden of someone else's life we are being very unfair to ourselves. We aren't even comparing our problems with their problems. We are comparing ourselves to our own ideas of what their perfect life must be like. So, ultimately, we are transposing our ideals onto the people around us and then saying that we are the ones that are lacking. What?! It sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it? But I bet you have done it just like I have.

Let's be real and realistic. I don't want people to think my life is perfect, not that I think anyone does, and I don't want to think your life is perfect either. We all deal with stuff everyday. We each have our own unique frustrations and trials. Let's spend our time giving each other support and love instead of creating ridiculous standards that no one can live up to. Let's live life like it was meant to be, full of love, hope, and support.

Playing Pirate

Our little guy loves to play in the bathtub. He is getting older though and now he mostly takes a shower. Today's theme for Illustration Friday made me think of how kids grow and change over time. This tub time scene captures a single moment in the metamorphosis every child makes into adulthood.

World Travels With Delbert and Dinah

When we did kindergarten we selected Little Passports as part of our curriculum. We really loved it and Jayne loved getting a package in the mail every month. Then we had some big life changes and knew that it just wasn't in our budget. So we finished the second half of the school year by creating a DIY Little Passports type series called World Travels With Delbert and Dinah. It was a hit with our son and with our readers.

We stopped when kindergarten was over because our little guy's interests had moved from geography to math, go figure. Below I have the entire series linked. As we near our move to a new country, geography is beginning to perk our son's interests again. So, we are considering bringing the series back. What do you think? Would you like to see us bring it back?

World Travels: Introduction

World Travels: Guatemala

World Travels: The Netherlands

World Travels: Ireland

World Travels: Saudi Arabia

World Travels: Australia

 

 

If You Give a Kid a Camera

[caption id="attachment_2056" align="aligncenter" width="770"] If you give a kid a camera, he'll capture a Lego man with the longest legs he's ever seen. He'll hear a jingle and notice the dog hopped on top of the bed.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2058" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will capture a close up picture of the dog laying on Daddy's pillow. Seeing Daddy's pillow will remind him that he has a pillow too.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2060" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will photograph his pillow. By his pillow he will see his maze ball. He will sit on the pillow and play with it till he finishes the maze.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2057" align="aligncenter" width="770"] When he finishes the maze he will remember that he was taking pictures. He will take a proud and somewhat smug photo of himself with his completed maze ball. When he gets up he will step on his Lego man with the longest legs.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2059" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Stepping on the Lego man will remind him that he has more Lego people he could capture, and he does.[/caption]

Dear Luke: A Book Review

Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is the long and crazy name of the book I am reviewing today. Written by John Moe, it is a satirical collection of letters, e-mails, and other communiques from many notable areas of pop culture. You would be hard pressed to find an adult, and it is very much a book for adults, that does not find something that makes them laugh. Whether it is the journal of Bruce the shark (from Finding Nemo) falling off the bandwagon and inadvertently becoming the shark from Jaws, the CIA log of Gilligan studying the effect of stranding people on an island, or the Welp reviews of such notable stops as Moe's Tavern, Bates Motel, and Bronto Burgers in Bedrock.

This book will be a hit if you enjoy dark comedy. It is quite cynical most of the time. As I tried to think of a way to describe this unique book I began to think of The Stinky Cheese Man. For those who aren't familiar with it, it is a picture book which sheds a cynical and comedic look at popular fairy tales. Dear Luke is like a grown up version of the popular 90's picture book.

Overall I would have to say that I truly enjoyed about half of this book. The book is clever and well put together. I do like a good dark comedy from time to time and this was no exception. At times it went a little too far, funny to uncomfortable in a matter of sentences. The other half of the book I was not familiar with the references to or were completely uninteresting to me, like the numerous Super Bowl Half-time ideas that peppered the entire book. The thing that bothered me the most was the gratuitous foul language. I am an adult, the book is for adults, and a little language here and there isn't necessary but not a deterrent. There are times, like in Dorothy's letter to Glinda, that the "F" word shows up several times in each paragraph. I thought the idea for Dorothy's letter was hilarious and witty, but the over use of swearing destroyed the youthful innocence of the character instead of playing upon it.

I am happy I read the book. I had many a good laugh. My recommendation is to enjoy the sections that are funny to you and simply bypass the stuff you don't get or don't like.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

 

Messages From Home

Sometimes it feels like we have been preparing for our mission trip FOREVER! In actuality it was not quite one year and two months ago that we received our acceptance letter with ReachGlobal. All three of us are quite ready to get going. January seems like it is a far off date, but it really leaves us with September and October to get the details in place. Then November and December are devoted to the holidays (we all know how that is) and saying our good-byes. My mister keeps telling me how ready he is to move out of Grandma's and hit the road for Montreal. I know how much he is going to miss his friends and family though. It will probably hit him as we buckle him into the U-Haul. So, while I was ordering his 1st grade yearbook on shutterfly.com I created a personalized notebook. On the classic orange envelope I pasted instructions for writing inside it.

 

A memory book from home

Enclosed is a special book for Jayne’s friends and family to write him special messages to read while we are living in Montreal. Things you can include:

1. Pictures


2. Messages


3. Drawings


4. Addresses so we can write to you


5. All your thoughts of love and encouragement


6. Your favorite memories of Jayne

Please keep this book a secret and in good condition so he will have a wonderful surprise when we make our move. Also try to stick to 1 page per person so there is enough room for everyone.

When we are on the road and living in a new country, he will be able to read encouraging notes from his friends and family. It will help him remember how much they care about him. I will try to leave it as a leaving day surprise, but with children writing in it too the word might come out. What have you done to help ease your child into a big move? I would love more ideas!

morgansbubble.com

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Taking a Sabbath Day

Once upon a time there was a family who booked every day of the week, became totally drained and irritable, and couldn't figure out to fix it. They said yes to too many service activities, to many get togethers, and tried to fit in extra curriculars on top of it all. They were exhausted, taken advantage of, and tired of living every day like a race to the end.

I know that our family is not the only one this story is about. We want others to be happy. We want to serve. We also want a chance to breathe from time to time and make sure our family is healthy both mentally and physically. One day I read this passage from Exodus:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11

God, the one who made every living thing and breathed out the stars, works for 6 days and then takes a day off. God took a day to rest and we were not. God even tells us to take a day off and we ignore Him. Maybe we think we know better or maybe we don't want to waste our limited time on earth. But is it a waste? When I am weary, exhausted, and irritable no one is getting my best. If I am constantly thinking about the next thing for me to do then no one is getting my full attention. But, if we take one day a week to rejuvenate our minds, bodies, and spirit, we can serve and work in gladness, giving our best.

We realized we needed a Sabbath day in March. We had to wait till May for our commitments to be over so we could begin taking one. Unfortunately, our Sabbath day was the most booked day of the week, Wednesday. Adam has 2 days off a week, Sunday and Wednesday. Many people think of Sunday as the Sabbath day. That doesn't work for us because we generally serve in our church or are support raising for our mission trip on Sunday. Wednesday was once booked with Bible studies, Awana, and youth group. Now it is the day that we take life slow and easy. We don't work, serve, or run errands unless it is an absolute necessity.

What do you take out? Everything we have chosen to take out has been a good thing to do. Mostly everything that is vying for our time is a "good thing". If we take on every good thing because it is "good" we become like the sad family at the beginning of my post. We need to stop letting others place their expectations on us or to feed us guilt so we will say "Yes". Let's all lighten the load on ourselves and take a Sabbath day!

Do you take a Sabbath? What day do you take it? If not, when do you think you would want to take one each week? If it is good for God, it can only be that much more good for us!

Books My 6 Year Old Loves to Read

I am going to stick with my reading theme today and share some of my six year old son's favorite books.

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

These books are his number one favorite right now. They are easy for him to read. They don't pose much of a challenge for him. They are so funny and silly though. He reads them over and over again. Anyone who is willing to listen will be read one or six of these books. The enjoyment level is high and his reading fluency has improved drastically from reading and rereading this wonderful series.  

 

Little Bear By Else Holmelund Minarik

This series is a classic and a TV show. My little guy doesn't remember the show but has fallen in love with the Little Bear books. This series introduced him to the joy of chapter books. Each book has four stories/chapters that add to one cohesive theme throughout the book. The text is difficult enough to challenge him but not hard enough to frustrate him. He loves the stories and the characters. We even enjoyed a chapter this morning from Little Bear's Visit.

 

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

This chapter book series is short and easy to read. It is easier and shorter than Little Bear. That is one of the reasons my little guy loves Fly Guy. He really enjoys all the silly adventures that Fly Guy goes on. Sometimes Fly Guy simply goes on a road trip, but sometimes things get more wild like in Fly Guy and the Frankenfly.  

 

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

To be fair he hasn't actually finished one of these. Book one was the first chapter book he attempted. He is at least five chapters in though and really gets into the story. The text is challenging for him quite often but he makes it through each page quite well. One of the reasons he has shelved this book for a while is that he really needed to feel the accomplishment of finishing books and this one will take quite a long time for him to finish. He is really drawn in by the story and characters. I think this book will be back in his hands soon because he really wants to see what happens to these four orphans living in a boxcar.

What are some of your kiddos favorite books to read? I know my little guy would love some recommendations!

The Reading Prize

One of my goals in Jayne's education is to instill in him a love of reading. I love to read and I want him to also. I taught him to read, so it is time to start instilling.

The reading prize was born!

It started off that we would give him a prize if he read. We had no idea how it would go so we basically made it 1 book for every dollar that the prize cost, a chapter book counts for 3. It turns out that the prizes were very motivating and we knew that we needed to change tactics or we would go broke in no time at all. So we modified our plan to be more sustainable.

How it works:

He reads X amount of chapter books (3 regular books = 1 chapter book) and he receives a prize. Each time the goal goes up one more chapter book.

Right now Jayne needs to read 6 chapter books or 18 non-chapter books. We realized that the price of the prize was not the key factor so much as the desirability of the prize. Now, instead of spending $5-10 on each prize we selected a Lego education minifig set. We can separate them into tiny themed sets and he can earn one at a time. The one we ordered is the community figures. We will split it into 17 separate prizes. Since we used some Amazon rewards on it we got it for $40 and that makes each prize $2.35 each. That is a much better deal and is a quality toy.So how is this all working out for that love of reading? He is reading like a maniac to get his prizes. His biggest reading day he read 10 books and 1 chapter from a chapter book. He has also been reading for fun. He loves the Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books. The rule is that it has to be a book he has never read before to count toward the goal. He has been reading these books over and over though, simply because he loves them so much. The goal is to eventually phase out the program, but for now it is really inspiring him and I can see his love for reading grow.



How have you helped your kids develop a love for reading?

 

 

Dad is Fat: A Book Review

Jim Gaffigan is one of our favorite comedians! I was so excited to have the opportunity to review his book. Dad is Fat is such an easy read. Each chapter is a different tale of parental hilarity. That makes it very easy to pick up and put down as your parenting needs vary. One of my favorite things about Gaffigan is that he helps us to laugh about the less enjoyable aspects of parenting. As a parent I love this book. It is great to sit and read the whole thing at once, or, more likely, in quick bursts between crying kids.

I read this fantastic book on my kindle and it translates very well into the digital format. I didn't notice any major technical issues. Plus, it takes up no space on my bookshelf which is great because it is currently packed for our move.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Lego Project

We find every year that Jayne suddenly changes in the last month before his birthday. It is almost like he saves all his emotional growth till the last minute. One of the things that has changed this year is his desire for structure. This led to the Lego project. He wants to separate out all of his Lego sets and reconstruct them. It has been quite a process and we are a good week into it already.

Adam has resorted to painstakingly sorting out the colors down to the tiniest pieces. Jayne on the other hand has decided he would rather just enjoy the fruits of our labor. He has become bored and has decided to just play with the Legos again. Oh well, he is 6 so it is to be expected.

Your Family in Pictures: A Book Review

I love to take pictures of my family, small as it may be. But I never know quite what to do with the plethora of settings on my camera. Me Ra Koh has created a fantastic guide to taking capticvating photos. In Your Family in Pictures you will find a great beginners guide. She shares easy point and shoot instruction for 40 different types of shots. She also give detailed information about ISO, shutter speed and other camera functions for more complex cameras.




I am enjoying using the books many ideas to take new photos of my family. I know a few people who should have this book and I think I may be giving them as Christmas gifts this year. It is a great book and I can't wait for more opportunities to take pictures of my family.


I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Let's Sew Together: A Book Review

Let's Sew together by Rubyellen Bratcher is a beautifully put together book. Her instructions are clear and the introduction is very helpful for beginning sewers. She really encourages everyone to sew no matter their skill level. The projects included are simply adorable. My favorite is the world map quilt. That one is definitely on my to-do list when we move and I am able to unpack my sewing machine.


There is so much more in this book than sewing projects and I love that. She includes no sew projects like clay bracelets and mister's favorite story box idea. There are also reading suggestions to go with many of the projects and other homeschool tidbits. As a homeschooling mom it is really nice to see that. Homeschooler or not, this book is simple and wonderful. If you are thinking you may like this book, you will!

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I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Captured on the High Seas: A Book Review

Our family loves the Adventures in Odyssey series. The books are a great way to expand on an already great series. We haven't read as many of them as we would have liked to, but we have thoroughly enjoyed each one. Captured on the High Seas is the second part in a mini series on the American Revolution. We haven't actually read the first in this mini series but it is working well as a stand alone book.


Captured on the High Seas tells the tale of James, a young black man on an American ship. The ship gets captured and the prisoners are taken aboard an English ship. James' education and care of the captain's son keeps him from being sold into slavery but not from being sent to the prison ship. Will James and the cousins escape the prison ship? We don't know yet, but we are excited to find out!


This book has opened up a lot of opportunities to talk about the times of the Revolution. There has been discussion about what lengths a person will go to for something they truly believe in. James was willing to be sold as a slave over betraying the ideals he was fighting for in the revolution. We also talked about the way people were treated. The prison ships were essentially a place for prisoners to die. It has been an interesting book to read with a 6 year old, but a fantastic experience together.


The back of the book contains a couple of extras which are great. First there is the puzzle. When you find the answer to the puzzle you win a special radio show on their website. The second is a series of questions to help with discussion and comprehension. We have truly enjoyed this series and look forward to reading more!


I received a free copy of this book to review from Tyndale.

Seasons of Tomorrow: A Book Review

Seasons of Tomorrow by Cindy Woodsmall is the fourth and final book in her Amish Vines and Orchards series. I was so happy to have the chance to review this last book. Back at book one I wasn't sure I would like it till about 75% of the way through the book. With the series complete I must say that this was a fantastic series. I had just a sliver left of the book and I didn't think it could be enough space to finish it off, but Cindy did finish it, and well.

As far as Amish fiction goes, this book is like no other. It is by far to most "worldly" Amish book I have read. As I described some of the exciting plot twists in this last book to my husband, he said, "I thought you were reading an Amish novel." Yes, yes I was. I was riveted from beginning to end. I would definitely read more from Cindy Woodsmall in the future and highly recommend the series!

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I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

A Life of Miracles: A Book Review

When I saw the description of this book I knew I needed to read it. What I didn't know was that God would use this book to speak to me and my family. Most good books I simply devour, but this one has not been the case. God has put on my heart when to read this book and when not to. I have simply been following His nudges.


Don's family is following God's calling in their lives. As a missionary preparing to leave for the field I relate so much. In the book Don says, "God puts yearnings in our hearts that we cannot always define, and He brings these longings to life in His time. But, to be honest, it can be pretty depressing and miserable as we wait." This is where we are at right now. I entirely agree with Don. Sometimes I, as he does in his book, wonder why on earth God needs me in a certain place at a certain time or why we can't just go to our Montreal mission field now, because we are ready. This book has been a great reminder of how important it is that we continue to follow and obey God every day, even when we would rather go back to a "normal" life at times.


I am not done with the book, though I am about two-thirds of the way there. I look forward to finishing it so I can share it with my husband. When I was having conversations with God about another child, he led me to a chapter with a similar story (more about this event here: http://www.morgansbubble.com/hope-for-a-child/). When I felt like no one else has ever had to struggle with moving back in with their parents, there was another chapter of this book. It has been such a blessing and encouragement to have had the chance to read this book. My hope is that God would use this book to encourage my husband and others as well.


Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Hope for a Child

This story goes back to when Jayne was nearly 2 and leads up to God's encouragements of just moments ago. It may get a bit long, but I hope it will be worth the ride and give another woman in the world some hope and encouragement as well.

Jayne was nearly 2 and we had always wanted 2 children. Naturally, be began "trying" for another one. We waited for nearly a year when I got the same nausea and other symptoms of pregnancy that had signaled my first. For 6 weeks we waited for a positive result. It took that long to get a positive with Jayne, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When no positive came we went to the doctor. I was not pregnant. It was devastating. I couldn't understand how my body could play such a horrible trick on me. With the difficulties we faced trying to get pregnant we decided to be happy with our one son and give him the best only childhood we could. We were very honestly happy to have one.

Shortly after that my cycle got out of control. We had made the decision not to have more children so I agreed to go on the pill to have a regular cycle. All was well for nearly a year. We were working toward paying off our debt so I could stay home and homeschool and we found our church home.

One day, out of nowhere, I had a sudden desire to have that one more child that we had wanted. I waved it off as a passing whim. It did not go away. I didn't want to sway my husband in this because I was still happy to have one. One night I knew I had to tell him about this thought. I was surprised to find out that he had had the same thought. He didn't want to tell me because he didn't want to sway me. We discussed the pill and decided to wait a few months to stop it. We prayed about this future endeavor.

A few short weeks later I started to get withdrawals from the week off the medication each month. My doctor told me to just keep taking the hormone constantly and not worry about the periods I would be missing. We didn't feel right about that and I went off the pills. We felt that perhaps God wanted to bless us with a child earlier. We rejoiced and were so excited.

One year passed… two… more. Nearly every one of my friends were blessed with children during that time. For me it was hard, especially in the beginning. I didn't understand. I cried a lot. Maybe God didn't have a child for us. As time went by the news of newly expecting mothers hurt less. We put our efforts and prayers into our mission preparation.

Last night I prayed to God. I told Him that I have struggled with this. I told him that I trust Him in this. I asked Him to give me a child. I told Him that I would ask him for a sign of His answer to me but that I wouldn't even know what kind of sign to ask for. I went to sleep.

At 7 am the alarm went off. I said my morning prayers as I try to always do. I laid in silence for a while listening to the birds. Then, as one bird chirped, I heard Isaiah. That shocked me a bit and I thought, "what?!" Again I heard Isaiah. I rolled right over and turned to Isaiah. I found myself at Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. I was so encouraged but I did not know if God meant it as a child or simply that we will "eat the good things of the land."

The day went on as normal. We found out that we had missed a huge section in our online training. I worked at it over the course of the day. I figured I would work on it instead of reading the book I have for review on my other blog. Them's the breaks sometimes. As the day went on I felt more and more like I needed to finish every bit of that training so I would have no excuse not to read this book. The feeling was strange to me because I wasn't exactly enthralled in the book at this point.

I put my sweet son to bed and lay down with my book (A Life of Miracles). I finished the last paragraph of the chapter I was on because I had to put it down without finishing the night before. I turned the page and began reading the next chapter. The story might as well have been the one you have just read. From the years of waiting to the feeling that things would happen soon and then there is nothing. She had a similar message from God, with confirmation later from a speaker they were listening to that you can take God's promises to the bank. She gave this up to God and trusted in the promise He had made. Weeks later she became pregnant and they had a healthy baby boy. I prayed.

I fully believe that God has another child for me. That this is His promise for me. I don't need to wonder anymore. I don't know when but I trust my God and will wait patiently for His perfect timing. In the meantime I will continue to be willing and obedient to my Father and my Maker.

Girl at the End of the World: a Book Review

"Elizabeth Esther grew up in love with Jesus but in fear of daily spankings (to “break her will”). Trained in her family-run church to confess sins real and imagined, she knew her parents loved her and God probably hated her. Not until she was grown and married did she find the courage to attempt the unthinkable. To leave.
In her memoir, readers will recognize questions every believer faces: When is spiritual zeal a gift, and when is it a trap? What happens when a pastor holds unchecked sway over his followers? And how can we leave behind the harm inflicted in the name of God without losing God in the process?
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Girl at the End of the World is a story of the lingering effects of spiritual abuse and the growing hope that God can still be good when His people fail."


This is such an interesting book from beginning to end. Elizabeth has a writing style that is very fluid and easy to read. I found myself relating to many of the small stories in Girls at the End of the World. I learned a lot about fundamentalism too. It is a word I hear thrown around once in a while, but I never really understood it.


The back of the book includes discussion questions which are fantastic. There are many ideas in the book that this religious group took too far, such as disciplining children and gender roles. I was concerned that the questions would be biased against those things. In actuality the questions ask you to think about the pros and cons of such topics and ask you to determine for yourself where the lines should be drawn.


There was also a great interview in the back with Elizabeth Esther. She goes into some detail about what fundamentalism is and her experience writing the book. I don't know that I would say that I enjoyed the book. It isn't the kind of story that you "enjoy". It was very much worth reading though and I do recommend it. It was well written and the bonus goodies at the end were a great addition.

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I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Wayfinding Bible: A Book Review

I think I have a new favorite reading Bible and it is The Wayfinding Bible. This Bible is incredibly well done. I am so impressed by all it's features. The Wayfinding Bible has many reading paths for you to choose from. Each path is color coded throughout the Bible so you always know where the passages on your path start and end. You can choose from a short overview of the Bible in 54 readings, a medium length run through with 215 readings, or the scenic route which goes into more depth with 386 readings. I had such a hard time choosing and finally went with the scenic route, which covers all the important stories but leaves out quite a lot of genealogy and repetition. You can also take in the whole Bible with the reading plan in the very back of the book.

The reading plans are not all this Bible has to offer though. Throughout the book there are timelines, pictures and maps. There is information about what was happening in the world as the story is happening. There are pictures and diagrams of important structures and how they may have looked. For instance, there is a fantastic diagram of Noah's Ark, including how its size compares to other famous ships. At the beginning of each book of the Bible there is a section that shows how Jesus is connected to the story within.

This Bible does a fantastic job of pulling the reader in and helping them to be absorbed by the word of God. It is put together with the New Living Translation, which is not my favorite, but is so easy to read. It will not replace my favorite versions for deep study, but for simply reading and enjoying the word of God, it is fantastic. I am also partial to hardcover so I am not digging the softcover on my copy. Even the soft cover cannot take away my overall love of this Bible though. I will be reading and rereading it for years.

I received a free copy of this Bible to review from Tyndale House Publishers.

The Wayfinding Bible book trailer: http://goo.gl/9qpoal

Epic Grace: a Book Review

Epic Grace: Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot, I simply love the title. Kurt Bubna has a fantastically conversational writing style. Reading this book is almost like having a chat with him, a one sided chat, but a chat nonetheless.

I related so well with this book. We all make so many mistakes in our lives and it is nice to see that someone else is right there in my shoes. One part that touched me the most is the story of how he became a pastor. He didn't think he would ever be a pastor and never wanted to be. Yet, God called him to be a pastor, and now he is. I certainly never thought I would be a missionary. It was not even on my radar. Now here we are preparing our family to leave the country on mission. It is simply amazing to see where God guides your life and how He uses your mistakes. Thank the Lord that His grace is abounding because I don't know what I would ever do if it wasn't.

This is a lovely, touching book. The cover is beautiful and very soft to touch. I definitely recommend reading it.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2nzOhRtsvA        

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. 

For Every Season: a Book Review

For Every Season

I was so excited to have a chance to review For Every Season by Cindy Woodsmall. A while back I did a review for the first book in this series, A Season For Tending. I had such a hard time getting into the first one. About three-quarters of the way through I was finally hooked. I got the second book at the library and loved it. When I had the chance to review the next book, I knew I had to take it.

The Amish Vines and Orchards series has been great. There are so many characters to follow, but my mind was always focused on the story of Samuel, Jacob, and Rhoda. Through out the whole book I have been rooting for Rhoda and hoping that Cindy wouldn't have her stay with who I felt was the wrong brother. Without ruining the ending, I was very happy with how she rounded out this book. Things simmer down to the point where more could be fun but I am satisfied with the ending for Rhoda...then I kept turning through the apple recipes and found the ad for book 4! I don't know how I am going to wait till April to read more, but I guess I will have to.

I read this on my Kindle and I was very pleased with it. Last time there were some issues with the formatting. This third book had very good formatting. All the pretty frills are gone, but they are also not messing up the layout of the page and that makes for much easier reading.

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing to review.