Are you looking for something special to read this Christmas?  Here are three fantastic choices.  

When my review copies arrived my children couldn't wait to get their little hands on the beautifully illustrated picture books titled God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave us Love.

God Gave Us Christmas is a sweet story of a little bear cub that asks his Mommy to help him find Santa.  Instead she suggests they look for God.  On their journey together Moma bear points out God's light through the northern lights, His power that is able to move glaciers, the morning star, a surprise flower that bloomed unexpected.  With each discovery Moma bear points her cub to the real reason for celebration: the birth of Jesus.  God Gave Us Christmas is clever and delicate at explaining that Jesus is more important and exciting than Santa.  This is accomplished without denying Santa's existance, but recognizing him as a reminder to be generous and caring to others.  The illustrations are very impressive.  You can find this book at: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400071753

God Gave Us Love is another special book for little ones.  I thought the cover to this book was adorable.  This story is about a little cub who struggles to understand how love can be shown even when it isn't necessarily felt.  Grandpa bear teaches the little cub about the types of love, and addresses te fact that sometimes love is a choice simply because it's the right thing.  Grandpa bear explains that God's love is unfailing and shown to us in many special ways.  This story teaches children that God is love and He made us to love also.  I thought the author captured all the questions a child could have concerning love and placed them into a wonderful, well-written story.  For more information on God Gave Us Love you can go to

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074471

Seperate or together these books would make wonderful gifts for children on your Christmas list.  My children and I have read and re-read these books several times already.  These books are so beautifully illustrated that I am keeping them on top my children's book shelf standing tall so their covers are displayed. In my opinion, the price for God Gave us Christmas and God Gave us Love is very resonable for the quality of the story and illustrations.       

For the grown up ladies on your Christmas list take a look at Treasured.

Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps is written by Leigh McLeroy.  She is inspired by a cigar box she inherited from her Grandfather.  It seemed like an odd thing to receive at first, but as she examined the items her Grandfather kept, she began to know him more.  In this way she discribes the objects that God might keep and what they might symbolize about his personality and character.  Objects include a fig leaf for His covering, an olive sprig for new beginnings, and many others.  One of my favorite objects that might be treasured by God was a Shepherd's harp string showing that he cares about the little guy and can use unexpected people to accomplish extraordinary tasks. 

 In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy weaves bible stories, scripture and personal experiences together to make a pleasantly layered devotional.  Treasured also contains a personal reflections and discussion section that would work well for group study and application.  

You can read more about Treasured at http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074815

*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

 Happy Reading!

 So . . .you haven't heard from me in a while.  Lately, my life has done what life tends to do . . .it caught me by surprise.

As a child I always hated change.  Everything about it upset me.  I'm really not any different now, I've just learned to function in the craziness that swirls inside of me when change approaches.

This time it came without warning.  That makes it the very worst sort of change.  Surprise change has the capability of changing so much more than just your circumstances or your environment.  Surprise change changes who you are.   

Lately there has been some buzz in the homeschool community about divorce.  I can say that this is a real and powerful attack of the enemy and, in my life, it came all too close.

From August to October my family faced its greatest test ever. 

In September the kids and I moved into a new home.  I hate packing, moving and  boxes, but I filled them up with our belongings and made arrangements to move yet again.  It's my 4th house in the last 2 years! 

Everything in my life seemed to be crumbling and I really thought it could never be fixed.  In October God worked a miracle.

The Lesson:

Before we moved to our new house, my daughter Chloe made the proud discovery of this little creature outside:

I've heard things about poisonous caterpillars in Oklahoma so we got online and looked up her new friend.  He was a Giant Leopard Moth.  Being a homeschool family, we took advantage of the discovery and investigated further.  We learned all about him and kept him in an empty parmesan cheese container. 

We would pick four leaves off the tree out front every day to feed Chloe's new friend affectionately named "Sparkles".  Sometimes Chloe would forget to feed Sparkles and I would creep outside in the dark hoping neighbors wouldn't wonder why I was picking leaves off my tree in my pajamas.  I was amazed when he was still alive a month later.

We had just moved in to our new house.  I don't think it had even been a week when we realized that Sparkles was not moving.  At first I hoped he was building a cocoon.  Maybe this would be a bigger learning opportunity than I had expected.  I wasn't that lucky.  Sparkles was really, truly, dead.

I comforted my daughter, feeling her frustration at all the losses she was experiencing with a big dead caterpillar capping off the chaos around her.

That night it hit me that Sparkles had probobly died because he was away from his tree.  It was his food source and what was familiar to him.  He needed it to survive.

A few weeks passed and Chloe and her neighbor friend made a new discovery.

This is "Luna" the Luna Moth.  She was the biggest caterpillar I had ever seen in my life.  She was nearly 3 inches long!  She made a cocoon the next day and very quickly flew away, mature and healthy.

So how does all this fit into my crazy life circumstances?

I'm glad you asked.

My family had drifted from our tree, our source of life- God.  We were "serving" Him, "doing ministry" for Him and saying all the right words.  We were even feeling it at times.  However, we had become caught up with meeting the needs of others and pointing them to the tree so much that we rarely got around to eating from it ourselves.  Our very survival was at stake.  We had grown stale and apathetic and we were starving without realizing it. Eventually our marriage became as lifeless as Sparkles.

In the time apart from my husband God restored our love.  In late October we were reconciled.  God formed something new between us, something stronger and more beautiful.  He formed our love into a Luna experience.  It's larger, more mature, and vibrant in color.  We became ready and eager to soar to new heights and experience new dimensions of ourselves and each other.  We remembered our source of life and fed ourselves with all He had to offer us.

It's never too late I guess. 

If you are a Mom and wife struggling with the dynamics and disappointments that family can sometimes throw our way . . .get to "the tree".  Climb into the lap of God and ask questions.  Pray.  Seek Him through His Word and believe that something better could be around the corner.  Curl up and rest.  Cocoon yourself in His presence and wait for him to refresh you and teach you how to fly!

God is getting ready to do big things in my family.  The attack failed and I'm better equipped to protect against future advances of the enemy.  That's my life lesson from a caterpillar.

Has the new school year started with gusto at your house?

Or guesses?

“I guess we’ll use this curriculum. I guess we’ll start on Monday. I guess we’ll use this folder, and I guess we could try unit studies this year.”

Does any of this sound familiar?

Time for a change?

Get ready to plan a year of enthusiastic homeschool learning with consistent input from the Lord! Take the guesswork out of your planning, systematically organizing your homeschool this year with the E-Book:

The New School Year: Planning Your Course and Letting the Lord Determine Your Steps

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine offers The New School Year . . . FREE!

Now’s a good time—get your free E-Book!

Get your free copy of the E-Book: The New School Year

Happy Learning!

I couldn't choose just one favorite picture.  Here are my top picks for each of my four kids.  Sorry for the digital look you'll see, but for resizing this was the best I could get.

 Caibry as a baby.

Nevie playing in the creek.

Baby Sadie.

Chloe in our backyard. 

                                       I think she's beautiful.

I'm having a contest at one of my other blogs that I thought might interest some of my readers.  I'll be giving away one copy of Blue Like Play Dough.  It's an excellent book for mothers written by a homeschool mom who is the real deal.  Read the description below and head over to Novelized to enter my give away contest.  See you there!

Summary: 

In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own. As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible.

Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.

In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognizes the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind.

About the Author:

Tricia Goyer is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including Generation NeXt Parenting and the Gold Medallion finalist Life Interrupted. Goyer writes for publications such as Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family, speaks to women’s groups nationwide and has been a presenter at the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) national convention. She and her husband, John, live with their family in Montana .

Head over to Novelized now and enter to win a free copy of Blue Like Play Dough!

To order Blue Like Play Dough visit Random House today.

This week's Blog Hop is extra fun. Today we are all sharing recipes with our readers. I hope you'll hop along with me and find all the creative and yummy recipies that will make our families smile. For my recipes I've decided to share some really special family recipes.  They include Mrs. O'Hagan's Augratin Potatoes, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls and Civil War Fruitcake by Mrs. Sherwood Johnston . I hope you'll love them as much as we do.

A bit about Mrs. O'Hagan: She was the sweet older woman who lived across the street from me growing up. To me, she was the lady with my house key whenever I got locked out (this was a weekly occurance). She would watch out for me in my latch key days and always reported any mischief too. She's also the lady who who would give me ALL of her left over Halloween candy and pick me up from school if I got sick and no one else could come to get me. She was a great lady with a wonderful heart. I believe that food with history tastes better.  Knowing that this recipe is hers makes it a real treasure.

Mrs. O'Hagan's Augratin Potatoes

 1 bag frozen southern style Hash browns

1 c. onions diced

2 cans of Cream of Potato soup ( I substitute Cream of mushroom sometimes)

1-1 1/2 c. water 1-2 pkg. Cracker Barrel brand Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Mix all ingredients in a greesed 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with parmasan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

 *Diced ham makes a wonderful addition to this yummy, cheesy comfort food.

My next two recipes also have great history. They were found in a journal belonging to my Great Grandma along with her love letters from my Great Grandpa and detailed geneological family notes. They both passed away prior to my birth, but I feel like I know their personalities through their writings. These recipes were all written in her very own handwriting and copies were made for grandkids. These recipes and special letters are valuable pieces of my family history. (I have no idea who Mrs. Sherwood Johnston is, possibly she was a friend or neighbor of my Great Grandma).

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 lb. ground beef                           

12 large cabbage leaves

1/4 lb. ground pork                         

2 tbsp. pure vegetable oil

2 tsp. pepper                                    

1/4 c. brown sugar   

3/4 c. cooked rice                           

1/4 c. lemon juice or vinegar

1 small onion, grated                        

2 (8oz.) cans tomato sauce

Combine beef, pork, pepper, rice, and onion onion with 1 can tomato sauce.

Soak cabbage leaves in boiling water for 4 min.

Drain.

Place equal amounts of meat mixture on each leaf.

Roll up.

Fold ends over, fasten with tooth-picks.

Brown in hot oil in a skillet.

Mix remaining sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.

Pour over rolls.

Simmer, covered for 1-1 1/2 hours, basting occassionally.

Makes 6 servings.

Civil War Fruit Cake

3 medium Apples cubed               

2 c. raisins

1 c. brown sugar                            

1 c. white sugar

2 c. water                                      

4 tbsp. lard

1 tsp. cloves                                   

1tsp. cinnamon

1tsp. nutmeg                         

3 tbsp. baking soda (less 3 tsp. soda)

1 tsp. salt                                       

3 c. flour

1/2 c. nuts

Mix apples, raisins, brown and white sugar, and lard.

Cook mixture for 5 minutes.

Cool to lukewarm.

Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Bake in tube pan at 350 for 1 hour.

 Enjoy!

 Imagine a dictionary of mom specific definations.  Would you recognize these Momfinitions?

1. Fortshun: [Fort sh un] adj. : The act of ignoring and excluding another from a fort or clubhouse.

Used in a sentence: My son was suffering from fortshun and agreed to help me with dinner.

Three Things You Didn't Know About Me: 

(That's me and my Dad)

1. My Dad died in a drunk driving accident when I was 3 months old.  Please tell the people you love not to drive drunk - or get into a car with someone who's been drinking.  A Daddy is a big thing to loose.  That's probably why I enjoy watching my kids love on their Daddy. . and him loving on them. 

 (Stan and Sadie) 

2. I am a very nostalgic person. I LOVE sharing things with my kids that I enjoyed in my childhood.

(That's me on the left and Chloe on the right). 

3. I began clowning 10 years ago. I fell in love with my husband while at a clown conference for the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. My oldest daughter got in on the fun at age four and is still having fun doing clowning, characters, and puppets.

Then:    

Now:

My Favorite Photo:

This week's Blog Hop is about our favorite photos. This is one of my most special photos. I know the quality isn't all that great and that's okay with me. Photos are memories and the memories of this night make this picture one of the best.

My husband and I took this picture in a photo booth on February 8th, 1999. He had an engagement ring in his pocket that night,but waited until a week later to propose. By then I was ready for the question and eager to make the promise to love him forever. 

Don't get me wrong, we don't have a perfect marriage.  Sometimes I make my world all about the kids.  I burry myself in the lives of my children and push him aside.  It's an easy thing for us Mommies to do.  In the last 8 years we've had our share of ups and downs, (kid's will do that to you), but I will love this man 'til the day I die.

Welcome to my blog. From Tiny To Teen began as an outlet and record keeping journal of our homeschooling days. When I began writing I had four kiddos of my own, ages 6 and under. My 16 year old cousin moved in and added even more adventure. This blog quickly took on a life of its own. My cousin is now back with her parents. She left me with a spunk, ambition and this special little place to share my days and my writings. Here you'll find reviews of mom-friendly books and homeschool curriculum. You'll peek into our school days and see that I treasure my kids . . .From Tiny To Teen!

Being a girl is a really special thing, especially if you love Jesus.  Then you are His little princess, treasured by the King of Kings.

Your little girl will feel special from the second this Bible is placed in her hands.  From the tiara on the cover to the lessons contained inside, she will continually be reminded that she is a daughter of the King.

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh is so much fun to use with little girls.  We are having a wonderful time with this pretty little book.

This super girly Bible story book features scriptures to memorize,  beauty secrets for true inner beauty , stories about special ladies in the Bible, promises that God gave us, fun plays to act out, songs to sing, articles on manners, good behavior and loving others.  Little girls will enjoy learning Biblical values based on God's Word. 

My girls especially love the Take a Bow section.  This section allows girls to play act scenes from the Bible such as Adam and Eve,  Samuel, Naaman's servant, and many more.

The stories and activities are very age appropriate and Biblically accurate.  They capture and sustain a little girl's attention very easily and bring the stories to life in a fun and memorable way.

I highly recommend God's Little Princess.

You can order this great devotional bible (cost is $16.99) or read more about it here.   

Congratulations Tammy! 

You have won a copy of Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes!  (I'll be contacting you today to get shipping info).

Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes is as fun and uplifting as it is emotionally challenging and educational.

The Summary:

When a mammogram result comes back abnormal, midlife mama Summer Finley makes a snap decision to relegate fear to the back burner and fulfill a lifelong dream. Summer heads for Holland where she meets up with tulips, wooden shoes, and her best friend, Noelle.

 Pen pals since fourth grade, Summer and Noelle have never met face-to-face. Through decades of heart-level correspondence, they have sustained a deep friendship. A week of adventure helps both women trade anxiety for a renewed and deeper trust in God. When Summer confides in Noelle about the abnormal medical report, Noelle finds the freedom to share a long-held heartache, and both women discover they needed each other more than they realized.

My Thoughts/ The Review:

Robin Jones Gunn captures the authentic feelings of friendship and demonstrates the deep need we have for each other.  I felt like I was a stowaway on  Summer's trip, traveling with her through her exciting adventure in Holland.  Her characters begin awkward with each other and grow more comfortable as the story progress.   Summer and Noelle are great examples of the ease and comfort of friendship and the informal intimacy that occurs between Sisterchicks.

This was my first Sisterchick book.  I'll have to pick up the others now. 

Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes is like a travel book wrapped around a story and tied up with faith.  It will inspire you to call a friend.  It will gently teach you more about Holland, Corrie Ten Boom, and the Holocaust.  It will challenge you to forgive those who've hurt you and walk in faith and not fear.

One of my favorite things about Robin's writing is that she captures the essence of scripture beautifully and coveys it in a way that I can really grab hold of and "own" (as Summer would say).

Another bonus of Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes is the discussion questions at the end of the book.  This seems to be a growing trend in Christian Fiction and I love it.  The questions will provide an easy road map for discussion in any book club.

Author Bio: Robin Jones Gunn is the best-selling and award-winning author of over seventy books, including the Glenbrooke, Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen, Katie Weldon, and Christy and Todd: The College Years teen series. The Sisterchicks® series has sold more than 300,000 units, bringing her total sales to more than 3.5 million books worldwide. A Christy Award winner, Robin is a popular speaker, both at home and abroad, and is frequently interviewed on radio and on television. www.robingunn.com   www.sisterchicks.com

As I stated in my last post, I'm a very big fan of Robin Jones Gunn.  I've read all of the Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen and Glenbrook  series.  My cousin, Katrina, accepted Christ after reading one of Robin Jones Gunn's books.  Needless to say, she's a pretty special author in my book.

It's honestly challenging to be objective about her writing because I admire her so much. 

I hope you will check out Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes - - then you'll understand why I'm a fan.

To order this book or find out more about it click here.  

Final Thoughts:

Eighty years ago today a girl named Ann Frank was given a diary for her birthday.  The ideas and feeling that she expressed on the pages of that diary conveyed the horrors and heartbreak of war and hate.

She's fresh on my mind, as is Corrie Ten Boom, and the many others who faced an evil that I can't fully comprehend.

Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes references Corrie Ten Boom and emphasizes the hope that we can experience in Christ through forgiveness.  I hope you'll also take some time today to visit www.corrietenboom.com .

Robin Jones Gunn is one of my favorite writers of all time.  I love the way she careful crafts each character so well that you actually feel ownership of them.  Her characters are relateable, familiar and quickly take on the shape of friendship. 

I have just finished reading an advanced copy of SisterChicks in Wooden Shoes.  My review will be posted on June 12th.  In the meantime, I have decided to offer a giveaway of SisterChicks in Wooden Shoes.  This is my first ever blog giveaway.  Are you excited?  I sure am!  

Here is the plan:  Choose one of two ways to enter: 

1. Leave your first name and a comment after this post.

2. Link back to this post on your blog. (Please let me know if you did this). 

On June 12th a winner will be randomly chosen.  I will post my review and announce the winner. 

Don't miss out on the fun of winning this great book! 

The American Patriot's Bible is a beautiful and educationally rich blending of God's Word and American History.  Upon opening this Bible I discovered pages for recording my marriage, family records, details on my children, a space for grandchildren, church records, family history and important ancestors.  There is a map of the U.S.A. and a page that lists dates for each state's admittance.  I also found pages to record military service and family deaths.  The American Patriot's Bible is set up like those old classic Bibles that stay in a family for generations and record life as vividly as any well-written diary could.  This Bible is written in New King James Version.  The type and font make it easy to read.  The introductions to each book of The Bible begin by listing Key chapters and highlighting important truths that we can connect to our American history as well as life in America today.  Glossy pages with full color, detailed illustrations embellish articles that cover a myriad of topics from Christianity in Colonial America to Christianity And Equal Rights.  Mini History lessons are nestled in with Scripture to show the many ways that people of America have applied God's Word for our improvement and growth as a country.  I especially loved an article placed within Genesis that is titled In The Beginning.  It contains the transcript of the Apollo 8 broadcast from their orbit around the Moon where they read Genesis 1 to the people back on Earth.  Wow!  Would that happen today?

The New England Primer is also included to show the biblical foundation of the first American reading primer.  Our schools look very different today.

This Bible will educate and inspire you to find God in everything and to live for Him without shame.  It will remind you to lead the coming generations to do the same.  It will show the richness of our history in this extraordinary country called America.  More importantly, through God's Word, we are reminded of our history and our future as children of God.

This is a very good quality family-style Bible that I will treasure for generations.

To learn more, you can view a YouTube video promotion of this book here.

You can order The American Patriot's Bible for $39.99 at the Thomas Nelson site.      

Homeschoolers with a passion for History are going to love this Bible!  Draw closer to God and see the many examples of how His hand has been on our nation.  Check it out today!

Did you hear? 

TOS is holding a 2 Day “Take 10” subscription promotion on May 25th and 26th.

For just 48 hours, a one-year print subscription is only $15! 

Plus, as a bonus,new subscribers get 5 FREE WeE-books of their choice.

It’s the TOS Take/Get 5 subscription sale.

Only good until midnight on May 26. 
 

                                      Click here to subscribe

Author, Carolyn Larsen, is a mom of three.  This might explain her understanding when creating a book like this.  Moms know that kids need to be reminded again and again.  Sometimes it can get daunting being a parent.  The fact is, this is the time that they are being shaped.  This is the role of parenthood, to shape them with the Word of God and to point them, not just to our own values and desires, but to the expectations that Christ has laid out for us in the Bible.

What Does The Bible Say About That? covers 340 topics that kids (and adults) face.  Some topics that we are dealing with and appreciated  reading about were: Obedience, Lying, Brothers and Sisters, Cooperation, Empathy, Speech and Self-confidence.

I love the length of the lessons.  They are brief and conversational.  They aren't done in a lecturing sort of way, but are instead written gently and honestly.

I view this book as a wonderful teaching tool to point our Children to Christ and away from a parent motivated lecture.  Ultimately It's God's word that I want my children to obey, not simply mine.  Everything else falls into place when they seek His advice and follow His instructions.

I plan to use this book in several ways as issues arise in my home.

First, I will read the topic that relates to whatever issue my children  are struggling with.  If I have to repeat the topic more than once then my next step will be to make the child memorize a scripture from that page.  If it continues to be an area of struggle in my home then I will make my children write out the "Today I will" statements at the end of that topic's page.

I think these are all wonderful teaching methods that instruct without arguements, punishment or yelling.  God's word can't be contested and it must be known to our children if we expect them to be adults who are solid in their faith and moral members of society. 

Carolyn Larsen did a wonderful job of saying just enough  to encourage the heart of a child and inspire them to seek God's opinion in times of uncertainty.

You can purchase What Does The Bible Say About That? for $15.99 at www.crossway.org.  Check it out.

Our Workbox load has decreased lately.  With summer months fast approaching it's been tough to start something new.

After lots of prayer and consideration we've decided to school year round.  Through the summer months I will have three standard "assignments" and each child will keep a summer reading log. 

My three summer learning goals:

1. Reading- We are currently reading Mr. Popper's Penguins .  I found a great website here that I plan to incorporate into this reading.  We will also be reading several other books recommended in Ambelside Online's Year Two literature list.  Chloe will be expected to read out loud for 15 minutes each day and Caibry will be required to dictate the reading back to me.  Caibry needs a lot of work on listening.

2. Writing- I am encouraging copywork through the summer.  Chloe has already begun copying scriptures from Psalms.  They are copying from my Promise Bible.  On a side note, if you are looking for a good Promise Bible I recommend The Complete Personalized Promise Bible by James Riddle.  I love that it covers all of scripture and not just the promises in Psalms and Proverbs.

3. Math- Chloe is still working through Math Mammoth Grade 2A.  Caibry is working on Usborne's Big Book of Sticker Math.

Extras :Learning From Dad  character curriculum, Science (Fridays only), Blogging, Poetry, Art and History (occasionally through the summer).

That's my summer workbox plan. 

Happy Learning!

Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira experienced a strange feeling once she became a mother.  What mother can’t relate to the feeling of being stripped of her identity and feeling like you’ve morphed into a crazy glob of maternal passion?  Motherhood effects us.  It confines and stretches us at the same time.  It’s easy to get lost in the changes and responsibilities of loving and caring for a child.  It’s a huge job and it quickly consumes us.

The author addresses the angst that mothers feel as they serve their families with love and devotion while, at times, feel empty of themselves.  She confronts the fake I.D’s and labels that mothers wear and challenges readers to be the woman that God designed us to be, full and complete.  She inspires us to be 3-D mothers who love our families and show our love by continuing to use the gifts, abilities and passions that God has placed inside of us.   That make us complete women who encourage our children beyond words.

Readers will learn how to see beyond the stereotypes of motherhood and encourage the women around them to reach their fullness in God.  Each chapter has discussion questions.  This book would be excellent to read for a Mom’s small group.

Mama’s Got a Fake I.D. is a reminder to me that being a mother is a blessing and an honor but at my heart, my true identity is as a daughter of Christ.

Check out this book here.

Melody Carlson is the author of the Diary Of A Teenage Girl series.  I became familiar with her writing when I had my teenage cousin Shayla living with me.  Shayla would read in her bedroom and come flopping herself onto the furniture and shriek in teenage excitement that this was "the best book ever!"  This endorsement from a typical, hard to please teen was enough for me to respect Melody Carlson for her ability to connect with her audience.

In Dear Mom (Everything Your Teenage Daughter Wants You To Know But Will Never Tell You), Melody weaves a beautiful dialogue from a teenage daughter to her mother.

Through this rambling, stream of thought "letter" mothers will catch the heartbeat of their teen daughters.  It's like climbing in a time machine and before long you remember making -or thinking- the same requests and complaints of your mother.

Dear Mom is written like a letter from a teenager to her mother and it answers many important issues in relating to each other.

Imagine being able to get inside your teenager's head, to understand why she pushes you away sometimes.  Wouldn't it be nice to get to the bottom of the feelings, attitudes and emotions that they exhibit?  Mixed messages can create a mess.  Mothers need help, understanding and answers.

Dear Mom is a sweet and carefully worded book that gives you the truth that most teenage girls aren't prepared to admit.  With raw conversation similar to reading a diary, this book captures the emotion and struggle of connecting with Mom.

At the same time, it's the kind of book a teenage girl should want her Mom to read.  It says everything, while respecting the nature and trials of the teenage years.  It's fair.  It's realistic.  It's honest.  It's extremely readable.  Check it out here.

I reviewed 3 books for this blog tour.  You can read about more books in this blog tour for Mom here and here.

                                  Memoria Press          

Memoria Press is known for their Classical Curriculum.  They offer books like Latina Christiana, Copybooks, Christian Studies and the Famous Men series (among others). 

Memoria Press allowed us to choose what product we would like to review.  I am so thankful that they allowed us that freedom.  I chose Christian Studies 1 and Famous Men Of Rome.

Christian Studies 1 works along side the Golden Children's Bible.  I liked how the books felt and was impressed by their quality, however, I was a little disappointed by the Golden Children's Bible.

In the Memoria Press catalog they explain why they use this version of the Bible by saying ". . .its slightly simplified, but poetically appealing, King James text along with its beautiful, accurate, and age-appropriate illustrations."

My issue was with the word "accurate".  I was really bothered by the illustration of the ark being built.  In the picture, several people are building it (more than just Noah, Mrs. Noah, the sons and their wives).  My 7 year old daughter pointed this out to us and stressed that it would be cruel for Noah and God to let someone work hard on building the ark and then watch them drown when the floods came.  I don't see that as accurate.  There are also illustrations of the Nebuchadnezzar's statue that are not biblically accurate.  In the Bible it was 9 feet wide and 90 feet tall.  The picture depicts it very differently.   

I was not impressed by the Bible they linked the study to, however, the student/ teacher books Memoria created were very solid, and educational.  The teacher and student books where great resources for deeper learning.  I loved that my children had maps to associate with the story.  They are now able to point out several locations without any help.  That impressed me.  I also enjoyed the vocabulary and important facts in the workbooks. 

I'm not a classical educator and I have no desire to learn Latin as a language, but I enjoy knowing Latin in regards to bible study.  I appreciated the little bits of Latin that are explained.  It made the text richer. 

I think my children learned through the stories and the review that Christian Studies 1 supplied. In the future, I will read from our family bible rather than the story book when using this study.  Truly, my only issue with this resource was the Bible version they chose.   Everything else about Christian Studies 1 was exceptional.  You can see a sample of Christian Studies 1 here.

Christian Studies 1 can be purchased for $17.95 for the Student Book, $20.95 for the Teacher Book, and $17.95 for Golden Children's Bible, or you can purchase the whole curriculum sets 1-3 for $119.95.

Famous Men of Rome was totally different than anything we'd ever tried before.  It took a little adapting, but it is something we have really enjoyed.  The Famous Men of Rome is designed for children 4th grade and up.  Mine are younger than this so I had to adapt it a little.  I looked it over and just liked it too much not to use it with them.  Rather than read the story as a read aloud, I did it like readers theater and they acted out what I read.  From there we reviewed the story by orally answering the student questions.  At night we would sit at dinner and they would tell their Daddy about the king we'd studied that day and how they died or what adventure they'd encountered. It was impressive how much they would actually remember for their ages.

The issue some parents might have with Famous Men of Rome is that it isn't always clear about the myth vs. fact.  They present and discuss fortune tellers and false Roman gods.  Some parents might be squeamish about these topics.  I was not.  I liked the opportunity these stories presented to repeatedly remind my children that there is only one God. 

I believe that knowing about false gods in history and the present equips us to spot the flaws and defend our faith with greater knowledge.  

I told someone at church that my children were studying Rome and they where appalled.  They thought that it would create confusion or make God seem less true.  I asked my husband what he thought about it and I loved his answer.  He pointed me to the story of Paul who confronted the people of Athens in Acts 17:23.  In this passage, Paul clearly has enough knowledge of false gods to create an opening for discussion. 

Here is the bottom line: Some things we learn because we believe them and we can't get enough knowledge on the subject to satisfy us.  Other things we study out of necessity, to answer questions we might be asked and to round out our impressions of things we do not believe.  

Famous Men of Rome tackles some big concepts--concepts that open the doors for greater conversation.  Sure you'll learn about the rise and fall of Rome, but you'll also learn values from these stories.  Your children will learn the bad things that can come from jealousy, and the importance of brotherly love.  They'll learn about patriotism and the willingness to risk everything for their beliefs.  Roman beliefs were notoriously flawed, but we can and should learn from their willingness to take their beliefs to the grave if need be.  Misplaced or not, Christians could stand to learn from this bravery.

All that to say, Famous Men of Rome is a success in my home.  See a sample here. 

Famous Men of Rome can be purchased for $39.95 (text, teacher and student book included)

If you wish to know what others think please visit the crew blog.  

Happy Learning!