Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Caleb Pic Update

Almost Crawling

Caleb is so close to crawling! I told Stephen last night we had to record his attempts to crawl because before we know it, he's going to be moving all over the place. So here you go - our little baby is growing up!

Friday, June 18, 2010

DVD Review: Hermie: Who Is In Charge Anyway?

 Hermie: Who Is In Charge Anyway
By Max Lucado

This time I'm reviewing a DVD instead of a book! Last week's mail brought with it a copy of Hermie & Friends: Who Is In Charge Anyway? This was the first Hermie movie I've seen and overall I thought it was fine. It has a good message about God's plan for our lives and how sometimes what makes us feel "different" is actually what makes us special and can be used by God for something great. It was cute, but definitely not a huge attention grabber or super fun (I was expecting something like Veggie Tales). This would probably be good for young children, but might get boring for older kids. 

I received this DVD free from Thomas Nelson Publisher's BookSneeze program in exchange for my honest review.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Caleb Laughing

Lots of videos lately! This one speaks for itself...enjoy!

Book Review: The Mailbox

The Mailbox
By Marybeth Whalen

The Mailbox is a Christian fiction book about second chances. Teenage lovers Lindsey and Campbell are grown up now and find their separate lives far from what they had dreamed of. Lindsey returns to peaceful Sunset Beach, the location of her fondest memories, to regain her identity after signing divorce papers. Campbell finds himself bringing his estranged, anorexic daughter home with him to heal at Sunset beach. Both Campbell and Lindsey discover God has a great plan for their broken lives and has given them opportunities for second chances.

This Christian love story would probably make a good beach read. It's the debut novel of author Marybeth Whalen, and while it's definitely not one of my favorite books, I thought she did a great job on her first novel. I found myself somewhat nervous throughout this book as both the main characters are divorced (from different people), have children, and are seeking to rekindle a flame they once had with each other. Lindsey's husband tries to come back to her at one point in the novel and there was a blurry line of wanting her to be with her "true love" Campbell versus wanting her to reconcile with her ex-husband. Some dangerous ground to walk in my mind. The saving grace was that both Lindsey and Campbell were married to non-Christians who cheated on them and left them, so finding new love seemed justifiable in the end. 

Overall, this was a decent book and I would probably enjoy another book by this author, but I'd read the back cover carefully to make sure the plot is not morally compromising (which The Mailbox ended up not being, but I had to process it some before I was completely ok with it).

I received this book free from The B&B Media Group in exchange for my honest review.

Caleb Swimming Video

Yesterday we went to Granna and Poppa's to go swimming! This was Caleb's second time in the big pool. He had a BLAST! It was so funny - he was swimming around kicking his little legs and splashing his hands. He played hard for about 30 minutes and then got tuckered out and was ready for a nap.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

GiGi's in Town

 Disclaimer: This post is all about my mom...but the pics are all of Caleb. She took them today, but we didn't get one with her in it...I'll have to add some of those as the week goes on! So enjoy the post about GiGi with Caleb pictures. :-)

My mom is in town for the week! What fun and what a blessing. She drove all the way from Kansas (which she has done numerous times since the week before Caleb was born - pretty amazing). She's hanging out with us and getting some serious Caleb time - he's staying home with her this week instead of coming with me to work.

I love the time she gets to spend with us for lots of reasons. So let's name a few:
  • First of all, because she gets to love on Caleb. It makes me so happy for her to have time with him. It's not easy for Grandma to live far, far away!
  • Second, she is such a huge help to me with everything from making meals, running errands, and even doing the dishes and laundry! My mom is very servant-hearted and while I would never want to take advantage of her help, she truly loves and wants to take some of the load off me when she's here. Such. A. Blessing. I seriously thought numerous times today "I don't have to worry about making dinner tonight!" Thanks Mom!
  • We get to hang out, catch up in person, and plan when the next time we will get together will be. (Can't wait til we go to the lakehouse in July!)
  • She is a fountain of knowledge and wisdom, especially when it comes to being a mother. After raising four kiddos and teaching elementary students for years, she has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Each time she visits, I feel like I learn an easier way to do something AND a new way to stimulate Caleb's little brain. There's an example of Titus 2:3-5 in the flesh!
And lastly, her birthday is in just a few weeks! Even more reason to celebrate! Happy early Birthday Mom! I love you and am so glad you're here to visit. God has given me a great gift in having you as my mom and Caleb's GiGi. Oh, and Stephen says you need to stay 2 weeks instead of one.  :-)

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Book Review: Busy Mom's Guide


The Busy Mom's Guide To A Happy, Organized Home
Fast Solutions to Hundreds of Everyday Dilemmas
By Kathy Peel

I got really excited about this book. As a brand new mom with a full time job, I would definitely place myself in the "busy mom" category and I LOVE books about domestic things like managing your home, organization, meal planning, etc. Apparently Kathy Peel is a pretty well known and renowned "Family Manager" and has written a lot of books and articles on the subject - I had no idea!

Overall, I liked this book. It's more of a reference guide at 300 pages, split into chapters based on the different "departments" a mom manages: Time & Scheduling, Home & Property, Food, Family & Friends, Finances, Special Events, and Self Management. There's so much info that it's a little overwhelming, but taken just a chapter or section at a time, I think it could be very helpful. It definitely wasn't a book I could sit down at one time and read (because I'm a busy mom, you know), but I don't think that's how it was meant to be read. Definitely more of a quick reference with a great Table of Contents for quickly finding info on a specific subject.

I'm hesitant to give a big recommendation for everyone to go out and buy this book due to its length and wondering how often I will actually reference it, but I definitely think this is a book I will like more the more I use it. I just need to keep it handy rather than setting it on a bookshelf and forgetting about it. We'll see how that goes....

I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.