Listen, a #fmfparty post

Today's five minute Friday word prompt is LISTEN.

I have to admit that I'm feeling stuck on this word today.
Stuck because I don't want to violate family privacy.
Stuck because listening is a hard one.

But tonight I was having supper at my mom's and she read a short devotional on the verse
"Be still and know that I am the Lord".

Mom and hubby got to talking about that verse and in essence those words "be Still" actually mean SHUT UP.

Usually when a person is told to shut up (at least in my experience), they are being told to shut up because they simply aren't listening.

Think about that a for a moment...

SHUT UP so you can listen.

The Lord God himself wants us listening.
Why?

SO THAT WE CAN KNOW THAT HE IS LORD.

That's what the Lord wants...just for us to know who he is, and sometimes we are just so terminally busy and so busy yapping about minutia, and we need to be told to be still, to just shut up for a while.

Just be still.   Listen.    Hear the Lord and KNOW him, know him full well, and trust in him.
But first
Be still.

Loyal, being Loyal

I am sitting here feeling groggy (due to some pain meds) and pondering this word Loyal.

The dictionary tells me this, the word Loyal is an adjective that has four meanings.

1. Faithful to one's sovereign, government or state.
2. Faithful to one's oath, commitment or obligation.
3. Faithful to any leader, party or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity. and
4. Characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligation etc.


So have a subject, cause, conduct and vows.  These are all part of being a loyal individual.

I currently have a friend, a mom of one of my son's best friends, who is going through a trial separation, but looks to be leaning toward divorce.

This has lead to some interesting conversations between my lad and I.   He doesn't understand it, and our most recent conversation brought up this thought.

Marriage, christian marriage, is a sign of God's love to us.
When Christian people marry we are showing the world an example of how God loves his people.
Too often folks forget that and they think it doesn't matter if Christians divorce.

God loved us so much that he sent his son to die for us.
So when a husband and a wife set aside their own selves for each other, they are showing love for each other, and by extension they are showing God's love for us to the those around them.

Our loyalty and commitment to each other shows the world something.
It also shows our spouse something.

When my hubby sets aside his own stuff because of a need that I have, he's showing God's love for the world, for his people.  He's also showing me the depth of his love for me.

When I set aside my own wishes and bow to his... I am showing him that I love him and that shows the world how the church loves God.

When we as Christians marry, we make a promise before God and before the church that we will love each other through good and bad.   And marriages.... they are NOT always easy.  They aren't.  We are a fallen people living in a fallen world.  It's not an easy thing.

It is SO hard to curb ourselves in favour of another.
But God did this eh?   He sent his son to die for us.
He curbed his love, his need for his son, so that we might have a right relationship with him.

So our VOWS as Christians mean something.
We show God's love to the world as we work out our marriages.
So be loyal to your vows.
Be loyal to the one you are called to live with.
Be loyal to the higher calling of your marriage as a believer.

It's important.  :) 






 

Review: Ultimate Guide to being a SuperHero

Admittedly, when I first received this book I thought "HUH?   What am I going to do with this one? I have no interest in superheroes, and now I have a book on them?"

Then I opened the book and I was AMAZED!!!   What book you ask?   The Ultimate Guide to Being a SuperHero.

You know what this book is?   This is a
- boys cooking class
- a co-op class with varied activities
- a semester of learning that encompasses phys ed, coding, math, language arts, arts and so much more.

It's a GREAT book, let me tell you all about it eh?

Exactly what is in the Superhero book?

Chapters
Secret Identity 101

•  This section covers topics like your mask, avoiding detection, changing into your superhero suit and choosing your secret identity

Dealing with villians

• Subcategories of fighting evil, knowing your villains, villain weapons, and more.

 Gear & Gadgets

• Items such as supersuits, cape, accessories, specialty gear, secret messages etc

Moves and Maneuvers

•  flying, transportation, marksmanship, smashing, fighting, jumping

Being a Superhero

• topics like: finding your superpower, training,developing your brand, choosing your sidekick, social media, secret hideout, your commitment to the world

 This book is written for children.   It's focused on keeping them safe and letting them have fun learning all the ins and outs of being a superhero.   For instance, capes are great when you are with your friends, or in a parade, but fighting or flying in a cape.. NOT such a good idea.  :)

There is humour found within the pages, as well as seriousness, like the importance of knowing how to code.

Cooking when you learn about Superheros is so much...and you get to play with your food too!
Think about the math and the conversations you could have, and watching science happen before your eyes!

Remember I mentioned phys ed?
Well you do know superheroes have to be in good shape to do what they do right?
Exercise time!!!!   From learning how to eat smart, to how to keep your body in good shape, superheroes have much to learn and much to do.

At 157 pages, the Ultimate Guide to being a Superhero is packed full of activities, from making a mask and the rest of your gear (sewing anyone?), to building your secret hideout, and  making a target, as well as learning good superhero songs... and so much more in-between.

There is so much information in this guide to boggle the mind (it certainly surprised me!)

I am so pleased that Raincoast Books sent me this item to add to my resource pile... so much to do!  :)
As I went through this book I kept thinking how easy it would to turn this into a book on being a superhero for God, or adding to it to turn it into a health unit (or expanding the phys ed section) and so forth...so much potential in this book to do SO MUCH WITH IT.  Seriously.

The Ultimate Guide to being a Superhero,is book that 8.86 x 10.35 and  160 pages long.


It is geared to children ages 6-11 years.

Printed on multi-coloured pages.

The book is a coil book, making the pages easy to turn and stand up if necessary.  It lays flat easily, making it easy to follow instructions when making crafts or cooking.

 This is a hands-on, let get down and dirty and do some learning type of book.    Life skills and superhero skills combined, have fun with your child today.

GET THIS BOOK.  :)

 US Link: The Ultimate Guide to Being a Superhero: A Kid's Manual for Saving the World, Looking Good in Spandex, and Getting Home in Time for Dinner


Canadian Link: The Ultimate Guide to Being a Superhero: A Kid's Manual for Saving the World, Looking Good in Spandex, and Getting Home in Time for Dinner

Five books, five reasons, all about adult colouring.

Have you joined in on the colouring craze?   You know.. colouring for adults?
I have to admit that when I heard about adults colouring, and not just with their children I thought, huh?   What's up with that?

So I went out and bought a book, wanted to see what the fuss was about and discovered something.
I enjoy it.  Not so much that I want to do it every day, but sitting down and colouring when you don't want to read and you don't want to go out for a hike.. it's an enjoyable way to kill some time without watching the tube.

I thought I would take the time today to introduce you to some books that I use and some reasons why it's good to colour.

First book and reason

Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books: Reptiles and Amphibians is a neat book that has colouring images of various reptiles and amphibians and is right up my son's ally for things to draw and/or colour.   It comes with small stickers that you can use as a reference as well.

 This book is actually my son's.  He just grinned when I picked it up.  "Look mom!   It's HalfWay!" (a toad of his).

Reason to Colour: No childish drawing that inspire research into a favourite topic or that simply enhances one's learning about them.  My lad likes the realistic drawings and the colours that match colours in nature.


Second Book and Reason

Coloring Book Be Still


A chance to think on some words of God as you delight in coming up with just the right colours.  A perfect book for rainy Sunday afternoons when everyone is tired and just wanting to chill out.

This book is filled will flowers and birds and words from the Lord.   Not every page contains a verse, or birds, or flowers.   But much of it does.

Reason to Colour: This is my "let's be pretty book" which is not my normal frame of mind, so it's great for Sundays when I NEED to relax and prepare for the coming week.   It's a girlie type book and out of my normal paradigm of thinking and it's good to cultivate that part of me sometimes.  :)


Third book and Reason

Animal Kingdom: Color Me, Draw Me


This book is the one that draws people in when they colour with me.  There is SO MUCH variety contained with the pages.     I've started and stopped with so many pictures as my mood will change with what I want to do.  Eventually I'll get around back to those started.


The pages are thick enough to do pencil or marker.


Reason to colour: Whimsy can take you many different places, and sometimes following whimsy can leave you lost.  In this book, I don't get lost and I can always come back again.  :)


Fourth Book and Reason

Art Therapy Coloring Book Menagerie & More

This is actually one that my hubby picked out.
the pictures in it are mostly just animals, and mostly headshots with clean, clear lines.   No white on black or pictures inside of pictures.   It's a basic interesting colouring.

I find that I start and finish pictures in this book more quickly.  I really enjoy the thick pages and clear images, and hubby is more likely to pick it up and join me in an afternoon of colouring as well.  Which is WAY COOL.  :)

Reason to Colour:  Sharing a hobby with someone I love. The variety of images allows for different tastes in items to draw.



Fifth book and reason

 LIVE LOVED: AN ADULT COLORING BOOK

Admittedly this is my least favourite colouring book.  There are things I like about it, but I find I have to pay more attention to careful colouring with this book.  Many of the lines are quite thin.

What do I like about it?
Mmm... scripture verses that are quite varied.  Blank pages behind each picture means I can rip them out and display them if I think they are good enough for that.  :)

Reason to Colour?
Encourages carefulness and attention to detail, which helps to focus on my mind when I have to do things like planning out a school schedule, or vacation plans.

So do you colour?
Do you have books that are different than mine?
Why do you like them?

Share with won't you?   :)

Five Minute Friday: Team

Join us this week over at Kate's blog as we join together of the word prompt TEAM.

3, 2, 1 Go

Team.
It's hard you know.
To be part of a team.

A team requires working with other people.
I hated team sports as a  child.
Trying to figure out where I fit in best.
Learning quickly that I would always be chosen last or next to last.

I could never figure them out well, and
It seems I am raising a lad with those same lack of skills.
Give us an individual sport and it works much better.
Competing against oneself.

But I have learned as I watched my lad,
that even individual sports have a team component.
The striving to be like others.
The working together to show you have learned a new skill.

I see that and then I look at my own life.
And I see the times when I am part of a team.
When I help at things like Co-op days.
When I have whole families over so my son can play with others.

It's hard sometimes when you'd rather not.
When it's easy just to be an introvert.
and not be part of a team,
But it's a learning growing calling thing.

The Lord calls us to be more than we are.
He promises us his everlasting support.
He promises that he won't ask us to do something,
that won't end up being an okay thing for us to.

Consider this.
The Lord God calls us to be family.
To be a part of a working unit.
A body.   A team.

The strong with the weak.
Weak becoming strong as they
are supported and aided.
A body.  A Team.

That's what we are part of...
even as we remain individuals set on
meeting a standard.
The Team helps.

__STOP_____

This post is part of the Five Minute Friday challenge.  Can I write, without fretting over editing and what not, just write for five minutes on a word provided?   It's a great community and for the most part we support each other, which is a good thing is it not?   It's what makes a community a community indeed.  :)   Why not come join us?   The linky is usually open over the weekend.... so it's not too late.  Come on, join in the fun won't you?

Raising Boys with Purpose

I have a son. He's my joy and delight. And I don't know about you, but having a plan, a long term view, an end vision of what I hope to instill in him is part of how I raise him. I want to raise a boy who knows how to think, to reason, to work, to care for those around him, to be called after God's own heart. That's what I want in my son when he's grown up and not needing his mother so much. BUT how do I plan for that? What types of things should I be considering? To that end, I read two books. Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young, and Raising Boys by Design by Gregory L Jantz and Michael Gurian.

The approach is this, how do you use God's word and God's principles to raise up your boys to be men?

 Raising Real Men by the Young's is a book with a ton of personal examples from life, showing how a principle could be put into action.

14 chapters, divided into two parts.   Talking about the joys and the challenges of raising boys, and the way we need to talk to them, shape them, work with who they are.   Boys are meant to be leaders in their households, to hold down a job, to learn to how cherish their loved ones and to rely on the strength of God.

When talking about how to deal with temptation, we were told of the fist principle.





Dealing with temptation
1. Leave the situation
2. Pray, ask the Lord's forgiveness and help
3. Read your bible
4. Sing praises or Hymns to God
5. Go to your authority and ask for help

These are five ways to make a fist to knock away temptation.

Doesn't that sound so doable?   Easy lessons to teach your son and to apply to your own life!

At 255 pages it is not an overly long book, the text is easy to read and quite personable.   
Recommended reading.  :)

Raising boys by Design.
This is a more scholarly type book, with the science behind how men and boys think explained.     12 chapters, divided into two sections.

The first section is mostly the brain stuff.   The science behind the workings of the male brain and body. In this section you will find chapters such as "what a boy learns from mom", "what a boy learns from dad" "how boys develop differently than girls" etc.

The second section deals with helping boys develop good heroes, to do their best in work and school, to the building of character and self-discipline.    We also learn the importance of marking off stages in a lad's life... giving them good markers to show that they are maturing and not a young child any more.  To the importance of giving a vision of what a strong Christian man looks like.

I appreciated this section "Making Faith Work for Boys"
1. faith must be individual, not merely institutional
2. faith must be flexible
3. faith must be interactive
4. faith must be relevant
5. faith must be muscular
6. faith must include room for questions
7. faith must include room for doubt
8. faith must be active
9. faith must be intergenerational
10. faith must cost something
11. faith must be relational.

It's a meaty book with a less personal touch, but a very good book none-the-less.   It has good examples and stories of how to help a boy become a man scattered throughout it's pages.

I Love the combination of these two books.

The end result they have is the same, the turning of boys into men called after God's own heart.
The approach is different, but the result the same.  They compliment each other very nicely.

I am so pleased that I chose to read them and be able to take the truths contained within it's pages to help me in the raising of my son.

I hope that you will find them useful to you as well.  :)

Great Canadian Sale coming soon

Looks what is coming out way! A sale of Canada based products written by Canadian people! How cool is that!!!!! It runs from August 3-8 (ending on my birthday how great it that eh?) Anyways, history, geography, science, language and more. Tons of stuff for your schooling needs!

ALL Canadian Learning Sale!

To learn about this marvellous sale, made just for us Canadians BY Canadians.  GO HERE.

Caring for Your Pet Bunny Ebook

Available for $5.

Teaches you the basics of caring well for your pet rabbit.
Worksheets as well as information.
Pictures and text written to elementary age level.

16 pages

The Missy Franklin Story, Swimming with Faith

Missy Franklin, from Canadian roots, swimmer extraordinaire and person of faith, this is a review of the book "Swimming with Faith".   Written by Natalie Davis Miller, we are walked through Missy's life from an active five year old swimming, to the college-age swimmer that she is now.

Book Synopsis:
One of the most talented swimmers in the world today, Missy Franklin has been swimming since she was fie years old and hasn't stopped.   From local summer swim leagues all the way to the Olympics, Missy proven over and over that hard work and dedication can make dreams become reality.   But through all of the adventures and challenges that are a part of this determined athlete's life, Missy has remained true to her heart and faith -- making sure that God, family and friends stay top priorities even in the face of the fame and glory that come with achieving goals like Olympic gold and world records in her beloved swimming.

My Thoughts:
This book is geared toward children, who want to know more about Missy Franklin, world-class swimmer, with Canadian roots swimming for the USA.   It's a book about a  girl and her desire to be the best swimmer that she can, and how her faith in God sustains her.

Filled with pictures of Missy's like, like her beloved dog

As well as images of her reactions when receiving a medal at the Olympics.

I appreciated the real touch of humanity showed (like being a fan of Justin Beiber).    They were fans of each other.

They even showed an image of why Missy is such a good swimmer.  Physical strength and bigger feet and hands, excellent turns and pushes.

For youth, who are very much into swimming and want to read about someone who pushed through hard times, and made goals and met them, and continues to do so.    Through it all she acknowledges the Lord God as being a very relevant and needed part of her life.

It's very much a "fan" type book.   Filled with everything about Missy that you could think of.  I learned a lot about the world of swimming and the dedication needed to excel in it.

I read this book on behalf of BookLookBloggers.  

What does it mean to Create, a #fmfparty post

The word prompt for five minute Friday this past week was create.

Simple Definition of create

• : to make or produce (something) : to cause (something new) to exist
• : to cause (a particular situation) to exist
• : to produce (something new, such as a work of art) by using your talents and imagination 

Think about that for a moment, to create is to cause something new to be made.   One can create a poem, a piece of art, a new start in life in someone struggling, a business, a lesson plan, a play, and more. 

Have you ever paused to consider where that act of creation comes from?

The Bible tells us that in the VERY VERY BEGINNING God.. God created the heavens and the earth and everything that dwells within it.  (Genesis 1 and 2).  In the process of creation, God created us as the pinnacle of his creation.

When he made us, he made us in his likeness.  Think about what that means for a minute.

Take my boy for instance.  EVERYONE who sees him says "you look like your father"  (and he does).  BUT he has my sensitivity and love of animals, and he likes to garden (GO FIGURE).   So as much as my boy looks like he is made in the image of his father, he's also made in the image of his mother...  Two different aspects, one external image.

When God made us in his image, he didn't just go for looks, he also went for WHO HE IS.

Our God is a supremely creative (just look at the world around us), and he is WAY more than we are.  He is. he's God, not man.

We get our creativity from him. 

So as you go out and create, remember what spawned that creativity, that ability you have to create a child, a piece of art, a business... remember where it really comes from.   The one that created you in the first place.  

Go well.. create!   :)

Review and Giveaway: All Things Bright and Beautiful

Today I have a sweet hardcover book to tell you about.   It's called All Things Bright and Beautiful.   Written by Cecil Frances Alexander and Illustrated by Katy Hudson.   It's a pretty, well illustrated book that I think your young children would enjoy.

About the book:

First published by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848, this favorite hymn has become a mainstay of churches and Sunday school classes everywhere. Here artist Katy Hudson brings new joy to the words with her fresh and bright watercolor style. Readers can join in the fun as they follow two little girls and their brother on a day filled with the discovery of “all things bright and beautiful.”

About the artist:

Katy Hudson was raised in Middlesbrough, England, and started her career as a small child drawing on freshly painted walls. Her parents quickly encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead. The idea stuck, and after earning a degree in illustration, Katy is now a freelance illustrator. Katy works at a desk in a studio within Old London Library and likes to tap dance in her spare time.

My Thoughts:

Beautifully illustrated, this is simply a lovely book filled with bright colourful images the illustrate the first verse of this hymn wonderfully.  

Just look at all the things you can point out to your children, or questions you can ask about what they see, flower petals they can count.

Each page is fully illustrated, with easy to read text if you want to read to a group of children.  You can almost imagine a fish jumping in the river to delight the children.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Favourite posts this week

So here I am, I write a blog.   I find it fun, and helpful.
On the odd occasion I read what others write as well.

T'is a good thing to do you know, we read what others have written.
Sometimes it because it stimulates my thinking.

This post made me wonder what I'll be reminiscing about when my boy gets some older...All Growed Up.  "Whenever discouragement set in, my grandmother’s oft repeated words of how she “never tired of waking up with her babies because they were hers” would remind me that those babies would grow and I would wish for just one more sleepless night holding them. She was right."

Sometimes it inspires posts of my own.   Yes...Now I want to do my own posts about why I school as I do.. but that could be a bit daunting!   :)

Year-round homeschooling, an introduction. "There are many different styles of homeschooling year round. Yes, we have breaks. No, we don't have school every day of the year. Now that the top two questions have been answered, I feel like I can move on! Some families do four days a week, while others stick to the five days a week. Some families do 6 weeks of homeschooling with a one week break, while others will do 3 or 4 weeks of school with a one week break. Whatever you decide is what you will use for your homeschool."

Sometimes it mirrors something that you write on your own blog.   I love doing my own hymn Studies.

Abide with Me.  "Not much more can be asked of God. And abide He will if we seek Him, though His word and through our actions, following the plans He has set forth for us. God is as close as a prayer; closer probably but I don’t know how else to write it. And I ask in my daily prayers “O Lord, abide with me!”"

Sometimes it inspires you to again, pick up what was dropped and move forward again.

Have a plan for reading the bible. "When we have a plan, we're more likely to follow through and less likely to be tempted to skip reading Scripture all together. "

Sometimes it just makes you smile at the creativity of others.

Dog Crate to Side Table.  "I think owning pets comes with the struggle of trying to keep a clean, open home without sacrificing the safety of your pets. This dog crate cover turned side table was my solution for having the dogs fit neatly into our home decor."

Sometimes it brings back memories.   I used to make zucchini relish too,   have gotten away from it over the past bit... perhaps I'll get back to it with this recipe....

How to Can Zucchini Relish. "One of my absolute favourite zucchini recipes is my Aunts zucchini relish.  When I was a little girl she used to bring over jars of her canned zucchini relish and I can say it didn't last long.  When I first started to can this was the first non-jam recipe that I made.  Since then I've made large batches of zucchini relish every year."

Anyways, there they are.   A few of the posts that intrigued me this week thus far.  :)  If I have time later this week... I'll add to the list.  :)

The Joy in Learning about World Civilizations

Over the past month, as part of our bedtime reading, my lad and I have been reading a book called "The Children's Atlas of Civilizations".   I think I picked this book up at our bi-annual hospital rummage sale but really I am not certain...I just remember talking with a girl who was all "OOH!!!   If you don't that book I'll take it, I'm geeky enough I find these books fascinating."   I turned down her offer but we had a nice chat about how fun it is to read dictionaries and overview books.. how we learn so much by doing so.

When we finished it, my lad's response was "AW, we're finished it?   But I liked that book!"   I need to find another we can read.

The question remains.   Why did we like reading this book?   What made it a joy to read?

Maps.

We got to see from page to page how each section of the world changed as nations rose and fell.  Borders expanding and contracting, see where people came from and how it changed the people conquered, and the back and forth between east and west.  It was so interesting.

Along with that came good text, explaining where people came from, what changes they made, how long they stayed in power and why sometimes countries fell again.

Each page came with a global image, to help with the "where it was the world".   This helped as we moved from section to section, and gave an opportunity for me to say so we just finished the section here, now we are moving over here.   Gave a good distinction for us.

Tons of images filled this book of the different architecture and art from these different civilizations, along with explanations of why we don't know alot about some of the different cultures (didn't have any writing so we can only make guesses based on what we have dug up), or these cultures had a picture form of writing which no one can read so this is what we think it means, or why we know lot about a culture based their language is still understood and people wrote about it. 

It was intriguing to learn how religion changed cultures, how it shaped their artifacts and the decisions they made.

It was fascinating to learn how some cultures simply vanished.  They were there one day and then it was as if they simply weren't.   AND there are no explanations as to why that happened. 

Cultures and people, as varied as the land that makes up this wonderful world that we live in.

My search is on to find another book that will intrigue us as much.

Do you have any suggestions for us?

Review: Shark Week

I have to tell you about this wonderful resource I was sent by Raincoast Books.  It's called Shark Week by Martha Brockenbrough.   This book is named after the Discovery Channels very popular Shark Week.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is so full of interesting facts.
Did you know that there is a shark almost as long as a school bus?
Or conversely a shark only about 10 inches long?   I know amazing isn't it, the differences?!?!
How about this fact... not all sharks breathe the same way and some can switch how they breathe?
Or another that lives in volcanoes?
And this interesting fact... some sharks can have babies WITHOUT mating!!!

I know.. it's fascinating isn't it!?!?!!   :)

Full colour images.

 Sufficient text to give good information without being too succinct. In-depth information without information overload...just enough to make a person want to look deeper.   Learning about sharks that live in a volcano led me to look for more information.

 Interesting facts, with a good break in the text, pictures fitting with what the text is talking about.

 Facts to amaze and astound, like comparing the great white to the kodiak bear.

Shark Week runs around 150 pages, teaches more about sharks than you might believe possible, I was SO fascinated, and I think you will be too.  Imagine..shark week.. in your own hands to enjoy for much longer than a week.

From learning about the prehistoic Whorl Shark, to how sharks hunt, breathe, reproduce and where they live.   Learning how much they are the same to each other, and yet how different they are as well.

This book is for every shark fanatic who wants to get even more up close and personal.   Now you really can live every week like it's shark week.

 Feiwel ; Friends
Author: Martha Brockenbrough
8.99 x 10.92 · 160 pages
Ages 9-12 years
Shark Week: Everything You Need to Know