The Christian Mama's Guide to the Grade School Years by Erin MacPherson

After reading (and quite enjoying) The Christian Mama's Guide to the Parenting a Toddler, I quickly grabbed this book when I had the option to review it.  I don't know if it's because I don't have a kid in the grade school years yet, or because I just don't like to think about my kids heading off into the big wide world on their own, but I just couldn't get into this book.  That is not to say, though, that it's not worth reading if you are in this stage with your children (or heading into it soon).

MacPherson covers topics such as choosing a school (private? public? homeschool? other?), setting a vision for your family so your kids can be grounded when everything else is pouring perhaps less than life-giving messages into them, how to handle your kids who are struggling in school, how to prepare your kids for school, how to help them succeed and much more.  MacPherson's mother has alot of experience in early childhood education so MacPherson draws on that experience as she writes.  Throughout the book, there are "From the Principal's Office" sections which include notes directly from MacPherson's mom.  It is nice to hear the inside scoop from someone who has seen more than a generation of children go through school and succeed (or not succeed) and who has a pretty good idea of what helps children succeed.  There are also "Time Out For Mom" sections, just as in MacPherson's other books in this series, that provide a scripture passage and prayer that relates to the current topic being discussed.

MacPherson's writing style is very easy to read and feels much more like a good friend sharing her stories than a top-down, instruction style book.  I did very much enjoy that aspect of the book!

I would recommend this book to mothers of school-age or nearly school age children.  If you're like me and you can't handle thinking about sending your two-year old out into the big, wide world just yet, maybe skip this book for now and pick it up in a couple years when school time is near.  This book would probably be a good read right up until your child is nearing junior high. 

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

The Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler

My first impression of this book (when I saw the cover and title) was that it was a joke.  I didn't take it seriously.  But seeing as I have a 2 year old and the description on the front says that this book contains "everything you need to know to survive (and love) your child's terrible twos," I figured it was worth a shot!

This book surpassed my expectations.  It is a helpful collection of one mom's suggestions, along with input from her nutritionalist sister and early childhood educator/parenting coach mother.  I found many ideas that I plan to put into practice (including bedtime battles, tantrums, food fight, etc)!  It has helpful lists of creative discipline ideas, healthy snacks/meals, and more.  This book also includes special "time-out for mom" sections in every chapter which include a scripture and prayer relating to the chapter.

Now, some parenting "experts" come across in a know-it-all (annoying) way.  Erin MacPerson is quite the opposite.  She is quite willing to share her REAL life and parenting experiences with the reader.  Reading this book is more like having coffee with a good girlfriend rather than hearing a lecture from a well-meaning "veteran" mom who has all the answers.  It is an easy read, as well as humorous and helpful!  I hope to read the other books in this series as I have an infant, will soon have school-age children, and hope to be pregnant again too!

I would highly recommend this book.  Look past the cover and dig in.  You won't be disappointed!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger review program.  I am under no obligation to provide a positive review. (I actually think this is a good book!)

Unglued Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst

How many times have you picked up a new devotional and felt disappointed after the first 2-3 days because the book just felt like another devotional cliche?  It is full of devotionals that convey truth, sure, but don't challenge or come across as very relate-able.  I had given up on devotional books years ago but, for some reason, decided to give this one a try.  What a refreshing change from the dry devotional books I was used to!

Unglued Devotional is written in such a way that it doesn't feel like the author is preaching to you or talking down to you.  I would describe it as reading an encouraging, challenging daily blog post from someone who is going through the same sort of days that you are.  She often shares her own experiences and shares how she is working on life, just like the rest of us. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is DONE with the typical boring devotional book.  Each day's reading has a verse from the Bible, a quote and a short (1-2 page) reading from the author.  It is easy to get through for those with busy schedules and give you something to think about for the rest of the day.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blog review program.  I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

The Southern Foodie by Chris Chamberlain

The Southern Foodie is an interesting addition to any cookbook collection.  It would also be a fun book to have on hand while planning a vacation traveling across the states listed in the book! 

This book lists some noteworthy places to eat across 13 of the southern states.  The book is broken down by state.  Within each state is listed an average of a half dozen places to eat that are worth pulling off the freeway for.  Listed under each restaurant is the address, phone umber, email address, a brief description of what makes the place worth stopping at, a description of the cuisine and atmosphere, its specialties, and an insider tip (whether or not to make a reservation, etc).  Then, each restaurant has shared one or two recipes from their menu for you to try! 

As far as the recipes go, I found that many of them had ingredients that I'd either never heard of or don't ordinarily stock in my kitchen.  This was not a huge surprise to me as I stock a fairly simple, down-home kitchen with mostly just the basics and I know that.  But I'm not sure that I will get much practical cooking use out of this book without adapting the recipes to use ingredients that are either available in my town or that I already have on hand.  That said, there were some yummy looking dishes (from appetizers, main courses, and side dishes, to salads and desserts)!  I will be sure to try at least a few of these tasty treats in my own home!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and am under no obligation to provide a positive review.