Racism

Racism is a huge topic in the world right now. People are constantly bickering about this and that, and quite frankly I see more words typed and name calling then I do people actually doing something about the issue. Talking about the issue only goes so far. Raising awareness only goes so far. I mean if people really don’t understand that there is racism going on they are purposefully putting on the blinders. As a white lady in the south I can tell you that white privilege is real. But, it’s not just here in the south, and it’s not just white privilege that’s the issue. Look around and you will see that there is racism on all fronts. This is a battle that will first be fought in the comforts of our own homes. What we teach our children will have the greatest impact on our future IMO. Of course I can go to rallies and write papers, I can post stuff on Facebook, and even write great blog posts about the subject, and I may at some point do some of those things, but I still firmly believe as a parent I can help from home first.

There’s the obvious things that I can do as a parent like, talk to the kids about how we shouldn’t view anyone in a negative light based on their skin color or ethnicity, or tell them about times in history when tragedies happened because of racism, and those things are good things to do. But I believe it goes deeper than that. When we purchase Barbie dolls or other dolls we can make sure that they aren’t all whatever ethnicity we are. In our case as a white family I have always had dolls of many colors and nationalities. We have friends of many colors and nationalities. At times I have sought out families who are different than ours. As a homeschooling family I have been intentional about studying different countries. Yes, I have taught my kids about things like, African slavery, Holocaust etc. But I have also taught about good times, times when people who are different have worked together and changed the word. I believe we should be intentional about the children’s books we read to our kids, and even the shows that we watch. Are they multi-cultural? When teaching about inventions are we teaching only one ethnicity invented everything? Or are we teaching about all sorts of people who invented things? These may seem like small things, but these are things that I feel will help the child understand that while yes, we all have differences those differences do not make one person better than the other person.

So, that’s my little thought from my little corner of the world.

Blogging Again

My poor neglected blog. Somewhere in between being a mom and homeschooling I lost my love for blogging. But I was sitting here tonight thinking that it's actually something I miss doing. So, I am going to start blogging again. I think.

Book Review- The Pirate and the Firefly

What a cute book! The Pirate and the Firefly is a children's book written by Tara McClary Reeves & Amanda Jenkins. This book is about a little boy who gets in with the wrong crowd. He knows that what they are doing is wrong, but isn't sure what to do about it. He gets a visit from a little firefly who helps him out. I wasn't sure if my kids would like this book, but as I read it they became more and more interested in the story, and they now ask me to read the book. I like the book because they like it, it teaches them great character straights and has great hands on applications for the family to do to further our character lessons past the book.

One Less, One More

 

 

One Less, One More by crisis expert Robbie Vorhaus is a simple guide to living a happy life. In this book he outlines seven steps for lifelong change, leading you to a life of happiness.

1. Start Now
2. Come Present
3. Consciously choose to follow your heart, be happy, and change slowly
4. Choose one less negative thought or action and let in go
5. Choose one more positive thought or action and embrace it
6. Celebrate your progress
7. Repeat tomorrow

The Pro’s:

The premise of this book is to get you to look past your current crisis, whatever that is, and choose to move forward instead of staying there and wallowing in sorrow. I can fully respect that, and agree. We could all stand to move on and let things go. I felt like the author gave practical real life examples of despair and joy, failure and success, staying put and moving on. I agreed with the basic thoughts the author was trying to portray. Throughout this book I thought of things in my own life that are holding me back and keeping me from moving on. I was able to apply more positive thinking to several areas of my life.

 

The Con’s:

The thought of following your heart in al areas of your life is a wonderful thought, but the heart can be deceitful and lead you astray. It can also push aside practical things. So while I agree that we should move forward, think positive, forgive and seek joy, I don’t believe our hearts will always lead us there. The author to me seemed to not take into account mental illness and things that make moving forward more difficult. The first few chapters make it seem like all it takes is choosing. That is a wonderful thought and is true in many cases, but sometimes it’s harder than that. I also felt like the most important piece of experiencing joy was left out of the book, a relationship with God. Lastly I felt the writing was very choppy, and repeated A LOT!

Over all I did enjoy this book. I received two copies of this book, one to review, and one to give away. I chose to give this book to someone I know who is personally living in crisis right now. I am hopeful that this book will give them some practical steps to move forward. 

 

*I received this book for free to review. The thoughts and opinions stated here are my own. I was not paid for this review.

The Hope Quotient – Book Review

 

 

The Hope Quotient by Ray Johnston is set up to help you measure and recharge your level of hope. The author explores seven factors to help you with this task. These factors are;

1. Recharge Your Batteries

2. Raise Your Expectations

3. Refocus on the Future

4. Play to your Strengths

5. Refuse to go it Alone

6. Replace Burnout with Balance

7. Play Great Defense

At first I really had a difficult time getting into this book. The writing was a little choppy for me, and I read this at an extremely stressful time. Because it was a stressful time I think that may have contributed to my difficulty getting through it. This book really hit home in some areas. I ended up really liking the book and I am glad I read it. I will need to go back and read it again soon, because there were many things I took note of (in a good way) that I need to go back over and study.

One are I really gleaned a lot from was the area of recharging your batteries. Within this section it talks about taking note of what drains you. As I mentioned, when I read this is was a stressful time, so it was good for me to take note of what was draining me, and assess how I could change that constant drain. A few of the things it had me look at was;

• Unhealthy people
• Unkind Critics
• Unbalanced Schedule
• Unnecessary Guilt
• Underestimating the impact of exposure

It was helpful to examine these area’s in my life. Some of the things that are a drain on me are unavoidable. So then it is time for me to find a way to make those things more enjoyable. I can’t get rid of them, so what ways can God use me in those things? Some things like an unbalanced schedule are easier fixes, but need to be acknowledged in order to fix them. There are many other examples I could give of things I gleaned from this book, but I will let you pick up a copy and glean for yourself.

You can pick up a copy at your local Christian book stores and from http://www.thomasnelson.com/the-hope-quotient

 

*I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

The Diva Diaries – Book Review

 

The (Desperate) Diva Diaries by Angie Spady is a book very similar to Dork Diaries. If your a believer and your daughter likes Dork Diaries you will be thrilled to have this as a replacement book. It is written in diary format which the kids love. It has the same over emotional tween girl flair, with a positive spin. Books like this typically encourage braty thoughts towards parents and siblings, but in this book you hear her thoughts as she is led by the Lord to be patient with her younger brother and respectful to her parents. As a mom of a tween girl I am thrilled to have this as a replacement for other books of it’s kind.

 

What did my tween girl think? Let’s find out.

Hailey age 11 says, “I give this book a five star rating. It was so amazing I couldn’t put it down. I loved that it talked all about fashion designing and that the main character had confidence in her designs even though  there were mean girls who made fun of her. She helped the mean girls change and they became best friends. I liked that since there are some mean girls out there. I like that she never gave up her dream. I like that she started being nice to her little brother, some of the scriptures will help me be nicer to my little brothers. She had a best friend who was cool and stood up for her. It’s good to have a friend to help you through problems and who will tell you the truth even when it hurts. If you are a girl my age I think you would love this book. I really hope my mom buys me the entire series.”

So there you have it. This book is worth having for young girls. You can purchase this book at  http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/a/angie-spady/

 

* I was given this book in exchange for my review. The views posted here are my own.

Wine and the Word – Book Review

 

Wine and the Word is a book written by Kurt Senske. Through this book Senske makes a connection between the vineyard and Christian living. The grapevine is mentioned in the Bible 205 times. References to wine or the vine are somewhere in the number of 521 times. Because the vineyard seems to hold great significance in the scriptures Senske set out to help us understand how to apply it to our lives.

Wine in the Word covers many topics such as family life, generosity, spiritual healing, and much more. Because the book covers such a wide variety of topics this book could easily be used as a daily devotional. The chapters are short and easy to read. Although the chapters are short they are full of valuable thoughts and scripture.

If you have an interest in wine you will really enjoy this book, if you don’t you will learn a lot about wine and the process of making wine that you likely didn’t know. I don’t have a particular interest in wine and really wasn’t sure that I would care to read all about it. However, I found the practical connection between the process of wine making and our day to day walk with the Lord easy to understand, enjoyable, and relevant. I could see this book being used in a small group setting.

Overall I did like this book.

You can find out more about the author and this book at www.kurtsenske.com

 

I was given a copy of this book  for free to review. I was not given money in exchange for this book. All of the thoughts expressed in this review are my own.