Thankful Thursday

~ that my husband got a bonus at work.

~ when our oldest played a trick on his brother.  He's always been a good big brother. 

~ when I can talk to our DIL when she's on the porch with the dogs.

~ last day of 5th grade for our boy! He's had such a wonderful year.  He's loved his teachers and pretty much everything about this year. School's out for the summer! And I'm thankful for our "last day" traditions.  

~ receiving much needed rain here this week.  

~ getting to go to the HS awards banquet and assembly.  It's always fun to see their smiling faces as they are anticipating graduation this week!

~ being surprised with flowers, card, and gift card at the awards ceremony as a thank you for my work for PTO during the past three years.  It was unexpected and very thoughtful.  

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Children's book: We Are Home When We're Together

About the book:

We Are Home When We're Together is a warm invitation to cherish memories, embrace change, and remember that whenever you're with family—you're home.

Acclaimed designers and mother-daughter team Jean Stoffer and Grace Start of The Established Home from the Magnolia Network show that the location of a family's most sacred space may change, but the foundation—love for one another—remains. This meaningful picture book helps children savor good memories and reassures them that new spaces can lead to beautiful new experiences as they trust God to help them navigate and settle into a new house with their family.

Moving to new houses, new schools, new neighborhoods, and other life changes can be unsettling, and We Are Home When We're Together is a reminder to look to God as your family adjusts together. This beautiful book

• is for ages 4 to 8,
• includes stunning illustrations that feature interesting and diverse homes,
• helps parents and caretakers who are navigating moves or other life changes with their children,
• features ways to involve children in setting up home together,
• provides intentional ideas to savor memories and create wonderful new ones, and
• reminds families to rely on God, who is preparing our forever home, and rest in Him as they navigate change.

This celebration of home and family is a lovely addition to your bookshelf, a wonderful story to cozy up to with your children, and a meaningful gift for children and families who are navigating new seasons of life.

My thoughts:

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

Don't you just love this sweet cover!  In life we all face changes and transitions.  This is a sweet book with a lesson that even though change can be difficult, it doesn't matter where we live when we are together.  Changes are part of life.  This book can help families have conversations and share concerns about upcoming moves or changes they are facing.  God will help us as we faces these challenges and new things.

The illustrations really add to the beauty of this book.

I received a copy of this from Tommy Nelson Book Worms and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Have a day of blessings! Bethany

Thankful Thursday

We're going through May and all the things for the end of the school year!  This week I am thankful for...

~  meeting my husband for lunch.  

 

~  sweetest notes and gifts from our oldest son and DIL for Mother's Day.

~ our boy playing baseball.  He did so good at 1st base this year.  

~ pretty weather for walking outside.  

~ prayer time with my fellow elders' wives.  

~  having a banana split in memory of my Meemaw on her birthday.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Whew May is always a busy month!!  Today I am thankful for...

~ the caring loving husband I have and the many ways he shows me his love.  Sweet conversations with him make me smile.  

~ our oldest son and DIL celebrating their 2 year anniversary this week!   I am thankful for both of them!  

~ our youngest participating in the 5th grade talent show with his friend.  They did a good job!  It was fun to watch all the kids.  

~ getting to celebrate our niece's 13th birthday.  

~ the many ways our district and PTOs showed appreciation to our teachers and staff.  We have so many wonderful employees!

~ getting graduation invitations in the mail. Especially from kids I've known for many years and seeing how much they are grown up now!

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Book review: Navigate Life Like a Pro

About the book:

Level up and handle life like a pro with 100 devotions to encourage faith, build resilience against tough challenges, and learn practical tips for daily life. Navigate Life Like A Pro provides faith-based guidance for issues like anxiety, self confidence, bullying, faith conversations, and more all packed into 100 daily devotionals that tween and middle grade boy will connect with.

Imagine your life armed with confidence and clarity, ready to take on life's challenges. Growing up is like navigating through a maze full of surprises, challenges, and decisions that can be difficult, thankfully God’s right there alongside you. Filled with captivating stories, meaningful reflections, and practical advice, in this 100-day devotional you’ll find:

• Themes of empowerment that become your go-to guide for transforming challenges into opportunities and making confident moves.
• Real-life wisdom for issues such as dealing with bullying to self-esteem to making tough decisions in life, including sex, drugs and other social anxieties
• Faith-based guidance providing insight and advice rooted in solid biblical wisdom to help you grow stronger in your walk with God
• Ways to surround yourself with friends who share your values and support your goals. Whether it's through church youth groups, school clubs, or sports teams, find places where you can meet like-minded people.

Build confidence, strengthen your faith, and develop personal growth with action-oriented devotionals that feature practical steps you can take to apply in your everyday life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ed Strauss lives in British Columbia, Canada, with his wife and three tween-aged children. Ed is a freelance writer with a passion for Biblical apologetics and fantasy fiction. Apart from writing, Ed enjoys biking and exploring nature.

My thoughts:

I have an 11 year old boy so I thought this would be a good devotional book to try!  He has read some of the devotionals.  He said he thought it was good. He said "it was good it was for all ranges of kids like those that are shy or those that feel like they are good at everything.  It helps them see how to be a better person."

What I like is the format.  These are not overly long readings.  They are concise and will hold the attention of a young boy.  Each day has a verse as well as a question at the end with a little space to write an answer.  I like that it takes a truth or character from the Bible and relates it to a young boy's life. There is such a variety of topics in these devotionals....attitude, how to treat the elderly, prayer, our speech.  

I think it would be a good book for him to use daily during the summer.  

The book may be purchased here.

I received a copy of this from FrontGate Media and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

#boys #middlegradebooks #middlegradereads #boymom #ChristianMom #homeschoolmomlife #homeschooling #homeschoollife #zonderkidz

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

~ my husband bringing us a cupcake from the bakery.

~ when I got to have lunch with our oldest.

~ our DIL sharing a couple of her fresh strawberries with us. 

~ that our youngest got to have a partial day of field day fun in the afternoon with the light rain in the morning.  

~ getting books in the mail to review.  I've gotten a couple recently that I will review in the near future.

~ ears to hear the birds and all the songs they sing.

~ variety of weather we've had this week...from feeling like hot summer days in the high 90s to the 60s today with clouds and rain. Texas weather!

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why. 

Full speed ahead for May!  It's the end of the school year which means it zooms by and is full of activities and banquets.

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.  
Probably music because I was part of choir from 6th-12th grade.  I learned a lot and it was a great experience for me.  We got to sing in Carnegie Hall twice.  Also my son has done a competition called "music memory" (which I also did in elementary school) and we learned the names and composers together.  

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 
Usually we eat around 6.  This month it has been whatever time we can....usually Titus eats before baseball and wants to eat again when we get home.  We haven't had much leftovers lately!  I don't mind eating leftovers once or twice.  And usually (not during baseball season!) I plan meals in the week so Thursday we have leftovers.  

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

Recipes and meal planning often send me down a rabbit hole!  I have a lot of good ideas saved on Pinterest!

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...

At what are you 'self-taught?' 

I feel like I've learned some computer things on my own like Canva and making things on Shutterfly.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

May brings a busy time for us with the end of school approaching!  Baseball season will be winding down in May as well.  Spring is here with birds singing, wind, wildflowers, some rain and storms, and sunshine.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany