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

Thankful Thursday

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.   Colossians 4:2

This week I am thankful for...

~ when my husband explains things to our son and tries to answer his questions.  

~ our oldest coming to watch baseball! 

~ when I have something our DIL can use for a recipe  

~ getting to watch our boy play baseball three nights.  Quite the week to have three games in one week, but I'm glad we can go watch him and this is our only week with three games.  

~ the visiting singing group at our church Wednesday night.  It was a blessing to hear them sing and then all of us singing together. 

~ pretty wildflowers I saw on my walk.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

There are many blessings in our lives each day.  I like to pause on Thursdays and reflect on the previous week.  

~ that my husband is able to go to PT for his heel spur and learning exercises to do to help with this pain.

~ our oldest cooking for the birthday party for his little brother.  Burgers, hot dogs, and poppers!!

~ our DIL being helpful and her relationship with Titus. She is a blessing!

~ getting to celebrate our 11 year old last Saturday at his birthday party and then on his actual birthday on Sunday.  He is a blessing! We were thankful for the weather being nice to be outside on Saturday too....an answer to prayer!

~ family and friends that came to celebrate Titus for his birthday!

~ our niece being baptized!  So happy for her!

~ walking at ACU.  It is nice to do on a beautiful morning and hear and see the birds, shining sun, green grass, and pretty flowers.  

Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

No we have someone else do them.  We had the same lady for many, many years.  She passed away a few years ago so we had to find someone new. 

It has been "taxing" to drive around here lately with all the big trucks that are part of the construction of the new AI plants plus all the new people living in the area that work there.  

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 
I do like to plan ahead but some stuff I do wait until the last minute when packing.  I take too much stuff.  Even if we are going on a day trip, I will have a bag of books or cards to write or my coloring stuff.

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 
I don't really love grilled cheese sandwiches.  It has been a very long since I've eaten one.  

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

I feel growth is important throughout life.  But there are also seasons when you need to just maintain peace and take care of yourself instead of worrying about adding more to your life or growing in some way.

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips
• lemonade or iced tea
• gardening or hiking
• ladybugs or butterflies 
• umbrella or raincoat
• floral patterns or polka dots

Here are my picks:

• tulips
• iced tea
• gardening I guess (neither!)
• ladybugs
• umbrella
• polka dots

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The workers finished the tub on Friday.  They'd told me I could use it Saturday.  Friday when they finished they said it would be dry and ready to use Friday night.  It is nice to have a tub again!  I am thankful my husband did this for me!

Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany