Book Review: "Daddy Dates"

The book, "Daddy Dates," by motivational leader Greg Wright gave great insight on how dads can establish a better relationship with their daughter(s). I chose this book because we have 3 girls, and I'm sure my husband empathizes with the author of this book. Greg Wright has 4 girls and even their family pet is a female. We have 3 girls, and both pets are females as well. Anyway...

This book was written in an easy-to-read format sparing the reader from big words that therapists and psychologists or other doctors/professionals would use. There is a wealth of practical advice provided within the pages of the book. Wright is very open and honest about the details of the dates he took his daughters on and their reactions.

My prayer is that both my husband and I have great relationships with our daughters. We want them to be able to talk to us about anything!! “Daddy Dates” has wonderful ideas on how we can do that, of course, it begins with us.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Family Trip to St. Louis!!

This summer our family took a trip to St. Louis. Andy and I had been debating on where to go for a family vacation this year, but had not decided for sure. Then he was asked to go to a conference in St. Louis on a Tuesday. So we decided to make it a long weekend by leaving the Saturday before...thus our trip to St. Louis. And we all had a blast!!!! We wore ourselves and friends out!! I've been recuperating today, and trying to get laundry done. :)

My BFF from college, Emily Jenkins and her family live in St. Louis, and they took us out on the town on Sunday. We started off at the St. Louis Zoo. It has been said that taking a picture with Phil the gorilla is a tradition so we did. Emily and I both have 4 kids--3 girls and a boy. Needless to say our little monkeys were right at home. :)

Emily and I had our pics taken, too. I'm sure Drew is wondering what on earth we are doing. :) You never can be sure when Emily and I get together. We had fun talking about other vacations our families should do together. Or...just leave the kids with the dads and she and I could get away. Hee hee! :)

On Monday we went to Six Flags. It had been stormy during the night before and most of the morning, but it turned out to be a great day to go. The crowds were super low, and Andy and the kids didn't have to worry about long waits for the roller coasters. Naomi wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel in the worst way. So here's one half of the family on one side of our caged ride...

...and here's the other half! Yes, I sucked it up and rode the darn thing. I have a HUGE problem with heights!!! You can also tell it was a no make-up kind of day for me as well. Not my finest pic, but oh well. :)

We were exhausted on our way home, but it was sooooo worth it. The kids loved it!!!

Now, I would love to say that I will keep updating my blog, but I'm making no such promises. :) I have more pics I would like to post, though, so I guess we'll see. Till then...

Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt

This was a well-written book about the power of prayer, especially when couples join together in prayer. Just when you thought the most intimate act between a couple was...well..sex, you are told quickly in the book that that is not the case. The most intimate act between a couple can and should be prayer. The book is divided into three sections, each one building on the other. The first section dives into the benefits of praying couples. Testimonials from celebrities as well as regular people are plentiful. The 40 day challenge is the second section, with factors during the forty days being the third section. The book also provides a couple of appendixis with extra information.

I really liked this book. It was very easy to read, and I loved the plethora of testimonials sprinkled throughout the book. I'm also a recipe kind of girl. If you give me a recipe I will follow it to the letter. If you just throw ingredients at me you will not receive anything edible in return. This book provides a recipe for couples to follow if they want to add prayer to their lives. I think my favorite section was section 3 because there was a lot more practical information there letting you know what you could expect during and after the 40 days. I would love to add that my husband and I took the 40 day challenge and now we pray every single day, but I would be lying. I hope that one day we can get there. We did pray once together, and it lasted longer than 5 minutes. We didn't lock our door so it lasted till our 1 year old son came bouncing in. :) I think I need to challenge myself to do the 40 day challenge--even if it is by myself--and pray for God to give my husband the desire to make it a priority as well. As is the case with most families we are extremely busy--both spouses with full-time jobs, raising 4 kids, responsibilities in our own church, etc. The list could go on and on. If there is anytime that we need to be praying together it's now! I believe both my husband and I have the desire to have closer relationships with our heavenly Father and with each other. Often the hardest step is getting started.

My recommendation would be to go out and get this book. Even if just one person has the desire to make prayer a higher priority I believe it could have huge effects. That's what I'm praying for my marriage. I pray that I will be able to update this post at a later time and sing the praises of how God has done miraculous things in our married life. He has already blessed us with so much already!

Invasion by Jon Lewis

Invasion by J. S. Lewis is the first book in the C.H.A.O.S. series, a science fiction book about a boy's mission to uncover the scary truth about a huge company with some big secrets.

This was a gripping teen sci-fi thriller that grabs a hold of you in the first chapter and never lets go. Even adult sci-fi fans will enjoy this easy read. I saw this as a mix between James Bond and Roswell, the book series. If they had books like this when I was a teenager, I probably would have read more.

The only issue I had with Invasion was the unskilled teens continually fought and out smarted skilled adults. That didn't quite make sense to me. However I am looking forward to the second installment due in January 2012.

Voices of the Faithful - Book 2

I was excited to see a second book in the Voices of the Faithful 'series'. This is a devotional book with 365 readings and is for the person who has an interest in seeing the Christian experience from a missionary's viewpoint. Beth Moore wrote in her introduction that her goal is for the reader to: feel connected to brothers and sisters in Christ all over the globe, change your 'God bless the missionaries' prayer to praying for REAL people, be motivated to cross your river of fear and do the thing God has called you to do. This doesn't mean that we need to become a missionary to a foreign land but to be missionaries where we are!!

One thing different with this book is that each month has a theme, ie. prayer, hope, lost and found, etc. Although I haven't read each day's reading, I am looking forward to seeing what God will work through in my life in regards to these themes. As I read through some of the stories, I couldn't help but be encouraged as I saw missionaries go through similar experiences that I was going through. And it is so uplifting to see God work in their lives and know that he can do the same here in the United States!! In fact, in my own small country church!!

I definitely recommend this book to add to your daily Quiet Time readings for encouragement and the knowledge of community in our commission to spread the Good News.

Note: I received this book free for an advance reading as part of their Booksneeze bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and therefore, this review is 100% my own opinion.

Really Woolly Bible Stories

This is a board book by Bonnie Rickner Jensen and is illustrated by Julie Sawyer Phillips. It is geared for ages 3-5 and tells several short Bible stories in poetic form. The pictures are illustrated with the Really Woolly characters which the little children love. The story/poem is on one side and the picture of the story is across the page. So it is wonderful to be able to read the poem to your youngster and have them able to look at the picture at the same time. The poem is just long enough to hold their attention and the fact that it is a board book means that it holds up to some sudden and ambitious page turning.

I want to add that our 3 year old daughter loves it and is glad to have a Bible story book of her own. And I can have her hold it or carry it around and I don't have to be afraid of torn pages, etc. I would recommend this book as a sturdy addition to a preschooler's library.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. This review is my own opinion.

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

This is a devotional book geared for children and there is a page for each day of the year. It is written as though God is speaking to the reader and the author did a great job in putting it in language that children can understand.

Right now my husband is reading it each day to my two girls, ages 7 and 9. Our 9 year old reads the Bible passages and both girls are able to answer questions after reading the devotional. I highly recommend this devotional and view it as a great tool in helping children learn about God and how He cares for them.

This book was provided for my by Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for a review, either positive or negative.