Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Book Review- God Gave Us Angels

     God Gave Us Angels is marketed for children ages 3-8. I was curious how the author, Lisa Tawn Bergren, would deal with the topic of angels in a kid friendly way. Little Cub is "Lookin' for angels," so Papa Bear gives his cub Biblical information about angels.

          -Angels are all around us, but invisible most of the time.
          -Angels serve God and do what He wants.
          -Angels are messengers .
          -Angels guard or fight for God's people.
          -Angels worship God, but are not to be worshiped or prayed            to.
          -Angels don't really wear halos.
          -Angels sometimes are in disguise (a test to see if we will                care for those in need).
          -Angels live in heaven and sing praise to God.
     This is a well written children's book. I enjoy the simple way Bergren handles a weighty topic and the colorful artwork by Laura J. Bryant. My only complaint is the use of "Imbisible" for Little Cub's version of "Invisible." I would prefer my kids read and hear the correct spelling and pronunciation of a word. However, this is definitely a book I will share with my children.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

In This House We Will Giggle

 I just finished reading a book called, In This House We Will Giggle by Courtney DeFeo. The book was not what I expected, but I absolutely loved it! I have already started recommending this book to friends and it would make a great Christmas gift.

The author lays out 12 virtues we would love to see more of in our home- joy, love, forgiveness, faith, patience, perseverance, respect, responsibility, service, humility, gratitude, and generosity. She recommends focusing on one virtue each month, giving examples, practical activity ideas, memory verses, and scripture to study for each virtue.

I love that with almost every virtue DeFeo reminds us of the bigger reason we attempt to instill godly virtues into our children and homes. She writes, "My passion is not to produce good little Christian kids but to help raise a generation of kids to light up the world for His glory."

I was also reminded over and over that attitude and behavior starts with ME! I am the example of joy, love, forgiveness, etc. for my children and I play a huge role in setting the tone in our home.

I feel both humbled and inspired after reading this book. Now I am excited to share these 12 lessons with my 4 kids and husband during the next year and hopefully in the years to come.