Biff and Becka's Stupendous Vacation by Elaine Beachy

One of my greatest joys is sharing good books with Davis but it can be difficult to find books where the characters model good behavior for him. A lot of modern children's books, particularly those for early readers, are filled with characters who behave in a bratty fashion or spend lots of time talking about how much they dislike school or vegetables or their siblings. Now, I understand that a lot of kids dislike those things, and every kid acts like a brat from time to time but by reading books to Davis which showcase these behaviors, it seems as though we are telling him that those things are normal or acceptable. Right now, Davis LOVES school and vegetables and though he doesn't have any siblings, he treats other kids (both older and younger) with respect which is exactly what we expect of him. 

Another difficulty with children's books which showcase kids who misbehave as being the norm is that we are trying to teach Davis about God, the Bible and the Christian faith in general so it can be hard when the things he learns in Sunday school aren't in the books that we read throughout the week. Not that he will only be reading books which are Christian, but having a balance between Christian and non-Christian books is probably going to be more helpful in teaching him values as we raise him.


Biff and Becka's Stupendous Vacation by Elaine Beachy is a book where the author portrays a godly home to give encouragement and guidance to parents who struggle and kids who hurt. In this story, their much anticipated family vacation takes an unexpected turn. Throughout this story you see the characters learn to deal with disappointment and to relate to family and friends with honesty and respect. 


Biff and Becka are looking forward to their family's beach vacation which is something they do every year, however this year, due to finances, their parent's tell them they won't be going to the beach as planned. At first the kids are deeply disappointed and can't see how a staycation could possibly be any fun. Once they give it a try, they find that their staycation is even more fun than their usual beach vacation would be.
Davis loved reading this book, and so did I. The story was full of fun and he specifically loved that the characters were bunnies because we have a pet bunny. I could see him imagining Thumper walking and talking as one of the characters in the story. Each chapter seems to teach the kids a different lesson in addition to the overall message of the book so reading one chapter a night gave us plenty to talk about. The discussion guide in the back of the book gives some great conversation starters as well as activities to do as a family to get even more out of the book which I loved! 


I look forward to reading Elaine Beachy's other stories about Biff and Becka with Davis and I really enjoy reading her blog as well.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: 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.”

NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women Book Review

I was provided with a free copy of this book through Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own honest opinions. 

Though I already own several Bibles I was very excited to have the opportunity to review the NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women, Compact: Insights for Everyday Life.  This contains the full text of the NIV Bible as well as 366 insightful daily devotions written by Lysa TerKheurst and the women at Proverbs 31 Ministries. Each devotion takes up one page and is placed within the Bible passage where the main scripture focus is located so it is easy to read the surrounding scripture to gain more perspective.

As someone who often struggles with taking the time for daily devotions and Bible reading, I found these devotions to be wonderful. They are all long enough to give you something to really think about but they can easily be read in just a few minutes which is perfect for busy women.

There is both a topical index and an author index for the devotions so you can easily find something specific to what you are currently struggling with or a new devotion by a favorite author.

I love the look and feel of this compact volume. It has a very soft Italian leather duo-tone sea glass/carribean blue embossed cover and a beautiful pale blue ribbon to mark what page you are on. I like that it has delicate and feminine details without being all in pinks as many women's Bibles seem to be.

Due to it's compact size, this Bible fits easily into even smaller purses so it is easy to carry around with me. The only potential negative I see with this Bible is that because it is a compact version, the print is fairly small.

I highly recommend this Bible version to any woman looking to start or continue the habit of  daily devotions and Bible reading. The devotions in this Bible will speak to you no matter where you are in life and the Bible itself is beautiful and lovely to read.

Unglued Devotional Book Review

I received a free copy of this book through BookSneeze for reviewing purposes.

Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress is a companion to the book Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions  by Lysa Terkeurst both the devotional and the book are written with the intention of helping the reader better cope with their raw emotions and their struggles with emotions. Set up with a daily opening Scripture, thought for the day, daily devotion and closing prayer this book is intended to be read a chapter a day for sixty days and thus get the reader in the habit of checking in with emotions daily.
This was my first experience reading a devotional, and I must admit that I'm not a fan of the format. That said, I did enjoy the content of the book and plan to read the book that this devotional is the companion to. As a busy mom, I'm not very good at taking the time to read and reflect upon one chapter each day for any length of time, I prefer to sit with a book and read for as long as I can at a stretch, pausing to reflect upon what I'm reading as needed.
I really enjoyed this book though, the author is very down to earth and honest about her own faults which makes her very easy to relate to. I left the book with the feeling that she and I could be friends in real life if we ever met. There were many days where I could recognize myself in what she was writing. I definitely struggle with my emotional responses to situations and often find myself feeling bad about and having to apologize for having blown up at Davis or Matt about something small because other things have been building up.

Rosebud Blooming Book Review

I originally reviewed Rosebud Blooming: Hurting to Healing in His Timing by Nancy Maggio on my old blog but I'm bringing over that content to this new blog. Here is the review I originally wrote.

Life is full of challenges and difficult times that can test anyone's faith. In this book, Nancy describes the journey she took through her own personal challenges. Nancy tells the story of how she found God after making her way through some of life's challenges and how that faith was tested later in her life with more difficult times. This book is set up as a collection of short stories and poems.
Though I don't usually read religious books, I do enjoy memoirs and I am trying to expand my horizons. I really wanted to love this book but I didn't. It started off well enough with a story from her childhood that literally gave me chills and made me wish I had a faith as strong as she had as a child.From there I would say that it went down hill. The poems seemed amateurish, which doesn't necessarily make them bad as they did make the points the author was trying to make. There were a few times while reading that I found myself contemplating putting the book down and not picking it back up because there were viewpoints expressed which I vehemently disagree with, namely the author's view of homosexuality as something to be "cured". But I kept reading because the whole point was to expose myself to viewpoints that are different from my own.All in all the stories were good and I could appreciate how the author's faith helped her overcome obstacles and heal physical injuries but it felt more like I was reading someone's diary than an actual book. It was enjoyable but not so much that I'd feel the need to read anything else by this author in the future if she publishes further works.

I would edit this review to say that I have now begun to read many more religious books as a part of my journey as a new Christian. I would also add that though I still strongly disagree with some of the author's views, I enjoy exposing myself to differing viewpoints and this was definitely different. Though it was unpolished writing, sometimes that makes for very interesting reading.

Veggie Tales Yuletide Ice Cube Fair Book Review

I was provided with a free copy of this book from Zondervan through Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own or my son's honest opinions.

I was recently given the opportunity to review Veggie Tales Yuletide Ice Cube Fair and both Davis and I were very excited as we love the Veggie Tales series. Here's the book description we read before choosing this book to review:

It’s that wonderful time of year again—the Yuletide Ice Cube Fair! It’s a time of festivity and fun as Veggies gather to eat snow cones, slurp slushies, and ice skate on the frozen pond. But the greatest part of all is the Ice Cube Carving Contest! The Veggies are trying to outdo each other in an effort to win the grand prize. But the smallest of all these ice entries is truly the most grand—a carving done by Junior Asparagus. It is a tiny stable with a shepherd on one knee. Young readers discover that it’s not what’s biggest or best that’s most important on Christmas—it’s Jesus.

This book begins and ends with scripture and in between is a fun story which includes all our favorite Veggie Tales characters and teaches the true meaning of Christmas. With so many Christmas stories focusing on Santa and presents, it is great to have one that really hones in on what is most important about this time of year while remaining enjoyable for kids to read.

This book is recommended for kids ages 4-8 but I would say it is a great read aloud for younger kids as well. Davis is in second grade and can easily read this book himself but he still loves having it read to him as well. I can see this book being a family favorite for years to come as Davis reads it aloud to his baby brother and Matt and I read it aloud to both of them during the holiday season.

I highly recommend adding this book to your holiday book collection and if you like this book, check Amazon for more great Veggie Tales titles!

Sweet & Simple Moments with God Devotional

I am not typically a fan of devotional style books, but I keep trying them in the hopes of finding a few that I really like. I have been working on developing the habit of reading a little bit of the Bible each day and find that sometimes it is easier when I read a little bit of something inspiring either before or after I read a few chapters of the Bible. When I saw The One Year Sweet and Simple Moments with God Devotional listed on Tyndale Blog Network for review, I figured I'd request it and give devotionals another chance. I am so glad that I did!

Here is the description taken from the back of the book: 

As women, sometimes we’re running so fast that we forget to do the things that will most revive our spirits and renew our hearts. In The One Year Sweet and Simple Moments with God Devotional, Kim Newlen shares heart-lightening insights she’s gathered from pausing and listening to God in her day-to-day life, encouraging us all to take a sweet and simple moment to be still with God every day. When we do, we’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it will make in everything else! This year, make every moment count through spending sweet and simple time with the One who can carry your burdens best.

I'll admit that when I first received this book, I looked through it, read a few pages and then sort of forgot about it. I mean, I knew I had it but so many other books made their way to the top of my pile of books to read. I picked up The Sweet and Simple Moments with God Devotional again and read the passage for October 29th which talked about the importance of 'minding your manna' or more simply, making God's Word a habit. The key phrase from that day reads in part, "Read God's Word, chew on it, and do what it says."

Because I needed to write up a good review, I decided to flip backwards and read a few more passages to get a better feel for the book as a whole. The next devotion I read was for September 27th, which talked about a specific verse in scripture, 1 Chronicles 28:9. This verse is one in which King David is giving his final advice to his son, Solomon because David is dying. King David tells his son to learn to know God so that he may serve and worship him. The devotion talks about living a life seeking God so that we may all worship and serve him. The key phrase I found in this devotion was, "Living the seek life includes reading God's Word to know him more."

Flipping further back to April 27th, I read the benefits of reading God's Word as written in Psalm 119 and then on April 26th the key phrase stated, "Let's water ourselves daily with God's word! Let's think about the fact that healthy things grow, then make sure we're doing our part to feed ourselves with God's Word so our spiritual health doesn't fade like our hair color but grows stronger."

Obviously, something is telling me to make reading the Bible daily more of a priority! But set aside for a moment the actual messages of the daily devotions, (of which there are many I simply chose this grouping as it really spoke clearly to me) I truly enjoyed the way these devotions are written. Kim Newlen writes as if she were speaking to a close friend and that makes it really easy to read through and gain a new understanding of whatever topic she happens to be discussing.

I had originally planned on reading through this devotional to review it and then probably passing it along to someone else to use as I haven't been a big fan of devotionals in the past but after reading a wide selection of the daily sections, I feel compelled to keep it so that I can read through it more thoroughly using it the way it is intended. I will be adding this book to my daily Bible reading in the future, though I do have one other devotional to review so this one may have to wait a few weeks.

I received this book for free through the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review, all opinions stated are entirely my own.