Book Review - Lists to Love By for Husbands and Wives

Lists to Love By for Busy Husbands: Simple Steps to the Marriage You Want 

The founders of Family First, Mark and Susan Merrill, present a collection of lists created for the busy husband who wants a more intimate, fulfilling union with his wife. Husbands and wives bring different personalities, upbringings, experiences, and expectations into their marriage, which can lead to miscommunication and emotional turmoil. LISTS TO LOVE BY FOR BUSY HUSBANDS presents practical dos and don'ts along with step-by-step advice for husbands who want to bridge the emotional gap and improve their marriage. Mark and Susan Merrill understand that couples crave love, but don't always know how to express it to one another. These thirty lists will carry husbands through an entire month of learning to love their wives more deeply--wisdom they will come back to again and again. These real-life answers from a Christian perspective will help readers evaluate, refresh, and strengthen their own marriage.

Lists to Love By for Busy Wives: Simple Steps to the Marriage You Want

From Mark and Susan Merrill, the founders of Family First, comes a collection of lists created for the busy wife who wishes to strengthen her marriage and love her husband well. It's no secret that there is a wide emotional gap between men and women. Couples crave love and attention from one another, but they don't always know how to show it. LISTS TO LOVE BY FOR BUSY WIVES presents creative and practical ways for wives to bridge this gap and improve their relationship. These thirty lists will carry wives through an entire month of learning to love their husbands more deeply with advice they will come back to again and again. From lists addressing a wide range of topics, readers will learn to set better expectations for their marriage, to communicate more effectively with their husband, to build a deeper foundation of love in their marriage, and much more.

 

My Take on the Books
What I love about both of these books is that they open up a dialogue between husband and wife and allow them to start communicating again. Too often in marriage barriers arise and you get into a funk when it comes to talking about differences. These can lead to resentment or others challenges. With that being said the lists and questions in these books allow you to think about marriage in a different way and allow you to start to talk again and have fun while doing it. The books were easy to read and a ton of fun to share with one another. This is a gift you can give to each other as a couple and really works!!


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Portable North Pole Christmas Magic

Portable North Pole helps kids (and grown-ups) develop an attitude of gratitude at Christmas. When Santa knows their name, all about their efforts throughout the year and can let them know if they are on the Nice List or not... the effect is magical! #DoGoodDeeds
Here's the link to PNP: http://bit.ly/usfgPNP

Here's an infographic from Portable North Pole to show you how to get the most magic out of the season with your PNP Magic Pass! 

The elves love your Reaction Recorder videos so much, they can't stop giggling! PNP Santa would love you to share your reactions on his Facebook. The one that makes us smile the most will win a special PNP prize! 

#ReactionRecorder (The Reaction Recorder is available with an Unlimied Pass only!)

Here's Tia Mowry's adorable little boy Cree watching his Santa message with her. 

P.S.

For last minute gift ideas for little ones, don't forget to take a look at the Christmas for Kids Gift Guides on Elfster! 

...and follow Santa's adventure around the world on Christmas Eve with our friends at NORAD.
Here's the link to PNP: http://bit.ly/usfgPNP

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Book Review - Math Lab for Kids: Fun, Hands-On Activities for Learning with Shapes, Puzzles, and Games

About the Book
Make learning math fun by sharing these hands-on labs with your child. Math Lab for Kids presents more than 50 activities that incorporate coloring, drawing, games, and items like prisms to make math more than just numbers. With Math Lab for Kids, kids can:

• Explore geometry and topology with hands-on examples like prisms, antiprisms, Platonic solids, and Möbius strips.
• Build logic skills by playing and strategizing through tangrams, toothpick puzzles, and the game of Nim.
• Draw graphs to learn the language of connections.
• Discover how to color maps like a mathematician by using the fewest colors possible.
• Create mind bending fractals with straight lines and repeat shapes.

And don't worry about running to the store for expensive supplies! Everything needed to complete the activities can be found in the book or around the house. Math is more important in schools than ever. Give your children a great experience and solid foundation.

My Take on the Book
The authors have written a math activity book which will keep your children actively engaged in thinking,learning, and having fun for hours. The range of subject matter includes: geometry, topology, maps, curves, fractals, tangrams, puzzles, games, and graphing. They included the solutions to the puzzles, tangram shapes to cut out and use, and hints to help with solving or leaning .

Each chapter begins with a "Think About" question. Many chapters have "Try This" sections and there are even some sections which would be perfect for a math grouping of children.

The book was easy to use and understand. The introductions to each chapter were clear and concise.The authors included math facts and either diagrams or photographs to assist with the concepts.Most of the equipment/tools needed are ones you might have around your house or are easy to find.

I think your child will enjoy the activities and feel both successes and challenges working through each chapter.
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Crab Pot Trees - A Cool New Christmas Tradition!

Crab Pot Christmas Trees are remarkable, perfectly shaped trees that are pre-lit, fold flat for storage, sparkle from EVERY angle and are easily set up. What makes these holiday trees so unique and the MUST HAVE of the season for home decor? Crab Pot Christmas Trees are made from the very durable PVC Coated Crab Pot Wire which withstands all that Mother Nature throws at it.

Want to see these fold flat Crab Pot Christmas Trees? Check out the fold flat trees in this video, because seeing is believing and this is how you can make the season sparkle with ease. 



I can say that these trees are so cool. I received one of these myself and found that these trees not only look great, but they were also so easy to put together and looked great when up too. The lights were strong and especially with the stakes, I could put these even in our windiest areas and it was not going anywhere. This was a very high quality tree and was one that I was very excited to have in my own yard this year and for years to come.

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Saving Space with YouCopia!

As so many of you know saving space is not something that tends to happen in a busy home. Things get cluttered, busy and crazy. Of course, the cabinets get even more cluttered. Sometimes, it seems that it is easier to just toss things instead of organizing them but before trying YouCopia, I did not have an easy way to do this.

I recently tried the following products and am so glad that I did!

YouCopia StoreMore Adjustable Lid Holder, White

• Organize your pot and pan lids (not included) in the lower cabinet or pantry 
• Features 7 adjustable dividers to perfectly fit lids so they remain upright and easy to remove 
• Strong coated steel wires fit securely into base; will NOT pop out or scratch lids 
• Soft non-slip feet hold everything even round lids - in place inside the cabinet 
• No mounting or installation required; Measures 7-1/2" D x 11-1/2" W x 5" H

http://www.target.com/p/youcopia-storastack-food-container-storage-organizer-drawer-solution/-/A-50220240

http://www.youcopia.com/products/drawerstorastack

YouCopia StoraStack Food Container Storage Organizer, Drawer Solution

• Store and organize 12 containers and 12 matching lids (not included) in a drawer 
• Fits plastic food containers from grocery store brands like Ziploc®, Glad®, Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® and Target Up&Up® 
• Includes two clip dispensers for container stacks; dividers keep lids separated 
• DOES NOT FIT Rubbermaid Premier and Easy Find Lid Storage and Tupperware non disposable storage 
• No permanent installation required; Expands to lock into standard kitchen drawers 18-5/16" to 21-5/16”D x 7-3/8"W x 4-1/2"

http://www.target.com/p/youcopia-storemore-adjustable-lid-holder/-/A-50220207 

http://www.youcopia.com/products/storemore-lid-holder

My Take on the products
In using these YouCopia products I found that they were very easy to use and that they came together quickly too. I found that they fit well in my cabinets and I could easily fit my pot lids as well as my ziploc and rubbermaid containers and lids all in one place. These products really allowed me to get organized and the end result really made a difference in consolidating my space and making things look a lot better. 

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Book Review - The Worst Night Ever

About the Book
Last year, Wyatt Palmer was the hero of middle school, having foiled a plot against the president of the United States. But now he and his friends are in Coral Cove High School-home of the Fighting Conchs-and Wyatt is no longer a hero: He's just another undersized freshman, hoping to fit in, or at least not be unpopular. Things start to go wrong when Matt Diaz, who is Wyatt's best friend but also unfortunately an idiot, decides to bring his pet ferret, Frank, to school. Through an unfortunate series of events Frank ends up in the hands of the Bevin brothers, who are the most popular boys at Coral Cove High, but are also, as Matt soon discovers, the nastiest. When Wyatt and Matt try to get Frank back, they concoct a plan to attend a party for the cool clique at the Bevin's waterfront mansion and stumble onto the Bevin family's dark and deadly secret. That's when Wyatt learns that some things are worse than being unpopular in high school. MUCH worse.



My Take on the Book

I have loved the writing of Dave Barry for years but have not read any of his writing for younger audiences. I have to say that I am so glad that I picked up this book as this was a ton of fun. Also, I decided to read this with my 12 year old daughter and seeing that she is in middle school she seemed to love this book as much as I did.

The book does have humor which I would have expected with who the author is, but it also offered a number of twists and turns and suspense that I was not expecting. The book was a compelling read and my daughter and I found that we did not want to put down the book. By the end we were hoping that a second book existed.

All-in-all Dave Barry has created a novel that both adults and kids alike can enjoy!


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Book Review - School of Secrets: Freddie's Shadow Cards

About the Book
Freddie is the daughter of the infamous witch doctor, Dr. Facilier.

She's got voodoo in her blood, a deck of Shadow Cards in her hands, and a song in her villain-kid heart. When Freddie's dreams of joining the acapella group at Auradon Prep fall apart, she uses her Shadow Cards to get her way... But dark magic always comes with a price.




My Take on the Book
If you loved the Disney Descendants movie this book will allow you to delve deeper into the characters that you know as well as meet new ones too. You get to meet the daughter of the Voodoo doctor from Princess and the Frog and get to experience some of the things that happens when she starts to dabble with her dad's shadow cards which of course causes problems. There are twists and turns in this that I was not expecting and we loved getting to know the new and old characters on a deeper level. All-in-all this was a book that was a ton of fun to read and added much to the Disney Descendants universe!



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Book Review - A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale

About the Book
What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney's Aladdin.

When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.



My Take on the Book
This is another great twisted tale from a great author. We have loved reading along with these tales as the author has been unveiling them. She creates similar yet different worlds that you can get lost in, and as a fan of the original story, I was excited to see what she could do with this.

I was not disappointed by this book though, as I was not in the other two books that I read as well. You do have to stay open to the differences and to see Aladdin in a new way as he is not the same street rat that you know from the Disney movie. That being said he was still a ton of fun as a character and all of the other characters add depth to the story in general.

The concept of this and Aladdin not  finding the lamp was a novel concept, and while it did not change the way I feel about the movie, it did allow me to see the characters from the movie and the characters, new and old a bit differently that I had in the past.

This was a fun books with definite twists and turns that will keep you guessing, but in the end you have a solid story that is a compelling read!



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Book Review - Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power

About the Book
Cleopatra Edison Oliver has a brand new business: Passion Clips. She and her best friend Caylee are going to take the world by storm with their personalized barrettes. All they need now is their big break. So when successful businesswoman Fortune A. Davies announces a new website where "kidpreneurs" can upload ads for their businesses, Cleo invites all of her customers to film an ad for FortuneTube.

But making a commercial is different from running a business, and when Cleo's customers get fed up with her direction, she might lose her friends and her chance to shine. Meanwhile, Cleo is more and more certain that she wants to meet her birth parents -- but she's starting to wonder if they will ever want to meet her. Can she win back her friends, take her business to the next level, and find the family she's been looking for?


My Take on the Book
We loved reading the other Cleo novel in the past and this book continues the tradition of great writing and fun characters. My daughters and I love the character of Cleo as her energy is so infectious. Also, the humor throughout the book kept a smile on our faces from beginning to end. Best of all was the story as it really moved and compelled us to keep reading throughout and by the end we were asking for more!


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Book Review - As Old as Time: A Twisted Tale

About the Book
What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast? As Old as Time is the third book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. When Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, memories flood through Belle's mind-memories of a mother she thought she would never see again. And, stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful enchantress who cursed the castle and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast will have to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is 21 years in the making.


My Take on the Book
If you enjoy the story of Beauty and the Beast and love a twisted tale every now and again this book will keep you on your toes. Through this book you get a better picture of who the Enchantress was and more about the world that she lived within. The author also tries to flush out a number of the other characters that you know from the movie too which was nice. Just like in the movie you start to see more of a relationship growing within Belle and the Beast as the story goes on, but the great thing about this book is that the author truly delves deeper, provides context and subtle changes that really make the story interesting. The dialogue between Belle and the Beast show a lot about their characters and why they do fall in love. The author has done a painstaking good job at creating a world that is both believable and real and characters that are multilayered and fun. This was a great book that any fan of the movie will love!

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Book Review - Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale

About the Book
What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.

It should be simple--a dragon defeated, a slumbering princess in a castle, a prince poised to wake her. But when the prince falls asleep as his lips touch the fair maiden's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy's last curse controlling her mind, Princess Aurora must escape from a different castle of thorns and navigate a dangerously magical landscape--created from her very own dreams. Aurora isn't alone--a charming prince is eager to join her quest, and old friends offer their help. But as Maleficent's agents follow her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are and, moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?




My Take on the Book
I really enjoyed this story. It gives you a whole new perspective for what it would have been if the story was not the way that Disney had presented it. The characters in the story were ones you could relate with and you will love the amount of twists and turns that this book will share. The book itself  allows you to see Aurora as a different type of character. Not a lovesick girl, but a strong character. While this was a different take on the tale you may know, if you are a fan of the original Sleeping Beauty, you will enjoy this too!


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Book Review - A Leadership Kick in the Ass

About the Book
“This is one of the most unique and valuable books you will read all year, and I highly recommend it.”
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling and award-winning The Leadership Challenge and Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

Even the best leaders—in fact, most of the best leaders—start out as decidedly bad ones. And sooner or later they reach a moment of reckoning that leadership expert Bill Treasurer calls the leadership kick in the ass. When it happens, it feels like it's all over. But Treasurer says that with the right attitude, that kick can be a new beginning. Based on his work with thousands of leaders, this book reveals how to turn those ego-bruising events into the kind of transformative experiences that mark the paths of great leaders. As Steve Jobs famously said, “Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to me.” This book is a survival guide, coach, and morale booster to help you use that kick to move forward instead of fall down. If you succeed, the next place you get kicked might be upstairs.




My Take on the Book
I love getting surprised when I read leadership based books and Bill Treasurer's Book does an amazing job at making you look at leadership in a whole new way. The author holds nothing back and allows you to see leadership in it' raw state. He uses powerful examples that will show mistakes and wins. The book is written well, in a way that truly educates, yet also entertains throughout. Though I have read many leadership books I found that this was a book that made me want to take notes.  Many of the notes came from the slap in your face leadership moments that were shared in the book. Some are funny but all are poignant. This is a great book that you will be talking about for years to come!


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Book Review - The Five Thieves of Happiness

About the Book
Stop Seeking Happiness; Just Get Out of Its Way!

Happiness is our natural state, for each of us and for humanity as a whole, argues John Izzo. But that happiness is being stolen by insidious mental patterns that he depicts as thieves: the thief of control, the thief of conceit, the thief of coveting, the thief of consumption, and the thief of comfort. He discovered these thieves as he sought the true source of happiness during a year-long sabbatical, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and living in the Andes of Peru. This thoughtful and inspiring book describes the disguises these thieves wear, the tools they use to break into our hearts, and how to lock them out once and for all. Izzo shows how these same thieves of personal happiness are destroying society as well. This book will help us all discover, develop, and defend the happiness that is our true nature while creating a world we all want to live in.



My Take on the Book
This is a great book that really makes you rethink what it means to find happiness. The author does an amazing job at laying out some of the issues that stand in our way of finding happiness in our own lives and offers great advice and practical tips and examples of what you can do to start making incremental changes to start a new way of thinking and a new way of life. I love the parallels this makes with the importance of service, gratitude and connection, as these are areas I have always felt a connection with too. Thanks to Mr. Izzo for opening my eyes to the happiness that can be found all around me!



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Book Review - Dormouse Dreams

About the Book
As Dormouse dreams--and snores--his way from winter to spring, he imagines going on fantastical adventures with his best dormouse friend. Whimsical illustrations feature other animals entertaining themselves with dart games, cross-country skiing, flying airplanes, and more while Dormouse hibernates. Readers can also follow the friend's journey to Dormouse's house, where she wakes him up for some real life pleasures, including daydreaming. This is the perfect bedtime book to snuggle up with when spring isn't coming fast enough.


My Take on the Book

This book is the perfect little story to share with your child. It is a perfect story to discuss hibernation of animals. In this story a little snoring dormouse sleeps away winter and dreams while sleeping of spring and the arrival of his friend.

The story includes illustrations of animals playing in the winter snow like a child might. It also includes if you look carefully at the illustrations, Dormouse's friend taking all kinds of modes of transportation to arrive at dormouse's house in time for spring fun.

This is a sweet story with many things to talk about using the story's text and illustrations. A perfect bedtime story too.
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Book Review - Bob, Not Bob!: *to be read as though you have the worst cold ever

About the Book
Little Louie is stuck in bed with a bad cold. His nose is clogged, his ears are crackling, and his brain feels full. All he wants is his mom to take care of him, but whenever he calls out for her, his stuffed-up nose summons slobbery dog Bob instead!


My Take on the Book
If you or a family member has ever had a bad cold in which you nose was stuffy, your head hurt, and your ears crackled, then this book will be one you can relate to easily. The authors tell the reader to read the book as if you had the worst cold ever. So you know when you are sick with a cold sometimes your words do not sound quite right.

In this delightful story the little boy with the cold only wants his mom, but he says Bob instead due to his cold. The story brings about some funny events which will have you and your child laughing.

The illustrations by Matthew Cordell capture the text perfectly. The expressions on the mom and the miserable little boy are filled with humor and realism too.


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