Christmas Reading

Do you have a favorite book you like to read at Christmas?  We have a nice stack of Christmas picture books that we have collected over the years that we pull out and read during the holidays.  Last year I read A Christmas Carol out loud to the kids.  That is a good one, but a little over the heads of the younger children.  Last year we got the audio version of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  It is a really cute story and although it is written to younger audience, it has appeal even for adults with a great message about the transforming power of Jesus.  A friend mentioned that she reads this book every year because she loves it and I thought that it might be a great tradition to read it aloud in our home.  So, I made the investment in it (which is a big deal for me because I rarely by books but instead rely on the library).  So, far the younger kids are really enjoying it.  I hope to do a little each day and time it to finish just before Christmas.

So, do you have any Christmas book traditions in your home?

Here are a few of the Christmas books we have collected over the years:

Book Review: "The Total Money Makeover"

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Several months ago I read Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace." I really enjoyed it and found this newer book, "The Total Money Makeover."



I have to admit that books about financial matters tend to bore me. I know that managing my finances is important, but I find it tedious and uninteresting. However, I found Dave's book interesting and motivational.



In his book, Dave Ramsey lays out a plan to get a grip on your finances and take control over them (instead of letting them control you) and gain some financial peace. This plan is logical and fairly simple in concept and shows you how to become debt-free, stay debt-free, plan for the future, and be able to give to others.



After reading this, I knew that this was a plan that my husband and I should follow, so I convinced him to read it, too. I am happy to say that he feels led to pursue this, as well, and together we are creating a plan to eventually become debt-free. It won't be easy and will require making some tough spending decisions, but we are choosing to "Live like no one else now so that we can live like no one else later." as Dave would put it. The sacrifices that we make now, will give us financial peace later.



I also appreciate the fact that although this book is not overtly religious, Dave mentions his faith and his motivation to share his blessings with others.



If you are in a place where you feel like your finances could use a tune up, this book is a very worthwhile read and I would highly recommend it.


View all my reviews.

Book Review: "I Capture the Castle"

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I Capture the Castle is a fictional story written from the viewpoint of a young woman writing in her journal. It takes place in a run down old castle in the middle of the English countryside. Her family is in difficult circumstances because their father has not earned any income in years and they have sold everything they can just to get by.



I am trying to decide what I really think about this book. There is a part of me that liked it and a part of me that is just left wanting more. The book began slow for me, but I was intrigued by the setting of an old castle in the English countryside as well as the simpler time the story took place. There is a certain wistful romance about it all even in the midst of the troubles the characters were encountering. I tend to think that this is why the book is as popular as it is.



However, because we were privy to the innermost thoughts of the main character, Cassandra, through her journal writings, I expected to see more depth and spiritual growth within her. Generally, hard and trying circumstances, such as she was facing, would force a person to grow and mature emotionally. I didn’t see as much of that as I would have liked in her. That goes for the other characters, as well.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The Characters:

*Cassandra seems intelligent and capable. I often wondered throughout the story why she spent the majority of her time only lollygagging around daydreaming and writing in her journal. Surely there were things she could have been doing. It seemed that she let Topaz and Stephen do the lion’s share of the household and garden work for her. She never seemed to make much effort to try and better her circumstances.



*Sweet Stephen was someone you had to love. He had such virtuous characteristics. He was hard working and loyal. It was so disappointing to see him taken advantage of.



*Rose played the part of the air-headed, self-centered sister well. She did not contribute any depth to the story.



*Topaz was difficult to understand. We never got to really see the depths of her thoughts and her actions were just a mystery to me throughout most of the story.



*The father. I don’t even know what to say about the father. He may have had some spark of genius in him, but his self-centered ways definitely squelched it. He was to blame for all of their poor circumstances, yet he took no responsibility and went about his days seeking only to please his own needs and everyone else just coddled him and let him. Well, that is until they locked him in the tower. ;-)



*The Cotton brothers. I don’t fully understand them either. It seems to me that they would have taken one look at this crazy family and ran. But they kept coming back. Something drew them to the castle and this family. Because of this I kept looking for the redeeming qualities in the characters and trying to put myself in their shoes.



At the end of the book I was really looking for some big emotional growth, in the characters. Rose remained flighty and self-centered. The father at least matured enough to finish a book and hopefully step up to his duties of supporting his family. Cassandra was the one I held out the most hope for. I suppose the fact that she did not run off and marry Simon showed some strength of character, but it was disappointing to find her at the end of the book in nearly the same place physically and emotionally as she was at the beginning.



Overall, there were parts of the book I really enjoyed. I think most of those are when I could get swept away in the romance of it all. Ultimately, the book left me wishing for more. The romance faded away and I was left holding a book wondering if it was worth my time to read.




View all my reviews.

Book Review: Margin

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A. Swenson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, I really got a lot out of this book.

The premise of the book is that we are living in a society that for the most part is stressed because we are living beyond our means in the areas of our emotional, physical, time, and financial capacities. "Margin" is that space between what our limitations are and how far we push ourselves. In general, most of us tend to spend more money than we have, commit to more activities than we have time for, our push ourselves beyond our physical and emotional limits.



When we consciously decide to step back and live with margin in all areas of our life, our stress levels decrease and we have more peace. We also allow room for God to use us. If we are stretched to (or beyond) our limits, there is no room to follow God's call.



I really appreciated the chapter on contentment. I really feel like we are always overextending ourselves because of a lack of contentment. We may purchase something because we think it will make us happy, or push ourselves to do more because we think it will bring us fulfillment.



I did have a bit of difficulty getting through the first part of this book which spends a bit of time quoting statistics about society to prove that we are overcommitted, stressed, and depressed because of a lack of margin in our lives. Personally, if I didn't already believe that, I wouldn't have picked up this book, so I could have skipped a lot of that. It is worth pushing past that and onto the rest of the book.



"Margin" has made me think and evaluate and pray about the choices that I make each day. I want to consciously live with a certain amount of margin in my life because I want the peace that comes from that. I also really want to be available for God to be able to use me wherever He desires. I don't think there is any greater calling and purpose for us.


View all my reviews.

How To Be More Creative

In an effort to boost my frugal skills, I pulled out a book I read years ago and loved, "The Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. In it, the author has published articles from her 6 years of Tightwad Gazette newsletter. There are some wonderful and some kinda far fetched ideas in it, but all of them are good for consideration if your goal is to cut back expenses. Amy has a unique way of looking at things.

One article in her book that I particularly love is titled, "How To Be More Creative." When trying to cut expenses, often there is a creative way to do things differently that costs little or no money. I love being creative. Many people tell me that they are not creative. I don't believe this. God, the author of creativity, created us in His image; therefore, we must have inherited a bit of that creativity. Everyone has a spark of creativity in at least one area of their life.

Here are 10 steps that Amy maps out on the path to creativity in her article:

#1: "Realize that you are creative and nurture this creativity in your daily life."

#2: "Give yourself mental space. " We tend to fill our lives with mental clutter. This is the background noise of the TV or radio, the unproductive chats on the phone, etc. Look for times in your day when you can turn off the noise and just think. This can be during some of the mundane tasks of housework (doing dishes, folding laundry). I also have made it a habit to often turn off the radio in my car. This is a perfect quiet time to think things over. Another thing that I do is carve out a quiet time in the morning before the rest of my family awakens. I use this time for bible study, prayer, and planning out my day. Often I will just sit with a notebook and brainstorm ideas for a particular situation. I love what Amy says about this, "When someone says, 'I'm just not creative like you,' I reply 'No, I just thought about it longer."

#3: "Never compare yourself to others." There will always be people more creative than you out there. There will also always be less creative people out there.

#4: "Put the problem into your mental computer." Your brain is always thinking and churning, even when you sleep. If you are trying to come up with a great idea, think about it and let it rest. And remember to give yourself a couple of months of "mental back burner time."

#5: "Brainstorm" Discuss your ideas with someone else or write ideas down. Discuss or write ALL your ideas, even the ones that sound stupid. Sometimes it is just a twist on one of these ideas that works.

#6: "Find a springboard, a starting place." If your goal is to save money, this may be what cheap or free resources you have available.

#7: "Do not share your creative ideas with anyone who continually tells you they are dumb." This is pretty self-explanatory. You don't foster creativity by demeaning it.

#8: "Practice." The more you practice the habit of being creative, the easier it will become to be creative.

#9: "Avoid negative stress." Stress and focusing on only the negatives squelches creativity.

#10: "Start small. When you bite off more than you can chew, you set yourself up for failure." Be realistic in your goals.

I highly recommend reading "The Tightwad Gazette." It is full of wonderful ideas and much food for thought. I originally read this shortly after having my first baby and was working full-time. I soon realized that I was not cut out to be a full-time working mom and this book helped give us the courage for me to quit my job. This was a big leap of faith as I was on mandatory over-time and making a higher income than my hubby AND I was carrying our insurance. I began implementing some of the ideas in this book and we survived.

Now, that we are at a different stage of our lives and realizing that we need to tighten our belts, I am rereading this. I have changed a lot in the last 15 years and our family situation has changed a lot, as well. This is causing me to read this with new eyes and new thoughts and I am really enjoying it.

Book Review: The Answers Book

The New Answers Book by Ken Ham

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a good book and I found it very informative. Most of the information is easy to understand and made me think about the origins of the world in a way that I had not thought about much before.



As a product of the public schools, I was raised to think that evolution was fact instead of just the THEORY that it is. I think students need to be taught that evolution is a theory and be shown that there are other valid theories out there, too. We need to remember that there is a difference between scientific fact and theory. Facts are verifiable evidence. Theories are ideas that scientists come up with based on those facts. Theories are not proven. If they could be, they would be considered facts.



This book uses scientific facts and shows that they validate the bible - specifically Genesis which includes the creation and the flood. It also shows why evolution theories and the bible are NOT compatible, while at the same time showing that scientific facts do not contradict what the bible says.


View all my reviews.

Book Giveaway

No, it's not my giveaway. Robin from the Heart of Wisdom blog is giving away three copies of "The Shack." I must be in a cave because I had not heard of this book until I read the review on her blog. I have to say that it sounds like a good read.

Go to her blog and be sure to enter.

Lookybook

How cool is this! I just discovered this great site with many complete picture books to read online. I was browsing around and found this one by Lemony Snicket. My kids and I love his "Series of Unfortunate Events" so I read this. Kinda of funny and educational in a bizarre kind of way. My only complaint about the site is that some of the print in the books is a bit small to read. I do have my computer's resolution set a bit high and that could be part of the issue, though. It is definitely worth checking out!

Great Inspiration

The kids and I just pages through the book "America Wide: In God We Trust" which is full of panographs (panoramic photos) by Ken Duncan. The photography is beautiful and gives you a wonderful yet brief tour of the various terrain across our country. I have to say what inspired me most in this book was in the section at the back of the book called "Photographer's Notes." Because I love taking photos myself, I really enjoyed his tips, especially this one,

"I believe there is a force at work much bigger than you or I. The
key is to tap into the Creator's power rather than your own technical
understanding, which by comparison is very limited. This is a hard pill
for many to swallow (especially'techno-heads') because people love to be in
control. Personally, I would rather be out of control. I'm just an
average photographer with a great God.
I have definitely not perfected this area of
reliquishing control, but I'm working on it. It's exciting! How
small we are and how big He is."

Wow! Couldn't that be said for many areas of life - not just photography? For example, when people find out that I have 5 kids, I often get the "So, how do you do it?" question. Many are very serious and wait expectantly for some profound wisdom to come from my mouth. Frankly, I don't have any. To be honest, some days I have no idea how I mother 5 kids and do all the things that I do. I suppose that I am just an average woman with a great God.

I found this on Ken's website: Enter the Sanctuary

The Golden Compass (revisited)

Back in August, I did a little research about this book after my 13 year old daughter saw it in the Scholastic book flyer. She was intrigued and we got it from the library. I won't go into the details of our experience at this time because I wrote about it here. I am just thankful that my daughter had enough good sense and intuition to put the book down.

Now, with the opening of the movie drawing near, The Golden Compass is getting quite a bit of publicity. I am glad to see that not all of it is good. I just received an e-mail forward that warned against letting your children see the movie. Here is what it said:

Subject: Fw: Warning of upcoming movie
As if we needed more Satanic
influences for our kids... click on the link below for more info- this
author is pretty shocking. If his admission that his series of "children's
books" are about killing God isn't bad enough, they apparently even include
references to castration and female circumcision. The movie is the hook to get
kids into the books.………………………………………………………………………………………….
This was sent to me -
important to know this!!! (I wasn't familiar with this author OR these
books...)

I just wanted to warn all Christian parents to avoid the
upcoming movie "The Golden Compass" put out by New Line Cinema and Scholastic
entertainment. It is due out in December. It looks like a fun movie, but this is
the first movie based on the trilogy of books titled "His Dark Materials."
The author of the books, Philip Pullman is a militant at heist whose professed
purpose with these books is to turn kids away from Christianity. He has said
this outright. The first movie has been cleaned up to avoid a lot of objections
- it is apparently not going to be too bad BUT ..the movie is bait for the books
which are horrible. The books get progressively worse with the heroes (children)
in the 3rd book actually killing God, who is depicted as a little shrunken man.
I am not kidding. This sounds too terrible to believe, but unfortunately it is
not. It stars Nicole Kidman.
See the website below for more info. &
verification:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
The
Golden Compass (new movie out in December).

Part of me hates to even discuss this because from what I have read about the man, Phillip Pullman wants this kind of publicity - he loves it. He had been jealous that Harry Potter had been getting all the attention instead of his books.

I will say it again. Whether we believe it or not, there is a battle being waged all around us - a spiritual battle and often it is our children who are on the front lines. The enemy plays dirty. We need to face these facts and both protect and equip our children as best we can.

When I addressed this before, I felt frustrated because I was unable to find a good children's book review site. There are not enough hours in the day for me to preread everything my children read. I am so thankful that someone passed along this website: Facts on Fiction. It is a fantastic resource with very detailed reviews of quite a few books. Be sure and check it out.

The Golden Compass

Or perhaps the title of this entry should be "The Spiritual Battle for our Children." Let me tell you why.

My oldest daughter is thirteen. Although she has always loved books and being read to, she was a reluctant reader. Within the last 6 months to a year this has all changed and she now devours books. We are always on the hunt for good books for her to read. After perusing the latest Scholastic Book Club flyer, she pointed out this book, "The Golden Compass." The cover photo looked cute with a friendlier looking armor-clad polar bear. The description had a vague mention of witches which is a turn off for me, but she was intrigued with the fantasy aspect of it. We decided to check it out at our local library. I did not look too closely at the book and Elizabeth began reading it. Yesterday she asked me about the word "daemon" which is a term used commonly throughout the book. Unfamiliar with the word, I asked her if it meant something like a demon. She said no and described it as an entity that was like a close sister to the main character. Later that day, she said it was just too dark of a book and said she wasn't going to read the rest. I was glad that she is discerning. Today I was doing some record keeping and recording all the books we have read in our house during the past few days including "The Golden Compass." The copy we have from the library is a bit darker looking and has the subtitle "His Dark Materials * Book 1." This gave me pause and I decided to do a little internet research on the book. Come to find out that the author, Philip Pullman, is a pronounced atheist who has even devised a religion course called "Why Atheism" which is a DVD for 11 years and older. He believes God is dead according to this article and to prove it even kills him off in the second book in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. In his writings Evil is portrayed as God and the Catholic church. Nice. This is what is being promoted as good literature to our school children. "The Golden Compass" as well as the other books in the trilogy have given numerous awards including Parent's Choice Gold Book Award, Publisher's weekly Best Book of the Year, Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editor's Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book, along with many others. It was even a New York Times Bestseller.

I am writing this for other parents out there who might have been unaware like me that this award-winning children's book is atheist propaganda clothed as good literature. This reminds me that there is an unseen spiritual war upon us. Our children are on the frontlines and most of us do not even realize it. I pray daily for wisdom as a parent along with divine protection for my children. There have been times that I have been concerned that by homeschooling, we are sheltering our children too much. God has been showing me lately that a certain amount of sheltering is good. Our children are innocent and impressionable. I believe it is my duty to prepare them to face the world on their own, but not at the expense of their innocence and the hardening of their hearts. God tells us in His Word that we are to be mature and wise about God and His ways, but naive as babies to wickedness.

I believe that it is our duty to do our best to monitor what our children are exposed to. That being said, I am certainly not as strict as some and more strict than others. Before we watch a movie or video, we usually look it up to see what it is all about. A great site we use is Plugged In. It does a great job or reviewing movies, video, music, and TV from a Christian perspective. Now if only I could find a site like this for books, the "The Golden Compass" incident would not have happened. If you know of a good Christian book review site, please share.

One review I did find on the book is here.

What I'm Reading

What I am currently reading:

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Books that I have Read

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