Book Review: Restore My Soul

 

Title: Restore My Soul

Subtitle: A Coloring Book Devotional Journey

Author & Illustrator: Ann Margaret Hovsepian

Genre: Coloring, Devotional, Christian Living

Restore My Soul is not your average adult coloring book.   It is also a Bible devotional.    The coloring pages are challenging and time consuming and the devotionals are thought provoking and based in the Word of God.  

I have trouble sleeping so I often color at night when I am struggling with my insomnia.  This book is perfect for that because it feeds my soul as well as curing my insomnia.  Here are some of my pages:

 

  

I recommend this book to anyone that needs to take some time to slow down.  Both the devotional and the coloring will be a refreshing break from your busy life.  

You can purchase Restore My Soul on Amazon for $10.62. 

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Tyndale House Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

A goal... not a resolution

I can't stand New Year's Resolutions.  I have blogged about it before. (You can read it here.) I won't call this a resolution but I will call it a goal.  I would like to start blogging again on a more regular basis.  I miss it.   

The Lord has blessed our family this past year.  My husband has been able to successfully get his new business off the ground so it has allowed me to work less overtime hours than last year.    I feel refreshed and want to use the time wisely.  

 

He Has Risen!

You can get a copy of this FREE printable by going to Hope Ink's Website or by clicking on the picture above

Luke 24:1-12

Very early on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. They brought the spices they had prepared. ² They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. ³ They went in, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, two men in shining clothes suddenly stood beside them. ⁵ The women were very afraid; they bowed their heads to the ground. The men said to the women, “Why are you looking for a living person here? This is a place for the dead. ⁶ Jesus is not here. He has risen from death! Do you remember what he said in Galilee? ⁷ He said that the Son of Man must be given to evil men, be killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day.” ⁸ Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.⁹ The women left the tomb and told all these things to the 11 apostles and the other followers. ¹⁰ These women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women. The women told the apostles everything that had happened at the tomb. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women. It sounded like nonsense. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. Peter went away to be alone, wondering about what had happened.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Book Review: Pressing Pause

 

Title: Pressing Pause

Subtitle: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet Jesus

Authors: Karen Ehman & Ruth Schwenk

Genre: Devotional, Christian Living, Inspitational

 Pressing Pause is a daily devotional for moms.  This is a beautiful hardcover book with thick pages, purple lettering and an attached bookmark. There are 100 devotionals that will take just a few minutes of your busy day.  The authors squeeze a lot of goodness into those few minutes.

For me, I take a few minutes every night before I go to sleep to slow down and refresh myself in the Word.  This devotional was a great guide to lead me.  The authors also include questions at the end of each devotional if you want to spend time reflecting on the day's lesson and scripture. 

I recommend this book for all of you busy ladies out there!  I know that in the rush of your lives you can tend to be very unselfish and do, do, do for others but you need to "press pause" and stop and do this for your self.

 You can purchase Pressing Pause on Amazon for just $10.99.

or on ChristianBook.com for $10.99

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review: Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child

 

Title: Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child

Subtitle: Facing Challenges With Strength, Courage and Hope

Author: Boris Vujicic

Genre: Christian Living/Parenting

Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child is written by Nick Vujicic's father Boris Vujicic.  You may recognize Nick Vujicic's name.  I have reviewed several other books that were written by Nick that are absolutely worth reading!   

In 1982, Boris and his wife Dushka thought they were having a healthy baby boy.  All of their prenatal visits and ultrasounds were normal. When Dushka gave birth they got the shock of a lifetime!  Their son Nick was born without any arms or legs!

Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child is Boris and Dushka's heart wrenching and inspiring story of their response to this life changing event.  As born again Christians, Boris shares throughout the book the role that their faith played in their response to their son's disability.  He is brutally honest and raw about their struggles throughout Nick's childhood.  He also shares the joy and exuberance that the family experienced as Nick grew into an adult, thrived, married and became a father!

Grab your tissues though when you start reading!  If the book doesn't make you tear up, you may wan to check your pulse!  As a mom I cried with this family during their struggles and I cheered for them when they succeeded!

I recommend this book to any parent that has a disabled child.  Boris gives so much practical advice for succeeding in your marriage and parenting when you have a child with any kind of disability.  This book is a must read! 

You can purchase Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child on Amazon for $16.04. 

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review: NKJV Apply the Word Study Bible

 

 Title: Apply the Word Study Bible

Version: NKJV, Red Letter Edition

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Bibles

I was initially excited to receive the Apply the Word Study Bible.   I have owned several different versions of the Bible through the years and I thought this one might be different since it said "Apply the Word."   You need to not just read God's word but apply it as well.  That can be difficult sometimes.  I was excited about a Bible that would help spell out the daily application of the verses. 

I was disappointed, however, to discover that there were very little application notes in this Bible.   There are plenty of study notes that help you to learn more about what you are reading in the Bible but they are not what I would call application notes.  

Another concern was the very small print.  Even with reading glasses, I think older adults would have trouble with the print.  There is also no room in the margins to take notes or to journal if that is something that you like to do in your Bible.

I would recommend the Bible to new Christians or young adults and teenagers that are trying to learn as much as they can about the Bible.  This Bible has plenty of study notes and color maps.  There are also detailed introductions to each chapter of the Bible. 

I would give this Bible 3 out of 5 stars.

  

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Seuss Day in the Upper Elementary Classroom

 Dr. Seuss Day is celebrated in Elementary Schools around the country on March 2nd.  The primary grades go crazy with their celebrations because most Dr. Seuss books appeal to that age level.  I teach 5th grade so it is a bit more toned down that day.  It is more difficult to tie the celebrations into grade level appropriate curriculum. 

The first thing we do is decorate our classroom door for the occasion.   I photocopied a hat and had each student color their own.  I used to buy premade cut outs but through the years I realized it would be more expensive that way.  I could laminate them and re use them every year but they wouldn't be able to keep them.  By having them color their own, the students were able to keep them when the day was over and we moved on to Pi Day.

  

I send a newsletter home every Sunday night and I love to change the theme each month. I bought this newsletter template set with 24 editable templates from The Brown Bag teacher on TPT for $6.00.  It was one of my best TPT purchases.   I searched the Internet to find free printables with inspirational quotes from Dr. Seuss and printed them out on cardstock.

 One of the assignments we completed related to Dr. Seuss were Theodor Seuss Geisel Research Banners.   They made an eye catching and informative display hanging in my classroom.  I purchased them on TPT from Elementary Lesson Plans for $1.25.

5th graders love food!  My husband made the kids deviled eggs with green food dye and wrapped up ham slices in honor of "Green Eggs & Ham."  My teaching partner made a special "Cat in the Hat" treat with gummy Lifesavers and Oreos. 

We finished up the day with a Goal Setting Activity based on "Oh, the Places You Will Go" that I purchased on TPT from Sunshine on a Cloudy Day for $4.00.

 

Still need more Dr. Seuss Day (Read Across America) Ideas?  Check out my previous blog posts!

 

Pi Day Classroom Decorations

For every new holiday I changes the front of my classroom door. Each child gets a pi symbol cut out with their name on it. 

I have no hallway bulletin board and my 5th graders have lockers so we utilitze the fronts of the lockers to brighten up the hallway for each new holiday.  For Pi Day we decorated Pi symbols.

Free Pi Day printables from Kacie Travis on TPT

Free Pi Day Banner from Kacie Travis on TPT

Don't forget to post the digits of Pi and print out a free copy to give to the kids.  See who can memorize the most!

Still Need More Ideas? Check out these Pi Day posts on my blog!

Book Review: Lots of Knock Knock Jokes for Kids

 

Title: Lots of Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids

Author: Whee Win

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Format: Paperback

Genre: Children's Humor

 

Kids love to laugh! It doesn't take much to set little ones off into a fit of the giggles.   Lots of Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids by Whee Win is the perfect book to start those fits of laughter.  The book contains over 250 jokes.    There are 6 chapters of knock-knock jokes and a final chapter that contains other jokes and riddles.  The knock-knock jokes are sorted into categories: Name Jokes, Place Jokes, Holiday Jokes, Food Jokes, Animal Jokes and Object Jokes.

I love that the book contains only clean jokes that are appropriate for Elementary age students.  I will warn you... some of them are really corny but when it comes to kids the cornier, the better!  It is difficult in this day in age to find appropriate humor for kids.  You can be assured that this book will not need any censoring on your part!

 

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $3.49
 
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $3.99.  

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

 

Valentine's Day Classroom Decor

 I love decorating my 5th grade classroom for each new holiday. One of the first things I decorate is the door to my classroom.  Be warned that I love puns and corny sayings. :) 

My classroom door in 2016

My classroom door in 2015

 I don't have a hallway bulletin board like most teachers based on the location of my classroom.  Instead, the walls are covered with lockers for the students.   I learned that if I wanted to display work in the hallway that I would need to hang it on their lockers!

I modified this FREE Jar of Hearts Activity that I found on Teachers Pay Teachers.   It fits perfectly on their lockers and looks fantastic! This lesson was also a great opportunity to talk about the people and things in life that we appreciate.

We continued the discussion by reading one of my favorite stories.

I hang a large clothesline across the width of my classroom and use clothespins to hang student work througout the year.  For Valentine's Day we continued the theme of love and appreciation of the people and things in our life with a Valentine's Day Project by The Panicked Teacher sold on Teachers Pay Teachers for $2.50.  This could also be put together as a 3-dimensional project.  Maybe next year I will do that and hang them from the ceiling.

 The sad part is that when we get back to school next week it will be time to take it all down and set up for the next holiday!

Book Review- ICB Purple Pearl Princess Bible

 

Title: ICB Purple Pearl Princess Bible

Version: International Children's Bible Translation

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: Bibles

This hardcover Bible was made for your little princess!  The cover is decorated with purple, a tiara, glitter and 3-dimensional pearls.  There are 24 full color pages inside designed to help with further study for your little girl. 

But what makes this Bible different than other princess Bibles?  This was the first time that I read the International Children's Bible version.  I was really impressed with it for younger school aged children.  It is written at a third grade reading level yet stays completely true to the meaning of the Word of God. 

 As a fifth grade teacher in a Christian School, I can see how difficult it is sometimes for students to read from the KJV and others.  This ICB version may just be the solution to that problem!

You can buy this book on Amazon for $19.99

or 

ChristianBook.com for $13.99

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.