Reivew~8 Simple Tools For Raising Great Kids with discout for 50% off

I am not a big parenting/help book reader, because it seems like you read one you have read them all. I tend to depend more on my own instinct and experience. So I thought this would be interesting to review. Well I didn't realize how much I was going to find this book helpful. So thank you FlyBy for offering this book to review for, 8 Simple Tools For Raising Great Kids by Dr. Todd Carmell. The forward for this book is wrote by one of my favorite book authors Jill Savage, many moms will know who she is. This is a book for both mom and dads to read. This book offers a lot of great tips in addition to those tools. What I love is how easy this book is to read. The book is broke down into eight sections with five short chapters in each section that you can read in a few minutes a piece. So you can pick this book up, read for a few minutes and have a new tip in raising your child(ren). Each chapter ends with a tip with a follow up or action to put into practice. No matter if you are just starting on your parenting journey or have older kids this book will be helpful. I love that the book shares that raising children is the most important job God has given you, and I agree! Also throughout the book is Biblical scripture references.

The first chapter from the book is titled Control Your Volume Knob and how many times have I raised my voice to get my kids to listen to me after repeating myself continuously. The author shares a real-life story that is relatable and a tip to use...this first one is Your communication style with your kids is REALLY, REALLY important. Not their communication style. Yours. At the end of the chapter is a couple questions to consider that will help you apply and remember the main point of that chapter. The eight tools in the book are: talking, listening, influencing, connecting, teaching, encouraging, correcting, and leading. The last section of the book is a summary of all the tips.

This would make a great book to give to a new parent!

For my readers, here is a  50% Discount Code which is GREATKIDS16  This code is only good from April 15th to May 15th, after that they will  no longer be able to use the code for the discount.
For more information on this book and tips on raising great kids, check out http://www.8simpletools.com/

About the author Dr. Todd Carmell:

I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. We then moved to Columbus, OH, where I completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Wright State University at the Children’s Hospital. Since then, I have done my clinical work at Summit Clinical Services in Wheaton, IL, where I continue to see children, teens, and families on a full-time basis. 

I have written five parenting books (faith based), which you can learn more about on the Books page. I have presented many parenting workshops at mom’s conferences (Hearts at Home, MOPS International), MOPS groups, churches, and schools, which you can read about on the Workshop page. I have also recently developed a skill-building game for kids called The Flexible Thinking Game. 

In my free time, I enjoy doing anything with my wife, spending time with my boys whenever possible, reading, running, and playing jazz piano any chance I get. My Christian faith is an important part of my life and thinking, and I am continually thankful for God’s grace, of which I am an undeserving recipient. 

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Good Friday! Encouragement, fav reads and more....

I am excited to share I have a plan for our curriculum plan for next seasons school year!! Always a hard decision, because so many choices. We will continue using Sonlight as our main curriculum (history, science, Bible, and LA), we really like the world view and Christian values the curriculum provides, plus they are a literature based curriculum!! I have decided to add extra grammar and spelling program with Sonlight's LA for Abigail. We used Rodd and Staff preschool this year and loved it, so we will use there English program, it seems to be what we are looking for. For math we will continue to use Horizon, we have really liked it and it is working. Over the summer we are going to use Life of Fred math, as a way to make math fun and will continue it throughout the school year, as needed. We will continue onto the next level on Song School Latin. Starting new school year I am going to do a loop schedule for nature study, art, Shakespeare and character building. I wanted to add this time in our schedule so it doesn't get pushed to the side. We want to learn by exploring, being creative and seeing beauty. This embodies what we believe to be and important part of learning~truth, beauty, and goodness! I ordered some books last week that we will use during the year and some this summer already (mostly some good read alouds that are a part of the Read Aloud Revial at http://amongstlovelythings.com/ and what we will use in our loop schedule). Next month I hope to order the rest of what we need, so that I will have it all by the time we wrap up this school year, so I have time to organize and plan out during the summer time off.

Today my parents and brother arrive for a nice long weekend!! We are looking forward to their visit, not sure yet what we will be doing, but just time together will be nice. We don't get too see our family much, because of the long distance. We completed another week in our homeschooling journey. Next week we are taking a spring break, we will enjoy extra free time, and I will plan out our last six weeks of school for this school year!! This year seems to have gone by fast! Though some days the days feel long! But I don't regret this time I get to spend teaching and learning with them! Below you will find some snapshots of our week and adventures! Never a dull moment!

Today is Good Friday, let's not forget the great sacrifice our Lord gave for us. Oh how HE loves us!

“Jesus Christ, our true light, plunged himself into the darkness so that we might live in light. We can go through the darkness of this day because Jesus went through it before us. He is saving us and bringing about our everlasting joy, in a way only God could have chosen. Easter is not far away!”~JourneyToTheCROSS

Mark 15: 37- 39 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” 

Encouraging posts: 
Whatever you do, do it as if everything depends on just that. http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2015/08/saving-the-christian-state.html 

Good read for all that are raising boys...Boys and reading and why their failing… http://www.storywarren.com/some-thoughts-on-boyhood-and-reading/
Here are a few reasons why Christians should play banjo and decorate cakes, knit sweaters and make movies, do photography and write poems: http://theblazingcenter.com/2015/09/why-christians-should-paint-dance-quilt-act-compose-music-write-stories-decorate-cookies-and-participate-in-the-arts.html

Yes...be sure to check out the links also in this article...Choosing Freedom in Education http://bfbooksblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/arguing-for-freedom-in-education.html

God is wholly and relentlessly committed to our holiness. He is committed to our purity, to putting our sin to death. He is so committed to this that he will create within us a whole new relationship to sin, and even to our favorite pet sins. See, each of us enters the Christian life with sins that are so appealing, patterns of sin that are so deeply entrenched. We wonder if we can ever have freedom from these sins. We wonder if we will ever be able to resist these temptations, if we can ever see deep and lasting change. http://www.challies.com/articles/the-holiness-instinct-and-the-unexpected-temptation

To be or not to be. That is the question. To be alive to the goodness, truth and beauty which surrounds us, or not to be alive to it. To delight in the presence of Creation so that we might dilate into the presence of the Creator or to distract ourselves to death. http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2016/03/distracting-ourselves-to-death.html

But, when we determine to make our homes a place of life, Satan is determined to thwart us. Satan knows that the most precious treasure in God’s economy are His children, his handmade creations–those who have souls that will last for eternity. And so the battleground for our future is at the soul level of life. We are living in homes where the laws of thermo dynamics take place every day–that energy is depleting at a constant rate and everything is moving toward disorder. Knowing this–understanding that it will never change–and give yourself grace. Do not expect perfection. Do not condemn yourself or become angry at your children because they are not perfect. Walk in grace and celebrate life. http://sallyclarkson.com/dont-be-a-victim-in-your-own-story-own-your-home-a-new-podcast/ 

FOCUS on wasting time simply sitting with Jesus. http://www.karipatterson.com/focus-waste-2/ 

Snapshots of our week:

Finishing up school work!

Love listening to her read!

Our favorite new read aloud!

Ice cream and silly faces!

Some of our new books for 2016-2017 arrived for upcoming school year!
Teachers check out Consider This, a book I wish I had read earlier!

Happy mail, Easter presents from grandparents and old book for me!

New dress up clothes!

Little man helping with the mowing ;)

Our pretty Easter eggs!

Decorating eggs with my girl! Glitter everywhere!!

At co-op this week, we enjoyed a presentation by one of our local sheriffs and drug dogs!

 

Reminder of God's promises! Beautiful sunset!

Friday review and encouragement from the week!

Loved this from The Art of Simple

I have been dealing with a bit of spring fever this week, well all of us have!! Which means enjoying outside walks and catching sunsets. I just love the time change, though my body has not yet recovered from the loss of sleep due to the change. Thankful for coffee!

Great reminder!

I haven't been writing as much lately on my blog and some of you may have noticed that. I can tell you my two journals I use weekly are full. This is the place I write Bible verses, quotes, take Bible study notes, important dates, prayer and blessing list. For me blog writing isn't one of my top priorities, gosh not even on my top 10 list, mostly because of time and other very important things in my life that God has called me to do.


My family needs me first, so that has to take precedent over everything. So I try not to over load our schedule and make best yeses and no's. Plus homeschooling two kids, which I consider a blessing and honor to do. The kids have activities, house management~as I prefer to call it, family time, and church which I am thankful to be a part of one that shares truth, encourages one another and loves the Lord deeply. Also, mama needs rest and to be outside enjoying God's creation and I haven't been doing a good job of that. Rest for me is quiet time, reading good books and Bible study. So, I realize this is a season where I may be needing to step back some from writing. I hope to still post a weekly or hopefully weekly, some snapshots and encouragement, along with sharing good book reviews and give-aways when I have those available to you. I only share about 10% of what I read, you may want to thank me, ha! Really it comes down to doing what God has for me, keep doing good, to do HIS will and trust HIS results. Plant seeds! Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.


Encouraging reads of the week:

I have a love/hate relationship with the internet  https://courageforabetterstory.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/not-living-up-to-my-own-song/

If God were to do all that, would you have the insolence to say to Him, “God, You haven’t done enough for this world that hates You”? http://www.ligonier.org/blog/has-god-done-enough/

In light of biblical stewardship, care of self and others, and the pursuit of holiness, we ought to be driven to consider our media intake with the utmost care. There is far too much at stake to not do so. https://tifwe.org/media-hindering-holiness/

Stay the course, be faithful, find a way to rest, to become encouraged http://sallyclarkson.com/will-i-ever-fit-in-probably-not-a-new-podcast/

This is just another reason I homeschool.  http://www.centerforlit.com/blog/2016/1/11/just-another-reason-i-homeschool-a-meditation-on-jayber-crow

Our habits are windows into the deep things of our souls. “Character,” Michael Horton says, “is largely a bundle of habits.” http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-your-habits-show-and-shape-your-heart 

We are all a wild mix of beautiful and broken. Shattered and whole. Weak and strong. We are beloved daughters of a God who treasures us more than we know. He sees us as we are and fiercely loves us still–let’s dare to do the same for ourselves and each other. http://holleygerth.com/wild-broken-beautiful/

One of the reasons we homeschool!

Snapshots of the week:

Yum, yum chocolate cookie!!

Enjoying a beautiful pre-Spring day!

Ready for St. Patrick's Day!

Caught a new calf and mama cow on our evening walk!

Beauty in darkness!

Building,lego and lincoln log fun!

The hubs caught a little fish in the pond! Zeke checking it out!

Amazing sunset by our Creator!