Sharing Easter with My Children

Here is a short little lesson that I did with my kids today sharing the Easter story:

Egg hunt
*I hid 6 eggs that had "treasures" that told the story of Easter.  My son got these from MOPS, but you could also use Resurrection Eggs.  The items were bread, coins, thorns, cross, stone, empty.


*After finding the eggs we opened each one and read the Bible verses on the papers inside.

God's Wonderful Surprise

*I showed the DVD from the Jesus Storybook Bible about the Resurrection.



Coloring Page- He is Risen



*I printed off this coloring page for the kids to color from Ministry for Children


Don't forget to share this powerful story with your children no matter what age. If you have questions, please ask. I have many resources you can check out. You can also see my Pinterest Board full of great ideas!

My son has been asking for me to read "Jesus" stories. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home and share Jesus with my children.

The Action Bible (Illustrated by Sergio Cariello) Review and Giveaway!

The Action Bible is a complete picture Bible with over 750 pages of colorful contemporary and captivating artwork featuring 215 action packed Bible stories in chronological order. I found The Action Bible to be completing engaging in both words and pictures.  There is a good mix between narrative and spoken word, but the pictures really capture the "action" of the stories.  The colors in this Bible are amazing and the artist depicted the scenes with passion and accuracy.  A 7 to 12 year old would really be drawn to  this type of Bible.  This Bible highlights some of the most exciting stories that truly tell the redemptive story of Jesus because after all, this is God's Story and the hero is Jesus who is the Savior for all mankind.  Get your kids reading The Action Bible today to discover God's love in the pages of one of the best books ever written, the Bible.





The Action Bible devotional is 52 weeks of God-Inspired Adventure.  Each week's story includes a key verse, X-ray vision (thoughts to connect the story with your life), Your Mission (three ideas to put the theme into action), Your Debrief (three questions to spark some brain cells) and Mission Accomplished (your place to write notes).  The stories are from The Action Bible, but broken down into smaller devotional sections that provide time to think and reflect.




 
The Action Bible handbook is a dictionary of people, places and things.  Do you have questions about the Bible?  This is a neat reference for many Bible words and names that you will read, but need more explanation.  This a perfect companion for The Action Bible.




 
The Action Bible New Testament is the story of Jesus from birth to resurrection and return to heaven.  This is the New Testament of  The Action Bible.


Check out The Action Bible website for coloring pages, samples and more!!

**Disclosure: I received these products in exchange for an honest review.**

GIVEAWAY:

I am having a giveaway for The Action Bible (only).  Giveaway ends Friday, March 29.  US only.

Ways to enter: (Be sure to fill out the entry form at the end of this list)

1. Make a comment on my blog- What is yours or your child's favorite Bible story? (required)

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Entry FORM for The Action Bible

Find More Jesus by Katie Orr (Easter Ebook)

 

WHAT’S INSIDE

Each day includes:

• Short daily Bible reading.
• Corresponding simple egg-activity.
• Suggested prayer time.
• Personal focus point for you to chat about with your family.

A supplies list and thoughts on the Easter bunny from a Christian worldview are also included.

My hope is that Find More Jesus will make your Easter season intentionally Christ-centered AND easy.

How will you intentionally make Easter meaningful for your children?

Find More Jesus by Katie Orr

$2.99

My Very First Easter Story Sitcker Book by Lois Rock Book Review

My review:
What's more fun than reading a book about the most special week of the year (Easter)?  Reading and interacting with a book!  Yes, My Very First Easter Story Sticker book has a variety of ways for young children to experience the Easter story with stickers and activities.  Each page has a story and activity along with stickers to make the book hands-on.  This colorful book captures the attention of young children and the story, stickers and activities bring the story to their level and they become interested in what the story actually means.  I think this is a wonderful book for children to become familiar with the Easter story.

About the book:

Here is a story and activity book containing a complete retelling of the Easter story presented in a simple manner for young children to grasp. The stickers are used first to complete the illustrations in the main story. Then there are extra activities on each page alongside the story--counting, naming, identifying--with stickers for each. All of the stickers are found in the center of the book where they are grouped and numbered according to activity to make it easy for young children to find the right sticker. A fun and interactive way for children to learn the Easter story.

About the authors: 

Lois Rock has established an international reputation as a children's writer. Specializing in Bible stories, prayer books, and information books, her books have been translated into over thirty languages with sales approaching four million copies. 

Alex Ayliffe's characteristic paper collage illustrations won her the Sainsbury's Best Book for Babies award in 2000. 

*This book was provided to me free of charge by Kregel Publications for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this book and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*

The Passionate Mom by Susan Merrill coming soon!!

I am part of The Passionate Mom Delivery Team and I'm reading the book by Susan Merrill. I am just fascinated with what I learning. This book is full of many wonderful ideas for moms to parent with passion and confidence. Stay tuned as I share more about this amazing book for moms!!

The Passionate Mom: Dare to Parent in Today's World

by Susan Merrill

Nora's Ark by Eileen Spinelli Book Review

Prolific Author Eileen Spinelli Pays Homage to Noah’s Ark in an Adorable New Book for Children

“A respectful, exploration of the power of a child’s imagination”—Publisher’s Weekly

My review:

This is a sweet little book about the imagination of a young girl who hears a prediction of rain and begins to build her ark "...just like Noah.  Well, not just like Noah."  The illustrations show Nora's actual boat and her imaginary boat.  It is so fun to watch how she recreates her ark with spiders, goldfish, cats, toy monkeys and various other oddities.  And in the end when the rainbow appears, she is joyful just like Noah.  This is a precious little book that shows children that imagination can take you anywhere and it's especially fun to make a Bible story come alive!

Author and poet Eileen Spinelli has written more than 40 celebrated books for kids.  Now she’s using her talent to reimagine a favorite Bible story in the new children’s book, NORA’S ARK (Zonderkidz; $14.99; February 2013).  

With beautiful watercolor artwork designed by award-winning illustrator Nora Hilb, NORA’S ARK introduces an ambitious young girl who attempts to recreate the biblical story of Noah’s Ark in her own backyard.

When the local weatherman predicts rain, Nora decides to follow in the footsteps of Noah and build a makeshift ark.  To fill it, she invites her baby brother, Franky, her pets, and her best friend, Lily, to seek shelter from the storm.

Unlike Noah, however, Nora lacks the tools and resources to create a massive structure comparable to the one in the Bible.  Instead, working with what she finds in her family’s home, the little girl improvises.  She locates a broken attic chair, two dusty wooden boxes and pieces of an old fence, incorporating them into her design.

While Noah welcomed aboard two of every animal, Nora welcomes two spiders, two goldfish, two cats and two toy monkeys.

Spinelli poetically compares the stories of Noah and Nora, alternating between the grand construction of the Biblical ark in Nora’s imagination and the work she's doing in her backyard, assisted by Hilb’s charming illustrations.

Dubbed by Publisher’s Weekly as an “homage to the joy of creative play and storytelling,” NORA’S ARK is an endearing interpretation of the sacred Bible scripture, capturing the innocence and charm of inventive little dreamers everywhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eileen Spinelli is a poet and the author of more than 40 books for children, including I know It’s Autumn, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons,’ and Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. She lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania with her husband. www.eileenspinelli.com

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Nora Hilb is an Argentina native and award-winning illustrator of dozens of children’s books including Slither Slide, What’s Outside? and Leo’s Tree. Hilb lives in Buenos Aires. norahilb.blogspot.com

****

Zonderkidz™, a division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Bible translation, the third-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com.

Veggie Tales Bible Book Review

Classic VeggieTales Characters Teach Children about the Bible

My review: 
What is not to love about this Veggie Tales Bible!!  Oh, my goodness, my heart danced for joy when I received this Bible in the mail.  My son LOVES Veggie Tales and he will be thrilled to receive this on his 5th birthday (shh, don't tell!) in November.  This Bible has all the needed elements to make God's Word come alive for young readers: cute cover, written in New International Readers Version, book introductions, Veggie Tale values scattered throughout, things to remember, a dictionary and 8 different full color stories as told from the fabulous Veggie Tales videos in cartoon form.  This Bible is sure to capture a young child to be enticed to read and learn.  It is a great tool for parents to use and help their children grow in the Lord.  I look forward to reading this Bible with my son.


Formerly published in the New International Version (NIV) in 2009, the VEGGIETALES BIBLE (Zonderkidz; $27.99; January 2013) is now available in the New International Reader’s Version (the NIV for kids written at a third grade reading level).  Children will experience the Bible in a whole new way as the VeggieTales characters they already know and love introduce them to key Bible stories and guide them through fun new features in the Bible.

 

With a beautifully vivid cover, the VEGGIETALES BIBLE (Zonderkidz; $27.99; January 2013) contains the complete text of the Old and New Testaments, using the New International Reader’s Version filled with helpful features for children ages 6 through 9.

In addition to the full text of the Bible, the fresh components include:

·         (8) four-page color inserts with spirited comic strips interspersed throughout the text.  Entitled “Veggie Stories,” each chronicle--based on known Bible characters like the Prophet Jonah and Esther, the Queen of Persia—is brought to life with playful illustrations of favorite VeggieTales characters from popular VeggieTales DVDs.

·           

“Remember This” highlights 100 important verses to commit to memory, such as “The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

·         “Veggie Values” offers a child-friendly interpretation of passages to help kids process crucial themes from the Bible, like telling the truth and having patience.

·         As an added learning tool, the handy glossary at the end of the book helps children grasp key biblical words and concepts.

In the VEGGIETALES BIBLE, readers will discover the Bible in an animated form, tailored just for them, as Bob, Larry and the rest of the VeggieTales gang evoke learning and growth.

Perfect for bedtime or as a way to start each day, the VEGGIETALES BIBLE is a wonderful learning tool for young readers seeking to know more about the Word of God.

The VeggieTales Bible, NIrV is also available with Italian Duo-Tone binding (pictured right, $36.99). 

ABOUT BIG IDEA BOOKS/VEGGIETALES: Big Idea Entertainment is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children's and family programming, characters and brands. Since 1993, Big Idea's bestselling animated series, VeggieTales, has sold 53+ million videos, 13 million books and more than 7 million CDs. VeggieTales and Big Idea's property, 3-2-1 Penguins!, enjoyed four seasons as the top-rated series on NBC Saturday mornings, Telemundo and ION TV via the qubo® children's programming block. The studio's two theatrical releases, Jonah—A VeggieTales Movie (2002) and Universal Pictures' and Big Idea's The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie (2008), are distinguished among the top ten most successful faith-based films of all time. Big Idea also maintains an extensive presence in publishing, licensing and live entertainment arenas. veggietales.com

Zonderkidz™, a division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Bible translation, the third-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com.

Oh, For Real by Laura Coppinger Cookbook Sale!!

 

 

If you haven't heard yet, Laura from Heavenly Homemakers has released a new book that will be in PRINT!!  It's called Oh, For Real.  

What will you find in Oh, For Real? 

• Over 115 healthy, real food breakfast, lunch, supper, casserole,
  slow cooker, and snack recipes that will save you time, money and sanity


• Versatile mixes and whole grain dough recipes that offer loads of healthy recipe options with little to no effort


• Freezer cooking ideas and instructions to help you actually get ahead in the kitchen


• Last minute (healthy) meal ideas, because for real, you don’t have to resort to ordering pizza in a pinch


• More information about my family and me than you ever really needed to know.  We are real.  :)

It's $25.95 which includes shipping and handling in the US.  Also, if you pre-order you get a $10 gift certificate to be used in the Heavenly Homemakers shop.  This book is so new it's not in the shop yet, but click the link below and then Home and scroll down to the blog post that contains all the info, you will be good to go!  I just bought mine!  I'm so excited!






Click here to visit Laura Coppinger @ Heavenly Homemakers

Cultivating a Heart for Motherhood Week #5 Part B

We are now in our last week in the short series on Cultivating a Heart for Motherhood with Joy Forney's ebook based from her blog series last winter.  You can pick up the free ebook at GraceFullMama.

My ideas for Continual, Competent Teaching:
1. Bible teaching- We do this daily at breakfast, throughout the day in teachable moments and we try to do a Family Worship time in the evening with daddy
2. Read,read,read!  We read books throughout the day, but I really do need to get back into the habit of visiting the library.  I try to read different kinds of books to my kids- 2 fiction and one non-fiction, magazines, posters, menus, labels, etc.
3. Arts and Crafts- I have really made it a habit to do at least one craft project a week.  I like to do them with our Bible stories and also make letter crafts.  Right now we are starting paper plate crafts that I do with both kids from The Activity Mom.  And I have found tons of ideas on Pinterest. 
4. Cooking- I try to get the kids to cook something with me once a week.  Shrade knows names of lots of ingredients and he likes to help get things from the refrigerator.  I want to have him plan a meal sometime and have him make it!
5. Nature walks- We go on lots of nature walks in our area on the weekends with daddy (who teaches us about the plants).  Here is a wonderful hike we took this summer: Naches Trail
6. Chore Teaching- This is a huge area that I'm working on right now. It's amazing to see how much my children can do. I like the lists from Money Saving Mom.
7. Manners teaching- This is ongoing all day long too.  I reviewed a great book that I plan to sift through again as I continue to teach about manners: Manners That Matter for Moms by Maralee McKee
8. Speak up- Right now as I'm teaching my children about God, they are very curious and I pray someday that I will be able to teach them how to share their faith when they choose to live for God!


So what are your ideas for this last area of motherhood from this book?

What did you enjoy most from this series?  Thanks for letting me share one of my favorite ebooks on motherhood with you.  If you have not downloaded this yet, I highly recommend it.  It's a good refresher course to keep you on track of where you want to be as a mother.

Blessings, Shonda

Veggie Town Voyage by Cindy Kenney Book Review

Beloved VeggieTales Characters Enrich Young Readers with Their Own Spin on Three Classics in a New Collection

My review:
Veggie Town Voyage is a group of adventure stories with strong Biblical values and lots of humor.  If your kids love Veggie Tales, they will love these 3 stories- Lost in Place, Cool Hand Cuke, and Ben Hurry all told with a little help from a little help from Mr. O'Malley from the the Treasure Trove Bookstore.  Junior Asparagus learns some important lessons about fear (or not to be afraid), hard work, and patience.  Your kids will love the time travel segment and the wacky fun that Junior experiences all rolled up into a 3 stories in one book.  Have fun!

Junior Asparagus, Laura Carrot, and many other VeggieTales characters return with three popular adventure-filled stories by Cindy Kenney packed into one colorful new book, VEGGIETOWN VOYAGE (Zonderkidz; $7.99; February 2013).

With an added emphasis on strong Christian values, the stories recall a classic television show (Lost in Space) and two iconic movies, (Cool Hand Luke and Ben-Hur), with each told in child-friendly text. 

Originally published in 2005, Lost in Place offers a lesson in overcoming fear. Junior wanders into the Treasure Trove Bookstore after being frightened during a game of Hide and Seek. The owner, Mr. O’Malley, eases the youngster’s anxiety by offering a new adventure book. Suddenly, Junior finds himself soaring through space on the Jitterbug 2 with the Rattleson family, who are trying to find their way back home to Earth. While Junior is fearful of being in unfamiliar territory, he learns that he’s never really lost with God on his side.

The 2009 book Cool Hand Cuke teaches children a lesson in hard work. After quitting his job at the House of Peanut Butter, Junior decides that working for a living isn’t making him rich. But, when he visits the book store that evening, Mr. O’Malley suggests a book about farm workers. After seeing how farm hands Hot Hand Tomato and Cool Hand Cuke donate all of their earnings to the local hospital, Junior discovers that friendship, giving to the less fortunate, and a day of meaningful work is worth more than money.

First published in 2006, Ben Hurry contains a lesson for children on the virtues of patience. When traffic spoils their trip to Lobster-Land Theme Park, a disappointed Junior and Laura take yet another trip to their favorite bookstore. This time, their reading lands them on the deck of a ship where they meet a Roman pea named Ben Hurry. Ben’s in a rush to get to the Monster Chariot Show in Rome, but as he shouts at his crew to pick up speed, he puts all of them in danger. When the ship crashes into a line of boats, Junior, Laura, and even Ben, learn that patience is a gift from God.

A perfect grab-and-go book for families, the vibrant cast of lovable characters come to life through playful illustrations offering young readers hours of lessons and fun-filled adventures.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cindy Kenney is an award-winning author, editor, international speaker, and seminar leader. She’s received the 2005 Editor of the Year award from the Christian Writers Association, the 2004 Gold Medallion for The Mess Detectives, and a Gold Medallion nomination for God Loves You Very Much. Cindy's VeggieTales Bible Storybook was selected as one of the top five children's books by the Christian Booksellers Convention in 2006. Cindy resides in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons. www.kenneycreative.com

ABOUT BIG IDEA BOOKS/VEGGIETALES: Big Idea Entertainment is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children's and family programming, characters and brands. Since 1993, Big Idea's bestselling animated series, VeggieTales, has sold 53+ million videos, 13 million books and more than 7 million CDs. VeggieTales and Big Idea's property, 3-2-1 Penguins!, enjoyed four seasons as the top-rated series on NBC Saturday mornings, Telemundo and ION TV via the qubo® children's programming block. The studio's two theatrical releases, Jonah—A VeggieTales Movie (2002) and Universal Pictures' and Big Idea's The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie (2008), are distinguished among the top ten most successful faith-based films of all time. Big Idea also maintains an extensive presence in publishing, licensing and live entertainment arenas. veggietales.com

Zonderkidz™, a division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Bible translation, the third-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com.