grew overnight

A school day a couple years ago, my older daughter went to put on a pair of pants that she had only worn a week ago, and on this day she couldn’t get them on. They were too small. We quickly went through the rest of the pants in her closet to find there was only one pair that still fit. One pair. I sent her off to school and I went on a search for pants that would fit. In most stores, those pants were out of season. It took me a while to find her some clothes to get her through the remainder of the season.


As I watched the clearance racks in the children’s section, an idea struck me. What if as clothes go out of season and go on sale I stock up on future sizes and future seasons? Sometimes things that are normally $10 will be priced as low as $2. Over the last two to three years this has served me well and my kids have not run out of clothes since!

A Christian Nancy Drew?

Vanished by Kristi Holl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Vanished by Kristi Holl is about a 6th grade girl named Jeri McKane at an all girls boarding school. Her best friend Rosa goes missing while on an art class field trip along with 5 other students and the art teacher Mr. Reeves. The town turns out to help look for the van and missing people. Jeri calls Jake Phillips, a local reporter whom she looks up to, to come and help with the investigation. Then Jeri discovers that Jake’s stories aren’t adding up. Did the van run off the road and crash through the ice on the lake? Did Mr. Reeves kidnap the students? Did Jake have something to do with the disappearance? Jeri is determined to discover the truth.





The main character acts like an older sixth grader. Some of her logic seems to be a bit old for her but perhaps that works for a detective personality.





Overall this was an enjoyable read and not overly preachy. In fact, there are only a few references sprinkled throughout the story of Jeri’s relationship with Jesus. I think this would be fun and appropriate for girls aged 10-12 years. It has just enough suspense to keep you guessing and turning pages without being too scary.





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Little Changes

I am no fitness expert or health guru, but I know what has worked for me in the past. It really is the little things. Leaving one bite on my plate. Drinking a glass of water before I get a snack. Eating fruits or vegetables before I reach for chips or candy. Cut your serving size by one-fourth, one-third, or even one-half. Skip dessert or eat a smaller portion. Decrease your soda intake. Notice serving sizes and consider what size you really need according to your caloric needs (personally, I don’t need 2000 calories a day, so if that is what the serving size is based on, I need a smaller portion).

Think about it. If you started on the first day of the month to eat one less cookie or one less chip and each day decrease again (on the first of the month, one less, on the second day of the month, two less, on the third day of the month, three less, etc). Imagine the difference that could make by the end of the month.

Try adding a fruit or vegetable each week. By the end of the month you could add four fruits or vegetables to your menu. Then try eating the fruit before you reach for the cookies or the candy or the vegetable before the chips.

You can use this same strategy for physical activity (jumping jacks, running, jump rope, walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, bicycling, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, etc.). Choose an activity and do one on the first day of the month, two on the second day, three on the third day, etc. You could be doing thirty jumping jacks or sit-ups or whatever by the end of just one month!

All of these little changes will add up over time. What if you had one less chip, added one fruit or vegetable, AND added one activity over the course of the month? Why don’t you give it a try and see what happens? Can’t hurt, right? What’s the worst that could happen?

Thank You, God, for Mommy

Thank You, God, For Mommy by Amy Parker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thank You, God, for Mommy by Amy Parker is a cute picture book that illustrates the various ways moms can care for and show love to their children. A panda bear and her cub star as the rhyming text reminds the reader to be thankful for all that mommies do.





Most of the text flows smoothly and highlights enough different roles that I think everyone will be able to relate. I especially liked the illustration on the last page of a very touching interaction between momma and cub.





I received this book free from the publisher in order to read and give an honest review.





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A new Dr. Doolittle angle

Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Pru Marlowe was training to be an animal behaviorist, until she managed to work herself sick. She then woke up to realize she could hear animals’ thoughts, beginning with her own cat, Wallis. She tried to escape the animals’ voices by heading back home to a small town and told everyone it was because of her ailing mother. When her mother passed away, she inherited her childhood home. Pru was trying to build a business of working with people’s animals, secretly using her ability to hear the animal’s thoughts and get the real story, when she finds one of her clients dead. Charles Harris is brutally murdered in his living room. His throat has been ripped to shreds and the number one suspect is his pit bull, Tetris. Since Pru has been training with Charles and Tetris, Pru disagrees that Tetris would murder her owner. Pru is determined to clear Tetris’ name as well as her own. Only, Tetris tells Pru that she is no fighter and she prefers to be called Lily. Pru seeks counsel from Wallis, as she tries to sort out human motives and animal reasoning. Can she clear Lily’s name and her own? Can she keep her psychic abilities a secret? How does she piece together all the information she receives from the town’s pets? Can she reveal what she knows without telling how she found out?



The character development is fantastic, even the animals. The storyline itself has many twists and turns and I never saw the ending coming. I think Clea Simon has done a great job coming up with a new angle on the common Dr. Doolittle character. I may have to check out some of her other writings as well.



I received this book free from the publisher to read and give an honest review.





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It's the Cleaning Fairy!

That's what my girls call the icon for FlyLady (flylady.net). It gets me off the "bad guy" hook when I say we have to do this because the Flylady said so.I love her approach of cleaning in baby steps. The mess didn't happen overnight, so it's not going to get clean overnight either. I love carrying a timer around and seeing how much of a project I can get done in 2 minutes, 5 minutes, or 15 minutes (though I think she started a 7 minute challenge this year). Her cleaning tools are great, too. I have the rubba scrubba and the rubber sweeper and they do help with the dog fur. Our favorite right now is the water bottle.

Just because I love her approach, I'll admit I don't always follow well. With busy dance and exercise schedules it's hard. Though it is getting easier as my girls get older. This summer I will try to revisit her organization tactics and perhaps discover a way to make the system work better for me. Hmm, now that I am writing this and looking around at my mess of a house, I am feeling a bit guilty. I think it's time to set my timer.

Adorable book about Daddys

Thank You, God, For Daddy by Amy Parker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thank you, God, for Daddy by Amy Parker depicts a father lion and his cub experiencing typical father/child interactions such as chores, teaching, daddy working and fixing things. Each page has an adorable illustration of the four line poem featured. The words flow easily and cover a variety of father roles that many children should be able to relate to. My daughters loved it as it reminds them of their own daddy. I think I may have to buy this for our own library.



I received this ebook free from the publisher to read and give an honest review.





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