S Club Mama

My family first fell in love with Dandi Dalley Mackall's book "God Loves Me More Than That" when my boys were preschool aged. It has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful message based on Ephesians 3:17-19. I love being able to affirm that this author writes lovely books! Now she has a new book which can be summed up in four words:  Wow!  Uh-oh!  Yes! Ahh! That is the gospel in "Wow! The Gospel in Four Words." image via Tyndale Publishers The gospel is central to our lives and I love being able to share it in understandable ways with my children. My daughter is two years old and cannot fully comprehend even in this book of the gospel but she understands "wow" and "uh-oh" and those are words to build upon until she fully understands the gospel of "yes" and "ahh." The illustrations by Annabel Tempest in this book are vibrant. My Charlotte can easily spot Jesus. She's got that  Sunday  school answ...

I know, I know. It's not even Halloween; how can I be talking about Christmas? Well, simply put, I heard about a fabulous movie coming out called "The Man Who Invented Christmas."  image via Grace Hill Media I can't say I agree with the title of the movie (Christmas is really about Christ's birth) but I really enjoy most any re-telling of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, even Jim Carrey) and this movie is based on the true story of Dickens writing that very book! Starring Christopher Plummer (Captain Von Trapp from "The Sound of Music," the Narrator in the Madeline tv series, and the voice of Charles Muntz from "Up"), "The Man Who Invented Christmas" comes out Friday, November 22 - just in time for Christmas (and the birthday of both my sister and a dear friend). Reading about how Charles Dickens mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination reminds me very much...

This parenting gig is hard. Can I get an "amen"? I read almost any parenting book (reputable) I can get my hands on, but I really appreciate the ones from people I trust. Jim Daly, President and CEO of Focus on the Family, is one of those people I trust. I listen to the Focus on the Family podcast almost daily (when I workout) and I love hearing Jim's stories about his boys and his and his wife's parenting. They seem like people we could just hang out with. I have most of "When Parenting Isn't Perfect" by Jim Daly highlighted and notes in the sidebars. I had my heart opened to much of my parenting faults - looking for achievement, not character. How often do I get so angry with my boys when they misbehave in the grocery store (every time) instead of realizing they are little boys running a super boring errand and are trying to entertain themselves instead of thinking they are being rude - that's not their heart intent at all! They may not be think...

I have seen my fair share of horror movies...but not for several years. They give me the creeps and nightmares. I am already a worst-case-scenario kind of a thinker so that just makes things worse, so I try to avoid them. I have been intrigued by a few the last several years, including Annabelle: Creation, which releases August 11, 2017. The synopsis, without giving too much away (nothing you can't get from the trailer , which I couldn't even watch all of), is about parents who lose their little girl in a horrible tragedy. In their grief, they try to bring her back. This movie portrays possession of a doll and that's about all I can tell you because the trailer creeped me out. As Christians I think we tend to stay away from horror movies, but in doing so, sometimes we stay away from their messages. Messages such as -evil is real! There is a spiritual battle going on all around us! I don't pretend to understand it completely but I know it's real. I've felt ...

Where's Waldo? (first published in the U.K. as Where's Wally? ) has been around since 1986 (so have I!). I remember looking at the books growing up, trying to find that elusive red and white striped guy with glasses. Now my children can have that same hunt while learning more about the Bible with Bible Sleuth: New Testament , illustrated by Jose Perez Montero (text by Vanessa Carroll). image via Amazon The main character in this is Mike, a Bible-loving time traveler. He travels back to biblical times, sharing stories like The Birth of Jesus, The Wedding at Cana, Zaccheus the Tax Collector, Stephen, all the way to Revelation's A Crowd of People Praising. While not as vibrantly colored as a Where's Waldo? book, Bible Sleuth is just as tricky. Some of the people or items in the sidebars are difficult to find in pictures. My big boys (ages 8 and 10) have enjoyed looking through this book from time to time, but it's not on their top 10 list of most read book...

"A Wrinkle in Time" is a beloved book by Madeleine L'Engle and Disney is coming out with a new film starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Mindy Kaling, Oprah, and newcomer Storm Reid as "Meg Murry."  A Wrinkle In Time opens in US theaters March 9, 2018 . The film, which is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and ultimately, the triumph of love. Directed by Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Jennifer Lee based upon the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle, “A Wrinkle in Time” is produced by Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand with Doug Merrifield serving as executive producer. 

I love celebrating the 4th of July - always have. I remember so many years of going to the local Independence Day parade, their firework show, and fireworks at my Grandma's house. Tonight the firework show brought tears to my eyes as I remembered the past. I miss my Grandma (not because she's passed away but I just don't see her often). I am so thankful for technology that allows me to talk to her whenever I want (which is never often enough) and that in a few weeks I will get to see her. image via   The same cannot be said of God. I do not have the technology to physically see Him. I do long to see Him and will some day. But for now, I am learning to practice the presence of God. That sounds kind of hokey, doesn't it? How does one practice that practically? For me, it's very simple. It comes down to being conscience of God every second of every day. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm very bad at this! I am just learning to do this, though. Lear...