2021 Archives - Page 3 of 5

0 In 2021/ Book Review

Four books I finished in July

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Rating: 10/10

Review: I read this many years ago, but decided to listen to it this time. Wow. Why have I waited so long to listen to this fantastic book?? It was written nearly 100 years ago, but applies to life today. The book covers topics such as:

dealing with difficult people,
navigating tough conversations,
making a positive impression,
speaking so others listen, etc.

This is a MUST READ for anyone age 15 and older. And if you are like me, and it’s been more than 5 years since you’ve read this book, I recommend you re-read it or listen to the audio edition!

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

Rating: 7/10

Review: Ted’s had this book for years and I saw it on my hoopla app and decided to listen. The book shared myths about millionaires, and some insight into how some millionaires gain their wealth, which included:

Living below their means,
not purchasing items for ‘status’

The book also gave some investing and saving strategies, as well as career options for obtaining wealth.

Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot

Rating: 7/10

Review: I thought this was going to be a traditional ‘biography,’ but was actually made up of Jim Elliot‘s letters and journal entries he wrote over the course of about 10 years.

It was well written, but dragged on at times. I was impressed with the depth and detail that Jim put into his letters and journal entries. It has inspired me to write more letters! After finishing the book, I hand wrote TEN LETTERS, and hope to keep it up.

Share your stuff, I’ll go first by Laura Termaine

Rating: 8/10

Review: This book is very easy to read and pretty entertaining. Each chapter the author asks a question then ‘shares her stuff.’ She then encourages the reader to do the same. The questions Laura posed in this book really inspired me to write more stories about who’s impacted my life, what pivotal moments changed my life, magical moments that occurred in my life, and more.

A picture book I read with my boys that’s worth mentioning:

Honeybee by Candace Fleming

Rating: 10/10

Review: I have a whole new respect and appreciation for bees after reading this beautiful book:

What about you? What have you been reading? What do you want to read? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a comment by clicking on the tiny ‘comment box’ next to the title of this post.

I’m “almost” finished reading Front Desk with one of my sons. We are absolutely loving and don’t want it to end – I’ll give you a full review next month. Please consider subscribing so you don’t miss that post.

July 31, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Faith/ Family/ Inspiration/ Joy/ Minnesota/ Raising boys

Our Focus Determines Our Feelings

Do you want to have a better day? Then let me ask you a question: What do you see when you look at this image?

Did you say a black dot?

You’d be right.

HOWEVER, do you notice anything else besides the black dot?

If you thought: “white space,” then you’d be right again! There is actually more WHITE space than black.

Very few people point out the WHITE space. It takes a little more effort to even notice it.

Let’s say this dark spot represents the problems in our world. The white space is the GOOD stuff happening. There is ALWAYS good stuff, we just tend to overlook it. The black dot GRABS out attention. It’s EASIER to notice, and it’s TALKED about more!

If you watch or read the news, the focus is almost exclusively on the ‘black dot.’

We need to PAY attention to what we are PAYING Attention to!

We can’t control the negativity in the world. We can’t prevent the ‘black dot.’ We CAN control what we watch, what we listen to, what we talk about, and what we FOCUS on!

What we FOCUS ON determines how we FEEL!!!!!

Let me say that again in a different way…

Our focus determines our feelings

A couple of months ago I told my boys we were going to the arboretum. In typical kid fashion, they were like

“The arboretum…to look at trees? Mom, that’s BORING!”

So I turned it into a game. I let them bring their school iPads and I said: “Whoever takes the best picture, gets $1.”

Suddenly, their attitudes changed. It was a competition! They had a goal. They had something to focus on.

Look at these incredible pictures and the beauty they found that day:

Paul was on the hunt for flowers and found some!

We got home and my boys proudly showed their dad the pictures they captured. My husband pointed out that our boys would have missed this beauty if they weren’t on the lookout for it.

They FOUND beauty because the LOOKED for it!

You FIND what you LOOK FOR!

Beauty and goodness aren’t hard to find, they are just overlooked.

What’s wrong is ALWAYS available, but so is what’s right. We find what we look for.

Change your FOCUS because: Your FOCUS determines your feelings!

Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing.

Click here to see more pictures and read about our day at the Arboretum.

Here’s the YouTube version of what I wrote above:

Please share this post with whomever might benefit from it.

July 22, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Things to do in Minnesota

Peek into our Weeks – Queen for a day, Road trippin’ and more!

Sayanora School Year

George finished 7th grade!

Clark is out of Elementary and into Middle school next year!

What a year…but we made it!

(Here’s a post I wrote midyear – when I felt like I was drowning)

Our twenty year “engagement” anniversary

“Queen” for a day

How do become Queen? You put on your plastic crown and declare it! (Thanks, Ted, for the crown!)

The boys and I celebrated my birthday with a great breakfast at Hope Kitchen. Instead of a cake, we ate some delicious Crumbl Cookies.

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man

Ted asked us to do a hill hike with him on Father’s Day, so we lured the boys to the top with Dunkin’ Donuts.

America Ninja Warriors

A local gym was running a special for a month-long membership so I signed my boys up. They had so much fun and burned LOTS of energy!

A quick trip through Illinois

On our way to Indiana, we had one full day in Illinois. We got to eat at our favorite restaurant with some of our best friends.

**Makayla Beebe’s been babysitting the boys since they were tiny. And I was her children’s pastor when SHE was tiny!**

On the way to Indiana, we stopped at Portillos.

What I’m loving

I love this Alba face wash! The scent, the way it makes my skin feel, and the easy pump!

This quick dry towel. It’s super thin, so it doesn’t take much space in our swim bag.

What are you up to and what are you loving? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading!

July 13, 2021 By Kathryn

1 In 2021/ Food/ Product Recommendations

Costco Favorites – A few things you’ve got to try!

I posted some of my favorite things in my instagram and Facebook stories recently, and had lots of feedback and questions – so I thought I’d share a post about some of things we love to buy at Costco:

Our favorite hamburgers:

You can cook these in the oven, on the stove, or on the grill. They are best served with a toasted and buttered bun.

Our favorite dip:

This dip is great with chips, crackers or celery.

Other great dips:

I like the TASTE of this dip, more than the NAME of the dip. It’s made from ALMONDS and is a delicious dip for crackers or vegetables.

This dip is amazing! It’s good with tortilla chips, corn chips, on a salad, or with celery. It’s good warm or cold.

Celery sticks

How do you eat more veggies? Make them easily accessible. These are washed and ready to eat right out of the bag. Great for the dips listed above.

My favorite crackers

Best Chips

For a not-as-healthy options for those dips, these chips are SOO good! Also great with salsa, queso, guacamole and the corn dip (pictured above). They are also good straight out of the bag.

Pre-cooked bacon

Buy the pre-cooked bacon to warm and eat or use in recipes.

I like to wrap one piece of bacon around 3 pieces of asparagus and bake.

You could also wrap it around cheese stuffed dates and bake!

Great salad topping

Popcorn heaven

Organic eggs and milk

Good price on these if you use a lot of milk or eggs in your home.

Rotisserie chicken

We like to get Costco’s rotisserie chicken. Easy dinner! Boil the bones for great chicken broth.

Great steak!!

Eat it in sandwiches for lunch, chopped up on salads, or AS IS for dinner. It’s so good and so easy.

De-lish FISH!

This is a great dish to bake for company. It looks and tastes so fancy, but requires no work!

Tip: Put a little of the pickle ranch dip (pictured above) on the side! YUM!

The world’s best frozen chicken nuggets. They taste like Chick-Fil-A!

I like to cook them in the air fryer.

Best Salad:

I can’t leave Costco without purchasing the large 1-pound containers of Organic Spring Mix. This salad mix is not soft like spinach, it has a nice crunch like romaine. It’s easier to eat healthy when this is in your fridge.

Meat Sticks – my boys LOVE these!

They were on sale recently, so I brought a bag home. Ted, our boys, and their friends, finished the bag in a few days. I went back and stocked up before the sale ended. They are high in protein and low in sugar.

Crystal Light Drink Mixes

The drink mix (pictured below) was purchased on amazon (click here to see), but then I spotted it at Costco this week. These little Crystal Light packets are a great way to keep your kids getting fluids all summer! They come in a variety pack of flavors, and my kids like them all. You can pour a packet into a water bottle, and it turns the water into lemonade or fruit punch. It’s a GREAT alternative to Soda!

Easy and Delicious Dinner – Street Tacos

This kit comes with seasoned chicken, cheese, tortillas, shredded lettuce/cabbage, and two sauces. It can feed up to 6 people. It’s a yummy and cost-effective dinner to keep on hand and prevent you from going through the drive-thru when you don’t feel like cooking.

Marvelous Macarons

I believe these are seasonal, but they were amazing!

What do you love from Costco? Leave me a comment!

CLICK HERE for the top 10 best things to buy from The Dollar Store.

Click here to read the best things to buy from ALDI.

Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing.

July 10, 2021 By Kathryn

1 In 2021/ My Journey

Why you gotta be so rude? Dealing with difficult people.

Have you had anyone be unexpectedly rude to you? Maybe a brash comment at the grocery store, a mean email, or an unkind text.

It happened to me recently and it HURT.

Someone sent me the most unkind email, filled with accusations and name calling. I was SHOCKED!

My emotions flared and I wanted to respond in anger. I had a few choice words I typed up and REALLY wanted to send. Instead, I hit delete.

I chose to NOT reply with an email, but instead, to talk to this person face-to-face.

I really thought we could talk, work things out, and come to an understanding.

Unfortunately, this person was very unkind to my face as well.

You’ve probably been in a situation like this. If not, you may be in the future. Even if you usually get along with everyone, occasionally there will be RUDE people who will shock you with how they talk to/treat you.

It’s a good idea to decide how to respond NOW, before you are in the heat of the moment.
.

After this happened to me, I thought it would be worthwhile to write about some of the best and worst ways to handle a situation or difficult person like this.

Here are recommendations for what to do and what NOT to do.

What NOT to do:

1. Don’t respond to unkind words with unkind words

This is hard. When I received the rude email, I wanted to respond with equally unkind words. I had to force myself to delete them. It feels good to write something equally unkind, but it DOES NOT HELP the situation.

2. Do not gossip about the person with other people

This is also hard. I wanted to share this person’s unkindness with everyone. I wanted to get others on MY TEAM. I wanted to justify myself.

Unfortunately, that only fuels the fire and gets people involved that do not need to be involved. It can make things a BIGGER issue than necessary.

Plus, being known as a person who talks negatively makes you lose respect with those with whom you are speaking. People begin to wonder if you are talking about THEM behind THEIR back.

If you MUST talk to someone, talk to a TRUSTED friend who is UNRELATED to the situation. I talked to my husband and he gave me a hug, validated my feelings, then helped me have compassion toward this person.

3. Do not try to get even or get revenge

After this person treated me so poorly, ideas of how I could get revenge raced through my head. (I’m human!!) Again, I took a deep breath and asked myself:

Will acting on this negative emotion help the situation? Will it move us toward a BETTER place?
.

What you should do:

1. Have compassion

When a person is mean, we must decide to respond with compassion. We have no idea how their day, their year, or their life has been, or what is causing them to act this way. Repeat the word, “compassion” to yourself (or in your head) as your emotions start to flare.

There is not an easy way to become more compassionate. We become more compassionate as we walk through the fire and practice extending compassion to people who have been rude or hurtful. Fluent compassion comes one decision at a time.

2. Try to connect with the person face-to-face. If that’s not possible, pick up the phone and make a call.

When you receive an unkind comment, text or email, it’s easy to want to respond with unkind words. HOWEVER, choose the high road, even if it causes elevation sickness.

3. Take a deep breath

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”
Victor Frakl

When you are angry and wanting to say or do something unkind, take a deep breath to give yourself a moment to think/pray/pause. Taking a deep breath allows us to get out of fight-or-flight mode.

4. Speak and act kindly toward them

Once again – HARD! It’s easier to walk away or respond in anger. However, a smile and kind, calm words are often what is needed.

I find that asking God to love THROUGH me helps when I feel no love for a particular person. I ask for His help and His words when dealing with a difficult person or difficult situation.

5. Find something you can ALL agree on

When your emotional responses take the high road and line up with your best self, you kick off a virtuous cycle where your thoughtful responses to difficult people, in aggravating situations, actually make things BETTER!
-Tommy Newberry

When I tried to respond kindly, the other person continued to be mean. Ted came to the rescue and I watched/listened in fascination. He brought the conversation up above the current dilemma and found something we could ALL agree on…and coupled it with an assumptive close. The intent was to help us rise above the fight-or-flight mode, and find common ground. He said:

“I think we would all agree that we want a positive and friendly relationship going forward.”
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Thankfully, we could all agree to that…and it brought some peace in this difficult conversation.

6. Pray for them

Every time I feel anger toward this person, I try to say a prayer for them. I’m not sure why this person was mean, but I will assume they’ve been hurt or are hurting, and could benefit from a prayer.

7. Find a mediator

Occasionally, the ‘unkind person’ is someone with whom you have an ongoing relationship. This is the time to find a mediator. Ask the person if they’d be willing to meet with you at a neutral place, where you could discuss the situation with a mediator. This outside person/mediator can help you understand each other and come to a resolution. You can find a mediator at your local church or counseling center.

8. Don’t let their unhappiness steal YOUR joy

If it comes down to experiencing JOY or experiencing the negative emotions we believe we deserve, what’s it going to be?
Tommy Newberry

This person’s rudeness completely stole my joy and made me cry. However, I didn’t stay mad. I felt the hurt, then I moved on. I did not hold on to those negative thoughts and emotions. The other person can choose to live with anger, but I will choose to live with joy.

I am CHOOSING not to dwell on the mean words, or take it personally, so that I can preserve MY joy.

Thanks for reading! Save this post and refer back to it as needed. Though I wrote these words, I’ve had to re-read them to remind myself how to continue to take the high road.

Is there something that helps you deal with rude people? Especially when it’s directed at YOU?! Leave a comment!

Thank you for reading, please consider subscribing.

An EXCELLENT resource in dealing with difficult people is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. This is a book I could read or listen to every year. I feel like every person should have a copy in their library. Listen to it in the car:

Want more? Read 7 tips for more Joy.

Click here to read the story of a time when my son was getting bullied, and how the situation changed with one conversation.

July 7, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Book Review/ Product Recommendations/ Review

3 Great Books I read in June: Reviews and Recommendations

Here are 3 great books I read in June:

Get Your Life Back by John Eldridge

Rating: 10/10

Review: Listening to this wonderful book was like going to therapy. The author’s voice and his encouragement were calming and helpful. He shared useful tips for healing from hurts, remembering the good, and enjoying life. The author shares how to re-orient yourself away from the noise, and toward a place of peace, calm and joy.

One thing he recommends is the one minute PAUSE. Here’s a summary:

Close your eyes,
Breathe deeply in and out,
As you exhale – release the stress,
As you inhale – receive God’s love and peace.

Click here to check out the FREE One Minute pause app!

This is a must read for anyone feeling burned out and needing some space for your soul.

Here are two beautiful reminders from the book:

Love Centered Parenting by Crystal Paine

Rating: 9/10

Review: I follow this author on MoneySavingMom.com, and when I saw her book was available for free on my Hoopla app, I decided to download it. It’s easy to listen to, and gives tons of practical advice and encouragement to parents. She shares the story of one of her teens becoming suicidal, and how they got there, and what she’s learned from this experience. I think this book is a great one for any parent with kids ages 5-15.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Rating: 9/10

Review: Ted encouraged me to read this book and I really enjoyed it! If you find yourself stretched too thin (MOTHERHOOD!), overworked or busy but not productive, this would be a great book for you!

This quote sums up the book fairly well:

“When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us, and before long we’ll have lost sight of everything that is meaningful and important.”
Greg McKeown

This quote made me smile and is one of the reasons I value having FUN with my kids:

“It’s hard to be successful at anything without having some fun while doing it.
Greg McKeown

I love this about the importance of playing:

“As we get older, PLAY seems like a waste of time. It seems unnecessary and childish. However, play has the power to significantly improve everything from personal health to relationships to eduction to organization to ability. Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity. Nothing fires up the brain like play. The value of play can’t be overstated.”

Want some PLAY ideas? Click here!

Thanks for reading this post and for subscribing! Hope you get lost in a good book soon…

July 5, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Peek into our Week

Peek into our last few weeks: May 2021

How is it JUNE already? Last year time stood still. This year is doing double time.

Here’s what we were up to in May:

Luke turns SEVEN!

Eat the Rainbow: Strawberries and Raspberries, Carrots and Peppers, Banana slices, Sugar Snap Peas and Kiwi fruit, Blueberries and Grapes. A mandarin orange is the sun.

Eating the rainbow!

I’m having a hard time believing my baby is 7, but he promises me it’s true. We had an old-school backyard birthday. We invited the neighbors over for pizza, cake, and backyard games. It was so much fun. Click here to read about some of the games we played.

Wrigley’s World

Just like Luke, Wrigley is growing FAST!

He wants to play fetch, all day every day! He also LOVES the water – getting wet and muddy is his hobby – which is not annoying at all.

We took him to the dog park for the first time. We enjoyed watching all the dogs play!

Mother’s Day Memories

Ted gave me flowers, all the boys made me a picture, and we took them to their first ever brunch. They loved it as much as I did.

Brunch highlights:

Luke was full for the first time in his life. I mean, he usually says he’s full, but that’s because he doesn’t want to finish his dinner. This time he could choose everything he wanted to eat and LOVED it.
Paul asked if the server writes down everything he takes from the bunch to charge us at the end.
Clark ate til he was full, then came back with a full plate and asked the server for a to-go box. She gave him one and he was SO excited to get to take some yummy food home with him.
The boys asked if we could do this on every Mother’s Day, and on my birthday too. 🙂

George’s Creation

George made some artwork for his room. He picked the background, the verse, and put them together and made this:

Four boys in Five Sports

George is in Track
Clark is in soccer and taking a football clinic
Paul is in soccer and taking a football clinic
Luke is in T-Ball

Other highlights:

At the park, a man who earned a full football scholarship to Rutgers, spent a few minutes working with Paul and Clark. I’m grateful for other adults who invest in my kids.

You know you’ve been married a long time when you start to dress alike without planning it.:

Paul and his buddy on the hunt for Morel Mushrooms:

Luke at school, reading and chatting with a friend:

We spent lots of time on the pond behind our house:

What we watched:

We watched TWO excellent family-friendly movies on Netflix: The Mitchell’s Vs. Machines and Blue Miracle

What I’m loving:

These popsicles from the Dollar Tree are SO good on a hot day!

Anyone else use a silk pillowcase? It’s supposed to better for your skin and is so nice to sleep on. I love mine!

What I’ve been listening to:

Click here to listen to a great episode of the Happy Hour with Louie Giglio.

Click here to listen to an amazing podcast with John Eldridge and Annie F. Downs about how the pandemic affected men and women differently, and how we can come out of the pandemic in a healthy way! I loved it!

A peek back into history

My grandfather Hobart earning his doctoral degree. My mom is the littlest girl in this picture – she’s wearing a purple dress and has glasses.

My grandma June and my mom. Mom was pregnant with my older sister Kara here. Kara had a birthday in May! Happy birthday Kara!

My grandfather loved photography and captured this picture of my grandma, aunts and mom. My mom is the little one and looks just like my niece Evelynn.

For a review of the books I read in May, click here.

Thanks for reading and I’d love for you to subscribe!

June 8, 2021 By Kathryn

1 In 2021/ Free stuff/ Minnesota/ Things to do in Minnesota/ Traveling

Step inside a $43 million dollar Minneapolis mansion

Did you know if you have a library card, you can get access to museums, plays, and other fun things around town?

When I noticed a complimentary pass to a place on my Minnesota bucket list: A visit to the American Swedish Institute, aka – a historic mansion, I snatched up a ticket and snuck away for a couple hours.

Wow, it was spectacular! I enjoyed walking around and imagining what the owners did to earn the money to afford such luxury, and to think about how they lived, and the lavish parties they’d thrown.

I started doing some research and asking questions to find out about the history of this home – and was surprised by what I found out.

How big is this place and how much was it?

The home cost 1.5 million dollars to build in 1903, but is currently worth over $43 million.

It has 33 rooms and 75,000 sq ft!

What did the owners do for a living?

The owner of this home was a Swedish man named Swan Turnblad and his wife, Christina. They owned and distributed a Swedish newspaper. Swan loved new technology and was one of the first owners of a “color” printer.

How long did it take to build this mansion?

This home took almost 5 years to build. They employed EIGHTEEN woodworkers for 3 solid years to create the beautiful beams, trim and moldings you see through the home:

The magnificent fireplace inside the entrance to the home. Anyone else have a foyer fireplace like this one?

A room in the basement that was originally a “billiards” room

What kind of parties did they host?

Only one! A fund raiser.

They had a lavish ball room with a stage – big enough for a live band, but they never hosted one ball!

The owner’s wife was very reclusive and her closest friends were the servants. She grew up as a servant herself, so related to her staff more than the wealthy women in town.

I’d love to rent this space, invite everyone I know to dress up in their fanciest clothes, and have a big ball. This gorgeous room must be used!

How long did the owners live in the mansion?

The owners only lived in the home for 7 years! Mrs. Turnblad never liked the home. It was way too big and pretentious for her. They left the mansion to live in an apartment above their printing press!

What do I have in common with the original owners?

Only ONE thing (that I know of) – my favorite part of the home was also their favorite part of the home – the LIBRARY!

The home was so big, that they mostly lived in the library. Ted and I could happily live in that library!

Did anyone else live in the home?

Yes, they had one daughter, as well as two servants and their children who lived in the mansion. When the owners left, they allowed the servants and their children to occupy the home!

The children’s diaries were found and the children wrote about the fun they had playing hide and seek in this gigantic home!

What else is special about this home?

The beautiful bathroom with the amazing sky light. This is the original tub and tile. I would love to take a bath here at night and watch the sky.

There are 11 porcelain tile Swedish “stoves” (fireplaces) in the mansion, every one of them is unique.

The ceilings are a work of art:

The original kitchen:

I didn’t take a picture, but the pantry is larger than my entire kitchen.

Who bought the mansion after the original owners moved out?

No one. There was only one owner, and they donated the mansion to the American Swedish Institute. Today it is a cultural center, museum, art center, and gathering place for anybody interested in Swedish and Nordic culture.

What’s new now?

The. basement has been updated with a beautiful children’s play room and classrooms.

2. The Solarium was updated

The solarium (sun room) became unusable. It was too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, and the framing had been destroyed by the harsh Minnesota winters.

It cost almost as much to update this room (over a million dollars in current dollars) as the original owners paid for the entire house at the turn of the century.

I loved the solarium! Next time I want to bring a book to sit in here and read!

3. Nelson Cultural Center

In 2012, a 34,000 square foot addition known as the Nelson Cultural Center opened. It is a gathering place that houses the café, the art gallery, classrooms, and event spaces.

The mansion is a landmark that has been placed on the national, state and city registers of historical places.

Do you want to visit?

Check out the smart pass website by clicking here to see if there are any complimentary passes, or visit their website to purchase a pass.

Thanks for reading!

Click here for the Top 25 things to do in Minnesota!

June 4, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Book Review

Five good books I finished in May: Reviews and Recommendations

Here are the books I read in May:

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Rating: 10/10

Review: I loved this book. It’s a great story to read from a front porch swing or your back deck. Read it slowly and enjoy the story about the life of Jayber. You’ll feel like your listening to your grandfather describe his life from a beautiful, bygone era. This would make an excellent book to read this summer!

Buy this book and take it on your next vacation.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Rating: 9/10

Review: This was a very interesting story that gave me new insight on the French Resistance – how the citizens of France were invaded by the Germans, as well as how families and lifelong friends are torn apart. The book showed the fear, the love, and the sheer bravery of how people got through those devastating years. I recommend the audio version of this book. The narrator does a great job with the accents and really makes the story come to life.

Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Rating: 10/10

Review: This is an excellent book! I listened to this audio book and highly recommend it. The author has a British accent and a soothing voice. She earned her PhD from Cambridge and explores 12 questions. The four that stood out to me were:

How can you take the Bible literally?
Isn’t Christianity homophobic?
How can you say there is only one true faith?
Hasn’t science disproved Christianity.

The author does a FABULOUS job answering these questions!

Habitudes by Dr. Tim Elmore

Rating: 9/10

Review: This book is full of stories to inspire a person to be a better leader. I read it with my two older sons. The book was a little advanced for them, but since we were reading it together, we could talk about how the topics related to them. I’d recommend this book for someone in college and older. Overall, it’s easy-to-read, but talks about the best ways to ‘oversee’ others and didn’t exactly apply to my boys, but had some good lessons.

Here are a few points my 13-year-old pulled from the book:

All people have value and deserve respect no matter their role. Don’t treat the janitor different than the principal.
Value being ‘interested’ over ‘interesting.’
People are more like chess than checkers. In checkers, you play every piece the same. In chess, every piece is unique. People are unique. Strong leaders get to know people and find out their individual strengths.
There are different types of listeners. Sometimes I’m an “impatient listener” – meaning I finish people’s sentences and want them to finish so I can speak.

Who was Frederick Douglas? by April Jones Prince

Rating: 9/10

Review: I read this book with one of my sons. It gives a brief, but good overview of Frederick’s life – his bravery, intelligence, and fight to be free!

Want more recommendations? Click here to read my top ten favorite books of 2020!

Please subscribe!

May 31, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Inspiration/ Raising boys/ Saving money

Six Super Simple and Budget-Friendly Gifts for Teachers!

Most teachers deserve a million bucks and an all-expense paid trip around the world.

What I WANT to give my sons’ teachers, and what I’m able to give them are two different things.

You don’t have to break the bank to show your child’s teacher some love and appreciation. As a former teacher, it’s often the least expensive things that are the MOST appreciated!

Here are 6 simple gifts ideas. Perhaps you could give your child’s teacher one item every day on the last week of school? Or one item each day on the FIRST week of school. No matter what you give and when you give it, your teacher will enjoy a simple surprise.

1. A special drink

Get your teacher hydrated:

2. Candy or gum

What teacher couldn’t use a little sugar boost most days?

Click here to order chocolate bars.

Click here to order peppermint patties!

Click here to order gum 12 packs of gum for $10:

3. Special hand soap

Teachers are always washing their hands, so some fancy or pretty smelling soap comes in ‘handy!’

Click here to read some benefits of hand washing.

4. A healthy snack

Clark heard his teacher talk about her love for Brussel Sprouts, so he insisted we bring her a bag – and she LOVED it.

Another teacher loves protein bites, so I’ll send some to help her get through the last week of school. Click here for recipe.

5. Lunch

Whether you make it or buy it, your child’s teacher will LOVE not having to eat their sack or school lunch for a day.

Just send a note to school letting your child’s teacher know that tomorrow’s lunch is on you. Send a menu to a local restaurant and ask them to circle what they’d like for you to order, or let them know what you’ll be making! Either way, this will be a SPECIAL treat and they will LOVE IT!

6. A hand-written note

Most teachers would LOVE to know they are making an impact – so write and tell them how they’ve made a difference in your child’s life!

Of all the ‘teacher gifts’ I received over the years, this is the one that I’ve kept through many years and many moves, and it STILL makes me smile:

A heart-warming note from a student who struggled in school.

All these gift ideas would be great for the bus driver, the specialists, the school nurse, the custodian, the principal, as well as the office staff!

Would you like a few more ideas? Click here for what to give and what NOT to give!

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May 24, 2021 By Kathryn

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