Winning At Home

Winning At Home: Tackling the Topics That Confuse Kids and Scare Parents

by Dan Seaborn 

Never has the task of raising children been more challenging than today's times, when parents are compared, shamed, labeled, and superseded by the cultural influences of our social media, Hollywood, trends that change faster than the seasons and demands for fitting into a world that is terribly broken.  Today's parents get input from every corner, most unsolicited and most unhealthy and unhelpful.  How appropriate for the timing of this new book by Dan Seaborn of Winning At Home ministries.

This book is not afraid to jump in to the tough topics that most Christian parents are yearning to find help with, but coming up empty handed in a very self-centered world that serves the gratification of immediate needs.  Dan Seaborn and some of his team tackle hard topics like gender and sexual orientation, discipline, communication, technology and so much more from a Biblical viewpoint that aims parents toward the Cross instead of the world.

Whether you are a new parent, just starting out, in the deep trenches of rearing a house full of kids, sending them off or an empty nester, there is wisdom in this book for you.  A resource for the days to come as your children encounter these topics that will inevitably face them, despite your best efforts to shield them.  This book equips parents to realize that the war is waging and the offense must be continuous and planned ahead in some instances, and that the battle will be a long-term, life-long place for the parent.

Seaborn and his team write with honesty and humor, addressing scary stuff parents might not have thought about, or might not want to think about.  With real-life examples, guidance based in the Bible and years of counseling, ministry and teaching work combined, this book is like sitting down with a room full of experts!  I highly recommend any parent own this book and pull it out often as the new phases bring new topics to tackle and work through.  

Set to release September 13, 2022, you can pre-order a copy now!  Find yours at the following locations:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

See what others who have already read it have to say on Good Reads!

@winning_at_home

Raising Kids for Tomorrow's World

Raising Kids for Tomorrow's World:12 Keys to Preserving the Faith

by Stan & Cheryl Schuermann

In a world where many parents feel like they are barely treading water, trying to keep ahead of the trials and dangers in abundance for their children while navigating how to raise them with a spiritual mindset in a non-spiritual world, the outlook can feel hopeless.  Never has there been a more important time than now to begin equipping parents with the tools to raise their children in a faith that will last as they grow into this tumultous world around us.

Stan and Cheryl Schuermann have set out to give parents one such tool with their new book, seeking to teach and encourage parents in biblical principles how to raise their children to follow Christ.  Set up in small sections that are easily used within a small group setting, this book can be just as easily used as an individual devotional or short read as well, giving it versatitily.

Based on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-14, readers are introduced to the idea of Paul loving, encouraging and teaching his spiritual children.  From this section, 12 Keys are pulled, each key having 4 a chapter of it's own as well as three chapters devoted to the discussion of it.  The wealth of information, spiritual backing and biblical truth abound in this resource!  Readers work their way through Keys such as Discover Boldness, Help Your Children Discern God's Call, Be the One Your Children Want to Imiitate and so many more important keys.  Each chapter is designed to be a fairly quick read (generally 2-4 pages) within the topic, always with discussion questions at the end.

I have found this book to be one of great support and encouragement with thought provoking questions yet simply understood and followed suggestions to go forward with.  This is a book I know I will return to many times for it's wealth of knowledge and reference that I can trust.  Designed to give confidence to parents, it sets readers up with success and helps families build a faith culture in their homes in a time of deep need for parent support and Christian community as we look out at a very troubled world into which our children will be released some day.

You can find it at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in multiple formats to fit your preference!

Title--  Raising Kids for Tomorrow's World: 12 Keys to Preserving the Faith

Authors -  Stan and Cheryl Schuermann

Retail Price--  Paperback 13.99, ebook $3.99, Hardcover $19.99

Genre--  Christian Nonfiction/Parenting and Family

Website URL--  https://cherylschuermann.com/

*Disclosure:  I received a copy of the book for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Family Honor Plate

I love traditions and fun things that keep my kids involved in what is going on with the family.  We try to celebrate a lot of things together, the big holidays and the small personal victories too.  When I got the chance to try out the Family Honor Plate and Let's Talk cards, I couldn't say yes fast enough!

 The Family Honor Plate comes in a kit with everything you need to personalize it and make it your very own.  It is very well packaged and easy to get to.

 Within in the kit, you will find the plate, paints, nice pain brushes (not the cheapy ones with bristles that fall off or handles that give slivers), a paint tray with spots to mix colors and a plate stand.

 The plate is a nice, heavy, finished piece that should stand up to regular wear and tear. On it is printed "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control"

The idea behind the Family Honor Plate is to honor a member of the family when they have displayed one of the attributes in their daily life.  This can be used for every day or on more special, larger event occasions, the choice is completely up to the family.  Imagine little Susie steps out of her comfort zone and helps a new student at school, or little Johnny has a great report card after lots of hard work...  Maybe Dad earns a promotion or Mom remembers to be patient on a very trying day...  There are so many ways to use this plate!  The fun thing is that anyone can decide who should get to use it, not just Dad or Mom.  

 Available separately but to compliment the plate are the Let's Talk Table Thyme cards.

 On a convenient flip pad, there are more than enough to fill a year with a new question each day.  These are questions that invite each member to contribute thoughts and ideas and spur conversation.  Even the little ones can do this!

 On a sturdy cardboard stand, this set holds up nice and is easy to use.

The included paint is designed to be baked, hardening and setting up after a 30 minute bake time.  With 8 colors: red, white, black, blue, orange, yellow, purple, green, there is enough color to make any picture or design you wish, and enough white to mix colors and make your own.  We were sad to find that, in our box, though the paint cups were well sealed (and easy to open, thank you!) the red was completely solid and that the blue, purple and yellow were chunky and on their way to becoming solid as well.  We were able to limp them along with a little water, but they did not apply smoothly or offer us much.  Big bummer there!

 My children were very excited to get started on the plate!  We decided for ours we would let each member do their own section.  As my children are younger, one just 10 months old, this will surely become a treasure as they grow in addition to the fun it will add as we use it to honor one another.

 My older three worked very diligently, each perfecting her masterpiece.

 Dad, Mom and baby added their parts and then it was time to bake.  The baking process was super easy!  Just put the plate in a cold oven, turn it on to 350 and set a timer for 30 minutes once the oven reaches temperature.  After the timer goes off, turn the oven off and let the plate cool with the oven.  That's it!  And it's now ready to eat on.

We opted not to paint on the center of the plate, as suggested, to avoid having paint get scraped off with use.  The children were very pleased with the end result and Dad and Mom agree it turned out pretty cute! 

We have already put it to use, honoring our oldest daughter for her kindness to a new child at church, helping to bring the child to her class and befriend her for the whole day so she would not be lonely.  What fun to give her the special plate!  She had fun being the special person and the other children were chatting about how they might be able to get the plate too.

Here are some videos to walk you through the Family Honor Plate:

You can find out more about the developer, Michelle, here

You can find and purchase the plate here

* I received this product for free for the purposes of review.  My opinions are not influenced by the free gift nor required to be positive, but are from my actual experience.  

#HonorPlate #FlyBy

Blessings of Unity Review

The Blessings of Unity: God's Best for Our Marriages

by Richard T. Case

Written from many years of marriage and training experience, Blessings of Unity offers readers a quick read that is filled with knowledge and helpful information to create a deeper, more united marriage.  This book is small enough to read through in a very short time, with only 9 chapters and 130 pages, but packed with insight.  It is packed with scriptural reference to back the points as well.

The book opens with an activity for couples to participate in, a survey of sorts, to find out the current level of unity as viewed by each spouse separately.  From there, it gives the couple an idea of areas that need more work than others.  Following this, readers learn about the topics of Division and Discord, Unity, The Keys to Unity, the necessity to have God's word as a part of the marriage, handling disagreements and differences of opinion, prayer, biblical examples and more.

Each chapter offers an explanation, clear suggestions to work toward the chapter topic, following printed biblical reference.  The scriptural references come from the New American Standard Bible.  While not one of my favorite translations, it does well enough to get the point across.  I found some of the paragraphs to run a little long, which distracted me a little from the content, but overall I found the information helpful and it gave my husband and I some discussion focus.

You can find this book on Amazon

Right now, you can also get a free download of the ebook "Unshakeable" by simply clicking this link: http://allforjesusunshakeable.gr8.com

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review

VeggieTales Every Day with God Devotional review

VeggieTales Every Day with God
by VeggieTales

With three girls in the house, I have resigned myself to having girly toys, books and games.  Realizing that girls and boys are divinely designed differently, I love that VeggieTales has embraced the idea of providing a devotional just for girls (or boys), full of all things pink and girly that VeggieTales has to offer while being filled with Biblical truth and promise.

We have enjoyed reading through the daily devotionals together with our 6. 4. and 2 year old.  Each of the 365 devotionals is a full page with one devotional based on a stated Bible verse with scriptural reference.  In addition to the devotional, there is a thought for the day and a short prayer.  Pages are filled with bright colors, familiar VeggieTales characters and engaging visuals to keep little ones attentive.  Devotionals are short and to the point for younger listeners or readers, but complex and thought provoking enough to engage my oldest and offer opportunity for discussion.

Anyone who has VeggieTales fans in their home will find fun and value in this devotional.  It is the perfect addition to our home and offers us the chance to talk about God and the Bible daily with our little ones without it becoming overwhelming or confusing.  We are enjoying the topics and the chance to bring God to them in this fun way.

You can find a copy of the Girls' Devotional here, or the Boys' Devotional here

I have the opportunity to give a copy away to one of my readers (boy or girl's edition).  Simply comment with which version you would prefer (Boy or Girl) for a chance.  Winner will be chosen by 9am on September 26, 2016.

*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. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

VeggieTales Every Day with God Devotional review

VeggieTales Every Day with God
by VeggieTales

With three girls in the house, I have resigned myself to having girly toys, books and games.  Realizing that girls and boys are divinely designed differently, I love that VeggieTales has embraced the idea of providing a devotional just for girls (or boys), full of all things pink and girly that VeggieTales has to offer while being filled with Biblical truth and promise.

We have enjoyed reading through the daily devotionals together with our 6. 4. and 2 year old.  Each of the 365 devotionals is a full page with one devotional based on a stated Bible verse with scriptural reference.  In addition to the devotional, there is a thought for the day and a short prayer.  Pages are filled with bright colors, familiar VeggieTales characters and engaging visuals to keep little ones attentive.  Devotionals are short and to the point for younger listeners or readers, but complex and thought provoking enough to engage my oldest and offer opportunity for discussion.

Anyone who has VeggieTales fans in their home will find fun and value in this devotional.  It is the perfect addition to our home and offers us the chance to talk about God and the Bible daily with our little ones without it becoming overwhelming or confusing.  We are enjoying the topics and the chance to bring God to them in this fun way.

You can find a copy of the Girls' Devotional here, or the Boys' Devotional here

I have the opportunity to give a copy away to one of my readers (boy or girl's edition).  Simply comment with which version you would prefer (Boy or Girl) for a chance.  Winner will be chosen on September 27, 2016.

*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. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

ESV Family Devotional Bible Review

ESV Family Devotional Bible
by Crossway

I had been looking for an appropriate devotional to use with my young children at home when the opportunity to review this devotional Bible came my way.  I was immediately impressed with this book the minute I held it in my hands.  This is a high quality hard covered book filled with color pictures, 130 of them!  While it is in fact an actual Bible in the ESV (English Standard Version) translation, it is also a devotional too.  The perfect combination that puts everything in your hands for family devotion time with children in the home.

Each devotional story is on a colored page.  The illustrations that go with each devotional are high quality, full detail, painting like pictures - not cartoonish, but featuring real looking people and scenes.  The devotional stories fall in line with their location in the Bible, so they can be used individually or as a family study.  The Biblical references are provided for the story's location within the Bible as well as a verse for memorization or discussion that ties the story to the surrounding scripture.

The devotion stories are written in a way that young children (ages 4+) can understand, while being complex and detailed enough to challenge older children into their early teens.  The common children's bible stories are discussed within the devotionals, such as Adam & Eve, David & Goliath, Jonah, etc. as well as many more not so mainstream stories.  Following each story are a few questions to prompt discussion and further learning for the devotional time.  With younger children, we have skipped over this section most times, just focusing on the stories for now, but I will definitely be going back around to use these again in a few years.

I have enjoyed this book as an adult, and have learned things I had not before picked up or heard. The questions have prompted me to think and I love the potential they provide for teaching my children.   My children (4 & 6) have learned things and really enjoyed exploring the pictures as well as hearing the many different stories.  All around, I love this book and have already been telling my friends with children all about it and recommending it.  This is a perfect combo book for every Christian family with children!

You can find a copy here

The cool thing is that I get to GIVE a copy away to one of my followers!  So, if you are interested, simply leave a comment with the ages of your children and you are entered.  The winner will be selected randomly on Monday, May 16 at 9am.

*  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.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Raising God's Girl Review

Raising God's Girl
by Rich and Mary Lou Graham

A mom of three precious girls, I am always interested in learning how to be a better parent and to raise them in a manner pleasing to God.  In a world filled with low self-esteem, poor role models and detached relationships through social media, I want my girls to grow up seeing and feeling love in a very real way.  I want to do my best to raise them to rise above the worldly mess sucking in so many of their peers, to become strong women of faith who are confident.

The Graham's book is one such tool I have discovered to help me on this path.  Their book is filled with very real and down to earth stories, examples and ideas to help other parents raise their daughters.  Each chapter is full of insight and Biblical wisdom as well as personal experience on the behalf of the Graham's.  Written by both a father and a mother, the reader gets both sides of the parenting field, and as such makes it a great read for moms and dads alike.

I have enjoyed getting to know the Graham family through this book and have learned much about myself as well as how to better parent my daughters.  I have also enjoyed reading insightful segments from the daughters of that family, to hear how they have perceived their parents' guidance.  It has given me perspective from both the parent and daughter side of things, and has given me confidence that I am doing a good job and can continue to do so in learning and following Godly examples such as theirs.

This book will remain on my shelf as a reference and repeated read as I rear my girls, no doubt I will want the reminders over the years.  I highly recommend this book to any parent of girls.  Christian or not, there are plenty of tips and pointers to help raise a confident and emotionally healthy young lady.

You can find it here

* I received this book for free through BookCrash in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Vicks Smart Temp Thermometer

Thanks to Influenster, I got the chance to check out the new Vicks Smart Temp thermometer for free!  

This thing is really cool.  Stepping into the bluetooth world, this thermometer syncs to an app on your smartphone.  Once the app is installed, pairing is as easy as turning on the bluetooth capabilities on the phone and then turning on the thermometer.

 This thermometer can take oral, axiallary and rectal temperatures, simply by choosing which method being used on the phone.  The temperature is displayed within 8 seconds.

 The app is really cool.  It has the ability to set up users within the family, and then under each user there is the ability to track temperatures over time, record any medication given and maintain those records for the life of the app.

 In addition to the temperature taking abilities of the app, there are many options in the menu.  One of my favorites is the chart displaying the temperature ranges in a color code so users can know when they read the temperature where it falls in terms of being safe, mid-range or high.

 There are so many other options in the menu as well.

 This thermometer is small, fitting easily into the palm of my hand.  It is super lightweight, and is comparable to any other thermometer on the market.

 The tip is super flexible, which is awesome when using it with kids!

 Included is a cover for storage when not in use.

I am in love with this thermometer.  Not so much with the fact that I have already had opportunity to use it with all of my children in the past week. but glad I had it.  It is super reliable, quick to record and display the temperature, and so convenient with the app data storing capabilities.  This is a tool I will be recommending to all of my friends for their medicine cabinets.

* I received this product for free to review in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.  All thoughts are my own.