Book Review: Gabby, God’s Little Angel by Sheila Walsh

Gabby, God's Little Angel

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This first book in a delightful new series offers a comforting message for young readers—God loves you very much and is always watching over you!

What little girl wouldn’t love her very own guardian angel? Parents and children alike will be won over by this humorous tale of Gabby, a guardian angel in training who has much to learn about taking care of God’s little ones. Her new assignment is to protect a young girl named Sophie, but Gabby soon realizes that watching after Sophie is a bigger challenge than she had expected! After a close call while riding her pony, Sophie learns what the Bible says about guardian angels: “He will put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:11 ICB).

MY REVIEW:

What a wonderful book to teach our children about God’s protection by His angels! This book is not only very creatively told, it is also illustrated beautifully. It captures the attention of children as soon as the book is opened.

This cute little story of an angel-in-training sent to watch over another little girl on earth effectively proves the love of God for His children. My little children enjoyed the story immensely. But it also did its work with me as I read the story to my children. It brought home the truth of God’s angels watching over us constantly that we never need to fear.

This book is highly recommended for parents and grandparents to get for the children in their lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Celebrating Advent and Creating Christmas Traditions

Last Nov. 17, I had the privilege of attending the Christmas Traditons, Christmas Crafts Workshop by Quetti Azurin of Fancy Momma at the Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street.

Aside from the Christmas crafts that she taught us, she also talked about the Christmas traditions that we have in our families. One of the things that really struck a chord in me was when she said - if a traditions was causing you too much stress, it's okay to just do away with it. 

This had surprised me because I have already accepted it that Christmas is really a time when I am so stressed with all the activities and demands of the family. For the past several years, all I remember about Christmas is that I was so tired. In fact, the last two years, I wasn't happy anymore when December comes. All I could think of was how tiring and expensive this season is. 

I had obviously forgotten who this season is about.

So in celebration of this Christmas, I've decided to start a new tradition in our family - the lighting of the Advent wreath and having daily devotions about Advent.

This year, I'd like to do something different for us. 

I'd like for our family to focus more on the reason we can celebrate Christmas yearly.

The birth of Jesus Christ. 

We have been faithfully having our Advent devotions and those are truly the sweetest moments in our family. We did start a week late so we've been reading two devotions per day. I am always thankful that I went to Quetti's workshop. Not only did my kids and I have fun creating the Christmas crafts she taught, it inspired me to create a new tradition in our family.

For your own daily Advent devotions, download a free copy by Ann Voscamp. You'll have to subscribe first before you can download.

Get to know Quetti Azurin of Fancy Momma better through her Facebook page and her website - Quetti Borromeo-Azurin.

The Rhythm of Our Life

I am very, very sorry... for leaving you for a very long time. 

At first, it was because I had already given birth.

Then my Zac died. 

So my family and I took time to grieve... to rest... to find our way again. 

We took enough time to just be with each other... for comfort... and assurance that we are still okay... and that we will be okay.

Even if we miss... no yearn... sometimes even desperately... for the son, the brother, that we lost.

I have to admit... I was very angry at God. 

I had such a hard time accepting... understanding was there... but accepting took longer.

I couldn't write... as much as I used to before... because writing meant focusing my thoughts... and those thoughts inevitably returned to my loss. 

In the last three months, I became very, very busy. 

I started working...still from home... and still teaching the children. I couldn't find the time to read my beloved books and write on this long-ignored blog.

But I take a deep breath now... and feel my peace. Yes, I lost my son. A part of me died when he died. But I think I found my better self. 

I've had many times of talking to the Lord... crying out to Him...venting my anger... expressing my hurt.... but through it all, I felt the Lord's comforting peace cover me fully.

We are not yet over our grieving, not even close. But we have found a new rhythm to our lives and know that we will keep on living.

And I will keep on writing. 

Buying a Term Paper

When I was still a very young student, sometime in the later elementary years, my classmates noticed that I was able to submit my reports or essays way ahead of everybody. They also noticed that I get very good grades with my essays. Thus began my love of writing.

Being an avid book-reader, I also love to see my own words put to paper. I always had a journal or a diary, as some may call it, all these years. Even as a very busy mother, I still found the time to sit down and write my thoughts. It lessened just a bit when I started blogging because I was able to express myself more in my blogs. I still kept my prayer journal, though, because those held most of my private prayers and thoughts about my life and family.

One of the funny things that resulted from all the writing I do is that I always get asked to write a paper for somebody. I remember in Grade 6, my classmates would ask me to write their essays for them. I never did, though. I would always tell them to write it themselves and I'll just help in the grammar after they wrote it. I did this all through high school and then college. I didn't want to be writing their papers for them, I just helped in the correction of grammars and sentence construction. I don't know now if what I do can be called editing because I know that professional editors use a guide to edit. Correcting grammars and the writing style itself became something like a sideline for me, but without any pay.

When my husband and I were just dating, he came to me one day asking for help with their group's paper. He gave me a yellow pad filled with a classmate's writing. When I started checking it, I found I almost had to write the whole thing over. Nothing in it made sense! It was as if the writer was just wanting to get the words out there but had no skills in writing.

I just wish I had known then what I do know now - people actually charged a fee for writing or editing their papers. This is such a shocker to me because I had been doing the service for free! With the advent of internet, now any student can just go online and look for a paper-writing services. As long as the student has the money to pay, she can engage someone to write her paper.

One site I found is www.advancedwriters.com/write-my-paper/write-my-term-paper.html . This site guarantees that buyers will get a professionally- written, original term paper. If a student should decide to buy now , a high-school level term paper can be had for $13.00/ page. $13.00?!? I could have gotten rich in high school if I wrote my classmates' term papers and charged for it. 

Well, that time has passed now. As a homeschool mom, I still hold true to my integrity. I still don't write my children's assignments for them. They will have to learn it themselves. Maybe someday, they may want to earn from their own writing skills in a legitimate manner as I do now.

REDESIGNED LIFE, REDESIGNED BLOG

I have not been posting as much as before. Nor have I been writing my usual reviews. But I'd like to tell you all what I've been up to for the last two months.

Well, I've been working, from home, that is. After Zac died last June, our family incurred a huge debt. Zac had been delivered via caesarian section and I had to have a complete hysterectomy. Add to that Zac's one month stay in the NICU. That alone was already quite a lot of money spent.

Then Zac was confined in the Pediatric ICU for five days before he finally succumbed to death, and that's another big expense.

That time, the Lord provided us so much already through the financial help of family and friends. A lot gave generously, but we still had a huge bill to pay which resulted into debt.

So after that, I decided to look for an online job. Not long after Zac died, an online friend posted on Facebook that she was looking for a Social Media Strategist and that this is a home-based position. Even though I was not at all experienced in Social Media, I went ahead and wrote to her. We met in real life for the interview, then I had an online interview with our American boss  and after a week or so, someone from the office called me with a job offer!

I've been working full time from home for the last two months, getting to know my job better, acclimating myself to the WAHM life, homeschooling my kids, and managing the home. The blogging is the first to go, at this point. It was a choice between blogging and homeschooling, so I chose to homeschool first.

In the meanwhile, ideas for blog posts are swimming around in my head and these need to be released. I'd like to expand my blog to write more about the lessons I've been learning as a wife and mother and even as a grieving mother.

Well, these will come soon. A blog redesign is also in the plan and I am excited to unveil these. Hopefully, I can launch my new and exciting blog by the New Year 2013! I hope that all my current followers will still follow my new blog and that I gain more followers.

God bless us all!

Psalm 73

Psalm 73

New Living Translation (NLT)

Book Three (Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those whose hearts are pure.
² But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
    My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud
    when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
⁴ They seem to live such painless lives;
    their bodies are so healthy and strong.
⁵ They don’t have troubles like other people;
    they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
⁶ They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
    and clothe themselves with cruelty.
⁷ These fat cats have everything
    their hearts could ever wish for!
⁸ They scoff and speak only evil;
    in their pride they seek to crush others.
⁹ They boast against the very heavens,
    and their words strut throughout the earth.
¹⁰ And so the people are dismayed and confused,
    drinking in all their words.
¹¹ “What does God know?” they ask.
    “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
¹² Look at these wicked people—
    enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

¹³ Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
    Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
¹⁴ I get nothing but trouble all day long;
    every morning brings me pain.

¹⁵ If I had really spoken this way to others,
    I would have been a traitor to your people.
¹⁶ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
    But what a difficult task it is!
¹⁷ Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
    and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
¹⁸ Truly, you put them on a slippery path
    and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
¹⁹ In an instant they are destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors.
²⁰ When you arise, O Lord,
    you will laugh at their silly ideas
    as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

²¹ Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
    and I was all torn up inside.
²² I was so foolish and ignorant—
    I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
²³ Yet I still belong to you;
    you hold my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
    leading me to a glorious destiny.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    I desire you more than anything on earth.
²⁶ My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

²⁷ Those who desert him will perish,
    for you destroy those who abandon you.
²⁸ But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
    and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

The WAHM and Her Homeschoolers

www.eduboard.com

I have been working full time from home since a month and a half ago. It has been a real challenge balancing work, home management and homeschooling four kiddos. The eight hour workday is already a given, I can't let up on that. So something has to give - either the homeschool or the home management. Well, I've tried as much as I can not to let either one go, but I've had to prioritize my children's education over keeping the house clean or doing the laundry. Nowadays, as long as my children are fed, dressed in clean clothes, and studying, that's about fine with me. Our family needs the income I make from my job so I simply cannot give up on that.

It's certainly a blessing that my eldest two are old enough to study their lessons independently. They still come to me if they have questions. I also schedule one-on-one time with them during the day to teach. For my 1st grader, it only takes about an hour to an hour and a half to finish up all her lessons. For my two high schoolers, they have about two hours a day with me every other day, then they study by themselves the rest of the time. Sometimes, I wish that I can hire a tutor for them. But with the high hourly rates of tutors, it's just not possible for us to do it. I have done some research for online tutors and I have seen one that looks good. It's www.eduboard.com.

The things I like about having an online tutor like www.eduboard.com is that they also give one-on-one teaching. Furthermore, the student can choose which tutor she likes to teach her, how many minutes of study she needs to do, and choose the rate to pay. I had a look at their testimonials and the students were happy. Most of the comments say that their tutors worked diligently with them until they learned their lesson.

I think having an online tutor available for my children would be an advantage. They would get the benefit their tutors availability and expertise in their subjects.