Beyond The Silver and The Gold

COOPER AND ME AND THE WINTER ADVENTURE BY Monique & Alexa Peters is the story of two dogs – Cooper and Bella. During winter, when they saw the mounds of snow outside their house, both decide to go sledding.

They enjoyed playing in the snow so much they didn’t realize that they’ve gone so far away from their homes. Upon seeing that they were lost, both thought of the best way to find their way home. First they waited, maybe for someone to come by, until it was about to get dark. Bella knew they had to get home before dark, so they decide to let out loud and long howls.

After some time of straining to hear, they hear the sound of a dog barking loudly. They followed the barks until they found their way into their neighborhood. As it turns out, it was another friend dog, Trooper, who decides to help them find their way by barking continuously. They are happy to find their way home.


MY REVIEW:

My children and I definitely enjoyed reading this book. Especially because it is written in rhyme and can be read in a sing-song manner. The book  is about getting lost and how to find your way home. Though it is not explicitly said, the book shows what to do when children get lost.

First, they must not panic. They should learn to wait awhile for an adult to possibly come back for them. If no adult shows up, they can then try to find their way by asking for help.

As with the first Cooper and Me book that I reviewed before, the back of the book presents lessons to teach children further about the subject. There is the ‘Information About Me!’ page where a child can write down her complete information, such as her complete name, her parents’ or guardian’s names, their address and phone numbers.

Then there is the ‘Life Lesson’ section that further talks about how a child can possibly get lost while playing with friends. The ‘Connections’ asks a few questions of the child to allow the child to think through the story and lesson and make decisions when she is lost.

There are two pages of ‘Learning Together’. This section talks about the story with questions that the parent can ask the child.  COOPER AND ME AND THE WINTER ADVENTURE is definitely a must-read for parents who want to teach their children about personal safety and what to do when they get lost.

This book is available for sale at the Cooper and Me website for only $12.99.

Yelling: The Cause, The Casualty and The Cure by Lorrie Flem is published by Eternal Encouragement Magazine. This is a short ebook that looks at the most common reasons why mothers resort to yelling at their children or husbands. It gives a view of how yelling affects our loved ones, and offers practical suggestions on how we can stop yelling. Interspersed throughout the book are Bible verses that we can meditate on to further help us overcome this nasty habit. Testimonies by real-life moms, also spread throughout the book, help us more to relate to this teaching.

MY REVIEW:

Growing up, I was surrounded by a family that yelled at every small infarction. It was like walking on eggs everyday, afraid to make even a small mistake, for fear of being yelled at. I was the youngest in our family. I had a dad and three older sisters who yelled all the time. It’s no wonder, then, that when I became a mother I also yelled at my children.

It was my children’s look of bewilderment, fear and forgiveness afterwards that made me want to change. It definitely isn’t easy. After 16 years of motherhood, I still have to work through my own triggers to yelling. There’s been much improvement, by the grace of God, but the bickering and whining still gets to me.

Although there are already a lot of changes in me, I still succumb once in a while to yelling. After I yell at my children and know that I’ve hurt them, it just brings me to my knees in prayer to ask the Lord for forgiveness for hurting His child and to ask Him for grace to continue changing.

I have learned much after reading Yelling: The Cause, The Casualty and The Cure by Lorrie Flem. One of the most important things I learned is that there are things that trigger the yelling. When you recognize your triggers then you can plan ahead so that you can either avoid those triggers, or control your response to triggers.

What is most important to remember, according to Lorrie Flem, is to start the day worshipping and praying to God. Allowing Him to work through your life to prepare you for the day.

This ebook is especially great for homeschool and stay-at-home moms who are with their children 24/7. It’s also good for working moms who come home tired after a full day’s work. Well, it’s good for all moms to read, in general!

Yelling: The Cause, The Casualty and The Cure by Lorrie Flem is available as a downloadable ebook from the Eternal Encouragement website for $12.97.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this product as a part of The Gabby Moms in exchange for this review.

SYNOPSIS:

The success of the Forrester sisters’ On the Runway TV show lands them a hot ticket to Fashion Week in New York City. Paige is determined to garner the attention of New York’s top designers, but her newfound fame threatens to go to her head. Erin wants to help promote the work of some eco-minded designers, but struggles to be taken seriously. Can Paige keep her prima donna behavior in check? Will Erin’s involvement hurt the people she’s really trying to help? Success in the big city comes with even bigger challenges, and as the pressure grows, so does the drama. (taken from the book)

MY REVIEW:

CATWALK by Melody Carlson is the second installment of the On The Runway series. Here we meet again the Forrester sisters just as their reality TV show, ON THE RUNWAY, gains its popularity. They leave for fascinating New York City to cover Fashion Week.  While Paige is so excited about it, Erin still continues to struggle with her role in the show. She still feels as if the show is really Paige’s show and she is just doing this for her sister.

Their time in New York presents challenges, from being branded as terrorists in the airport, to losing their luggage, to Paige falling asleep while being interviewed on TV, to interviewing top designers and models in Fashion Week. The book is filled with a lot of ‘action’ and plenty of fashion that is quite enjoyable.

I do appreciate Erin who always turns to prayer whenever she struggles with her family, friends and work. The dynamics between the two sisters are realistic as they both work out their independence and faith in the Lord.

In true Melody Carlson style, this book also deals with the problems of drunk driving and its consequences plus teenage pregnancy.

Once again, a truly wonderful book by Melody Carlson that will not only provide enjoyment to the readers but will also help them to reflect on their priorities and characters.  This is appropriate for young teens to mature singles. Well, even I enjoy the whole series!

I am a worrier, sad to say. There were many times in my life that I found myself so racked with anxiety because of the things I worry about. My mind and heart are so focused on worrying about things we don’t have, the things we lack, that I forget about what we actually have in our life. When I worry, I lose my focus on God, and  shift my focus on our circumstances. This has brought on a lot of anxiety for me, so much that there are days that I don’t enjoy my life.

I know the Lord is speaking directly to me in Phil 4:6

        “Do not be anxious about anything,

               but in everything, by prayer and petition,

                     with thanksgiving, present your requests

                            to God.” (NIV)

The verse tells us that we should not worry about anything, but with thanksgiving, we are to present our requests to God. I believe, even before we start presenting requests to God, we should begin with thanksgiving. Once we start thanking God for all that He has given us, we will find out that we are not lacking in anything. Also, by thanking God, we let our minds focus on Him and His blessings. Whenever I do this, the worries on my mind just fade away.

I have found my antidote to worrying: be thankful and pray. In the book The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall, chapter 12 talks about The Gift of Gratitude. The main character shares that he has a daily habit of making his Golden List every morning. This list consist of ten things he is grateful for that day. He creates this list in his mind everyday. Doing this has helped to have an attitude of gratefulness in his life.

As stay-at-home and homeschooling moms, we have plenty of time to think. Are our minds filled with thanksgiving? Or do we focus on worries about our families, our budget, our children’s education? Let’s take time daily to create our own Golden List. Here’s what Philippians 4:7 says when we do this:

        “And the peace of God, which transcends

                  all understanding, will guard your hearts and

                             your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV)

Next week, I’ll share the second part of this devotion based on what we are to fill our minds with.

Housework – 4 kids – homeschool – exhausted – lower back pain – contractions – hospital. Contractions are bad at this time because I’m only 15 weeks pregnant.

That was me three days ago. My doctor recommended complete bed rest at home, with medications to help stabilize the baby. So I’ve been in bed the last two days, had our TV brought in the bedroom, sent the kids to the grandparents and getting the rest I need.

We did have a treat when we went to the OB yesterday, Guitar Babe and I got to see the baby in the ultrasound. That was nice and reassuring – seeing the baby growing and hearing his/her heartbeat.

I’ve been finishing up the Bible readings and devotions from our VCF Prayer and Fasting Week. I’m so blessed learning more about God in a different way. Just today, I meditated on Galatians 5:13 which says

“You, my brothers, were called to be free.

But do not use your freedom to indulge the

sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.” (NIV)

During my meditation and prayer, the Holy Spirit showed me how I also use the freedom I have to indulge myself. For example, in my eating, I do indulge myself a lot (as you can tell by my size). My thinking is that I’m free to do anything I want so I go ahead and eat what I want, as much as I want to. The truth is, as I am indulging myself, I am further imprisoning myself in sin. Because for me, it is sin to not care for this one and only body that the Lord gave me. My Heavenly Father has already freed me from enslavement, but here I am choosing to imprison myself in my overeating.

This spiritual breakthrough led me to further ask the Holy Spirit where else I indulge my sinful nature. The Holy Spirit showed me that  indulgence permeated my life. For instance, since I am a stay-at-home mom, I believe that I am free to do anything I want. Such as watch TV anytime, use the internet for endless hours, and sleep late. Now I’m not saying I’m irresponsible at home because I’m not, but I realized that if I wanted changes in my life, I’d better act more responsibly with the time that’s being given to me.

So I thank the Lord for this time of rest. I have more time to meditate on God’s word, to really take a good rest and to evaluate my life and family according to God’s word.

Every year, before the year ends, I make it a point to take time to remember the goodness of the Lord during the year. This helps me to focus my eyes on Him, to thank Him for all He has done for our family, and to be hopeful for the next year.

Today, I thought I’d share with you some of our blessings and difficulties we encountered last year. It’s my hope that you will also be encouraged to look back and be grateful for your blessings, and hope for a better 2012!

Last January, my sister and I travelled to Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Bacolod to visit our relatives. It was such a blessing to see cousins that I haven’t seen or been in contact with for 15 – 20 years. The blessing was that, despite all the years we’ve not been together, there was such joy in us to be together again. Along with that is being able to travel again with my sister. The last time we did this was maybe about 10 years ago. Another blessing from that trip is having my husband along during the latter  part of the trip. He also got to meet my relatives and we got to travel together to those places for the first time. Especially unforgettable was the road trip we took from Bacolod to Dumaguete.

We’re blessed this year because our children did not experience as many hospital confinements as compared to the previous years. Their immune systems are better now and most sicknesses go away in a week or so. The best change we did was to get rid of the stray cats living in our house. For a time, there were about 10 stray cats living outside our house because we fed them daily. Then our pedia said we should get rid of them. After that, the illnesses were almost gone.

Of course, the best is finding out that I’m pregnant again. Admittedly, this is an unplanned pregnancy. But I feel so blessed by the Lord for entrusting to hubby and me another life. The children are also all very excited. By God’s grace, I haven’t experienced the nausea that I had during the first four pregnancies. So far, this pregnancy is coming along very well.

The down side to our year was when I was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma last January. This asthma has landed me in the hospital about three times this year. However, the Lord guided me to a naturopathic doctor who prescribed herbal drugs. By the grace of God, I am much better now. My biggest challenge is still climbing up the stairs, but I’ve not experienced the horrible asthma attacks I used to have early this year.

Another major downer was losing a significant source of income for our family through no fault of our own. This brought me so much anxiety because I was always worried about money. The worry did me no good, really, and I believe that this also brought on my asthma attacks.

What made me hopeful despite the trials? I accepted everything as the will of God. It wasn’t easy doing that. At first, I felt so much anger, especially losing the income. I blamed the Lord, also, and asked Him why He allowed it. After some months of this, the Holy Spirit convicted me that this is God’s will and He had His own better plans for us.

When I first learned that I was pregnant, the first thing I felt was anxiety. I thought, “On no, how are we going to survive the additional expense of another child?” But right after that thought, I was reminded of so many verses in the Bible that told me that God will take care of us.

Right then and there, I made a decision that the anxious thoughts will stop. I will no longer subject myself to anxiety which may bring me another asthma/anxiety attack. From then on, I will always remind myself to “Be still and know that He is God.”

The decision to fully trust God for our future is the best thing I’ve done. It helped me to overcome the trials we went through. Our circumstances have not changed, but my heart and mindset has been changed by the Lord. The best thing is, I haven’t had an asthma attack since I became pregnant!

The Lord is truly good. Once more, I am looking forward to more of the Lord in 2012!

Glitter Text Maker – eCards

Glitter Text Maker – eCards

This year, I was given the privilege of taking part in the pilot year of The Gabby Moms. The Gabby Moms is a group of mom bloggers tasked to review products produced by Eternal Encouragement, formerly TEACH Magazine. Eternal Encouragement is run by our Head Mom, Lorrie Flem, a mother of eight children. She talks about homeschooling, child discipline, care for husbands, and other issues that all mothers go through.

Since this is the pilot year, there were some kinks along the way as we got to know each other and saw how the program actually worked. Despite those kinks, most of us persevered until we finally finished the year out. I find the review system easy to keep up with. We were only required to review one product per month and were given a deadline. If we’re not able to keep up with the deadline due to some pressing family matters, we only need to inform our Top Mamas.

The products I was able to review from Eternal Encouragement has actually brought encouragement and inspiration in my life. Lorrie Flem is a great teacher, with her gentle ways of homing in on the truth of God’s word. She does not condemn, but brings gentle conviction to her readers brought on by her own personal experiences while studying truths in God’s word.

What inspired me the most with her teachings is that I learned that wherever the mother is located in this world, we all share something universal – our love for God, our love for our families, the joys and struggles of motherhood.

I have not met any of the Gabby Moms, since they are all located halfway around the world. We only “meet” online, where aside from the reviews we write about, we also share our prayer requests and praises. Through the  life experiences of the other Gabby Moms, I also realized that, even if I live in the Philippines and they lived in the USA, we are all not much different from each other.

Well, I am moving on to the second year of The Gabby Moms. I am excited to meet new friends and will be sad to say goodbye to those who are not continuing on. For my efforts this year, Lorrie gave me The Most Valuable Blogger badge, thanks to Lorrie and The Gabby Moms!

Note: This review is entirely written by my Artsy Princess. She loves this series of books so much because it appeals to her fashionista and Christian side. I’ve written my own opinion of this book right underneath her review.


Premiere (On the Runway) by Melody Carlson, the first book for the On The Runway series, is about two sisters, Paige and Erin Forrester. Both very different from each other but both love the camera. Though they have different ways of love for the camera. Paige loves being in front of the camera and being the star of the show. While Erin loves being behind the camera and working behind the scenes.

Paige has it all – blond hair, blue eyes, a great smile, peaches and cream skin, the height of a model and a personality that can light up a whole room. She sometimes can be a little selfish but has a very loving side. She may not make all the right choices, but with her sister by her side, they’ll face it together,

Erin, on the other hand, is the total opposite. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She likes vintage style rather than the designer clothes that Paige wears. She is wise and helpful. Erin always saves her sister from disasters. In my opinion she is one of the most dependable 17 year olds out there.  The On the Runway series of books are written in Erin’s point of view.

In Premiere (On the Runway), the Forrester sisters were given a chance to have their own fashion TV show after a near disaster on a news program that their mother produces. They first guest starred on a hot teen reality show called “Malibu Beach” (kind of like “The Hills”). Unexpectedly, a little catfight ensues between the star of “Malibu Beach” and Paige. Will their show be in trouble like a clueless outfit or will it come out on top as high as Tyra Banks’ heels? Buy the book and find out.


MY REVIEW (Artsy Princess):


Premiere (On the Runway)isn’t all about fashion. It’s also about Paige and Erin trying to make the right choices with the help of God. Although Erin is the only Christian in the family she tries her best to share the word of God to her family. Not only is it about God but it’s also about relationships and friendship.

I was so attracted to the book when it first came to the house. My mom opened the box and there it was lying down waiting to be read. The cover itself is already enough to get my attention because of the outfit in the front and the shoes at the back. But when I started to read it I never wanted to let go of it.

The book not only has a great story but the way that author Melody describes all the Items of clothing made me want to go to a mall and try to find the same items. I just turned 13 in last November 2011 but I started reading the series when I was still 12. So I definitely recommend this to girls my age. Although the series might be too old for girls under the age of 12. But all in all this is one great book.


MY REVIEW (Mom of Artsy Princess):

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that my children and I are big fans of Melody Carlson. We already own several of her books and I have reviewed most of them here.

The On The Runway series of books are very entertaining. In Premiere (On the Runway), they get their first taste of reality TV and all the goings-on are very interesting to read. I appreciate Erin’s character as the Christian sister because she is always striving to live as a Christian and be a good model to her sister and viewers.

Paige keeps everything interesting. While she says she believes in God but hasn’t prayed for a long time, she also is a model for style, good manners and charm.

Once again, bestselling author Melody Carlson has come up with a series that will definitely attract the teen readers. It’s really just like watching a reality show on TV but only gentler.

Click this link to read the 1st chapter.

Buy this book here:

Read my other reviews of On The Runway series:

Spotlight (On The Runway) Book 4


Glamour (On The Runway) Book 5

I like planners. I like to write things down on a nice notebook and keep our schedule organized. Although I’m not very consistent,after finding myself in such a disorganized mess, I will always go back to my planner and start trying to organize our lives again. In the last years, though, I haven’t found a planner that is just right for a busy, busy mom like me. I needed one where I can coordinate my schedule with my kids’ varying schedules. It has to be sturdy to last through the whole year, small enough to fit in my bag and it has to be beautiful enough to write on. Yeah, the kind of paper and design matters to me, too. This year, I think I’ve found one that’s just right. It’s not yet the perfect one for me, but enough to fit my needs. It’s the Mom {24/7} Planner published by Mommy Mundo. I appreciate the beautiful cover with it’s pink, lilac, purple and beige color combinations. It is neither small nor big, but it’s 6”X 8” size is enough to fit in mommy’s bag. It is definitely sturdy because of it’s hard bound cover. The spiral binding is the kind that will not cause snags in anything that’s inside your bag. But the same spiral binding also makes it a bit hard for me to write on the left hand side of the page. Maybe next year, they’ll choose another kind of spiral binding.   The scheduling pages have boxes for Mom’s daily schedule and 3 more boxes to write your children’s daily schedule. I have four kids with one coming along next year, so the boxes are not enough. But I figured, one kid does not necessarily need to use a box all the time. There are month tabs to make turning the pages easier. I find the monthly to do list very useful for things I need to get done for the month. Plus more extra pages to help organize a mom’s life.              

I love this bookmark!

Remember, I said that the pages will have to be pretty enough for me to write on? Well every page echoes the front cover petal shapes in pretty purple/lilac color. The paper is thick enough so that your pen’s ink does not bleed through to the other side. Towards the end of the planner are several discount coupons from Mommy Mundo’s partners. This is definitely the kind of planner that is designed by a mother for other moms. The only thing that bothered me are the ads that are behind each month’s tab. But with all the nice things going for this planner, I can just not look at the ads. There is also the possibility that these ads are the reason for this planner’s price. What I find the best feature of this planner is it’s very affordable price. Other planners in the market cost from P500.00 upwards. The Mom {24/7} planner is only P350.00. Yes, you got that right! That’s why it is selling like hotcakes. The MOM 24/7 Planner is available at the cover price of P350 through the following outlets: 1) Mommy Mundo office, 2/F Fun Ranch, Frontera Verde, Pasig (office hours only M-F) 2) Retail outlets: FULLY BOOKED (Starting dec 15) MOMTREPRENEUR SHOP (4f Shangrila Mall) NUMA (40 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave. QC) MEDELA HOUSE (29 1st st New Manila) MOMMY MATTERS’ booth @Mercato Centrale, 34th BGC and Soderno, Molito Mall Alabang 3) Thru online shops: Shop Mommy Matters – Order here for FREE shipping for orders of 2 or more Indigo Manila Online – FREE shipping 4) You may also have it delivered to you via courier. Following are the steps: a) Just deposit the payment of P350 plus courier fee (P100 pesos within Metro Manila) so deposit a total of P450. If you are ordering via courier, your order will be processed only upon payment of the fees and when you email us a copy of your deposit slip (if applicable). Deposit the payment through BDO C/A 308032191, Account name: Creative Juice Communications Inc. b) Email your deposit slip along with order details (complete name, complete address and mobile no) at [email protected]. Note: All photos courtesy of Mommy Mundo. Disclosure: I received a free copy of this item in exchange for this review.