Title: 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters: How to Talk About True Beauty, Cool Fashion, and Modesty
Author: Dannah Gresh
Publisher: Harvest House
Pages: 192
ISBN: 978-0-7369-6114-1
Publication Date: August 1st, 2014

Synopsis:
I'm in denial I think. I know my littles is growing up, but it's hard to think of her getting older. I still think of her as this cute, sassy, little toddler. Sadly those days are gone and we're right on the edge of preteen! Yikes! I'm so not ready for that. Any help in trying to combat the future battles she might face is something I'm always on the hunt for. I want to be prepared.

My littles still may not be in the age range of this book, but after reading it, it helped in getting a game plan ready for when she gets there. With today's constant bombardment of image and looks and products and just of things to change a girl from who she is to something else, it's a battle and a young impressionable mind is the battlefield. I remember when I was that age, it wasn't fun then, I can't imagine now with all of this technology. Self esteem is so important and keeping it positive and on God's designed path can be tricky.

Dannah Gresh broke down each section well and she kept everything right to the point. You don't want to swim in pages of overflowing info when wanting to talk to your kid. This was spot on. Not too little and not too much. With each section there is also activity pages. They were good in jumping into topics and guiding them where they need to go and they were wrapped up in scripture that fit with that particular section.

The activity ideas seemed like great ideas. Girl days are important, at least to me, they offer a little more fun in life and they don't have to be expensive. The ideas offered ranged from going to have a tea at a restaurant to giving facial at home. Each mommy/daughter date of course worked with that subject.

I enjoyed this book for all of the different ideas. I think it can be a very useful tool for moms and dads (who can be help with a couple of things that were mentioned). I will be hanging on to this for future reference.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Dannah Gresh is an author, a speaker, and the creator of the Secret Keeper Girl live events. She has sold over 1.3 million books, including Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl, A Girl's Guide to Best Friends and Mean Girls (coauthored with Suzy Weibel), 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters, the bestselling And the Bride Wore White, and Lies Young Women Believe (coauthored with Nancy Leigh DeMoss). She and her husband have a son and two daughters and live in Pennsylvania. www.purefreedom.org.





Thank you to Harvest House, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: I Need Some Help Here! Hope for When Your Kids Don't Go According to Plan
Author: Kathi Lipp
Publisher: Revell
Pages: 176
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2078-0
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2014

Synopsis:

For every overwhelmed mom--there is help and hope.It's easy to feel worried and anxious as a parent. There are so many areas of your child's life that can go wrong along the way. What's a mom to do?

With wit and wisdom, Kathi Lipp meets you in your moments of panic or despair and offers the most powerful tools you have--prayer and practical steps--for both your kid and yourself. She covers the stages of your child's life from toddler to teenager and tackles the most common issues that cause you stress and anxiety, sharing

· practical wisdom when your child makes poor choices
· how to pray when your child is running away from God
· comforting words for when your child feels left out
· "been there, done that" advice for when your child is different than other kids

Whether you are at the end of your rope or simply need a little extra support as you walk the parenting road, you'll cherish Kathi's heart and her humor.

Review:
Children are the best at ruining plans and changing what your ideas of things are. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. Kids I believe are God's reminder that we aren't in charge and we can't control everything around us, even though we would love to at times. As much as you plan and have ideas laid down for how you want your kiddo's to live their lives, they have a wonderful ability to counter that idea or shatter it into a billion pieces. They also help us to see that there is no perfect parent or parenting style. Even the best of parents can screw-up and a kid can go down the wrong path or can be thrown a hard situation to handle.

I Need Some Help Here! is an informative book that lets a parent know that it is OK. And despite the situations that you have been handed, you are not alone. That is a wonderful reminder, because in today's society, the standards that are set to be a perfect mother are so unattainable. Society is just screwed up in general and it's wise to not follow that.

I enjoyed reading through this book. Granted, my child is not in some of the age ranges discussed, but it is a book that is helpful for all, even if it is just to prepare yourself for the years to come. Everyone at some point in their childhood has struggled with being left out, struggled with questions on God, struggled with who they are and our kids now face the same struggle, just in different forms and at times in harder circumstances. Sometimes as a parent you can help, other times, the kid has to help themselves. This book helps a parent to see that.

I enjoyed how the chapters closed out with a prayer/thought for the kid and a prayer/thought for the moms. Goodness knows, they are needed.

Too Read 
5 out of 5

About the Author:
Kathi Lipp is the author of Praying God's Word for Your Husband and Praying God's Word for Your Life. She is a busy conference and retreat speaker who reaches thousands of women each year and has been a guest on numerous national radio programs, including Focus on the Family. She and her husband have four children and live in California. Learn more at www.kathilipp.com.






Thank you to the Revell Blog Tour, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Whatever You Grow Up to Be
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Illustrator: Valaria Docampa
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-310-71646-4
Publication Date: February 25th, 2014

Synopsis:

'Ten little toes right from the start Make footprints on your mommy's heart!'

 The timeless journey of a mother and son is poignantly captured in the story of a boy's growth from childhood to fatherhood. From birth to football games to college graduation, a mother reminds her son that life is filled with possibilities and that God has a plan for him---whatever he grows up to be!

Review:
Oh, my goodness, Whatever You Grow Up to Be by Karen Kingsbury, is a cute and sweet story! It also is one that choked me up a bit. With my littles still young, it's hard to think about her growing up. This story, in a good way, shows how quickly a child can grow. It's a good reminder to savor each and every moment with your kiddos and it shows the child through the story, that no matter what age they will be, their parents will be right there.

The illustrations are beautiful and vibrant. My littles loved watching this little boy grow up and use his imagination and loved how with each age his ideas changed. It didn't hurt either that the little boy is always surrounded by his furry friends in each picture. It was fun to see how as the little boy grew, his cat and dog were with him on his many adventures. My kiddo could easily relate to that!

I also enjoyed how on several pages there were Bible verses that fit perfectly for that part of the story and picture. It was a wonderful, sweet, and affirming children's story. My littles really enjoyed this story, as soon as we had finished reading it, she snatched it from me and added it to her book pile.

Too Read!
5 out of 5


About the Author:
Karen Kingsbury
New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s favorite inspirational novelist, with over 20 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction™ has produced multiple bestsellers, including Unlocked, Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust was made into a major motion picture and is now available on DVD. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women’s groups including Women of Faith. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Don, and their five sons, three of whom are adopted from Haiti. Their daughter Kelsey is married to Christian artist Kyle Kupecky.


Thank you to Zonderkidz, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity & How to Answer Them Condifently
Author: Alex McFarland
Publisher: Tyndale House
Pages: 280
Publication Date: August 2013

Synopsis:

Ready or not, your child has questions!

Choose To Be Ready.

Not a theologian? Think again. When kids ask seemingly impossible-to-answer questions about evil, suffering, and the end of the world, every parent wants to respond with confidence. Author Alex McFarland can help you be prepared. In this book, he'll show you that

• how you answer is more important than what your answer,
• kids welcome the words "I don't know--let's find out,"
• most tough questions aren't as tough as they seem at first glance, and
• God's Word can be trusted to guide your children through their times of doubt.

The easy-to-follow discussion points, charts, and activity ideas will help you answer virtually any of the tough questions your children will ask about God, Jesus, the Trinity, or prayer.

If you've got kids, your going to get questions. This resource will help you be ready to prove the answers.

Review:

I have been looking for a book like this for a few months now. My kiddo is about to be 6 and has been asking a lot of questions, why did Jesus have to die? When can I get baptized? I will say, truthfully a few questions had me stumped. I would answer to the best of my ability, but I wasn't as confident as I should have been. Having read The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity by Alex McFarland, I will say, it has offered me a lot of things to think about, and given me the direction I need to go to be able to speak confidently when it's needed on these subjects.

This book drew me in. While reading this book, I broke one of my reading rules, I highlighted, the pages. The pages now looks like a neon yellow, stripped zebras. I only highlight school books, and only when I wanted to remember the important things for a test...well, this was for a far more important subject.

Alex McFarland was able to present his book with humor and many personal stories on how this book came to be. I also enjoyed the quotes that were presented before each chapter. They were fitting. The chapters flowed together and they touched on some hard topics, even for some adults. However, the subjects were brought down to a level (not dumb-down by any means, I want to make that clear), so that a parent could discuss it with a child. It was very easy to understand what was being presented. Everything discussed in each chapter was also backed up by scripture. Not one or two verses, many, and they were brought from every portion of the Bible.

It was great to see/read about the comparisons between things of the Old Testament and the New Testament. How the time of Joseph and then of Moses was so important to the time of Jesus thousands of years later and that of the crucifixion. The Key Concept section with the Question Recap and the Hope Filled Answer was a nice addition to each chapter. It helped bring the chapter all together.

This is a Too Read!
5 out of 5


About the Author:
Alex McFarland is a leading Christian apologist and author. He has spent two decades training youth in a biblical worldview and has spoken throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Alex is frequently heard on radio and TV broadcasts presenting evidence for the Christian faith.  His STAND series of books are designed to help students grow in their understanding of scripture and spiritually thrive.  Visit his website: http://alexmcfarland.com/




Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest opinion.