Oct 19 2011

Book Review: Night Night Blessings by Amy Parker @TommyNelson

Book: Night Night Blessings

Author: Amy Parker

Illustrator: Marijan Ramiljak

Publisher/Date: Tommy Nelson/October 2011

ISBN: 978-1400318254

Pages/Price: 20/$9.99

Category: Board Book/Children’s

About Night Night Blessings

Cuddle up with your little ones and count all the blessings God put in their day.

This book, written by best-selling author Amy Parker, is a precious way to put your little ones to bed at night and fill their thoughts with the many blessings from above. It’s a great way to teach gratitude and help children sleep soundly at night.

Whether it’s Mommy’s goodnight kisses, Daddy’s silly bedtime stories, sloppy doggy kisses, or pancakes stacked THIS high, there are so many blessings to count! Written in rhyme and coupled with adorable illustrations, this follow-up book to best-selling A Night Night Prayer will be an instant bedtime hit.

My Thoughts about Night Night Blessings

The photos are dreamy, and the rhyming blessings are cute. Amy Parker, in this bedtime stories, provides many reasons for a child to thank God for all she experiences from the moment she wakes up to the minute she falls asleep. She can be thankful for her furry friends, her breakfast, and her friends. But she mustn’t forgot to mindful about her family,  her toys, and her snuggly bed.

My 5-year old said she couldn’t pick her favorite passage because “There are just too many!”. We both enjoyed this story from the beginning to the end, and I’m always excited about simple books, with simple stories, and with reminders to take note of our surroundings and remember to thank God for our many blessings. And although Thanksgiving is just around the corner, we don’t have to wait until November to express our gratitude.

If you’ liked my review please give it a thumbs’ up on amazon.com.

You can also read the book for yourself below.

About the Author of Night Night Blessings

Amy Parker has made her mark as an experienced and versatile writer and editor, with particular enthusiasm for children’s books. She authored the best-selling A Night Night Prayer and has collaborated with authors ranging from a New York Times bestseller to her own son.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed above are my own.

 


 
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Oct 19 2011

Rafflecopter Kindle Fire Giveaway! October 19th – November 1

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The 10 awesome bloggers from the blogs listed below have teamed up to bring you an awesome giveaway. One lucky winner will receive their very own Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi! A $199 value!

Arms of a Sister

Baby Good Buys

happy green babies

Nolie’s Place

Penelope’s Oasis

Shop with Me Mama

Southern Girl Reviews

The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug

The Rebel Chick

Upstate Ramblings

The Deets:

Kindle Fire is a new addition to the Kindle family that offers instant access to Amazon’s massive selection of digital content, Amazon’s revolutionary cloud-accelerated browser, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, brilliant color touchscreen, and a fast and powerful dual core processor -all for only $199.
Kindle Fire puts Amazon’s incredible selection of digital content at your fingertips – enjoy over 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, and magazines in vibrant color.

How to Enter:

Follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below. There are 10 mandatory entries which include liking the bloggers on facebook. All the rest of the entries are optional. Good luck!

Fine Print:

Open wherever amazon.com will deliver the Kindle. Ages 18+.

The winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries. The winner must respond to the notification email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

The Kindle Fire will be delivered after November 15th.

Oct 17 2011

How do you plan your family vacations?

This post brought to you by Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you take a family vacation do you plan out each day (loosely? closely?), or do you fly by the seat of your pants? For the most part, on the few vacations we’ve been on, I loosely plan the restaurants we’ll visit as well as the places we’ll visit, but I don’t plan each day until the night before.

I think right now is a perfect time to plan a 3-day getaway to Branson, MO. You can stay at either the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, which is pet-friendly or the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, which is both pet-frie Both offer great packages whether you’re looking to check out the local attractions, just go shopping, or plan a holiday visit. Plus, since the weather is cooling off you’ll be able to enjoy taking leisurely walks and the turning color of the leaves.

I’d take my girls to Lake Taneycomo in the Ozark Mountains, to visit the Shanghai Circus, and I think dinner at the Dixie Stampede would be really fun!

Level 2 Steakhouse looks like a nice, upscale restaurant for adults, and if you’re visiting around the holidays, they have both a Thanksgiving Brunch as well as a Turkey to Go deal.

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Oct 17 2011

Prepaid Debit Cards – Are they for you?

I’ve always thought prepaid debit cards were expensive. Just open a bank account and save your money! For many people, it’s not that simple. If you’re one of the people who doesn’t like banks or credit unions, or if you’re someone who cannot get a bank account, then a prepaid card may work for you. Or, maybe you’re not that great at balancing your checkbook, and you’ve paid a lot of money in overdraft fees, and you feel as if you won’t do that with a prepaid card. If a bank account is absolutely not an option for you, and carrying lots of cash is not a good option either, which it isn’t for most people, then a prepaid card might be exactly what you need. For the consumer, using a prepaid debit card is just like using a debit card associated with a bank account. You avoid the interest charges of a credit card, the time-consuming task of writing checks, and yet, by carrying a card, you feel secure that, if it’s stolen, the thief cannot use your card since they don’t have access to your PIN.

Because my budget is so tight, when I get extra money I usually spend it on bills. So, in order to save a few dollars for a rainy day or for extra spending money on a vacation, I’ve started putting my money on a prepaid debit card myself. I deposit the money in my checking account then quickly transfer it to the prepaid card. I don’t carry the card with me, and I’ve been able to save a few hundred dollars using this method. Maybe I’ll think about using it to save for holiday presents by putting $20 or $30 on it each month, so I’ll have a credit-card free Christmas for my girls this year.

Either way, I think I’ve become a little more forgiving when it comes to prepaid debit or credit cards. Especially with the extra fees banks are starting to charge to their customers who use debit cards to pay for purchases. Finally, if you do need to get some cash, you’ll simply pay the foreign ATM fee that you’d pay using a bank-assisted debit card. Or, when you’re making that debit card transaction at the store, ask for cash back. It’s what I do to avoid ATM fees.

There are several different, branded cards out there, like the Green Dot credit card, so do your research. Make sure the card meets your needs, and that you understand the fees upfront.

Disclosure: This post brought to you by your friends at Green Dot.

Oct 17 2011

Book #Review and #Giveaway: The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo – Ends 10/31

Book: The Christmas Wedding (Hardcover)

Authors: James Patterson, Richard DiLallo

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

ISBN: 9780316097390 (Hardcover)

Pages/Price: 288 (Hardcover)/$25.99

Category: Fiction

About The Christmas Wedding

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill’s wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby’s four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven’t celebrated Christmas together since their father’s death, but when Gaby announces that she’s getting married–and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day–she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.
But the wedding isn’t Gaby’s only surprise–she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.

My Thoughts on The Christmas Wedding

Honestly, this wasn’t my favorite book. It was cute. It wasn’t horrible. It just wasn’t the fast-paced, page-turning James Patterson book I’m used to reading. I wasn’t able to guess the identity of the lucky person marrying Gaby, though. But here goes…

Gaby sends videos to her adult children to invite them back home for Christmas and her upcoming wedding. They haven’t all been together for 3 years. Since their father’s funeral. With the series of videos combined with her children’s curiosities bring them all back home?

Claire and her family live in Myrtle Beach SC. When you live near the beach your life has to be happy, right? Except her family situation is anything but ideal. She’s raising teenagers. And her husband’s a grouch. On a good day. She seems to be ready to head home for the holidays, but the rest of her family isn’t exactly in agreement.

Emily and her husband live in Manhattan, so they don’t have to travel very far to head back home. But Emily is a high-powered executive and her husband is specialist in the medical field and they rarely have time for each other. So will they both be able to take time off for Emily’s mother?

Lizzie and her husband are going through some things right now. Serious things. So they just might now be able to go to the wedding, no matter how much they want to be with their family for Christmas.

Seth and his girlfriend are in Boston, and they’re flat broke. Can they make it home for the holidays?

Obviously, I’m not going to tell you what happens, but if you’ve gotten this far, you’re likely pretty intrigued yourself.

So – what do you think? Do you have someone perfect in mind to be the recipient of this holiday story?

About the Author James Patterson

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson’s books have sold more than 210 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women’s Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes fulltime and lives in Florida with his family.

About the Author Richard DiLallo

Richard DiLallo is a former advertising creative director. He has had numerous articles published in major magazines. He lives in Manhattan with his wife.

The Giveaway

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a copy of this book. Good luck!

 

Disclosure: I received an advanced review copy of this book to facilitate my review.

Oct 16 2011

Movie Review: The Mighty Macs – In Theatres October 21st

 

About The Mighty Macs

It’s 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time … and she’s about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women’s basketball.

In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women’s Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College.

Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she’s willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals—or perhaps she’s just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them.

From the beginning, her challenges are as imposing as the big-school teams Immaculata will face on the court. Cathy learns there is no gymnasium on campus, she receives little support from the school’s Mother Superior, and the school is in dire financial straits. To top it off, she may not even have enough players to field a team!

While it appears the Macs don’t have a prayer, all hope is not lost. With the help of Sister Sunday—a spunky assistant coach—and the support of a booster club of elderly nuns, Coach Rush creates a new game plan that just might bring the team—and the school—together.

Will this pioneer buck cultural norms and spur her rag-tag team to unexpected heights? Or will her hard-driving ways create a wedge between the coach and everyone around her? One thing’s for certain: there’s never been anyone like Cathy Rush at Immaculata!

THE MIGHTY MACS is based on the incredible true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College team that started in obscurity but became the original Cinderella story in women’s basketball. This team of pioneers went from barely making that inaugural tournament to the first dynasty in their game. And Cathy Rush, the woman that was ahead of her time, became immortalized when she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

THE MIGHTY MACS stars Carla Gugino as Cathy Rush; David Boreanaz as her husband, NBA referee Ed Rush; Marley Shelton as Sister Sunday; and Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn as Mother St. John. The film was written, directed, and produced by Tim Chambers. The film’s executive producers are Pat Croce, the former president of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and Vince Curran, a successful businessman and former basketball star at Penn. Curran and Chambers are founders and partners of Quaker Media.

Get ready to cheer on a true Cinderella team when THE MIGHTY MACS opens in theaters on October 21.

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My Review of The Mighty Macs

This is a feel-good, and funny, look back at how a small, all-girls Catholic college in the 1970s went from total obscurity to playing in the college basketball national championships– while wearing dresses on the court! It’s based on the true story of Cathy Rush and the Immaculata College basketball team she coached.

Cathy inspired a group of women to continue her lead and make their places in their communities with the local young women.

All of us – my daughters and myself – enjoyed this movie. My girls were fascinated with the differences in how people lived from the 70s to today.

Disclosure: I watched an online screening of this movie in order to facilitate this review.