6/26/2013

(nearly) wordless wednesday

M'kay we're going a little different direction this week. Normally I just throw a less than currant pic in this slot and hit the publish button, but this week we're doing things a bit different.

This week we've been cheering for a long time friend of the blog, Brock Eastman, and his new book, Unleash.

So in honor of his new book, he shared some "official" artwork with me from Johnny B. Gerardy. That's so cool I could poop a puppy.


The Hatchery


Taken

6/25/2013

More freebies from The Quest for Truth

So last week, my friends at AOI had a billion and one freebies for you, this week, another Focus on the Family author has more literary goodness to share with you. As he attempts to promote his newest book Unleash, our friend Brock Eastman has given me all sorts of special offers and stuff that's just plain cool.

So if you were here yesterday, you learned about the 99 cent promo price for the kindle version of the first book in the series Taken. Did you download that yet? The offer's only good for a few more hours, so hop to it already.

Today we have another little freebie to share. Well. Actually we have two or three. Spoiled rotten I tell you.

Anyway.

Today I have an author video to share with you. My oldest got a kick out of seeing and hearing a real author talk about his work. I rather enjoyed learning more of the story behind why the author chose to write what he wrote. Good stuff.  

How bout a fun promo video for the first book Taken. Loved the fun artwork on this one.

That was fun. What else was there. Oh yes.

Would you believe I have a 5 chapter preview ready for you to download. Seriously? I'm thinking order the book first before you download the freebie, so when your kid gets to the cliff hanger that's likely at the end of the segment you'll be prepared. So clever those marketing people.

6/24/2013

The Quest for Truth - Unleash, and a bargain.

If you've been around this blog for awhile you know I'm sort of a dork when it comes to children's literature. I kind of haven't read a book written for grown ups in um. Hmm. Forever. And you also know how much I love passing on the books / series that are worth handing to your kids (you're so very welcome).

So one of the series that I've loved over the last few years is the Quest for Truth, by Brock Eastman. We read the first book in the series, and also the second one. Now I'm so thrilled to share with you the third book in the series, Unleash.

Here's a sneaky peeky:

Claws raised, mouth open, it was coming for her!


The Wikk kids’ quest unleashes fresh courage and new adventures. Now working as a team, the kids face their greatest dangers yet: a plundered planet, lies, betrayal, and fierce lizards that want to eat them all! Facing their fears and searching for answers, Oliver and Tiffany slip into a high-security laboratory . . . meanwhile Mason, Austin, and Obbin battle Corsair pirates and make a shocking discovery! Will they be able to unlock the truth about Creator and take the next step? Will you?
THE QUEST FOR TRUTH series follows the four Wikk kids in their desperate race to find the mysterious planet Ursprung and stop the Übel renegades from misusing its long-lost secrets. Ancient cities, treacherous villains, high-tech gadgets, the Phoenix—encounter all these and more on this futuristic, interplanetary adventure.

We were invited to join the publicity team for this series, so over the next few days I'll have a handful of exclusive offers and freebies for you, my loyal subjects. (Isn't that so darned cool??) I get all the good hook ups. I know.

Ready for your first promo? Here you go!

Until Tuesday at midnight you can download the kindle version of Taken (the first book in the series) for a whoppin 99 cents. Dude. Buy a cheap cup of coffee (ew?) or an action packed thriller your youngster will devour?

In this house we call that a no-brainer.

My oldest and I both wrote a review for this one a while back. Check it here.
Here's the download.

6/21/2013

And the winner is...


There were so many lovely entries to our Adventures in Odyssey books give away this week. I am so thrilled to hear about all the lovely ways you all are serving your communities.

So I could babble about the merits of serving or creativity or blah blah, but something tells me you're probably skimming over this anyway, cause you just want to know who won.

Ok, fine.

The winner is...

This is where I'm really tempted to stall, just to make you mad.

Is it working?

Oh alright, party pooper. I'll get on with it.

According to our fancy-shmancy random number generator, the winner is...

Which according to our records is...

Nicki Veenstra

Yippee!!

But wait. Don't stomp off all huffy. There's more!

My pals at AIO love what you've done so much that they have more for me to give away. Eek!

Would you believe they've given me a link for you all to download your own copy of the first book in AIO's Imagination Station series. So here it is, check it!

6/20/2013

Summer service toolkits for you!

So this week our friends at Adventures in Odyssey have the major hook up going on for families that are called to serve their community.

As a reward for a lucky family, we have the first three books from the Imagination Station ready to giveaway (lucky dog!) have you entered to win yet? Your chances of winning are still really sweet! Check out the details for that here

But wait, there's more!

So today we're talking about the summer service toolkit that AIO has put together. I almost overlooked this little nugget and threw it in the tail end of a different post as a little blurb. But then I looked at it.

A little blurb would not do this puppy justice, so it gets it's own post.

So this FREE resource is chocked full of stories, activities and lessons that all center around service. I honestly can't believe they're giving this away. Go print one out for your kids before they realize they should be charging us for this goodness. Here's the link - Summer Service Toolkit


I made a screen grab of the top half of the table of contents just so you could get a little peek-see of this serious goodness. Just incase you aren't already
sold :)

So hey, did you enter the giveaway for the Imagination Station books yet? Well, what are you waiting for?? I want to give you something good already!! Leave me a comment about how your family has served or is planning to serve this summer. Get to it already!

6/19/2013

(nearly) Wordless Wednesday



a beautiful surprise
stained glass museum, navy pier, chicago
.............................................................................

got a great photo for (nearly) wordless wednesday to share with us? Post a link so we can all see it!

And if you're joining us from the wordless wednesday site, you might not have heard about the really fun giveaway we have from Adventures in Odyssey! Everyone loves free stuff, am I right? Check it here.

6/18/2013

Unleashing imagination

Children are spending more and more time in front of TVs, iPads, computers, and video games. That doesn’t leave much room for kids to dream up their own visual images—like the ones that fill their minds when they hear a great story! Rather than passively receiving images, kids actively engage in making images themselves when they hear a good story. Their imaginations are enriched and stimulated, and the material becomes more personal and memorable.
This summer, Adventures in Odyssey encourages kids to write their OWN stories, as they join in ACTS: A Call to Serve! AIO is helping children use their imaginations to serve their family, community, and world this summer—maybe by sending a care package to a missionary or baking cookies for the local fire department. Check out www.whitsend.org/acts for details and a chance to win fabulous prizes, including a mission trip with a parent to Costa Rica!

More important than prizes are the stories your child will tell about the creative ways they served others, and how they grew as a result. And what they come up with really might change the world!

Looking for inspiration? Check out this story of how one child used his creativity to make a world of difference:  
Fourteen-year-old Matthew, a dedicated Adventures in Odyssey fan and natural tech whiz, was inspired by a trip to the Apple store to create a smartphone app for his church. Since then, he has created 21 apps for different ministries, including his local pregnancy resource center, Joni and Friends (an international ministry for people with disabilities), and even an “Adventures in Odyssey Fan News” app! Matthew used his God-given talents and imagination to bless others through technology. Which of your kid’s unique gifts are waiting to be unleashed for God’s use?





Oh, and have you heard? I have a super geeked awesome-sauce give away to share with you this week. You have until friday to enter to win the first three books in the AIO Imagination station series! Details here!

6/17/2013

A call to service - giveaway from Adventures in Odyssey

So how is everyone doing in their acts of services so far this summer? Anyone have any service opportunities they'd like to share with us?

So if you haven't already heard, this summer my kids and I are doing this really fantastic service program through Focus on the Family. Last month's theme was Discover. You can read about the the joy your children will discover when they choose to serve here. (And be sure to check out all the fantastic freebies from our friends at Adventures in Odyssey)

This month's theme is imagination! Tomorrow we'll discuss the benefits of using your imagination and creativity as you serve.

But today I'd just like to make an announcement. A shout for joy and tap dance across the stage kind of announcement. I've had such a hard time keeping this one secret.

Ready?

M'kay. Here goes.

My beautiful and gracious friends at Adventures in Odyssey have given me not 1, not 2 but 3(!!!) books to give away. Killer right??

Squee!!

I have the first three books from the AIO Imagination Station series to give away to one lucky reader. We've read them, we loved them. We tap dance every time they give us the heads up that another one has come out.

I'm not the type of blogger who's giveaways come with a catch. You don't have to like my facebook fanpage to qualify (but you could if you'd like! Hello unabashed plea for new friends.)

Ahem.
The only thing you have to do to qualify is leave me a happy little comment about the creative ways you and your family have served your community (or are planning to serve) this summer.

Want to more know about these books? Check out our thoughts on Voyage with the Vikings, Attack at the Arena, and Peril in the Palace.

6/14/2013

An ode to special needs teachers.

As I sit here, listening to my very special, but very cranky - off kilter boy, my boy who’s voice is hoarse because of all the screaming he’s done this week; I can’t help but count the moments until extended school year starts next week.


And my son can go back to his happy place where he can be with the people who know how he rolls. The teachers who are not paid nearly enough money to deal with his incessant questions, toddler tantrums, and old fashioned fear-based defiance.

To those professionals who probably get just as frustrated with my child as we do, but never let it show, we would just like to say thank you.

Thank you for not calling me to complain when my son is very difficult. Thank you for greeting him each day with a smile and a hug. Thanks for working your little magic to make progress in the areas where I have failed time and time again.

And most of all, thank you for not giving up on my son, or letting me give up on him when I’ve been really really tempted.

You are miracle workers. Your skills make me want to sing a hopeful song and tap dance across the stage. There is a special place for you in heaven with long flowering robes, and children who don’t scream.

You are a special breed to be sure. The parents of your special students owe you a great deal. We know full well we can never repay you for the kindness you have bestowed upon our families. So on behalf of special needs Mamas everywhere, I’d just like to say thanks for your service.

6/12/2013

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Today we're resurrecting an old tradition, compliments of some photos from my recent trip to Chicago. Enjoy.


I'll fly away....................

got a great photo for (nearly) wordless Wednesday to share with us? Post a link so we can all see it!

6/11/2013

So much more real.

Warning. I just took a trip. Now you as my loyal subjects must read about it, and look at the cute pictures of my adorable children frolicking around Chicago

(which includes the pictures of my daughter’s bestie, Livie, who legally is not my child, but I’m claiming her anyway. Cause that’s just how I roll.)
First of all, my thank yous:
To the hotel cleaning lady who didn’t speak English. Thank you for muttering your comments about my messy children and traveling companions in your native language, far away from our listening ears. We totally deserved them. We know. You rock.
To the homeless bums who targeted us on the streets with endless requests for handouts. Thank you for thinking I’m a compassionate mark because I’m traveling with kids and carrying bags from the expensive stores I just spent too much money in. We appreciate the life lessons you provided for our children. Kids, this is what happens if you don’t study for your spelling tests. Don’t be homeless.

To all the yummy restaurants we ate at. Thank you for being so far away from our hotel and forcing us to take those excruciatingly long walks back before we collapsed into our food comas. Therefore erasing all the calories we just ate. Everyone knows vacation calories don’t count.

Just for the record, receipts don’t count either. What happens on vacation stays on vacation. Just sayin.


 
Most of all, to all the weirdos who roam the public streets, to all the icky pigeons and sea gulls (who are clearly rats with wings), and to all the people, sights, and smells that are just plain different than my daughters are used to, thank you for opening my daughters to the reality that this world really is much bigger than they think it is, and for pushing them a bit out of their comfort zone. Thank you for making our vacation so much more real.

6/05/2013

Guest post: My child is a screamer.

I have a few words to share with my fellow Mamas at the (in)able & (in)courage blog today about being the adoptive mother to a special little boy. Here's a preview:

It’s not clear exactly what happened to our youngest son before he joined our family, but a special recipe of neglect, trauma and abuse has left our nine year old functioning at the developmental level of a four year old, both cognitively and socially. He doesn’t do crowds, he doesn’t do stores, and he doesn’t like it when life deviates from his picture schedule.
As his adoptive mother I’m new to this whole world of special needs parenting. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to figure out that my new son’s temper tantrums were fear based, not orneriness. I’m still sort of trying to figure out what will send my son into panic mode. It’d be so much nicer if my son would come to me 10 minutes before he had a meltdown to tell me “Mother, I’m simply over stimulated by the options at the grocery store today. If you would like to avoid having me throw bananas at you, you’d be wise to take me home soon.”
Yeah, that doesn’t happen.

So what happens when my son does start throwing produce at me? And what do we all have to learn from these delightful little exchanges? Read the rest here 



6/04/2013

Not so summer lovin.

This spring life has returned to our house. After months and months of struggling to keep the members of our household safe and calm, our decision to stop homeschooling and enroll Max in his little school has allowed life to flourish in our house once more. Life in the form of creatively empowered homeschooling for the other kids and a Mama who could remember the joys of stringing words into coherent sentences. And it has been so blissful.


And like so many other good things, we knew it would our blissful life would eventually come to an end. In other words, summer vacation. As our friends have been gleefully counting down to the end of their captivity, my homeschooled children and I have been dreading it. For us it means dropping everything to tend to our colicky nine year old. It means hunkering down to weather the storm. It means the end of creative pursuits and the return to survival mode.

But it’s more than that. If it were only about our own needs for sanity we could do it. I think.

Unfortunately the end of the school year is a serious matter for young Max as well. The freedom of summer also means the end of certainty that comes with school. The comfort of doing the exact same things, in the exact same order, for the exact same length of time every day. It means debilitating anxiety from not having a picture schedule in front of him to rely on all day long. And the Mama guilt that goes along with not being able to provide the rigid structure he craves.

Spring break was a real wake-up call. Max was a hot mess all week long. He was confused, angry, and felt rejected by his teachers. He made it clear that we weren’t the only ones dreading the end of the school year. As much as we need for Max to go to school for our own sanity, his need to be in school is far stronger.

And the beautiful thing that makes me want to sing and tap dance across the stage? His school offers an extended school year. Same teachers. Same classroom. Same classmates. Same hours. Same picture schedule. Same peace. Isn’t that the best thing you’ve heard today? I’m telling you my three homeschooled children and I do a little dance each time we think of his beautiful teachers who have graciously accepted him into their fold. All summer long.

So while I’m a little sad that Max can’t gleefully celebrate the coming of summer vacation and the promises it holds, I can only be thrilled that he’s found a place that really understands his needs.

And praise God for special ed teachers. Can I get an Amen on that one?

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