I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own. Thanks to Tryazon and 3Doodler for the awesome party package!
We had lots of fun with our 3Doodler Powerpuff kit! The kids liked the idea of creating their own Powerpuff character. However, in reality, we ended up with a bunch of pieces and a whole lot of eyes.
We love the original 3Doodler pens and my kids have spent hours designing things with theirs. And while I hope to one day finish my Powerpuff character, the character mold requires a lot of plastic and more time than I have at the moment. I managed to get 2 eyes done and then had to go do something else and when I returned the kids had removed my eyes and started their own project. So, I made 2 more eyes and it happened again. One day when I have time, I’ll do a whole Powerpuff girl without interruption.
The kit comes with instructions, a pen, a head mold, and a few other forms. The head mold is larger than it looks and it took me basically an entire piece of plastic to do the black in the eyes. So, it takes a really long time to get all that plastic on there. The kids were pretty good at making accessories and they even managed an eye, the old kid at the party was 9 and even she lost interest before the project was completed.
I really feel like this amount of detail is going to work better with older kids and adults.
While making the Powepuff girls is quite difficult, all the kids loved using the other round molds to make things like eyeglasses, hats, and such.
All that to say, we had lots of fun making accessories, just didn’t get any actual Powerpuffs made. The box says 8+ for the age, which is pretty accurate, in my opinion. We just didn’t have enough time at the party for everyone to try it and to actually make a Powerpuff. However, sometime after the holidays are over and I have some free time, I’m going to sit down and make a Powerpuff or two because it really is lots of fun and they look so cute!
You can get your own kits from amazon:
Get the starter kit if you need a pen: or the activity kit will do if you already have a pen:
I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
Gratefulness, for kids, and adults, can be difficult. Each evening over dinner we ask our kids 4 questions. What made you happy today? What made you sad today? What did you do for someone today? and What did someone do for you today? Without fail, answering the last question is the hardest thing they have to do all day. It’s not that something wasn’t done for them today. I mean, I made them all breakfast and we continued on from there. It’s that they fail to recognize all the things that people help them with throughout the day. And they’re not grateful.
So, I started this post before Thanksgiving, because I like to focus more on gratefulness with my children. More than usual that is, gratefulness is an ongoing process. But then, you know, life happened. So I’m just now finishing it up.
I really love asking my kids “What did someone do for you today”, it makes them think about what they’ve been helped with and realize that yes, it was really nice of my sister to carry my backpack into the house for me. It’s a good question at the end of the day as we reflect back as a family on how their day has gone.
Making kids do chores makes them way more grateful for what I do around the house. My kids hate cleaning the kitchen, but, after having to take on some kitchen duties, because of the new baby, my 9 and 6 year old are way more appreciative of a clean kitchen that they didn’t clean.
Giving is a great way for the kids to learn to be more grateful. We participate in our Church’s Thanksgiving baskets and also the Angel tree. This year we picked up some tags for shoes for some local children. It was actually mind blowing to my kids to realize that some kids don’t have access to new shoes whenever they need/want them. It’s important to talk about the blessings that we have and how important it is for us to give to others in need.
Family Honor Plate – In the interest of fostering gratefulness in my kids this year, I was super excited to review this Honor plate.
It comes in this box, with the paint, brushes, and stand in there as well. Basically, you pain the plate, let it dry, and then bake it to set the paint, then it’s ready to use.
Step #1 MOM AND DAD – BE THE EXAMPLE. BE THE ROLE-MODEL:
The virtues are listed in the center of the plate for mom and dad to use as their anchor, their moral compass to guide them in how they need to show up for and to their children. This is how our children learn what character (Christ’s Character) is, what it looks like, what it feels like. Our children are watching us and learning from us.
Step #2 BE ON THE LOOKOUT:
Look for the good choices and attitude your kids/spouse are making and showing throughout the day. Track it back to the virtues and character it shows.
Step #3 CELEBRATE THEIR CHARACTER:
Turn dinnertime into a celebration when you catch someone making good choices and showing good character and present their meal on the FAMILY HONOR PLATE. This is when you:
· Talk about the choices they made and the virtues and character that it showed (Be specific).
· Talk about how they made everyone involved feel and the impact they had on people and how that is POWERFUL and BEAUTIFUL.
We divided the plate into 3 sections, and each child got to paint a section. I love how their styles are so different! And then the next night we got a chance to use the plate. My 9yr old is singing in the children’s Christmas choir at Church and has tried out for the past 3 years for a solo part and just not been good enough. So, each year she’s worked hard to improve her singing. And this year she finally got a solo part. I was told that she really earned her spot in that she couldn’t carry a tune 3 years ago and has significantly improved to where she can keep up with the choir and sing a solo with a mike.
I praised her for her perseverance, which is really a combo of patience and self-control. And she was so excited to be recognized for all her hard work. The choir sings this Sunday and I can’t wait to see how she does!
I was also sent a set of Table Thyme Discussion cards. They have some great questions like, “what do you like most about weekends?” or “Tell a funny story about someone at the table”. These are great for dinner conversations and my kids can’t wait to see what the next question is. I’ve even caught them doing these questions together on their own.
Every question is followed up with “Why?” to take everyone’s answers to a deeper more intimate level. It’s not just what do you like to do on weekends? It’s also tell me why you like to do that. Have we done that before and you have a fun memory? Or has a friend done it and told you about it? These questions encourage you to hear more than just the answer, but to hear why a particular family member thinks or feels this way.
Often I ask one question and we spend all of dinner talking about it, and other nights we go through 5 or 6 questions before we hit one that really sparks conversation.
I’ve also learned some really interesting things about my children. Like how they would respond if someone was upset – which was not at all what I was expecting – or what they think I do all day. These questions are so much fun and there’s enough of them in this set to just keep going through them over and over.
You can purchase these items online at the Family Honor Plate website. These are terrific products if you’re looking to intentionally enhance family time.
I received this product free from Tryazon for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
I received two Ozobots for free to host an Ozobot party. These things were way more awesome than I expected! First off, the color “coding” is really easy. In this picture, you can see one of the kids picking from the code bank to give directions to the Ozobot or “Bot”, which is what the kids named it.
The Ozobot package comes with the Ozobot, puzzle cards, markers, and a charging cable. My party kit also included a few experience packs which were papers with paths and other coding ideas for the Ozobot.
As soon as I got it out the kids swarmed to it. The adults had to wait until later to try out Bot and his friend. They pulled out the markers and had no problem making paths to tell the Ozobot what to do.
Bot also plays games. Cover the four sensors to cycle through them. My kids favorite is where the Bot follows their hand when they hold it near the Ozobot. It can also run away and play music. So much fun!
And as if this wasn’t enough. There’s even an Ozobot app. It’s super easy to connect your Ozobot to the app, in fact, it practically does it itself. There’s games and other ways to interact with your Ozobot. I tested out the app before my party. I wasn’t really comfortable handing my iPad to a large group of kids so they had to stick with markers and paper for the party.
Eventually the kids headed off to do other things and the adults got to try their hand at the Ozobots. They’re so much fun for adults and kids!
If you want to purchase your own at Ozobot.com use code OzobotParty1517 for 15% off your puchase. These would make an awesome gift!
I received this Bible free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
About
The ESV Illuminated Bible places the full ESV text alongside over 500 elegantly hand-lettered gold ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi. Printed on thick cream-colored paper, the Bible’s single-column text setting and wide margins provide generous space for additional notes, prayers, and designs—inviting readers to creatively engage with and reflect on the beauty of God’s Word.
• 9-point, Lexicon
• Black letter text
• 2-color printing
• 64 full-page, custom book opener illustrations
• 50 full-page verse illustrations
• 250+ hand-lettered margin verses
• 100+ other illustrations throughout
• Illustrated by Dana Tanamachi, whose work has been featured by Google, The Wall Street Journal, Random House, USPS, and Target
• Thick, cream-colored paper
• Wide margins
• Single-column, paragraph format
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Packaging: Permanent Slipcase
• Dana Tanamachi is an American lettering artist, graphic designer, and illustrator whose exquisite typographic murals ignited the worldwide chalk-lettering trend. She has been commissioned by clients such as Instagram, Target, Google, Time Magazine, Nike, and West Elm.
Review
I have trouble writing in books but this Bible encourages you to write in the margins. I like that there are illustrations already there, so I’m less intimidated at the thought of making notes in my Bible. I love that this Bible is ESV, since that is my favorite version, and while I just haven’t convinced myself to write in the Bible yet, I’m getting close. In fact, I may let my 9 year old break it in for me since she loves to highlight, underline, and make notes when she reads.
In my opinion, this makes a great family Bible where everyone is encouraged to make notes, illustrations, etc for the entire family to enjoy.
The paper is thick so it’s designed for writing on. The illustrations in the Bible are gorgeous. Even if I never end up writing in it, it’s still a beautiful book to read, and I just love beautiful books. Because of the thicker paper it’s a bit too heavy to easily carry to Church with me, so it’s more of a family Bible or study Bible.
I’m just loving this ESV Illustrated Bible and the interaction it encourages!
I received this book free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
Where We Belong by Lynn Austin was an intriguing read about two sisters who grew up in Victorian age American but preferred adventure and travel in defiance of the expected social rules of the day.
In this story of adventure and challenge you follow two sisters, Rebecca and Flora as they search for an important manuscript. You’ll learn about why they’re here, how they got here, and be inspired by their love of adventure.
This book reads a lot like a historical fiction, which I found confusing at first until I found out that the author was inspired by a true story of two sisters who found an important manuscript. While this book is not historical fiction and really only takes the topic from actual history, it’s still very fun to think about how those women may actually have discovered things.
I enjoyed reading about Rebecca and Flora’s journeys to different places, and the dangers, the friends, and the adventures they encountered on their way.
I received this book free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
Crown of Souls – Ronie Kendig
This book is the 3rd in Ronnie Kendig’s Tox Files series and is my favorite of the three. Gripping from beginning to end, this book was fun and entertaining to read.
The book starts with Tox being shot and the action just continues from there. Tox is forced to face his personal conflicts all while hunting down a deranged killer and keeping his team alive.
When an old army friend goes rogue, Tox and his team have to find him and stop him. Can Tox find him in time, can the team stop what he’s doing?
As they pursue, Tox learns more about himself than he really wanted to know. And he has to make hard decisions about how to protect his team and those he loves without becoming the monster that he is trying to stop.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading number four of the Tox Files when it comes out.
I received this CD free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
Jeremy Camp – The Answer
I love “Word of Life” by Jeremy Camp so I was super excited to review his new CD. Word of Life is the cover song for this CD, so I figured I would probably like the rest of the CD as well.
I love how his music is upbeat and fun to listen to and sing along with. With songs like “My Father’s Arms” and “Love so Great”, this CD is full of great music that me and my kids have been enjoying.
My 4yr old son is excited to have a new CD with a male singer. He has two older sisters who prefer female musicians because they’re easier for them to sing along with. I told him that the CD is his and he listens to it as much as he can. He’s so excited to have his own CD and I love that he has some new music that’s not only fun and child appropriate but that also has a great message.
And check out Jeremy Camp’s music video for Word of Life. It’s so much fun!
And, thanks to FlyBy I get to give away one copy of this new CD. It was released today, Oct. 6th so it’s super new! Enter below for a chance to win.
I received this CD free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
Matt Redman – Glory Song
My 4yr old son was so excited to get a CD with a boy singer, as he puts it. I like Matt Redman so I was excited about reviewing this CD.
Matt Redman teamed up with several of his worship-artist friends for this album, first releasing the track “Gracefully Broken (feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard).” Tasha Cobbs Leonard also released her own version of this song on the same day!
The album also features Kierra Sheard, Guvna B, Madison Cunningham, and Kim Walker-Smith.
I put this in the car and we’re all enjoying listening to it while we run errands, drop off kids, pick up kids, etc. It’s so much fun to have new music that everyone likes. The music on this CD is upbeat but not too loud and really a great CD for in the car. My favorite song one “Greatest Hallelujah” the music and the words just go together so well in this song!
And Gracefully Broken with Tasha Cobbs Leonard is just beautiful!
I received this book free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
How to Listen so People will Talk – Becky Harling
I don’t know about you, but I have a problem with not listening to people and then being frustrated when people aren’t listening to me. I have a couple of friends who are really good listeners and I’ve really been observing this year and trying to figure out what makes them people that I want to talk to.
I was excited that I got to review this book, because I really wanted to know. How do I listen so people will talk to me. My friends, my kids, my husband, even the random lady at the grocery checkout. Yes, all my life, random people will literally tell me their life story. Though, these past couple of years, having multiple kids seems to slow that down a little. And I started wondering if it was actually the kids, or is it me. Have I just gotten bad at listening?
I picked up several really good tips from this book. Though, my favorite was the section on “listen to another’s story”. Just thinking about how I listen and framing it around listening as they tell their story – because everything in life is a story – has really helped me actually stop trying to talk and just listen. It’s all about developing better listening habits. Want to know more about what it means to listen to someone’s story, you should buy the book.
There were several other really great tips in this book, and combining them with my focus of listening to another’s story is working really well for me. I’m not sure if my kids and husband are comfortable talking more, or if they’re talking the same and I’m just paying better attention, but I do feel like I’m hearing more of what they say, more of their story. And I’m happy to be hearing more from the people that I love.
I received this book free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
The Assault: Cycle Two of the Harbingers Series by Bill Myers, Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, and Alton Gansky.
This is Book two of the Harbingers Series. A while back I reviewed book one and liked it so I was excited to receive book two to review as well.
This book was much like the first, with each author writing a section from their person’s point of view. I do find it a bit jolting at times when I switch authors. Mainly because the book is more like 4 mini stories and not one large story, but also the switch between characters when I switch authors always takes me a second. I have to re-orient myself to whom is telling the story – since the stories are told in the first person, and each author writes for a different person.
As the darkness grows with these 4 gifted people be able to stay ahead of it or will it overtake them? The continuing story line is interesting and exciting to read. Because of the 4 different authors it’s a bit unpredictable what will happen to the 4 friends next and what the outcome will be, so it keeps me guessing. Which is always great for this type of book.
This book is easy and quick to read and very entertaining. I enjoyed reading it, and plan to read cycle three as well.
Where We Belong by Lynn Austin was an intriguing read about two sisters who grew up in Victorian age American but preferred adventure and travel in defiance of the expected social rules of the day.
Crown of Souls – Ronie Kendig
I received this CD free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.
How to Listen so People will Talk – Becky Harling
