Book Review: The Answers Book for Kids Volume 3 and 4

The Answers Book for Kids Volume 3: 22 Questions from Kids on God and the Bible and Volume 4: 22 Questions from Kids on Sin, Salvation and the Christian Life by Ken Ham are great resources for helping your children try and understand some of the big questions they having rolling around in their minds.  Thses books are great at helping guide the child to find out those "Why" questions and to dig deeper into the Bible.

 Each page has a question from a child, a response and extra scriptures that you can use to learn even more of what God's word says about the question.  Some of the questions are, "Who made God?, How big is God?, Why does God let the bad guys win sometimes?, How does God get His power? Where does He get it from?" 

This was also a great resource for me, as a parent, on my journey of faith and wrestling through some of the more difficult questions of life.  I really enjoyed the pictures used on each page.  They were creatively put together to help match the question asked.  I have not yet read Volumes 1 and 2 but I am sure they were done with the same quality and accuracy as Volumes 3 and 4.  I would definitely recommend having these in your home library, town library and/or church library. 

Book Review: The Creation Story for Children

If you are looking for a book to engage your child and tell God's story of creation, look no further.  Helen & David Haidle have written, "The Creation story for Children" that captures the beauty of God's creation through pictures and God's word.

Some of the pages are also fun to use as a "seek and find" because there are so many pictures used to show what God created on each day.

I am encouraged that the authors stick close to God's word and not just another paraphrase of the Genesis creation account.  At the end of the book, they go through amazing creatures, amazing senses, amazing shapes and colors in depth and show animals in each category. 

I really love this book and highly recommend you add this to your library.  It will be the only creation book you will need to teach your children the truth about God's creation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I once again had great vision of sending out cards by mail this year and it slipped my mind.  I was really preoccupied with an interesting gift this year that took up most of my brain power.  My grandmother collects nativities so we decided that our family was going to pose as the nativity, frame it and give it as the most unique nativity she will ever possess.  The angel on the right is my aunt and she lives in Canada so I actually superimposed her into the picture....amazing complicated but the Lord provided an amazing picture for us. So Happy New Year from the Fleishours and belated Merry Christmas our Savior has come!!

Oh, How They Change

I cannot believe my babies are not babies anymore.  Big Bub is well on his way to becoming a gentleman and Peanut is developing into quite a fine young lady.  I have been enjoying watching them search out who God has created them to be and what things in this world pluck their heart strings.  I have made two collages that I feel capture some of their uniqueness and little passions that are growing inside each of them. I have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season and these two gifts from God are top on the list. (Big Daddy is my first and best gift ever!)

Peanut wants deeply to be in the Nutcracker Ballet!

Big Bub loves to be creative with his costumes and pretend play.  He still loves dinosaurs a ton.

Mistress of the Domain: Redeemed

  

  I posted the fallen part of this aspect previously and I am glad to be posting the best part...the redeemed.

     The most beautiful part of this aspect is how we are redeemed. God has had a redemptive plan from the beginning. He knew He would need to reach down to us. Mouser puts into words our wonderful salvation,
"We deserve to be hauled in to the capital and hanged for treason. But Christ was hanged for us. This is what His death on the cross means; He paid the price of a traitor's death....Adam and Eve broke the trust. But trust is re-established when we receive God's offer of new life and re-assert our allegiance to Him." Our mind is to be renewed and enlightened and our conscience is purged from dead works. This is great news!!!

      In conclusion, we were created in the image of God, the Fall has brought sin nature to the image we bear, Jesus has died to pay the penalty we deserved to die. God has given us our domain for a purpose and is fashioning our lives that we might bring our whole being to Him.

Next aspect....Helper-Completer (and it is so good!!)

Picture borrowed from http://sharecare.wordpress.com/2008/03/

Family Photos

Our dear and favorite friend, JMay, took some fun photos of us.  I forgot about them until I was sorting out pictures today so here they are.  Check out the amazing background God gave us....that is as rich of red as you can get...amazing.  Thanks so much JMay for capturing our family :)

My best friend.  I love this man dearly and we have our ups and downs but I am committed till death do us part.

My baby girl!

Silly!

I told Big Bub to touch cheeks with Mommy....I guess I forgot to mention look at the camera too....he was so cute...he kept his cheek on mine for a whole minute!

This is our family.  Somehow we have developed this little family cheer where everybody puts their hands in and then screams, "Go brothers and sisters!!"  It's become a trademark.

The Lord is good.

The Lord is good, even when its raining.
The Lord is good, even when I am crying.

The Lord is good, even when chaos surrounds me.
The Lord is good, even when I am angry or frustrated.

The Lord is good, even when life doesn't make any sense.
The Lord is good, even when you feel lonely.

The Lord is good.  His character does not change.  My emotions and feelings towards God change like the wind but I can settle back into this beautiful truth....The Lord is good.....

Journey ReEnactment Concert Featuring: Dan Flower

Big Daddy and I got to go see our Uncle Dan Flower rock the in a tribute concert to Journey.  I was impressed and Big Daddy and I had so much fun that we want to see them again.  Here are some pictures and the websited where you can check out more of their songs, concert listings and alittle about the band:  Lights: Journey Tribute Band Homepage

 

Behind every man is the woman who supports and loves him and here she..... Mrs. Flower.

Little Bub's Thumb!

The Adventure of Little Bub

He was playing with his bro,

and they were running to and fro.

They have been told "Do not slam the door!"

but Big Bub forgot and Little Bub cried alot more.

Big Daddy was first to arrive on the scene,

and his little thumb was caught in between.

I was upstairs baking some bread

and I did not know that his thumb was so red.

Big Daddy then tried to straighten it out

but he could not move the little thumb about.

The doctor called to see what was the matter

and he asked, "Is it getting any fatter?"

Dr. Void gave his thumb alittle tickle

but that little thumb was still being fickle.

So he sent us away to the hand doctor,

his name was Richter the Rocker.

Dr. Rocker did not make us linger,

He said, "Oh...that's a trigger finger!"

You will need to go to the hospital,

but don't worry son they will give you a popsicle.

So that was the adventure in a nutshell,

and yes, Little Bub did yell.

But he squeals with delight,

and now he will have a thumb just right.

Written for: Little Bub

By: Mommy

Book Review: Dinosaurs Stars of the Show

Dinosaurs: Stars of the Show written by Amie Zordel and illustrated by Joanna Borrero is a must have for your children's book collection. I have a dinosaur lover in our family and I grow weary of the heavy evolutionary material constantly presented through other dinosaur books.

This book was a breath of fresh air as it presented truth based on the Bible. I love the example of the little girl in the book that when she questions something she runs straight to the Bible as an authority instead of the internet or library. It is a great book to use as a unit for homeschool study as well. (for preschool, kindergarten)

My children have enjoyed this book and we have had great discussions from reading it together. It is important for me to teach my children how to think and be able to figure out what is true and what to measure truth by and this book is going to be a great tool in teaching them.

The illustrations in this book are so colorful and inviting. I adored the artwork. I also enjoyed the rhyming story. (it makes it more fun for me to read)

Overall, I would recommend this book as a "must have" for any parent who wants their child to learn early what truth is and where it comes from.

Mistress of the Domain: Fallen

     Along with the created aspect of this domain comes the fallen aspect. Our image of God has been corrupted. We still have a mind but it is darkened. Our domains have been affected by the Fall (human choice to disobey God and eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil) and our work is under a curse that the Lord gave to the man and the woman. (Genesis 3:16-19) Work is not part of the curse but unproductive, frustrating, inefficient work is the Curse. Our domains will continue to rebel against us as we have rebelled against God. Everything around us is in entropy...including our domains in which we are to rule over. The curse is what comes along and destroys our labor and making our work fruitless.

     God has allowed the principle of rebellion loose in our world, but He has a redemptive plan. Romans 8:20-21, "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." By intensifying the struggles with the deep issues of life, it pushes us back to God and away from Him. His hope is that we will all turn back to Him as He will lift the Curse someday and we will no longer live under the Curse.

     This Curse has directly affected all of my domains. Examples would be: Little Bub constantly running away from me, my house looking like a tornado hit it, something breaking on my camera, burning a meal, staying up too late, thinking mean thoughts about my husband, wanting more and more even though I have everything I need, loosing my temper, my kiddos constant fighting, the dishes piling up in my sink, pine needles that prick me feet as I walk through my house... my list could go on and on. We need to understand how the Curse causes our domains to rebel against us. We need to stop believing lies about God and trust the Great King under whose authority we are working. We deserve to have far worse punishment for our rebellion against God...He is a good and gracious God.

     Below are a couple of pictures I have captured through the years that have helped me see some of my rebelling domains.  Most of my time is spent in the home and with my children so naturally most of these are of them.

This one is classic....the whining children battling to make breakfast.

Ahhh....now this is classic.  We were getting ready to leave the kids with a babysitter to go for a nice dinner and a banquet at the Pregnancy Support Center when we heard the kids being unusually quiet.  They were at work making a big sticky mess.

This happens daily and is frustrating for me.  Who walks on the dining room table????

Ahh...the whining again!

I love this one.  You're trying to get a beautiful family portrait and all the kiddos are running in different directions :) 

And this was a sad picture for me to remember....it was our first Christmas in our new home and also Laney's first Christmas.  We had an ice storm that took out our power for 5 days starting on Dec. 23.  It was a scary night with no power and hearing branches breaking and wondering when one of our big ole' trees was going to give way.  We had to stay with family (which was fun) but there is just something about celebrating the holidays in your own home.

Thankfully our good and gracious God has a redemptive plan which I will post soon.....

    

Premier Jewelry

I just attended my first Premier Jewelry Party ever.  It's actually the first party I have attended in a long time because I did not have conflicting commitments :)  I have to say, I was impressed with the jewelry selection and the party itself was so fun and different from any other.  I actually came home with alot of free stuff which made it even more fun.  My favorite part is that I know that this jewelry business supports another local family around us.  Being the wife of a small business owner, I truly appreciate all the business we get because it is how we are provided with finances to pay our bills, care for our children and take care of our family.  I love the opportunity to support another family!!!

Heather Hennagin was our Premier Consultant for the night and she was so fun and loved holding Baby B.  The Witty Girls were our hosts for the night and the theme was a mother/daughter party which I thought was a great idea.  Peanut was very excited to go and hangout with one of her favorite friend, Wiley Witty.  Baby B actually won a drawing she had and Peanut said that she was just going to keep the bracelet until Baby B was old enough to wear.  She said she will probably give it to her for her third birthday :)

I actually decided to host a party and I got this cute little tote bag and the tennis bracelet (shown below) just for setting a date.  The tennis bracelet is special because you can't buy it.  I like it because its so cute and feminine...my kind of jewelry.  If anyone is interested to come to our (I say "our" because Peanut has taken the lead to help plan it) jewelry party, it will be Friday, December 11 at 6:30pm.  I will be sending out invites very soon.  Hope to see you there.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Exactly 53 years ago today, God fashioned my father and brought him into this world.  I have been blessed with a caring and loving father who truly reflects some of my Heavenly Father and for that I am grateful.

Here is alittle bit about my dad:

He loves to play softball.

He loves to play Roy Hobbs hard ball.

He loves a good adventure.

He loves rocking chairs.

He loves my mom!!!!!

He loves to play catch with Peanut.

He loves to sleep everywhere.

He loves to roasted marshmallows on the fire.

He loves to build things and he is quite good at it.

And he even loves to change diapers (well, let's rephrase...he doesn't mind doing it :)

Happy Birthday Dad and I am so proud to have you as my father.

Book Review: A Beautiful Mess

     A Beautiful Mess with Tom Roland is a biography/autobiography the country band, Diamond Rio.  Rowland did a great job of communicating the full complete story.  I have to admit that the book was a bit hard for me to get through.  It contains alot of music lingo and many names which made it very difficult to get  engaged.  The setup of the book was hard to follow as well.  It would have been easier to follow if the chapters on each of the band members came first so you knew who was who before you got into how they came together, their rough times and where they are now.
     A Beautiful Mess was an appropriate title for this book.  Many aspects of this book were beautiful and many more just a mess.  I was inspired by some of the parents of the band members.  Two points in this book touched my heart (one in a good way and one a bad way) and brought tears to my eyes.. 

     The first was about a band members father.  Brian's dad was an alcolohic and abusive.  After many rough times, Brian asked his mother why she continued to stay with his dad.  She answered, "He was my husband.  It was a different generation, and 'til death do us part meant 'til death do us part.  I recognized that alcoholism is a disease, but so is cancer, and I would not have left him if he had that."  What a woman of honor and integrity!  This was a "Beautiful" part of this book.  She made a commitment and wasn't going to use a selfish excuse to get out of her marriage....she stood by her man even if she had to stand at a distance.  Amazing!!!

     The second was about the marriage of band member Dana.  I had just finished reading about the band recovering from some pitfalls and being redeemed when the very next chapter started off with, "Dana came to the realization that he and his wife had been growing apart for years."  It continues with, "But he suddenly felt a spark for a longtime friend....he told his wife that he felt it was time to end their marriage."  Then he goes on to say, " I ask the Lord every day for forgiveness for it....I feel better and I'm happier...if I did anything wrong, as far as in God's eye, then that's why we have forgiveness."  Our generation knows nothing of commitment or God for that matter.  All this generation knows is feeling and selfishness.  God's forgiveness does not give us a license to sin or do whatever we want because it feels good or right. It doesn't work that way.  Notice how Dana's focus was on himself and Brian's mother's focus on her husband and not her feelings.

     I brought up these two points because Rowland pulls this whole story together in the final chapter with these words, "Commitment is, in fact, a recurring theme that's been present often in their music.  And commitment is something they've lived out professionally in a way that few bands have managed."  Family and marriage are more important than a commitment to the band.  While these men were committed to the band, three of them were forgetting their commitment on the altar.  Three of the six band members are divorced and they are yet another poor example and role model in the public eye for the children growing up in this generation.  I really respect Marty, Gene and Jimmy.  Thank you for being "men" and commiting to the band and also continuing to carry out your committment to your family. 

     I believe family is the backbone of society and our communities.  It really does take a family, so that is why those two points in the book stood out to me the most.  I was truly touched by the whole story until the end, "Where are they now?" stories and it just ruined the beauty of the redemptive work in Chapter 12, except for seeing Marty Roe's life change. 

The Rainbow Family :)

I got the pleasure to spend some time taking pictures of the Rainbow Family today. I gave them that name because they have or will have enough family members for each color of the rainbow. Mrs. Rainbow is pregnant which meant I got to take a couple of prego pictures :) I was getting alittle worried because it started to get dark at 3:30pm today...got to love OHIO! Anyways, the pictures turned out great and we had a lot of fun! Enjoy!