Playing and talking shortly before the goodbyes started.
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
~author unknown~
Munchkin enjoyed spending some quality time with her friend on Friday before they said their goodbyes. It was an extremely tear filled goodbye, and it broke this mama’s heart to see the girls hurting so much. Daddy and I took it upon ourselves to side track Munchkin by having a family movie night. Unfortunately, when we headed out to grab the movie and snacks, I ended up missing my opportunity to say goodbye to my friend. **sigh** Thankfully, the internet and cell phones make it easier to stay in touch.
Our weekend consisted of us keeping Munchkin’s mind of her sadness. We even allowed her to get an upgraded cell phone that has the option to send text messages. This was a huge step for me as it means that my baby is truly growing up. Yes, she has a cell phone previously, but we had the text feature blocked. She’s proven herself responsible with the inexpensive cell phone, so we decided that she could upgrade to something with a keyboard to make texting a bit easier. Thankfully, they were having a special, so we didn’t have to pay out of pocket for the phone. (I dislike contracts, but it ended up being a good way to go.)
First time at the pool for the season.
It’s going to take some time to get over not having our friends living right next door. It’s weird seeing the house empty and not hearing the kids playing. While it’s only been a couple of days, they are already missed. Soon, new neighbors will move in next door – neighbors with 2 little boys. That’s going to be a drastic change. We don’t know who will be moving in on the other side of us. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. The turn-over here is usually fairly quick.
I think as we get older and Munchkin gets older our desire to settle down gets a bit stronger. From what I can tell, this is true for many military families. Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy the many different places we get to live, the adventures we get to experience, and the people we get to meet. It’s just that, with the passing of time, that enjoyment gets tempered with the need to put down roots. One day… yes, one day… we’ll get to start our homestead and look back fondly at the different individuals who have left footprints in our hearts.
We enjoy shopping at our local Sam’s Club store because we’re able to get some great products in bulk sizes at affordable prices. I know not everyone likes buying in bulk because storing things can be an issue. Cheerios understands this concern, so they changed their club packaging. The new 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes, making them easier to store and easier to pour!
Other benefits include…
Reducing the amount of air in each individual bag which means that these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging
Reducing packaging material by over 200,000 lbs, means saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks of the road, decreasing CO2 emissions
So, not only are you getting more bang for your buck with these new easier to store and pour packages, but you’re also being more environmentally friendly in the process.
These new and improved 2 box Cheerios are now available on the shelves of Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s nationwide.
Are you a big Cheerios fan? You can enter to win your own 2 box Cheerios prize pack (4 boxes total) and/or head over to your local club store to purchase. Rafflecopter giveaway is open to US residents and ends 5/30. Winner will be announced on this post.
It’s turned into a huge school zone around our house. Munchkin is working on her classwork. I’m working on my photography classwork. Daddy is working on his military classwork. It’s weird having all of us working on different classes, but it’s also a wee bit funny to see us all trying to focus on the task at hand. With Munchkin’s best friend and her family moving this week, staying focused has been much more difficult. She wants to spend as much time with her as possible before they say goodbye on Friday. For this reason, I gave her today off from school. They were both up early and ready to play.
Paleontologists of the Future?
One of their new favorite things to do is act like they are paleontologists. They bury dinosaurs in the ground for each other and then excavate them. After they’ve been excavated, they need to be carefully cleaned. Really, I totally enjoy the fact that Munchkin is 13 and her friend is 14, yet, they love to play these types of things together. The Lord knew what he was doing when He brought these two together. Sometimes, A’s brother and sister also join in on the fun which makes for lots of laughter and an occasional argument or two. lol!
A sad, sad day...
The neighbors on the other side of us moved earlier this week, so it’s apparent that moving season is starting. Over the next couple of months, we’ll see a huge turn over in our neighborhood as quite a few families will be gone by the end of July. New families will come in and the entire dynamics of the neighborhood will once again change. Munchkin has decided that she wants to move as it would be easier than staying after her dear friend leaves. We thought that would be happening – a fresh start in a new location, but alas, that is not to be at this point in time. Instead, we’ll carry on here and pray that the Lord brings another friend into Munchkin’s life and/or that He gives her the peace and comfort that she needs as all these various changes take place in her life.
Disciplines of a Godly Young Man
by R. Kent Hughes & Carey Hughes
Book Description:
Point blank, this is a punchy, no-holds-barred book for young men. Laying out the challenge to be disciplined, godly, and sold-out for Jesus, the authors talk about purity in your thought-life, cultural pressure, and perseverance as a Christian. Let father and son Kent and Carey Hughes help you live a life of integrity and become the man God is calling you to be.
My Thoughts:
I need to preface this review with the following disclaimer. I don’t have a son, so my approach to this book was more from the viewpoint of a mom with a daughter who will one day be looking for a godly husband. My husband and I pray that the Lord will protect and guide the young man who will one day be our son-in-law. Many of the habits that are learned now will guide his actions in the future.
The 16 topics covered in this book include:
Discipline is Everything!
Discipline for Godliness
Discipline of Purity
Discipline of Friendship
Discipline of Mind, I: Refusal
Discipline of Mind, II: Filling
Discipline of Devotion
Discipline of Prayer
Discipline of Tongue
Discipline of Work
Discipline of Perseverance
Discipline of Church
Discipline of Giving
Discipline of Witness
Discipline of Ministry
Grace of Discipline
Each chapter addresses a specific area of discipline while continually tying the various disciplines together. The chapters conclude with Food for Thought questions and an application/response section where individuals can apply the concepts they learned from the chapter.
I like that this book doesn’t take a soft approach to tough issues. It addresses the issues head-on in a practical way. It encourages young men to start their prayer/devotional life on a smaller scale and work up to something bigger as a way to set themselves up for success rather than failure.
This is the type of book that I’d love for a future son-in-law to read. If the Biblical principles/guidance talked upon within the pages of the book were followed, he would be a godly man who would know the dangers and pitfalls of this world. It would equip him with tools to use to help him overcome temptations, to battle the evils of the world and the evils that come from within. We need more godly men in this world. We need leaders who follow Biblical principles in our homes, in our churches, in our workplaces… Embracing the Biblical truths at a young age will lay a strong foundation for the future.
About the Authors:
R. KENT HUGHES (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. He has authored numerous books for Crossway, including Disciplines of a Godly Man, and is the series editor and a contributor to the popular Preaching the Word series. Hughes now lives in Washington state with his wife, Barbara, and is the father of four and grandfather of an ever-increasing number of grandchildren.
CAREY HUGHES (MTh, Moore College, Sydney) is senior pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church in Spokane, Washington, and former Junior High director at College Church in Wheaton.
Book Details:
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books (January 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1433526026
ISBN-13: 978-1433526022
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
I received a copy of this book as a member of the Crossway Homeschool Book Review Program to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky
by Dr. Jason Lisle
Book Description:
Explore the night sky, identify stars, constellations, and even planets. Stargaze with a telescope, binoculars, or even your naked eye. Allow Dr. Jason Lisle, a research scientist with a masters and PhD in astrophysics, to guide you in examining the beauty of God’s Creation.
Lisle designed Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky for everyone from young students to amateur astronomers. In it you will:
Learn the best ways and optimal times to observe planets and stars
Discover how to choose the best telescope for you
Find 150 stunning, full-color star-charts and other easy to use illustrations for success
“How do phases of the moon work? When will the next solar eclipse take place? What is that bright star setting in the west? How do I find Saturn? What sorts of objects can be seen with binoculars?” These questions and many more are easily answered with the helpful tips and basic understanding of astronomy presented in this book.
Create or expand the hobby of stargazing; an outdoor, educational hobby to enjoy with friends or family. Regardless of your circumstances and the economy, you will always be able to marvel at the beauty of our night sky.
My Thoughts:
The Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky is an in-depth look into astronomy. It digs into not only celestial bodies and where they are located in the sky, but also into how the human eye works, what telescopes are best and why, how to track celestial bodies, and much, much more. I was seriously blown away by the depth of the information covered in this book. It will be a great resource for the casual observer to those serious about astronomy. It’s in-depth enough that you could create a homeschool curriculum around this book.
While there are many aspects of this book that are rather technical, it does give you a great deal of practical information. The charts and diagrams are numerous and helpful. The beautiful full-color images make you want to get out there and start gazing at the stars.
The book is broken down into 12 chapters:
Motions in the Sky – Basic
Motions in the Sky – Advanced
Understanding the Eye
Astronomy with the Unaided Eye
Celestial Events
Telescope Basics
Telescope Observing Sessions
The Moon and the Sun
The Planets
Star Classification and Telescope Viewing
Deep Sky Objects
Astrophotography
The book concludes with a brief message from Dr. Lisle where he explains that, unlike many of his other books, this is not an apologetics book. He is extremely passionate about astronomy, and this passion shines through in this book. It’s not always an easy read as there is a good bit of technical information included in each chapter, but it’s worth it to get a better understanding of the universe around us. As I previously stated, this really would make a wonderful core book for an astronomy class. If you want to add in some apologetics, you can add in Dr. Lisle’s other astronomy book, Taking Back Astronomy.
I admit that due to my photography hobby the chapter on astrophotography was one of my favorite chapters. It was fun to see a chapter like that included to round out the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book even when some of the information was more in-depth than I personally needed for my interest level.
About the Author:
Dr. Jason Lisle is a research scientist, speaker, and planetarium director for Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum. He holds bachelor of science degrees in physics and astronomy from Ohio Wesleyan University, as well as a master’s and PhD in Astro-physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder. As a creation scientist Dr. Lisle effectively communicates a broad range of topics from in-depth presentations of distant starlight, Einstein’s relativity, and problems with the big bang to topics from astronomy and general science to apologetics and dinosaurs. Dr. Lisle has authored a number of books which include: Taking Back Astronomy, The Ultimate Proof of Creation, Old-Earth Creationism on Trial, and his brand new title releasing in April 2012 The Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky.
Book Details:
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group (March 23, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0890516413
ISBN-13: 978-0890516416
Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
I received a copy of this book from New Leaf Publishing/Master Books to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Disciplines of a Godly Young Man
The Stargazer’s Guide to the Night Sky
