Luv'N Lambert Life

A blog about living with Epilepsy, IBHS, Homeschooling and so much more

Blogging for Books

The Gardener’s Log Book {Blogging for Books Review}

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Gardener’s Log Book
A 5-Year Planner
by The New York Botanical Garden

I choose the Gardener’s Log Book by the New York Botanical Garden because of my Mother’s and my Husband’s equal love of gardening.  I thought this would be the perfect planner for them to use to plan out their plants over time.  They both love it!

The book itself is small and able to be easily carried but not too small that you can’t read it easily or write the necessary info inside easily.  It features a waterproof cover, with an elastic rope to hold the cover closed when not in use.  It was shipped with cardboard inside to help hold the book’s shape and for now, we have left those in place.

The pages inside are awesome.  The pages are slightly thicker so when you’re working on your garden and your hands are slightly grungy, you can easily grab a hold and make the marks or notes that you need to.

Inside, there is room to write out the names of Plants you’re interested in and mark when they grow best for your area.  The book is sectioned into seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.  As mentioned above, it is a 5 year planner with plenty of room.  There are note pages and grids inside to use as needed.

Both of the gardener’s in our home were really impressed with this book and look forward to using it for their needs.  I’m probably going to need to order a second copy but for $16.99 the cost is not bad. If you love gardening as much as my family does, you’ll want to add the Gardener’s Log Book to your gardening supplies right away.

Finally Focused {Blogging for Books Review}

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Finally Focused

Little known fact:  Not only are we an Epilepsy family but we are also an ADHD family as well.  My oldest has always had issues with ADHD and this, along with our younger three’s seizures are one of many reasons why we chose Homeschooling.  I’m always looking for new ideas to help him and my other two children who have ADHD as well, find things to manage this disorder.  Finally Focused by James Greenblatt, M.D, and Bill Gottlieb, CHC, peaked my interest immediately.

To be honest, in my research, I’ve found that ADHD and Epilepsy mirror each other a great deal.  One child gets overwhelmed or stressed and seizes.  The other becomes hyperactive and can’t stop themselves or shut down.  Both have end results that need assistance.

Finally Focused helps you to find balance.  It shows you ways to restore attention.  It helps you find ways to minimize your child’s hyperactivity and it helps you eliminate drug side effects when necessary.  As a family, we don’t medicate for ADHD but some of these ideas were helpful for our Epilepsy medication side effects.

I’m a believer in treating the disorder naturally with simple and natural methods as much as possible.  This book will help you to make that happen.  Routine, rest, good diet are all contributors and all discussed within the pages of this wonderful book.  You’ll find tons of ideas to use in your own home with your own families.

Finally Focused is available through Harmony Books as well as other retailers.  The book sells for $12.99 on Kindle, or $11.55 in paperback on Amazon.  This is a must read for all families with an ADHD child.

Prairie Song {Blogging For Books Review}

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Prairie Song

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Mona Hodgson

Mona Hodgson has written a beautiful novel in Prairie Song, the first of the Hearts Seeking Home series.  Prairie Song tells the story of Anna Goben and leads the reader on a journey unlike any other.  A journey of hope, of love, of new beginnings.
Anna Goben wishes to start anew.  She is tired of her daily life and her family’s struggle.  She feels the need to join Boone’s Lick Company Wagon Train and see what adventure lies ahead of her. 

Anna’s family has suffered great loss.  Her beloved brother never made it home from the Civil War.  Her Mother and Grandfather are paralyzed by their grief.  Anna believes that a new start in California is just what her family needs.
Anna never expects to find love at the end of her journey.  She only hopes to find a brand new start.  Through God’s grace and love, Anna and her family find hope and love of their own.
I loved this story of starting over, finding love and happiness in a new place in life.  Anna’s story is one you won’t wish to miss!
Prairie Song is available from Walterbrook Multnomah for $14.99 in paperback or $11.99 as an eBook.  You can also purchase Prairie Song through Mona Hodgson’s personal website.

A Kingsbury Collection {Blogging For Books Review}

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If you love Karen Kingsbury, then you will love A Kingsbury Collection.  Three of Karen’s best novels combined into one over-sized novel.  This is a collection Karen’s fans surely won’t want to miss.

A Kingsbury Collection includes: Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay, and On Every Side.

Where Yesterday Lives tells the story of Pulitzer Prize winner, Ellen Barrett.  Lost in her faith, struggling in her marriage and missing the past, Ellen longs for long ago times.  Ellen returns home, after her father’s recent death to find changes she wasn’t expecting and a future God had planned, even though she had not.

When Joy Came to Stay shares the story of the Stovall’s.  Ben and Maggie have a life most people dream about.  What they don’t have is the one thing that only sweet Amanda Joy can provide.  This novel brings to life the faith of child who brings others closer to God in an unexpected way.

On Every Side, newscaster Faith Evans finds herself telling the story of an one-hundred-year-old statue of Jesus.  The statue stands in a small-town park.  Jordan Riley supports the belief that this statue is a violation of the separation of church and state and wants to see the statue removed.  Battle lines are drawn but can love overcome all?

As with all of Karen Kingsbury’s great novels, love and God bring others together, triumphing over all.  Karen’s books are sure to restore your faith and leave you wanting to read more.

A Kingsbury Collection is available for $19.99 in paperback form.

Disclaimer: I have received a free print copy of A Kingsbury Collection from Walterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.  No money has been exchanged in this review.  I was asked to provide a blog post in my honest opinion in exchange for this item.  I’m including this disclosure in accordance with FTC guidelines.

When The Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall {Blogging For Books Review}

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Cindy Woodsmall

Cindy Woodsmall is a best-selling Amish fiction writer.  Her books bring readers to the small private world of the Amish.  Leading readers to the small, private world where today’s amenities have yet to touch.

When The Heart Cries is a part of the Sisters of the Quilt Series.  Hannah is a kind, sweet Amish girl who doesn’t want to disappoint her family and upset their lives.  But Hannah has fallen in love with the neighbor, Paul, who is a Mennonite, a completely different faith than hers.  Marrying Paul would tear apart her family and change their simple, quiet lives forever.

To top it all off, tragedy strikes admist all of the other challenges.  Will Hannah come through it all?  Will she and Paul marry and live happily ever after with her father’s blessing?  Or will her father refuse to allow these two to be together without disowning his daughter in the meantime?

This was a heart-warming, encouraging story that I really enjoyed.  I loved the imagery provided through Cindy’s writing and the love between both Hannah and Paul and also Hannah’s family.  I look forward to reading more books by Cindy Woodsmall in the future.

When The Heart Cries is available in bookstores and online through Amazon for $13.99.

Disclaimer – This book was provided by Blogging for Books from Walterbrook Multnomah for free in exchange for my honest review in a blog post.  I am posting this disclaimer in accordance with FTC regulations.


Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma {Blogging For Books Review}

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Do your kids tend to think things just magically happen at home?  Do they think “oh Mom will do it” or “It’s Mom’s job since she stays home”?  Do you do everything for them and wonder why they do not help themselves unless it involves video games or the fun things they choose to do?

Then this is the book for you!!  Kay Wills Wyma wrote Cleaning House: A Mom’s 12-month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement after realizing one day that she was failing to teach her children to appreciate the finer things in life and instead to expect them.  The dawning of this revelation came the day her teenage son informed her he wanted a Porshe for his 16th birthday.  She came to realize he had no clue what a car like that cost or how hard one had to work to achieve owning something in that price range, so she set out to change her children’s ideals of the world, one challenge at a time.

Kay began by providing her children a jar filled with 31 one dollar bills and a task that had to be completed every day.  If the task wasn’t completed and properly, as she saw fit, the child would lose a dollar for that day.  At the end of the month, whatever was left in the jar was able to be spent as the child wished and hopefully they would learn a valuable skill over the course of the month as they worked to keep every dollar the jar held.

She began this experiment with the simple tasks of making the bed and picking up their rooms every day.  Each month they had to continue with the already learned tasks and learn to do new ones on top of them, from how to cook and clean the kitchen, to laundry and cleaning the bathroom including the toilet and bathtub.  Each child had a different day of the week to complete some tasks while other tasks were required to be done daily.  Every time a task was not completed, the child lost a dollar.

Mom (Kay) was no exception to this.  She created her own jar and participated in the challenge herself.   Yes, she did occasionally lose a dollar as her family worked through the challenges showing her children that even she was not perfect in completing tasks as she was asked.

What did her family learn?  Valuable skills through the year that would last them a lifetime.  Kay now knows she can send her children out into the world and they can survive with clean laundry, a clean home and do simple daily things for themselves.

Want to make changes like this in your family?  The first step to understanding Kay’s logic is to buy her book, Cleaning House, and read it from beginning to end.  Then implement her strategies to fit your family so that when the day comes for your children to leave the nest, they are equipped with lessons they will never forget.

You can find Kay Wills Wyma’s Cleaning House: A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement for $14.99 in your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com.  You can read a Sneak Peek of this book at WalterBrook Multnomah.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest opinion in a blog review.