Bluey

We are all well acquainted with the ways of the world by this point. Every television show, company, and streaming service is pushing some form of mature content. Whether it’s happening due to actual desire to see more of it in the mainstream media or just pandering to get more views with a garbage plot, it’s there and can really be frustrating as a parent to try and mitigate the amount of it that enters your home.

As parents we try to find the least obnoxious kids shows to entertain our young family members. And while one might target a single entertainment entity for the blame of the week and rake them over the coals, truly all of them have trash of some measure. Occasionally, though, we stumble on a gem. This time? Bluey.

Bluey is a show about a family of Blue Heelers; mom (Chili), dad (Bandit), and two daughters (Bingo & Bluey). The show follows the daily imaginative adventures of all four heelers and the lessons learned therein. It is a cheerful, slice of life cartoon filled with beautiful animation, relatable moments, and silly childhood escapades. The music is incredibly well orchestrated and happily upbeat without being annoying.

My husband and myself are just as hooked on Bluey as our children are (we’re talking Reddit posting). It’s fun watching the small continuity details throughout (Sticky Gecko ;)) We laugh as they wait impatiently for takeout and grin when we see how much clutter is in their backseat. All the while our kids are playing the games and talking about pavlova.

If you’re looking for an entirely family friendly show to watch together, check this one out! It’s sure to instantly become a family favorite! And did I mention they have a playlist on Spotify??

It’s been two years and TEN years…

Hello my friends, if you’re still here. I know… it’s been a very long time since I posted last. I’m not really certain what actually brought this blog to mind today. But I have much to say! Where to begin….?

My last posting was in 2020. I’m sure as you think back you also feel the weightiness of that time. A time we try to suppress to some degree and gloss over to others. I can definitely relate, but for slightly different reasons. During 2020 not only was there a pandemic sweeping through our nation but our little home was painfully enduring another sorrow. One of my biggest fans, supporters, and friends was dying. Not from Covid, but the other big “C” – cancer. We had walked for 5 years with her through her diagnosis and treatments when, ultimately, the battle ended in June of the same year. We hadn’t known what the world was truly facing until after she passed. We had been quite nearsighted, as it were, to our own home and only vaguely aware of the effects around us.

In the years following our family grieved, lost a pet, and then…. we grew. Then we grew some more. Much has changed in our home since while seeming to stay the same. We are now truly homeowners. We have experienced living alone as a family of four for the first time. We have grown spiritually as well. So much has changed, I say again still unable to grasp the differences. Where once I struggled to grow into womanhood, I am now flourishing. Where once I played mom, I’m now celebrating motherhood.

I suppose that’s why I’m drifting back to this blog today….

I wanted you to know I’m not dead and gone. Instead I’m alive and thriving. More-so than ever before. These days are filled with the noise of my beautiful children and me learning how to better keep my home clutter-free (But First, Coffee anyone??). I’ve taken up more than my fair share of hobbies; an Etsy shop, painting, embroidery, VLOGGING??? Yes, vlogging. And I’m loving doing it. However, for the time being I’m going to keep that separate from my blog. It’s a different flavor and the social media world can be cruel. Here… I can speak freely.

I also missed my 10 YEAR anniversary of this blog! Can you believe it?

So… what does the future hold? Well… I’m not exactly sure at the moment. I’m just now able to have some time to read again. Much of that has been in regards to plants and fungi. I have taken to herbalism and am truly enjoying it. So maybe some science dumps. I would truly love to get back into writing reviews again. I miss that world and the people I was able to interact with (authors, fans, etc.).

There has also been a fear that all my writing skills have disappeared entirely. I’m scared that my “wordsmithery” has diminished and I won’t do well. Maybe it’s the aging process? Or motherhood? But writing this today feels like maybe, just maybe, there’s still some life in these old hands yet (I am only 32). Goodness, listen to me! I’ll purpose to continue in this way. To post more and read more and then post even more!

I’ll be back very soon… May your days be bright and filled with joy. Until then…

Abandon

Abandon

By Meg Cabot

Pierce Olivera is a sixteen year old who died last year. This year, however, she is trying to start anew… though she lacks any motivation to do so since the incident…. Of course, going to the Underworld would certainly leave a mark on anyone who visited. Although… typically no one actually leaves the Underworld.

When I stumbled upon this book I had never read anything by Meg Cabot before. While her name sounded familiar I had to do a little research to remind myself why I knew it. This wasn’t her first rodeo, anyone else remember growing up watching the Princess Diaries movies? Perhaps you even read some of those books. Well, that’s Meg Cabot’s work.

The thing is I wouldn’t have pegged this as something an experienced writer would have published. As another reviewer put it, reading this without any prior knowledge one would assume it was someone’s first novel. Had it been a first novel I would probably give the author a break and say something about how they had a lot of promise and, with a little elbow grease, could certainly polish up their skills to be a great writer.

Abandon is a story about a girl who, as I mentioned, died and came back to life. Sort of. While dead, however, she meets a guy named John. Someone she has met before… which the author tells us about through various flashbacks that utterly shatter your immersion. When reading a novel you expect to be enveloped into a world. Your mind absorbed by the written word. For some reason the first, I’d say about half, of this book is extremely stilted. It is choppy and breaks your train of thought time and again. And. It’s. Annoying.

At first I thought she just had a very unique writing style, except that it doesn’t continue throughout the entire book. After about midway the story smooths out and is fairly easy to follow. So much so that you get wrapped up in it and have a hard time returning to normal life stuffs later.

Now as far as character development goes….. *sigh*…. I mean… I guess it’s there… kind of? Pierce has sort of a history. She has seen people go through some real challenges and, despite her apathy with life itself, she struggles with trying to help people for various reasons. But you are basically told most of this, you don’t really see her grow. The main guy likes her because she’s…..pretty. That more or less sums it up. And aside from a short couple of interactions between our MC and John (where there isn’t much exchange), there’s little available to hang a “relationship” on.

We come to a point about two thirds through the story and find out about John from an acquaintance. This guy essentially spoon-feeds her (and you as the reader) whatever is needed to bring this story to an end. Pierce doesn’t do the hard work. She doesn’t go investigating, there’s literally no motivation for her to do anything. She’s just like ‘I died, met this guy, he wants me to be with him forever because I’m pretty, and I’m not sure I want that’. That’s it.

There’s just a lot here to be desired. There’s a lot of loose ends, which I get because it is a series, but there are some bare bones that need some meat. It just feels like it’s lacking. There are relationships that should be fleshed out more, personal growth from various characters, people that just kind of dropped off…

Some people compared this to Twilight, and I guess the weird controlling kind of thing could come off as similar… but I would say Twilight gives reasons why Edward is controlling – Bella is basically a walking disaster. John is just bossy.

Okay… enough with the bad….

I really enjoyed this story once the flashbacks and such died off. I felt like I could vividly picture where Pierce was and her peers were at least interesting. There’s a disconnect with Pierce that’s pretty relatable even if it’s not for the same reasons. I do plan to finish this series because it was, oddly enough, hard for me to put down. There comes a time where you begin to kind of gloss over the shallowness of some of the writing and just enjoy the story for what it is.

There is a hint of greek mythology with this story, but as someone who greatly enjoys that subject I can’t say that it really plays a major role in the overall work. It has its place but doesn’t stand alone.

As I said, I do plan on reading the rest of the series. It has enough to go on that I want to know how things turn out. I liked Abandon. I just wish there was more to this portion of the story.

Home Reformation

A Biblical and Practical Guide for the Christian Home by Adam Burrell

How does a household of sinners strive towards sanctification and bring glory to the Lord? What does a godly household look like? How can I possibly read a book to help me learn these things while my kids run crazy? (That last one though….)

In all seriousness the way of the Christian home has somewhat fallen to the wayside in recent decades. I know as a child growing up in a Christian home we were more unspoken about such matters. It was more of the ‘church’s responsibility’ to teach the Bible and the gospel. In his book, Pastor Adam Burrell points to the parents and says it is your responsibility to disciple your family.

Allow me to highlight that he says family. Not simply children. Home Reformation is not a book on parenting your children, though there are certainly chapters which address such matters. Home Reformation is about refocusing your household on the gospel and how to center all you do around it. How to let it shape you to be more Christ-like in the midst of a world that seeks to, at best, make us apathetic to the importance of it and, at worst, destroy it.

In a book you could easily read over the span of a day if left to it, he addresses the importance of family worship, washing your wife with the Word, instructing your children in the Lord, and many more aspects of home life. Though relatively short, this book is full of rich truths that, if applied, should direct each person living in your home towards our Creator. In all honesty, this book gently urges you to care for one another as Christ does for His church.

Whether young or old, new parents or well seasoned this book will refresh and renew the way we view the home as a place for spiritual growth and discipline. I encourage anyone who is striving towards a Christ-centered home to pick up a copy. It certainly shaped the way I view our own home in many ways. Making our dependence on our Savior all the more precious and necessary.

Personally, I found so much value in this little book. I wish I had had it when I was younger. I also wish I could put it in the hands of so many more. I am thankful I’ve been given this book as we are just beginning our journey as parents. It is such a simple, straight-forward guide for the Christian home.

Review to come!

I was recently gifted a book from a new author I know personally! There is a certain excitement in the fact that he has accomplished this knowing what I do about the industry. The publishing industry is sticky and has so many ups and downs, especially since we now have digital options available. But all these things aside, check out Home Reformation: A Biblical and Practical Guide for the Christian Home by Adam B. Burrell.

This is a book for Christians who are looking to seek the Lord in their home life. If you aren’t a Christian and seeking this, I understand this isn’t your type of content. I have other posts which may interest you, the links to which are on your left.

I have just begun reading it but so far it is really good! We have the privilege of being taught by this pastor and this book really echoes what he preaches. As the title of this blog post says, the review is still to come since I am still reading it. But I am looking forward to being able to bring it to you here.

If you are looking for a biblical way to lead your family, I highly encourage you to check this out!

Off Day Recommendations!

During the course of life I found myself being wrestled in various directions to get crap done! If you do not understand you are either under the age of 16 or a hermit. Whilst in the throws of madness I have found a few recommendations hidden under various stones I managed to trip over. So without further ado…

1. A certain husband of mine was very kind to me for my birthday and bought me the most practical of the gift suggestions I gave him. Genki 1 and accompanying workbook!It is a $70 combo that if you are into the Japanese language (specifically the reading and writing portions) this is a great way to learn. It gives you the right tools to teach yourself the beginnings of a foreign language. I know the self-taught thing can be a little hit or miss from time to time, but this one is a gem! Pros: It teaches you how to read and write Japanese Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. It helps you understand the grammar portion. It gives you QR codes for flashcard apps that coincide with what you’re learning. The textbook and workbook both come with CDs to help you learn the sound of words and many other such things. Cons: It can be slightly (and I stress slightly) elusive when it comes to having to make sure what you are doing is correct. The CD portions are very quick and can be a challenge to catch each exact phrase. Even though it shows you what you are writing and studying, it still can be hard to understand how to pronounce the words. Which leads me to….
2. Pimsleur! Now, this is a software I’ve had for a few years and I truly enjoy the way it teaches Japanese (and I only know how it teaches this particular language). I have taken formal classes in other languages and they simply never clicked (partially due to lack of interest). However, the way Pimsleur teaches Japanese is extremely unique and it WORKS! First of all they teach you conversational Japanese. Immediately teaching you how to speak with native Japanese speakers. They break down each word into syllables, THEN they teach you how to say those syllables – in reverse order. WHY? What? Exactly! If you have never studied Japanese before this is a fantastic way to begin. Basically, the Japanese language is composed of syllables (essentially) not an alphabet, like English. Learning how to pronounce them backwards gives you a better grasp on WHAT you are saying. You can purchase tiny inexpensive lessons at a time or the entire language set depending on your budget. I have done the smaller sets and found I can work through them while driving. What I really love about Pimsleur is that I can learn the sounds and how to speak words, THEN I go on over to my Genki books and it gives me a better grasp as to what I’m really seeing on the page. Think of it like a child; first you learn to speak and have conversations, then you learn to read and write.
3. Lastly, I recommend to you an entirely free app! If you have ever wanted to learn a new language check out Duolingo. This is a fairly cute game-style app that helps you learn a new language. You can choose how long you want to study each day and it pops up with little reminders. You can earn little rewards for each step you progress in and it’s just fun! It encourages you along the way as well, but isn’t annoying.

If you are looking for a way to exhaust yourself, study a new language! All of these tools really help you learn something new and each has it’s own unique attributes. I hope you find these things helpful if you have considered learning Japanese or any other language. Always look for recommendations and listen to both sides of the reviews. I, personally, enjoy how each of these work and how well they work together. Have a great day!

Love Comes Softly

By Janette Oke

I used to live, eat, sleep, and breathe books… now… finding the time or attention to actually read (or get this post typed up) takes a little extra effort. (I kid you not my child is laying on my arm currently with puppy dog eyes.) So with this in mind I visited our church library.

I was hungry for something to read. Something I would love but be able to pick up and put down without having to work too hard to remember what was going on. So it was suggested to me that I read this series. I was assured that it was an easy read, good story, and unique tale. So, with a touch of trepidation (let’s just say some very lovely ladies I much admire had previously checked out this title), I signed the checkout slip and took it home. This was on a Sunday…. by Wednesday I had returned it to find the second.

Love Comes Softly is a novel written in the 1970s about when people were still settling in the West. Marty is a young woman who was just recently married and off to seek new adventures. Those adventures would seem to be cut short, however, as soon as they arrive when her husband dies in an accident. Pregnant and now all alone, Marty now has no money and no way to make it. That is, until Clark shows up.

Clark, a kind, god-fearing gentleman, offers her an out. A new marriage and a place to stay, with one stipulation – she be mother to his daughter. Angry at her circumstances, and with no other options, she takes him up on his offer. She enters into her new role as wife/mother/housekeeper begrudgingly. Well who wouldn’t be if the West had treated them just as shakily?

Day by day Marty begins to clean, cook, and mother as best as she knows how. Even through her aching and grief she still manages to make friends with some of their neighbors. This camaraderie allows her to learn new skills to better herself and her family. New recipes, cleaning techniques, and simple kinship of circumstances begin to allow her to heal. And, slowly, she begins to flourish.

While Clark isn’t what she planned, he is a gentle spirit who patiently serves his new wife. Slowly Marty begins to realize that she may not be the only one acquainted with loss. After all, there is a little girl who hasn’t a mother. With these things in mind Marty learns that sometimes… love isn’t all jitters and butterflies. It isn’t always blushing and shy smiles. Sometimes, love is a quiet place that sneaks up on us.

This book is a new adventure I didn’t know I would fall so in love with. Marty is a very relatable character with very real emotions. This series hits a place close to home for me and is right in time with where I find myself these days. I felt her frustrations with herself quite legitimately mirror today’s mothers. I realized I admire how hard this character works for a family she didn’t ask for or, honestly, even want.

There were times when the characters did something so kind it caught me off guard and I found myself crying. While this book isn’t a tear jerker, thriller, or the like, it is a story you will find truly delightful and wholesome. Something you don’t have to worry about having a terrible plot twist that makes you regret picking it up.

This is a book about a woman whose circumstances left her adrift in the Wild West but whom God kept and drew near. If you need something that is a light but lovable read, try this series. I am not really a covered wagon kind of reader, but these books bring it right home even for today’s reader. You don’t have to have lived through dusty settler days to be able to feel right at home with Marty, Clark and Missie. You will fall in love with each character and hurt when they hurt, rejoice when they rejoice, and mourn when they mourn. Don’t be hesitant even though you may have been looking for an exciting time, remember… love comes softly.

 

No, I’d Rather Not

The most recent recommendation I have for you is this…. DON’T EVER GET HAND, FOOT, & MOUTH. That is all.

Weekly Recommendations!

I began writing this in the midst of the morning rush. Waiting on my son to finish his breakfast so we could progress to work. These recommendations once again have me quite excited to be blogging again. (Let’s all take a moment to breathe deep. *inhale* *exhale* Now, isn’t that lovely?) The delay came when…. both of my kids caught Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.

So the very first thing I am very excited about is a recipe book called Cook Once, Eat All Week by Cassy Joy Garcia. Okay… let me explain something here…. My absolute favorite recipe lady is the Pioneer Woman, so it’s rare I pick up any other book. But this? This is no recipe book.

No, this is a gift from God! This book has EVERYTHING. I’m sooo not joking. Not only does she give you 26 weeks (that’s approx. 6 months) worth of meals, she also gives these magical little icons letting you know if it is good for specific dietary needs! THEN she gives you instructions on how to store the leftovers, how long they last, and what type of thing to store them in. And in the back of the book she lists the NUTRITIONAL breakdown of each dish she has in the book. All 26 weeks. If that isn’t enough to convince you to buy this book… I really don’t know what else- WAIT THERE’S MORE!!! She also lists the kid friendly meals. Told you, gift from God.

Second, is another YouTube channel! (FYI we don’t have traditional television anymore, we’re streamers.) This one is a portion of the AWE me channel called Man At Arms. If you’re a gamer you’ll probably enjoy this channel a lot. We do. These men are expert forgers. They take popular game/TV/movie works and create them IRL in their own shop. We’ve seen them make some pretty incredible pieces, but my favorites so far were Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. Seriously, they look flippin’ cool!

Sorry there’s only two this week, but I felt they were valuable enough to let them stand on their own. Enjoy!

Say it again but LOUDER!

I was poking around my favorite blogger’s site when I stumbled on this golden nugget laying among a pile of… well… a mound of gold nuggets! There are times when I feel like building a mountain of soap boxes, setting up some serious sound amplification devices, and VERY loudly warning proclaiming what people should run far and fast from. Today is one of those days. READ HERE

See…. I have problems with the story mentioned in Kristen’s blog post for similar reasons. But the reason I wanted to bring this up today is because even though this was written a few years ago, the subject matter has caused some major fissures in today’s society that I’m worried won’t heal properly.

Some years ago someone decided to write 50 Shades of Grey. A burning heap of trash book that millions of women devoured and raved about. Women who could not help but to fantasize about the crimes this man was essentially committing. Changing people’s expectations of their relationships.

Then, we have today. Where we (women) now have the entire Me Too movement in the attempt to bring men to justice who have committed very similar acts. Men who, in an attempt to appear “powerful”, victimize ladies in various industries where they have wealth and status.

We are screaming to our sons and daughters how they should treat one another with respect and yet we turn around and read this garbage? We raise our hands and shout Me Too in order to support our friends and relatives who have been mistreated, we implore and even beg them to leave men who treat them this type of way, and THEN we brag about how 50 Shades “saved our marriages”?

Are we so dense that we don’t notice how the things we read and the movies we watch affect how we behave in various types of relationships? And honestly, it’s not just books like this one. It’s the songs we listen to, the stories we hear, the people we surround ourselves with.

I’ve worked in a few different industries where I hear all kinds of stories. And I can tell you that there are patterns. Patterns of women looking in the same pond for a swordfish that only has leeches. Of men doing the same. I’ve spoken with police officers who can attest to the fact that if you frequent the same places, you will find the same kinds of people. They only have different faces.

Is there a perfect relationship? No. Is that an excuse to continuously seek harmful ‘relationships’? NO.

Now… are these types of “writing” fiction? Yes. Can some people differentiate between a story and reality? Sure. But when so many people take such a thing and brag about it being the best thing ever…. it’s not just because it was a good story. Because, let’s face it, this isn’t a story. The things we read with such vigor latch onto something in our very souls. If they didn’t we wouldn’t talk about them. So… what is it that 50 Shades is latching onto? Whatever it is, it isn’t healthy.