Bible for the Big Boys!

Finally, a Bible for the big kids, and when I say the big kids, I mean the 8-10 year olds. These boys have graduated from illustrations and devotion-like Bibles. Instead, moms can now buy Bible covers and tada! The bible looks just like everyone else's now with the occasional devotionals to nurture humility.

There is also a reference portion at the bottom of each page to mirror an adult's Bible. That way, kiddos can follow the pastor along in the service and no one will point out that your son has a kids' Bible.

The Big Dreams, Big Prayers Bible for Kids, NIV includes the complete New International Version (NIV) of the Bible along with devotions, prayers, and highlighted verses to help kids pray and listen for God’s answers to their prayers.

Frenemies at Work

My students are a perfect example of this book. Most of them came into my classroom at the beginning of the year ready to internally compete for the top spot of the classroom.

I am happy to say that my classroom is a happy medium now. But what makes students and even adults compete?

This question has fueled a long-running debate. Some have argued that humans are fundamentally competitive, and that pursuing self-interest is the best way to get ahead. Others claim that humans are born to cooperate and that we are most successful when we collaborate with others.

In FRIEND AND FOE, researchers Galinsky and Schweitzer explain why this debate misses the mark. Rather than being hardwired to compete or cooperate, we have evolved to do both. In every relationship, from co-workers to friends to spouses to siblings we are both friends and foes. It is only by learning how to strike the right balance between these two forces that we can improve our long-term relationships and get more of what we want.

Here, Galinsky and Schweitzer draw on original, cutting edge research from their own labs and from across the social sciences as well as vivid real-world examples to show how to maximize success in work and in life by deftly navigating the tension between cooperation and competition. They offer insights and advice ranging from: how to gain power and keep it, how to build trust and repair trust once it’s broken, how to diffuse workplace conflict and bias, how to find the right comparisons to motivate us and make us happier, and how to succeed in negotiations – ensuring that we achieve our own goals and satisfy those of our counterparts.

Along the way, they pose and offer surprising answers to a number of perplexing puzzles: when does too much talent undermine success; why can acting less competently gain you status and authority, where do many gender differences in the workplace really come from, how can you use deception to build trust, and why do you want to go last on American Idol and in many interview situations, but make the first offer when negotiating the sale of a new car.

We perform at our very best when we hold cooperation and competition in the right balance. This book is a guide for navigating our social and professional worlds by learning when to cooperate as a friend and when to compete as a foe—and how to be better at both.

From Hatred to Peace

Is the title of this blog overdramatic? Probably. My students are learning to read passages and make titles from them to hook readers. Do I have you hooked?

A sweeping international love story that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over the inhumanities of war and prejudice.

Six-year-old Gretl and her sister jump from a train bound for Auschwitz, her mother and grandmother unable to squeeze between the bars covering the windows. The daughter of a German soldier, Gretl understands very little about how her grandmother's Jewishness brought her first to the ghetto, then to the train, and now, to the Polish countryside where she wanders, searching for food and water for her dying sister.

Soon, Gretl finds refuge with Jakob, a Polish freedom fighter, and his family, where she is sheltered until the end of the war. Gretl is then sent away to a new life, a new name, and a new faith in Apartheid-era South Africa. As she comes of age in this strange place, she confronts its prejudices as she hides the truth of her past from her new family.

When Jakob makes his way to South Africa many years later, Gretl and Jakob are reunited in a love story that transcends time and distance and survives the ravages of hatred and war.

Emotional Safety

I'll admit it. I wanted to review this book because I'm a teacher. Not just any teacher, one who wants to create a stable emotional environment for my unstable students from unstable homes. (closes eyes)

From an educator's perspective, this book should be given to all my parents because they all need to hear the blunt truth about their parenting. Am I ranting? Maybe a little bit. But do they need to read this book? ABSOLUTELY!

Parenting isn't rocket science, it's just brain surgery. 

And Dr. Joshua Straub has good news for you: You can do it!

You don’t need to do all the “right” things as a parent. Both science and the Bible show us that the most important thing we can provide for our kids is a place of emotional safety. In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting.

Emotional safety—more than any other factor—is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well. Learn how to use emotional safety as a foundation from which you parent—and make a cultural impact that could change the world!

In Safe House, Dr. Straub draws from his extensive research and personal experience to help you:

- Foster healthy identity and social development in children of any age
- Win the war without getting overwhelmed in the daily battles
- Discipline in a way that builds relationship
- Understand how the culture is affecting your child and what you can do about it
- Cultivate responsible, self-regulating behavior in your kids
- Establish an unshakeable sense of faith, morality, and values in your home
- Feel more confident and peaceful as a parent
- Find a greater perspective on parenting than what you might see on a daily basis

Purpose Driven Life for Kids

Yesterday, during a winter holiday party, a parent brought in pizza from Costco. About ten students got a slice, leaving 6 students without a slice. Three of my boys got into a fistfight over a slice of pizza. It bothered me because pizza was not the only food choice at the party.

Another student brought in chicken/cheese quesadillas and I brought in fried rice. One of my nice, sensible girls gave her slice of pizza to one of the boys and ate something else for which I was eternally grateful for.

Another one of my boys already had a bite of his pizza, but was willing to cut out a bite so that another one of my boys in the fistfight can take his piece. That almost broke my heart because in his family, his parents struggle financially to put food on the table every night.

Only one of these students know God. As a teacher, I struggle internally about this because I want them all to know Jesus and that He is proud of them for producing righteous fruit in the classroom.

I know that God will use them greatly in the future and their lives are bright. When I received the book: Purpose Driven Life for Kids, I really wanted to give a copy of this to my girl. She was named after Daniel in the Bible and has really kept the teachings of the Bible.

We are living in a fallen world where desires are deserved. I asked my boys why they were fighting over the slice of pizza and one of them said they deserved it because it isn't a party without pizza. When I told him to go get something else to eat, he told me "this is stupid! I hate this class!".

He ended up with a consequence that he regretted for the rest of the day. I sent him to another class where he had to finish up a packet of work.

This is why Rick Warren probably wrote a devotional for kids. Capturing the hearts of the new generation means ensuring they know their purpose and grow up confident of their value in God and their relationship to Christ.

God created each of his children with a purpose in mind … the time for them is now to, thoughtfully and prayerfully, start their incredible journey to finding that reason.

The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids includes 365 devotions that tie to the themes and ideas found in the bestselling The Purpose Driven Life written by pastor Rick Warren. Written at a third to fourth grade level, each devotion includes a Scripture, short message, and prayer or thought for the day to help kids discover who they are in God’s eyes.

Mom, Can you do my Hair?

I remember wishing I had a mom that could do the cool braids and hairstyles all through elementary school. When I was older, my friend's grandma gave me a shock: I didn't have enough hair to do the french braid. So after that, my hair was always tied up in a ponytail. I vowed that when I have a daughter of my own, they would get the cool braids and updos I didn't get as a child.

When I saw this book for reviewing, I knew I needed to get it. Even though this book is mostly geared towards children, there were some tips I picked up about my hair that was helpful.

Faithgirlz Best Hair Book Ever! is full of killer tricks and tips on having amazing hair every day—from the best cut for each individual girl’s lovely locks to simple-yet-stunning updos and gorgeous styles, and even some trade secrets that can help make even the most unruly hair behave.

Eating through Pregnanacy

I'm pregnant. Now what? This book is great because it breaks down exactly what your body needs in order to have a healthy baby.

An approachable guide to what to eat--as opposed to what to avoid--while pregnant and nursing, to support the mother's health and the baby's development during each stage of pregnancy, with 50 recipes.

New research suggests that the foods you eat during pregnancy can have lasting effects on your baby’s brain development and behavior, as well as your waistline. Drawing from the fields of medicine, nutrition, and psych­ology, this easy-­to-follow guide, which also includes 50 recipes, gives you a clear understanding of what your body really needs and how certain foods contribute to the development of a healthy and happy baby.

I got this book for free from: Blogging for Books