Review and Giveaway: All About Us books

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I’m so excited about an opportunity to share these GREAT books! The series is set in San Francisco at the fictional elite prep school Spencer Academy. Follow the stories of five friends who deal with the ups and downs of their teen years while also learning more about their Faith in God.

Have you been looking for something for your teenage daughter, granddaughter, or friend to read? Are you concerned about how she will respond to peer pressure concerning such issues as premarital sex, sharing her Christian faith, underage drinking, among others? Then this is the series for you!! Lissa, Gillian, Carly, Shani, and Mac deal with these everyday struggles in a tastefully done, entertaining manner. The books are up-to-date and filled with references to technological and fashion trends to which your daughter can relate.

Not only that, there is an interactive website that goes with the series! She’ll love getting to interact with the ‘girls’ on All About Us online!

I have read the first three books in the series and felt like I bonded with Lissa, Gillan, and Carly. I’m anticipating the release of Shani and Mac’s stories already! I wish that such a series had been available when I was a teenager struggling with self-image and value judgments. That these books do so with a solid Christian influence adds much value to them, in my eyes. I know that your child or grandchild will be enthralled with the books and will be glad to read stories of girls who struggle with similar problems.

Here is the fun part: YOU can win the three books in the series released so far! You’ll win It's All About Us, The Fruit of my Lipstick, and Be Strong and Curvaceous, valued at approximately $30.00! I’d like to thank Hatchette Books for their willingness to sponsor this giveaway—without them, I couldn’t share this fantastic deal!

So how do you win? Simply leave a comment on this post! I’ll need to limit this giveaway to readers in the United States and Canada, and no P.O Boxes. Please also be sure to leave me a way to contact you—I can’t send you the books without this!

I’ll close this to entries on Wednesday, February 11 at 9 pm. Good luck, and I pray that God blesses you richly through these books!

(If you’d like to read my original review of Be Strong and Curvaceous on my other blog, click here!)

The Jesus Storybook Bible

I was very excited to be able to review this book with my sons. It has become a welcome addition to our devotions!

The beautifully written stories begin with adaptations of stories from the Old Testament. The words are accurate, and explain in interesting yet kid-friendly terms the stories of the patriarchs of the Bible. Many nights, the stories that I read aloud have led to detailed discussions on related Bible stories or questions like, “Mom, what is Heaven like?”

I really like that the language is fully explanatory without making it so simple that the lyric flavor of the story is lost. The beautiful and detailed illustrations bring the story to life for my 5 and 7-year-old boys. In fact, both boys have picked the book up and explored it on their own—which is not always done since they are otherwise distracted with their electronic toys!

I have to share a story of what we were reading last night! We were reading the story of the tower of Babel. They were so cracked up by the part of the story on page 53 that I had to repeat it 3 or 4 additional times just so they could laugh at it again! Here is what they found so amusing:

“You see, God had given each person a completely different language! Suddenly, no one understood what anyone else was saying. Someone would say, “How do you do?” and the other person thought they said, “How ugly are you!” It wasn’t funny. You could be saying something nice like, “Such a lovely morning!” and get a punch in the nose because they thought you said, “Hush up, you’re boring!” (You couldn’t even say, “Pardon?” to check if you’d heard right because no one understood that word either.)

More simply put, The Jesus Storybook Bible is not only giving me the opportunity to share the stories of the Bible with my children, it is helping us make memories while we do so. It is helping them feel more comfortable asking me questions they might have on their mind, and showing them ALL the roles and prophesies that were revealed through Jesus at the same time. This book is a great tool all the way around!

If you’d like some more information about the book, here it is on the Zondervan website. I highly recommend it for parents with children from preschool age to 9 years of age (but you know your child best; take a look at it and decide for yourself!)

Website review: Inner City Business

When I was asked to review a new website on the scene, I was glad to do it, especially since I'm a new(er) blog on the scene! The website, Inner City Business offers a wide range of products that have been printed with various images. The site is separated into several distinct sections, all of which I will describe.

My first impression is that the site is clean and not overly cluttered or busy. But being the lady with ADD that I am, I believe that it might benefit from being ‘jazzed up a bit. The initial impression is improved upon as I visited the sections of the shop.

The first section of the site I visited is called Scripture Prints. Here visitors can shop for a wide variety of spiritual and Biblical-based products. My personal favorite items in this section are those printed with "The Shortcut".

Next is a section called Inner City Gifts. I suspect that this may become the flagship section of the store in time, though it has not been fully 'fleshed out' yet. I found many nice products here. My favorite is the "Joy product line, such as this mousepad.

The next section is called I Luv T-Shirts and Designs. Here are a great number of products featuring a wide array of prints. I was also impressed by the desire to serve the customer from this section. The site says,

“If you see a design that you like or desire and it is not immediately available as a finished product, email us. Tell us what you are looking for. If you need a particular size or color in a design, let us know. We will customize your order as quickly as possible and hopefully go beyond your expectations.”

This section contains several Obama related products, though my favorite item was a precious tee that says,"Man makes plans, God makes decisions!" This section truly has a little bit of everything!

The last section of the site is called Chaneltees. Again, it is not as full of products as some of the other sections, but have some pretty items that are more ‘girly’. I really like the Vortex product line!

In short, innercitybusiness.com is a one stop shopping venue for lots of products that could be gifts or for personal use. Prices are comparable to other online shopping websites. I give it a thumbs up, and plan on going back and shopping soon!

We have a winner!!

I'm thrilled with the response that my first giveaway generated here!! Thanks to all who visited and entered!

Our winner is.....

Misty, who said,

"awsome. id love to win this for my darling daughter. crossing my fingers."

I'm so glad that I am able to help make a child's Christmas a little more special!!

Please visit again soon....more great giveaways and reviews coming up!!

Review/Giveaway of Leapfrog Products! *CLOSED*

The didj is a new product from Leap Frog that is designed as a step up from the poplar Leapster system. Didj is designed to emulate hand-held gaming systems, specifically the Sony PSP. The didj has a keypad, A, B, L & R buttons found on most gaming systems. The game is sleek and modern with high quality construction. Controls are easy to use and setup is intuitive. Children do need some reading skills to use the game.

I reviewed the didj with the built-in game and the new Star Wars; the Clone Wars game. The system includes the game Jetpack Heroes. This game involves guiding the character through a simple left to right board were he collects various gems and tokens while trying to rescue small sparkly creatures. The game’s online feature allows users to custom design “didj’s”, characters from the jetpack game.

Star Wars is a typical 2-D run and jump game that features math problems every few minutes that the user must solve to continue. The educational value of the game is okay, but it olds the attention of its target audience really well.

Both games are well-designed, easy to use, and engaging to play.

The Didj features an online component that allows players to customize games using earned points. The aforementioned Didjerator, which allows children to customize Didj characters, has literally hundreds of options for kids. The micromods feature allows players to “purchase” additional modifications for their games. Children can adjust the skill level of their Didjs as well. The website also allows parents to sync to their child’s Didj to allow them to monitor their child’s activities.

The only drawback I encountered was with installing the software. I installed on an Apple iBook G4 computer. The install takes as long as 20 minute and is very crash prone early on. However, the more I’ve used it the steadier it seems to have become.

Other than the software, the Didj is a delightful device for children 6-10 years old. While it’s far from a full-on learning machine, it is a great alternative to handheld systems like the Nintendo DS. Parents do not have to worry about the rating of games, as they are all appropriate for the target age group. The game is easy for the Xbox generation to understand, both my 7 year old and my 5 year old instinctively knew how to use it. The website features do require some reading in some areas, so you may need to assist children who are not strong readers. A non-reader, however, can use the didjerator, fairly easily.

Overall, the Didj is a wonderful addition to the Leapfrog line. It offers a step up from the Leapster as children age. The system and games are very economical, and game play will keep children engaged. Once the bugs are worked out in software, the game will offer a clear choice over entertainment only systems.

My 7 year old LOVES his didj, and his twelve year old cousin enjoyed playing it too!

You can win! Leapfrog was kind enough to send us a Leapster 2 to give away--along with the Star Wars--Clone Wars game for Leapster! How is that for fun?! This would make a PERFECT Christmas gift for someone in your life!

To win, please leave a comment on this post....any 'ol comment will do! Please do be sure that you leave me a way to contact you! The contest will be open until next Wednesday, November 26. I will pick a winner sometime after 8 am on Wednesday.

Good luck!! Don't forget to spread the word and stop by again soon!

Some exciting things are coming!

I have two review/giveaways set up for the coming weeks! I am SO excited about these! I'll give you a hint..they are both products for your kids! So please check back in to see these exciting fun products!

And by the way, how do you like the new blog design?

I'm open for business!

I'd love to get into reviewing products more! If you know of any companies that love for bloggers to review, I'd love to have your help! Send 'em my way!

I do have one company sending me a product, but I'd love to have a bigger readership for them....so spread the word!