Book Review: Dinosaur Devotions: 75 Dino Discoveries, Bible Truths, Fun Facts, and More! by Michelle Medlock Adams & Denise Turu

This is a cute book and not only educations, but also fun for kids. While I normally am hesitant to endorse a book that uses overtly religion to educate kids since they are in my opinion too young to make up their mind about beliefs and concepts such as religious affiliation, this book has many positive sides. The book, as the title states, contains information about 75 different dinosaurs. Even an adult like me learned about new forms of dinosaurs from this book, which always a plus for me since it makes it interesting for me to read with my child or to my child. Each section is starting off with a bible verse, then explains how the dinosaur is related to the quote and provides a life lessons to the child. This life lesson is also the overall title of the section.
The text is child appropriate and the life lessons focus on behavior that a child can understand and apply. The fun graphics make this an entertaining book for kids starting around 8 years of age, just when many boys are interested in dinosaurs. I recommend this book if your child is growing up in a Christian household and has learned about God and the bible. He or she should be familiar with the biblical concepts as well as what religion means. If these things are true for your child, this will be a fun book that can teach the child some fun facts about dinosaurs, while reinforcing concepts from Christianity.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: For purposes of this review, I received a free copy of the book. The opinion expressed in this review has not been influenced by a third party and only reflects my honest opinion.

Book Review: Delayed Justice By Cara Putman

While this is the third installment in a series, the book can be read on its own and readers new to the characters will be able to enjoy this legal novel. The main character is a defense attorney names Jamie Nichols, who went to law school to support women and women's rights. In the process, we learn that Jamie has had some bad experiences in the part and this in part pushed her into her current carrier and also makes her a champion of girls and women and an advocate for their rights. In her current case, Jamie has a case in which a young girl must testify. This girl is assisted by Chandler Bolton, whose work is support of crime victims and preparing vulnerable people to testify in court. All this work is done in conjunction with a therapy dog named Aslan. The story got high marks for me at this point since I used to perform pet therapy and owned a couple of therapy dogs; more people should look into training their dogs as therapy dogs.
But therapy dogs aside, through their work on the case, Jamie and Chandler get to know each other more and become closer. This case is difficult not just for the young girl but also for Jamie because the case shows many similarities to her own childhood trauma. Working on this case brings back a lot of bad memories for Jamie and reinforces in her the desire to seek justice for herself as well by bringing charged against her own uncle. As Chandler and Jamie diligently work on preparing the girl to testify, their relationship is starting to become stronger and supports Jamie in her quest to prosecute her uncle. Chandler is becoming more than just a colleague and a friend, but both Chandler and Jamie are reluctant to allow their relationship to deepen.
This book is a well written legal story that has a number of themes, one of them Jamie relationship to God. Overall, the book is good for fans of mystery stories and those interested in reading books that delve into legal proceedings and concepts.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post have not been influenced by any third parties.

Book Review: Learn to Read for Kids with Dyslexia: 101 Games and Activities to Teach Your Child to Read by M.Ed Hannah Braun

Growing up in the 70s, I had a friend with dyslexia in elementary school and I understood that he perceived the letters in books differently than me and had therefore problems reading. I also realized that the teachers knew about this issue, but really did not do anything different for him, they just gave him more time when he needed to read something or just called on  him less than on other kids to read aloud in class. Of course, things have changed in the last 40+ years and so this book was of particular interest to me since I wanted to find out what could be done to help kids with dyslexia to improve reading skills. I do remember my mother telling me that I under no circumstances was to think of my friend as less intelligent, just that his brain was working differently just like I was left-handed while many other people were right-handed. Unfortunately, having problems reading can affect how well a child does in school and if classroom sizes are large, teachers may not have sufficient time to accommodate a dyslexic child. This makes it more important for the parent to be involved in the education and take time to work with a child on assignments.
This book is a collection of fun activities for a parent to help their dyslexic child with reading. And yes, I said fun - because the activities in this book while geared towards improving reading ability are fun and more like games than a reading lesson. From race games to coloring activities and funding matches, these activities are geared towards ages 7 to 12 in children and will require an adult or significantly older sibling to assist. This is not a book to hand to a child to work on their own. I found the activities in this book to have a nice variety of approaches to improve reading skills in the target age group using playful approaches that make the child forget that it is learning and instead make it appear as if the adult is playing a game with the child. Having fun while doing these activities is important in my opinion because it helps the child to stick with a routine of doing these activities regularly.
I highly recommend this book to any parent who has a child with dyslexia. But I also feel that this book can be used to improve reading skills in children that may be struggling for a number of reasons because they do encourage reading in a fun and entertaining manner.

available starting October 30, 2018 on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Kroger Pet Products Review: Forever Your Fur Baby

Through the Kroger-affiliated My Magazine Sharing Network I received a selection of pet products that Kroger carries in their stores to sample, well actually, Floppy my labmix got to sample them. It was not hard to get him to try out the treats included. Milkbone ard his favorite and so he was happy to oblige, as you can see in the photo below, to sample the treats. Rather than the standard milkbones, they included a box with a variety of flavors. Did not matter, Floppy likes all of them and for once, he did not mind being the model. We also tried a new company to us - Nudges. We went and got a package of their softbakes with chicken flavor and they have about 40 calories in a cookie that is shaped like a Reeses. Again, Floppy was happy to sample them and found yet another treat that he likes. Overall, Kroger has some really good quality dog food. We have been using Kroger dog food for two years now, we like a grain free variety with sweet potato in it. We also buy all our treats at Kroger and will now definitely include Nudges brand treat on our shopping list.

 So if you are looking for dog food and treats, give Kroger a try. Reasonable prices and good quality, plus Floppy endorsed!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Floppy enjoying one of his free samples, a Milkbone treat!

Disclaimer: #freesample #ad = I received free samples of dog products for Floppy in return for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this blog post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Your Money, Your Marriage: The Secrets to Smart Finance, Spicy Romance, and Their Intimate Connection by Cherie & Brian Lowe

 This was an interesting book to read. It shows how finances can impact the quality of a marriage. Using as an example their marriage and their road to a better financial future, the authors not only provide sound financial advice, but also marriage counseling via this book.
As a couple, the Lowes managed to pay off significant debt in a relatively short time and felt that without the burden of this debt, their marriage had also improved. This should not come as a surprise since financial concerns not only affect an individual, but certainly a marriage if a significant time of your life as a couple is spent worrying about how to pay off bills. The one caveat I have for readers is that this couple is not average by any means. The husband is an attorney, not really average or low income and the wife is a financial blogger. While her job may not be the highest paying one out there, she is certainly more sophisticated in financial affairs than your average American, including middle-class American.
While I value the intent of the book, provide financial tools and advice to better the economic position of the reader and use that as a tool to improve the marriage. Any advice book must be taken with a grain of salt in how realistic and applicable these lessons are to the readers. Should the reader expect to be able to pay $100000 in debt in as short a time as the authors? Probably not, unless you are pulling in an attorney level salary and your wife just happens to be a financial whiz. Can you use some of the tips for living in a small budget and still enjoy life? Sure, if your average date night involves spending about $100. Only for most readers, a date night will already be cheap and very few of the readers will be involved in comparing their lifestyle with that of neighbors and likely be more concerned about paying off bills, while hoping that money is left over for school supplies and braces for the kids.
Again, I do believe that the advice presented in the book makes sense, but only if your economic potential and your financial acumen is in line with that of the authors. So be aware that many of the lessons may not apply to you and money saving on some things has already happened years ago - not because you decided to not spend money, but because money was not there for a date night and other non-essential items. At its core the book is correct though, if you lesson your financial trouble, your marriage will likely be stronger and more enjoyable.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Through the Autumn Air (An Every Amish Season Novel) by Kelly Irvin

Even though this is the third book in a series, it certainly can be read on its own and still be enjoyed by the reader. The series is detailing Amish life through the seasons and so it makes sense for a Fall-themed book to be the third in the series. Kelly Irvin has managed to write a wonderful story that has many components of Amish life, love, friendship, family and of course lots of time around the dinner table.
The main actor in this book is Mary Katherine, a mother of ten children and now a widow, still full of life and willing to lend a hand wherever needed - she is taking a very active role in the Amish community. One of her joys is writing and she has a dream, opening up a bookstore. Normally not a big deal, but the Amish community leaders or elders have an issue with that plan since Mary Katherine plans to go through with this bookstore plan with the help of an English, i.e. non-Amish, friend and that must never happen. A friend offers her a job in his restaurant, but Mary Katherine does not give up on her dream that easily and when a stranger breaks into her house and makes himself a sandwich because he is hungry. Mary Katherine and her friend Ezekiel agree that this stranger named Burke may be better served with the restaurant work. And while getting Burke help with his life, Mary Katherine and Ezekiel find closer to each other. All of a sudden the 60 year old Mary Katherine realizes that life may have different goals for her than just a bookstore and her kids have to realize that their mother is not ready for retirement in a small cottage on the land owned by her eldest son, giving up the family home and large house as well as her independence. it is fun to see how the development between Mary Katherine and Ezekiel throws everyone for a loop, the adults realize that romance is still possible and the kids have to look at their mother like many parents look at their kids - what will be next?
This is a sweet story that reflects on adults finding a new goal in life and possibly also some romance. While it is set in an Amish village, the issues discussed could happen anywhere.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this review is mine and has not been influenced by any third parties.

Book Review: Surprised by Love: An Amish Family Novella by Kathleen Fuller

Ever since living near the Amana Colonies in Iowa, I have been interested in the Amish and their way of thinking as well as their way of life. This book is a nice collection of four love stories showing that the Amish when it comes to love deal with the same problems that the rest of us deal with. There are moms pressuring kids into a marriage and then there is a mother, who thinks she absolutely needs to support her daughter when the baby comes because her daughter is blind. Mom of course does not realize that the daughter is no child and can handle the pregnancy like any adult.The overbearing and intrusive attitude of the mother is almost ruining the pregnancy and the happiness of having a child for the daughter. While mom may act out of love and concern, she needs to learn that her daughter is a functional adult and that is difficult to learn for many parents, Amish or not. Then there is a story of two friends who become lovers, of course after some obstacles, because without obstacles the story would only be half as much fun. The last story is "Building Trust"; a story about a couple that are planning to get married, but the wife's father will not bless their union. This of course is a major problem and while things turn out well in the end, as most love stories this story is not a smooth ride.
Overall, a nice selection of stories that show the variety of stumbling blocks one can encounter when one is in love. For those not used to Amish life and culture, there is also a glossary included that explains some of the terminology used. I would recommend this book for those of us that are hopeless romantics or just like a good love story.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this blog post is solely my own opinion and has not been influenced by any third party.