Thought I would pass this deal on! There are some great deals! If you scroll to the bottom of the page they have Discontinued Items that include foundations on sale for ONLY $12 (regularly $60) and their eye shadow shimmers are $5 (regularly $12). This is a wonderful product line that I love. Their products are all natural and mineral based. Just giving a heads up on this deal while it lasts!
http://www.bellaterracosmetics.com/?a_aid=50b694dfc159d

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

I recently received a Bzz Kit with Hidden Valley Ranch coupons. I got the dry Ranch dressing as well as a bottle of salad dressing. There are so many uses for Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing that go beyond salad!
Ranch Dressing is a staple in our home. We use it for so many dishes besides salad. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing is a great dressing and has a solid reputation.
As a parent, I encourage my children to eat their vegetables. One way they enjoy their raw veggies is with Hidden Valley Ranch.
When cooking family meals, I use Hidden Valley Ranch as a marinade for chicken and also for adding additonal flavor in Mexican food dishes. One of our favorite ways to use Hidden Valley Ranch is in taco soup. Yum!

My Review of What a Difference a Mom Makes by Dr. Kevin Leman

I am a long time fan of Dr. Leman. His heart for families to be successful is so evident in the pages of his books. In What a Difference a Mom Makes, Dr. Leman specifically addresses the relationship between mothers and sons. The primary needs that a son has that his mother should focus on are to be respected, needed and fulfilled. Dr. Leman walks us through the various stages of life that our boys go through and how we as moms can be the most effective for each season.
Having grown up with a sister and mostly spending time with female family members, it was great to have Dr. Leman give honest and frank insight as to how boys think and feel. Boys are so opposite of girls and I found his information to be very enlightening and helpful. While some of the information covered in the book was repeating fact from some of his other books, there was material that was new and if I had not already read any of Dr. Leman's books, I would be out buying them after reading this one. I highly recommend this book to every mother who has a son, no matter what age. Thank you, Dr. Leman for all you do to help us build strong family units.
I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

My Review of Manners That Matter for Moms by Maralee McKee

Thank you, Maralee McKee for writing this book! Manners That Matter for Moms is a wonderful tool that ever mother should own. Maralee McKee not only shares the "how to" of manners, she also explains the "why." To me, the importance of manners must be taught to our children so that they understand the heart and purpose behind why certain behavior and etiquette is expected in social situations.
In the beginning chapters of the book, Mrs. McKee said two things that really stood out to me. The first idea is that we think that we spend so much of our lives training our children, but in reality, if you take the time from infancy to the time they leave for college at age 18, you have only spent 21% of your life with your children. You have just 21% of your life to invest into your children on a daily basis while they are in your home. That was a sobering thought to me. We must use our time with them wisely. Secondly, she says that today, children are our shadow, but tomorrow, they will be our reflection. This statement resounded in my heart. As mothers, we must be diligent with our little "shadows" because in the future, they wll reflect what we have taught them.
While I loved seeing Mrs. McKee' heart in the pages of this book, I also loved it because it is so practical! Yes, there is a LOT of information contained in the book, but she also gives ways that you can teach your children without overwhelming them. The book covers manners that kids need to know, such as:
Proper Greetings
Proper Introductions
Please and Thank You's
Party Manners
Manners When Visiting or Having Others Visit You
Table and Serving Manners
Thank You Notes/Emails
Conversational Skills

This book will be on hand in my home for many years to come. I found as I was reading it so that I could teach my children, I ended up learning a few things myself! I highly recommend this book to every mom, no matter what age her children.
I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

My Review of Parenting With Scripture by Kara Durbin

What a great resource for parents! This is a book that I will be using a lot! Kara Durbin gives a great introduction on how to use Parenting With Scripture at the opening of the book. She talks about how to find the teachable moments with your children and then use them to instill God's Word into them regarding the situation. I appreciated that the author pointed out that there are both positive as well as negative teachable moments in which we can implement parenting with Scripture. Many times, we have the idea that teachable moments are only when our child has done something wrong, however, we can also reinforce their positive behavior with Scripture.
Durbin gives an alphabetical list by topics, such as anger, apathy, attitude, beauty, and bragging. Each topic gives the definition of the word and then gives several Scriptures that can be applied to the topic. The topics also have discussion points that you can talk about with your children as well as a section on taking action. She also lists related topics that could be helpful. The way the topics are set up with the discussion points and take action points also allow you the opportunity to create teachable moments with your children to discuss the topics before your child is in the situation so that they can be prepared and think about hos they would handle a situation with that particular topic. Durbin also gives some great parenting tips for some of the topics.
After the topical list, Durbin gives some ideas of helpful Scripture passages and verses for memorization as well as some memorization ideas and tips.
I read this book on my Kindle, but I think I will be purchasing it in actual book form as well to keep as a handy reference. I highly recommend this book to every parent.
I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

My Review of The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman takes the concepts of the five love languages from his previous books and applies them to our relationship with children. This book is an excellent resource not only for parents, but for anyone who wants to have a strong and loving relationship with the children in their life. For those who have read Chapman's other books on the love languages, some of the material included in the book may seem to be repetitive, however, for those who are reading The Five Languages of Children and have not read his other books on the subject, I felt that most of the information included was necessary. The five love languages include; physical touch, words of affirmation, gifts, quality time, and acts of service.
While most parents love their children, there are children who do not feel loved because they speak a different love language than their parents are communicating. As discussed in all of the love language books, most of us show love to others the same way that we receive it. We can understand what our child's love language is by observing his/her behavior. How do they choose to show love to others? What love language do they seem to respond to the best? What love language do they seem to ask for they most? What do they complain about? When given a choice between two of the love languages, which do they choose? While all of the languages are important and need to be conveyed to our kids, most kids will have a primary love language that they prefer above the others.
While there were many helpful discussions in the book, I felt like one of the most important sections in the book was on discipline. When discipling your child, it is important to understand that if you discipline them by witholding their love language from them, it conveys severe discipline to that child. For example if quality time is your child's language, sending your child to their room for an extended time out alone is a severe consequence to that child. If your child craves physical touch, then spanking speaks a severe consequence to that child. If your child needs words of affirmation then you need to use caution when you use strong words to discipline your child.
I feel like this book is a must have for all parents. It is an excellent resource that I don't want to be without. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review but was not obligated to provide a positive review.