Family, Community, and a Free Episode of Adventures in Odyssey

 

Remember when I posted about that amazing $5 special for the Odyssey Adventures Club?  Well, it's back!  For a limited time, you can listen to a new episode of Adventures in Odyssey for FREE! Album 58, The Ties that Bind, will be available this fall for digital download and CD purchase, but if you join the Odyssey Adventures Club, you can listen to the full album now! Guess what? The $5 special held last month was extended through the end of July, too, so you can join in the fun for only $5! Here's what part one is about (which you can listen to for free HERE):

It’s a time of surprises as Wooton becomes the celebrity guest at Comic-Connellsville and Whit finds himself in conflict over the upcoming “Let’s Get Together Festival” in Odyssey. Plus, hear an interview with writer-director Paul McCusker about the entire 14-part series.

Album 58 was inspired by Focus on the Family’s The Family Project, a 12-session small group experience that explores the theological, philosophical, and cultural underpinnings of the traditional family, and combines that information with inspiring stories and practical tools to help 21st-century families thrive. One way families can carry out God's design for families is by serving their community—right where God has planted them, being His hands and feet together. Want to serve your community with your family, maybe make a day of out it? Here are some fantastic ideas from some Adventures in Odyssey bloggers and club members:

• Make scarves through the year and deliver them to your local homeless shelter at the start of winter, or regularly donate food to your local food bank. —Shirley 
• Our family likes to help with Meals on Wheels. We also do reenactments of the Civil War and WWII to help educate people on history. I like to show my kids that we should be servers and givers by taking meals to people who need them (i.e. baby just born, someone died, someone had surgery, etc.). —Erin 
• We have been visiting a nursing home with friends once a month. The kids just sing and then we fellowship, but the ladies love it! —Lisa 
• We make lap blankets for nursing home residents and take the time to visit with them. We also collect food for the local food pantry. —Donna 
• We make blessing bags to give to the homeless when we encounter them. We also donate clothes and food to a local shelter. —Amy 
• Our MOPs (Mothers of Prechoolers) group supports our local Pregnancy Support Services with donations, gifts, and notes. We also supports the Durham Rescue Mission, which helps people break free from addictions and restore families. —Melissa 
• We live in a very rural area. Our church serves two of the poorest zip codes in the state, and about a decade ago, they started operating a food pantry out of a closet. It has expanded since then, so we now use the closet for storage, but the pantry is basically a classroom. The kids and I serve over there a lot. My 17-year-old and I go to Care & Share (50 miles away) to get food to bring back to the pantry. All of us help unload and stock shelves. On pantry days, everyone can get involved with helping people go through the line, playing with the kids, carrying boxes out to cars, etc. There are so many hungry folks, especially in the summer when school breakfasts and lunches aren't available, and helping a bit to put food on some tables is such a blessing for us all. —Debra 
• We pack food bags each month for the homeless and needy through a thrift store that offers an outreach to the community. We also help clean our church and our Sunday school. —Michele 
• We work through our AHG troop to do several service activities a year. My girls just recently made bracelets they are selling, which 100% of the profits goes to Hope House in Africa to help young girls. —Sarah 
• Our church works with a homeless shelter in downtown Atlanta. We cook food ahead of time, and when our schedules allow we ride down with the group to serve the food. My son always reminds me when we haven't been for awhile, so it's something he looks forward to. —Maria 
• We do lots of random acts of kindnesses within our community: pay for others' meals, leave change at a vending machine, hand out Gatorade/granola bars to people on the side of the road asking for food. We also love to support Mobile Loaves and Fishes. —Kathryn

Did that provide some ideas to give your family service activity the kick-start it needs? What other ideas do you have for serving your community? Share in the comments!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse and Adventures in Odyssey for choosing me to be an Odyssey Club Blogger allowing me unlimited access to Adventures in Odyssey. 

Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection Projects & Giveaway

 My Purex Insiders Kit

Have you heard of Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collections by Richard Garay?  This fun collection consists of stamp sets and dyes, paper and inks.  With this collection you can create one-of-a-kind cards, gifts, scrapbook layouts and more.  The stamps are both whimsical and modern.  They are made of photopolymer and feature cling technology allowing them to adhere well.  Paper included are both solid colors as well as captivating prints.  The stamp pads blend the benefits of pigment ink and dye.  The ink dries quickly, doesn't fade, and can be used on all types of materials.

The Celebrate Party Hat Card kit

I was sent two make and take kits in order to create two projects through the Purex Insiders program!  The first kit was a Celebrate Party Hat Card kit.  Everything was already precut and ready for assembly.  A wanted to make this one so I let her.  She did a great job and had a lot of fun.  It was extremely easy to make this card mainly because everything was ready to go.

A assembling this card

A making a bow with the Celebra'tions linen thread.

Layering

 Voila, A and her finished card!

Here it is.  I thought it came out really cute.

 Best Day Ever Treat Bag kit

The second kit was for a Best Day Ever Treat Bag.  Again, everything was included to create this bag.  And again, it was easy to make and took no time at all.  A few cuts, a little adhering, fill up the bag with treats a few ties and complete.

 Again, A helped me with this one.

 Final tie

 Voila, a finished treat bag.

We thought these kits were super easy to make, the end results were cute and A loved making them.  I think these kits are especially good if you are short on time.  

Ready for a giveaway?  I have one 15 piece Many Words polymer stamp set from the Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection to giveaway to one of you. 

 One of you will win this!

The stamps are Thank you, Surprise, Today, Yummy, Thinking of you, Together, Enjoy, Love, Life, Happy Birthday, Celebrate, Explore, Celebrate, 24/7, and Congratulations.  Just enter the giveaway below and good luck!

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 Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Spellbinders brand for providing me with samples of Spellbinders Celebra'tions Collection and the giveaway item in exchange for my review!    All opinions expressed are my own.  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!

We Like to Moo-Moove It Moove It

My couch last night!

As you can probably tell we were gearing up for Cow Appreciation Day today.  Every year we love to dress up in our bovine best and have fun as a family while enjoying delicious and "free" Chick-fil-A food.  This year was extra special as my sister and her family happened to be in town so we were able to celebrate together.

 Our crews at breakfast

My kids are huge fans of the Chick-n-Minis.  It was so delicious we went back for dinner!  We were lucky to get a few photos with The Cow.

 D and the Cow

 I couldn't resist posing with the cow myself.

A and B with their cousin.

A big shout out to Chick-fil-A for having this super fun and family friendly event.  We look forward to it every year.

Ragamuffin Movie Review & Giveaway

I have a new film to tell you about, Ragamuffin.  This movie gives you the nuts and bolts about Rich Mullins and his life.  Prior to watching this film I had definitely heard the name Rich Mullins - he has some amazing and renown Christian worship songs including Awesome God and Sing Your Praise to the Lord.  However, I knew nothing about his life or death.  Or even how he rose to Christian music fame.  I haven't done research but this film seems plausibly accurate documenting Rich's life from his perspective.

Rich had a somewhat troubled childhood and throughout the movie you see him chase his demons in various ways.  However, despite his struggles his heart for the Lord and being real with people showed forth in his life and his music.  He was willing to ruffle a few feathers to be real with people and get to the heart of God and his love.  He became known for not only worshiping but preaching alongside his songs as well.

And while this is not a feel good movie, overall my opinion is positive; I felt touched by this film and found it to be thought provoking.  Also, I kept asking myself how Rich's life might have been different if perhaps certain single aspects were changed.  I wouldn't recommend this film for children under 13 - mainly due to the strained relationship Rich had with his father and his addiction to alcohol.

Read more about this film below and go here to purchase your own DVD.  Of course, don't forget to enter the giveaway below to win a copy!

About the film:
Ragamuffin is based on the life of Rich Mullins, a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation.  An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood.  A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love.  As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

About Rich Mullins:
Singer and songwriter Richard Wayne "Rich" Mullins was best known for his worship song "Awesome God" which has been embraced as modern classics by many Christians.  His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, John Tesh, and Hillsong United.  Mullins' musical career formally began with Zion Ministries in the late 1970s, where he wrote music and performed with a band called Zion.  Mullins first solo hit, "Awesome God," appeared on his third album and brought his music to a wider audience.  Rich Mullins was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) on April 29, 3014.

Ready for a giveaway?  One reader will win their own copy of Ragamuffin.  Just enter below.

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Disclosure:  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive my own copy of Ragamuffin in exchange for this review and post.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

A Mother's Secret Book Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

Here I am again with another Amish book review, this time for A Mother's Secret by Amy Clipston.  Clipston did a great job making the characters believable.  While one may not identify with every element for each character, there is so much life happening that every reader can relate to something.  I really enjoyed Carolyn Lapp, the main character within this book.  As an unwed mother of a teenager, Carolyn's family tries to marry her off to a widower in a marriage of convenience.  Carolyn struggles as she wants a "traditional" Amish family but she really desires a marriage built on love, not convenience.  I enjoyed watching Carolyn grow and develop and really discover herself.  Mistakes are made, situations and people are forgiven and life goes on in a semi-predictable way.  Yet this book was still delightful for me and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy novels about the Amish.  Clipston does not disappoint.

Read more about this book and author below.  You can check out the full blog tour here.  And you can purchase your own copy of A Mother's Secret here.

About the book:
Book two in the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series.  Carolyn Lapp dreams of marrying for love.  But will the errors of her past destroy this dream forever?  Carolyn Lapp longs to have a traditional Amish family.  But she lives on her brother's farm with her parents and her 15-year old son, Benjamin.  Carolyn has never revealed the identity of Benjamin's father and lives daily with the guilt and shame of her youthful indiscretion.  Her brother simply will not forgive her.  His answer is to arrange a practical marriage for Carolyn to Saul, a widower with a little girl.  But Carolyn isn't convinced that Saul really loves her and believes he is simply looking for someone to help raise his daughter.  When Benjamin causes trouble at a local horse auction, horse breeder Joshua Glick decides that he must be taught a lesson.  Carolyn and Joshua are unmistakably drawn to each other, but Joshua mistakenly assumes that Benjamin is Carolyn's brother.  Carolyn fears that if he discovers the truth, her past with destroy their budding romance.  After years of shame and loneliness, Carolyn suddenly has two men vying for her attention.  But which of them will give her the family and the unconditional love she's longed for?

About the author:
Amy Clipston holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC.  Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, and two sons and four spoiled rotten cats.

Amy can be found at: website, Twitter, Facebook

Don't miss the newest offering in the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series from Amy Clipston, A Mother's Secret.  An unwed Amish woman yearns for real love and a family.  The only thing in her way is the shame she’s been carrying for half of her life.  The novel received 4-1/2 stars from Romantic Times and was chosen as a Top Pick.

Amy is celebrating with a Kindle Fire giveaway.

 One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Books 1 and 2 in the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series, A Hopeful Heart and A Mother's Secret.

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 6th. Winner will be announced July 7th on Amy's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Amy's blog on July 7th to see if you won.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse Publicity Group for allowing me to be a part of this tour and providing me with this book to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit Giveaway

I have some fun Orkin "Bug Wisdom" to tell you about.  And if you are anything like my kiddos you have probably been curious about bugs at some point.  What is this one?  What does it do?  And amazingly, bugs are curious themselves and can teach us a lot!  Check out the Orkin Bug Wisdom App below.

When life hands you dung, just roll with it.

The Orkin Bug Wisdom App:

• Take the “What’s YOUR Spirit Bug?” Quiz and find out which smart, curious creature you are most like!
• Click through all the GIFs and soak in every nugget of wisdom that these bugs have to offer!

Ready for a giveaway?   One reader will win the Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit!  Each household is only eligible to win 1 Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit:
- The Orkin 9-Page Activity Bug Book
- Orkin Bugview Bug Catching Tool and Magnifier
- Red/Black Summer Wayfarer Sunglasses

 Just enter the giveaway below and good luck!

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Disclosure:  As part of this campaign Orkin LLC will supply me with my own Orkin Backyard Explorers Kit as well as the giveaway winner.  Thanks Orkin LLC for creating the Orkin Bug Wisdom App and sharing it with us.

Summer Activities for Adventures in Odyssey Fans

It's summer, it's summer and I am so excited!  Although, sometimes I wish it wasn't so hot here in Texas :).  Need some ideas of things for your kids to do while you are indoors?  Check out the great ideas below from Adventures in Odyssey.

Summer is officially here!  Don't let your kids' boredom run rampant.  Adventures in Odyssey is here to save the day.  Below are some must-try ideas for summer fun! Want even more summer fun?  For the month of June, you can join the Odyssey Adventure Club for only $5!  More details can be found here.

Summer Activities

As a parent you are probably a big proponent of reading.  Encourage your kids to dig into a book or two this summer with Adventures in Odyssey's On Your Marks Summer Reading Challenge.   Bonus points if YOU create a reading challenge for yourself as you read along with your kids!

Looking for something hands-on? Create Matthew in 3-D!   Invite a few of your kids' friends over for a play date, print off the activity sheet, and let them have at it for the afternoon (with the promise of cookies and lemonade once they've finished constructing Matthew).

Maybe your kids aren't into reading, but they love math.  If that's the case, have them solve Eugene's Sudoku!  This was a fun opportunity to show the kids how to play Sudoku.  I really enjoy working these puzzles.  I did a ton of them at the end of my pregnancies and sometimes during labor.  It was nice to introduce the kids to them.

 A and B working on the Sudoku puzzle

Working together

The laundry needs to be done; the dishes need to be put away.  But your kids are begging you to take them out to the zoo.  Let them take a whack at Matthew's Decoder in the morning, then make an agreement that if they figure out how to use the decoder, you'll take them on an afternoon adventure.  That'll give you the morning to finish up your to-do list!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse and Adventures in Odyssey for choosing me to be an Odyssey Club Blogger allowing me unlimited access to Adventures in Odyssey.