The Sensible Mom

Inspiring. Tear-jerking. Laugh-out-loud funny at times. Brought back feelings of ‘home’ and growing up. Made be stop and think about what’s really important in this life.

These are all ways I’d describe the book, Mother of Pearl. I was recently given the opportunity to review this book (as a Litfuse Blogger), and my honest opinion is that I loved it.

It’s a compilation of stories written by many inspiring women. Some of the authors include Beth Engelman, Erin Healy, and Anita Lustrea. The stories that each author writes are short and to the point. They’re memories of mothers and grandmothers who left deep impressions on these women through their examples of faith in the Lord even through the very toughest trials of life.

I especially loved the stories that reminded me of Christmas and snow and home in Illinois. I could really resonate with the stories that talked about the tough stuff of life and how this life isn’t easy. It’s hard. Really hard at times. But we can be examples to our children and grandchildren through those hard times when life doesn’t turn out how we want it to or thought it would. We can trust the Lord everyday and pray and leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren that they can pass on to their future generations.

I also loved the funny bits in the book that made me laugh out loud. One funny part was when Suzanne Woods Fisher was talking about how she was going to become a grandmother and was wondering what ‘grandma’ name she should pick to be called. Would it be granny, grammy, or grandma? Well, her friends advised her that, “You’d better pick your nickname or you’ll be stuck with something hideous, like MooMoo Cow.” Too funny! Can you relate? For the record, my kids call their grandmothers, Grandma and Grandma P. (for my mom’s name, Patty). Pretty normal. 🙂

On the practical side, this book was so easy to read, which this busy mom greatly appreciates. You can read the entire book in a few hours, but I’d recommend really a little at a time and letting the stories that you read sit in thoughts and ponder them.

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

“More than a love of books, my mother passed on to me a love of helping a child unearth God’s gifts and embrace them.”

Also

“Remember: Life is hard, but God is good.”

Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. Oh, and half of the proceeds from this book are going to benefits Wings (Women in Need of Growing Stronger). The other half is going to Hands of Hope, a charity that helps women and children in Africa.

And lastly, you can connect with Margaret McSweeney, who compiled the Mother of Pearl stories tomorrow, September 4th, at a Facebook party and get the chance wo win a Pearl Necklace set! Details below. 🙂

To celebrate the release of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith I’m hosting an evening of chat, laughter, and encouragement on Facebook! I’ve invited the Pearl Girl contributors to join us on the evening of September 4th. I’d be so honored if you’d come too! We’ll be giving away a ton of fun stuff {books, gift certificates and a Beautiful Pearl Necklace set}.Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. We’ll gather to connect, be encouraged and make some new friends!

So RSVP today and then come back on September 4th (at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, and 8pm Eastern) and join us for the “Pearl” party. Let’s share our stories and encourage one another.

(See what others are saying about Mother of Pearl.)

Are you interested in a great resource that’ll give your kids solid Bible truth in an easy to understand, fun, interesting, child-friendly way?

If the answer is, “Yes,” then I’ve got a fantastic resource for you. Check out the What’s in the Bible? DVDs.

Why I loved ‘What’s in the Bible?’

These DVDs not only talk about the stories that are in the Bible, they go further and explain things like:

:: Who wrote the Bible?

:: How did we get the Bible?

:: How many books are in the Bible?

:: Why can we trust the Bible?

:: and many more important questions surrounding God’s Word, the Bible

I know that I want my children to not only believe the Bible, but also to know why it is trustworthy, reliable, and a firm foundation for their hope. The creator of VeggieTales, Phil Vischer, explains more in the video:

What my kids thought about ‘What in the Bible?’

Right after watching for the first time, my 5 year old son, Isaac, came and found me and sweetly said, “I like it.” I could tell that the DVD had made an immediate impact on his heart.

Nathan, my 12 year old son, asked when we could get the next DVD in the series.

And above all, my kids started asking more questions that my husband and I were able to answer. Since we became Christians 9 years ago, Ruben and I have been reading through the Bible (have read all the way through it several times) and have earnestly sought to know that our faith is well-placed. We’ve studied apologetics and listened to countless teachings to know why we believe what we believe and why we can trust the Bible. But these things are not always easy for children, especially small children, to understand. I’m glad that the What’s in the Bible? DVDs make teaching these things to young children so much easier.

There are some great, free resources that go along with the DVD
You can access those here:
And they include:

:: coloring pages
:: Bible flashcards
:: Study Guide
:: and more.

The bottom line?

These DVDs are different from VeggieTales, of which we own around 897,122.

We loved ‘What’s in the Bible?’ and look forward to seeing the rest of the DVDs in the series.

Disclosure: “I was selected for participation in this review and given the What’s in the bible DVD as a member of The Homeschool Lounge Review Team. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”