My Review Of..

Beloved and Blessed Biblical Wisdom For Family Life~ By Kimberly Hahn

Kimberly Hahn ranks up there with Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle & Scott Hahn books I love to read..So I was excited to see her newest book on the list of books to review..

This book is part of a series of books Mrs. Hahn has written..I have all of the other books plus the video series..The whole series focuses on Proverbs 31..About a queen mother helping her son King Lemuel select a godly woman to marry..

The book is mainly about family life and how to live a godly life as a wife & mother..There are six parts of the book with sixteen chapters..Some of the chapters include

• Part 1 is titled "The Heart of Her Husband Trusts in Her"..These chapters deal with Intimacy Issues..

• Part 2 is titled "Her Children Rise Up and Call Her Blessed"..These chapters talk about how children are a blessing from God, the mission of responsible parenthood, contraception, large families, & suffering (i.e. misscarriage, not being able to have children)..

• Part 3 is titled "She Makes Linen Garments and Sells Them"..These chapters deal with financial issues, how to stay at home without breaking the bank, and how Our Blessed Mother Mary is the TRUE model for all mothers..

• Part 4 is titled "Her Husband Is Known in the Gates"..These chapters deal with how we are privileged to be parents, disciplining with S.O.F.T. hearts, discipline itself, and how fathers are involved in children's lives..

• Part 5 is titled "She Opens Her Mouth With Wisdom"..These chapters mostly deal with teaching our children the faith, how to defend the faith, how to concecrate our homes, & how our home represents our faith..

• Part 6 is titled "The Teaching of Kindness Is on Her Tounge"..This is one of my favorite chapters because it deals with homeschooling, socializing our children, teaching practical life skills (i.e. money management, budgeting, manners), limiting television & computer time, making the kids get out & play..Mrs. Hahn also discusses in this part about how sometimes we feel guilty about our parenting skills, and how to lean on Our Lord in these times..

There are also Appendixes that are helpful..There is one on family budget items, kids budgets, stewardship, decorating & home improvements..

This book is AWESOME.. I felt very connected to Mrs. Hahn because most of the things she talks about are things that I go thru in every day life..She really captures the essence of motherhood & being a good wife..

I recommend this book to all mothers, wives, & even husbands (if they are willing to read it)..You won't be disappointed..

As always this review was written as part of the Catholic books review program from the CatholicCompany. Visit their website to find out more about this book Beloved and Blessed.

GRADUATION DAY!!! 5-18-10

Well she finally did it!! Jenna graduated!! We're so proud of her!! Here are some pictures of the ceremony @ St. Vincent's Bascilica in Latrobe!!

Before the ceremony..

Jenna & her friend Rebbeca before the ceremony..

Beautiful statue of Our Lady at the back of the church..

Group photo after the ceremony..

Family photo after the ceremony..

It was such a nice ceremony..The homily was fantastic, the singer was AMAZING, and the whole family got to go up & give Jenna her diploma..We were so impressed!!

More pictures to come..We had 3 or 4 people taking pictures, so I have to get them downloaded!!

The Sweetest Thing, This Side Of Heaven...

*My nephew Luke ~ 2 months old*

Isn't he the cutest little boy you've ever seen??? But that's just this aunt's opinion!!

Update ~ Part I (School)

Hmmm..I promised myself awhile ago I would keep up with the blog..I've let myself down yet again!! Well "Better late then never" I always say..So here's an update on what's being going on with our homeschool..

The kids grades have been good..Nothing lower than a "C" (which is what Trevor got in Religion)..We've been trying really hard to get our 180 days in..We'll probably wind up going into June but that's ok..

Jenna will be graduating on May 18th!! I can't believe it!! This year has gone by so fast..She'll be graduating with some other homeschooling students in a group we kind of belong to..We normally don't get to the meetings, but they have graciously invited Jenna to be part of the ceremony..Now it's a mad dash to get things ready..We won't be having her graduation party until late June..Her cap & gown are in, and we just need to get her an outfit to wear..Her boyfriend Chris will be coming from Michigan to see her graduate..My mother-in-law & my parents will also be attending..

We haven't been on to many field trips this year..We went to the museum, and to the March for Life but that's about it..This coming school year we're going to do more field trips..I'm thinking about where we're going to go already..I have a few ideas but nothing concrete yet..

I've also decided that we're going to learn more about our Founding Fathers & American History..I attribute this idea to Glenn Beck!! Thanks Glenn!!

And we've made up our mind that we're definitely going with Seton Home Study this coming school year..Ari & Trev aren't to happy, but we've been slacking the last few years and I think this will keep us on task (well mostly it'll keep Mom on task!)..Some people think that Seton's too dry or too picky but with the way Ari & Trev are lately they need to be more accountable for things..I mean being done with school work in less than an hour is ridiculous to me!! Also we've got to clamp down and do more religious things..Praying the Rosary, maybe going to daily Mass 1 or 2 days a week is not out of the question..But, I have the whole summer to come up with something..

Jenna will be attending CCAC (Community College of Allegheny County) next Spring instead of this Fall..I don't think she's quite ready for college classes just yet..Even though she's graduating we're still going to work with her on somethings..She wants to go for Early Childhood Education, which I think she's well suited for..She has a good repour with children..

The only thing we're having a hard time with as far as lessons go is Pre-Algebra & Algebra..I have been getting worksheets off of the internet from here.. And it's been going ok, but I'm not very good at Math stuff (I graduated with a "D" in Pre-Algebra)..But as long as Jenna has some Algebra she's fine as far as transcripts go..

As for Social Studies..Well I have a few different things that I have them do..Jenna is doing American Govt..Ari & Trev are doing a mish-mash of things..I have them read papers I print off the internet or I have printed tests for them to do..Right now we're learning about World War I..Next year Seton will have tests they can do on their website which I really like (that way I don't have to worry about doing it..)

Science..Ari & Trev are using workbooks

Religion..I just have them reading books..Jenna reads "My Catholic Faith", Ariana reads Seton's 7th grade Religion, & Trevor is doing "The Baltimore Catechism # 2"..

Trevor took his CAT test this past week..I hope he does ok..He didn't seem to have any trouble when my mom gave him the test..I have to include that in his portfolio for evaluation..

We're on Wk. 31 this week..Wow!! Only 5 more weeks to go..I just remember getting excited about starting the year, and it's almost done..It's going to be weird this coming year with only 2 kids doing school work..But like the seasons, so does life..This is just another chapter in my life..I just am not very good with change..

Well that's it for now..As soon as I get pictures from Jen's graduation I'll post them..And I will be typing up Part II of my update..This one will be about what's been going on with the family lately..

My Review of..

30-Minute Read ~ Stress-Proof Your Marriage by Cory & Heidi Busse

This book is a short read, but a very good one..The authors (who by the way are kind of like my husband & I) get to the heart of "stress-proofing" your marriage..

Mr. & Mrs. Busse start off by letting you know that great marriages are NOT always blissful..I can relate to this because when I got married I thought that marriage was supposed to be all "warm & fuzzy", like a fairytale..Boy was I wrong!! And in the book the authors point this out in good detail..They are not counselors or psychologists, just a married couple who's been through it..

There are 10 short chapters to the book..Starting with the chapter called "Talk" to the last chapter "Laugh"..Mr. & Mrs. Busse bring a good dose of humor, religion, and advice in these chapters..I don't want to go all through them or else I'd give most of the book away :)

What I enjoyed the most in this "little" book are the sayings by different people..They range from Pope John Paul II to George Orwell..At the beginning there are little bits of humor to start you off, and the chapters all end with a "Take Away" message..It's something you can take away & use if you choose..

I would recommend this 30 minute book if your marriage is stressed or not..It's very informative, and very helpful..I enjoyed it tremendously!!

As always..This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company .. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on "Stress-Proof Your Marriage."

So Much Going On..

That I can't contain it in one post..So I will be breaking it into 2 or 3 posts..1 will be about homeschool..1 will be about family..& 1 will be about religion/religious happenings..

I am trying to compose all of them now, so the posts will be coming shortly..But until then here is one GREAT update..

My sister Alisha had her baby..She gave birth to a healthy, happy, BIG baby boy..

Luke Michael born: 2/15/10 @ 10:27pm 8lbs 10ozs. 19in long.. My sister was in labor for about 15 hrs..Pushed for at least 3hrs, and finally ended up having a c-section.. Here are a few pics of Luke..

Luke when he got home from the hospital..

Ariana feeding Luke..

Luke @ 3wks..He was staring out the window from his swing..

I have more pictures of Luke to post, but I'll wait until my family post..But isn't he a cutie!! So this is just a little teaser of what's to come..So much has happened, that I can't believe it.. Well, that's it for today..

An Amazing New Book..

This is my personal review of a new book that I had a chance to read..The title of the book is called "My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories" by Heidi Hess Saxton..

I met Ms. Saxton through the internet, and I had mentioned that I love to review books, especially Catholic books..So she (Ms. Saxton) asked if I wanted to review "My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories"..I jumped at the offer..A few days later I received the book..When I opened the envelope the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful cover of the book..It shows Jesus taking a basket of fish from a little child while the others wait in the back round..

The book starts out with a typed letter from Blessed Mother Teresa..And it has and introduction on how to read the book which explains everything so well..I was very impressed with the introduction..

The book begins with how God created the world, and goes on from there until the book of Revelation..There are 4 main points to the stories..

1. Going Deeper ~ Which includes the Read It & Do It sections..These are little things to read from the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) & projects to do with family..

2. Special Words ~ This teaches the reader(s) words from the stories that some may not understand (like Hebrew etc..)

3. Did You Know? ~ Tells some interesting facts to the reader(s)..

4. The Quote Of The Day ~ These are quotes from famous people (religious & not religious)

And Ms. Saxton also gives a website for more resources (see below)..These things were beautifully explained..And I actually enjoyed reading the book of Revelation!! Which is sometimes scary for younger readers..

I think that all of the bible stories that Ms. Saxton picked for the book were very well chosen..I enjoyed all of the stories, and learned a few new things in the process..I know this book is for children ages 7-10, but anyone can read it in my opinion..I actually understood the stories better than reading my own Bible..

The beginning of each story starts with a quick story of what is coming up..This is also very informative..There are also prayers included at the end of the story..And through out the book..

And I can't forget the illustrations..Natalie Carabetta has done a superb job with the illustrations..They are indescribable!!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about the Bible..It's easy to understand, well planned out & beautifully illustrated..It's well worth it!!

You can also check out Ms. Saxton at http://extraordinarymomsnetwork.wordpress.com.