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Bitten by the Business Bug – A Book Review

Posted by html404 on September 1, 2010
in Books, Education

I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

Bitten by the business bug cover

Jason O’Neill was one of the people to respond to our Back to School Product Guide with a pitch about his Pencil Bugs and new book, Bitten by the Business Bug. He generously offered to giveaway a copy of his book to our readers, which is our current giveaway. The book was written by Jason, who is a teen entrepreneur. It is filled with common sense tips for business and life, all from Jason’s own experience.

I had hoped to have this review posted earlier but a certain little “Sir Eats Alot” (our two-week-old son) arrived earlier than anticipated and threw us off our posting and reviewing schedule. Bitten by the Business Bug is a must read for parents and their kids, whether you are interested in business or not. Jason is an inspiration. I am having my daughters read his book. Right now my oldest daughter is working her way through it and is about half way done. I will have her post her review, as well as her sisters’, so you get different perspective from them.

Schools do not teach entrepreneurship or thinking outside the box. That’s why my husband and I are interested in books like Jason’s to help fill in the gaps of our children’s education with supplemental material.

Bitten by the Business Bug is a close look at a young entrepreneur’s adventure into business ownership, the opportunities that have come with that ownership and the lessons learned. These opportunities and lessons have taught Jason so much more than he would ever learn in school alone. He and his parents have been wise in keeping school first, being a normal kid second and business third. In doing so this has allowed Jason to be a kid, but even more than that has taught him that just because he is a kid doesn’t have to limit what he can accomplish. Jason has big aspirations for Pencil Bugs and it will be interesting to see all that Jason will do in the future.

Pencil Bugs

Jason is a philanthropist at heart. Since the advent of Pencil Bugs has given portion of his earnings a to kids in need, whether that is helping kids in foster care or sick children in the hospital. From donations to gift bags, Jason has helped meet the needs of children in his community.

I think both parents and children will learn much from Jason. I know I did and hope my children do too.

Visit www.PencilBugs.com for more information about Jason, his book and business.

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A Book Review of Mom’s Survival Guide: Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity

Posted by Bobbie Gould on August 22, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

I had the opportunity to review Redbook’s Mom’s Survival Guide: Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity. It was different than I expected. Not that I can put my expectations into words or anything, it just wasn’t what I expected that’s all.

Redbook’s Survival Guide is designed in such a way that you can quickly reference a problem or question by flipping through the red tabbed pages to find what they say about a particular issue or problem. Say for instance your child is experiencing headaches, you could then flip the pages to health and find headaches listed.

To be really honest, I did not think that this book was helpful to me. It is not a survival guide, it is more of a reference book for mom’s with older children. However I did learn a couple of new things. The first, I always thought the hottest summer hours were between 10:00am-2:00pm, but this book extends the hours to 4:00pm. Then I learned that many children experience headaches. I didn’t know that, nor did my doctor’s office tell me this when we questioned them about the headaches our children have experienced, which disappointed me. I also learned a few more reasons that our children could be experiencing headaches and will now watch for those things.

Overall, most of the things covered in this book are covered in other covered in most other parenting books I’ve read or it is common sense. It is more for first time parents. It would not be helpful for veteran parents.

Redbook’s Mom’s Survival Guide retails for $16.95 and may be purchased at any major bookstore.

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Book Review: The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven

Posted by Bobbie Gould on August 21, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

When I first saw this book I was really interested and thought that this would be cool to read and I was not disappointed when I read it! I thought that it was a great book.

But what is the book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven about you ask? Here is a little bit about the Malarkey’s story story:

In 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his six-year-old son, Alex, suffered a horrific car accident. The impact from the crash paralyzed Alex and medically speaking, it was unlikely that he could survive. “I think that Alex has gone to be with Jesus,” a friend told the stricken dad. But two months later, Alex awoke from a coma with an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the unearthly music that sounded just terrible to a six-year-old. Of the angels who took him through the gates of Heaven itself. And, most amazing of all…of meeting and talking to Jesus. The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven is the true story of an ordinary boy’s most extraordinary journey. As you see Heaven and earth through Alex’s eyes, you’ll come away with new insights on miracles, life beyond this world, and the power of a father’s love.

It seemed as though Alex from what his father and mother shared is so much older than 12 years old spiritually wise. His father stated in the book that “Alex was handicapped physically, but, he was handicapped spiritually. Who had the greater disadvantage?” I thought that was rather interesting.

The Malarkey family’s story is amazing and yet so stunning at the same time. I wonder how many little boys could have such a relationship with God and be so happy while in a wheelchair.

For some reason I really did not feel bad for Alex. I don’t know why, I just didn’t. It seemed as though he has something, a relationship with God, that I really have never seen before in myself as a Christian or in any other strong Christians that I know.

I really enjoyed this book. And will be reading it again!

The book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven is available from Tyndale House Publishers for $24.99 here.

You may read Alex’s blog here. And Tyndale House Publishers has made a dvd documentary of Alex’s story.

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FFR Friday Giveaway – Bitten by the Business Bug! CLOSED

Posted by html404 on August 20, 2010
in Books, Business, Education, Faith and Family Reviews Friday Giveaway

Congratulations to Carmen!!

Comment #3 chosen by Random.org

Thank you to those who entered and a huge thanks to Jason and his mom for sponsoring this giveaway!

giveawaygrandmabutton

Our fourth FFR Friday Giveaway is……Bitten By The Business Bug Book by Jason O’Neil! Jason O’Neil is a award-winning 14-year-old entrepreneur/author, creator of Pencil Bugs at age 9, donating to children’s hospitals,on Forbes Top 10 list, and much more.

If you want your child to be an entrepreneur one of the best things to do is to expose him or her to other young (and old) entrepreneurs. It helps them start thinking like an entrepreneur, it gives them an “I can do this” attitude and will prepare them for their future. After all, entrepreneurship isn’t taught in schools.

Bitten by the Business Bug-1

Here is what he says about his book: “Every student from age nine on up should read my book. It’s filled with personal stories about life lessons I’ve learned from my parents, grandparents, and even my great, great aunt who turned 100 years old this summer. I share my creativity, strategies, values and tips that people of all ages can relate to. You’ll get many “ah-ha” moments as you read it.”

So would you like to win his book?

Required Entry: Simply leave a comment telling me which product you like best on Jason’s website!

Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):

1 Entry: .

1 Entry: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Twitter.

1 Entry: Like Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook

1 Entry: Friend Pencil Bugs on facebook.

1 Entry: Follow Pencil Bugs on Twitter.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, but only one tweet per day please. Include your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:

Giveaway: Enter to win a Bitten by The Business Bug Book @faithfamilyrevw! http://tiny.cc/wznr1 Please share! Thx!

5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

1 Entry for every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!

Details:

Please note: This giveaway will run for two weeks - from August 20th until September 2nd at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Winner will be contacted on or before September 30th (giving ourselves a bit more time to contact you in case baby comes! Thanks for understanding!) and asked for their contact info. Winner will be emailed and then have 48 hours to send me their info at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Our giveaway sponsors will ship one Bitten by the Business Bug book directly to the winner. Please note: This giveaway is open to the USA only.

Thanks and have fun!

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Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Amish Proverbs Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on August 19, 2010
in Books, Contests

Suzanne’s Amish Proverbs just hit the shelves. To celebrate she’s giving away a KINDLE and throwing a party! Let the fun begin. See below for info and links.

Find out more about the book, Suzanne and the blog tour here.

Enter Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Simple Wisdom KINDLE Giveaway!

One Grand Prize winner will receive a Kindle preloaded with Suzanne Woods Fisher titles. The Prize Pack (valued at over $205.00) includes:

* A brand new KINDLE, Free 3G, 6″, Latest Generation

* Amish Peace by Suzanne Woods Fisher

* The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest.

Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on September 1st.

Join Suzanne for a Wrap-up Party on September 1st!

She’ll be announcing the winner of the Simple Wisdom KINDLE Giveaway, chatting with readers, and giving away copies of Amish Proverbs and The Choice! Be sure to join us on Wednesday , September 1st at 8PM EST at Suzanne’s Author Page

Be sure to check out the blog tour here or purchase a copy of Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life!

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Amish Proverbs Book Review

Posted by html404 on August 19, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Amish_Proverbs

This wonderful little book is filled with sayings from the Amish. The proverbs range from talking about family life, to spiritual proverbs. My teen and my tween daughter really liked this book as did I. It contained such wise old sayings. This book is truly a gem! I highly recommend it for anyone! The book has 11 chapters in it, and in each of these chapters there is a short story about the chapter topic. All of this little book was enjoyable.

I thought that I would share two proverbs from the book:

“Children are the living message we send to the generation we will not see.”

“It takes 73 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile no wonder grouchy people are always tired!”

About Suzanne Woods Fisher: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. Find out more about Suzanne at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

Link to buy the book:($11.19 on Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Amish-Proverbs-Words-Wisdom-Simple/dp/0800719530/ref=sprightly-20

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Garden Tuesday! – Idiot’s Guide to Raising Chickens

Posted by html404 on July 27, 2010
in Books, Gardening, Health & Garden Tuesday

This post was originally written for and published at AlternativeConsumer.com. I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Review: The Seeker – A Revell Book Tour

Posted by html404 on July 25, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

The Seeker

The Seeker by Ann Gabhart is a story of a jilted young woman who joins a Shaker community to escape her own struggles while the country is on the brink of Civil War. The story is set during the 1860s, the main character Charlotte Vance is a pampered Southern woman with a mind of her own. Thinking she knows what she wants, her fiance throws her for a loop when he joins the Shakers, which is a religious group that does not allow marriage. This leaves Charlotte spinning for her barrings. Then her father brings home a new wife, surprising and hurting Charlotte even more.

Circumstances leave Charlotte little choice as her household is in a turmoil of changes and the civil war about to begin, to do some quick thinking to get her life back to the order she desires so badly. Little does she realize how her decisions will ultimately change the course of her life.

I learned a lot about the Shakers reading this novel. They had some interesting beliefs, but they definitely loved one another and were a community that helped not only their own but others that were a part of the greater community in which they lived.

There were some surprising events in the book, but it was a heart warming story with heart wrenching details of a country ravaged by the war during the 1860’s. Included was an unexpected love story between a young woman, her Savior and a man she never expected to be reunited with.

As controversial as slavery was and is, I always love the stories that portray a love and devotion between the owners and their slaves, even those who have been freed. I like to think of it as a picture of God’s love for us when we are entrenched in our mire of sin. He’s forgiven us so much and continues to do so over and over again.

“Available July 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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Up in a Tree Book Review

Posted by html404 on July 25, 2010
in Books

I received the following book in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

i'mupinatreebook

I received this book for review and our children really enjoyed it! The lyrical rhyming style Mark Alden Johnson used to write this book, as well as the colorful illustrations made it fun for them to read!. They were eager to turn the pages and to see how the boy would get down.

Mark Alden Johnson recognizes that children face choices every day, “I think there is a misconception that peer pressure is reserved for teens dealing with drugs and alcohol, but we shouldn’t overlook the younger children. They too face bad influences and if we teach them how to make good choices at a young age, they are more likely to continue doing so as teens.”

Mr. Johnson hopes the story will teach kids that others will sometimes tell them to do things that are not always in their best interest and they will learn how to make their own choices or wait for an adult to consult with.

I’m Up in a Tree is available for purchase at Amazon and other major bookstores for about $14.95 (hardcover).

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Book Review – Healthy Highways

Posted by html404 on July 22, 2010
in Books

I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the product. This review was first published at The Alternative Consumer here.

hhighways_1

Healthy Highways – A Traveler’s Guide to Healthy Eating
There are travel guides to help you find green hotels and now Nikki and David Goldbeck have written a traveler’s guide so that you may find organic, green or natural food restaurants and stores along the highways of your vacation.
Healthy Highways is the second edition of the Goldbecks book. It contains 2,800 eateries and natural food stores throughout the USA. This handy little book also includes a map of each state, directions to each one, what the eatery provides in the way of food and its hours of operation – All in a 470 page book. The book is 8”x 5 ¾ “so it is easily carried in a handbag, glove compartment or car door storage compartment.
We have not had a chance to use this book while traveling, but think it will be a helpful tool when we take the family on the road. The more we learn about conventional farming and industrial food processing the more we desire to eschew supporting these government and corporate controlled methods in our food system. However, it is a journey for sure.
Speaking of journeys, the next time you take a trip you might want to include this handy guide to healthy eating so you don’t compromise your eating habits just because you are on vacation.
Healthy Highways is available in bookstores and natural food stores everywhere or directly for $19.95, plus $4.95 s/h and NY sales tax, from Ceres Press, P.O. Box 87, Woodstock, NY 12498 or visit www.HealthyHighways.com for online discounts.