Menu Plan Monday

Here's what we're having this week:

Monday - Chicken Vegetable Tortellini Stew

Tuesday - BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Potato Salad, Baked Beans

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Tacos

Friday - Sweet and Sour Pork, Rice

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Eat out

Gap Outlet Baby Sale!

Are you looking for good deals on clothes for your little ones for the fall and winter? It seems like by the time I get around to shopping for fall and winter clothes, I always wait too late and all the cute stuff is gone or all the sizes I need have been picked through. Or, I totally miss the sales, which is the worst!!! This year I am determined not to wait too long!

In this economy, there's no reason not to look for ways to save on clothes. I always try to hit the outlet mall to get good deals. We have one locally here and we try to go in the spring and in the fall to shop for the season. One of my favorite stores there is Gap Outlet. They have fantastic prices and such cute styles. I always come away with some great looks for my kids. And in the baby stages...you know, when your kids grow so fast and run through the sizes before you can blink...babyGap is a stylish choice, especially when you are buying at outlet prices!

Did you know Gap Outlet is having their huge Semi-Annual Baby Sale September 11-24, 2009? Honestly, I did not but TwitterMoms told me about it and now I want share the savings with you! Now is the time to stock up and save! You can find your local Gap Outlet here. Print this coupon and bring it when you shop to save an extra 10% off their already fantastic prices!
Gap Outlet - Semi-Annual Baby SaleTwitterMoms Exclusive: Gap Outlet Semi-Annual Baby Sale Savings!

CD Review - My Trampoline by Peter Himmelman

I had never heard of Peter Himmelman before Sugar Mountain PR sent me a copy of his CD My Trampoline to review. We have been playing the CD in the van and my kids and I really like it! I guess it's appropriate that the CD is produced by Minivan Productions!

A favorite song of ours on the CD is Imagination, a peppy tune with a catchy beat. But my most favorite is Ten Billion Blades, an epic worthy of a spot on the adult contemporary charts. The melody is sweeping. The song's word picture of the symphony the grass creates when it blows in the breeze and the community each blade has with its neighbor just takes your breath away.

My Trampoline is a 2009 NAPPA Gold Winner. Go here to hear samples of the music from the CD. It's a great one and I encourage you to purchase a copy. It's music the kids and the adults will enjoy.

(Disclaimer - I was not paid for this post. I received a copy of the CD to review. These are my own opinions.)

Book Review - Fearless by Max Lucado

What are you afraid of? Something as big as the future? Something as small as a spider? Can you possibly imagine your life without fear? In Fearless, Max Lucado (a Christian author) writes:

"Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less."

If you are struggling with a season of fear, pick up this book. No one knows what the future holds. There are so many things to be fearful of in this day and age. But we can choose to be Fearless by trusting that God's promises are true and that he will not leave us.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book to review through Thomas Nelson Book Bloggers. I was not paid for this post.)

Menu Plan Monday

We are on week 2 of no eating out and we have done pretty well so far! We had a 2 nights where I didn't cook but we didn't eat out...we had plenty of leftovers! And now I will carry over the menus from those nights to this week! Hey, a little less planning for me! Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - Labor Day! Eating at my in-laws' house!

Tuesday - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Wednesday - Tacos

Thursday - Kristie's Magically Moist Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday - Pizza Tot Casserole

Saturday - 15-Bean Soup, Wheat Biscuits

Sunday - Cranberry Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas

Book Review and Blog Tour - NurtureShock

From the NurtureShock website, "The central premise of this book is that many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring – because key twists in the science have been overlooked." This book is not a parenting manual, but the authors, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, want to get parents to rethink their assumptions about different parenting "givens".

Chapters of the book include:

The Inverse Power of Praise
The Lost Hour
Why White Parents Don't Talk About Race
Why Kids Lie
The Search for Intelligent Life in Kindergarten
The Sibling Effect
The Science of Teen Rebellion
Can Self-Control Be Taught?
Plays Well With Others
Why Hannah Talks and Alyssa Doesn't

This book is a pretty good read. The statistics presented are easy to understand, and the book doesn't drone on and on with statistics but also uses dialogue and real-life examples of parenting situations to emphasize the authors' ideas.

The chapter "The Lost Hour" was my absolute favorite and I agree with it wholeheartedly. It does seem that overscheduling kids makes them work harder into the night without any downtime, and school (especially high school) starts so early these days. So, it makes sense that there would be less time for sleep and less time for the brain to process and recover from the day.

I did not agree 100% with every point in this book, especially the chapter on why telling your child she's smart is a bad thing. I believe life is a self-fulfilling prophecy, so shouldn't you tell all kids they are smart? I do not think that telling them they are smart is the end of the story. Discipline and effort are essential to the learning process.

NurtureShock offers food for thought, and if you are a parent striving for excellence in your kids and in your parenting, this book is worth picking up.

I have one copy (hardback) to give away. Leave one comment below and tell me which chapter of the book has piqued your interest. Entries will be accepted until midnight September 10, 2009. Bonus entry: Follow me on Twitter! (Leave a separate comment.)

(Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post. I was provided one advance copy of the book to review and one copy to give away. These are my own opinions, and I was not solicited for a positive or negative review.)