Baby Bites...Guacamole Wrap

Take one whole wheat tortilla
Mash 1/2 an avacado and spread on tortilla
Top w/ finely chopped onion, shredded carrots (or chopped tomatoes)
Drizzle w/ fresh lime juice

You can also sprinkle on cilantro or cheese.

Roll up and enjoy!

Dirty Clothes on a Priest?

The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R.C.Sproul is a fabulously written allegory illustrating the truth of justification. Although it is written to illustrate a theological truth to children, it is also highly profitable for adults as well, and such a great conversation-starter for parents to use with their children! I absolutely enjoyed reading it, and am excited to read the rest in this series by R.C. Sproul.

This story is written from the perspective of a grandfather telling his grandkids a tale. I love though how the first page in the book is a quote from Zechariah, a vision of the High Priest. This tale begins with a young man Jonathan, just ordained to the priesthood, and on his way to preach his first sermon at the castle of the King! On the way to the castle his clothes are ruined, and he realizes he cannot stand in front of the king in soiled clothing! He is even accused in the court by Malus, a wicked magician. The rest of the story follows Jonathan as he tries to clean his clothes, but to no avail…they are permanent stains. Read the book to find out what wonderful thing the prince does to help Jonathan gain entrance into the court and receive acceptance from the King.

What I love about this allegory is that it is very simple to make connections between Jonathan and ourselves as sinners, between the prince and Jesus Christ, Malus and the devil, etc. Theological truths are clearly stated, such as the following: “Jonathan,’ the prince said, ‘you are like the branch you pulled from the fire. You are covered with black dirt. But the dirt is not just on your clothes. It is on your heart. Sin, the wrong things that you do, makes your heart dirty. No soap can make it clean.’” The truths of justification are not only illustrated in the allegory, but also summarized by the grandfather telling the tale, and also extended upon in “for the parents” section R.C. Sproul has at the end of the book containing explanations, Scripture, questions, and points to ponder.

The illustrations are bright and cheery, as if from a fairy tale book, yet will keep children focused on the plot of the story, and the emotions expressed in the characters.

I can’t do this book justice by a short review…go ahead and purchase one for yourself and your children! It is available at www.ligonier.org/store or www.amazon.com.

I am receiving a copy of The Priest with Dirty Clothes for free, from Reformation Trust/Ligonier Ministries, as compensation for my review.

Sweet Psalm 23 story with theological depth...

Sammy and His Shepherd is a delightful children’s story illustrating the truths of Psalm 23. Outlined in sections by the phrases of Psalm 23, this book is a story of “Sammy” the sheep, owned and cared for by a loving Shepherd, who meets a sad and neglected sheep on the other pasture. Sammy notices the differences in their care, and as he befriends this lost sheep, he teaches her about the loving care he receives. One day, the lost sheep is in danger of losing her life, and Sammy’s Shepherd does something wonderful for her. As the story unfolds, both sheep learn about trust and following the kind Shepherd.

Susan Hunt does a fabulous job weaving in to the story both theological truths as well as facts about sheep—facts that enable children and adults alike to better understand the love and care of a shepherd, and more importantly, the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. For example, the story tells of a sheep who falls, with legs flailing helplessly in the air, and how the Shepherd comes to lift her up, rub her legs to restore circulation and help her walk again, thus “restoring” her. (“He restores my soul”). Sammy and His Shepherd illustrates not only of the love and tender care of Christ for His sheep, but also wonderfully pictures the themes of redemption, salvation, brotherly love, and eternity.

I absolutely love how at the end of each section illustrating a phrase of Psalm 23, Susan Hunt includes a “talking point” page or two at the end of the story. These talking points include “what the Bible tells us” (added thoughts and Bible references), “something to talk about” (questions for discussion with your children), and “something to do” (ways to put truth into practice).
The only element I was not crazy about was the color of the illustrations. They were child-friendly and unique, but the limited color scheme (lots of purple and pink tones) seemed more foreboding that comforting. However, I have only seen a PDF version of this book, so it may look different in the actual book. I can't wait to see!

Sammy and His Shepherd gets a five-star rating from me! I would definitely recommend hopping over to amazon.com and purchasing a copy for your child or as a gift! It can be profitable for so many ages and grade levels, and would be a great book to read as a family, too.

*Statement to comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines: I am receiving a copy of Sammy and His Shepherd for free, from Reformation Trust/Ligonier Ministries, as compensation for my review.

Nothing Sweeter...

...than a tiny, newborn baby!

Clever but irreverent...

I was excited to open another of Dandi Daley Mackall's rhyming books, this one entitled "When God Created My Toes". From head to toe, the book goes through body parts and asks intriguing questions about what it is like when God creates a child. An example is, "When God created my hip, did I hear him say, 'Hip, hip, hooray!'? Did we do a double flip when God created my hip?" The illustrations are soft, fun, and energetic, and pair well with the quizzical nature of the book. And although I can imagine some children asking questions like are asked in the book, I had a bad feeling as I read along, and came to the conclusion that I do not think the book is completely reverent, but rather detracts from God's greatness, awe, and the fact that His thoughts and purposes are much higher than ours. I am glad that the book points to God as the perfect Creator of every part of our being, but we cannot bring God down to a human level. Plus, the illustrations show one instance of a little girl being naughty with her hands, and that is not at all why God created hands! The book does not even speak of the mind, heart, or soul of a child, which is the most important part! I was very disappointed in this book.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Baby Bites...Homemade Animal Crackers

I still have a recipe page from an animal cracker-making kit

I got when I was young.

The other night Jonah and I decided to try them.

Here is our health-i-fied version:).

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 to 1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (don't omit this!)

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Beat butter, sugar, honey, egg, and extracts together; set aside.

Blend flour and baking powder together, mix into butter mixture.

Refrigerate for one hour wrapped in waxed paper (I didn't do this and it was fine).

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut with animal cookie cutters.

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes at 350.

Our animal cookie cutters were inaccessible,

so besides the circle and heart that we had,

we made kitties, fish, and triangles.

Yum yum...enjoy!

Just in time for Easter...

As young children, my siblings and I used to listen to the record "Little Tree". My sister and I were happy to find a CD version of it online a couple years back. Jonah and I were listening to it again in the car today, and I thought I should share it with you here.

"The Story of Little Tree" is a fictional story about a young tree whose branch is cut off to make the cross upon which Jesus is nailed. There are several songs mixed into the story and they are very nice. This CD never fails to bring tears to my eyes when I listen to it!

Hop on over to CBD.com to purchase it for only $6.99. I promise you won't be disappointed!