God Gave Us Thankful Hearts

My 3 year-old daughter and my 7 year-old son LOVED this book!  They were able to follow along and easily grasp the moral of the story.  This book is considered a religious book, and it references thankfulness to a creator for blessings in our life as well as ways to look for the positive in all situations--even the challenging ones!

This is a new favorite book to read at night time before going to bed.  My kids will also bring this book to me during the day when they are wanting some snuggles & reading time.  The book is a considered a quick read--something that can be read cover-to-cover in less than 10 minutes.  The kids enjoy it because while it is a quick read, it is longer than a picture book or a book that takes less than a minute to read.  After reading this book, they usually feel 'fulfilled' and do not ask for more books.  They will run off to go play a game or activity.

As a parent, I enjoy that the pages turn quickly since there is an average-sized paragraph on most pages. The kids have time to look at the details in the illustrations while I am reading the content, and then it is time to turn the page to new pictures!  We love to also detour from the story and talk about the pictures and the details as well--like that the Mom wears the same vest so it is easy to recognize her, and the kids love naming the different animals throughout the story.

We really enjoyed this book, and we hope to add some of the other books to our collection in the near future.


Note:  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

PLATED--A gorgeous cook book for all occassions!

This is a gorgeous book with more than 125 amazing recipes that will inspire even the shyest home cook to get in the kitchen and try something new!

There is a wide variety of recipes from many different culinary styles and cuisines.  Most of the recipes require common market ingredients with an occasional speciality ingredient added in that might require going to a specialized or ethnic market.

The recipes are divided into time-themed categories which is a fun change!  For example, 'weeknight dinners' are quicker and faster than 'weekend feasts'.  And if you are pressed for time, there is even a 'make ahead' recipe section that allows you to create the recipe a day or two before you actually need it.

This is certainly a favorite recipe book!  I had never heard of the Plated company before (a company that offers a service of pre-selected, pre-portioned ingredients available for purchase so that anyone can be an instant home chef no matter which night of the week it is! I am now curious about this company and am interested in the other cookbooks that the company has published.

Note:  I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.