Spirit of God Bible Review

I enjoy reading bible stories with my toddler and my Sunday School class. I also love short stories that keep the attention of smaller ones. I was offered The Spirit of God (Illustrated Bible) to review in return for my honest review. I love this book! The illustrations are beautiful and the colors on the pages pop to spark the attention of the little ones. The stories are from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The stories, from God’s Spirit and Creation all the way to The Fruit of the Spirit are great stories for the littles who are just beginning to hide God’s words in their hearts. The book contains 40 stories in all with a total of 311 pages.


I love this hardcover book and will use it for many years, at home with my children and in my Sunday School classes.



This would be a great gift for a birthday or Christmas, but would also make a great gift for parents so that they may read to their children and for any church leader that works with children. To preview the book and view a free sampler you can visit http://www.zondervan.com/p/spirit-of-god-illustrated-bible/

Hog Wild (Things to do in Arkansas series)

The kids and I went to a birthday party at Hog Wild in Hot Springs last month. It is very much like Party Central in Bryant, but it does have a few extras. My older two enjoyed Hog Wild as much as my two year old. In addition to the inflatables, there is also an arcade area and a snack bar with seating. The arcades (you do need your own money for these) were fun and offered tickets that could be exchanged for prizes. Air hockey seemed to be the favorite. The snack bar included things like nachos, hot dogs, drinks, and candy. There were plenty of inflatables, including a large inflatable slide. In addition to the inflatables for the littles, there was also a small carousel. However, you will need to bring quarters for your littles to ride. The party room and building in general was clean, the staff was friendly and we had fun! If I had to choose between Party Central and Hog Wild as a venue, I would more than likely choose Hog Wild due to the face that you could fit more of an age range into a party event. 

They do offer open jump at certain times, as well. For more information on this venue or to book a party visit Hog Wild

Magic Springs/Crystal Falls (Things to do in Arkansas series)

We celebrated my son’s birthday at Magic Springs this year. In years past, we have been season pass holders, but have not been in a couple of years since our little was born. I have heard many complaints in these couple of years from others about problems with unruly kids running around, rides not in operation, general complaints. We didn’t have any of these problems. It is April (it has been really chilly here), Crystal Falls (water park portion) is not open yet, and school is not out for the summer yet, so maybe that cut down on some of these issues.

I took advantage of the discounted ticket offer that was available online and saved them to my phone. We planned to spend the entire day so arrived at open. There really was no waiting to get in (season pass holder line was another story) and no problems scanning tickets from my phone.

I was a little worried that my two year old would become tired and bored before the day was over, but she had FUN. She is exactly 36 inches tall and while I knew there would be a few rides she would be able to enjoy, I didn’t realize there were as many available to her that actually were. Granted mom and dad had to ride along with her on some so that she could enjoy, but that was not a problem. There were at least ten rides she rode. There was the train, the carousel, the airplanes, the log ride, a small roller coaster, just to name a few. She loved them! And yes, we rode them over and over all day!

My husband rode the new Brain Drain with the older two. Not my thing to rocket 13 stories high, so me and princess just watched. Awesome was the feedback from their experience. All other rides were open with the exception of the X-Coaster and Arkansas Twister. That was kind of a bummer because those happen to be two of my family’s favorite rides. But, those two rides being down didn’t take away from their fun at all.

The food at any amusement park is a little over priced in my opinion, especially with a larger family so we generally picnic or eat elsewhere. Magic Springs does have a picnic area so we took advantage of that. The area was clean and had lots of shade. But, there were not enough picnic tables available and there were no trash cans available. Sure hope they fix that!

Each summer, there is a series of concerts that are available as well. Some really big names come! We did see Billy Currington here a few years back. I believe the concerts begin in May, but not sure on that.

We had a great time! The park was clean, the staff was friendly and safety minded, and the rides were fun! We will add some more trips to Magic Springs to our adventures soon!

If you are interested in more information, you can find it here @ Magic Springs

The Assignment (Book Review)

Many times throughout my life, I have wondered what my purpose in life is. As a Christian, I know that my main purpose here is to live for God and serve others. But, I have always felt like I didn’t know what my talents were or if I was serving where I was meant to be.

The Assignment is a book by Dr. Devon Blanton that was inspired by these constant questions. The desire to find purpose is something we all have. Some people go their entire life and feel as though they never found their purpose. Is your purpose right in front of you? Many people give up because they measure the way the world measures success.

This read offers perspectives that are unique. We all have a purpose in this life. An assignment. This book just might point you to an ‘aha’ moment. Your purpose may be right in front of  you and you never even knew it.

I enjoyed reading this book. I was given a complimentary copy in return for my honest review. The Assignment can be purchased on Amazon.

Party Central (Things To Do In Arkansas Series)

When I originally started this blog, it was going to be centered around my family’s adventures while out and about here in Arkansas. It has since taken on an “all things momma likes” kind of theme. But, summer is right around the corner and we have started adventuring a little more again since our baby is now a two-year-old that likes adventure as much as the rest of us. So, with that comes my first post in the “Things To Do In Arkansas” series.

During Spring Break, we visited Party Central in Bryant with our church group. Party Central is toddler heaven! An entire room full of inflatables for hours of jumping fun. My two-year-olds favorite was the slide. This particular Party Central seems to be geared towards younger kids and while it was a lot of fun for my toddler and our church groups younger kiddos, I would not choose this as an outing with my older two in tow.

I didn’t notice any concession stand available, but did see smaller items like candy that was available for purchase. The staff was very friendly and the building was very clean.

Party Central has birthday party packages and can be booked for family reunions, church group outings, etc. They also offer scheduled open jump days throughout the year. Open jump entry fee is affordable and party packages seem comparable to other like businesses.

For more information visit Party Central

Holes in the Soul (Book Review)

Holes in the Soul is a book that is written by Dr. Devon Blanton. Dr. Blanton is a pastor of many years with experience as a professional Christian counselor. Have you ever wondered what makes us do the things we do? Do we live with strongholds?

Holes in the Soul is a fairly short book that tries to help one understand what creates broken places in the heart- holes in the soul. How does discernment play a vital role in this? This book is a simple read, I enjoyed reading it and found it to be thought provoking. There are only 23 chapters to this book, but those 23 chapters  are packed full with the last chapter meant to add humor.

This book would be a great read for anyone. We all have holes in the soul and this book helps to reveal the processes and effects in an easy manner. Great study!

Let The Little Children Come

That's exactly what Jesus says! He loves all of his children, especially the little ones. 

One of the most important and dear things to me is teaching not only my children, but my Sunday School and AWANA children about the one true God. Teaching them verses that they hide in their hearts forever to refer back on as they grow. Reading stories to them and seeing their eyes light up as they realize they do relate to Jesus and that Jesus will always be by their side. No matter what.

I was so excited to be able to review this gospel tract teaching kit. Not only can I use this with my Sunday School class, but AWANA class as well. John 3:16 is the Sparks key verse. This verse is contained on one of the animated tracts. Really cool learning tool that will keep the attention of even the youngest. The striped plastic sheet gives the illusion of moving images when you slide it left to right.

The FlipAbouts were also a favorite with the kids. You can fold it horizontally, turn it counterclockwise and even open just like you would a book. Such a fun time while learning the gospel. 

The Pop-Up Tracts are great, as well. This has been a type of learning tool I gave used in my classes for years because, well, kids are fascinated by pop-ups. They are drawn in by the 3-D images. These gospel tracts are beautifully illustrated and the gospel message of salvation is sound. 

Also included for sampling was bracelet kits which I have not used with my class yet. But, they are a great resource and will be a great craft for kids to wear as a reminder of their salvation. I will be ordering these kits to use in the future.