** Thanks to the PR firm or brand for the items to review. This review is based strictly on my experience and opinion. There was no compensation for the review itself or to influence my choice of words. Others may not agree or may have a different experience.**

We've just finished up our first year of homeschool with Alex in Kindergarten. One of the main take-aways of his year was learning how to read and learning to enjoy it. To me, it seemed like the assignment of reading was more like a chore to him than something he wanted to do so I began to search for ways to make it fun. I had to find the kind of books that he would be drawn to and want to read. 

ZonderKidz {a subsidiary of Zondervan} reached out to me about the new I Can Read! book from The Berenstain Bears - Good Deed Scouts Help Their Neighbors. I knew right away that Alex would take to this book and want to read it. He really enjoys when we turn on The Berenstain Bears show during one of his TV times and is really familiar with the characters and setting of the stories. I was right, too. He was super excited to see this book {and others} in the envelope the day they arrived.

This first one is unique in that it's three books in one. The stories in this hardcover book are The Berenstain Bears - Mama's Helpers, Help The Homeless, and Honey Hut Helpers. These stories take readers through different scenarios and teach them not only how to be a help, but also how to think of others and see a need. Also, this book {along with others being reviewed} is a level 1 reader. This is perfect for my Kindergartner 1st grader.

We were also sent The Berenstain Bears - Thank God For Good Health, Piggy Bank Blessings, and Do Not Fear, God Is Near books to review. These are faith based books and speak to the topics of being brave at the doctor's office, being a good steward of your money, and trusting God enough to not be afraid of anything {even spooky shadows}. My 2 oldest kiddos have asked to read these stories over and over again. The message of each book is simple enough for them to understand but rich enough for us to have real heart to heart conversations about after reading.

The titles in this review are just the tip of the iceberg at ZonderKidz for their selection of  I Can Read! books. There are many more books from The Berenstain Bears along with selections from VeggieTales and other lovable characters as well. Head over and check out their titles then stock up for the summer. You'll want these on your little ones' shelves for sure. 

New From Zonderkidz And Berenstain Bears {review}

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Winning the Chuggington Interactive Railway is:

Winning the book God Gave Us You is:

And
Winning the Veggie Tales Princess and the Pop Star DVD is:

All the winners have been contacted and have 48 hours to claim their prize before I randomly select another winner/winners.

Winners!

• book chuggington chuggington interactive railway dvd giveaway God Gave Us You learning curve VeggieTales winner winners
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We spend a lot of time reading books in this house. Some of our favorite stories are read over and over again throughout the day or even the week. We find that reading is a great way to explore our imaginations and build important skills for the little ones at the same time.

We were recently sent an adorable board book for review. The title of this book is God Gave Us You {by Lisa Tawn Bergren} and it really could not have come at a better time for Alex and Eliana. Since we've received it, Alex has asked to hear the story again and again.

You see, I'm currently pregnant with our third child and Alex has a lot of questions about the pregnancy itself and wants to be reassured of his importance in this family. Reading God Gave Us You to him answers a lot of those questions and concerns and gives us a great opportunity to talk about some of the topics covered in this book.

Here's the book's synopsis:

"When a young polar bear cub climbs into bed one night, she asks her mama a very important question: 'Where did I come from?' As Mama Bear tucks her little one under the quilts, she lovingly explains, 'We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because...God Gave Us You.'"

This is such a beautiful book and I find that it really sends home the message to Alex that he's very wanted, loved, and special. He often asks to hear the story of his own time in mommy's tummy and how things went at the hospital. Following that, he will usually ask to hear about Eliana's story and wonder what's happening with the new baby in my tummy right now.

I love how this book shares how God answers prayer. I get to tell Alex and Eliana how much they are wanted and loved and how God chose them to be in our family. It's wonderful to have a book help me put some of those ideas into words that they can grasp and appreciate.

BUY IT: You can purchase God Gave Us You for $6.99.

THE GIVEAWAY!!{Now Closed!}

I have a board book copy of God Gave Us You for one lucky winner!!

To enter: Visit WaterBrook Multnomah and tell me one other, specific book you'd like to check out.

For additional entries:

• Blog about this giveaway with links back to this post/blog.
• *For 2 Extra Entries* *Like* Coffee with the Mrs. on Facebook. {Comment with 2 separate comments including yoru facebook name for credit}
• Grab my button for your sidebar. 
• Subscribe to my blog by e-mail through feedburner {the coffee cup at the top of the right sidebar with the orange rss symbol. comment with the e-mail address you subscribed with}
• Follow my blog *For 2 Extra Entries* {right beneath the Giveaways listing on sidebar. Comment with 2 separate comments for credit}
• Follow me on Twitter @TheMrsC (comment with your twitter name)
• Tweet about this giveaway.  If you want, you can say “CoffeeWithTheMrs.com is giving away the book God Gave Us You and I want to #win!” {Just make sure to link to my blog or the giveaway}.  {comment with a link to your tweet}
• **TWICE daily retweets are available for extra entries. Leave a comment with a link to your daily tweet{s}

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will run until August 18th at 11:59pm ET. The winner will be selected by using random.org and will be contacted and announced on or around August 19th. If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours of initial contact, I will randomly select another winner. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Open to US only.

**This is a "Buddy Picks" AND a "Peanut Prefers" review. It gets two thumbs up from both kiddos.

**Thanks to the company or pr agency, who supplied the items to facilitate this review & giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the item mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**

Children's Book ~ God Gave Us You {review & giveaway}

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Sorry for the delay but I have winners to announce. :)
Winning the book Pretty Neat: The Buttoned-Up Way To Get Organized & Let Go Of Perfection and a chance at $200 is:

and winning the First Years Ignite stroller is:

Congrats, ladies! I'll be emailing you with instructions to claim your prize! 

*Prizes unclaimed after 48 hours will be redrawn and another winner will be announced.*

I Owe You Some Winners! :)

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I've been a part of a book study/Bible study at my church for the past few weeks. I've met some great women but more importantly, I've been reading a book that is life changing.

We're reading *Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us From The Inside Out by Joanna Weaver. In this book are discussion questions that go with each chapter so we've been reading two at a time and then following up with the discussion questions in a small group setting.


Now, I could easily go on and on about the small group I'm a part of but I think it's more important to share with you about what I've been learning from this.

I'll start by saying, I need to read this book again. I haven't even read it through once yet, and I know I need to read it again. There is a wealth of knowledge and understanding in its pages. Joanna is so honest but she's gentle at the same time. So, while I am reading something that makes me say "Oh, man. That's me. Ugh!", by the time I've read through her explanation and advice, I feel much better and know that what needs to change in me will as long as I trust God through it. It's not a book that shames me at all. Rather, it's a book that challenges me and changes my heart.

One thing I've been learning about is "Flesh Woman". If you read this book, you'll read A LOT about Flesh Woman. She's the person inside that wants what she wants. She does what she thinks is best and rarely has a filter. Every decision is based on the thoughts of "I want. I think. I feel." and following through on these thoughts leads to disaster. I mean, it can get really ugly. If you are a woman or know a woman, you know how those 3 statements can really REALLY get in the way of logic and...well...even peace sometimes.

This past week, we were talking about resentment and bitterness in my small group as that was the topic of the chapters we read. One quote from the book hit me like a lightning bolt and I couldn't wait to share about it with my small group gals. Are you ready for it?  It is

I'm learning I don't have to be offended. It's my choice. It's what I do with what happens to me.

And there it is. The truth. It's a truth that is a lot easier said than done, but it's a truth nonetheless.

When I read  that for the first time, I'm pretty sure I stared at that bit of the page reading it over and over again. I wanted it to saturate me or make its way into my heart through osmosis or something. "I don't have to be offended. I don't have to be offended." I read it different ways each time until I had full understanding.

How many of you know that when you learn something, you have to also learn to apply it?

Well, I had my turn at that too.

It happened just after my book study/Bible study night. Words were said to me that, at first, cut through me and hurt me to my core. I had a whole mouth full of questions and words that I wanted to say in response. I felt my heart begin to race. I felt the tears streaming down my face. And I hurt.

But I remembered what I had just learned. I remembered that I have a choice with my reaction and response. And honestly, it was hard to not take what I just heard personal. It was hard to take the hurt I felt and surrender it to God. By His grace, I was able to shut off the "I want. I think. I feel." noise in my mind and listen to wisdom.

And since I was able to take captive the negative thoughts and surrender them, I was able to respond in a right way. I was able to speak my heart and swallow my pride.

Was it easy? No.
Did I cry through it? Yes.
Was it right? I'm confident that I handled myself and my choice of words the way I should have and I'll just have to wait and see the final outcome to it all. (That's the hard part. LOL)

And let's not forget. In the meantime, I have to TRUST God that "all things work together for good to them that love God..." (Romans 8:28). It's not always easy. I'm tempted to go right back to feeling hurt...even today. But I continually lay that down and choose to not be offended as well as choose to love.

No, it's not denial. I know that what was said hurt me. I am just learning to control myself and how I respond or react to being hurt. It's a good thing.

Long story, short. The book is GOOD. Go grab a copy and read for yourself. :)

**The link above was only used to point readers to a reference point where they can get more information on the book should they choose to buy it. I was not compensated at all for sharing about the book. And of course, my opinion is my own and may be different from others.

Learn, Stretch, Grow!

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all photos from Zoom Album website

 

I want to introduce to you the perfect way to keep, give, or share memories. The Zoom Album kit offers an easy way to create a book of 12 of your favorite pictures to carry in your pocket, backpack, or purse. This software really is amazing and the quality of the printed photos is even MORE amazing. 

 

With the software, you can upload your photos, add them to your book project, crop and zoom them until you're happy with how they look, add a whatever text you would like, and personalize your cover with a photo if you choose to. 

For this review, I used photos of our experience at Disney on Ice to give to my son's friend as a gift. She's a picture fanatic and I knew she would love to see the pictures and recall her time there. I took my time selecting the pictures I would put in her book. On a few of the pages, I put a sentence describing what the picture was about so her parents could read it to her like a story. Then, I used a picture I took of the curtain for the cover of the book. 

This process was so easy. I made sure to follow the directions closely so I could be sure to assemble the pages and hardback cover the right way. It was a little time consuming, but the outcome was very worth it. 

When I presented my son's friend with her Zoom Album, she was so excited and looked at the pictures over and over. 

Other great ideas for this album are:

Wedding gift

Gift for new parents

To remember a birthday party, soccer game, recitle, ect.

To make for a soldier who has to leave his/her family. 

As a "thank you" gift

and SOOO many more ideas.

I'm thankful to Zoom Album and the Family Review Network for allowing me this review opportunity. This is such a neat product.

If you'd like to purchase a kit, they're on sale right now!

THE GIVEAWAY

That's right! Another giveaway opp. for you readers! Zoom Album is giving one of you a Photo Cover Photo Album Kit. Trust me when I say, you do NOT want to miss out on this one. 

To enter:

1. Visit Zoom Album and find the retailer that is closest to you. Comment with their location in proximity to yours with your e-mail address and you can consider yourself entered.
2. For additional entries:
1. Tweet about this giveaway (comment with link to your tweet)
2. Follow this blog
3. Follow me on Twitter @TheMrsC (comment with your twitter name)
   
4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back here (comment with your post link)

Please leave separate comments for each entry. If the first required entry is not met, no other entries count.
This contest will run until March 14th at 8:00pm ET

Good Luck!!!

Zoom Album (Review & Giveaway)

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