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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Swagbucks Carnival!

The Swagbucks Carnival has started, and it gives you an opportunity to earn bonus Swag Bucks each day just for earning the way you normally would. Check themeter on your homepage and you’ll see you daily goal and how close you are to hitting it. Every day you hit the goal, you add to your bonus! As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll get additional bonuses based on how many days of the Carnival you’re able to hit your goal! To top it all, Swagbucks is having a Swag Code extravaganza on Monday – that means lots of codes, lots of Swag Bucks and lots of fun! Don’t miss it!


The ultimate guide to raising our daughters right—from parenting expert and trusted family counselor Dr. James Dobson.

Peer pressure. Eating disorders. Decisions about love, romance, and sex. Academic demands. Life goals and how to achieve them. These are just some of the challenges that girls today face—and the age at which they encounter them is getting younger and younger. As a parent, how are you guiding your daughter on her journey to womanhood? Are you equipping her to make wise choices? Whether she’s still playing with dolls or in the midst of the often-turbulent teen years, is she truly secure in her identity as your valued and loved daughter?

In Bringing Up Girls, widely acclaimed parenting expert Dr. James Dobson presents his highly anticipated companion book to the bestselling Bringing Up Boys. Based on the latest research, and handled with Dr. Dobson’s trademark down-to-earth approach, Bringing Up Girls will help you face the challenges of raising your daughters to become strong, healthy, and confident women who excel in life.

JAMES C. DOBSON, Ph.D., has devoted his career to helping children and families. A licensed psychologist and a marriage, family, and child counselor, he served on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Medicine for 14 years and on the attending staff of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for 17 years. He holds a Ph.D. in child development from the University of Southern California. Heavily involved in governmental activities related to the family, Dr. Dobson served on the task force that summarized the White House Conferences on Families and received a special commendation from President Jimmy Carter. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Commission to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He has also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and the Commission on Child and Family Welfare.

My Review

I have owned a copy of Bringing up Boys by Dr. Dobson for a number of years now, and wondered what took him so long to write the counterpart to it, Bringing up Girls. I am so glad that it is finally here.

I think the thing that I am most appreciative with Dr. Dobson’s books, is that he always tells us what it could be like in a perfect world, but realizes that this is rarely the norm. All of us have flawed families, flawed lives, and we all do make mistakes. He is such an encouragement to the reader to begin where ever you are and start there, heading in the way you want your future to go.

With this book, he sees where society is, where families are, where each girl’s mind may be and in spite of it all, truly desires the best for each and every girl out there. This book covers current, up to the moment issues that girls and their families may face and he gives his renowned practical advice in the most loving and kind way.

Invest time, love, and prayer into your daughter now, for returns that truly have no limits down the road.

Buy it Here

Tyndale sent me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Tyndale.

About the Book

I married an idiot–and so did my spouse. The word, “idiot” is derived from the Greek word meaning “common man.” Aren’t we all common man? In fact, there is only One who was uncommon man–Jesus Christ.  Elaine W. Miller encourages couples to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus and run a marriage marathon like an idiot, but not like a fool. An idiot may stumble or fall, but a fool runs the wrong way.

We All Married Idiots teaches husbands and wives to stop concentrating on the three things you will never change in your marriage and begin focusing on the ten things you can. Then, you will esteem your mate as a gift to treasure, not as an idiot to tolerate.

You can purchase the book here.

About the Author

Elaine W. Miller is a popular author and speaker known for sharing biblical insights with warmth, enthusiasm, and humor. A member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, she has been encouraging audiences for over 25 years. Elaine and her husband, an ordained minister, have been married 41 years. Together they have led many marriage retreats and counseled numerous hurting couples. Residing in upstate New York, Elaine and Dan enjoy a beautiful and sometimes idiotic life together. Elaine is the author of two additional books, Splashes of Serenity: Bathtime Reflections for Drained Moms and Splashes of Serenity: Bathtime Reflections for Drained Wives.

Other places to find Elaine:

My Review

Did the title get your attention???

Good, it’s supposed to!

I’m an idiot and so is my husband. The sooner we realize that we all are human and none of us are better than anyone else, it will give us the right perspective on ourselves, our spouses, and our marriages.

This book gives its readers the option of deciding what to focus on. Are we going to DWELL on the things we CAN NOT change about our spouses and our marriages? Or, (hint hint) should we make the decision to put our best energies and best efforts on what we can change…..?

OURSELVES!!! Our attitudes! Our behaviors! Our actions!

Elaine challenges the reader to think about the ten things we can turn around in our marriages and it all starts with us. When we get the right outlook on our marriages, then real and healthy changes can occur.

Hilarious, convicting, and making me want to love my husband all the more, I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to begin on the road to the marriage you’ve always dreamed of. Why wait another day? Start here, start now!

Buy it Here

The Giveaway

For anyone that’s interested, I have purchased an extra copy of We All Married Idiots to give away to one lucky reader. Leave a comment below, either through Facebook comments or the regular comment form, and let me know that you would like to have it.

For extra entries, feel free to do any or all of the following:

  • follow me on NetworkedBlogs via Facebook
  • follow me, @dianeestrella on twitter
  • sign up on the sidebar to follow DianeEstrella and subscribe to my RSS Feed.

Leave me a comment for each extra item you do so I can tally up all the entries!

A winner will be chosen from those entries and announced May 21, 2012. Good luck!

The author sent me the above book for review purposes. She will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Elaine W. Miller.

About the Book

The Eric Trap is a leadership fable that reveals the 5 things every leader in ministry has to get right. Whether you are full time, part-time or a volunteer this practical book written by several highly respected leaders who have made it a habit to practice these 5 important principles will inspire you to a new level in your own life and ministry.

You can see a sample chapter here.

CONGRATS PASTOR SAM!!!

Sam attended Portland Bible College in Portland Oregon where he graduated in 1997 with a BA in Theology, upon graduation he became the children’s pastor at the same church for over 14 years. Starting as a volunteer at age 13 Sam has been doing children’s ministry for the last 24 years. In those years I have seen kids ministry grow and change tremendously. Currently Sam serves his church as a Campus Pastor at Redeemer Church in Utica, New York.

Buy it Here

Distance. Resentment. Avoidance.

You want to love your family, your neighbors, and your coworkers well. But something goes wrong when you reach out to them, and you find yourself tearing down the relationships you wanted to build. Are you doomed to repeat this cycle forever? For most of us, certain unhealthy reactions feel natural and even inevitable. Unconsciously, we cling to what 1 Peter 1:18 calls the ‘empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers.’ But you are not doomed to repeat this cycle, according to William P. Smith, since Jesus came to redeem his people from such things. The destructive relationship patterns you learned before you met Christ no longer need to control how you live and interact with others. Instead, you can exchange the empty ways for new ones that promote deep unity and peacefulness – patterns that create satisfying and God-honoring relationships. A rich, practical relationship with Jesus enables you to develop rich, practical relationships with others in spite of your brokenness and theirs. Through Christ, you no longer have to do what you have always done.

In short, you can learn to love well.

My Review

The author is obviously a very compassionate and wise counselor. This book is full of encouragement and wonderful examples from his years of experience.

Sections included are:

  • Love that responds to a broken world
  • Love that reaches out to build others up
  • Love that enjoys Heaven on earth

I appreciate that the author turns the focus on each chapter off of ourselves. This book challenges the reader to think beyond their own comfort and abilities and truly turn his/her efforts on loving only as Christ can.

This book was a very slow read. The author is a wonderful writer but there was so much information in there to absorb, that it took time. I would highly suggest this book to anyone that is in a ministry position or someone that desires to be used in counseling or mentoring of any type.

Love—- one of the most often words spoken, but one of the least truly ever shown.

Buy it Here

B&B Media sent me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from B&B Media.

Three Ways to Seek Balance and Shine a Little Light

We all crave balance in our lives. Balance with ourselves and others inspires a welcomed sense of joy and peace. Emotional well-being, in turn, motivates us to shine light on those around us, hopefully giving them some balance, too.

Here are three ways you can seek balance in your life.

1. Seek Balance with Your Time.

Many of us spend our day doing things for other people—our children, a dependent relative, our boss. At times, we fulfill other people’s needs to meet our obligations. Other times, we devote too much of our time to others at the cost of our peace and, potentially, our physical well-being.

Seek to balance your time by remembering that God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This means He expects us to love ourselves in healthy doses. Make time to follow your passions. Enjoy time alone or with friends. Allow yourself to relish being a child of God, which is who you are aside from being a parent, a relative, or a wage earner.

Personal balance-seeking tip: Proverbs 4:23 instructs: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it,” (NIV). When you consistently put your needs and wants last, resentment of those around you may grow in your heart. Keep resentment at bay by taking time to nourish your needs. Doing so will make your life sweeter and prompt you to treat others with more patience and positivity.

2. Seek Balance with Your Health.

For many people, a major hindrance to finding balance with themselves is their relationship with food and exercise. Take a mindful approach to food and exercise and you’ll view both as roads to health and vibrancy. Take a heedless approach and you’ll quickly see either or both as your nemesis! Luckily, barring any disability, we have control over what we put into and how much we move our bodies.

Train your taste buds to appreciate healthier meals by choosing foods with incrementally lower amounts of sugar and salt. Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables by adding them to your breakfast to start—bananas, avocados, or tomatoes are good breakfast additions. Pack a hearty salad for lunch—add chicken chunks and low-fat cheese for a more satisfying meal with added protein. Don’t forget the vegetable side dish for dinner, or bowl of fruit for dessert. Also, if you prefer carbonated drinks, trade out sugary sodas for carbonated water.

Likewise, train your body to want exercise. Get moving for a few minutes each day and soon you’ll look forward to the feeling of well-being and strength exercise brings. Baby steps in this area can quickly build into a physically and emotionally rewarding exercise routine.

Personal balance-seeking tip: If food choices are a problem for you, invest in a weight management program that teaches you to make healthy nutritional choices, versus joining a quick-fix weight loss scheme. I joined a weight management program for a year, lost 49 pounds and still employ the nutritional education I learned from that plan. I joined that program three years ago and have kept the weight off to date.

3. Seek Balance with Your Friends.

Just as important as the way we treat ourselves is the way we permit others to treat us. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends.

The people you call your friends should be enjoyable, caring people, not fickle souls who bring stress into your life. Once you experience the joy a good friend can provide, you’ll be more apt to pay that joy back by being a more supportive friend yourself.

Personal balance-seeking tip: For those of us who have felt a calling to befriend a difficult or irresponsible person, we should do so if it fulfills our calling. But we must balance the tug to befriend that person with our own entitlement to peace, our family’s entitlement to peace, and the understanding that we may actually be keeping that person from seeking the professional help they need to overcome their own imbalance.

Cheers to more balanced days!

In what ways do you seek balance in your life?

Janette Dolores is a mom, wife, and blogger. She is passionate about family and spirituality, and draws inspiration for her writing from everyday experiences. Read more of her posts at www.janettedolores.com.

Image: David Castillo Dominici