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Kristen Anne Glover

Five in Tow

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A Giveaway for Bibliophiles (um…book-lovers)

I had a problem.

bibliophile

The budding bibliophile

I should have known it was going to happen when my daughter’s first words were, “Read it! Read it!” and she showed up at the hospital to meet her new brother with books for me to read.

Reading in hospital

“It’s great you just gave birth…so, can you read to me now?”

I should have known when she could tell me the shortest route to Barnes and Noble using grunts and hand motions from her rear-facing car seat.

I had created a Bibliophile.

bib·li·o·phile

/ˈbiblēəˌfīl/

Noun: a person who collects or has a great love of books

This was a great problem to have, generally speaking. A daughter who loves books will never have enough money for makeup or enough time for boys. She will always have adventures and the very best friends. She will read to her younger siblings and teach them to love books until the entire family is one big, giant pack of book-lovers.

bibliophiles

Oh my goodness, there are more of them

Which is exactly what happened.  As my daughter grew, so did my problem. She out-read me. She read all the books I recommended and some I didn’t. She burned through a Kindle and would check fifty books out of the library at once—and read them all in two days.  She taught her younger siblings to do the same until we were surrounded by books and yet had nothing to read.

I could not keep up with them, but my kids were too young to have carte blanche at the library. Not every book written for adolescents is worth reading, you see. Many are horrifying, especially in the genres that should be the most delightful of all: fantasy and adventure. They often had to wait for me to Google a review before plunging into a new series. But even then, how could I know my kids were reading the very best books, the ones that would enrich (not just entertain) their minds and hearts?

Enter my friend Gretchen, who graciously sent me a series of fantasy books for my kids to read. The Tales of Larkin, written by Alan Harris, a veterinarian and homeschool dad of six, are not just safe—they are rich with biblical truths and packed with the best kind of adventures of all: our adventures.

Hawthorn's Discovery

Hawthorn’s Discovery

Every chapter of Hawthorn’s Discovery, the newly-released first book in the series, captivated my kids with its breathtaking escapades and witty humor. The parallels between this tiny world and ours left them chattering long into the night.

It is a gift to find a book that elevates my children’s understanding of spiritual things in such a fun way. ‘Mom! Listen to this!’ they exclaimed every time Larkin’s tale illuminated another portion of our own Story.

Nothing makes this mama happier than a book series I can wholeheartedly entrust to my bibliophiles. These are exactly the kinds of books I want my children to consume, and I’m happy to share them with you!

Hawthorn's Discovery

A bibliophile in her natural habitat, reading Hawthorn’s Discovery

I am hosting a Friends of Bibliophiles giveaway!  The prize package includes a freshly-printed copy of Hawthorn’s Discovery for a favorite reader AND a $25 Starbucks card for you.   Maybe you and your book-lover can sneak away and read together?

Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered to win.

BUT WAIT!  Bibliophiles need all the books!  If you would like one more chance to win, head over to my Facebook page.  I’ll be giving away another copy of the book over there. Enjoy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviews 2 Comments

Stephanie’s Thirty-One Adventure

Catch Beetles

When I was very young, I lived on a coffee plantation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  I ran barefooted with my brothers up and down the runway while my dad circled overhead, swimming his red and white airplane through an endless ocean of sky.

During the week, my older brother and I hopped on a yellow truck with bench seats in the back and bounced away to boarding school.  My dorm parents had been missionaries in one of the jungle tribes, so it was appropriate that they were put in charge of civilizing a pack of missionary kids who would have rather been outside collecting beetles and climbing mango trees.

Knee socks

I am not in this picture. That’s why I chose it.

My roommate in that weathered wooden dormitory was Stephanie, the oldest daughter of my dorm parents.  We weren’t much alike, and since she was several grades ahead of me (and far more mature); I must have made her crazy.

I did not know that one day, that curly-haired girl would become my sister.

We’re still not much alike, except we both have crazy hair and a slew of children and we both married men named Jeff.  Some of our kids share names, too.  Other than that, we’re totally different.  For one thing, Stephanie is far more caring.  When my husband was gone on Army business for months on end, Stephanie kept track of the days.  She sent care packages and notes and checked in on me at just the right time.

That’s just like a big sister for you. 

Dorm life

Okay, I’m in this one. Can you find me?

I don’t know how she has time to think of me at all.  Stephanie is the mother to seven children, and the wife of a man who is busy balancing work and ministry.  Jeff was a former missionary kid himself.  The two of them met in training for mission work and spent a total of ten years preparing for and ministering to the Semandang tribe—the same people group Jeff’s parents had served when he was growing up in Indonesia.

One of their children nearly died there.  They faced many challenges and hardships as missionaries.  There were joys too–but if you’ve never been on the mission field, you cannot imagine what it is like to raise your babies in the jungle.

Stephanie and Jeff are back in the States now, working with their home church as youth leaders.  Jeff is on the church board.  They both disciple small groups of people while they pray about where God is leading them.  They work, too, because it takes a lot of work to support a large family.  For a time, Stephanie worked the night shift and came home just in time to homeschool the kids.  Now, she is a caretaker for a few young children in her home while her own kids are in school.

It’s not easy managing a home, ministry, and work.  But I love how consistently Stephanie demonstrates a Proverbs 31 woman to me.  She is willing to work hard as a partner and helpmeet to her husband while being a loving mother to her children.  I’m sure some days are very hard.  But as far as I can tell, Stephanie does it with a servant’s heart.

Like I said, we’re not very much the same.

It seemed appropriate that Stephanie decided to become a consultant for Thirty-One, a company named after Proverbs 31.  Perhaps you’ve heard of them?  They sell amazing bags and organizational products.  I even did a fun review on them here which you totally have to read because it’s funny.  At least, I had fun writing it.

Large Utility Tote Beach Bag

Stephanie decided to join the company for several reasons.  For one thing, she wanted some of the bags.  It’s easy to see why–they are beautiful, functional, and made to outlast seven children (which is saying something).

family photo

This is Stephanie’s family, as they looked a few years ago. Those kids won’t stop growing!

But she has a bigger dream.  She wants to free her husband up to become even more involved in ministry.  That’s just like Steph.

I wanted to support that vision and my step-sister’s dedication to her family.  It’s a rare thing these days to witness a woman working beside her husband in ministry and in the precious calling of raising godly kids with such humility and grace.

I told Steph I would do an online party for her because I appreciate her so much.  If you love Thirty-One bags, or if you’ve never heard of them but want to check them out, please click on the link to browse around!   Your purchase will help Stephanie and Jeff in their desire to serve their church in a greater way.

Click here—->   Thirty-One Party!

To make things even more fun than shopping alone, I will be doing a giveaway!  That’s right!  Everyone who orders through Stephanie’s link above will be entered to win her choice of either this bag (in a print of choice):

Zip Top Utility Tote

The Zip-Top bag keeps everything organized. I’m getting one to take to piano lessons! Bonus: It’s the SPECIAL this month!!!

or this one (again, in your choice of print):

Large Utility Tote

The large utility tote is one of my favorite Thirty-One bags!

All you have to do to be entered to win one of those bags is shop through the party link.  Be sure you order before Friday, February 21 at 9 pm Pacific Time in order to be entered to win one of these bags.  You should see the Five in Tow party title at the top of the screen when you order.  That ensures that you’re ordering with this party so I can keep track of who is eligible to be entered.  Also, if you’re a follower of my Five in Tow Facebook page, you “might” (wink wink) get in on a few extra giveaways while we run this party this week.

Have fun shopping, and thank you for supporting Stephanie!

 

Reviews, Uncategorized 12 Comments

Simply Homemade: Pocket Survival Kit

Simply Homemade

When it comes to making simple, homemade gifts for girls, things are easy.  Girls love hair bows, ornaments, pretty smelling bath bubbles, and just about anything Pinterest can conceive of.

Boys are another story.

Boys want things that shoot and cut and require batteries.  I don’t know about you, but I cannot crotchet a remote control helicopter.

All season, I have wondered what I could make that my outdoor-loving, snake-catching, fast-living boy would like.  I wanted him to more than like it, since I was going to put time into making it.  I wanted him to love it.

I wondered and wondered about it until one day, we met a man at a flea market who was selling knives and various outdoor supplies.  He happened to have a pocket survival kit that my son went crazy over.  I had found my solution.

A pocket survival kit is just what it sounds like.  It’s a small tin packed full of all the little goodies a boy might need to survive the wilds of his own backyard (except food and water–you want the boy to come home sometime). They sell them pre-packaged online at various sporting websites, and, apparently, at El Paso flea markets.

The great thing is, you can make one for much less money.  This is the perfect gift to make yourself because it gives you control over what goes in the box, and you can make it as fun or functional as you like simply by changing the quality and type of items you include.

You will also find that this Pocket Survival Kit is a great resource for teaching your child real-life skills like how to read a compass or how to start a fire.  It’s the kind of gift that leads to memorable moments of teaching and learning together.

Like all the gifts in this series, it’s completely easy to do.  All of the contents are readily available at any store that sells sporting or outdoor supplies, and most of them are very inexpensive (unless you decide to upgrade to better gear).

Here’s how you can make a Pocket Survival Kit for your own mini survival man (or woman).

How to Pack a Pocket Survival Kit

Pocket Survival Kit

You will need a small tin (an Altoids box or Sucrets tin is perfect). 

Everything you pack is going to have to go inside of this tin, which should be small enough to fit in your wilderness man’s pocket.  That means you need to get the smallest, yet most functional, versions of any or all of the following items:

A mirror (this is for signaling for help)

Laser pointer (also for signaling)

Emergency whistle (sometimes these are included in pocket knives or lasers, so keep an eye out for a dual-function tool to save space)

Pocket knife/multi-tool

A lighter***

Compass

Fish hooks

Fishing line

Rappelling clips (carabiners)

Wire saw

Emergency blanket (this will be too big to fit in your tin unless you cut it down to size or use a vacuum sealer to compress it)

Water purification tabs (because what could be cooler than drinking out of a mud puddle?)

Small bag (so you can purify said mud puddle)

Various sizes of safety pins

Razor blades, if the recipient knows how to handle these (secure them under the duct tape in any case)

Survival Tin

Once you’ve gathered all your items, pack everything in the tin.

Mark the back of the box with the Morse code signal for SOS.  Later, teach your child how to use the laser pointer or mirror to signal for help.  It’s fun!

SOS

SOS

If you look at the picture closely, you will see that I covered the tin with duct tape.  I also put another strip on the bottom.  You never know when duct tape could save a life. 

Close it up and your Pocket Survival Kit is ready for giving!

This makes a great stocking stuffer or gift for an outdoorsy young man or woman.  However, please use your discretion when giving a gift like this unless you are confident of the recipient’s maturity.  Be sure he or she knows how to handle the tools properly and is responsible with them.  If you have any question about any part of the kit, exclude it.

My nine-year-old son is very responsible and has been taught how to use each of the components of this box, and he has been   I would not worry about him abusing any of them.  But not every nine-year-old boy is the same!

Fire starters

Of these fire starting options, a lighter is probably the best bet

A note on fire starters

You will notice that I included several fire-starting options in the photo above, but only listed a lighter to included in the box.  Lighters are great fire starters, but you can choose any option you like.  Matches, magnesium strips, or even magnifying glasses can work.   I actually put several in the kit for my son because I opted to leave the emergency blanket out.

If you have to choose, a lighter is by far the most reliable in a real emergency situation.  If you pack a magnifying glass, it could be cloudy.  Matches get wet.  Magnesium strips are hard to use to build a real fire.

Choose the option that you like the best and which will be most interesting to your child.  Then, teach him how to use it safely and efficiently.

There you have it, a fantastic, simple gift for the boy in your life.  If he’s anything like my son, he’s going to love it.

 

*The posts in this series may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

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Crafts, Reviews 2 Comments

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I believe you can find grace for the mother you are and help to become the mother you long to be—a mom who has the freedom to choose the better things and enjoy her kids right now.

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