Marriage eBook Bundle of the Week

It's funny, the Super Bowl always makes me think of how quickly time passes. We're not into football at our house, and I don't watch the Super Bowl -- not even for the commercials. But, it's nearly impossible NOT to hear about the Super Bowl on TV. Once upon a time, I was a high school student dancing in the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXVII. So, each year as I see those roman numerals change, it gives me a bit of a shock to see how much time has passed. This year was no exception. (I'll just let you do the math.)

Of course, as I reflect on time, I can't help but think about my marriage. Next month, Brett and I will have been married for twelve years. TWELVE YEARS. Yeah, that number is a bit shocking to me too.

When I heard about the latest BundleoftheWeek.com marriage-themed bundle, of course I was intrigued. I think it's healthy to read about marriage and make a concerted effort to do what I can to strengthen my own. But honestly, it's been awhile since I've read anything of the sort.

It's not always easy. I know for me, it's all too simple to just go along with the daily to-do, especially since our family is in this law school / child-rearing stage of life. That's why I picked up this bundle of 5 ebooks for only $7.40 (a savings of over 80%). This bundle includes:

• 15-Minute Marriage Makeover by Dustin Riechmann
• A Simple Marriage by Corey Allan, PhD
• Stripped Down by Tony and Alisa DiLorenzo
• Entangled by Amy Bennett
• The Husband's Guide to Getting Lucky by Marla Taviano

Get yours today...I just did. This bundle is valid from now until 8:00am EST on Monday, February 11th. Also, if you're interested in hearing about upcoming ebook bundles, sign up for the weekly newsletter at Bundle of the Week.

Is there a marriage resource that you've found helpful? I'd love to know what has worked for you. Share in the comments.

Booking It in 2013

Another year, another list of books I hope to read. Of course, I don't always get through my list. I certainly read a lot last year -- I just didn't get to everything that was on my Booking It list. Somehow, I got distracted by other books. I guess that can happen when you've got a Kindle and can get free books with the click of a button.

What follows isn't an official to-read list for the next year. Instead, it's more of a list of categories of books plus a few specific titles that I'm interested in reading. I'm hoping that this type of plan will help me add a bit more variety to my reading time.

If I find a really good book, I'll try to post about it on the last Monday of the month and then link up to Booking It 2013 at Life as MOM. If you're looking for reading inspiration, Jessica has a HUGE list of books that might be interesting to read here. Bundle of the Week is also a good resource for potential reading material. I'm on their email list, so I just might splurge on another bundle if the topic is something that really catches my eye.

As it stands now, here's what I'm considering for 2013.

French-Related Stuff: Okay, I'm a total sucker for anything related to France!

• Bringing up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
• French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters by Karen Le Billion
• French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano

American Classics: I think this might be a good year to explore some American Classics. Sadly, there are some "big" books that I've never read. I'm getting a little tired of thinking to myself, "I've never read that." when a classic is referred to on TV or in another book. So, I just might try to check some off the list.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - I can't remember if I actually read this or not. Huck and Tom Sawyer kind of blend together in my mind. But, I found a  free kindle version here so it won't cost me a thing to check it out. 

Fan Literature: I haven't really explored the world of fan literature, but I thought it might be interesting to try it out this year.

• Sydney's Story: A Prequel to Tale of Two Cities by Eileen Granfors - My high school teacher wrote this book! I remember enjoying A Tale of Two Cities in high school although I do seem to remember that it made me cry. I thought it might be interesting to read Mrs. Granfors' prequel to it. While I'm at it, I'll probably reread A Tale of Two Cities since it's been a good, oh, twenty years since I read it. (Man, does that sentence make me feel old!)
• Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued by Anna Elliott - I love Jane Austen and have read many of her books. I usually read P & P once a year or so. I picked this Kindle version up for free, so I'll definitely give it a try. I believe the author has created a sequel so I might consider picking that up if I enjoy it enough (and if its cheap enough).

Motherhood & Parenting: I picked up all of these ebooks through Bundle of the Week this week. So of course, they are on the list!

• Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas
• Mindset for Moms by Jamie Martin
• Parenting with Positive Guidance by Amanda Morgan 
• 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions
• Steady Days by Jamie Martin    

Work: These were on my list last year, but I never got to finish them. I'll give it another go this year.

• 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller
• Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility by Mireille Guliano

5 ebooks on Motherhood for $7.40

Last week I told you about Bundle of the Week -- a website that offers a set of five ebooks on a related topic each week. Each bundle sells for $7.40 (a savings of over 75%) and is available for one week only.

When I got the email announcing this week's bundle, I knew that I would be getting it for myself. This week's bundle includes these FIVE ebooks on Motherhood & Parenting:

• Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas: This book is about embracing the seasons of motherhood and appreciating where you are while helping you to make creativity a priority in your life. It will encourage you to let go of perfection, to start small, and to find inspiration in everyday living. This little book will challenge you to make the most of the time you do have to create beauty and meaning with your head, heart, and hands.
• Mindset for Moms by Jamie Martin: This is Jamie Martin's personal manifesto on positive thinking for mothers. It's packed full of lessons she's learned over the years in an easy-to-digest format that's perfect for busy mamas.
• Parenting with Positive Guidance by Amanda Morgan: Get the tools for understanding your child’s behavior and effectively teaching and guiding your child toward increased self-control while fostering a healthy parent-child relationship. No book you read will ever change your child. But this book can change you and how you react to your child in daily situations. It’s the difference in those interactions that will effect real change in your children and your family.
• 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions: This book is packed full of wisdom from experienced moms who have been there, done that. They answer tons of common parenting questions on everything from nap time and grocery shopping with kids to keeping your patience and preparing for the s-e-x talk, all organized in 17 easy-to-read chapters.
• Steady Days by Jamie Martin: Steady Days is a book about mothering with a focus, juggling your mothering career with other roles you may hold, and being mindful as you interact with your children. In the midst of potty training and temper tantrums, Steady Days takes you through the process of becoming a professional mother: one who is organized and excited to spend time with your young children.

Over the past week, I've been thinking a lot about what type of mother I am and where I need to grow. My girls both celebrate their birthdays this month, and well, it seems as if time is passing all too quickly. There is so much that I've yet to teach them. So, I'm really looking forward to diving into these books soon!

If you're interested in this bundle, remember that it is only available through 8am EST on Monday, January 14th. Also, you might want to consider signing up for the weekly newsletter so that you don't miss out on any bundles.
  
 

Ebook Sale to Benefit the Barlow Family

One of the beautiful things about the internet is the way that it can connect us to one another. I'm always especially touched when I learn of the struggles that friends of friends -- complete strangers to me -- are facing.

I recently learned about the Barlow Family from Mandi of Life Your Way. Last month, Harold Barlow passed away from a brain infection and left behind his wife Jenny and their five children. My heart breaks for them and their loss. I can't even fathom what they are experiencing now.

But, I am pleased to be able to do my part to let you know of a great fundraiser to help support this wonderful family during this nightmare of a situation.  As a way to help the Barlow Family while still providing a great resource for readers, Mandi of Life Your Way has brought together a small group of bloggers and put together a pretty amazing benefit sale, which includes the 9 ebooks listed below plus the complete set of Life Your Way printables. Valued at over $50, this benefit bundle will be available for $5 for just three days, starting today through Thursday night. This bundle includes: 

• Easy Homemade by Mandi @ Life Your Way
• One Bite at a Time by Tsh @ Simple Mom
• 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae @ SarahMae.com
• Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Mom
• 50 Books to Enjoy with Kids by Veronica and Jessica
• Fill ‘Em Up by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers
• Guide to Freezer Cooking by Crystal @ Money Saving Mom
• Tell Your Time by Amy @ Blogging with Amy
• How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi @ Life Your Way
• Plus the Complete Set of Life Your Way Printables

100% percent of the proceeds will go directly to the Barlow Family. Although I already own a few of these awesome resources, I'm buying a copy for myself as well to get access to the others AND support this family. Even if you aren't able to purchase the bundle at this time, consider sharing this offer with your friends online:

• Share on Facebook

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Google+

Click here to purchase your ebook collection to benefit the Barlow Family.

Free Ebook from VineSleuth

Have you heard of VineSleuth Uncorked? It's an awesome wine blog for the casual wine drinker.   

For a limited time, VineSleuth is offering the updated version of the Wine & Dinner for $20 or Less for FREE! Yes, FREE! This ebook contains 19 recipes that can be prepared for a mere $5 plus suggested wines to pair with these meals. If you're like me and have trouble locating wine at the store, the ebook also includes an index with photos of many of the recommended wines to make it easier to spot what you want on the shelves.

Stop by and check out VineSleuth and get your free copy. This offer expires on Sunday, October 7th.

Easy.Homemade by Mandi Ehman

Last week I got a sneak peek at a new ebook, and I've been waiting to share it with you. Well, the wait is over! Today Mandi Ehman is releasing her latest ebook, Easy. Homemade. - Homemade Pantry Staples for the Busy Modern Family.

This book features more than 60 recipes with chapters on beverages, seasonings, condiments, pantry staples, dairy, snacks, and baking mixes. Just looking at the table of contents makes me hungry! You can even download a free sample of the book to check it out.

Right now, if you purchase Easy. Homemade. through August 21st, you'll get free printable recipe cards, the Kindle and Nook files to load onto those devices and acccess to all of the recipes from the book on PlantoEat.com. Best of all, this ebook is on sale for just $0.99! Really, you can't beat that!

Get your copy today!

The Summer Survival Guide

Okay, I'm trying not to freak out that summer is nearly here. Lu finished preschool on Tuesday, and Ella is set to finish in just a couple short weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to have them home for the summer. But, I'm also just a tad overwhelmed as well. Now that we're living the life of a law school family, I'm working from home as a virtual assistant for bloggers and blog contributor to supplement our income (aka school loans). Somehow, I've got to figure out how to juggle that along with having two kiddos at home full-time. I know that they will become bored and bicker if I don't have something up my sleeve. One of my solutions? The Summer Survival Guide!


Last year, my big sister Jessica published this awesome ebook full of summertime inspiration for planning family fun. It includes printables and customizable pages as well as ideas for home management, emergency preparedness and more.


As someone who has personally read every one of the 200+ pages in this book, I can confidently say that it is worth every penny of its $9 price! If you're interested in learning more about the book, click on the link above. You can even view the Table of Contents as well as a sample to see if it is right for you and your family.

Last summer, we were in the midst of remodeling our condo, and packing up for a cross-country move. Sadly, we weren't able to plan much summer fun into our lives. This summer is going to be different with the Summer Survival Guide!

Summer Survival Guide

May is here. How did that happen? Seriously, April just flew by. I guess sheer busyness can make that happen. April was quite the month of travel and work...just I wasn't the one traveling. In our quest to make a final decision on where Brett will be attending law school in the fall, he made one trip to the East Coast and one trip to northern California. Smack dab in between those two trips, he chaperoned a 10-day trip to France and Spain. Needless to say, he is still recovering from his travels, and I am recovering from spending the majority of the month as a single mom. Hats off to the single mothers of the world. It is definitely a tough job. I am thankful that Brett is home.

While Brett was gone, I had plenty of time to work my part-time job as a virtual assistant to my big sis Jessica (aka Fishmama). Throughout the month of April, I helped format her latest project...

Summer Survival Guide
A 200+ page ebook full of summertime inspiration for planning family fun. Includes 38 printable and/or customizable pages as well as ideas for home management, emergency preparedness, family fun, and more.

As someone who has personally read every one of the 200+ pages in this book, I can confidently say that it is worth every penny of its $9 price! If you're interested in learning more about the book, click on the link above or photo to the left. You can even view the Table of Contents as well as a sample to see if it is right for you and your family.

My summer is sure to be one of upheaval as we pack up and prepare to move to law school. However, I still want it to be a fun summer for my girls. By implementing some of the ideas in the Summer Survival Guide, I think we just might pull it off.