Undivided Mom Launch Week!

Undivided Mom: Finding Christ in the Chaos of Motherhood by Kayse Pratt
Visit the launch page!!
Amazon Description:

If you’ve got motherhood all figured out, this book isn’t for you. Carry on.

If you’re one of the rest of us, struggling through the miracle, you’re in the right place, friend.

Undivided Mom is a devotional for moms who feel distracted, pulled in a million different directions, and really just desperately need Jesus to keep them from losing their ever-loving minds. It’s about mothering with a vision, with a purpose, for His glory, and through His strength.

This is a book for anyone who is longing to find a glimpse of Christ in the chaos of everyday motherhood.

It’s for you. For me. For all of us.

 I was a part of the launch team for this ebook! Purchase the ebook on Amazon for $4.99. (10/913)

My Thoughts:
Let me first state: This book is WAAAY too short!! Kayse Pratt does a fantastic job in this devotional. She easily covers all bases; Biblical devotions mixed with life devotions 50/50. This 14 day devo uses it's odd days to study verses from the Gospel of Luke and it's even days to help moms glimpse God in the everyday chaos. The odd days also include some "Think it Over" points to help you carry God's Word throughout the day, this is a MUST for a great devotional. I just fell in love with Pratt's writing and wished for more!

Personally, this devo was a challenge for myself.

 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me over at Sunrise Avenue to check out my review on this fantastic resource from Kayse Pratt!

We Go Together

This is it folks, the end of the Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon. I am quite sad to see it go. A full week inundated in book blogging and reading with a purpose. I am really happy with my progress. I have read some of the "Graduation Day" posts that were linked up already and O.M.G. Some of you people read 8, 10, 18 books!! Uff-da! Even if I didn't have a baby I think 18 would overwhelm me. 

Here, again, were my goals:

1. Read and complete Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

2. Read and complete an ebook

3. Participate in the daily blog link ups

4. Follow at least 2 new book bloggers

I read and completed 2 ebooks on my Kindle, both of which will be reviewed over at Sunrise Avenue soon. I managed to take part in the daily participation posts, and even several of the challenge posts! I wasn't sure I would have time to get them all done, but luckily I worked ahead and had some of the posts written/started last week when the schedule went up. And I think I added 4 new bloggers to my Feedly and another handful on Twitter. I love seeing all the book related tweets on my feed!!

Well the semi-bad news: I still have 84 pages left of Folly Beach. :(( I put off writing this post until later this evening to see if I could finish it, but I spent a lot of the morning at church and then with family and this afternoon catching up at the gym (finally). Maybe I will still finish it off tonight since I foresee Baby Girl having an early bedtime. 

Overall, this was probably the best read-a-thon to make my first read-a-thon. It had a lot of active participants, amazingly fantastic giveaways, a 24 hours Twitter Party (!!), creative challenges, and fun daily link ups. Read-a-thon Central will have another party in the winter, and I can't wait!! Until then, Christian Sugar Addict will go back to regular programming and the new blog, Sunrise Avenue, will be jumping in head first into the amazingly, awesome world of books! 

Thanks for stopping in friends and have a fantastic Sunday evening!!

.

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!

Hello All!!

First, a bit of fantastic news: I have my new blog up and running!!!

Sunrise Avenue is my new home for blogging about books, life, and let's face it: Doctor Who! I have copied all the Summer Lovin' posts over to that site, but will finish out the challenge here as well for continuity. Eventually I will delete them from here to keep the sites orderly. I am really excited about it and hope you go check it out (work in progress remember!). Feel free to give me pointers about what you like and don't like so I can keep working hard! Click to visit the Welcome page.

Today's participation post is simply to update the masses on our progress! I am proud to report some good success! First, a review of my goals

1. Read and complete Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

2. Read and complete an ebook

3. Participate in the daily blog link ups

4. Follow at least 2 new book bloggers

Goals 2, 3, and 4 have been accomplished! I meant to read more of Folly Beach yesterday, but it was busy and I was sick, so instead I laid in bed and started and finished another ebook, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back. Goal one then is up in the air whether it will be finished then or not. 

CHALLENGE POST

COVER TITLE SCRAMBLE from Love. Life. Read.

Guidelines

• Pick 5 from each month and unscramble them. Each grouping of letters is one word (the words are kept in order)
• Put the answers in your blog post
• Link it up!!

.....I should be good at this one.............said the liar.

May Titles:

1) hte   h5t   vewa The 5th Wave
2) eht   scetrsahnen
3) ginwre
4) sujt   neo   skis Just One Kiss
5) yan   shduesc  lwil   od Any Duchess will do
6) ti   dha   ot   eb   uyo It had to be you
7) tols  dan   dfnuo Lost and Found
8) het   yelbon  gnki The Boelyn King
9) neoc  noup   a   niprec Once upon a Prince

June Titles:

1) het   nomo   dan  remo  The Moon and More

2) ormts  dna  egies Storm and Siege

3) rtas    dsceur  Star Cursed

4) teswe  lsat   ira  Sweet Last Air

5) het   crenwmeo 
6) veorfre   oto   rfa Forever too Far
7) het  miatng   fo  deyrr  uanacvhga .....I was pretty sure it started "The mating.." Wrong!

8) wot  fo  a  dnki Two of a Kind

9)  neo   etswe  deri 
10) hwta  hte   kedu   sesdeir What the Duke Desires

11) kifagn   ti 

July Titles:

1) fi   het  ohes   tisf   If the shoe fits
2) eth   eegd   fo  vnere 
3) rfits  gisht   a   veonl  
4) utre   lvoe  True Love
5) ehtre   tletil   rdswo  Three Little Words
6) eht   gniht  si  velia The Night is Alive
7) feprcte  gifln  Perfect Fling
8) scoseh  hte   gronw   ugy   veag   imh  het  gwonr  gefrni       
9) meoh  ot   kewihsy   kecre Home to Whiskey Creek

August Titles:

1) lafl   fo   veif  Fall of Five

2) wrnco    fo    gdminhit Crown of Midnight

3) hte   desah  fo  het   onom 

4) sero  bahrro   ni  mlobo
5) eht   rohe The Hero
6) gib   ysk diwengd Big Sky Wedding 

7) yatacasw  veoc  a  ltehrse  yab   venlo 

8)  siht   rilg   a   veonl  This Girl a Novel

9) mtetapinto Temptation

WHEW! Barely made it :) For loving to read, I am HORRIBLE at word games. Lucky there were enough easy ones for me to do each month! How did you do??

Tears on my Pillow

Greetings Amigos!

Day Four of the Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon and I have been having a fantastic time!

Today we share a quote from our current read or tell us about a book that really pulled on your heart strings. I recently added the Life Changer shelf to my Goodreads page, which includes six spectacular books that have caused me to stop and question my beliefs and/or my life in general.

One book I am currently reading with the blog Good Morning Girls is called Anything by Jennie Allen.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Safe. Comfortable. Happy. Words we all love. Feelings we want. Even crave. We may love God, but being that he's invisible, words like "comfortable" seem to feel better faster. We are all chasing something. Our hearts were made to run hard and fast after things that move us. But as a generation we are all beginning to stir and wake up, identifying that these words don't satisfy for long, especially when compared to God. If God is real, and we are going to live with Him forever, shouldn't He be everything?
Caught in this familiar haze of worldly happiness and empty pursuits, Jennie Allen and her husband Zac prayed a courageous prayer of abandonment that took them on an adventure God had written for them.
"God, we will do anything.''

It is a book that is shaking live throughout the GMG community. And if you are looking for a book to challenge your beliefs, pick this one up!! Here are a few random quotes that I have underlined in my copy:

"It's not just those in prison who are far from God; often it's those of us sitting in the pews, deciding where to go to lunch after this guy finishes talking about a God we barely need" (pg 24)

"I did wonder sometimes, when I closed my eyes and let it get scary quiet, if I was missing the best things, the things that matter most, because I was afraid." (pg 39)

"I believe that being willing to abandon everything requires being willing to go anywhere--and willing to let go of everything. ... If anything has 'buts', it wouldn't be anything." (pg 57)

and last one :))

"..we are actually looking for ourselves to matter. So we keep so busy, so distracted, so in love with everything but our invisible, patient, jealous God." (pg 70).

What books changed your life??

No affiliate links. All book links lead to goodreads.com.

"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee!"

Greetings friends!

*Goals Update!!!: I finished my e-book goal by reading Valor by Taylor Longford! Still haven't started Folly Beach however...*

Anyone else dying to watch Grease about now? I am for sure, complete with chocolatey trail mix! Today's topic is a bit tougher for me. Although, I love reading, and particularly fiction, I do have a tough time becoming a fan follower of literary characters. TV...don't get me started *cough cough Doctor Who cough*. So I reviewed over my recent-er reads to pick some good female characters, and I am trying to stick to 3!

 

Elyse from Oppression

In the book, Elyse is given a prophecy for her life, and instead of complaining and resisting...she accepts it! I loved that about her and didn't see it as a weakness. Instead it is more like acceptance; acknowledging her importance and her future and acting upon as best she can. I love characters who can be strong and accept their destiny, and not spend three books whining about it. 

Tris in Divergent

I am surprised by how much I loved Tris considering how much I am probably nothing like her. But she is strong and fearless, something I wish I could be more like. Tris makes who she wants to be and doesn't accept her own limits. She is constantly challenging what others think of her and pushing herself to be better. I love that drive and it makes for a great dystopian character!

Hermione from Harry Potter

Let's face it.....she's awesome. Who wouldn't love to be Hermione Granger?? She is strong, brave, intelligent, loving, and kind. The perfect mix. I know she comes off as annoying for books 1-3, especially The Sorcerer's Stone, but she grows on you like a best friend. Hermione is the only one to stick with Harry from start to finish and that deserves some cred (book 5 anyone??)

Like these picks?? Anything you disagree with? I would love to hear it!




No affiliate links. All links lead to goodreads.com

You're the One that I Want!

Hey fellow Summer Lovin' friends!!

Today's participation post is focused on our must have summer reads. Let's be honest friends, is it really a summer read unless it is crazy chick lit???

Some examples of books I have read in the past that would qualify as great summer reads would be:

 One for the Money (and the whole series). Yes now it is a movie with Katherine Heigl that was only liveable because a. she was in it and b. I had already read the books years before. Trust me, the book IS better!

 Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Straight up sob story here folks. So maybe don't actually read this ON the beach, unless you don't mind people staring at you.

 Mai Tai One On. Ridiculous summer mystery fluff.

And let's face it...
 Treasure Island. What could be more summery than a book on an island searching for treasure with pirates??? SUMMER.


This summer I feel I don't have much good chick lit fluff on my summer reading list. And that disappoints me. I have Folly Beach which is the book I am reading for this challenge. If you check out my To Reads page on Goodreads, what you will find is in need of some drastic updating. But! you may also find a lot of YA 'fluff' that perhaps I should finally get around to.





Which one do you think I should start with first?? Have you reviewed any of these books? Leave me the link in the comments!!


No affiliate links. All links lead to goodreads.com.

Class Orientation!

Hey Book Blogging Buddies!

I am participating in my first ever Read-a-thon here with Summer Lovin' hosted by Reviewing Wonderland.

Today's participation post is about introductions and goals. Well taking a peek around the blog you can see I am not a book blogger :( (but check out this announcement I made last week. I would love all your wisdom and pointers as I get started!!) The book blogging world is something I am just discovering, and loving! Participating in this read-a-thon is part of this discovering process! 

Basics: My name is Alyssa! I am married to an awesome Hubby and now have an eight month old Baby Girl, whom I love to share pictures about in every form of social media. Being a new mommy has cut back on my reading time; my TBR pile is growing HUGE! I am a stay at home mom for now. I am heading into another year of coaching cheerleading (football and competitive seasons). Whether or not I coach the whole year is up in the air with a new baby child. I HUGE GINORMOUS fan of DOCTOR WHO!!! If you are too, we should be insta-friends. I am also a fan of () and !!.

I taught myself to read round age 3 by reading Babysitter's Little Sister chapter books. Loved those, Sweet Valley Twins, and Boxcar children. Because I taught myself to read, I often have difficulty with pronunciation in my speech. I had to figure out what words sounded like in my head and what their meaning was by context.  

Since then, I have been a huge reader, leaning heavily in fantasy (Animorphs as a kid quickly migrated into the world of Shannara), paranormal (before vampires were cool there was Queen of the Damned), and dabbling in sci-fi (Acorna was my big break even though I wasn't a total fan). Now, thanks to Twilight, I am discovering the world of YA. I am finding YA captivating in story and imagination, and they are always a quick, easy reading breeze. I am also reading more non-fic as I get older, specifically Christian lit but also beginning to dabble in bios. 

My goals for this read-a-thon are:

1. Read and complete Folly Beach (a beach read about a beach I have actually visited!) 

2. Read and complete an ebook 

3. Participate in the daily blog link ups

4. Follow at least 2 new book bloggers!

************
CHALLENGE POST!
Today's challenge can be found HERE!
I am sharing from Age of Miracles

 

"My mother had never forbidden me to talk to Sylvia or the other real-timers. It was never explicitly said. But it didn't need to be said. I understood well that I was supposed to keep my distance from them, from Sylvia especially. And mostly, that's exactly what I did." (pg 124)

"Classrooms were half empty all day or, depending on your outlook, half full. Dozens of desks stood unused, attendance sheets went largely unchecked. It was as if certain kids really had been sucked up from the earth to the heavens, the way some Christians were expecting, leaving the rest of us behind, we the children of scientists and atheists and the simply less devout." (pg 47)

Hmm... that last one makes it sound like a religious book, but it is not. Hope this intrigued you to reading it!!

************

I hope I can complete this amazing reading feat in one week! Wish me luck!!

If you are book blogger, leave a note! I would love to stop by your place!

No affiliate links. All links lead to goodreads.com.

Twitterature for June

Hello Friends!

I am excited to be participating in Twitterature again!

The gist: This link-up is easy place to share what you are reading with short, casual reviews. Write the reviews 'Twitter' style: in 140 characters or less! 

Here is what I am reading NOW:

Anything by Jennie Allen

Reading with Good Morning Girls Book Club. So far, fantastic. Can't wait to read more and figure out how to apply #anything to my life. #yes

Drawing Near to the Heart of God by Cynthia Heald

Has a great travel aspect. Been hard for me to track, I often forget what I have already read about #couldbejustme

WHAT ELSE I HAVE READ: 

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

Like this book, but just don't rave about it like others. Male MC Jace is super obnoxious which ruins a lot for me. #stillreadingnextseries

Surrender the Wind by Rita Gerlach

Good historical mystery romance. MC Julia was too perfect. My 2nd Gerlach novel and still not a fan of her writing. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Really enjoyed this one. Although it didn't have an abundance of travel-y bits, it still felt like it. And I love that. The characters were also SMART. #abouttime

HEY!! Check out my Goodreads shelf HERE!!

What have you been reading in the month of June??

No affiliate links. All graphics taken from goodreads.com. 

My first Read-a-thon!

Hey friends!

Special Tuesday post here: I am going to try my hand at a read-a-thon! Here is the information:

The Summer Lovin’ Readathon is a week-long readathon event hosted by seven independent bloggers! (Oh, Chrys!, Tumbling Books, Effortlessly Reading, Love Life Read, Shelf Addiction, Read Sleep Repeat, and Reviewing Wonderland)

Spend the week reading at your own pace, when and how you want too. There will be daily challenges for awesome prizes and opportunities to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

As if that weren’t enough – the week will end with a 24-hr marathon readathon! Twitter parties, mini-challenges, games, prizes given EVERY HOUR, and more chances to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Sign-ups will be open through July 6th!

So happy to have fallen into the world of book blogging!!

The Age of Miracles

Hello Bloggy Amigos!

I'm back.  I spent all of last week following Armchair BEA blogs, Twitter parties, link ups, interviews, giveaway, UFF DA! Armchair BEA is the online following of the BEA in New York (Book Expo America). Publishers, authors, speakers, and readers all converge on NY for a few days of book-lovin' fun! Armchair BEA is for us poor saps who can't go. An agenda was provided with daily blog topics to link up with, Twitter parties to participate in, and even an Instagram challenge a day! It is great fun if you love to read, like I do!

So in the spirit of book blogging, I am here to share a review of "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker!

 
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

GoodReads Summary:
“It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change.
 
On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world.

The Age of Miracles follows Julia and her family as the world, literally, changes. Somehow  for some reason, the Earth's orbit around the sun is changed, now revolving much slower. Blazing days and freezing nights are elongated, stretching out for 30, 40 hours now instead of the 24 hours we grew up knowing. This book is a fictional study about what would happen to gravity, animals, and humans if this were to ever happen.

I found this book extremely captivating, but basic as well. First, I will explain the latter. The idea of the Earth slowing is a novel one, I myself have never read anything like it. But I couldn't help but feel that this story was bred from the author's college writing courses. Most authors are taught to ponder "What would happen if.." and then breed a story from the answer. This book does that to a "T". So it does feel a bit formulaic.

Also, as the book follows Julia, a girl of middle school age, we don't often get to see the complex 'grown up' decisions and emotions that would follow a 'disaster' like this.

However! This adds a whole new view point. This is a coming of age story in the vein of Judy Blume, but set in a semi post-apocalyptic world. Julia has her foot in the Old World and the New World and thus can relate to us, with honest, open child eyes, all the changes happening around her.

I love the way the book is written, as if Julia is telling us the story from after the point. Sure, big events are never a surprise then, but it builds up the suspense. We know something is about to happen because Julia cryptically alludes to it, but we don't know what it will be, how it will affect her until after it is finally fully described.

The Age of Miracles may be slower paced for some, but even still, is one of those novel's you won't want to put down. This is the type of book you will think about for days, wondering what your own life would be like if the Earth slowed. Being somewhat short (269 pages? Really?? Felt like less!), it is an easy read. Add it to your TBR pile today!!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Check it out on Goodreads HERE or Amazon HERE.

 
No affiliate links were used. Photo source: Goodreads.com. I bought and paid for this book myself. All opinions are my own. Enjoy!

The CMG Book Launch!

Hey Bloggers!

Today is the day Erin MacPherson is hosting her book launch at the Christian Mama's Guide facebook page found HERE. She will be offering prizes all day so be sure to enter and check out her books!!

Baby Girl says "What's this??"

"OOOO! Read this one!! Read this one!!"

And that was a public service announcement from Baby Princess. Please don't make her cry! Check it out today!!

The Christian Mama's Guide

Hello Bloggy Bloggers,

Oops! I am a day late! It is always harder for me to get stuff done on the computer when Hubby is on his days off. I am sad I couldn't post yesterday because I just canNOT wait to share with you about this wonderful book! 

The Christian Mama's Guide series by Erin MacPherson (check the blog here!!) is a set of four books covering everything a parent needs to know from pregnancy to first year of school. Can I please just pause to note how ADORABLE the cover art is for each book??? 

amazon.com

I received The Christian Mama's Guide to Baby's First Year: Everything You Need to Know to Survive (and Love) Your First Year as a Mom I got it in the mail on a Friday and had devoured it by Sunday. Which for me (even though I ADORE reading)and Baby Girl, is a big feat these days. I choose the baby book over the toddler book (TOUGH decision!!) because I wanted to be able to compare her tips to what I have already experienced. I felt relieved about a lot of things and still picked up some new tricks.

The book starts with the predictable baby chapters covering items such as postpartum healing, breastfeeding, and sleeping tips. Having a five month old, I was tempted to skip some of these chapters but MacPherson drew me easily with her quick humor. I can't count how many times I laughed out loud and even wrote 'LOL' in the margins. 

Here is an example for the chapter two "The Christian Mama's Lying-In Period":

"Now, your husband will probably offer to come along to this appointment (six-week postpartum check) with you, feigning an interest in how your body is healing after childbirth. But the truth is that he's going along for one reason and one reason alone: he wants to find out when the doctor will give you the go-ahead to have sex again" (pg. 30) (italics mine).

My favorite chapters really started towards the second half of the book. Chapter 10 "It's Playtime" was perfect for me. MacPherson's confession were words straight from my mouth:

"...sometimes being a mom is boring. There. I said it." (pg 132)

Yes and Amen! Why don't people ever tell you that before you have baby??

I highlighted sentence after sentence, list after list. Another particular favorite of mine were her ideas about how to introduce babies to Jesus. This is what really sets this baby guide apart from others. Peppered throughout the book are "Time-Out for Mom" sections that include a verse and a prayer. This was a fantastic reminder for me; I don't just want to be a mom, I want to be a Christian mom!! 

Overall, this book is a fantastic read, and a quick read which is perfect for new moms. MacPherson provides a ton of info that I will be constantly referring too, wrapped up in layers of fluffy humor. All her lists are practical; several of them are being coped to hang on my fridge as I write this! 

I don't think I could recommend this book any stronger. Beware all my future pregnant friends! You will be receiving copies of CMG series in your gift bags!! I totally lamenting that I don't have the toddler book as well. Yet. 

Check it out at Amazon and her Facebook page here. Erin is hosting a launch party for the series Saturday April 6th on her Facebook page with giveaways, games, and more. CHECK IT OUT!