14 Gospel Principles for Parenting

This is a sponsored review. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. It also contains referral links. If you click through and purchase something, I will recieve a small commission.

I want to tell you about a book. There are a lot of book reviews that start out with "this book has been on my shelf..." In this case, that would be a lie. This book has never seen a shelf. Instead it's spent some time in my laundry basket, on the corner of the dining room table, and in my shoulder bag. Seems fitting when I tell you that it's a parenting book, huh? Even better when I tell you that I haven't read the whole book! But I'm still going to tell you about it, because I think it's a great book!

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That can Radically Change your Family by Paul David Tripp helps you to examine your calling as a parent. It's a realistic look at family life and the struggles that all parents have: too little time and so many goals!

Tripp calls us ambassadors in that we are called to faithfully represent the message of the leader who has sent us; in this case, Christ Jesus. Our job is to establish a space where our children can learn and grow and ultimately become what God has created them to be. And the best part is that the author himself admits that this is not an easy job and one he has often struggled with. It's not a preachy book, but a guide for helping you to become more of the parent you want to be.

Each chapter is based on one of 14 gospel principles with a series of very relateable vignettes about parenting. It's nice to know that my kids aren't the only ones driving their parents crazy! But my job is bigger than that, and as long as I keep my end goal in mind, I can power through.

In looking over the book, I flipped right to the chapter on Mercy. The first thing I read was this:

"No parent gives mercy better than one who is convinced that he desperately needs it himself."

It really hit home because it made me think of all the times I call upon God's mercy for myself, but act stingy in bestowing that mercy on others. I truly believe in God's mercy, and in fact depend on it to get through many of my days. Somehow, in the thick of things, I neglect to show that mercy to my children. And how else will they come to internalize God's mercy if they've not been shown abundant mercy from me? Mercy is not feeling like a failure when your kids misbehave in public. Mercy is reminding yourself that children are children and they act like children. Mercy helps me recall that my children are learning from everything they do and my reactions to it. Mercy is really what I need to work on most to be a better parent. 

You can find this book on Amazon or you can try to win one for yourself right here!

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Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

How to Make a Tuna Sandwich, by Henry age 8

I received this product at a reduced price in exchange for an honest review. The product links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to click through and purchase something, I will receive a small commission. Your purchase price will not be affected.

Henry loves to eat. He loves flavors and seasonings and sometimes he freaks me out by running into the kitchen and yelling, "Is that oregano?!" while I'm cooking dinner. At meal time he picks out specific flavors from foods and comments on them. He truly enjoys his food. In fact, after teasing him one day that the only food he didn't like was raisins, he actually ate some raisins and changed his mind! All this to say, that when I needed a kid to help me with a review in the kitchen, I knew he was the one to pick.

I was offered this Bru Joy Side Cut can opener for review, and I was more than happy to check it out. Can openers and I have a love/hate relationship. I hate electric ones because I can never get everything lined up properly to make it work. Plus they take up valuable counter space in my small kitchen. I've always used a hand held opener, but after cutting my fingers open on one too many lids, I sought out a safer option. We've actually owned a few of the side cut style openers, but the most recent one we purchased wouldn't open the thicker cans, like those for tuna fish or canned chicken.

My biggest goal was to discover is this can opener would open a tuna fish can. My secondary goal was to teach Henry how to make a tuna fish sandwich. Thirdly, I'll take any excuse to make a video of my kids being cute! I wish I could have left in all the little songs Henry sang while preparing his lunch. However, there was an awful lot of other background noise and the editing process made everything jumpy.

Suffice it to say, after this review, I know the following:

• This can opener can handle the thicker cans and open lids with edges so safe an 8 year old can handle them.
• Henry may not whistle while he works, but he does some really cute scat singing.
• There's a new sous chef in the Lieber household!

I received compensation (free items and/or cash) in exchange for writing this review.
Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you choose to click through and purchase something. Your purchase price is not affected.
Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

http://www.thelieberfamily.com/p/contest-terms-and-conditions.html

Apple Spice Cake {Recipe}

Disclosure: I am partnering with Kauffman’s Fruit Farm as a blog ambassador. I have received these Kauffman’s Fruit Farm products for free; however, all opinions remain my own.

I try not to keep too many desserts on hand at home. I have crappy will power and if it's there, I'll eat it. I had to tell Ken a few weeks ago to stop buying me Klondike bars! However, if a dessert has fruit in it, that's a whole different thing. Fruity cakes are healthy! Right?!?! Work with me here!

Recently, I got some Kauffman's Cider Spice Bags for making hot mulled cider. I love hot apple cider, especially as the night's get colder and I can curl up on the couch with a fleece blanket and a hot drink. However, I didn't think you all would enjoy a post about me drinking hot cider, so I went the extra mile. Just. For. YOU!

Apple Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 3 medium apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 cup of raisins
• 4 Kauffman's Apple Cider Spice packs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water, apple juice, or milk

Directions

Mix apples, raisins, and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In third bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, to butter and sugar mixture. Alternate incorporating chosen liquid and butter mixture into flour. Mix well after each addition. Add apples and raisins and mix well.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

I received compensation (free items and/or cash) in exchange for writing this review.
Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you choose to click through and purchase something. Your purchase price is not affected.
Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

http://www.thelieberfamily.com/p/contest-terms-and-conditions.html

Making Pretzels with Kauffman's Fruit Farm

Disclosure: I am partnering with Kauffman’s Fruit Farm as a blog ambassador. I have received these Kauffman’s Fruit Farm products for free; however, all opinions remain my own.

"Mommy! Your apples are here!" That's a great way to be greeted when you get home from work, right? I love that my kids are so excited to get a box of fruit in the mail. My kids actually got mad at me because I made them eat the grocery store apples before we dove into the Kauffman's box, because I try to stick with a "first in, first out" plan for food management in our house.

I've been partnered with Kauffman's Fruit Farm in Pennsylvania to help them celebrate their 100th anniversary and get the word out about their awesome offerings. And this month I learned that not only do they have amazing fruit, but they have a lot of other great offerings too!

This month's box (similar to this one) contained 8 Gorgeous Gala apples,  an 8 oz bag of apple schnitz, Shoofly pie mix and a soft pretzel mix. I was super excited about the pretzels because we love pretzels, and I've always wanted to make my own.

The package contains the pretzel mix, yeast packet, and salt. All you need to provide is warm water and baking soda (for better browning).

Pour the mix into a bowl then add the yeast packet and warm water. Mix until everything is wet and then knead it for about 3-4 minutes. Place the prepared dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set it in a warm location for about an hour to let it rise.

After the dough has risen, turn it out on a greased counter top and divide it into 8-10 pieces. Roll each piece into a 24" cord. Flippity do dah it into a pretzel shape and then dip it in a mixture of 3TBSP baking soda and 2 cups of warm water. This will help it to brown nicely when it bakes. Place it on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes. Try not to eat them all as soon as they come out of the oven!

I made the dough before dinner and let it rise while we ate. After dinner, while the kids were getting on pajamas, I rolled the dough out into long snakes (all those years of Play-doh playing have finally come in useful!) and formed the pretzels. I wanted to make a special surprise for the kids, so I made each of their initials out of pretzels dough. They were done getting ready for bed around the time I pulled them out of the oven.

They LOVED their initial pretzels! And they were so delicious. I may have eaten more than one after they went to bed. This is definitely something I will be purchasing again, and next time I'll let them be more involved since I know what I'm doing now!

If you're looking for fresh fruit, fruit products, or Dutch Country treats, you can't go wrong with Kauffman's Fruit Farm!

I received compensation (free items and/or cash) in exchange for writing this review.
Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you choose to click through and purchase something. Your purchase price is not affected.
Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

http://www.thelieberfamily.com/p/contest-terms-and-conditions.html