Mama Bear Reviews

The Girls' Guide to Conquering Life: How to Ace an Interview, Change a Tire, Talk to a Guy & 97 Other Skills You Need to Thrive by Erica & Jonathan Catherman is a how to manual for girls on a variety of life skills. While some life skills may seem like simple things, they aren't unless we are first taught how to properly do them. I do remember learning some of these skills in school such as setting a table and checking the oil on a car but many of these items are not taught in basic curriculum. I think this would be a great guide for girls that are about to graduate high school and go out on their own. I know there are a few skills in this book that I needed to call my mom about after I had moved out. Now we live in an age of Google where is seems simple to look things up but I think this book touches on some basic manners that might otherwise be missed. Skills such as making introductions and how to behave if you are pulled over by the police are very important t

Generous Love: Discover the Joy of Living "Others First" by Becky Kopitzke is a book that I finished a couple of days ago but I haven't stopped thinking about. I honestly have felt so inspired by this book that it has changed my actions over the last few days. I have been looking for the different ways in which I could bless others or share kindness which is what this book is all about. Not only have I changed my own actions but I have also been finding myself whispering suggestions to my children of little things they can do for others and get to see them beam with pride every time that they go the extra mile to help. Beck Kopitzke uses a Christian perspective to share why and how we should put the needs of others before our own. My favorite parts in the book are the stories that she shares of times that people have been called to bless others. I especially loved the story of a family that made it their mission to sneak blessings onto others. I was discussing this with

The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck is the perfect read to kick of the summer. Ok, it might not quite be summer yet but I can pretend. The sun is out longer and the days are getting warmer so why not fantasize about taking a cruise? Maggie wrote a book on the topic of happiness and finds herself completely lacking in it herself after being left by her fiancé. While she is spending her days with gelato and romantic movies, her friends decide to pull her out of her rut by taking a cruise. As it turns out, she is blindsided when she finds that she is to be a speaker on the cruise. I found this story to be funny and real. We can't all be happy 100% of the time even if we believe that we are experts on the topic. There will always be setbacks that we find ourselves needing to recover from and sometimes the best way to do that is to get a change of scenery. Maggie is able to find her happiness by stepping out of her comfort zone and I really enjoyed taking the jour

There are some topics that are considered taboo to speak about even though many people are affected by them. One of these such topics is that of pregnancy loss and miscarriage. In her book, Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving With Hope After Miscarriage and Loss, Adriel Booker navigates this topic with openness and honesty. Adriel has experienced three of her own miscarriages and opens up her soul to reveal what she went through in the days, weeks and months following those events. This book is very really and honest. I love that it covers that everyone will grieve in different ways and that doing so is ok. Along with her person views, Adriel shares the perspective of other parents that have gone through loss and talk about the grief and guilt that they have experienced. She also includes journal prompts at the end of each section to help the reader make it through their own grief experience. Another thing that I found very helpful was that at the back of the book, there is information o

Before I write a review of First Impressions: A Contemporary Retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Debra White Smith, I should admit that while I own a copy of Pride & Prejudice, I have yet to read it. I understand the premise of the story and this book by Debra White Smith is supposed to be a modern version of the original story. This story takes place in a small town in Texas where the characters are going to be part of their own production of Pride & Prejudice. The main characters Eddi and Dave face many misunderstandings about each other as well as the other characters in the novel. All of these misunderstandings cause much confusion and hurt feelings between several relationships. Everything however comes together when the truth is revealed. While there are many aspects of this story that I really enjoyed, there are some that I struggled with as well. One of the problems with the story is that a lot of the ideas of the characters seemed a bit outdated. I understand wan

I have followed Kristen Welch and her work with Mercy House for some time now. I am always inspired to hear about the work that she is doing, so I was drawn to her newest book about helping to raise our children to be givers. In Raising World Changers in a Changing World: How One Family Discovered the Beauty of Sacrifice and the Joy of Giving by Kristen Welch, she discusses both the work that she and her family have done as well as how to have conversations with your own children. At the end of each section, she interviews her children about how they feel about different aspects of life and this is a section that I really like because these are questions that I would like to ask my own children. I also really like the ideas at the end of each section about how to create change locally. In the world that we live in, it can be easy for children to take everything that they have for granted. I have been wanting to find more ways to teach my children how to think more about other peop