Book Review: Sand in My Sandwich

Sand in My Sandwich is one of those light-hearted, easy reads that makes your time on the treadmill go by fast! It was a perfect follow-up to Holly Gerth's book, as Sarah Parshall Perry candidly and openly lays out her personal and family life for the reader in a witty and inviting memoir-style manner. From her perfectionist-driven legal career, to her whirlwind marriage to a laid-back, country boy husband, and from her three children (two with an autistic spectrum diagnosis) and various pets to her own diagnosis of Behcet's Disorder, she comically relates the good, bad and ugly; through it all however, Perry is always pointing out how God's grace can be seen and His love can be felt through all of life's situations, no matter what they are. With applicable verses to her life's battles scattered throughout, she reveals how even through our greatest cracks, blessings can still overflow from the jars of our lives.

This book is definitely not your normal "how-to" parenting book, but still contained valuable nuggets of wisdom in every chapter; it reminds the reader of God's sovereignty and the need to trust Him in both the big and little things of life. It reminds us that His power and grace are essential in parenting. And it reminds us of His ability to "take the chaos of us and make it something wonderful".

Disclosure of Material Connection: As stated in the review, I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for the review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review: You're Loved No Matter What

Life's been a bit chaotic here lately. I've been diligent with the homeschooling, we had a lovely "spring break" with Paul and Miranda, and I've been dealing with Callum (more on the latter two later). That and being near the end of my pregnancy has left me... EXHAUSTED. Which means that my normal 'relaxation and reading' time in bed at night has been... nil. But I received some books to review and thankfully I was able to read them when I was exercising at the Y (a wellness staff member signed me up for an exercising challenge to force me to consistently exercise... I felt like I was back in P.E. class and being graded- but it worked).

So you will be seeing a couple of book reviews from me, and then hopefully news of what's been happening around here the past couple of weeks!

I knew I would probably enjoy You're Loved No Matter What from the first chapter. After a quick quiz to test whether we feel pressured to be perfect, author and life coach Holly Gerth delves right in on why women give up the grace God so richly holds out to us and strive instead for perfectionism, an expectation many women battle (especially in this age of facebook and pinterest)! She points out that this is exactly what Satan tempted Eve with back in the garden of Eden, and we are still fearfully trying "to be like God" in unhealthy ways. Chapter by chapter, Gerth uses illustrations, analogies and simple, easy to apply advice to stress that we need to focus on the grace God extends, freeing us to live how He created us: focusing on the talents He has given us and where He has currently placed us in life, and not expecting us to be perfect by ourselves or in everything.

Though much of this information wasn't necessarily new, this book was yet another great, practical and Scripture-filled reminder to focus not on the pursuits and viewpoints of this chaotic world, but rather look at our lives the way that the Lord does; to this end, she gently and positively reminds the reader that we are always perfectly loved by a perfect God. It ends with a "Go Deeper Guide" with questions that can be answered individually, with an accountability friend or in small groups. Though it was a quick and easy read, I will definitely be reading through it again to better absorb it's advice and taking notes (when I'm back to my bedtime routine and not sweating on an elliptical!).

Disclosure of Material Connection: As stated in the review, I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for the review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

3.1415

Every March 14th, I still think fondly back to my pre-calc/AP calc years sitting in Mr. Nitta's classroom with his classroom "pi" border going around the room near the ceiling. On days when I was bored, I would try to memorize it and see how many numbers in a row I could remember...

... yeah, nerdy, I know.

I don't remember too much of them anymore, not beyond 3.14152965... but remembering that much made me excited for "pi day" this year, as it's about as close to the real deal as we will get!

So we had to celebrate.

And by "we", I mean the boys and I.

Even though they had no idea what pi is.

And after a long explanation, all Liam could remember is that it dealt with circles.

Oh well. We will stick to his multiplication tables for now. :)

But after finding out that Danya loves pi day as well, we invited her over and celebrated with a pie I knew she would love-- cookie dough!

The boys might not have gotten what "pi" was, but they loved the process of making it. Aiden couldn't figure out why I didn't want to make two pies, and make an apple pie right afterwards!

It was a pretty low-key evening. Joel has been on call for the past couple days, and had five surgeries today, so he actually didn't get home until 8pm. But they still had fun with Danya, playing with magformers, building rocket ships, and of course, reading! :)

Does anyone else celebrate Pi Day??