The Daily Question for You and Your Child

When you are expecting your first child your expectations are high.  You dream of every detail being perfect and plan to document every little milestone so that one day you can look back and vividly remember that precious time.

Of course all of that changes when the baby is born, time surges at lightening speed, and before you know it you have teenagers, realizing all those dreams and expectations have gone out the window, and the documentation of that time scarce.  Life moves way too fast and you can't keep up (unless you're superwoman and documented everything and in that case I applaud you!).

I am a firm believer that you can start anything any day, at any time, and without any guilt.  But where do you begin?

3 years.  365 questions.  1,095 conversations.

How about with The Daily Question for You and Your Child!

Having a good quality conversation with my two teenage boys is a daily struggle but asking one simple question a day gives me a little insight into their thinking at this stage in life, even if the answer is way off or with an attitude (I'm sure they'll read the answers one day and laugh).  Neither one of my boys really got why I started doing this, and I have been repeatedly told that this is stupid.  They don't realize it now but one day they will see just now cool really this is!  It will be a glimpse into a past time that I know they will one day enjoy.  

The Daily Question for You and Your Child is meant to be used for one child to document their answers to the same questions every day, every year, for three years.  Since I have two children I am using this book for my oldest son and writing down the answers for my youngest son, and plan on purchasing him his own book.  

You can tell this sturdy hardback book will withstand the years and will be a treasured keepsake that can be passed down from generation to generation.  The front cover is meant to slide a picture of your favorite photo of you and your little love which is such a sweet idea.  The date is neatly marked in the upper right hand corner so you can easily find the correct date and the question is neatly placed at the top.  Below the question is three separate paragraphs to document the answer to that day's question.  There is also a spot to the right of each paragraph that you can input what year so you can plainly see which year that question was answered.

I love that the colors and doodles are gender-neutral and though some of the questions are geared towards younger children I believe this book applies to children of any age!  Many of the questions are simple and cute yet engaging.  The only downfall, as with any journal, is the consistency factor.  It is something that will need to be done on a consistent basis, otherwise it will not have the effect that it's meant to have.

As far as journals go, this is one of the most unique ones I've seen in awhile.  If you have children I highly recommend this book!  It opens up dialogue between you and your child, it's fast and quick, and you'll have a keepsake that you're treasure forever!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife

I am sad to say that it's been over twelve years since I've had little ones in diapers but I can remember those insanely wonderful days like they were yesterday.  My boys are only fifteen months apart so I had the joy of having a baby and a toddler at the same time.  I've had moms ask me how I made it through the younger years and truth be told I have no idea, but I'm sure my coffee consumption was astronomical! 

Any mother who has lived it can attest to the demands that having a young family can put on a woman but when you have added stresses it takes everything you have to hold it all together.

  

The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife is the messy, crazy life of Lotty Brooks.  Lotty is the mom of two beautiful little boys that are very close in age and is trying to keep her sanity while also trying to mend fences with her distant husband.  There has been a rift for months and neither Lottie nor her husband Jason know what to do to fix the marriage and both wonder if they're headed for divorce.

To add to Lottie's stress is where she lives: a picturesque lakeside neighborhood where every other mom seems to have it all together.  When mysterious occurrences start to happen in their picture perfect neighborhood, including vandalism, arson, and personal threats to Lottie herself, it turns their family upside down and leads them down a road they'd never dreamed they'd be on.

I have to say, this was a cute story!  To say that I related to Lottie and her life is an understatement.  Being that young mom of two little boys with a crumbling marriage brought back a lot of memories for me.  The writer gave Lottie a wonderful sense of humor and I caught myself chucking aloud a few times.  The mystery was just enough to keep you interested and there were a few surprising turns even if I did guess who was behind all the crimes early on.

This is my first read by Crissy Sharp but it will not be my last.  She has a great writing style and I loved that The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife was written from both Lottie and her husband Jason's point of views.  I can see this being a wonderful series and I can't wait for the next book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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Tiffany Blues

Tiffany & Co. has been an obsession of mine since I first laid eyes on their iconic charm bracelet when I was in high school.  I always imagined what it would feel like to hold that Tiffany blue box in my hands and place that gorgeous bracelet on my wrist.  I could spend hours walking through the store or perusing their expansive catalog.  Tiffany & Co. is, and always has been, perfection to me.

Sadly, I do not know much about the company itself or the founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, which is why Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose intrigued me.

What Was Historical

Though it is a fiction, there are several historical accuracies, which I found utterly fascinating.  Tiffany & Co. was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany.  His son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, was an artist that created the gorgeous stained glass that Tiffany & Co. was so well known for in their early days.  Louis also created a colony for budding artists in the early 1920's called Laurelton Hall in Long Island, New York.  This breathtaking mansion and landscape was to serve as a muse for young artists and to help them focus and allow their most creative side to emerge.

What Was Fictional

Jenny Bell is a 24-year-old struggling artist in New York.  In the summer of 1924, Jenny is living with fellow artist, Minx Deering in New York, working several jobs and barely making ends meet.  Jenny is incredibly talented but is trapped in the past, the horrible events that transpired between her mother and step-father constantly on her mind; a past that she keeps all to herself for fear of people knowing that she is flawed.  This entrapment shows in her work, with the artist painting the same mausoleum over and over in dark tones.  Minx sees the talent in her roommate and secretly enters one of her paintings to be reviewed by Tiffany,  in hopes to be chosen for the next Laurelton Hall season.

Both Jenny and Minx are accepted and end up being the only two girls at Laurelton Hall that summer.  Louis Comfort Tiffany quickly befriends Jenny and takes a personal interest in helping the young artist unleash whatever it is that is blocking her.  Jenny vows to focus only on her art but Tiffany's grandson Oliver soon becomes a distraction.  Being a virgin, Oliver unleashes a passion within Jenny that she thought would never exist.  She gives over to him body, mind, and soul.  This newfound desire, mixed with a strained relationship between her and Mix, the constant struggle with her past, and a robbery of the most sought-after jewels in the world, turns Jenny's world upside down and makes for one unforgettable summer.

My Thoughts

All in all I liked Tiffany Blues.  The sexual parts were done in good taste but Jenny and Oliver's relationship, and Jenny herself, got annoying after awhile.  The abuses, though incredibly hard to read, were well thought out and hard to forget due to the incredible writing by M.J. Rose.  The author did an wonderful job of being descriptive of the landscape of Laurelton Hall.  The imagery converted me back to the roarings '20's and all the glitz and jazz of that era, and just how amazing that estate must've been like.

The fictional part of the narrative was okay but I enjoyed the historical aspects the most and wish they were more in depth.  It has definitely piqued my curiosity about Louis Comfort Tiffany and what Laurelton Hall really was like back then.  I really enjoyed Minx's character and storyline, and though much of the drama was predictable, I thought the story as a whole was decent enough, and the ending sweet.  This is my first book by M.J. Rose but it will not be my last!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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The Prisoner in the Castle

It's been a long time since I've read a good murder mystery.  The constant wondering of "who done it" and the where and why are always a pleasure.  I guess it's all those years growing up playing and watching Clue.  I have heard great things about the Maggie Hope mastery series and I finally had a chance to read the latest installment: The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal.

World War II is at its peak in Great Britain.  Emotions are on high alert and no one can be trusted.  Maggie Hope has been sent to Forbidden Island for a special training, or so she is told.  Forbidden Island is really the Isle of Scarra, a three square mile island off the coast of Scotland with rugged terrain and horrible storms.  Maggie is also not in a special training camp but is actually a prisoner in the ugly, formidable Kiloch Castle along with other individuals of the SOE, or Special Operations Executives.  No one knows why anyone else is there which shrouds each prisoner in secrecy and, just like outside the walls of the castle, no one can be trusted.

After a newcomer joins the captives at the castle people begin dying under incredibly mysterious circumstances.  Maggie, being the levelheaded woman that she is, chalks them up to mere coincidences, until the deaths become so numerous that there is no way they can be just coincidences.  Someone is killing the prisoners off one by one and Maggie quickly realizes that she must find out who the murderer is before she's the next victim.

I really enjoyed this novel and found it an engaging read.  The reader finds themselves instantly intrigued and constantly trying to guess the murderer.  The writing is so well done that you can see the grotesque castle as well as the beautiful Isle of Scarra, which is actually a fictitious island, but there were some historical gems that were true that really added to the realism of the story as a whole.

The Prisoner in the Castle absolutely made me fall in love with Maggie Hope and I will definitely be reading more novels in the series.  If you're in a mood for a good mystery then this is the book for you!  I promise you won't regret it!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.  

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Kindle Fire Giveaway Alert

Giveaway alert!!

Yes you read that right!  Kathy over at Clean Wholesome Romance is giving away a FREE Kindle Fire with Alexa!!  All you have to do is check out THIS POST and answer the Rafflecopter questions and your'e in!

There is also a separate giveaway that you can see HERE that is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Both giveaways go until September 30th!  Good luck!!

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Auschwitz Lullaby

Reading about World War II and the Holocaust is one of those topics that is hard to avoid.  It's a horrible stain on our worlds history but one that we should never forget.  Looking at the inhumane occurrences that happened to thousands of people makes one realize just how truly blessed we are to live the lives we live.  I hesitated picking up Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar but I am so thankful that I did.

Auschwitz Lullaby is the harrowing story of Helene Hannemann, an Aryan German woman who married a Gypsy violinist, Johann, and had five beautiful children.  The family is living in Germany in the early 1940's and despite the hatred that was spewed on Johann and Helene by racist Germans and Nazis the Hannemann's had lived a fairly normal life up until World War II.  At the time that the war breaks out Helene is the sole provider for the family and works as a nurse while her husband Johann looks for a job.

One fateful day, while on the way to taking her children to school, Helene is confronted by SS guards and told that they have come to take her husband and children away.  She has heard rumors of the concentration camps but had hoped up until this point that her family could somehow survive the war undetected.  Now her worst fears are materializing right in front of her.  Helene, being of pure Aryan blood, spares her but she chooses to stay by her husband and children and the family is immediately taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz Lullaby goes into great detail of the horrors that the Hannemann family endures while traveling to Auschwitz and their stay there.  Johann is immediately taken away to a separate work camp and Helene is forced to protect her five young children and do everything she can to survive.  Her being Aryan, and being a nurse, she gets a job at the medical barracks and a particular doctor, Herr Doctor Mengele, takes a liking to her and puts her in charge of a kindergarten that he is wanting to create inside the camp.  This bides her and her family time but as you get closer and closer to the end of the book you wonder if Helene and her children will survive Auschwitz and the war.

This the first story I've read by Mario Escobar and I have to say that I am incredibly impressed.  He puts you in that concentration camp with Helene and her children.  You feel the anguish that Helene feels when she watches her friend choose to clutch the electrified fence and commit suicide and the torment of watching children waste away or being taken away to their deaths.  You can see the meanger bits of food that was provided to sustain the Gypsies, visualize their bones protruding from their fragile frames, feel the hatred that was spewed on the inmates by the SS guards, and can almost smell the sickening smell of burning flesh.

Helene Hannemann's story is a true story and almost every event in the story did in fact happen to her and her children.  Helene is the narrator of this heartbreaking tale but the journal that she supposedly wrote, of which this book is based off of, is false.  This is the author's interpretation of what he believes Helene might have written based on several reliable sources and I believe he's done a wonderful job.  As a mother myself, I hope I would've done what Helene did to protect her children from this deplorable place and even though she is long gone I commend her for her bravery in the face of utter darkness.

To say that I highly recommend this book is an understatement.  Auschwitz Lullaby is a pained history that everyone should know, a true tale about a woman who did everything she could to protect her children in one of the evilest places ever to have been created.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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Thrifty Thursday: My Sister's Intended

I thought it would be fun to add a new feature to the Only By Grace Reviews blog:

I am a member of the Clean Wholesome Romance Street Team and Kathy is always posting some amazing deals that I would love to pass on to my amazing readers.

Today's feature is My Sister's Intended by Rachael Anderson which is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon!

This cover is incredibly gorgeous and once you read about the author on the Clean Wholesome Romance Spotlight you will fall in love with the author as well.  Hurry and grab your copy (I couldn't help snagging a copy for myself).

If you're one of those readers that loves to be the first to get their hands on a book then you need to check out all the new Clean Wholesome releases of which a few are having new release deals as well.

Happy Shopping!

*Since this is a new feature I will be changing things up weekly to feature various items including books.  If there is an item that you would like featured please contact me and I will try my best to feature that item.

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