Book Club: Book Review of Exhale

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Another fantastic book I was blessed with reviewing is Exhale: Lose Who You're Not, Love Who You Are, Live Your Own Life Well by Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory from Bethany House Publishers. The 230-page paperback book is broken into three parts with alternating chapters written by one of the two authors as they share their wisdom and experience to help women who feel under pressure to "being all things to all people; of filling every unfilled spot at church, work, and home; of trying to do it all right, make decisions that benefit everyone else, and keep everyone happy" (back of book jacket).

About Exhale 

Each of the 18 chapters specifically addresses the three parts of the book (that are part of the title). For example, Part 1 examines the idea of losing who you're not by looking at how one can change because Jesus empowers change, how our failures help us grow, and how we are to help others and not meddle. As well, it focuses on the fact that Jesus is ready and waiting for us to trust His love and grace for help. Through scriptural references and Bible stories, we see how Jesus is ready to help us. For example, Amy relates the story of Peter's denial and how even with this Jesus still loved Peter. If Jesus can gaze "at Peter with love," He can show us compassion and mercy as well – no matter what our mistakes.

At the end of each chapter there is a brief part that asks the reader to "now breathe" and provides a jumping-off point for reflection. The chapter then closes with great quotes such as: "Lose Who You're Not, You're Not a hopeless case" (84).

There are also wonderful quick reference guides for each of the three parts. These refresh the quotes at the end of the chapters and the main idea of each part. There are two columns (Old Mindset and New Mindset) at the bottom of the page that help bring home the ideas to the readers. I really liked how this is broken down and written because it helped me remember what I had just read.

The book concludes with a prayer, a personality quiz (that is referenced in chapter 10), a glossary, and additional information about the authors and their other projects. There is also information about where you can get additional information on their website for group studies and resources for reading the book.

My Thoughts 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing Exhale by Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory. This was another book that I found to be extremely helpful in my own life. I sat there with a pen while reading it to make notations and underline ideas that I wanted to go back over and re-read to apply to my own life.

I think the chapter that hit home with me the most was: You're Not Really Wonder Woman: So Breathe a Sigh of Relief. This chapter by Cheri Gregory discusses the idea of meddling versus helping. I must confess I am a 'problem preventer' by looking at the story of Rebekah from the Bible and the distinction made between helping (asks and respects) and meddling (assumes and presumes). Truly amazing to be reminded that I am "not the fixer of every problem" (75).

I highly recommend Exhale: Lose Who You're Not, Love Who You Are, Live Your Own Life Well by Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory. I felt that the book helped provide me with a great framework for "fulfilling the desires of" my heart, loving my family well, and "bringing Glory to God."

U is for U-2 Incident (Blogging Through the Alphabet)

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The years after World War II were full of tension and ripe for conflict as nations tried to find a new normal after the destruction of many European and Pacific countries. Of particular interest for students of American history are the relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the late 1940s into the 1950s. There were periods of calm to extreme tension as diplomatic relations fluctuated during the presidency of Eisenhower. One of the events that led to extreme tension was the shooting down of a U.S. spy plane over the Soviet Union—the U-2 flown by Gary Powers.

One of the sights – the testing of an atomic weapon in Las Vegas – that demonstrated the rising tension in the world.

A Failed Spy Mission 

On May 1, 1960, Powers was on a top-secret mission to photograph military installations in the USSR. The plan was that he would fly from Pakistan to a landing zone in Norway after a nine-hour flight. When flying over Sverdlovsk (present-day Yekaterinburg, Russia), a Soviet surface-to-air missile exploded near his plane. A second missile made a direct hit and the U-2 plane began to fall from the sky. Powers bailed and floated towards the earth. He was surrounded by Soviet forces.

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev announced that an American spy plane had been shot down four days after the incident calling it an "aggressive act" by the United States. As the US did not believe that much of the spy mission was left after the crash, they said that it was merely a weather plane that had accidentally flown off course and was shot down. On May 7, Khrushchev proved that this was false as he produced a photograph of Powers, imprisoned, and evidence recovered from the wreckage of the plane. Powers was alive in Moscow and had testified where he had taken off from (Peshawar in Pakistan) and that he worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

It was now evident that the U.S. had been conducting regular spy flights over Soviet territory. Eisenhower took full responsibility for the flights but this meant that Khrushchev denounced Eisenhower and several hours after the Paris Summit had started, the Soviets left.

The Paris Summit 

Because of the U-2 incident, Khrushchev felt that he could no longer cooperate with Eisenhower. The Soviets also abandoned talks on nuclear disarmament in June. A new level of tension emerged between the U.S. and USSR in the final year of Eisenhower's presidency. This would lead to even more tension during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

What happened to Powers? 

As the higher-level world leaders discussed spy missions and flights, the man whose failed spy mission started the whole thing remained in a Soviet prison. He was put on trial for espionage and convicted and sentenced to 10 years of confinement. After approximately two years behind bars, Powers was exchanged in the first 'spy swap' between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in February 1962. He was exchanged for the Soviet agent Rudolf Abel.

Powers wrote about the incident in Operation Overflight in 1970. He worked for a Los Angeles TV station as a helicopter pilot until he died in a helicopter crash in 1977. Gary Powers was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Note: Images from WPClipart.com 

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Virtual Refrigerator Art Link Up

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Who loves stickers? Who loves sticker books? Stickers and sticker books seem to be a favorite among children of all ages and since there is such a great variety out there it is easy to find something they might just fall in love with.

Sticker Albums 

I can fondly remember my two sticker albums from when I was a kid. My mom gave me two photo books in which to keep my stickers (And I also had movie ticket stubs in them as well as a few postcards from my early vacations. I guess you could say this was the start of my scrapbooking hobby.) I think my favorite stickers from my childhood were the "My Little Pony" stickers that came with each pony. Those had a special place reserved on my Fischer Price record player.

Our younger children have two composition notebooks in which they can put stickers. Our younger son is also allowed to put his stickers in a 3-ring binder that has plastic sleeves in it with schooling papers. They put the stickers they receive from the local library or their doctors' office in their notebooks or the ones they receive for holidays or birthdays.

Sticker Books 

Our son recently received The Lego Batman Movie Ultimate Sticker Collection book for his birthday. The book has about 30 pages on which you use specific stickers to examine the heroes, villains, vehicles, and places in Gotham. There are also tons of extra stickers so your child can create their own scenes with Batman saving the day. He has been reading or playing with it every day since he received it.

You can also pick up sticker activity books at the dollar store like we have for our daughter. She has one that focuses on animals but there are number-themed and alphabet-themed ones, too.

And don't forget the sticker books that let you place and replace the stickers over and over to create fun scenes. Both of our younger children have had several of those over the years.

According to our son, all the villains but the Penguin were captured.

The Penguin was captured later. He escaped from the police car and Batman and Batgirl had to re-capture him.

Using Stickers to Create Art 

I love that stickers let children tell complicated stories that they might not be able to illustrate on their own, depending upon their skill. So, even though our six-year-old can not draw elaborate pictures with Batman fighting the Joker, he can use stickers to help tell his story.

And using miscellaneous stories lets our children make up fun and unique tales.

Do have art to share this week? 

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July Writing Prompts

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As we move into July, what activities does your family like to do? Do you enjoy spending more time outdoors in the nicer weather? Are you still homeschooling? Or do you spend some time during the summer months going light on homeschool tasks? Spending time writing each day is a good way to include homeschooling but still have fun being creative.

In our homeschool, while our teen takes a break and only works on a few small projects, our two younger children continue their studies. After all, learning never really stops – especially when you are young. So much of our lives as young children is full of play that leads to learning. Playing with shovels outdoors can lead to lessons about plants, insects, and more. Or going to the beach can bring about a lesson on sea life, pollution, or the tides. So many cool opportunities!

Using pictures is a great way to spark your creativity and imagination to write a short story or even a long one.

Picture Prompts 

Download your free July Writing Prompts here!

There are plenty of times when writers – those that write books, blogs, or bylines – need some inspiration. While we may have a list of ideas, where do we start? Maybe with a simple either/or choice. You will find some either/or writing prompts in this month's download. 

 

Looking for more activities? 

All year I have been sharing writing prompts along with our crafts, homeschooling curriculum reviews, and more. 

Note: Photographs for Picture Prompts are from Canva.com 

Learning Year Round: Homeschooling During the Summer

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For those who attend public or private schools, summer arrives with the cleanout of lockers and desks, summer reading assignments, math packets being put away till the last week of August, and kids sleeping in late (or waking up early to play video games). Some of these families may incorporate their own summer learning with family vacations to historic sites or science museums or by spending time trying to meet summer reading goals. When our teen attended public school, we made sure he focused on completing any summer assignments by the end of July (and went back over them in August) and we also spent some time doing fun projects with him (especially when he was younger).

Homeschooling During the Summer 

Now that we are homeschooling and reviewing educational products, we homeschool year-round but with a relaxed approach. While our two younger children have a similar schedule to what we followed during the Sept-June school calendar, our teen is working on less subjects (really only working on materials that we are reviewing) and is getting plenty of time to play video games, participate in Youth Group at church, and hang out with friends, family, and siblings.

We find the summer to be the perfect time to do more activities outdoors – like painting or experiments. This summer we spent some time painting outdoors and last year the kids played with homemade frozen chalk. 

It is also a great time to work on hands-on projects as well as resources that might be seen as supplemental to a normal curriculum. Playing games is always a great way to continue learning in a fun way. Alternately, creating pieces from hands-on history kits as a family does the job.

Summer Reading Goals 

During the summer, we participate in the summer reading program through our local library. Our two younger children love filling out the paperwork to document and keep track of the amount of books they have read. And when our children return to the library each week, they can receive a prize if they show their reading log. Our library also holds an opening and a closing ceremony as well as other activities through the summer to coincide with the reading program.

Refreshing Skills 

Summer is also the perfect time to review and refresh skills in various areas. For example, there are many online programs that help children review what they have already learned. Our children are enjoying working with IXL.com and Matific Galaxy. These are great programs because for our younger two children, they think they are playing games. (Our teen knows that these online learning programs are not games but if I ask him to help his siblings, then he will work on them and build his communication skills.) 

How do you spend the homeschool summer? Do you homeschool year-round or take a break during the warmer months? 

Be sure to check out all the great ideas shared through the Timberdoodle Summer Learning Blog Hop!

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