25 Kids Books For Your Summer Reading List

Summer is here, okay so officially the first day of summer is next Tuesday, but summer in this house starts when school gets out.  

I immediately made a list of all the things we could do together and places we could go.  Sitting around the house doing nothing all summer is not an option.  Without a plan comes non-stop electronic entertainment and that does not make for a good summer break.   

Part of our summer plan includes books.  We have a great children's book library in our house but we also love to go to the library.  Let me digress for a minute to let you know I love our library!  They have a summer reading program, wonderful events, and this summer are doing PJ story time nights.  

I thought as a fun way to celebrate summer and reading I would share some of the 

Guy Family's favorite kids books.  

Some are well-known and may be familiar to you, others may be new finds.  I have a six and two-year old, but some of the chapter books we read are geared more towards older kids, even though my son loves them too.  I have links to all the books so you can check them out on Amazon, but may I suggest going to your local library and check out some books, you may find your own list of favorite books.  

Picture Books: 

Caps For Sale - Esphyr Slobodkina  - This book was a gift when my son was born.  It was a recommendation from my Aunt Julia and Grandma Pat.  It has been a fun read for us.  We seem to all have it memorized.  

A Bad Case of Stripes - David Shannon  - I've actually had this book for some time.  I got it in my year working at the residential care facility for troubled teens.  I found teenagers liked nightly story time just like kids. This has a great message and I have found I really love many of the David Shannon books.  

How I Became A Pirate - Melinda Long & David Shannon  - My son loves pirates so this is a book we checked out but then finally decided to buy it and have it at home.  

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs - Judi Barrett - This is one of my favorites from childhood.  We have multiple copies.  I still have the one from when I was a girl, but wanted my kids to have their own as well.  

Tikki Tikki Tembo - Arlene Mosel  - This is another book that came from my aunt and grandma at the birth of my son.   Just saying the boys "great long name" fills our book time with laughter. 

Jamberry - Bruce Degen - This was actually a find when our church was getting rid of a bunch of kids books.  We love it! 

Good Night Yoga - Mariam Gates - This book was a gift from my mom, and I love it because its a book that also get kids moving.  

Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots - Edith Thacher Hurd - My friend Sabrina loved this book as a girl and shared it with us.  My son loves this book and subsequently we had to get red rain boots and coats to match Johnny Lions.  

James the Jaguar - Mary Lystad - This was another gift from Sabrina, and I LOVE THIS BOOK!  My son does as well but it is one of my favorites.  Its a fun book to enjoy as a family!

When Dinosaurs came with Everything - Elise Broach  - We don't yet own this book.  But it was a fun book we continue to get from the library and just check it out again.  

Hey Duck - Carin Bramsen - This was another library find.  It is just a fun book great for all kids.  

Tea Rex - Molly Idle  - The library introduced us to this book and author.  She is a clever author.  Tea parties and dinosaurs = Tea Rex and a ton of fun!

Hermelin The Detective Mouse - Mini Grey  - I have to admit this is MY FAVORITE.  Again we found this at the library and like Molly Idle, Mini Grey is a fun kids' book author.  She has several great books, but this one is still my favorite.  

A Froggy Fable - John Lechner - This is an older book and was one we discovered at the library.  We finally found a used edition on Amazon Prime and love to read it.  It is a great life-lesson book.  

Otis Book Series - Loren Long - This is not just a series we discovered at the library but we kept waiting for new books to be released.  We currently own 4 of the books in the series, but they are just wonderful!  We also found an Otis stuffed animal on Amazon as well, and my son loves it while we are reading the books.  

Max Spaniel Dinosaur Hunt - David Catrow - This book was a special library find because the author is from Springfield, Ohio where I grew up.  I love clever authors and we are excited to read other books in this series.  This dog is so cute.  

Skippyjon Jones Series (we love Lost In Spice) - Judy Schachner  -  Skippy Jon Jones is a fun cat who things he is a dog, a chihuahua to be exact.  Many books come with CD's so that is also a great bonus too! 

Stranger in the Woods and the rest of the Woods Series by Carl R Sams II & Jean Stoick  - We got this book as a gift from my mom and it is filled with beautiful nature photos and a cute story to go along with it.  We just found two other books in the series at the library and brought them home to read.  We are having fun seeing the connection between the books.  

Chapter Books:

Timmy Ninja - Henrik Tamm - Our library has a new release section just as you enter the kid section. We were exploring one day and found this book.  It is a Swedish author and there are 3, soon-to-be 4 books in the series, however, this is the only one I can find translated in English so far.  This cat ninja and his friends work with a magical toy maker to find the souls that have been stolen from children.  Okay so that sounds a bit strange but it is a fun book to read.  We loved it! 

Charlotte's Web - E.B. White - This was the first chapter book we read together.  Its a classic and there is a reason for that! It is great! 

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series - Dav Pilkey and Dan Santat -  We discovered this series in the new release section at the library, but since there is a lag when books arrive to the library we ended up buying the new ones as they came out.  Each book in the series follows Ricky Ricotta and his Mighty Robot as they fight an enemy from each planet.  I also love that the main characters are named after characters in "I Love Lucy." 

The Bible (My 6-year old son said I had to include it)!  - My son loves all the stories. 

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales - Elizabeth Rudnick (New Release)  - This just came to the library and we started reading this before we head to see it in theaters.  So far its a great hit each night before bed.  

The House at Pooh Corner - A.A. Milne - This was one of our early chapter books and it was also a hit.  Winnie the Pooh is great for kiddos.  

Chronicles of Narnia Series - C.S. Lewis - We've seen the movies and love the books as well, especially since some weren't turned into a movie.  This is great for growing creative minds.   

  

Three Things That Annoy Me About Prayer

I am a Christian.  I believe Jesus was more than just a man.  I believe he was and is the Savior of the world.  He came to not only give us life but take out our enemy and give us what we needed to defeat him.  Our enemy is real.  I believe prayer is a powerful weapon.

Its one often ignored and many who claim to be a Christian don't honor the power of this weapon.  When we come against injustice, we use our mouth to speak up, and that is amazing, but it can't do all that prayer can.  Because of the power of prayer there are three things when it comes to prayer that really annoy me.

1. De-valued Greeting 

When you pass someone on the street, "Hi, how are you?" has become the standard greeting, rather than a question.   The auto response is always, "good, and you?" No one is really asking how you are - your presence is merely just being acknowledged. Honest answers are only okay in a more intentional setting like over coffee or lunch. 

Prayer requests have become the passing salutation in the Christian world.  People often say, "I will pray for you," but it rarely ever goes past that.  When we say we will pray, we need to actually spend time talking to the father about that person, their life and God's purposes for them. 

Honestly, if we prayed for everyone we said we would, I'm not sure we'd have time for much else.  Luckily, if you become a person of prayer, you will soon find, while you do need quiet time to pray, prayer is also a good multi-tasking job.  I can pray for people as I pass them on the street or stand in line hearing the heartache in their exasperated pleas with their children.  Prayer is a beautiful way to find connection in this world and we are selling that blessing short when we just post a praying hands emoticon and feel like we've done our spiritual duty. 

2. Mimicked Fortune Teller 

I have been to Christian churches of all varieties and see benefits to the stoic practices of groups like Lutherans as well as the more demonstrative practices of denominations like Assemblies of God.  We can experience God in a variety of ways and I love the balance I get from the spectrum.  I don't speak in tongues often in public (like maybe a few times total in my life), but do I use this spiritual tool in my solitary prayers often.  I am not offended or freaked out when I hear others utilizing this gift, yet some certainly abuse it.  This abuse is not okay.  I have had people pray over me that don't know me.  Some have prayed a surprising prayer that definitely echoes the heart of God and speaks to their strong connection with the Almighty.   Others have prayed and I experience just the opposite.  They begin to get this word from God that is completely NOT GOD! 

I recently had someone pray for a body part that has no issues and I could see them look for non-verbal feedback to that prayer and when my body language did not confirm the accuracy of that prayer they tried to re-speak it in some spiritual terms.  I immediately felt off-put by their seemingly forced spirituality.  Others go to praying folk as a way to get answers like prayer is some sort of fortune telling.  It is not and that is not its purpose.  Prayer is connection with God and he does speak to us in prayer but he isn't going to give you the winning lottery ticket numbers or let you know what your dead aunt is doing.  If you see someone treating prayer this way, run, just run!

3. Powerless Scrip

I have no problem with written prayers.  There is a time and place for it.  Like I said before there are many ways to connect with God and utilizing those when appropriate is a blessing, however, prayer is at its core, a conversation.  We are speaking to an All-Powerful God who is also our father and an ever-present guide in our lives.

The main purpose of Christianity is relationship.  So I get annoyed when I see people constantly reading prayers and have no ability to just communicate with God from their heart. If you had a friendship that you interacted with by reciting pre-written conversation points, it wouldn't be a close relationship and probably wouldn't last long.  I call my friends or meet up with them and we just talk about life.  That life adds to the strength of our relationship.  I do pray scriptures when I talk to God but I am connecting those to the real-life happenings of my life or the lives of others.  We lose the power when we just read prayers and don't have that open, heart-felt, real communication.

Don't miss out on all God has for you in the area of prayer.  Praying out-loud with a group of people can be scary but its something we should practice doing so we can grow in comfortability, because if someone comes to us for prayer, taking the time to pray with them can be a HUGE blessing.  However,  most of our prayer time should be one-on-one before God.

BONUS TAKE-AWAY 

New to prayer?  Here are 3 things to help.

1. Start small: take 5 minutes in the morning, on your lunch break or before bed to just tell God about your day or about the things that have you stressed in life.  Ask him to take those burdens, and invite him to meet you in that place.  Allow God to train you.  As you become more confident you can make that time longer.

2. Practice praying silently throughout the day.  When you see someone hurt or hear an ambulance nearby, pray God healing.  When you see someone stressed out, ask God to relieve their stress and train them to run to Him.  The opportunities are endless in our world.

3. Train yourself on Prayer.  Do a word study in the Bible (search out all the scriptures that have the word prayer or pray in them).  Find resources that teach on prayer.  I just found a great devotional by Ann Spangler on Praying the Names of God.  That is a great way to learn about God and prayer, but there are a ton of Christian books out there on the subject.

4 Encouragements In the Midst of Pain

I don't know about you, but this past week has been really exhausting!

As a youth pastor, this time of year is usually taxing on my schedule with all of the end of the year events, graduations and parties.  I end up running from one thing to the next.  

This week my norm was compounded by grief.  It started when I found out a man I've known locally for over 8 years had a sudden heart attack and died.  He was a year older than my husband so the reality of that situation was difficult to comprehend.  I can't imagine losing Kevin right now.  I know one day I may have to say goodbye, but I look at that day as something 20 plus years from now.  I can only imagine that is what this man's wife is feeling when her plans were thrown out and a new life looks her in the face.  A life she never planned and would probably give anything to relinquish for what she had.  

A few short days later I learned a high school friend had to say goodbye unexpectedly to her 10-year-old son who died after a brain aneurysm.  Life was normal one minute and not the next.  My heart has been heavy for her and just can't imagine what her family is going through right now.  I've know a few other people who have lost a child and it is something I think no one should ever experience.  

The next day I walked out to my front yard to the sounds of sirens arriving just a few doors down from me.  Moments later rescue responders were bend down doing chest compressions on a person in the driveway.  I don't know what happened or even what came of it, but as I watched, I felt done.  

Life is short.  

We have no guarantee for tomorrow.  

But when I felt my lowest in the wake of what others around me were experiencing,  I found encouragement.     

Yes, life is hard but it is also amazing!  

I got to see people do some great things, things we all should do! 

1.  I saw people laugh.  It made me laugh and find joy in life in the midst of whatever we face.  

2.  I saw people rally.  The silver lining of tragedy is that you get see how people respond.  I was touched today in working on a project for someone else, to see so many rally to help out and show love.  Yes, we may life in an online society but ladies and gentlemen, community is NOT dead!  Community is that successful free fall in a trust exercise.  Its beautiful.  

3.  I saw people celebrate.  Last week I talked about being two people at the same time.  The mix of the best of me and worst of me happening simultaneously.  Well the same can be said for the feelings we walk through.  I can mourn and celebrate at the same time.  Monday, I got to attend the funeral of the man I mentioned previously.  Everyone was sad because he was gone and yet we celebrated the man he was, the legacy he left and the God with which he now lives.  

Tonight, I got to cheer on 6 students graduating from 8th grade as they change schools and move on to high school.  To see the light in their face and the joy in their words as they reflected on the years that led them here, was beyond exciting.  

4.  I saw people enjoy today.  Eating ice cream with my kids or jumping into a pool on a hot day are the things that help me stay present in what I have - the moments before me.  Those are the things that matter.  There is nothing wrong in making plans but we have no idea if those plans will come to fruition.  We have to hug more, cuddle more, love more, compliment more and say what we feel.  Its okay to be awkward when its letting someone know we care or we recognize their value.  

Life can beat us down.  We need to revel in the beauty and cherish the things that are worth savoring.  

Don't forget...

 to laugh with those around you!

Rally around people in your life and causes that you care about.  

Celebrate the accomplishments and achievements in yourself and those around you. 

And ENJOY TODAY! 

Now set down your phone and go be present in the life before you!!!

The Person Most Often Ignored

My mom and live on opposite sides of the country.  Because of that we don't get to frequent the same events.  I was recently blessed, compliments of the internet, to listen to my mom's closing testimony at a local women's conference. 

As I listened, I was proud of her for sharing her story and being vulnerable for the benefit of whomever was listening.  Beyond that feeling, I was also impacted by one of the main points that she made. 

She described two women. 

One woman was given all the advantages in life.  She was gifted intellectually and well liked by her peers, she was in total - remarkable.

The second woman was just the opposite.  She had gone through our system because of family issues, had been misused by people all along her life and had made mistakes with lasting consequences. 

As she closed the talk, she acknowledged that she was in fact, both women. 

I am extremely hard on myself.  If someone is upset with me over an offense I've committed, chances are I've already given myself a mental flogging over it.  Sure, I make mistakes but if anyone was as hard on me as I am on myself, they would not be allowed in my life, so its high time I give myself some grace. 

The reality check of my mom's comparison of the two women, has been a HUGE encouragement to me over the past week.  Some of my greatest weaknesses and "issues" have reared their ugly head in my life and caused me to experience a lot of guilt over my inability to stop doing things that I hate.  It is easy to begin to beat myself up and allow myself to drown in a sea of self-doubt and self-deprecation.  The bad in me blinds me from seeing the good. 

However, understanding that two people live in me simultaneously, grants me the grace I need to stay out of the devaluing pool.  Sweet and loving Carrie is still there, even if I don't acknowledge her.  If I just look into the flaw mirror, I can forget the wonder in which God placed in me.  Those beautiful places are still there in the midst of the pain and challenges of life. 

I don't think its just my mom and I that live with this reality.  I choose to share my struggles so that all who read will be encouraged. You are not alone. 

What beauty do you block out when you are operating in your negative zone?  Sure, we keep working on ourselves and allow God to make us more like him, and I am in no way excusing bad behavior or habits. 

That is not the same thing as what I am addressing in this post.  We are all human and by design will make mistakes (remember that is why we needed a Savior in the first place)! Those mistakes are not the only thing that should be used to define us, and yet it often is. 

God walks with us daily if we let him and we may even take steps in the right direction every day.  The journey is birth to death and God has grace for that journey.  We need to see it too! 

May this simple thought bless you today. 

  

The Day God Used My Son to Correct Me

I recently woke up to find my Kindergartener had gotten up ahead of me and cut his own hair, mind you, this happened three days after he got a summer buzz cut.  That means he had bald spots sprinkled about his head.  Kid right of passage or not, I was pissed.  My cute son looked silly and I didn't respond well.  I got on him, said some not so nice things and frantically contacted about 5 people to see what I should do.  They all responded much differently than I did.  It is safe to say, I over-reacted. After I realized this was my problem, I apologized, and let him know if he liked it, it was fine.  His small act that morning was truly a Bible verse come to life in my own life.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

When you read that passage do you envision sword sharpening?  I do -  I can even hear the clang of metal.  Any refining process no matter the medium is not pleasant.  Depending on the item it could use pressure or heat or some other extreme measure to bring about the desired results.  In our microwave society we can forget that what really matters takes sacrifice and time to attain.

God is always at work in each of our lives.

It is what He does.  We are his children, and He sacrificed his life in the ultimate show of love for our benefit; so that we wouldn't have to die.

We often want the life of others around us.  Life becomes this constant comparison game of who is prettier, thinner, richer, has better friends or family, has a better job, better house, greater sense of style, more athletic, more talented, more spiritual (ok this list can really keep going, but I hope you get the point)!

What we have in life are the very things we need to be the people we were created to become.  God has planned it out, it is on purpose and we are that important.  There was no cosmic mistake here and we were not the forgotten one on planet earth.  We weren't made to have what others do or to be like someone else, we were made to be us and do what God purposed for us to do.  Simple and yet we tend to complicate it.

On this particular day, the "self-hair cut" day, I got to see God working for the purpose of me.  God used my son to reveal my personal issue of caring too much what others think. It was my very own, God ordained Proverbs 27:17 moment.  I also got to share this with my kid.  In this house, he doesn't get a model of perfect parenting, but I do try to model how to deal with the missteps and mistakes we make.  Later that day before Caleb went to bed, I thanked him.  I told him I didn't like him cutting his hair and I didn't want to see him do that again, but I wanted him to know God had used him to help me be more Christ-like.

The truth is, that hair cut wasn't a big deal and it didn't define my son, and had I not freaked out he would have gotten a lesson in being you, no matter what.  Those are lessons that are good to learn now before the pressure gets turned onto full blast.

Instead, I got the lesson.  I learned that he was fine with his chunk cut and it will in fact grow out.  Its something to laugh at not stress over.  I was gently reminded not to major in the minors and that I only have an audience of one - Jesus Christ.  That is the only opinion I should be concerned with in the micro moments of life.

Happy Mother's Day?

I am so blessed with a wonderful mom AND step mom.  Looking at the weekend ahead, I have a lot to celebrate.  In addition, I have two beautiful step daughters, one amazing son (despite the fact that he cut his own hair today and has a weird pattern of holes on his head) and a precious and precocious baby girl.  That is a day worth getting excited about, and believe me when I say I know just how lucky I am!!!

For my husband, while he can celebrate with me, there is a sober tone to the day.  He has lost the two women who mothered him.  His grandma passed away about 17 years ago and his mother passed away just before we had our youngest children.

My husband isn't the only one paddling in that boat.  I have friends who have lost a child and miss living their role as mom; I have seen beautiful friends lose their moms to cancer or some other tragedy and the fact is, this holiday can sting a bit.

Mother's Day isn't a quiet holiday.  Last year our country spent  $21.2 Billion on Mother's Day alone. Mothers deserve celebration, most people have a mom;  76% of single parent households are led by mothers.

My mom and my step mom have been two of my biggest cheerleaders.  They support me in my high and low moments of life.  When I felt alone as a girl, my mom was always there for me.  Even just 6 years ago, as I faced the challenges of a new baby, having my mom present in those first two weeks gave me courage to press on.  It was as if she was my very own security blanket.

 My mom, unlike anyone else on the planet understands me.  To be known the way she knows me feels amazing and being near her is like being home. 

In addition to that phenomenal woman, I have had my step mom around since I was four years old.  In high school when I moved to another country and lived with my her and dad for two years, she would come out to watch me cheer on the basketball team, she mediated my disagreements with my dad, helped me get ready for dances and even stayed up with me when I got the stomach flu.  

Mothers are the ones that often shape who we are, moms love us, encourage us and are there for us.   When a role so crucial is missing in one way or another, there is a void that makes a day like Mother's Day hard to handle.

I wanted to take a moment to recognize these people.  As trivial as it may be, I want to say I see you. My heart is with each of you on this national day of celebration.  Who am I talking to?

To those who have lost their mom, grandma or any other woman who filled that role.

To those who had your mom walk out on you.

To the woman who has lost a child.

To the woman who has experienced some other reproductive grief through infertility, abortion or miscarriage.  As someone who has experienced miscarriage and abortion, I have been in very similar shoes.  

Please remember these people as you celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday.  Send a note of encouragement, give a hug, sit and let them be with someone for a moment.  Love on those who mothered you or made you a mother, but also take some time to look after those who can't celebrate.  Remember those who feel the spotlight on their grief and want a giant hole to crawl into until the pomp and circumstance has passed.

Matthew 5:4 says,

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  

We can be the comfort for someone who mourns.

It is important to recognize the flip side to every coin and while many who mourn are grateful for the years they had with the loved one that is not with them now; the truth remains with great impact comes great loss.  

If you need a hug, please feel mine today.  I would love to hear about the role or person you mourn.  Comment with your story and let others hear from you as well.  

God bless.

They Don't Belong to Me

They Don’t Belong To Me

Right out of college, I spent a year in a Discipleship Training School (DTS), which if you don’t know, is basically Bible classes and internship combined that you don’t get paid for and in fact, have to raise money to pay your bills while there. 

My DTS was not only a Bible training but counseling training as well.  Part of our internship portion was living and working in a residential care facility for troubled teens.  

Until that year, I always felt being a foster parent would be too challenging for me because I didn’t think I could say get attached then say goodbye to a child. My year of DTS challenged that presumption, as teens were often taken to other places abruptly as seen fit by their parents or counseling team.  It wasn't uncommon to wake up or return from an errand to discover a teen had been moved to another facility and was no longer with us.  It was hard.  I learned to love some of these teenagers as if they were my own children.  The thought of not getting to say goodbye crushed me, and did a few times.  

But I learned through that experience a very valuable lesson.

Those teens didn’t belong to me or even their biological parents.  Each one belonged to God.  Even if some of what they were subjected to by other humans was traumatic, God still loved them and had a plan for their lives. 

It wasn’t my job to ensure God's plan happened; it was my job to love and train them in the time that God had them in my care. This really aided me as I transitioned into the role of youth pastor.  I was able to take advantage and make the most of the time I had to love on and train the teens in my path.  

This truth became a challenge for me after birthing a child.  As you venture through pregnancy, a connection develops with the human living inside your body. A woman houses that baby for 9 months, that is three-quarters of a year!  (Or fight in court for the baby you are about to adopt for months, even years on end). Next, you give up every single moment to the helpless angel who needs you constantly in the midst of its simplistic eat, sleep, poop lifestyle.  Even with the exhaustion and stench from your own, showerless body - you can’t help but love your child.  The sleepless nights get exchanged for a million other challenges you face each day over eighteen years and its easy to think…

THIS KID BELONGS TO ME!

God had to remind me, that those children that came from my body (or from a court process) still are his.  I am the guardian not the owner. Knowing I have my kids on loan provides me with some great accountability.  I have to answer to God one day for how I “trained up” (Proverbs 22:6) his children. 

Parenthood can be a helpless existence as our kids face sickness, disease, injuries, emotional traumas, relational issues and for some, even death.  We don’t have control often in the things our kids go through, but when we keep the proper perspective of their ownership we experience a freedom in the knowledge that they belong to an all-powerful God who loves them and has a plan.  It doesn’t always make sense and can even seem like God has forgotten or is no longer there.  

That is why the story of Joseph (Genesis 37 - 50) resonates so much with me.  In the beginning of the story, this boy is subjected to great injustice, even cruelty, but knowing the whole story you see that God used the horrible to bring about not only wonderful but salvation for multiple nations.  

We live these timelines and we try to define each moment and yet sometimes the best endings come through the strangest and hardest of paths.  

You will screw up as a parent, spouse, employee, boss, friend, and even human, but God is bigger than that. He fills in our gaps and leads us to places we never imagined if we hang on through the tough stuff.  

Knowing he is the owner of our kids and our lives can free us to be the people we were made to be and give us peace in the midst of tragedy and loss.