Time to Slow Down

With the current pandemic we are looking to slow down posts for a bit. We currently have 2 scheduled a month and will try to add more when time permits. If you want to get more quick ideas or book reviews check out our instagram feed. 

https://www.instagram.com/sunrisetocampfires/

Something New On the Horizon!

I was chosen to write for the Mid- Michigan Moms Collective. This will be a year long writing engagement And I am really excited!  Check out my first post here!

Ideas for Finding a New Rhythm in Uncharted Territory

Back to our Childhood

What are some of your childhood favorites? Any particular books? Games? Movies? With so much extra time on our hands the last few weeks we have been having fun pulling out some of our favorites.

Game Cube Games

* Mario Cart

* Mario Party

Books

* Where's Waldo

* Flat Stanley

* Cordiroy

* Dr Seuss

Movie

* Tail Spin

* The Rookie

* Disney Princess collections

Games:

*Uno

*Phase 10

*Shoots and Ladders

What are some of the things you are doing with your kids with the extra time? Are you finding more time to slow down? Not feeling as pressured? 

Book Review: the Secret Orphan

Book Review: The Secret Orphan 

By: Glynis Peters

Get Your Copy Here

Love Love Love! Such a compelling book! Filled with spy secrets, love interests, WWII life in the country and how women survived during the war. Based in Europe before and during WWII.

Elenor has to decide to sink or swim in several major events in her life after being forced by her brothers to leave the family farm to care for an ill aunt in the city. She has to deal with secrets, hidden identities and navigating war time life to protect herself and the ones she loves. She navigates love. Not just romantically but also the forming of a family kind of love after being neglected and in some ways abused after the death of her mother. This well written book is full of emotion and life challenges during WWII Europe. The story line is intriguing to try to figure out the clues and unravel the web of lies and hidden identities.

 The end of the books (like last 3-4 chapters) are rushed to tie everything into a "nice little bow" and wrap up the loose ends. Several places in the last few chapters don't feel as well developed and left me wanting more.

Over all good clean book. Great for book clubs or the WWII historical fiction fan.

Book Review: Surprised by Motherhood

Book Review: Surprised By Motherhood

By: Lisa-Jo Baker

Get your copy HERE

Another one down. Not my favorite book... but great concepts and left me with a few think about it concepts. Overall it gave a great perspective of becoming a mother after never planning to and all the challenges you have to over come to do so.

Lisa-Jo Starts her story with the death of her own mother. She never planned to be a mother and focused on her education and career. The original agreement with her husband was NO kids. She then describes the journey of pregnancy and new babies and how she was surprised by how much sh liked being a mother. 

A few likes:

 I loved her analogy that there is no road map for kids. 

I loved her observation of “pregnancy, like marriage, is an act of courage and faith”

She talked about having all the gear you need for kids but then what????

The best part was this 

“God doesn't ask us to trade who we are for the label of 'Mom'. Rather, He builds all the courage and calling of a lifetime into a story line big enough and rich enough to encompass kids, passion, work, creativity, and dreams that don't end in the labor and delivery ward.”

Book Review: Before and After

Book Review: Before and After

By: Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate

Get Yours Here

I know I've been on a historical book binge. This is another Tennessee Children's Society based book. Unlike the others I have read and shared about this one is based on true stories. Trust me the last few books have been heart wrenching but this one was even more. Maybe it was actually reading each story from all the perspectives and knowing they are true stories... maybe it was the raw emotion of the writer as she records each person's emotional battle as they decide to seek out family or look for stolen loved ones. Maybe it's the gratitude for the adoptive parents and all they gave after seeing where they came from. My heart was all over the place.

This book takes you on the journey from the release of Lisa Wingate's Book Before We Were Yours (get your copy HERE) to the reunion of TCS children and Families. Along the journey you meet several children who ended up in TCS care. Your learn where they came from, how they were placed into TCS, The family they are adopted by and how much was spent. You follow them to the TCS reunion and then learn as they learn what became of siblings, parents and other family members. In the end you discover what they decide to do with the knowledge of being a TCS child and the family history they discover. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Pink Bonnet

Book Review: The Pink Bonnet 

By: Liz Tolsma

Get Yours Here

Another one finished! Based on the Tennessee Children's Society (yes, I read another one) this one is based from a mother's perspective of trying to find her kidnapped child after she's been adopted. Along the way we meet several people who helped her along the way and also struggled with their own involvement in Tann's operations.
The story line was good although it is based towards the beginning of Tann's operation yet her actions match more of that towards the end when things began to unravel around her. There are several points in the book that are hard to read because of the writing feeling a bit choppy but it doesn't take away from the book. Personally I don't feel.like the love story angle was needed for the book either but it added to the emotion of several events within the book. The book also touches on several related touchy topic to the scandal. Child abuse, human trafficking, conspiracy and forged documents.

Several things to think about from the book:
How was Tann able to get around the laws a rules?
Why did it take so long for Tann's operation to get unraveled?
Was millie intentionally messing up to get sent back?
How was it with so many parents begging for their children back Tann never was inquired upon?
Children were given to families based on their order and what they could pay donyou think this made Tann's shopping list ?
What would you do in Cecil's place? How far would you go?
Do things like this happen still today?

Book Review: Before We Were Yours

Book Review: Before We Were Yours

By: Lisa Wingate

Get your copy HERE

Yet another amazing book! Such a heart wrenching story based on historical truths. This was such a fun piece of writing to read and follow along as the mystery unfolds and the main characters discover themselves.

Rill and her siblings are stolen from their home and thrown into an orphanage. Their names, birthdays and parental history all changed so they can not be tracked down. Slowly the children are all separated into new homes.

Fast forward in time Avery is being groomed to take her father's place in politics and uncovers several secrets in her families past that send her on the journey of a life time and cause her to challenge her future.

Wingate's ability to transport you into the moment and feel as though you are part of the story. You can see the memories and feel them fading away. You can hear the children as the scream, laugh and play. You are a detective along side Avery as she tries to tie all the pieces to the puzzle in the proper places to unearth a life changing secret.

BOOK CLUB NOTES:

So I had the opportunity to pick and host this book! SOOOO much fun! I can't wait to pick and host another with our group.

Here are the discussion questions I used

* Of the Two story lines did you have a favorite? What one? Why did you favor that story line over the other?

* Adoption or foster care touches many families now. Do you have a connection? If it had happened like it did in the book how do you think it would have impacted your family?

* After reading the book did you compare the way of life now to the way of life back when Tann ran the roads? ie kids walking to school alone, who you allow to watch your kids ect

*Do you agree or disagree with the decision to keep their history to themselves? How would it have changed their lives if they had gone public?

* Do you feel like family secrets should die with the owner or do they belong to the family and the descendants? Should the descendant own up to the families past?

* What happen to each of the children? What became of each of them? Does the story say? What do you hope happened?

* At the end on the boat during the accident did the father survive? If you felt he did why did he abandon the girls?