BOOK REVIEW: Where The Crawdads Sing

Book Review: Where The Crawdads Sing

By: Delia Owens

You can get your copy here

This was such a fun book to read. Such a sweet coming of age story as the Marsh Girl learns how to navigate life from an outsiders perspective. Add in the murder mystery of the local town bog shot and you'll be on the edge of your seat trying to decipher who did it. 

Where the Crawdads Sing was a quick read for me. It was a 2 fold kind of story. The first was the  suspenseful I loved the story of how Kya survived in the marsh and who helped her along the way. The young love that unfolds from a childhood friend into adulthood proved that money and flashy things are not everything. Finally the reoccuring symbolism between nature and human behaviors was a fun way to relate the basic instinct of our inner beasts. 

The second part is the murder mystery of the local hometown hero's death.  Who did it? How did they do it? What was the motive? With everything pointing at Kya will she make it out of jail alive or will everything prove to be to circumstantial and have to be timed perfectly for it to all happen the way the sheriff describes it.

Favorite Parts:

The Relationship between Kya and Tate as he starts out it turns from friend to romance

Ownes Surveys of the marshlands are beautiful and you feel like you are there

Kya's achievements and overcoming of life's challenges with little help

The love and care from those in Kyas life as they "take care" of her without her fully understanding

Heads up:

There is a little petting talk in the book. Personally I feel like the book didn't need as much as it had in it or as much detail. 

A few of the books details are off for the timeline and time period but they do not deter from the main story line and what is happening in the book. 

A few discussion Questions:

In what ways does Kya overcome her trials alone?

Why did Ma never come back? 

Did her illness start before she left or engulf her once she knew she couldn't come back?

What about the rest of the family? 

Did they ever wonder what happen to everyone else that they left behind?

What happen to her Pa?

Why didn't the grandparents ever seek out the children?

Does Tate's relationship begin as loyalty for Kya's Brother, being his friend?

Who did it? Who killed Chase?

Did Chase's Girlfriend/ Wife know about Kya? How did she feel?

Is it possible for a child to survive as long as Kya did alone?

In what ways did Jumpin and his wife raise Kya? 

Who influences kya's life and upbringing and how? What does she do alone?

How did you feel about  how Kya reacts during the trial as the sheriff describes what he thinks happen?

Kya's education stuns the whole town and proves them to be wrong in their expectations how do you feel they would treat here after the trial if she had tried to integrate into the community?

Did she do it? Who did you think did it?

Why did she keep the evidence/truth hidden from Tate? 

Who else could have been suspected of doing it? Did anyone else have the knowledge?

Kindle Fire Kids

We have had these for 2 years now and LOVE them. We have 2 devices and our 3 boys share them and each have their own profile. Each profile is set with parental controls for age appropriate content. You will have access to hundreds of games, books, movies and apps. many of which can be downloaded onto the device to play while disconnected from wifi. We also love how you can set time limits for content, time requirements to unlock content, time locks for when the tablet can be on and off. Finally we love how the screen can be blue screen filtered for when we let the kids play in the evenings/ dark. 

There is a subscription for the apps through amazon each month, but it is worth it.

We have loved our Kindle Fire Kids, you can find them Here

I recommend these covers too click here

Where we have used them: 

Banquets, restaurants, road trips, grandma's house, at home 

What we love:

Age and Content filters

Durable Foam Cover 

Variety of content

LOTS of EDUCATION based content

Update:

We have used the 10 inch tablets as well now that my parents bought a set for the grand kids. They keep this set at their place when we forget ours or if all 5 soon to be 6 kids are over. The bigger screens are nice for 2 player games, smaller tots who are still working on their coordination, and when we want to prop up the screen for a movie for several to share. 

Downfalls: They are bigger and take up more space in the diaper bag, the large screen puts more strain on little eyes especially when they hold them so close

link to the 10 inch Here

BOOK REVIEW: Girl Stop Apologizing

So I read Rachel Hollis's first book and walked away with mixed feeling on her writing style and formatting. After reading "Girl Stop Apologizing" I have to say that I do like her as a writer when she writes how she did in this book. It was a lot more focused and it was a better self development based book. 

I also liked how she used the analogy of a road trip/ map to navigate your way through a goal. Also her stories were a lot more on point here with illustrating her points along the way to reaching a goal. I also liked how she didn't ramble as much in this book keeping it shorter and on point. I have a hard time reading books that ramble, partly because my brain rambles on it's own when I read things and adding in someone else makes it even messier... (see I ramble) 

Anyway Loved this book and would recommend it to anyone in the business field, PTO mom, stay at home parent, college student. What she has to say can be applied to anyone trying to reach a goal. 

You can get your copy here

Grandpa's Tackle Box Sign

Nate has been helping my dad build a shed in their yard to store all of the lake and fishing gear. I felt it needed a sign and came up with "Grandpa's Tackle Box" and He loved it! Here is some of the in progress pictures of the sign coming together from my hand stenciling, painting and adding the rope border. (don't ask what kind of knot that is... yes i know my knots but it just needed to look cool not hold anything)

And all done !

My dad loves the sign and is now joking that this is his reason to take over the whole shed with his gear for fishing. 

Chicken Egg Portable Night Light

We were given this cute light for our baby shower for M a few months back and LOVE IT! We have only had to charge it 2 times now since she was born and she is 7 weeks old. We use it every night for diaper changes, checking on her and the boys or when need to nurse her. 

The soft light is amazing because it is NOT blue light and does not pulse. It is and easy tap on and tap off concept. We can even adjust the brightness by holding down the top after turning it on or holding it down again to turn it back up. 

The chicken part is made out of a soft material and is child safe so if you have a little one who is like our 2 year old who likes to snag it to snuggle with they can without getting hurt by a hard toy. 

There are no cords during use unless you leave the charging cord plugged in. It takes about an hour for us to charge ours and like i said it lasts several weeks on the lowest setting being used off and on all night. The box said it can last all night on one charge. The charging cord plugs into a USB port charger (like your cell phone cords) and is included in the box, the port is not.

Check it out on AMAZON HERE

WOOD Burning

I love the look of wood burning crafts! One day I will learn how to do this skill for myself in teh mean time I Shop from this shop MAKEWISHES. Her work is AMAZING and she has even donated to our schools charity event. Check out some of her work. 

     

What I am even more excited about is getting these to use with little M as she grows through the year! I can't wait till when they get here next week! 

PS I have to admit I am a bit bias with this artist, there are several really good ones out there but this is my sister in law and I love all the heart she puts into each piece. She will also do custom requests when she isn't back ordered.  You can find here online at the link above as well as at several different craft shows or pop con events in Salt Lake City/ Provo Utah areas

BOOK REVIEW : Girl Wash Your Face

So I read this book for the book club I am in and really loved a lot of the concepts and ideas she covered.  Although I feel like several of her stories that she used to illustrate the points didn't apply or connect with me as well as they may for other readers. 

LOVED: The way she pointed out the lies we tell ourselves in life.

LOVED: How she recapped the end of the chapters with how she overcame/overcomes the lie

DISLIKE: Several of her stories she used to illustrate the lie were a bit of a stretch to me

DISLIKE: I feel like throughout the book she puts herself on a pedestal and put other down (judges them) 

BIGGEST DISLIKE: In the book she talks about toxic relationships. She says to get out and get away. The personal story she uses is that of her and her husband and how he treated her when the started dating.... paining him in an awful light and then basically says he changed so it doesn't apply... Umm what is this telling other women or girls??? mixed feelings on this...

FAVORITE CONCEPT/TAKE AWAY: I love how in the book Rachel talks about other people's opinions and how to deal with them. my favorite take away is how she quotes another person, I think it was her therapist, saying that someone else's opinion of you is NONE of your business. WORDS TO LIVE BY! how many times do we get caught up in how others think of us???  

Over all good book and a lot to think about from the book. Again I loved the lies and how she over came them and I began to see how the lies apply to me and what I do now and what I can do to overcome them in my own life.  Now on to her next book....

You can get Girl Wash Your Face here

***Update to my Biggest Dislike***

I have watched several of  Rachel's youtube videos and listened to several of her audios and now understand a little more of her story and how her personality is. Anyway one of the videos was of her and Dave (her husband) talking about marriage. They talk about their story and how everything happened and you get more from his perspective (he does not pain himself in a pretty light either). Anyway, I still feel conflicted on her example in the book but I get it now on why it sort of fit. For here it was about being willing to leave and not put up with the abuse any more. She had to face it and "wash her face" stop crying and move on. End of story. The fact that he realized what he lost and came crawling back and had to change his own behavior to treat her respectfully is an add on. 

***Update to the update***

Dave is an amazing husband for him to be willing to let his wife share their story openly and for him to be willing to publicly admit that he was abusive but has changed and is now in a commit relationship with his wife where they are equals.