Sand in My Sandwich, by Sarah Parshall Perry

Title: Sand in My Sandwich: And Other Motherhood Messes I'm Learning to Love

Author: Sarah Parshall Perry

Publisher: Revell

Date: March 17, 2015

Paperback: 224 pages

About the Book

You know that thing when you're in Walmart at noon before you discover you haven't brushed your teeth? Sarah Parshall Perry gets that. She also gets weird things showing up in her bed, her daughter requesting war paint, and her son crawling into a giant blue sock on Christmas morning. Sometimes, she gets that conflicted feeling of finding her kids hanging out in the dog's cage and realizing that, yes, dog cages are not for people, but . . . they have stopped getting into trouble.

According to Perry, "The hardest stuff is the quickest way to God." And if the systematic destruction of her carefully planned life is any indication, she's on the fast track to sainthood! A mother of three children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum, she has experienced plenty of ups and downs. But from the chaos of her "ordinary" life, she pulls truth packed with humor, poignancy, and a naked honesty that will make you realize you are not alone in this delightfully messy thing called motherhood. 

My Take

When I first saw this book, I figured it would be an interesting read. But what I didn't realize is how much I would enjoy reading it. Seeing how she has two kids with special needs, I thought that there were some things that I could relate with her. I personally don't have a child with autism, but mine does have ADHD and we have tons of moments like she does with her kids in this book. When I read her reaction to certain situations, I was like, "yes, I am not the only mother who reacts that way". It made me feel a lot better. Some of the things that her boys have gone through, my child has gone through and to read her emotional ups and downs and how she relies on God to get her through, gives me hope.

The one thing I like most about Mrs. Perry's style of writing is that it is very light. I love how she can find the humour in most ordinary things. It gives me a sense of relaxation. It makes me take a look at life in a different way. I also enjoyed how she places a Bible text at the beginning of every chapter. It shows her dedication to God.

I guarantee if you pick this book up, you will not put it down until you have finished reading it. You will enjoy it from beginning to end.

About the Author

Sarah Parshall Perry (JD, University of Virginia School of Law) is a wife and mother of three young children. She is the coauthor of When the Fairy Dust Settles (with her mother, Janet Parshall) and the author of numerous magazine articles, award-winning short stories, and poetry. Sarah has served in youth ministry for over ten years and is currently writing for www.ChosenFamilies.org where she encourages other families living with disabilities. She lives in Maryland.

This complimentary book was given to my by Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Get Your Teenager Talking, by Jonathan McKee

 Title: Get Your Teenager Talking: Creative Questions, Stories, and Quotes to Start Meaningful Conversations.

Author: Jonathan McKee

Publisher: Bethany House Publisher

Date: May 6, 2014

Paperback: 176






About the author:
Jonathan McKee is an expert on youth culture and the author of more than a dozen books, including The Guy's guide to God, Girls, and the Phone in Your Pocket and The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide for Teenagers. He has twenty years of youth-ministry experience and speaks to parents and leaders worldwide. He also writes about parenting and youth culture while providing free resources at TheSource4Parents.com. Jonathan, his wife, Lori, and their three kids live in California.


About the book:
Let's face it. Teenagers have a PhD in one-word answers...if we don't ask the right questions. In this book, veteran youth expert Jonathan McKee shares 180 creative discussion starters to help teens open up about issues that matter. You'll also find tips for interpreting their responses and follow-up questions. From light-hearted to more serious, these conversation springboards will encourage even the most reluctant teen to talk about friends, school, values, struggles, and much more.

My take:
I was really excited when I saw this book. I thought it would make a great read. Apparently not for me. I know the author has a ton of years of experience with teens, and a couple of books under him, but I just personally thought that he should have went in another direction when it came to this book. I thought that it was going to be more or less on how to be able to sit down and get your teenager to open up. I guess this was his intent. But I didn't get this message from reading this book. I personally don't feel like these random questions are going to do it for your typically teen that doesn't want to talk to their parents. Frankly, I feel like if you approach your teen and ask them one of these random questions, they may look at you like you are crazy. I guess if you were just "talking" and not trying to "communicate" then this book might work. I can see my 16 year old nephew answering the questions for the fun of it, but it wouldn't cause us to have meaningful conversations.

First there are 4 or 5 pages dedicated to how to talk to your teen and then there are 180 creative discussion starters or conversation springboards. These creative discussions are made up of a topic, follow-up questions, insight into the question and quick additions. Some of the questions are "corny" and some of them to make sense. For instance, "If you could eliminate one evil in the world, what would it be and how?" A more meaningful one would be, "Name one thing that someone in our family does for you that helps you the most".

My daughter and I kind of made a game out of it. I just didn't feel like it brought about "meaningful" conversations. I felt like they were just for "the fun of it" type of questions. What works for some doesn't work for others.

This complementary book was given to me by Bethany House for my honest review.

Breaking Free of Parenting Pressures, by Debbie Pokornik

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with being a parent? Do you ever feel as though you cannot live up to your or someone else's expectations of a "good parent"? Well, in Breaking Free of Parenting Pressures, by Debbie Pokornik, we learn just how to do that very thing. Break free and let go.

In this book we are shown how to deal with the various tasks of being parents. The book is broken down into four different parts:

Part 1 - Being a parent
Part 2 - Understanding you and your family
Part 3 - A free parenting pack
Part 4 - Caring for the caregiver

All throughout the book the author has placed free parenting tips for us to read and use. I found a lot of them to be very helpful. For instance, one of the tips was regarding privileges and taking them away as a measure of punishment for misbehavior. Also listed throughout the book are other helpful tidbits. There was one that I liked in particular, In Case of a Power Struggle-Emergency Guidelines. She suggested that you take the list and copy it and put it somewhere you could see it (and possibly use). Duly noted!

I also found very helpful were the different exercises at the end of each of the chapters. This made me feel as though I was really engaged in the book and it helped me get into the book a little more.

I really think that every parent should read this book. No matter where one is in their life with their kids, there isn't anything that we cannot learn. Whether you have 3, 2, or even 1 kid, there is something new you can learn. Remember, ever kid is different and you will have different experiences with them. I enjoyed it and feel as though you will too.

This book was give to me for free for an honest review.