Book Review – To Be Like Jesus by Ann Shields

This book is a series of 31 meditations on the Gospel of Luke.  It is thoughtfully written and very thought-provoking.  As I began, I wasn’t sure I liked the author’s tone… I often felt as if I were being spoken down to, scolded almost… as if she were assuming that I am not serious about my faith, or at least not as serious as she is.  I take more kindly to those authors who have a “we are all in this together, let’s learn together about how best to love God and be holy” kind of attitude.  However, I kept reading and eventually was able to lay aside my initial impression because of the deeply moving content of the meditations.  And well, if I am honest, sometimes I am in need of a little scolding. ;)
The author writes short reflections on 31 passages in Luke; each scriptural passage is printed out in full at the beginning of each chapter, which is very handy, and I loved that I was getting in a little actual Bible reading as I made my way through the book.
The main point of each chapter, and of the book as a whole, is to come to a deeper understanding of God’s love for each one of us personally.  And how the understanding of that great love makes us more loving towards others, and more like Jesus.  She makes a strong and important point about how we need to take time away from the many distractions of life and focus on our spiritual well-being and our relationship with God.  This really hit home for me, and I gained so much wisdom and insight from this little book… it was the perfect thing for me to read during Lent, and in preparation for Easter. 
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on To Be Like Jesus.

Letter Dd Lapbook

While M was sick last week I gave myself a break from housework (well, except laundry, dishes, and cooking) and spent some time completing a few projects. This lapbook was one of them and I’m excited to share it with M this week. The entire lapbook is laminated so M can use dry-erase markers for some of the activities.

First, Things that Begin with D:

Color the Daffodils (laminated right onto the folder):

Which Dinosaur is Different?:

Writing Skills Practice:Trace the D and d on the outside of the pocket, and follow the lines on the little card inside to help the baby ducks find the mother duck.

Sorting upper and lower case letters:

Dinosaur Patterns (I chose to laminate this right onto the back of the folder, but I did include a pocket for this in the printables – your choice.):
We’ve been doing a lot of other dinosaur activities too… I hope to post about them soon!
You can download all the pages for this lapbook here. Use them as activity packs or in workboxes… however you want!

Have a beautiful day! :)