Children's Bible Help

I have been looking for a good children's bible for Fritter and Ladybug. One that has pictures to keep them engaged, but that also reads well. By that, I mean that I want something that tells the stories accurately, and not so abbreviated like many children's bibles do. A bonus if it uses the actual language of the bible. Also, I want something that tells all the stories (or at least most) and not just a handful. I've been looking at this one, this one, and this one, but without actually seeing them, I can't tell if they are what I'm looking for.

So, my question is, do you have a children's bible for your kids and if so, which one? Do you like it? Or do you just read your bible to them? I don't think I'd even know how to start if I did that. I don't know my bible well enough myself. That's one of the joys of having kids, I can learn along with them.

Anyway, any help or advice would be appreciated!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

God's Promise

Fritter: Look Mama! Just like Noah!

Productive Saturday

My dear husband left me today to go to the Catholic Men's Conference in our diocese. Such a worthy event. And so I decided to make my Saturday productive as well. I recently borrowed a dear friends sewing machine to help me finish curtains I had been working on since last summer by hand. They are very large drapes to separate Ladybug's room from what I like to call "The Dungeon" and they have taken me for-ev-er (use the Sandlot's inflection here). Anyway, I borrowed a sewing machine and decided no more pioneer woman for me. ;-)

I don't have pictures of those to show you, because that's not what I did today. I finished them weeks ago. Misleading, I know. I did work on curtains for my kitchen to replace the blinds in there. I really, really dislike blinds.

So, here are the curtains I finished today.

They are all ready and waiting for my husband to get home and hang them for me. I love my husband. He hangs curtains for me whenever I ask him to. He would rather do it than have me do it. He drills holes and uses those anchor thingys like you're supposed to. I don't. This is the window they will hang on, and the blinds will be tossed to the curb.

Here's another window in the kitchen that we recently hung some of my fabulous curtains up in. Before: (Please don't mind the messy counters. This was taken while we were painting, and clearing the counters wasn't my highest priority.)

After. Making things is really very satisfying.

And because the kids were still napping, I used some leftover material to make pillowcases for some not very attractive throw pillows. Now, they are pretty. Don't you think?


I'd better hurry and give my friend back her sewing machine, or I might end up with a million projects. Think it's time I got my own machine?

Our Ladybug

Pretending to be a baby doll.

Rosie girl.

House Painting Pics

Our front room and entryway before painting:

And after:

It's amazing to me how much paint can change a room. I also took out all kid toys except for their two chairs to make the room more "adult". You can see, though, that the cars somehow found their way back in. I think the kids like the room as much as we do!

The Catholic Family Handbook

The Catholic Family Handbook by Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik is probably the best book I've ever read on marriage and family. Although the Handbook was written in 1962, the wisdom contained within its pages is timeless.

The first half of the book is dedicated to married life, and Fr. Lovasik does not mince words. He implores all married couples to fashion their family life after that of the Holy Family and then proceeds to lay out how that should happen. Just about everything I have encountered within my own married life (and much, much more) is contained in this book. And unlike most marriage books, this one is not just geared toward the female audience. Fr. Lovasik writes to both men and women. Here is but a taste of his wisdom for married couples:

The thought of the Holy Family suggests the love of simplicity. Domestic and marital happiness are closely bound up with the simple but good things of your state of life. Seek your happiness within the range of your income and your social, domestic, and family circles, and you will spare yourself many heartaches. Husband, be fair to your wife and family in trying to provide the necessities and ordinary comforts of life. Wife, strive to live within the income that is provided.

And that is just on page 8! So much more advice and wisdom follows in the Handbook's pages on marriage.

The second half of the book is dedicated to the raising of children. I have read so many books on child-rearing, and again, this is the best I've encountered. Another excerpt:

...the sublime and difficult task of child-rearing demands that you be willing to embrace self-sacrifice and self-discipline. You must have inexhaustible patience, deep faith and trust in God, devotion to duty, prayerfulness, and a right reverence for your children's human dignity. You must have a serenity that no reverses can disturb and that rests upon faithful devotion to doing God's holy will. You will not falter if your confidence in God does not falter. Such stability and unfaltering bravery is the ideal of every good mother and father. You must be so deeply rooted in the changeless God that your children need only your example and wisdom to become exemplary Catholics.

In order that you may fulfill your office worthily, endeavor to be what God intends you to be. You cannot impart character, virtue, and nobility if you do not have these qualities. You cannot teach respect for God, for religion, and for you if you are lacking in this respect. You cannot expect your children to be faithful to their duties toward you if you are unfaithful in your duties toward them.

Again, that is only from the first chapter dedicated to raising kids.

Much of what is contained within these pages is advice that through the years has been lost in our selfish culture. If anything can help strengthen family life, it would be a diligent reading (and possible re-reading) of The Catholic Family Handbook. I would highly recommend this book for ALL Catholic families and also newly married couples.

I wrote this review of The Catholic Family Handbook for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Cowpokes

Haircut

Before

After

What I Never Thought I'd Say

I don't care if you don't like to shop at the duty-free shop! Stop yelling at your sister!

It's only a year until he's four, right?