All-In 2 Night

Now more than ever, I think spending time with family members has gotten lost in the shuffle of our busy lifestyles. More parents are working outside of the home, dinners are often a grab and go when there is time to stop and kids are immersed in technology in virtually every aspect of their lives. Much of the time spent together doing things as a family is now becoming a thing of the past, but as we know, there is a danger in losing our connection with one another, especially family members. That is where author Lynne Burgess got the idea to incorporate what she calls family nights back into her home and she has shared her secrets in her latest book called All-In2Night.

In this book, Lynne shares how they instilled God's values into their children every week through All-in Night. It's not a very long or complicated book. When her kids were little and busy, she wanted books that were easy to read and got to the point. Some of the topics in this book include resilience, wisdom, purpose, a healthy self-esteem, pride, managing yourself, self discipline, plus so much more. Through every one of her All-In Nights, they wove God's beautiful acceptance of everyone, and they made sure that their kids knew He loved them unconditionally.

There are 40 topics in this book that Lynne shares with you not only her family's issues in that particular area such as fear. The section includes what the purpose of this week discussion will be about, in this case, to discuss scenarios where your child might feel afraid and teach them strategies to cope.

Then there are activities you work on together beginning with a verse from the Bible that you reward your kids for memorizing. In this case, Joshua 1:9 "I have commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help wherever you go. (CEV). There are some great conversation opening questions to discuss fear and situations that one might be afraid of. Next comes a fun family activity that solidifies the point to your family. In this case it's a new twist on Hide and Seek and Marco Polo in the dark.

The book is definitely among one I would highly recommend to new parents or even soon to be parents to gain a foothold on making learning valuable Godly lessons and behaviors not only fun, but ones that hopefully they will carry into their own family as they grow. I received All-In 2Night by Lynne Burgess compliments of Even Before Publishing and Book Crash for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. Hands down, this is such an excellent resource, I wish I would have had this when my children were much younger to create lasting memories and lessons that will enable them to be confident young adults as they grow. In my opinion, I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about All-In 2Night, Lynne Burgess or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

All-In 2 Night by Lynne Burgess

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To visit the All In 2Night Website, please click here. 

The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge

What will your marriage be like on your fiftieth anniversary?

What will we look like? Will there be more wrinkles? A few more pounds? What color hair? Will I even have hair?

If we ever do stop and think about what our marriage will be like at fifty years, we all too often think only about the external - the physical. But the truth is, there's a far more important question to ponder: Should the Lord allow us to make it to fifty years of marriage, what will we be like at our fiftieth anniversary?

In other words... will we finish strong?

Will we be thriving? Or will we be surviving?

Will we be enjoying an intimate and connected marriage? Or will we be two strangers living in the same home?

Will we intentionally be wise in how we spend our days? Or will we foolishly let the months and years pass by?

When we first start out on our marriage adventure, it seems that we have forever ahead of us. And then, life happens. Babies come along. Career paths change. School starts. Finances get tight. And before you know it, life is going faster than you realize.

In the midst of all of this, many couples become passive in their approach to their marriage and wake up one day wondering what went wrong. They operate their marriages in what we call default mode: things happen without planning or intentionality or effort. Instead of default mode, we need a proactive approach for our marriages to grow. There has to be a plan. The old adage is right: Fail to plan, plan to fail.

One of the struggles most couples have is finding the time each week to commit to one another. Many insist that the time isn't there. How much time do you spend, watching television, working extra hours, going to the movies, working on a committee, reading, talking to friends, watching or participating in sports, shopping for fun, doing your favorite hobby, playing on the computer, doing volunteer work, or even attending or running church activities?

If you're looking for a unique challenge that will have you both working on your marriage in making it truly better than you ever dreamed possible, then consider picking up a copy of The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge by authors Jeff and Lora Helton. The challenge is simple and fun. Each week as a couple, you will spend a few minutes answering one question that has been designed to help you have open and honest conversation as you connect with and enjoy each other. Some weeks you will laugh as you travel down memory lane together. Some weeks you'll be challenged as you evaluate different aspects of your marriage. And other weeks you will dream and plan for what the future can become. The goal of this book is to create a tool for a happy couple to create ongoing closeness, and a newly married couple a unique way to know each other deeply. This novel even adds some bonus challenges geared just for special holidays like Valentine's Day or Christmas.

I received The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge by Jeff and Lora Helton compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. Since I am a huge advocate for finding great tools like this book to enhance my own marriage, I can highly recommend this one. Both of us often used the same excuses that would virtually leave us wondering if we would ever have time for us, until our children were grown and out on their own. But we don't have to wait. We can be that perfect role model in our own family for what our children can view as an ideal marriage. This book enables you to reconnect in new ways and the questions are a great eye opener into areas you may never had considered exploring in your marriage. This is a perfect book for newly married couples as well as seasoned veterans like we are. I easily rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to exploring and enriching my own marriage through the process.

For more information about The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge, Jeff and Lora Helton or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge by Jeff and Lora Helton

To sign up for the 50 Friday Marriage Challenge from Jeff and Lora Helton, click here

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (September 3, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476705003
• ISBN-13: 978-1476705002
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches

The Secrets of Happy Families - Giveaway and Review

If you have a family more than likely you have heard of the term, the Sandwich Generation. This is what society is defining the lifestyle most of us are living or will be living soon. If you have children still living with  you or children that had once left that are back living at home as well as taking care of aging parents living with you, welcome to the term, Sandwich Generation.

No longer are adults looking forward to the Empty Nest, because it seems like children are returning as well as parents in what some have called Life Boating. A way to make it through life now, that was unheard of before. Whether for economic reasons or simply as a temporary situation, the way we were raised has now changed to incorporate this changing lifestyle. Technology has advanced to the point that physical exercise is now just walking to the car and back as you run errands for now. Take for example you latest family get together whether its just dinner or a holiday celebration, tension is now common place for most. We see our families falling apart more than appearing strong than ever before. Where did the change begin that makes us wonder just how dysfunctional are families really are? What is the secret sauce that holds families together? What are the ingredients that make some families effective, resilient, functioning, happy?

Maybe it's because those problems are gnarlier. Navigating nap time is child's play compared to navigating screen time. How do you teach your kids discipline while making sure they have fun along the way? Is it possible to develop timeless values in a 24/7 world that prizes novelty and coarseness? How do couples find time to nurture each other while spending so much time nurturing our kids? These days, the old rules no longer apply, but new ones have yet to be written.

So Bruce Feiler introduces some interesting concepts to delving into these questions in his latest book, The Secrets to Happy Families. In it, he realized that most of the ideas have been hiding in plain sight. He took a course from the founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project on how to fight smart. He visited ESPN to find out what the best coaches know about building successful teams. He worked with Green Berets to design a perfect family reunion. He got some advice from Warren Buffet's banker about how to set up an allowance, and sat down with top games designers in the Silicon Valley to see how we can make family vacations more fun.

I have to say I was a bit skeptical at first have a strong Christian background that some of the ideas may not be for everyone. Using the TV Series, Modern Family as his model for the new dynamics for families, he shows that no matter what is happening in the show, they always come together before the end. I don't think life is quite that simple. But nonetheless I gave some of his ideas a shot and was surprised by the outcome of establishing family meetings once a week and how the suggestions he provides has made living together with adult children returning to our home once again a fully functioning and do I dare say it? Happy? Yes, our meetings have been a huge success, and not only that every single member feels empowered and we are teaching them valuable life skills they will take into their future careers in effective team leadership, negotiating and building winning teams all with positive thinking.

There are such valuable insights based on the diversity of the research Bruce Feiler has completed and while not everything will work for everyone, this has been one of the first book's I've read that really got me excited to try out these new dynamics within my own family and still incorporate our traditions and biblical values alongside them. I received The Secrets to Happy Families by Bruce Feiler compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and have to give this one a high 5 out of 5 stars!!! There is truly something in here for everyone and you don't have to read it from front to back and simply move to the areas that may be causing some chaos in your own home. Either way, I think this is a must read book for today's ever-evolving family!

For more information about The Secrets to Happy Families, Bruce Feiler, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Secrets to Happy Families by Bruce Feiler

You can also find Bruce Feiler on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

Thanks to the generous folks at William Morrow, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here's your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US Shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner of the giveaway via email when it ends on February 27th.