It’s Okay to Take a Nap March 2, 2008

Author of the inspiring book Mothering With Spiritual Power, Debra Sansing Woods has come out with her second book–It’s Okay to Take a Nap (and Other Reassuring Truths for MOTHERS EVERYWHERE).

As a new (again) mother of my third child, I’m already loving this book! (I am supposed to be taking a nap right now!  But I wanted to tell you about this book.)  I love the quote on the back cover, “If you are ever in need of a nap and can possibly squeeze one in, by all means, do so. And do so without guilt.”  So true!

Book Summary:

A celebration of motherhood, It’s Okay to Take a Nap illustrates the joys, struggles, and triumphs of being a mother. With reminders to moms of simple reassuring truths–like how you are a queen, not a maid and how your love matters more than you know–this book will strengthen and empower women while at the same time assuring them that their sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. Simply and beautifully written, this book is a wonderful gift for any mother.

For more information, see Debra Woods’ website.  Look here or here to purchase the book.

Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family September 13, 2007

This is a new book coming out that I look forward to reading.  I worked with Debra Woods a year ago in assisting with a Time Out For Women event in Oklahoma City.  She is kind, warm-hearted, and inviting. . . not to mention talented.  Here is some information about the book.

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Mothering with Spiritual Power
Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family

By Debra Woods
Published by Cedar Fort, Inc. September 2007
 
 

LDS Living magazine September/October 2007 issue Editor’s Pick!

Now available for order or pre-order at cedarfort.com, deseretbook.com, amazon.com, borders.com, and latterdaylightbooks.com.

Available soon at seagullbook.com, byubookstore.com and LDS bookstores everywhere.

Book Description:
Mothering with Spiritual Power is an eloquent and heartfelt book that speaks to mothers of the sacred nature of motherhood and the awesome spiritual power available to them through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
Using twenty-five favorite Book of Mormon scriptures as inspiration, Debra Woods shows mothers how they can find answers to a myriad of parenting questions and challenges as they raise their children in the latter days. Through stories and experiences taken from her own life, she offers simple suggestions for making meaningful connections with your children—suggestions on how to turn weaknesses into strengths, ideas on how to foster an atmosphere of peace and harmony, ways in which mothers can support each other, helps for the mother who must forgive her children and herself, and so much more.
 
Mothering with Spiritual Power is a celebration of motherhood, family life, and the difference the gospel of Jesus Christ can make for mothers and families everywhere.
 
Author Description: 
Debra Sansing Woods is a full-time mom and part-time freelance
writer. Her writings often focus on and celebrate home and family life. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including LDS Living, Meridian magazine, two Deseret Book anthologies (as a contributing author), The Dallas Morning News, The Athens Review, and others.
 
Debra graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA
in Accounting and went on to become a CPA and corporate controller. She also taught as a highly rated instructor of personal finance for the University of Texas Informal Classes. She currently lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Barry, and their five youngest children. Debra’s family also includes her husband’s three grown daughters.
 
 
Advance Praise
“Mothering with Spiritual Power is a remarkable look at some well loved Book of Mormon scriptures applied beautifully to remind us of the power of inspiration and prayer, and the reality of the Atonement in our mothering work. With a wise, honest voice, Sister Woods draws on her own mothering experiences to show how prayerful pondering of the scriptures can give us vision to see through worldly trials to eternal goals. In Mothering with Spiritual Power, Sister Woods insightfully describes a scripture-based parenting style and the powerful parenting truths and clarity available to us as we attempt to liken the scriptures unto us for our profit and learning.”
—LISA HAINS BARKER, PHD
Clinical Psychologist and mother of three
 
 “To a mom’s sometimes rushed and chaotic world, Mothering with Spiritual Power comes as a light on a hill, placing us firmly on solid rock. Debra Woods delivers a deeply personal, eloquent message that is never preachy but rather manages to uplift, entertain, and empower.”
—VICTORIA AKSELSEN FISHER,
Writer and mother of three
 
 “Mothering with Spiritual Power is an insightful and sensitive resource for the moms in our lives, no matter what their level of experience in raising children. It will affirm and reinforce those who already know how to tap into the guidance of the Spirit as they raise their children. It will also be a mentor for those who are just discovering the power of the influence of the scriptures, coupled with the Spirit as a parenting guide. Readers will relate readily to Debra Woods’s real life experiences, which she skillfully illustrates in this book. Her warm and pleasant writing style makes it a powerful and pleasant guide for applying scriptural teachings to specific family needs. It will be a blessing to all mothers in their sacred work of rearing children.”
—DAVID J. RIDGES, author of the Gospel Study Series
 
“Motherhood, what an amazing journey! After eight years of married childlessness, I will finally get my chance at motherhood this May. I read Mothering with Spiritual Power and felt uplifted, encouraged, and comforted about the challenges I will soon be facing. I feel women at any stage in life can benefit from the insights shared by this talented new author.”
—LINDSEY SHUMWAY,
Author of I Chose You and
101 Creative Dates for Latter-day Saints
 
“The scriptures this book uses are ones most of us are probably very familiar with, yet Debra is able to give them such a fresh, unique-to-moms perspective. It’s reassuring to see how ancient scripture can be applied to modern parenting problems, and to be reminded that as different as our unique parenting challenges are, we also have much in common—including the greatest parenting advice book available: the Book of Mormon.”
—BRIDGET REES,
Editor for LDS Living magazine and mother of two
 
“Debra Woods has gleaned much from her careful reading of the Book of Mormon. With unique mothering perspective, she makes a single verse come alive in a very personal way. Her inspiring insights are powerful reminders of the importance of finding joy in motherhood and the crucial role of mothers in raising responsible children.”
—DEBBIE BOWEN,
Author of Nobody’s Better Than You, Mom! and
W.O.R.K: Wonderful Opportunities for Raising Responsible Kids
 
“Debra Sansing Woods uses an eloquent, articulate, and personal style to tie the Book of Mormon to the sacred role of motherhood. This book will lift the spirits and confidence of any mother. I highly recommend this book.”
—RANDAL A. WRIGHT, PHD
Author of 25 Mistakes LDS Parents Make and How to Avoid Them

The Superman Tales: The Deer Princess September 2, 2007

The Deer Princess

Created by two adorable boys

Illustrated by the older son and his mom

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 Once upon a time there was a wonderful world and a princess and animals.

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There was an evil witch that cursed the princess and she became a deer. Even though she was very poor, she wasn’t lonely. She had all the animals around her.

A special dragonfly made her antlers his home. He only landed in antlers of deer that were poor and cursed. Butterflies also flew all around her head.

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A huge tornado came, sent by the witch. It wasn’t just a tornado though. Eagles swarmed through the sky too.

They weren’t just eagles, they were amazingly strong eagles. There were 389,000 valiant eagles soaring, destroying the tornado and saving the land.

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These eagles had another great quality–they were sent from Superman! Superman had a great car–the Magic School Bus!

One of the eagles looked different than the rest. Turns out, it was Superman’s magic bus!

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The land where the deer princess lived was running out of food. A hummingbird came to the princess’s rescue and fed the deer and all the other animals.

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The witch was intent on destroying the princess. She created a poisoned apple. In disguise, she gave the princess the apple. The princess deer fell into a deep sleep.

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Superman came rushing through the sky. He used his special sleeping-waking powers and woke the princess up.

Another tornado appeared. But this wasn’t a bad tornado–it was Super Prince! Superman welcomed his friend Super Prince to the scene.  Using his supersonic curse-detecting vision, Superman saw that the deer was really a princess.

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Superman told Super Prince and Super Prince offered to marry the deer princess. As they were married, Super Prince kissed the deer and the deer transformed back into a beautiful princess. The spell was broken!

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After the wedding, Superman flew to the witch’s lair, and tied her up. He gave her a choice to be good or to be turned into something very small. She decided to be good.

The witch, Superman, Super Prince, and the princess all became friends and they lived happily ever after.

The End

© 2007 Tamra Fluharty

Great Children’s Books–part 2 June 8, 2007

Chapter Books (Ages 6 to18+)

Complied by Laura Lund, Glenna Anderson, and Courtney Davies

“You know that your children will read. They will read books and they will read magazines and they will read newspapers. Cultivate within them a taste for the best. Expose them to good books.” -Gordon B. Hinckley

(Alcott) Little Men

(Alcott) Little Women

(Atwater) Mr. Popper’s Penguins

(Austen) Pride and Prejudice

(Austen) Sense and Sensibility

(Avi) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

(Babbitt) Tuck Everlasting

The Bible

The Book of Mormon

(Bronte) Jane Eyre

(Bronte) Wuthering Heights

(Burnett) The Secret Garden

(Cushman) The Midwife’s Apprentice

(DeFoe) Robinson Crusoe

(DiCamillo) The Tale of Despereaux

(Dickens) David Copperfield

(Dickens) A Christmas Carol

(Dutton) My Side of the Mountain

(Enright) Thimble Summer

(Field) Calico Bush

(Fitzgerald) The Great Brain

(Fleischman) The Giant Rat of Sumatra

(Fleischman) The Whipping Boy

(Forbes) Johnny Tremain

(Frank) Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

(Gannett) My Father’s Dragon

(Gilbreth & Carey) Cheaper by the Dozen

(Hale) Princess Academy

(Henry) Misty of Chincoteague

(Holm) North to Freedom

(Hunt) Across Five Aprils

(Jacques) Redwall

(Kipling) The Jungle Book

(Konigsburg) From the Mixed-up Files

      of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

(Latham) Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

(Latham) This Dear-Bought Land

(Lawson) Rabbit Hill

(Levine) Ella Enchanted

(L’Engle) A Wrinkle in Time (series)

(L’Engle) And Both Were Young

(L’Engle) A Ring of Endless Light (series)

(Lenski) Strawberry Girl

(Lewis) The Chronicles of Narnia

(Lofting) The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

(London) White Fang

(Lowry) Number the Stars

(MacLachlan) Sarah, Plain and Tall

(Montgomery) Anne of Green Gables (series)

(More) Utopia

(O’Brien) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

(O’Dell) Island of the Blue Dolphins

(Park) A Single Shard

(Paterson) Bridge to Terabithia

(Paulsen) Hatchet

(Peck) A Long Way From Chicago

(Peck) A Year Down Yonder

(Pene du Bois) The Twenty-One Balloons

(Pittman) A Grain of Rice

(Rawlings) The Yearling

(Rawls) The Summer of the Monkeys

(Rawls) Where the Red Fern Grows

(Sachar) Holes

(Selden) The Cricket in Times Square

(Shakespeare) Hamlet

(Shakespeare) Julius Caesar

(Shakespeare) Romeo & Juliet

(Speare) The Bronze Bow

(Speare) The Sign of the Beaver

(Speare) The Witch of Blackbird Pond

(Spinelli) Stargirl

(Stevenson) Treasure Island

(Taylor) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

(Ten Boom) The Hiding Place

(Thoreau) Walden

(Tolkien) The Hobbit

(Tolkien) The Lord of the Rings

(Twain) Joan of Arc

(Twain) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

(Twain) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

(Verne) A Journey to the Center of the Earth

(Verne) Around the World in Eighty Days

(White) Stuart Little

(Wrede) Dealing With Dragons (series)

(Wyss) The Swiss Family Robinson