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Showing posts with label Giveaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giveaways. Show all posts

Sunday, November 11, 2018

November 11, 2018

Enjoy An Illustrated Rosary Book for Kids and Their Families {A Review, Giveaway and Coupon Code!!}

Don't you just love when you find a wonderful faith-based resource and have the opportunity to give one away for someone else to enjoy?



{Some links which follow are affiliate links.}

With thanks to a friend who works for 
Gracewatch Media, that's exactly what I am getting to do.  At the end of this post, you can enter a giveaway for an individual softcover Joyful Mysteries, Luminous Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, or Glorious Mysteries Illuminated Rosary book.

First, though, I would like to share with you why I appreciate the 
Illuminated Rosary books so much.

A Simply Beautiful Tool for Praying the Rosary (and Doing Picture Study!) with Children





It's no secret that praying the Rosary with children can be challenging.  Attention wanes.  Strings of rosary beads morph into fidget toys instead of prayer aids. Antsiness happens.  So it is helpful to have resources that draw your children into praying the Rosary and keep them focused on each mystery prayed.

In the past, I've used everything from cookies and cupcakes, to 3-part cards, to celebrations with friends to entice my children into joining in full Rosaries with prayerful attention. Eventually, such efforts helped us get used to praying the Rosary, and we developed habits of praying one decade or a full Rosary as a car rosary, on a rosary walk, as part of the Children's Rosary prayer group movement, or as a bedtime rosary daily.

Now, you'd think that with such habits in place, praying the Rosary with my children would typically be a peaceful and reflective experience. However, I have to be honest: it can still be challenging, especially when we pray the Rosary before bedtime. There is just something about that time that makes my children lose focus and act out.

Until recently, then, our best strategy for praying the Rosary at bedtime has been to use Youtube videos with beautiful artwork in them, which kept my children's attention focused.

Unfortunately, I don't relish screen time just before bedtime - even if it is prayerful screentime, so I've been looking for another engaging strategy.





Enter
 The Complete Illuminated Rosary: An Illustrated Rosary Book for Kids and Their Families by Jerry Windley-Daoust at Gracewatch Media.  As soon as I saw digital samples of it, I thought, I know just what I am getting with my birthday money this year!

I was excited to order a hardcover edition of the The Complete Illuminated Rosary at a discount pre-publishing rate and have been happy to use the prayer aid with my children. 


This Rosary resource is perfect for our family at bedtime: It is large enough for each child to see when we cuddle together and allows us to 
pray while perusing artworks which help us with meditation and attention.




Okay, admittedly, the first time we prayed each decade of the Rosary using
The Complete Illuminated Rosary, the artwork almost drew too much of my children's attention, and I found that they kept interrupting our prayers to comment on the images - what they liked, what surprised them, and more. 


Now, though, my children simply examine the artworks while remaining engaged in prayer.  Thus, 
The Complete Illuminated Rosary has been serving us as an effective alternative of sorts to typical rosary beads, helping my children pray bedtime Rosaries with peace.

Using the book is so simple. 





We just open to the appropriate set of mysteries for the day, then read the prayers, which are printed in an easy-on-the-eyes font while meditating with the
large reprints of artworks that accompany each prayer.




These reprints vary in style,






...time period,





...and cultural lens,





...with some classic...



...and some modern...


All artworks, however, are carefully selected to be child-friendly and engaging.




There are also "prayer beads" of a sort include on the bottom of each page.





For each set of mysteries, a large circular detail of an artwork follows the Canticle of Mary, another follows the Creed and Our Father, and three small detail circles accompany the "Hail Mary"s for Faith, Hope, and Charity.





Then, each mystery begins with a brief paraphrased text from the Bible for meditation as well as a prompt to remember your intentions just above another large circular detail.




Then, the "Our Father" page, too, includes a large circular detail of an artwork, acting as a large Rosary bead.



After that, on each "Hail Mary" page, strings of roses act as beads, allowing children to count to keep track of the number of prayers prayed should they wish to do so.


The Complete Illuminated Rosary also contains pages listing art credits and ideas for how to pray the Rosary using the book.




It is truly a well-designed and lovely prayer aid that, in my children and my opinion is only missing one thing: a list of which day to pray which mystery of the Rosary.  (Sure, we should have this memorized, but do not, so we're sliding a bookmark with this information into our book.)

Same Wonderful Rosary Resource, Several Formats







The Illuminated Rosary comes i a number of formats:
  • single volume softcover
  • single volume hard cover
  • individual volume softcovers for each of the mysteries.
Each of these formats measure 8 1/2  x 11", and The Complete Illuminated Rosary, which I purchased in hardcover, has 368 pages.

So, if you like a lighter resource, the softcover individual format might be for you.  We like the all-in-
one hardcover ourselves.


Purchase Your Own Illuminated Rosary at a Discount

If you'd like to purchase an Illuminated Rosary book
, but are not sure which you would prefer, the following videos might help you decide.





You can purchase  a
 hardcover copy of  The Complete Illuminated Rosary on Amazon (which, at the time of this writing is 26% off with free shipping!) You can also get the Joyful Mysteries, Luminous MysteriesSorrowful Mysteries, or Glorious Mysteries Illuminated Rosary books and other books by author Jerry Windley-Daoust on Amazon.


Alternately, purchase an Illuminated Rosary book direct from Gracewatch Media 
between now and December 12 using the coupon code ROSES 25 for a 25% off discount!

Or, while supplies lasts, get an imperfect copy for 50% using the code dents&dings, for as Allison Gingras from Reconciled to You posted on Facebook earlier this month:


We all acquire a few dents and dings along the journey of life, right? Well, so did a shipment of our new Illuminated Rosary books. Grrr.
On the bright side, while these books aren’t perfect enough to sell new, they’re still in “good” condition, with minor flaws or damage: banged-up corners, dented page edges, ink smudges on the last (blank)page, imperfections in the glossy coating on the spine, etc. You can give these less-than-perfect illustrated rosary books for kids a home for 50% off the sale price using coupon code dents&dings at checkout. Quantities are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

BUY YOUR COPY HERE: http://bit.ly/2F9N7kY

We’re so confident that you’ll be satisfied with these books, we’ll honor our usual no-hassle return policy…we’ll send you return postage and a full refund if you don’t like them.


You can also always check the deals page at Gracewatch Media for other deals and discount codes on wonderful faith-related publications. There product line is truly fabulous for families of faith!

Enter the Giveaway!

I am excited to be able to offer one reader a softcover copy of an individual mystery in the Illuminated Rosary series using this giveaway Rafflecopter.



Sunday, June 3, 2018

June 03, 2018

Solid Catechism through Lego? Yes! {A Catechism of the Seven Sacraments Review and Giveaway}

I am delighted to be sharing a review and giveaway of Catechism of the Seven Sacraments, a gem of a catechism tool with a fresh new approach. 



When I heard that Kevin and Mary O-Neill had created a catechism book using LEGO® scenes which they had built with their children, I thought, Brilliant!  My children love LEGO® and can always use another tool for learning about our faith.




Then, when I was blessed with a copy of Catechism of the Seven Sacraments for review and realized just how solid the presentation of our faith is in it, I thought, Awesome!  This book is even better than I imagined.  


I was 100% impressed with how Catechism of the Seven Sacraments presents solid Catholic teaching in a format that invites readers of many ages to enjoy and learn together.
Bright, detailed, LEGO® scene illustrations draw readers into the almost 300-page comic-book style story and then well-thought comic-book style text clearly teaches about the Sacraments instituted by Christ, parallels between the Old Testament and New Testament, and more.

In fact, as I read Catechism of the Seven Sacraments, I was happily surprised to find that the book includes more than just the usual basics about Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Order, and Anointing of the Sick.  It also touches upon:

  • the Rosary
  • the Fourth Cup of Passover
  • Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy
  • a prayer to St. Joseph
  • and more!

I appreciate how seamlessly Catechism of the Seven Sacraments weaves together bits about Saints, prayer, morality and more as it tells the story of Salvation History in the context of two children - Fulton and Cynthia - talking about the Sacraments.  The O'Neill family truly did a fantastic job making tenets and traditions of our faith understandable.


Undoubtedly, the content of 
Catechism of the Seven Sacraments is much meatier than I expected to find in a graphic novel style book. 

The book begins with the New and Everlasting Covenant - the Holy Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our Catholic faith, and, then, continues on through each sacrament, which stem from and point to the Holy Eucharist.





It follows Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's teaching on Theology of Covenant and makes use of typology, a favorite tool of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in which elements of the Old Testament are shown to prefigure those of the New Testament.


   
Happily, it does all this using memorable building brick illustrations which make understanding how the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New and the New testament revealed in the Old easy.

Further, the 
Catechism of the Seven Sacraments offers a detailed table of contents, color-coded sections on each Sacrament, and a helpful glossary, all of which make it even more use-friendly.  Plus, there are multiple Scripture and Catechism references sprinkled throughout page margins, so anyone who wants to dig even deeper in the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church can easily do so.


Truly, I cannot say enough about how inspired the O'Neill's were in designing 
Catechism of the Seven Sacraments!  The books truly is a gem among catechism books - so inviting in its presentation, so deep in its content, so delightful for children and adults to use to learn alongside one another!





Watch a video about the book!


Children Enjoy the Catechism of the Seven Sacraments!




My seven year old said:
"I got Catechism of the Seven Sacraments from my brother for my First Holy Communion*.  He gave it to me early, and we started reading it that night.  I enjoyed it.  


It is Lego!  It is also catechism.  It makes catechism funSince then, we've been reading more of it.  
The story has a girl who doesn't know anything about faith and a boy that knows everything.  He teaches her by telling her stories about Jesus, and about the Old and the New Testaments and how the Old Testament pre-represents the new one. 
I would recommend it to people who like Lego and people who want to learn catechism.  
I am glad I have it! 
This is my favorite picture so far, because Jesus dying on the cross.  He died for us so all our sins would be gone.  Then, He rose again to fulfill what He said.  Now, He is in Heaven, in our hearts, and in the tabernacle in the Eucharist."


*I received the book for review, but, since my oldest loves using LEGO® with his siblings gave it to him to gift his little brother.



My oldest said:
"I gave my brother Catechism of the Seven Sacraments as an early First Holy Communion gift.  I thought it was a good gift because it is a catechism and uses building blocks to teach about the faith. 

When we first opened it, I did not like that there are fake Legos in the pictures.  That drives me nuts, because I like real Legos only.  I also did not like the yellow and peach skin tones mixed up.** 

I did like some things though:

  • It is Catholic - 100% Catholic.
  • It talks about the Sacraments.
  • It is written as a conversation.
  • It has comparisons between the Old Testament and New Testament.
  • The way they did the back in time thing was cool.


    • It connects with other things I've done.  For example, our family has been taking an Unpacking the Mass class, and it connected with that.
    • The photographs are funny sometimes.


      • I like the Rosary part.
      • They mention saints.
      • They have Bible quotes.

      I would recommend this book to people who don't like JUST Legos and who want to learn about the faith.  It teaches the faith solidly."



      **Yes, my oldest is a quirky LEGO® purist, so he picked out every brick in the illustrations he thinks is not "a real LEGO®" and did comment a number of times about how he does not like when different-colored flesh tones were used in images.  However, he also thought some of the ways in which real LEGO® were used were quite creative and cool and also appreciated the content of the story and how it teaches about the faith.







      My daughter said:


      "I really like Catechism of the Seven Sacraments.  Almost everything in it is done with Legos or building blocks - plus faith statues and other stuff. It is fun! 

      One of my favorite illustrations is the one of the church.  It has so such detail in it.  We also noticed some photos use Lego pants for water.  That's clever! 

      I also like how some of the story takes the Old Testament and pairs it with the New Testament.  It helps me see the importance of both and how they interconnect. 

      I also like how it's a conversation of a boy and a girl talking about the faith.  It teaches straight catechism, but does it in a fun way.  The boy explains faith using the Bible and catechism. 
      I think this book would be good for:
      • First Communicants

      • people who like Legos

      • people who need to learn the catechism

      • Catholic families
      • my Mom, because she laughs when she reads it to us.  She thinks the photos are funny.
      • and our pastor, because he likes Legos.  




      I am really glad we got this book! The author, his wife, and their seven kids must have taken a looooong time to make it.***"
      ***My daughter got a kick out of the "portrait" of the author' family on the back cover of the book. 

      Highly Recommended!


      I agree with my daughter.  Catechism of the Seven Sacraments makes a fantastic read for Catholic families.  I would especially recommend it for:

      • First Holy Communicants
      • Confirmation students
      • RCIA candidates
      • families with multiple age children
      • individuals with dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD
      • visual learners
      • and LEGO® lovers, of course.

      Most certainly, the book is light in its appearance - with its fun LEGO® comic book style.  Yet, it is also quite lever and substantial in its content, with an imprimatur from the Archbishop of Omaha.  Doctrinally sound and delightfully fresh, Catechism of the Seven Sacraments is a wonderful expression of St. John Paul II's New Evangelization!

      Learn More

      Learn more about the book at StoryTel Foundation. 

      Find Storytel Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

      Enter a Giveaway!

      StoryTel Foundation has generously offered to share a copy of Catechism of the Seven Sacrament with two lucky Training Happy Hearts readers from the continental Unites States.  Enter below your chance to receive one of these copies!

      a Rafflecopter giveaway

      Tuesday, November 14, 2017

      November 14, 2017

      Join Us for the Super Girls and Halos Blog Tour {with a Review and Giveaway}

      Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

      Welcome visitors new and old.  Today, I am excited to be a part of the Super Girls and Halos Blog Tour, where every day from November 8 through 22, a different Catholic blogger from around the world is sharing thoughts on award-winning author Maria Morera Johnson's thought-provoking new book which explores the Cardinal Virtues of Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude through pairing heroines of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books with inspiring female saints.

      Now, if you've been following Training Happy Hearts for any length of time, you're already aware of how much my children and I enjoy learning about and celebrating the saints together.  So, my interest in Super Girls and Halos makes sense. However, if you know me in real life, you also might be aware that I invest little to no time in reading about nor watching pop culture heroines in action, and the closest I ever got to being a true superhero fan was taking my Dad's military hat as a child in the 70's, stuffing my hair into it, and doing Wonder Woman turns with my sisters and the neighborhood girls in our front yard.  (Okay, maybe we had some "bullet-proof" bracelets and a golden lasso, too.) 

      But, seriously, science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture have rarely been my thing.  Moreover, the strong feminist push of our culture in recent years - which tends to stray far from the virtues, values, and strengths I believe women are created to embody -repulses me more than it excites me.  Thus, I tend to eschew anything that screams "woman power". So, you might wonder why I would want to read a book where over half the pages delve into analysis of
       Wonder Woman, Rey, Black Window, Scully, Storm, Hermione Granger, Katniss, and Lt. Uhura - fictional heroines whose stories I have rarely, if ever, read or watched and have had zero interest in getting to know.



      Truth be told, when I first cracked open Super Girls and Halos, I had no desire to read about these "super girls".  I simply wanted to learn more about Sts. Katherine Drexel, Clare of Assisi, Mary Magdalene, Marguerite d’Youville, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Cunegunde, Mary MacKillop, and Kateri Tekawitha.  I was also interested to see how Maria Morera Johnson would highlight each of these saints as examples of real life individuals who overcame challenges and flaws through embracing Cardinal Virtues.  

      Of course, though, because I was reading 
      Super Girls and Halos for a review and not simply for my own pleasure and edification, I was honor-bound to read every page of it - even the parts about the fictional heroines I cared little about.  So, I did, and guess what?  Instead of being bored or rolling my eyes as Maria examined each female pop culture character, I found myself drawn in, interested in Maria's enthusiastic analysis of how each fictional heroine exhibited human virtue.

      I appreciated how Maria recapped key elements of characterization and storyline so that even those who are not pop culture fans could relate to the super girls she highlighted.  I also loved how Maria wove words from St. John Paul II's apostolic letter, The Dignity and Vocation of Women, into commentary about Wonder Woman, and I discovered a new perspective on Rey, who I had been non-plussed by upon seeing one of the new Star War films when my parents invited our family to it. Likewise, I recalled why I'd liked Scully in the few episodes of the X-Files that I had previously seen and delighted to hear that in later episodes, the Catholic faith actually was brought into the storyline.  I also thought about how, if my children suddenly got into the Avengers, X-men, or Star Trek, I might not cringe and could, instead, now easily point out some virtues in the casts of characters.  Finally, I decided that although I still won't ever encourage my children to read Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, I can find redeeming value in the series should my kids choose to become immersed in them.  Indeed, I found Maria's treatment of modern day super girls
       clever, thought-provoking, and on-point.  


      Better still, I loved how Maria paired the fictional super girls with both both well-known and lesser-known saints, highlighting similarities in the virtues between the super girls and saints, while also honing in on a key difference: the fictional heroines overcome obstacles through superpowers or crafted twists in plots and, sometimes, fall to their flaws, while the saints face challenges and move beyond human failings trough God's face.  By operating from a place of virtue, faith, and grace, the saints made difference in their own lives and in the lives of people they touched while living here on earth - and even still through their examples, legacies, and intercession.  They also challenge us to do the same - to seek a virtuous life, to seek god, to seek God! 

      As Maria encapsulates each saints path to holiness, we cannot help but to see how God's grace empowered them to live with virtue despite all too human circumstances.  We see how St. Katherine Drexel quietly used her wealth to benefit marginalized Native and African Americans.  We recall how St. Clare of Assisi put her trust in Jesus Christ, thereby saving others.  We recognize how St. Mary Magdalene remained steadfast in love and faith and also shared about the Resurrection. We learn about how St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross came to Jesus and, then, to offer up her suffering with dignity for the Jewish people.  We hear about how St. Cunegrade moved from being an empress who funded churches and monasteries that still stand hundreds of years after being built to spending her final 20 year in prayerful retreat.  We witness how St. Marguerite d'Youville overcame taunting to build a health network that is lauded even today.  We are inspired by how St. Mary MacKillop stood firm even through temporary excommunication and defended her order while changing the face of Catholic education in Australia.  And, we witness how St. Kateri Tekawitha endured wrongs and isolation as she sought to love and serve Jesus.  In short, we discover how each saint responded to circumstances with love and faith, and we are encouraged to emulate them.

      Through Maria' the collection of fictional and real heroines that Maria curated in Super Girls and Halos, we are remind that even in our humanness, we are called to be saints.  When we seek the greater good, when we choose what is morally right, when we stand firm through difficulties as we strive for what is good, when we maintain healthy discretion and self-mastery, and when we take time to ask what step toward Jesus can we make today and then do it, we respond to our calls to sainthood.

      Whether you're a pop culture aficionado, a saint enthusiast, or someone seeking a fresh look at how to live the Cardinal Virtues, Super Girls and Halos makes a worthwhile read.  Maria:



      • presents strong analysis of fictional characters and saints
      • shares persona anecdotes
      • defines and gives examples of virtues
      • weaves in quotes from fiction
      • highlights portions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
      • quotes from popes
      • offers periodic questions for reflection
      • challenges readers to tap into the supernatural powers God grants each one of us so that we may become saints

      She makes pop culture and saint stories accessible to modern reader, presenting edifying examples of virtue.

      Truly, I believe that Super Girls and Halos is a refreshingly unique take on how to live with truth, justice, and heroic virtue that any adult - or adolescent - can benefit from reading.  In fact, I am going to recommend it to my parish collaborative to use in youth ministry and have also already recommended to a local friend who is involved with a Catholic book club.

      Who Doesn't Love a Giveaway?




      In conjunction with the blog tour, Allison at Reconciled to You has put together a great giveaway.  You can enter below.

        a Rafflecopter giveaway

      Who is YOUR Supergirl Saint?

      I knew nothing about St. Mary MacKillop before reading Super Girls and Halos and found her story intriguing.  To think of bring excommunicated and still standing firm in faith, and, then, eventually becoming a saint.  Wow!  



      Who is YOUR SuperGirl Saint? Please share in a comment!

      Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product from Ave Maria Press in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.