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Valentia Pure Glow Brightening Moisturizer – Review


I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

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Valentia Pure Glow Brightening Moisturizer – A lightweight fast absorbing cream that illuminates skin while providing all-day hydration.

This Brightening Moisturizer Will:
– Lighten dark spots
– Restore skin radiance
– Even skin tone
– Diminish fine lines
– Provide all-day hydration

Specially selected ingredients work together to achieve optimum results.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

– Botanical Hyaluronic Acid: Floods skin with moisture, supports skin elasticity, and plumps skin from within.

– Kojic Acid: Controls melanin production and prevents dark spots.

– Ginseng: Boosts skin firming collagen, fights wrinkles, and gives the skin a brighter and more energized look.

– Safflower Oil: Repairs skin’s natural moisture barrier and provide superior skin protection.

– Shea Butter: Infuses skin with a myriad of vitamins and nutrients for superior skin hydration and nourishment.

MY RESULTS:

I just love Valentia! I’ve liked every product of theirs that I’ve tried and this one is no exception. It is lightweight, absorbs quickly, and is easy to rub on to my face. The bottle is easy to use, and I don’t have any trouble getting exactly the amount of moisturizer that I want to use.

I can apply makeup over this moisturizer without a problem and my face stays moisturized throughout the day.

It has practically no scent, which I just love in my facial moisturizer.

Valentia uses natural ingredients and the Valentia Pure Glow Brightning Moisturizer is working great on my skin. My face is moisturized, soft, clear, and bright. I’m loving this moisturizer.

For beauty tips and ideas you can check out Valentia on Instagram and Facebook.

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Nexabiotic Probiotics Review

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

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Probiotics, I hear that term tossed around but what exactly are probiotics? In the normal human gut there are over 100 trillion bacteria. As you get older, get stressed, or take antibiotics those normal good-guy bacteria die off. These probiotics do everything from helping to break down food, providing essential nutrients like vitamin K, and keeping the competing bad bacteria at bay. Sounds like a good thing to me.

Why do we need probiotics? Typical modern diets are too sterile, loaded with antibiotics, and not diverse enough to maintain optimal probiotic levels. Our food supply is now more processed, sterilized, and loaded with more antibiotics than ever before. Basically, we’re not getting enough bacteria and such in our diets, our food is too clean.

Probiotics supplement the gastrointestinal tract with those known, good, beneficial organisms. Probiotic supplements are one of the most popular health supplements because they actually work to help maintain digestive health. There’s a lot that’s not known about probiotics, but from what is known, we need them to keep our digestive system healthy.

Nexabiotic is one of the top selling probiotics on Amazon. It’s advanced formula combines 23 different kinds of probiotics into 1 small capsule. Or, for the kid’s version, one chewable, tasty, tablet.

All that to say, I’ve been wanting to try a probiotic so I was pretty excited to get to try some for me and for my kids for free!

I got to try the adult version, kid’s version, and infant’s version.

These adult pills are pretty small, but if you don’t like taking pills, the capsules can be opened and mixed in with foods. I personally would rather take a pill, so that’s what I did.

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It’s recommended that you take this on an empty stomach. Though, luckily not required. I could never seem to remember to take it before eating so I usually took mine about 30 minutes after a meal.

I eat pretty well – lots of fresh veggies and such – so I didn’t notice a huge difference. The big thing for me is it didn’t bother my stomach, which means it must be working pretty well. I’m usually pretty sensitive to supplements of any kind – even children’s vitamins can bother me – so to take something that is good for my digestion and didn’t bother me a bit is pretty good.

I swallowed mine with water. It has no aftertaste or anything like that. So, all in all. These are easy to take and seem to be working well for me.

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The kids have little citrus flavored tablets. They’re not very sweet. The kids like them. They’re pretty small. Dissolve quickly. Not highly flavored but they taste ok.

Keeping up with the kids diets can be a challenge. So every little bit helps. It’s nice to know that they’re getting good things that will help keep their digestive system healthy.

Allergy warning, on the back of the bottle it says that these probiotics are processed in a facility that may process milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. We’re not allergic to anything, so I was comfortable using these. But if you or your child has any of these allergies, this may not be the best probiotic for you.

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The baby version is more complicated to use. I have to mix it in with food or drink. My youngest is 3 and he felt that this was an unacceptable way to serve him probiotics. Mainly, he doesn’t like me mixing stuff in his food. It had nothing to do with the taste – which I didn’t notice a taste when I tried it.

My older kids thought it wasn’t fair that I mixed stuff in his food and not theirs, so if he really doesn’t want it, the older kids are more than happy to eat it for him. I think for a younger child who’s not really that opinionated about the precise details of their food, this would work pretty well.

For more info check out Nexabiotic on Amazon or on Nexabiotic’s Website.

I received these products free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

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Family Christian Store – Review & $25 Giveaway

I received a $25 gift card to Family Christian in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

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Family Christian Store is a one stop shop for all your Christian Book and Media needs. They have Bibles, Books, Music, DVDs, Kid’s Items, and even apparel.

They’re the exclusive retail partner for Active Faith Sports. A line of workout apparel with Christian-inspired designs and messages. You can check out their promo video for more information.

The closest Family Christian is 3 hours away from me so I chose to shop online with my gift card. I had way too much fun spending it and ended up spending a bit more because they have so much great stuff!

IMG_20160311_135336386_HDRI started by looking up Julianna Deering. I had read her book “Dressed For Death” a while back and liked it. It’s the third in the series and I’ve been wanting to get the first two. Since I can spend my gift card however I want I decided to get these.

Family Christian had a buy one get one 50% off sale, so with the sale price, I was still below my $25 with two books.

And I should add, that they were easy to find. I just searched for the author and all her books popped up and I added the two I wanted to my cart.

I still had a few dollars to spend.

I made the mistake of telling the kids they could help me pick something. They wanted about 20 DVDs so I think I did pretty good convincing them that they could live with 2. Of course, we had to get 2 since everything is buy one get one 50% off. And I can’t pass up a sale.

For the DVDs I  just browsed the kid’s DVD section. They have a huge selection of DVDs which was why it was so hard for my kids to choose. I browsed a few other sections as well just to see what they have and always found what I was looking for.

Sale

Family Christian has a buy one get one 50% off sale on their Books, Music, and DVDs until August 25th. This sale is good in store and online. And I just love finding books on sale!

You can mix and match items and categories to get the deal, your two items don’t have to be in the same department.

AND I get to give away a $25 Family Christian Gift Card to one lucky reader! Enter below for your chance to win.

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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Groupon, Save on Mattress Toppers

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Lately, Hubby and I have been discussing when to purchase a new mattress. We’ve been needing a new mattress for a little while now, but we just can’t seem to decide on what mattress to get. He’s a back sleeper, and I’m a side sleeper, but we tend to migrate toward the middle of the bed (especially when one of the kids climbs in and joins us) so a mattress with different sides just isn’t a good option for us. Which means we need to agree on a mattress.

Speaking of which, have you ever gone mattress shopping with kids? I did, once. It’s not happening again – I know, it probably will, because how else am I going to go mattress shopping? But, it’s awful. It’s a room full of beds. To be jumped on. Rolled off of. Hidden under. Etc. I don’t actually get any shopping done.

As you can see. Mattress shopping is going to take a long time. So, what to do with my increasingly uncomfortable mattress in the mean time? I visited my mom a while back and she had this awesome mattress pad on a previously uncomfortable mattress. If that’s all it takes to make my mattress more comfortable, I’m all in. But I don’t want mattress pad shopping to be a pain like mattress shopping is. Since I do plan to buy a mattress soon, hopefully. I don’t want to spend a fortune on a mattress pad either.

This is where Groupon Goods comes in. They have some great deals on mattress toppers & pads that will help me sleep more comfortably until I actually find the time (and energy) to go mattress shopping.

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With so many great deals to choose from, It’ll be easy to find something that fits my budget. I’m just loving that Groupon has so many ways to save money!

In the comments below tell me, do you have a mattress pad that you love? Maybe I can find it on Groupon Goods and save myself lots of time and money. And sleep better as well!

Oh, and if you just can’t get enough of Groupon, feel free to follow their facebook and twitter!

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All Things Bright And Beautiful – Review and Giveaway

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I received this book free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

About the book:
First published by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848, this favorite hymn has become a mainstay of churches and Sunday school classes everywhere. Here artist Katy Hudson brings new joy to the words with her fresh and bright watercolor style. Readers can join in the fun as they follow two little girls and their brother on a day filled with the discovery of “all things bright and beautiful.”

About the artist:
Katy Hudson was raised in Middlesbrough, England, and started her career as a small child drawing on freshly painted walls. Her parents quickly encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead. The idea stuck, and after earning a degree in illustration, Katy is now a freelance illustrator. Katy works at a desk in a studio within Old London Library and likes to tap dance in her spare time.

Specs:
Jacketed hardcover
Page count: 32
Reading age: 4-7
Category: juvenile fiction/Christian
Purchase from Amazon

Review:
This book is filled with beautiful illustrations for each line from this poem. My children have been reading it over and over. Sometimes for the poem and sometimes for the pictures. We often have to stop and discuss the pictures as we read through this book. And they enjoy “reading” it alone so they can go at their own pace through the pictures.

This book is such a sweet and beautiful addition to any kid’s library.

Giveaway:
On top of my free copy that I received to review. I get to give away a copy of this book to one lucky reader. Enter below for your chance to win a copy of this beautiful book for your kids, grandkids, or any child you would love to give this book to.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.If winner has not responded within 36 hours of attempted contact, another winner may be selected.

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5 Beach Essentials

I don’t know about you, but I love the beach! I remember beach vacations as a kid. And taking my kids to the beach now is just so much fun! I’m actually not sure who enjoys it more. Me, or the kids. We always come home with the kids begging to return.

For our beach trips, there are so many things I just can’t do without. So, here’s my top 5.

1. Body Board – We actually purchased a second one to take to the beach this year because we only had one last year, and one just isn’t enough.

This is fun for all ages and great for small to medium waves. The beach we go to has between 1 and 3 foot waves on most days. Not enough for surfing, but perfect for a body board.

I had to share WAY too much last year, so we bought a second. And I’m betting that next year we’ll decide that we need a third. This board is perfect for me and my husband to use.

And the kids will ride anything. On this board they can basically just sit on it while I tow them out and then ride in on their own. Pretty awesome for them. On a smaller board they get tossed around a little more – but that’s what life jackets are for!

2. Puddle Jumper – Speaking of life jackets. Puddle jumpers are my preferred flotation device for littles. They’re coast guard approved and in my opinion work even better than a life jacket. And they’re rated for up to 50 pounds. My kids all fit in these until they turned 6.

The arms and short front flotation give my kids way better balance in the water than a traditional life jacket. It’s easier for them to stay upright, and it keeps their head a little further up out of the water than a life jacket. Perfect for a sunny day playing in the ocean.

Plus it comes in all sorts of colors, so each child has his/her own and everyone knows who’s it is. No fighting over puddle jumpers!

3. Rash Guard – My husband has red hair and he burns just thinking about the beach. We can’t lather enough sunscreen on him to keep him from burning.

This rash guard is an awesome solution. It fits like a second skin and keeps him from burning. We’ve tried both short sleeved and long and he says the long is way more comfortable, and he doesn’t have to worry about burning his arms.

This lets water freely pass through, and clings tight to your body, so you can swim and enjoy the beach without being weighted down by your shirt. The perfect solution for if you burn easily or just don’t want to wear a ton of sunscreen.

4. Beach Umbrella – Another way to stay out of the sun is a beach umbrella. It’s also a great place to store chairs, buckets, shovels, drinks, phones, speakers, sunscreen, towels, flip-flops, cooler, and whatever else your kids just can’t live without!

Man, I’m tired just thinking about toting all that down to the beach! I like to set up a chair or two, hang up my speaker, and enjoy a cold drink in the shade while watching the kids build sand castles.

Just make sure you purchase a few extra tent stakes, we lost a few last year and didn’t realize they would be so easy to use! Luckily, they’re cheap, so I just grabbed some new ones, plus a few extras for this year.

This umbrella also folds down to basically smaller than my beach chair, so it’s super easy to carry and transport to the beach. Way easier than my cooler!

5. Wireless Speaker – And of course, no trip would be complete without music! This little speaker lasts forever (something like 10 hours). It’s very durable. Shock and water resistant. Has great sound. A little hook for hanging it in the tent. And even has an emergency flashlight for if you find yourself on a dark beach with just your speaker – if that happens, please share in the comments below, because it’s sure to be an interesting story.

Relaxing in the shade with my favorite tunes was definitely a fun way to spend a few minutes at the beach. You know, those 2.5 minutes of rest before I had to go rescue a toddler from the teensy tiny hold in the sand that his sister dug for him.

*This post does contain affiliate links*

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Would a Worm go on a Walk? – Review & Giveaway

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Thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for this fun book to review and giveaway!

About the book:

“Would a worm go on a walk, if you could lead him down the street? / Would he wear his tiny tennies, if he had two worm-sized feet?”

So begins this humorous and imaginative picture book that introduces children to the idea that animals are uniquely created by a loving and wise God. Would a Worm Go on a Walk?, with its colorful, comical illustrations, is a fresh, fun way to teach young children that God created all things very good. He gave all the animals, and children, too, wonderful qualities and unique strengths. Children will giggle over the ridiculous scenarios presented, and they will come away with the knowledge that we all are loved and special.

Format: Jacketed hardcover

Page count: 32

Reading age: 4-7

About the author:

Hannah C. Hall is the author of best-selling children’s books, including God Bless You and Good Night and God Bless Our Christmas, as well as an award-winning blog, HannahCHall.com. Hannah lives in Prairie Grove, AK with her husband, Josh, a worship pastor, and their four children.

My thoughts on the book: 

I had my 5yr old help me review this book since she’s right in the reading age range. She loves it. We’ve read it over and over. It’s such a cute book, with adorable pictures, and a fun rhyme. She laughs every time we get to the part about pigs playing the piano.

This is such a cute book about how God made everything special and unique, including yourself.

My 7yr old loves this book as well. She can read it herself, and sometimes she’ll even read it to her younger siblings.

The pictures are so bright and fun, and the book is so funny and cute at the same time. This is a book my kids will enjoy for a long time.

Want to buy your own copy? Go to their website here to purchase.

Giveaway:

On top of my free copy that I received to review. I get to give away 1 copy of Would a Worm Go On a Walk. Enter below for a chance to win this adorably fun book for your kids.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.If winner has not responded within 36 hours of attempted contact, another winner may be selected.

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Healthy Baby Home Party

Thanks to Seventh Generation for this awesome, free, home party! This party box had tons of great Seventh Generation products for me and for my guests!

Seventh Generation is all about high quality, natural ingredients, and being honest and upfront about what’s in their products. The more products I try from this brand, the more I love it!

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For starters, this dish liquid, diapers, and baby wipes. I love that the diapers and wipes are free and clear. My little guy has sensitive skin and I have to be careful what brands I use for him. He has no trouble at all with these Seventh Generation products.

I love the wipes, they’re thick and soft as well as fragrance free. Which means that I can comfortably use them for cleaning little faces and hands when on the go.

My favorite item of these 3 though is the dish detergent. It smells so good! It smells like I’m going to the spa every time I do dishes!

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Speaking of the dish detergent. It was one of the samples included in my box. I was so excited to share this awesome dish soap with my guests!

Also included was Seventh Generation laundry detergent (which I’m also currently reviewing – so look for a post soon about this product), baby wipes (Seventh Generation seriously needs to sell a big box of these individual packs, they’re so convenient to just have in my purse), Zarbees baby cough syrup (seriously the best! I keep this stuff on hand in the winter), wildflower seeds, coupons, a bingo game, and mighty mealtime toddler meals. Plus some pretty cute brown bags so everyone could easily take their samples home.

I ended up combining my party with Mother’s Day. We were already having a bunch of people over and what better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than sending every mom home with an awesome sample bag?

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And last but not least, bobble was one of the party box sponsors and they sent a Bobble Infuse water bottle (and lots of coupons for my guests). I love that the bobble water bottles have a charcoal filter. This way I can easily drink any tap water or water fountain water without having to worry about how clean the water actually is – it’s not recommended for other waters since the filter is just designed to remove impurities from tap water.

My husband stole this water bottle. He’s all about filtered water and was so excited that there’s a water bottle with a filter!

I received these products free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

This post does contain affiliate links.

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5 Must Have Back Yard Summer Items

Summer is truly my favorite season. Spring is a close second though. I love being outside and my kids love being outside. We spend so much time in our yard, we practically live outside in the summer. So, what are my 5 must have back yard summer items?

1. Teeter Totter – I bought this Gym Dandy Teeter Totter for my kids a couple of years ago and it’s the best back yard toy purchase I’ve ever made! They will play and play and play on this thing.

What I really love about this teeter totter is that it’s practically tip-proof. I would have to deliberately tip it over, and that would still take a lot of effort. The kids have no hope of tipping it over, no matter how many they pile on at once.

It has really held up well and my kids and any friends we have over love playing on it! The only down side, you will want 2 people to assemble this, it’s pretty tricky to do by yourself (but not impossible).

2. Swimming Pool – So, I seriously love this inflatable pool. It’s inexpensive and provides hours and hours of play for the kids.

I end up purchasing two every summer, because my kids like to bounce on the sides (which isn’t recommended) and this eventually results in some holes that just won’t stay patched. But at under $30 for the pool, I can handle purchasing two and enjoying most of our summer water play in our own back yard.

If you do purchase this pool, I recommend this foot pump for pumping it up. Trust me, you’re not going to want to blow this pool up without a pump. (just speaking from experience here). The foot pump has lasted me for a couple of summers and is still going strong. I can inflate the whole pool in under 15 minutes with this thing – more like 30 minutes if the kids are “helping”. This pump is under $10 and totally worth every single penny.

3. Bubbles – Lots and lots of bubbles. And if your kids are like my kids. You’re going to want a few containers of these gazillion bubbles. Because not only do the kids blow bubbles, they also somehow dump them everywhere. I get it, the bubble solution is slippery, it happens.  This is definitely an “outside only” toy.

If you want to be really adventurous, get this Gazillion Bubbles Hurricane Machine and let the machine do all the work. Though, I personally prefer to let the kids do all the bubble blowing. It’s so much fun for them to run around the yard blowing and popping bubbles! And it burns off more energy this way. The whole goal of yard toys is for the kids to wear themselves out and go to bed early, right?

4. Slip N Slide – I just loved a Slip N Slide when I was a kid and it’s so much fun to watch the kids enjoy this toy as much as I did.

I will say, the double slide like this one is way more fun than the single width slide. I bought this slide for the summer and my kids have a blast racing down this slide. This slide comes with 2 inflatable Slide Boogies that really didn’t survive more than 30 minutes. They switched over to their kickboards and those worked out way better. Plus we now get to use our kickboards for more than just the swimming pool.

Product warning though, if you really care about your lawn, don’t leave the slide staked down in one spot for a week, it’ll kill the grass. This is definitely a play with and then put away type of yard toy. Because no one wants a bunch of mud holes in their yard by the end of summer.

5. Kite – Because summer isn’t summer without getting at least one kite stuck in a tree. Luckily, so far, I’ve managed to rescue all kites without actually climbing the tree. We’ll see how much longer that lasts!

I haven’t bought this kite yet, but it’s on my wishlist. This kite is so colorful! And it looks way easier to fly than the cheap ones from Wal-Mart. Which my kids like pretty well. They will take those kits and run and run and run, then sit down, catch their breath, and repeat. A kite is perfect for wearing out the kids.

What items would you add to this list?

This post does contain affiliate links. If you purchase one of these items, please use my link. I get a tiny commission for sharing 🙂

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ESV Family Devotional Bible Review and Giveaway

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

The ESV Family Devotional Bible is a hardbound colorful Bible.  It retells 130 key stories from the Bible with full color illustrations for each story, as well as placed within the Bible text where it is found.  The stories are simplified and easy for children of all ages to understand.

The ESV Family Devotional Bible is designed to help families read and apply God’s Word together. This full-color edition features the complete ESV text interspersed with engaging illustrations and gospel-centered devotions related to key Bible stories—guiding families through the entirety of God’s Word over the course of a year. Each devotion also includes discussion questions and suggestions for additional reading, helping families develop a habit of reading the Bible together and applying its truth to all of life.

My family is really enjoying this Bible. Each of the stories is 1 to 1 1/2 pages long. The perfect story length for young children! Each story also has 3 discussion questions at the end. I’m not sure who’s enjoying these questions more. Me or the kids! They listen better to the story because they want to answer the questions at the end. And I love hearing their answers. It’s always interesting to me how they can hear things in a Bible story that I never thought of.

I’ve been using this Bible for our evening devotions and it has really helped to enrich this time together and to introduce the kids to Bible Stories that you don’t find in Kid’s Story Bibles. (Like Abraham rescuing Lot when he was captured by enemy armies).

Each story has an accompanying picture, so the kids gather close so they can inspect the picture while I’m reading. This also helps to keep their attention on the devotion.

I especially like that the stories are placed in context among the verses. This makes it so easy for me to look at the actual text and answer any questions the kids have about the story.

This is an awesome Family Devotional Bible!

To find out more about this Bible or to purchase it you can go to Amazon, or visit Crossway Books on Facebook or Twitter. (Note, they sent me links to their giveaway which has already ended – enter my giveaway below for a chance to win an ESV Family Devotional Bible)

Enter below to win your very own copy of this great ESV Family Devotional Bible to share with your family.