Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go by Lucille O'Neal

Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go is a motto that Ms. O'Neal got from a preacher in her church when she was a youth in the church. Since then, Ms. O'Neal, the famous basketball player Shaq's mother has lived her life by this motto. This book is a story of her life from childhood to the present. She discusses her life growing up without the influence of her mother, being raised by strict Christian grandparents, living through an unhappy marriage, and raising her children through all of life's ups and downs, and finally pursuing her dreams. This book was very easy to read. In fact, I was able to read it in two days. I found the story line interesting and easy to follow. I did not find the book to be very inspirational. Ms. O'Neal had alot of breaks in her life due to her son's wealth and fame. This isn't to say that she did not have her own personal drive to achieve her accomplishments without the help of Shaq, but she did have many financial advantages that ordinary people can not relate to. If you are looking for an interesting story line and a book that is easy to read, this might be the book for you. If you are looking for an inspirational story you can relate to, I do not think this is a good choice.

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Bringing Up Girls

I really enjoyed the book "Bringing up Girls" by James Dobson. In the beginning, I thought this book would be more geared toward mothers as naturally it seems mothers want to know the best advice on raising daughters. However, once I read the book, I discovered that there is a great deal of information geared toward fathers. I shared many of the things I read with my husband, and now that I have finished the book, he has started reading it. This book was thought provoking and led my husband and I to discuss our past parenting experience as well as things that we would like to add to or change about our future parenting endeavors. James Dobson is able to provide not only information based on many years of research, but also practical information based on his experience working with girls throughout the years as well as his experience raising his own daughter. James Dobson does present a strong opinion about stay at home parenting in this book. At times, I did not like reading those sections as I am a working mother. I do feel that overall; this book is an excellent tool to use. It is based on Biblical principles and provides a loving approach to parenting. I also liked this book because you can read it no matter what age your daughter is. Our daughters are 3 and 7, but the parenting strategies used in this book could also be used for teenagers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about raising a daughter with high moral values and a strong self esteem.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Kindergarten Graduate

The last two days of school were really special for Madelyn. It started with a Kindergarten water day.





There were many fun games to play, and by the end of it all of the kids were soaking wet. After all of the structured games, there was even a free for all water fight. The kids were able to use squirt toys, buckets, and anything else they could find to drench each other in water. All of the adults tried to duck and cover to keep all of their camera equipment dry.


The last day of school was Kindergarten Graduation. Grammy, Cassidy, and I attended the ceremony to see Madelyn graduate and receive the "Best Problem Solver" and the "No Tallies All Year" award. She wore a dress to match the school colors. This is Madelyn and her teacher.
I am very proud of her and all of her accomplishments this year. She can count to 100 by 2's, 5's, and 10's. She can do simple addition problems. She can read several short books. She memorized and recited 26 Bible verses. And, she is learning Spanish and Mandarin. But, the most important thing is how much she has grown in her character. Her teacher complimented her on being a good example and leader for other students. She received the most "gold nuggets" for doing kind things for others during the last six weeks. Oh, how much she has grown and changed over the past year. This is her picture from the first day of Kindergarten.