Rainbow Loom

This year, as Christmas approaches, you tend to see more and more toys being advertised in flyers and social media.    For quite some time now, I have stumble on a new craft item that seems to make the joys of girls everywhere.   The Rainbow Loom is a kit for making super fun rubber band links.   Essentially, the Rainbow Loom us a device that will allow you to create rubber band jewelry like earrings, bracelets, and other fun accessories.

The kit contains Rainbow Loom, Mini Rainbow Loom, approximately 600+ latex-free rubber bands (various colours), hook with base opener, C clips, plastic storage tray, and instructions.

What makes this product very interesting is that Rainbow Loom is so new that new patterns are still being discovered. Rainbow Loom brings many smiles to the faces of children and adults.   Though the device seem easy to use, it will take a bit of patience to learn how to twist and create fun bracelets.   The Rainbow Look allow you to make a one of a kind elastic bracelet while you interlaced the rubber bands together to create something that will definitively out-of-the-ordinary and unique to your own style.  

Best of all when you are not using your Rainbow Loom, the included storage tray is the perfect place to organize all of your rubber bands and tools, keeping them neat, tidy and ready to play with!  Be sure to check out the instructions page to see a variety of ways to use the kit.  And if you want a bit of challenge, check out this site that I have just found – Loom Love – which contains numerous cool ideas!

My initial question was: were can I find other rubber bands to continue to create new items?    Well I can now say that the rubber bands are also available on Michael’s as well as on ebay.  Various products to use with the Rainbow Loom are also available on MasterMind Toys.

Though initially recommended for 8 years to adult, I think that some 8 years old might have trouble with the product as it takes agility and patience to learn to handle it.  It is not for kids ages 3 and younger and if you have a  younger child that received this kit it is strongly recommended that there is adult supervision when using it.

If you have a crafty girl in your house, I think that Rainbow Loom will be a delight for her.  She will be able to use it to bless people around her and be creative at the same time.   So if you are looking for the unique item to get for the pre-teen or teen in your life, you might want to consider Rainbow Loom and it’s ton of creativity it will bring,

Note: Watch for reviews on idea books that came my way in the next couple of weeks.   These books were specifically created for using the Rainbow Loom!

Rainbow Loom is available at your favourite specialized toy store,

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the product for review purposes from the Canadian distributor of Rainbow Loom. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

The Message REMIX

The Message //REMIX
By Eugene H, Peterson
Published at NavPress

About The Message

The Message//REMIX features expanded introductions to each book of the Bible that explain the purpose of the book, who wrote it, and for whom it was written. The introductions help set the stage for the book and help you understand each book's unique message.

Now in paperback for the very first time,The Message//REMIX also has a unique verse-numbering system, charts and maps, and a topical guide for students. It makes a great graduation gift and is perfect to have on hand in Sunday school rooms.

My Thoughts

I am familiar with the message edition.   I originally got introduced to it when my husband-to-be purchased the New Testament edition more than 16 years ago for me.  Then over time we got a smaller version with only the Psalms and Proverbs in it.   Since then the author of The Message version of the Bible has completed the Old Testament and it is now available complete in one book. 

I have been eyeing The Message full version for a couple of years but never got into the mode of purchasing it yet.  So when I got the opportunity of reviewing The Message Remix I jumped on it.   I knew that the Remix edition was specifically designed for youth but that didn’t stopped me.   After all, with four kids in the house, I think this Bible will allow them to get introduced to a different version of the Bible – a version that can be read more like a novel, a version that will opens up passages and makes you wonder if it’s really in the NIV or NLT or any other version you might have.   When you start wondering if it’s really in the “regular” Bible version that you read, your first reaction would be to go check it out.  And that’s when your eyes are opened and you realized that yes indeed it is in your NIV version and The Message is accurate.

Not everyone like to read The Message but I think it is beneficial for anyone to explore other version of the Bible in order to discover a new way to see and read the Bible.   I love changing the Bible I read through the years.  Right now, I am blessed in going through a version of the Bible that also contains devotions for homeschooling moms.   I really need the encouragement found in there.   I am planning to use this one until August next year (I have started in August…). 

My oldest son, who is twelve, doesn’t like the pages found in this Bible.  He finds them too thin…  Personally, I like the fact that the pages are thinner as it encourages me to be more careful with it.     I really enjoy the fact that The Message makes Scriptures easier to understand – particularly for harder passages – and that it’s fabulous for new believers who might be struggling understanding the words found in another version like NIV or KJV.   I am delighted to have The Message as I find it opens up a whole new way of reading the Bible and brings definitively more understanding in my life.   I am planning to use this version during our Advent devotions with the kids this year.

You can visit Read Think Pray Live for more details on The Message //REMIX Bible.  On this site you will be able to see some videos showing the new youth Bible covers as well as read a letter from Eugene Peterson himself telling about how The Message came to be.  It’s a very interesting read by the way and I would like to encourage you to swing by Read Think Pray Live to see what he has to say.   Also blogger Jonathan Merritt from RNS (Religion News Service) has recently did a wonderful interview with Eugene Peterson.     If you want to discover who is the man behind The Message Bible is, I would like to encourage you to go read the interview on RNS.

“The Message is a reading Bible. It is not intended to replace the excellent study Bibles that are available. My intent here is simply to get people reading it who don’t know that the Bible is read-able at all, at least by them, and to get people who long ago lost interest in the Bible to read it again.”

Eugene H. Peterson

The Message Remix is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from NavPress and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Advent activities with the kids

For the past couple of years, the kids and I are going through Arnold Ytreeide Family Stories for Advent.   In all there are three books you can choose from – Jotham’s Journey, Bartholomew’s Passage, and Tabitha’s Travels.   Each of them are linked to the other and will bring the Advent season more to life for your family.   We have gone through the three books and yet we want to redo them again.  Since last year we read Jotham’s Journey we will read Bartholomew’s Passage this year.

Jotham’s Journey

After running away from his father's tents in a moment of anger, ten-year-old Jotham has lost his way, and his family. As he journeys through Palestine in search of his nomadic home, Jotham is helped by a fool, a priest, a zealot and a wise man. Chased by a gang of thieves, thrown from one "foster parent" to another, Jotham slowly discovers the miracle of the first Christmas, and some miraculous things about his own life and his own family.

Bartholomew’s Passage

The thunder was strange. Usually it came in off the lake they called Galilee. But on this Sabbath afternoon it rolled in from over the town. No matter, thinks ten-year-old Bartholomew. It's been a good day, with new friends and good trades made. Father is home with a good catch, and there's deer meat for dinner. No thunderstorm could ruin such a day!

But then Bartholomew discovers that the thunder does not come from the clouds, it comes from the hooves of horses -- Roman horses, carrying Roman soldiers. In minutes, Bartholomew's peaceful town is in chaos, his family is lost, and he himself is taken prisoner.

Bartholomew tumbles through the mixed-up days that follow, finding himself the property of a slave owner in Ceasarea. His treatment there is criminal, yet it is he who is sentenced to a terrible punishment -- a punishment which leads him to take desperate measures to escape. Cornered by Roman soldiers, all hope is lost for Bartholomew until a Fool jumps in to rescue him with wit and guile.

With the entire Roman Legion tracking them now, Bartholomew and his new friend make passage through a strange and wondrous land, full of strange and wondrous people. Eventually they find themselves the guests of a Persian wise man as his caravan camps along the road of a small town called Bethlehem. The events of that particular night will once again change Bartholomew's life forever -- in ways which he thought were impossible.

Tabitha’s Travels

The adventures of Jotham and Bartholomew continue as their friend Tabitha begins her own travels.  What happened to Tabitha from the time Jotham left her until Bartholomew met her? Where did she go when she left Qumran, and did she ever accomplish what she set out to do?  Tabitha's Travels follows Jotham's friend to places that girls aren't supposed to go in 4 B.C. Palestine! Never one to shy away from an adventure or a fight, Tabitha shows the men of her world just what a girl can do.  The third and final installment of the Jotham's Journey series, Tabitha's Travels ties up all the loose ends and lets us see what was going on while Jotham and Bartholomew had their backs turned!

 

Alongside one of these titles, we usually do a Jesse Tree during advent.   What is a Jesse Tree?  Well essentially, it is a way to go through the Bible and reflect on the Scriptures on the arrival of Christ on Earth.   I usually paint a big pine tree on a paper and hang it on the wall in our dining room.  Each day during Advent we do a devotion and one child is assigned the job to color the image associated to the reading and glue it on the tree.   Below are two examples of the trees made in the past.

This year, I am planning to use Celebrating Advent by Ann Hibbard for our devotions and Jesse Tree.  

Also during the month of December, I am planning to reflect on  various words from in the C is for Christmas book by David & Warren Wiersbe.

The Advent season is fast approaching.  What ideas do you have to make it special for your family?  Which books are you using?   Please don’t hesitate to share with me as I would love to discover your ideas to celebrate Advent.

 

The books presented in this post are available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

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