Tag Archives: Grace

September 5, 2014 · 12:40 am

“NEST” By Esther Ehrlich–Book Giveaway!!!

NEST by Esther Ehrlich

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Debut author Esther Ehrlich delivers a poignant and genuine middle-grade novel NEST (Wendy Lamb Books / On sale September 9, 2014 / $16.99 US / Ages 8–12), a memorable story about a girl, a tragic change, and the healing power of love and friendship.

It is 1972. Home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein; her older sister, Rachel; her psychiatrist father; and her dancer mother. But then Chirp’s mom develops symptoms of a serious disease, and everything changes. Chirp finds comfort in watching her beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. Together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: Escape. Adventure. Discovery.

Esther Ehrlich’s lyrical writing is honest, humorous, and deeply affecting. Chirp and Joey will steal your heart. Long after you finish NEST, the spirit of Chirp and her loving family will stay with you. READ The first 59 pages of the book HERE by clicking Look Inside.

«“A stunning debut, with lyrical prose and superbly developed characters, this novel is an emotional roller coaster that effectively conveys a family’s visceral tragedy.” —School Library Journal, Starred

«“Ehrlich’s novel beautifully captures the fragile bond shared by Chirp and Joey and their growing trust for each other in a world filled with disappointments and misunderstandings.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

«“A poignant, insightful story of family crisis and the healing power of friendship.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“Ehrlich writes beautifully, constructing scenes with grace and layers of telling detail and insight.”—The Horn Book

Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a copy of NEST! Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review book and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

NEST by Esther Ehrlich Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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Tagged as Bond, book, Chirp, Crisis, Emotional, Esther Ehrlich, Family, Fragile, Friendship, giveaway, Grace, Insight, Joey, Mommy Ramblings, Nest, Never Forget, Poignant, Random House, Rollercoaster, Stunning, Trust

January 7, 2014 · 12:39 am

Remembering The Enduring, Sage Advice Passed From Parent To Child

Advice board

Recently, I was asked what’s the best piece of advice my parents gave me that still resonates with me today. When I gave it some thought, I had to be honest and say it’s very hard to pick just one. My parents are no longer with me in this life, but they left me with so many golden nuggets of advice and were great role models.

wisdom

I would have to say that one of the contenders would be something my dad said a lot,”Learn to love the people that hate you.” Now, what’s meant by that is that you should not consume yourself worrying about people who are causing you grief. Today these people may be referred to as haters, but whatever you call them, leave them in the past and don’t let them rent space in your head.

Sometimes, it’s easier said than done, especially when we need to deal with them on a daily basis. It can help to remember that the reason they’re so nasty and/or vindictive may be that they’re truly very angry, insecure or discontent. Tearing others down is one of the easiest ways they can feel better about their lives. The live in a fantasy where they shout from the rooftop how great things are, when in reality they are drowning in misery. You know the kind of people I mean, the ones who no matter what it is, will find a way to belittle, mock or condemn someone or something.

people-hate-you

For instance maybe it’s the new picture of someone’s baby, even if they say, “Oh it’s cute.” they will follow with some backhanded comment like “doesn’t look anything like the father, it’s probably not his.” Whatever it is, they have something to hate, they constantly talk badly about others no matter where they are or who they’re with. They only deviate from the ridicule when they stop to add self-praise for themselves or boast about their job, kids, spouse, car etc. These kinds of people are draining to be around and you can be sure that if they’re bad mouthing people in front of you, that you’re the subject of their tearing down when they’re out with others.

wisdom-for-kids

We all know people like this and we may have several in our own families. So it’s inevitable that we’ll have to deal with them. Sure, you could confront them, but it will never work. Even if you came right out and told them what you thought of them, they would find some way to deny it all and try to attack you. It’s so not worth your time. So, if their behavior bothers you, leave and keep your distance. Just remember, they must be miserable or they wouldn’t need to rip others apart. Move toward and surround yourself with people who lift you up, people who make you feel good, people who see the good in others and that you genuinely have fun with and like to be around. Life’s too short to spend with miserable people, so just release them from your thoughts, bless them and move on. That’s good advice! Thanks Mom and Dad!

advice

Share some sage words of advice you carry with you from your parents. I would love to hear what they are!

Cherish Life!!!

I am sitting here on my porch swing, doing a little work and resting from just doing a photo shoot for some bathing suits, sunglasses and sunscreen we are reviewing. My photo shoot went something like this, “Come on kids, the sun keeps going in and out and I am afraid it might rain. Hurry, get these trunks on. Luke, let me help you. Oh my, how could these 4Ts be so big on you? They are never going to stay on.”

After trying safety pins and a multitude of other things it was just not going to work so we decided to just wing it and get this done in case it does rain. Then the other part when we got down to the dock went something like this, “Okay, we have to make this quick, I still need to review the chainsaw. Yes, you can put your feet in but you can’t go swimming. Don’t throw the rocks, did you hear me? Stop with the rocks, look over here, okay you can put your feet in and splash, don’t lean over that far! Okay take the sunglasses off, okay put them back on. Luke stop with the rocks! Okay, I think I have enough, let’s go. No, we have to go back to the house now, right now!”

So I am sitting here taking a stress break because frankly I have so much on my plate. I mean I have articles to write for my editor, people to train, customer service issues, plus all the reviews I need to finish and get up for this blog and of course being a mom and a wife and trying not to have a nervous breakdown and did I mention we are doing a dual birthday party for both little ones and we invited his entire pre-school and my other son’s kindergarten class. No idea what we will do if the weather turns bad and due to what happened last year when I planned and planned for the party and had everything arranged and we had to change locations at the last-minute because it decided to rain, I am not really planning and that is now stressing me big time.

So back to the present, I am sitting here and on this very warm day, can still feel a cool breeze blowing in from the lake and my little guys are racing around and around the house on a race track (yes, we are the only people who probably have a race track that runs the entire perimeter of their house and garage. So about every 1.5 minutes because it is pretty large my little guys pass in front of me. and I smile and then I get sad. I get sad because I think of all the petty things like I just mentioned above and more. How I could feel there is a lot on my plate when others have the weight of the world on their shoulders? How could I worry about some rocks being thrown in the lake or a birthday party that should only be about kids having fun and in the end won’t notice if a certain decoration is up or if there was something missing. Then I feel guilt because I think of one of the women I work with who has a grandson fighting for his life and I think how much he would love to be riding around on a race track and I think of those friends that are dealing with kids with real challenges who may never walk or live independently and the struggles they have and well…it just makes all those little things feel incredibly small.

So if you know anyone going through some tough stuff, let them know you are thinking of them, if you pray say a prayer for them, if you live close offer some help, maybe a meal, a shoulder, a friend. Also try to look at what is worrying you and put it in perspective so more time can be spent just cherishing the moments as they come. Not building everything up so it has to be some Pinterest worthy event but relishing even in the small, messy, loud, moments that define our lives. We never know what the future holds so don’t take one thing for granted ever!!!

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Tagged as "Joy", birthdays, Cherish, Friends, Goodness, Grace, Guilt, kids, life, love, Moments, Mommy Ramblings, Stress

December 12, 2010 · 10:01 pm

A rainy December Sunday to remember.

Well, the heavy rain has washed away all our snow and the mild temps feel rather balmy. It did give us the opportunity to tighten up the deck for the real snow. We did have things secure but someone left one of the gates on the deck opened as I may have mentioned and a couple of bulldogs had a field day with our patio furniture cover. By the time the new one came there were a couple of inches of snow covering everything. However, with today’s mild temps and warm heavy rain we are reset and were able to start again. It was a clean slate in which to work and for that I am thankful to God and his divine grace to help us reset.

It is such a busy time of year and I am thankful for the day to stay home and just try to get things ready for the celebrations soon to come. I cannot believe my baby boy will soon be 2 and on the Holy Night no less!!! Where did the time go? I cannot believe it and yet I am so very grateful that we sit here almost two years later after a very traumatic birth and a baby that did not cry for 2 days. Then the days of hospitalization after we had been released for his jaundice combined with the Winter storms made for a very chaotic first few days. When I look at him now, with his sweet voice that calls to me, “Hi Mommy” I almost forget that but then I reflect and once again am reminded of God’s grace that blessed us and I am in awe.

As everyone is rushing around, shopping, cooking, baking, and decorating, let us all take note of the reason for this very blessed of seasons. Let’s remember what is important and be thankful for all we have been blessed with. I wish you all the healthiest, happiest and most love filled Christmas Season. God Bless us every one!!!