Category: Review

Causes · Challenge · dad · Depressed · Devotion · family · Family Night · Family Share · fatherhood · kids · love · mom · motherhood · photography · reeding · Review · sunday devotion · women · World VS Life

Forgive even if they are not Sorry

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

A 365 Days Challenge Day #3

photo 47c279f4d661455c983b11e6c1e45f92.jpg

Reconciliation

Think about how good it feels when a conflict is resolved, and friendship is restored. That’s what God wants for each of us.

When we iron out our differences with others and renew those friendships, we open the door for deeper intimacy with God in prayer. How do you patch things up? Follow the 1-99 rule. If the conflict is 99 percent your responsibility, don’t focus on the party’s mistakes; rather take care of your 1 percent. Most of the time, when you apologize for your role in the conflict, the other person’s heart will soften.

Sincere attempts to reconcile usually work, but sometimes they don’t. God doesn’t expect you to take responsibility for someone else’s unwillingness to apologize or forgive. Nor does God want you to invite an abusive person back into your life. But when you do your best to live at peace with all people, you will experience a new level of peace with God.

Lord God, as I take inventory of my relationships, help me to…

photo cf68520099c1d50ff3e51d039a234bb7.jpg

Help me to forgive those that have hurt me, forgive and forget. It’s so hard sometimes for me to forget. I always keep my focus on the other person’s fault and forget I can only change and take responsibility for my part. Help me to live at peace not only with myself but also with those that has done me wrong.

red-fancy-pinterest-button

Causes · Challenge · family · Family Night · Family Share · FitMom · food · Health · love · mom · motherhood · reeding · Review · teens · women · World VS Life

This causes cancer: Myths and truths

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

photo beauty-153892_960_720.png

This causes cancer: Myths and truths
After all, what is your risk of catching cancer? Is Cancer contagious? Does all cancer kill? These and other answers you will find in this article.

First, I would like to clarify that I am not a doctor. I cannot give diagnosis, nor prescribe drugs. For a diagnosis, please see your doctor. What I do here is bring information that I searched and checked the sources whether they are reliable.

As for the questions, these are the most common:

What causes cancer?

There is no single causative factor in cancer, but the sum of a few or several. These include:

1- Genetic inheritance
2- Exposure to external factors such as:

  • Substances: smoke, asbestos, formaldehyde (found in various chemical compounds such as paints), alcohol and radon gas, pesticides, dioxin and bisphenol A (found in the plastic).
  • Food: sugar (its excess acid makes the body and conducive to the development of cancer), processed meats – sausage, bacon, and ham. GM, soft drinks, including diets, hydrogenated fats, genetically modified oils, seasoning monosodium glutamate.
  • Others Radiation, asbestos, viruses, hormones, low immune conditions, ethnicity.

There are many and various causes of cancer and none of them are 100% decisive, that is, use, contamination or exposure to carcinogenic factors does not give 100% sure that the person will develop cancer. Even heredity, by the way, cancer is not hereditary, it is good to clarify. What is a genetic predisposition, which while important, does not guarantee anyone the incidence of the disease.

Myths and truths

Myths

Cancer is hereditary
As explained above, this is a very common myth, except for Retinoblastoma, cancer does not pass from father to son.

Cancer is contagious
 Overall, cancer is not contagious, although there are two types of cancer that can be transmitted through sex, blood and infected syringes: HPV, hepatitis B (liver cancer) and HTLV (leukemia and cell lymphoma Adult T).

Tumor and cancer are the same
Every cancer is a tumor, but not every tumor is cancer. Cancerous tumors are usually referred to as “evil” and non-cancerous tumors as “benign”. A tumor is an increase in volume in any part of the body. Different from cancer because it does not spread to other organs, it has defined limits, grow slower and in most cases do not leads to death.

Black people are not at risk of skin cancer
 They are as exposed as any other person as the determining factor is not the sun – although it contributes – but the physical acidity.

Sunscreen protects fully against skin cancer

There is much controversy between using or not using sunscreen due to harmful substances found in them (like paraben). The fact is that sunscreen does not completely protect the skin, especially against infrared rays.

Truths

Cancer can be cured

Yes. If detected early and get good follow-up, the chances of cure are high. Currently more than half of existing cancers are cured. But that does not mean that the cancer will not return. If the person has developed cancer by environmental exposure and will not move away from the cancerous environment, the cancer may reoccur.

can you prevent cancer

Healthy living helps a lot to prevent cancer. This includes not smoking, no drinking, no drugs, eating well, sunbathe to get vitamin D, a healthy and organic food preference, physical exercise and appropriate weight maintenance.

Anyone can develop cancer

Unfortunately, it’s true. And the older you are, the greater the risk. The baby’s body is alkaline and old, acid. The risk increases if there are family cases and close exposure to cancer agents previously mentioned.

Breastfeeding prevents breast cancer

Yeah! Breastfeeding reduces risk of breast cancer. According to Valerie Beral researcher at the Research Centre of Britain Charity “The longer the time that women breastfeed, the greater the protection against breast cancer.”

red-fancy-pinterest-button

Info found on Familyshare.com

 

Challenge · Devotion · family · Family Share · free · fun · Health · love · mom · motherhood · photography · Recipes · reeding · Review · sunday devotion · World VS Life

How to get in the habit of Making Room

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

A 365 Days Challenge Day #2

The Habit of Making Room

photo 43ec8ab8a665639024333c296a5260ce.jpg

How do you build a relationship with God? Like a friendship or a marriage, a great relationship with God doesn’t happen all at once. You build it over time. It’s a daily process of investigating and celebrating who God is, and sharing the grit and substance of your life with Him.

To build a successful marriage, spouses must find time for one another, enjoying a walk in the park, a dinner at a restaurant, playing a board game, working on a remodeling project, or any of a hundred other activities. That will look different in every marriage. But, without that shared time, any marriage slowly dies.
photo fe921990eb1a8043cc783ca13ab92114.jpg

Building a relationship with God also involves taking time out for Him. That might include singing songs of praise, silently pondering God’s character, or pouring out your thoughts and feelings to Him. You might take a walk with God or invite Him to join you at work. The key isn’t so much in how you approach God, but rather in the habit of making room for Him in your everyday life.

Lord, I want to make room for you today by…

I want to make room for God by praying, reading and separating my time of daily devotion to Him. I’m challenging myself to get this done for 365 days straight. Building a healthy relationship habit  with God is what will help me reach my goal of a happy and longer life.
photo 51632e0e782745609c8ffc7dd54ba0dd.jpg

red-fancy-pinterest-button

coupons · dad · family · Review

Monday #Review of the @DollaShaveClub

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

I wanted to give this time. Try it out before I wrote anything bad or good about it. 
The first day we got the shaver from @DollarShaveClub we were very excited couldn’t wait to try it out. 

It looked very appealing in the pictures, the website promotes

A GREAT SHAVE FOR A FEW BUCKS. No commitment. No fees. No BS.

As for me being a frugal stay at home mom I liked the idea of the price.

Yes, it’s cheaper than the other brands.
When you stop to think about it using coupons with other brands you can get it for the same price maybe even cheaper. Even though we realized that we still wanted to try it out.

The website is easy to choose and start getting what you are looking for as it states on the website.

HOW IT WORKS Dollar Shave Club couldn’t be simpler. Select one of our great blades, pay only for the cost of your blades, and we send ’em right to your door every month.

We selected to have the most expensive one $9 month +shipping because I thought

” Hey this will be perfect. The website describes the blades as follow.

THE FINAL FRONTIER THE EXECUTIVE $9 EVERY MONTH SHIPS FREE SELECT 6
stainless steel blade
4 cartridges per month
Special trimmer edge built in for the professional
This blade comes from the future and lives in outer space
Full 90-degree pivot head Wide-open back for a fast, easy rinse Aloe, Vitamin E, and lavender lubricating strip calms sensitive skin.
What do you get the bathroom sink that has everything? The Executive. This blade is my successful. Muy sexy. Weighty, substantial handle delivers the ultimate compliment to the man who understands. And the shave is so buttery, it feels like you’re carving turns through a virgin Wyoming snowfall.

It took about a week for the delivery, and we had our brand-new shavers and a free sample of the aftershave in our hands.

It’s a nice-looking shaver and the Special trimmer was cool.

So, my husband tested it first, he used the shaver 2x and had to move on to a new one.
I told him maybe it was because I used it once and he said ” well the one we get at the store lasts 3weeks before changing blades.

He tried using another one by himself, I never touched it (I promise LOL) again after 2 shaves the blades were dull and it looked horrible.

Yes, we got disappointed. I had so much expectation for this product, and it failed. 😦

Still haven’t decided what I want to do next, but since the one we got is the best they can offer I think we will need to cancel.

(I bought this product, and this is my honest opinion, don’t forget everyone is different and the product might work great for you. It didn’t for us, and this is why I’m doing my review.)
Review

Never Said By Carol Lynch Williams #Review

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

Never Said

By Carol Lynch Williams
Published by Zondervan

_240_360_Book.1642.cover

Why I Choose this Book

I liked the fact that it was a story about sisters, and it was a short read.

What I thought about the book 

 It’s a story about twin teenagers named Sarah and Annie. Sarah has an anxiety disorder and Annie has gained weight, and had a personality change. She holds a deep secret Their parents are in denial that the twins need serious help.

This book has some deep thoughts coming from Annie
She puts herself down and has really low self-esteem
Made me think of a lot of times when you see teens acting the way she does.

Another eye opener for parents.

I recommend parents to read it and kids especially girls would love it.

Back Cover 

From bestselling author Carol Lynch Williams (The Chosen One), a contemporary YA novel about a family that has been caught up in what doesn’t matter and how two sisters realize that their relationship—no matter how different the two of them are—is most important.
In this contemporary YA novel by bestselling author Carol Lynch Williams (The Chosen One), fifteen-year-old fraternal twins Annie and Sarah are sisters, but that is where their interaction ends. Then Annie begins to withdraw from the family, forcing Sarah to investigate why-and the secret she uncovers changes their relationship forever.
Never Said explores not only the effects of abuse but also our world’s reliance on self, beauty, and other people’s perceptions. With themes of forgiveness, love, sacrifice, and hope woven throughout the story, teens and other fans of young adult fiction will be drawn to this story of two sisters who must find a way to come together and find the healing they both need.

I received this book from BookLook in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Devotion · Family Share · kids · reeding · Review

Protecting Your #Child from • Soul Poison •  #Parenting 

EllyFilho1 Comment

Protecting Your Child from “Soul Poison”
There are some decent, even values-oriented things on television for children these days. But, as you know very well, there’s a lot of garbage, too. And in between those two extremes, there are shows that are mostly good but have some words scattered in them that little ears shouldn’t be hearing – or big ears, for that matter. Along comes a service called TV Guardian – which automatically replaces a naughty word with a nice word, thus removing what could be bad for your child. Occasionally, the replacements are actually a little amusing. Like the word “sex,” for example. The replacement word is “hugs.” Which gets a little interesting when someone asks, “So what will be the hugs of your baby?” But I do think TV Guardian is a pretty good idea.

Something like TV Guardian was invented for parents who realize a very important assignment that they have; to protect their children from anything that could harm them. Of course, a parent is going to protect their son or daughter from physical harm – like getting too close to the edge of a cliff or running onto the Interstate. But Mom and Dad have no less a responsibility for protecting their kids from things that can hurt their soul. And there’s a lot of soul poison out there.

There is a ten-word challenge that underscores where the front lines of the battle are for any life – including that of your children. Proverbs 4:23 begins with these attention-getting words, “Above all else…” Then these ten words – “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” In other words, be careful about what gets into your heart – or into your child’s heart – because it is the reservoir from which everything else flows.

Yes, one front in the battle for a child’s pure heart is related to what they listen to and watch. It’s amazing how we will allow someone to portray right in our living room, on TV, DVD, or Netflix, things we would never, ever allow to be done in our living room – sexually, for example. We allow comedy into our home and into their heart that trivializes sin that ruins lives; not realizing that our kids are learning to laugh about things that are eternally serious. No matter what the parental peer pressure of what other parents are allowing and what the culture says is “must see” stuff, we’ve got to stand our ground on not allowing our kids to mentally eat out of the garbage can.

 
But guarding their heart is so much bigger than TV or movies or music. It’s about the poison that comes from us. The bitterness they’re learning by listening to us, the anger, the self-centeredness, the putdowns of other people, the names they hear us call people, the prejudice they hear in the way we talk about others, the disrespect they hear us expressing toward people at work, at church – or even toward their Mother or Father. That’s more deadly poison than anything the media can pump out. Our precious children need “Parent Guardian” – to protect them from the poison that they see modeled in living color by a Mom or Dad.

The DVR in your son’s or daughter’s heart is always recording. It’s always capturing what it hears, and the impressions are shaping who they’re becoming. You are the guardian, assigned to your child by God, to protect that young heart from poison and infection – even if (especially if) it’s coming from you.

Going Deeper

One undesirable trait I see in my child that reminds me of myself is… One thing I could do to help them and me grow in that area is…

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Proverbs‬ ‭4:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Tweet: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs‬ ‭4:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ - Via- @4Guys_1Girl

“I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil. Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate. My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me. No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭101:1-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Study by Ron Hutchcraft
reeding · Review

A Simple Prayer By Amy Clipston #BookReview 

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

 
A Simple Prayer
Series: Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel
By Amy Clipston

As if it was ” The return home of a prodigal son.” The difficulty he faces when he returns. The fear of not being excepted. The start of a love story. An Unhappy brother with his return reveals that he has kept all his contact letters over 17 years from his mother, that now just had a stroke, which cause for Aaron’s returned home.  Forgiveness seems to be the main case here.  It would have been nice to start reading from book one. A Simple Prayer is Book Four of the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series.  But over all a great story.

Book Description 

Linda Zook, 32, works part-time at the Lancaster Grand Hotel. As the sole survivor of a buggy accident that left her orphaned at age four, she was raised by her unwilling Uncle Reuben. Linda longs to be worthy of someone, but the life-long effects of her injuries and her upbringing under the care of her embittered uncle have destroyed her self-worth. .
Aaron Ebersol, 32, left the Amish community 17 years ago when he could no longer bear the restrictions or the constant tension with his father. He’d written too many unanswered letters to his mother and found himself incapable of putting down any roots in his new home in Missouri. Success in work could not replace the family that denied Aaron, even after all of these years. .
Aaron hastily returns to the Amish community of Paradise, PA, after receiving word of his mother’s stroke. Hesitant to get too close to the family he was once a part of, he decides to stay at the Heart of Paradise Bed & Breakfast. He soon encounters Linda, working there part-time, and they begin to develop a friendship. .
Aaron’s return allows him to reconnect with his family as he jumps into home improvement projects, hoping to make his parents’ house more accessible to his handicapped mother. But before long, he is enraged to learn that his brother, Solomon, had hidden all of Aaron’s letters to their mother. .
Linda and Aaron must each learn to forgive the family members who have deceived and forsaken them. And Aaron must also show Linda that she is worthy of his love.
About the Author
Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com&gt; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html&gt; : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Devotion · Family Share · love · reeding · Review

” God as Father-In-Law “

EllyFilho1 Comment

IMG_0515
It came almost as a warning, and frankly, I needed one at the time. I was a young husband, and during an intense time of prayer, I sensed God telling me very directly that Lisa wasn’t just my wife, but she was also His daughter, and I was to treat her accordingly.

This was a moment of revelation for me, and the force of this insight grew once I had kids of my own. If you want to get on my good side, just be good to one of my kids.

Conversely, if you really want to make me angry, pick on my kids. Be mean to them. My blood pressure will go up if your name is even mentioned because I’d much rather you mess with me and with one of my kids.

So, when I realized, I was married to God’s daughter—and that you, women, were married to God’s sons—everything about how I viewed marriage changed. God feels about my wife—His daughter—in an even holier and more passionate way than I feel about my own daughters. Suddenly, my marriage was no longer about just me and one other person; it was very much a relationship with a passionately interested third partner. I realized one of my primary forms of worship throughout the rest of my life would be honoring God by taking care of a woman who would always be, in His divine mind, “His little girl.”

We often hear pastors contemplate the fatherhood of God, a wonderful and true doctrine. But if you want to change your marriage, extend this analogy and spend some time meditating about God as Father-in-Law. Because when you marry a believer, He is!

1 John 3-1
Galatians 3:26-29

* Have you ever thought of your spouse as the son/daughter of God? How does this change your relationship (both actions and attitudes) with him/her?

(Book Breath Spiritual Passion into your marriage)

love · reeding · Review

{ Love at Mistletoe Inn } Series: A Year of Weddings Novella – By Cindy Kirk

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

Love at Mistletoe Inn
Series: A Year of Weddings Novella
By Cindy Kirk
Published by Zondervan

They’ve helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples. Now twelve new couples will find themselves in the wedding spotlight in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.

An owner of a Victorian inn and charming rustic barn is used to creating the perfect setting for other couples’ nuptials. But when she falls head over heels for the new man in her life, will she be prepared to walk down that aisle?

When I got this book to read It took me longer than I expected I wished I finished it sooner what a cute story 🙂  

Hope Prentiss get shocked as she learned she is still married to her high school friend John Burke. John vows and paperwork they signed makes everything legal.

How is Hope going to get out of this situation she unexpectedly found herself in.  This foolish mistake They made while just a teenagers?  But John has other plans, he meant his words to Hope 10 years ago when he said “I do” with all his heart.  But now after such a long time. How will he make Hope believe he is the man for her?

The Story tells you all about it and how they love became mutual 🙂

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com&gt; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html&gt; : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Causes · Health · Review

{ PTSD } A Spouse’s Perspective How to Survive in A World of #PTSD _ By Erica David

EllyFilhoLeave a comment

_240_360_Book.766.cover

PTS D A Spouse’s Perspective How to Survive in A World of PTSD
By Erica David  
Published by West Bow Press

Has PTSD invaded your world?

Are you always walking on eggshells? Feel like nothing you do is right? Are you the victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse? Are you in a relationship with someone who suffers from PTSD? Then this book is a must-read for you. There is hope!

What is PTSD? It’s the aftermath of a traumatic event that happens during a person’s life no matter their age. The effect PTSD has on a family is very complicated why not say it’s very sad. I believe it affects everyone not only the person that has the PTSD but the spouse, their children, and anyone else that is around that person. 

In this book, the author tells her story, about her family, and how her husband came home from war and was a different man. After all that must have happened there, he had some difficult issues that took her some time to understand because he wouldn’t talk about it, like most people with PTSD. Him being like that made her depressed, and a secondary PTSD from her marriage. Not only that but she also suffered some childhood trauma that also caused her to have PTSD.  So, the book goes on to explain what PTSD is – It explains in detail the traumatic event that happens during her life. Even though the cause of PTSD can be when you’re a child you can still suffer as an adult. Some people never realize the impact that the event has on them until they start counseling sessions. When the therapist asks about the event, they have to recall all the traumatic events back. For some sleep is unpleasant, and a lot of people have panic attacks. In every chapter of the book, she gives you an answer and teaches you how to deal with some key points.  I guess I expected a little more I don’t know if it’s because I suffer from PTSD and wanted more details for myself and she’s more on the ” Veteran Spouse ” side of the story. But overall, I liked her book, and I would recommend it.

There is a quote in the book that I related to it, and I would like to quote it. 

Why does life have to hurt so bad? I am tired of the pain that is deep inside that I think I have learned to cope with only to have it mutate and return again. The people I hold dear don’t truly understand how I feel. They can’t. No one knows what I feel inside but me. The loneliness, the despair, the lack of accomplishment, the low self-esteem. if you have been successful there is no way you can understand my pain of rejection. Knowing that I am capable, but no one will give me a chance. One look at my resume says it all.
For 20 years, I devoted myself to my husband and my kids. Now I feel like I have nothing. Nothing but a persistent pain that keeps me from moving forward. But I don’t have anything to move forward to. Somewhere I lost myself, and I don’t know how to relate to this person that I have become. One minute I am fine and the next minute I am a bucket of tears. The seemingly happy moments are only a masquerade to cover the pain.
I keep treading water trying to stay afloat. But I am slowly sinking. Not able to decide what is best for me. Not wanting to make the wrong decision. I am indecisive. Wish I could live both lives to see which one I like better. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. You live with the choices you make. Good or bad.  I am someone who can be lonely in a crowded room. I sit quietly listening, thinking, but never contributing to the conversation. After all, what I have to say probably isn’t important or eventually, someone else will say what I was thinking. So why bother. Just stay in my own world. Nobody notices anyway.
What is peace? Is peace ever possible? I only wish I knew. I thought of suicide, but I don’t want to leave that scar on my children’s hearts for the remainder of their lives. I can’t even die in peace. Just please take the pain away. Let me find PEACE.

That is a killer quote/poem she wrote there it was so deep I was left speechless. To me, it was so me beside the suicide part. Having PTSD Sucks and although some people might think there’s a cure for it, I believe there isn’t. Unless you’ve ” Suffered from it ” don’t judge. That’s what I have to say 🙂

The reason why I say that is because You Might be able to FORGIVE but forgetting the past is something completely different and difficult to do trust me … Have a Blessed Day!!!!  

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this by the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html>: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”