Does your family like yogurt?  We LOVE yogurt at our house, and let’s be honest, the tiny, individually sized yogurt portions are every child’s favourite kind of yogurt.  Now imagine if those tiny, child sized servings came with a picture of Diego, Dora, Blue or the Backyardigans on it?  Now we’re talking, right?  I thought so.

Yoplait Kids™ Yogurt comes in a drinkable container or a traditional cup for spoon eating, each providing a single serving for a toddler.  The smooth textured yogurt is available in a variety of yummy fruity flavours, has 25% less than other children’s yogurts and includes Omega 3 DHA - vital for brain-building in small children. When you add the yogurt cultures, protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals, you have a winner for kids!

Even if you don’t win this contest you can still try this nutritious yogurt at a deep discount.  US residents can visit Yoplait Kids for a $1.50 off coupon.  Please note that both the discount coupon, and the free coupon included in this prize pack are not valid in the following states due to state laws: CA, ID, LA, NV, NJ, ND and TN.  Residents of these states are still welcome to enter, as they will be able to enjoy the game and cooler.

So - would you like to win a coupon for free yogurt, a brain-building game for 2 - 3 year olds, and this portable cooler?  Here are the details!

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter, visit Yoplait Kids and leave a comment on this post, telling me which flavour of yogurt you would get with your free coupon.

For additional entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog for updates - see the left hand sidebar. Leave an additional comment letting me know you’ve subscribed (or if you already subscribe).

2. Write a post on your blog promoting and linking to this contest. Leave an additional comment with a link to your post.

3. Add the Quiverfull Family button (see the code box in the right hand sidebar under BUTTON UP!) to your blog’s sidebar. Leave an additional comment with a link to your post.

Each additional step taken counts for 1 additional entry.  A total of 4 entries are available if you complete all of these steps.

The contest will close at 12 a.m. MST on Friday, August 29th, 2008. A winner will be randomly drawn Saturday, August 30th, 2008 and notified by email. Please fill your email address in the comment form when you are completing your comment so that I can contact you.  The winner must respond with a mailing address within 72 hours of my email, or a new winner will be chosen.  This contest is open to US residents only.

I look forward to seeing who God blesses with this prize!  Thank you Yoplait for sponsoring this contest!

The Christian literature marketplace is expanding to include an ever-wider array of genres and techniques. Authors are mixing it up, applying techniques and styles often found in genres other than their own, claiming them for their own work. In his Great Conversations series Zacharias joins the ranks of these authors seeking fresh, innovative writing. Each title features a fictional conversation between Jesus and an influential faith figure, philosopher, or contributor to human thought on the nature of life, God, and salvation.

Distinct even in appearance, New Birth or Rebirth - Jesus Talks with Krishna is a tiny hardcover (90 pages, and will fit into the smallest purse) and appears more akin to a gift book — minus the satin ribbon bookmark — than it does to the large, paperback tomes of questions and answers that sit in the apologetic section of my bookcase. The differences go far beyond appearance and length however, affecting the form and content of this title, if not the function.

Written in the field of comparative religion, Zacharias contrasts the Hinduism of his native India with his own Christian faith using a fictional conversation between Jesus and Krishna. Subramanian, a Hindu who lived and converted to Christianity in the 20th century, is transplanted into this fictional setting to eavesdrop and contribute to the fictional dialogue. He provides a listening ear, recording mind and probing questions for Jesus and Krishna to wrangle with. This story is his retelling of the conversation he witnessed to his fictional friend Richard.

The aim of New Birth or Rebirth is to educate and inform Christians about the Hindu faith (and vice versa, though written primarily for a Christian audience), and to contrast the major figure of each. In attempts to establish evidence of an archetypal theme of the sacrificial God, comparisons pointing out the similarities between Krishna and Christ have become somewhat commonplace.  Zacharias points out the differences between the two, correcting any misunderstanding that Krishna and Jesus play the same role in their respective faiths.

The prose is very simple, arranged like a play, or Pilgrim’s Progress, with each character’s name preceding their spoken words. Very few external descriptions are provided, though a few do pop in, similar to stage directions. The reader is confronted with pure dialogue, no fripperies. The fictional conversation ranges through a wide variety of topics relating to the differences between Hinduism and Christianity including the most popular questions we have in the West -“Why do Hindu’s revere cows?” - to the more obscure: “Did Krishna literally have 16,000+ wives?” Some conversational topics are straightforward explanations, while others veer into the wildly philosophical realms.

Zacharias ultimately uses the contrasting of the two faiths to clearly illuminate the heart of the Gospel message: that Christianity is not a religion, not following a set of rules or trying to reach God on our own terms, but a real relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I was so thankful for Zacharias’ depiction of this often overlooked truth (even by Christian authors, who bandy the term religion about far too freely) that it brought tears to my eyes as he reminded me of Jesus’ never-ending love and compassion for us.

Following this moving revelation, the author moves on to a conclusion that left me confused at best. Using an analogy that was unclear, and not previously anchored to existing references in the text, he left me completely in the dark with what he was trying to communicate in his wrap-up. If you have read this title and understood his concluding analogy, please let me know! My husband is also in the dark on this one. This short, insightful title deserved a more decisive ending that could be clearly comprehended by all.

Comparing two faiths is delicate work, and putting words into the mouths of two characters as revered in their respective followings as Jesus and Krishna is a daunting task indeed. Zacharias manages to present his case clearly without coming across as condescending and mocking of those holding disparate beliefs. He successfully expresses the Christian message while still treating the Hindu religion with respect.

I believe that Zacharias’ depiction of Jesus is fairly true to scripture. He manages to include scriptural truths throughout this fictional Jesus’ words without quoting directly, leading to a naturally flowing conversation throughout New Birth or Rebirth. The author has taken a risk in the Christian marketplace. Some readers are certain to be rubbed the wrong way by the very idea of a fictional conversation between Jesus, a real figure, and Krishna, a mythological one. However, I feel that Zacharias - while using Hinduism as a foil - succeeds in accurately depicting the heart of Jesus, for all people to be made free of the law of sin and death.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER

CLICK HERE TO BUY AT CHRISTIAN BOOK!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON!

Publisher Info:

Title: New Birth or Rebirth? Jesus Talks With Krishna (Great Conversations)
Author: Ravi Zacharias
Format: Hardcover, 96 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books (June 17, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1590527259
ISBN-13: 978-1590527252

The Lord has slowly, surely and persistently been planting the idea of forming an Entrecard group for Christian Carders.  Similar other Entrecard ‘clubs’, such as Red Hot Droppers, and Drop Stars - but with a faith focus, I hope to develop a comprehensive list of Christian Entrecarders so that we can visit, support and encourage each other in our blogging efforts.

Christian bloggers are scattered throughout the many Entrecard categories available, and can be difficult to find.  We are present in: Religion and Spirituality, Education, Personal Diary, Home and Garden, Finance and Investing, Women’s Interests, Cooking and Dining, Mixed Bag, Trends, Graphic Design, Parenting and Family - and those are only the bloggers I’m familiar with.  I’m sure that Christians are sprinkled throughout all the Entrecard categories - making it difficult to find us!

So, how can you join this group?  Simply place the Christian Carders button (to the left, secondary click to copy the image source) near your Entrecard widget, and link it to THIS post (copy the permalink from the title to get the url to link to).

Leave me a comment letting me know that you’ve added the button and link to the area near your widget.  Please also indicate if your blog belongs in one of the following categories: I Follow Drops, I Link to Advertisers, I Link to Top Droppers.  If you do any of these three, I’ll include you on the main list, and in your respective categories.  I hope this will help everyone to find those they’d like to drop in, in case they have limited time.

I’ll come over for a visit, drop you and determine that your blog is Christian (scanning for some evidence of faith, blogs must be free of profanity and content in order to qualify).  I’ll then add your text link to THIS post and email you to let you know you are in (and remove your comment), so that the growing number of Christian Carders can then come and click through to your blog.  Pretty simple!

Also - while we are getting started, I would greatly appreciate your help in promoting and spreading the news of this group.  If you write a post on your blog describing and linking here, come back and leave another comment, I will send 100 EC’s your way as a token of my appreciation (and then remove your comment).

Thanks for joining Christian Carders!  May the Lord be glorified through our blogging efforts!  God Bless!

CHRISTIAN CARDERS

http://quiverfullfamily.com

http://www.heluvsme2.blogspot.com

http://godly-woman.blogspot.com

http://designerfrog.blogspot.com

http://thesonshinegirls.blogspot.com

http://atitus2woman.blogspot.com

http://www.ksprice.blogspot.com

I FOLLOW DROPS

http://quiverfullfamily.com

http://designerfrog.blogspot.com

http://thesonshinegirls.blogspot.com

http://atitus2woman.blogspot.com

I LINK TO ADVERTISERS

http://atitus2woman.blogspot.com

I LINK TO TOP DROPPERS

http://quiverfullfamily.com

http://atitus2woman.blogspot.com

IP2Location is an advanced tool for webmasters that uses the IP Address of website browsers to determine the geographic location, internet service provider, weather station and much more using a proprietary IP address lookup database and technology without invading Internet user’s privacy.

I didn’t know such a service existed until I visited the IP2Location homepage.  They have me nailed!  City, province, country, internet service provider, latitude, longitude, time zone and connection speed were all accurate for me.  There were also fields titled IDD and weather station - those use codes I’m not familiar with, so I can’t say if they were accurate or not.  The databased used for look-ups is also utilized by Fortune 500 companies.

Some of the benefits of using IP2Location include reducing credit card fraud by comparing the location of the credit card with the IP location, filtering access from countries you do not do business with, spam filtering by location and much more. IP2 has newly launched DB15-DB18 packages which consist of the IDD code, area code, weather station name and weather station code.

Webmasters can access a free demo, as well as free IP2Location tools for webmasters here.  You can see one of the free webmaster tools in the footer of this blog.  Scroll down, way down, and you can see how accurate the IP2Location tools are.

Oh, sweet Mamma love!  Patches just loves her baby - dubbed, Princess C.  The C is for cat, to differentiate her from all the other Princesses on our homestead that Kaelynn has named.  Isn’t she getting big?  She’s around the same age as Sarah - 6 weeks old.  She’s walking, going outside, eating solid food and so much more.  Sarah however, isn’t doing any of those things - well, okay she does get to go outside, but she can’t make it out on her own yet ;).

We’re at my Grandparents place in the city, so I should dig out my camera and take more baby photos of Sarah - it seems like she’s breastfeeding in most of our recent shots, and I don’t share those publicly.  (Yes, I do have my digital camera here…somewhere, and yes, I brought my computer - I’m such a geek!)

The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica takes readers on a journey with a spunky child-millipede named Lilly, her wig-wearing Grandma, and flatulence-prone Grandpa. The lengthy (64 pages) hardcover picture book also comes with a 30-minute CD that includes the entire text of the story with an original score and sound effects.

Lilly and her family live in the Miami International Airport. When Grandma Nellie tires of the familiar surroundings of the airport the entire millipede family, including a reluctant Grandpa Willie, heads out on an educational adventure to the rainforests of Costa Rica. There they encounter glimpses of Costa Rican culture and discover both friends and enemies amongst the native insect population.

Despite encountering and escaping from a spider named Ruth Less with less than noble intentions, the family still manages to do some sight-seeing before returning to Miami. Lilly is a book lover and talented musician, and her natural proclivities help her family to overcome difficulties and fears on their journey.

There is some confusion during the first portion of the book, leaving readers uncertain as to exactly when the decision to travel to Costa Rica was made. I was unable to tell if someone had made the decision to plan for a Costa Rican trip, or if this was indeed a random departure as Grandma Nellie had indicated she would be interested in. If the departure was random, Lilly was surprisingly well prepared. Thankfully, we can put these concerns aside once the traveling millipedes reach their destination and begin learning about the flora, fauna, geography and culture of this country. Glade’s aim is to educate and entertain simultaneously.

Author and self-taught illustrator Debbie Glade uses bright, saturated watercolours to bring the Costa Rican landscape to life. Her bold and clearly defined illustration reach children on their own level, and is reminiscent of children’s artwork. Glade’s work is charming, though there are some seemingly inadvertent perspective issues – particularly with human figures; their hands seem far too tiny in comparison with the rest of their bodies, particularly the feet. Glade’s illustrations successfully engage children in the story, but do leave room for improvement.

The CD that accompanies the book brings the quirky characters and Costa Rican landscape to vivid life. The day we received this title my five-year-old pre-reader listened to the CD and ‘read’ along with the book no less than five times. We have been treated to Lilly’s squeaky voice countless times since then. Glade has produced a winner according to my children.

Debbie Glade’s lively and unusual voices accompanied by the songs and score that her daughter Rachel and husband John collaborated on render the story unforgettable. Glade narrates the story, reading the dialogue of each character in his or her own unique voice. Recordings of authentic wildlife and rainforest sounds in the background contribute to a realistic feeling – as realistic as one can expect when accompanying a talking millipede family in their journeys!

There is one sound effect I could have done without. I had to wince when Grandpa’s flatulence was inserted… loudly, for comic relief along with Lilly’s laughter. Children definitely go through a period where they find bodily functions vastly entertaining, and it will definitely be humorous for children at this stage. Parents who are trying to discourage their children from this tendency won’t find much backup with this title.

Glade’s family wrote and performed a varied score for the book, moving readers more deeply into the emotional moods throughout the story. Lilly sings in a squeaky, off-key voice that is strangely endearing. The songs prove to be catchy and entertaining - I find myself singing them around the house. “Granny wears a wig that makes her look old, but don’t let that fool you ‘cause she’s very bold.” It’s hard to resist winning lyrics such as that! Wig-wearing millipedes, who’d have thought?

Glade’s husband, John provides Grandpa’s singing voice, which does not at all match his spoken voice. Grandpa’s regular voice is croaky and old, while his singing voice is surprisingly smooth, warm and mellow – quite a difference. John also plays the guitar and harmonica, while daughter Rachel plays the piano and sitar.

While I noticed these small inconsistencies and lack of clarity regarding who planned the trip, or if it was planned at all, my children certainly don’t mind. This self-published offering is certainly worth exploring. The simple, lively music along with Lilly’s squeaky voice are hard to forget, and will make this bright, bold book and CD combination a favourite of young children everywhere.

For sample pages, audio clips and educational facts about Costa Rica, visit the official Lilly Badilly website.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON!

Publisher Info:

Title: The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica
Author: Debbie Glade
Format: Hardcover, 64 pages
Publisher: Smart Poodle Publishing (2008)
ISBN-10: 098003079X
ISBN-13: 978-0980030792

Well, there it is.  It was expensive….and it’s still not as fast as my Grandparents high speed in the city :(.  Our high speed, satellite internet was finally installed, but it still doesn’t live up to my expectations.  I guess this is as good as it gets out in the boonies!  We have download limits that we’ve maxed out twice, putting us below dial-up speed for 24 hours!  Other than that it is much, much faster, but we need to be careful with how much we download.  Larry and Kaelynn watched some videos of funny pets they found on a blog, 3 - 4 minutes long, around 6 videos, and that threw us over the edge!

Any idea how many MB the average 3 - 4 minute video is in size?  We don’t seem to have a way to track our ongoing bandwidth usage, so that makes it tricky not to…overdose.

Still, with the great increase in size, we’ve now been able to follow our Entrecard drops, and update our blogs much faster!

When my husband and I owned a small online business we cobbled together the resources that we needed from a variety of vendors.  Hosting here, domain name registration there.  It takes time to search out and deal with a variety of service providers.

Concentric offers a complete suite of web-related services for small business owners.  From domain hosting and domain name registration to email, all of these needs can be filled through a single service provider.  Not only do they cover the basics one would expect to see in a small business web hosting package; they also include free extras such as spam and virus protection and Google AdWords credit.

If you are just getting started online, or are looking for a change, take a peek at Concentric and see what you think.

Amy, of My Friend Amy has conceived a brilliant celebration of book bloggers!  Seems that I fall into that category these days, so I’m excited to share the news!  I’m signing up!  Here’s the information from her blog:

Book Bloggers: You work hard. You read books, you write reviews, you maintain relationships with your readers, publicists, and authors. You are constantly running to the post office to mail your giveaways and participating in carnivals to help boost traffic. You sometimes want to faint when you see the size of your TBR pile, but faithfully you read. And you do it because you love it. Book blogging is for most a hobby. But it’s a hobby that takes a lot of work and time. It’s a labor of love.

I’ve been blogging for three years but only really got into book blogging in the last year. I have found, without a doubt, that book bloggers are the kindest, most open minded, and supportive group of bloggers on the internet. With book blogging, it’s about community and a love for the written word.

The Readers: We love you! You don’t have a blog, but you read our reviews and share your thoughts with us. You enter our giveaways and click on our Amazon associates link. We do this for you and appreciate your readership. We hope you’ll join in the fun and festivities of BBAW! (we’ll have a special contest just for you!)

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Acknowledging the hard work of book bloggers and their growing impact on book marketing and their essential contribution to book buzz in general, I am excited to announce the first Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Think of it as a retreat for book bloggers and a chance for us to totally nerd out over books together. And of course, shower each other with love and appreciation.

Register: In order to experience the maximum impact of the week, I invite you to register your participation (just like a retreat)!
To register, just send an email to bookbloggerappreciationweekATgmailDOTcom with your blog url and what you consider your niche…i.e, general book blog, classics blog, personal blog with a healthy dose of books, YA books blog, etc. Then, add one of the two buttons at the bottom of this post to your sidebar. If you are a reader (no blog) just send an email announcing your plans to follow along.
Why bother? If you register, you will be added to a book blog directory which will exist long after this week is over. Additionally, you will receive one raffle entry into the daily giveaways during BBAW here at My Friend Amy.

Awards: Oh yes, there will be awards. The Oscars of Book Blogging. Nominations start next week.

Spread the Word: If you are excited about this idea like I am and the other book bloggers who are helping, please consider writing a post on your blog announcing this event and inviting other book bloggers and readers to join.

Help Wanted: If you have a talent for designing buttons (like those below) and would like to donate some of your time and skill to me, please email me personally at mypalamyATgmailDOTcom

THE BUTTONS

Enjoy the celebration!

It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book’s FIRST chapter!

No book yet (ah, living in Canada!)  But look at those pictures…scroll down…way down….WOW, this looks great!  Can’t wait to review it!  Watch for my review - this looks like one our family will really enjoy.  We often talk about how much we love each other and how much MORE God loves us, so this looks like a great bedtime book.

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and his/her book:

God Loves Me More Than That

WaterBrook Press (August 19, 2008)

Dandi Daley Mackall has published more than 400 books for children and adults, with more than 3 million combined copies sold. She is the author of WaterBrook’s two other delightful Dandilion Rhymes books, A Gaggle of Geese & A Clutter of Cats and The Blanket Show. A popular keynote speaker at conferences and Young Author events, Mackall lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of horses, dogs, and cats.

Visit the author’s website.

David Hohn is an award-winning illustrator who graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He has worked as both a staff artist and an art director for a children’s software company in Portland, Oregon, a position which led to his art directing an award-winning project for Fisher-Price. Hohn’s recent projects include Lisa Tawn Bergren’s God Gave Us Christmas.

Visit the illustrator’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (August 19, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400073162
ISBN-13: 978-1400073160

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Chapter One

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIAN BOOK!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT AMAZON!