Start Here by Alex and Brett Harris & GIVEAWAY

START HERE

by Alex & Brett Harris

ISBN: 978-1-60142-270-5

Publisher: Waterbrook/Multnomah

Summary:

At the age of eighteen, Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things—and launched a movement that would change a generation. Young people around the world were ready to be inspired, ready to move beyond complacency, ready to rebel against society’s low expectations.

Now the highly anticipated companion book, Start Here, answers the questions Alex and Brett have received from thousands of teens on their worldwide conference tour and popular online community: How do I get started? What hard things does God want me to do? How do I keep from getting discouraged or burned out? What is the best way to inspire others?

Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide for young people who are ready to take the next step and blast past apathy. Let the rebelution continue.

My Daughter's Review:

This book is such an inspiration, and it is helping me to work through the ideas that I had after reading Do Hard Things. I have been really torn recently between things that I have to do, things that I want to do, and things that I feel God is calling me to do. While they are all good things, I don't have time for all of it. A sentence that really stuck out to me was "We need to keep asking good questions about our time, our priorities, and our goals, and always remembering that God does not give us conflicting obligations." That last part in italics struck me...it was like God threw the words at me. My anxiety over not having enough time to do things and not knowing which way to go has been useless. I need to be trusting God that He will show me where He wants me to go.

The thing that I really love about the books from Alex and Brett Harris is that they are so easy to connect with, and there is so much wisdom in their words! There are always things that I can take from their books, and I can read this book multiple times without getting bored! I also respect the Harris brothers because although they are very well known to Christian teens, they still focus on striving for God and staying humble. The quotes from teens who have written to them and stories of other teens are very exciting things to read! It is amazing to see how other teens around the globe are passionate for glorifying God! This book is a huge encouragement to me as I am looking to "do hard things" for the Lord!



I'd like to thank my Smoochie for doing this review! I got the book because she had loved Do Hard Things! I think she did a great job and I'd like to thank her for taking the time to read Start Here and for reviewing it!

Author Bio:

Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote at age eighteen. Today the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour, maintain a hugely popular online presence through their blog, TheRebelution.com, and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia.

Win This Book

Would you like to win this book? Tell me if you are involved in with youth or if your kids go to a youth program. Giveaway will end 4/2 (My Smooch's 17th bday), 10pm CDT. Smooch will be choosing the winner! Must be 18 yrs old to enter and a US resident. Must leave an email or have contact info available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Void where prohibited.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Start Here can be purchased at Random House.

Here's an excerpt from Start Here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601422705&view=excerpt

Feel Good Friday: Pancakes & Sons

Visit The Girl Next Door Grows Up and learn about the different ways to participate in Feel Good Friday! I think it's such a great way to think about even the small ways to be thankful!

I haven't volunteered in my son's classroom at ALL this year. How I allowed that to happen is beyond me! So I'm going to school right away to help make pancakes to celebrate "If You Give A Pig A Pancake". They've been reading that series in his classroom and will end it with a pancake bash!

If I can get my camera from my daughter I'll take some pics and come back to post after we're done! My Doodle is so excited to have me come to school. Sad that I've wasted so much time sitting at home when I could've been hanging out with my son. Silly me. I'm hanging out there as much as his teacher will let me through the rest of the year!

My 10 yr old, Buddy, was given a pass from school on Wednesday. It was the first time in our towns history that the girls high school basketball team made it to the state playoffs! I'd say pretty much the entire town went. The bus company provided the buses and the school got the tickets, all for $13! Shoot, I gotta pay my friend for that! The papers came home with the kids on Monday and had to be paid by noon on Tuesday! I missed that part and was already on my way to work. So, my friend LK bought Buddy's ticket along with her own! What a life saver. The girls team didn't win, but my son will always remember that I let him skip school for a basketball game! Some things are more important than what's expected!

Francesca Battisteli "My Paper♥Heart" CD Review

One of the favorite songs in our household since last Fall is "Free To Be Me" or as my 6 yr old calls it "Ripped Pants". I think he's watched too much SpongeBob!

I was sent a set of CDs from Word Entertainment to review! After I review the 4 CDs I will be giving away the last one. So, keep an eye out for these reviews. If you are looking for wholesome, upbeat, Christian music, I've got some great suggestions for you.

If you're wondering if you've heard Francesca before, it's probably because she's all over tv right now! Some shows you can find her on:

• Biggest Loser (NBC) ~ "It's Your Life"


• The Hills (MTV) ~ "Engaged & Underage"


• Diet Tribe (Lifetime) ~ "It's Your Life"


• Think/MTV ~ "It's Your Life"

Let's dissect the songs on this Deluxe Edition:

1. Free To Be Me: Our family knows this song right from the start and up goes the volume! Life doesn't always go the way we expect, but we're free to be who we are, especially where God is concerned!


2. I'm Letting Go: Very fun upbeat song! Don't we have plans for our lives, but sometimes letting go is a really good thing!


3. Unpredictable: Kind of a rock-y song. Isn't it interesting that when we think we have God figured out, He shows us we don't? His ways are not our ways and to try and contain him in our ideas is to put Him in a box and He's much larger than that!


4. My Paper Heart: Good message! Our hearts can be torn apart by those around us and God is right there to put the pieces back together.


5. Beautiful, Beautiful: Sweet song. God sees our potential and sees us so much more wonderfully than we do. His grace will change us, if we allow it.


6. Blue Sky: Kind of a jazz-y or blues song (I'm terrible at these genres!). Of course, God's love is here to stay, but I think this is a great song for spouses or BFFs.


7. Forever Love: Great wedding song! This is such a sweet song about how a love helps us become who we are and that a love can be forever.


8. Someday Soon: Nice pop song. A song about meeting that one special person. How we'd love for it to be.


9. Behind The Scenes: Slow & thoughtful song. Does everyone think our lives are just dandy? Do they realize the time that's been taken to make those lives look that way when it's different "behind the scenes"?


10. It's Your Life: Strong song! Are you who you say you are? What are you going to do with your life?


11. Time In Between: Goosebumps, that's what I get with this song! Jesus started off in the Father's presence and came to live, die and be resurrected here for our salvation. We need to be thankful for the time He spent here showing us how to live.


12. Lead Me To The Cross: Wonderful worship song. Asking the Lord to lead us to the cross and away from ourselves.


13. Keep Me Guessings: (Acoustic) Great crank the volume song! We don't know exactly where our lives are going, but holding on tight to God will keep us doing alright!

Songs 14-17 are what they call the Dented Fender Sessions. These are songs that have been mixed differently than the original release and I liked each one! They're how I would imagine hearing them in a concert setting.

Would you like to have your own copy of Beautiful, Beautiful? If so, Tweet about someone beautiful in your life! How awesome and easy is that? Click the image to learn more!

Reality: A Teaspoon Dose At A Time

Dinner, a meal in our home that I actually dread. Yes, I understand that dinner time is supposed to be a time of families coming together, sharing about their day, catching up with each other, and bonding in general. Yep, not in this All -American home!

Dinner time around here is probably more like the average home than not. I am not a planner. I'd like to be, but dinner options in our home are extremely limited. First of all, before I go any further, let me explain that I love to eat! Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, you name it, I probably eat it. I've always wanted to make great meals, but unfortunately, none of my kids has ever agreed on an entire meal. NEVER!

Sigh, this must be my week of honesty. Our typical "meals" during a week will consist of:

Grilled Cheese sandwiches & canned or fresh fruit & milk
Spaghetti with sauce or cheese and fruit & milk
Pancakes & fruit & milk
Pizza & milk
Mac & cheese & fruit & milk
And who knows what else

Do you see an item missing completely from that list above? VEGETABLES!! I ♥ Veggies! My boys, not so much. Hence, the writing of this post. I continue to try and find new products to introduce to my kids so that they'll try a veggie in a different way.

Tonight I grabbed a bag of Green Giant Broccoli Cheese & Rice that I could microwave. Made the Grilled Cheese, pulled out some left over pears and doled out the food. It was time to call the boys and hope that my patience would hold out. My 10 yr old has gotten better with eating what I give him. I don't overwhelm him with a food I think he might only eat because he knows I want him to.

My 6 yr old on the other hand (Large roll of the eyes) is a food freak. The broccoli cheese & rice only occupied about 1/2 a teaspoon worth of space. Unfortunately, it is the item that consumed the most amount of time and drama. I've been here before with him. Many times like this have ended with him throwing up. Not even kidding. He sits there staring at his food and working himself up mentally. I encourage him to just take a bite and get it over with. I tell him he's just thinking too much about it and give him some suggestions on how it would probably be easier to eat. Then I leave. Tonight the food sat on his plate and on his fork for about 5 minutes. I knew this was heading to a blow out, literally, and I needed to leave the room so I didn't get upset with him.

I headed down to do the laundry and as I did, I heard some hurling noises and Doodle saying, "Oh, that's just great." I kept walking to the laundry room. I couldn't deal with it right then. The psychological place he works himself to is so beyond what I can comprehend. I mean, will he have an eating disorder? Where did this come from? I've never heard of this before and find it somewhat disturbing. How can a 6 yr old get there? I offer these kinds of foods so rarely I don't think it's child abuse! The amount I offer him is so minuscule that I think it should be manageable to at least give it a try. Any ideas?

What would I love to have for dinner? Pot roast with red potatoes (which the boys don't eat), green beans (which neither boy eats), onions (again no boys), etc. How about some Chicken Parmesan with scalloped potatoes (which the boys won't eat), and peas (no boys here). Mmmm, a homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I'd be the ONLY one eating any of that.

Trailer to the Stars Vote & Giveaway

NOW, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR THE #1 VIDEO. This vote gives you a chance to win the KINDLE and $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD.

KCWC recently began a campaign to discover the top book trailer released by Misty Taggart and her extraordinarily talented team at Trailer to the Stars. Recently over 180 voters helped us choose the top five trailers and now we are asking you and your readers to help us discover the number ONE favorite--the top pick.

Head on over to Misty Taggart's site to vote for your favorite book trailer. Each voter gets an entry for the grand prize giveaway- A KINDLE! Hurry- midnight (PST) March 23, 2010 deadline.

Very excited to see one of the videos I'd chose in the first round is here! Bummed to not see my top choice, but that's ok. I'm not telling which one it is! Go check 'em out and vote!